Kunlun, ancient daoist practice

[Korpo]

Hehe, Tom, didn't you use to have paragraphs? That was way easier on the eyes.

Interesting read. I personally think that while the technique should work in general, there's a lot of BS marketing around it that IMO is not justified. The principles behind standing on the feet are not that impressive and known. You would probably get the same result if you raised energy continuously up the spine without caring to bring it down. Half of a small circulation or Robert's full storage circuit. Someone on Tao Bums told me that is taken care of by the sitting afterward so that's nothing to worry about...

I like bliss sensations, too. They are soft and subtle and suddenly I feel like smiling, not euphoric, but gently well, without any apparent reason. That's great.

Oliver

[Tom]

Often I find myself feeling a bit when I have to try to explain a technique like Kunlun. My guess is that the marketing is so overstated for similar reasons. There doesn't seem to be that much actually new to the system, and yet somehow it seems to work differently than anything I have tried.

The first level of three is a sitting posture using a chair. Sitting on the edge of a chair with your back straight and your feet on the ground, your left hand is in front of your navel chakra with the palm facing up. The right hand is facing down and held in front of the throat chakra. There seems to be a couple of inches between the hands and the body. The elbows are a bit out from the body to open up space in the armpits. The tongue is in the usual place at the roof of the mouth. Then lift the heels to activate the flow of energy. It has been a while since I read the book to check if I've forgotten anything. When you are done, the next step is to lower the heels and then the right hand is placed over the navel chakra and the left hand is placed over the right. If it was the other way around for women, placing the hands on the stomach, I've forgotten.

Today I'm in a bit of a hurry and just kept finding things to say. Normally I am more organized.

[Korpo]

The first level of three is a sitting posture using a chair. Sitting on the edge of a chair with your back straight and your feet on the ground, your left hand is in front of your navel chakra with the palm facing up. The right hand is facing down and held in front of the throat chakra. There seems to be a couple of inches between the hands and the body. The elbows are a bit out from the body to open up space in the armpits.

If this was done standing it would be one of the classical transitionary moves of Taiji. It is receptive move that would enclose the opponent's arm and from the little I know capture the opponent's motion and unsettle the opponent by adding to it, veering the opponent off during a turn.

Imagine it like this: Your lower arm would go below the opponent's striking arm, the upper arm above and then they would close in and take the opponents arm in a kind of lock. While this happens the fighter turn from the hip and pulls the opponent out of posture. Or so I'd assume - I never have done a fighting application ever. But I can look it up in a book at home.

As any move in Taiji this also has some sort of energetic meaning, but I don't know about any source that details the energy flows in this move.

I definitely feel heat the moment I lifted my heels. When not, everything feels more neutral. I tried to put the heels down - heat gone - heels up - heat present again. I'm not perceptive enough to tell which specific meridians or vessels get activated. I have to try it again when I have more time and can observe better, because ATM I'm a bit distracted.

Opening the armpits and maintaining a fist's distance between the hands and the body are classical Qigong principles, as is bringing the tongue to the roof of the mouth. Opening the armpits is for enabling free energy flow between body and arms, opening up the shoulder gates (more). Maintaining the distance is AFAIK important to avoid some unwanted exchange effects between the hands and the body, forcing the energy to actually go the intended way instead of back into the body at some point. And touching the roof of the mouth "connects" the Small Circulation.

When you are done, the next step is to lower the heels and then the right hand is placed over the navel chakra and the left hand is placed over the right. If it was the other way around for women, placing the hands on the stomach, I've forgotten.

That's a typical Qigong closing move, you find it for example with Mantak Chia IIRC. He also insists on different hands on top or different clockwise/counter-clockwise motions for men and women. It should bring excess energy back down into the Lower Tantien.

Oliver

[Korpo]

I've looked into how they describe Kunlun level one practices in the book, and several things come to mind:

1) The celibacy

100 days of celibacy (for men) are commonly prescribed in Daoist precultivation practices of the fire school. This is related to storing abundant Jing (Qi of the physical body) by retaining the semen. This has been prescribed in "Qigong Meditation: Embryonic Breathing" by Dr Yang.

They also use the usual sexual terms involved in describing their mystical and energetic practices as all other Taoist sects which believe in the "spiritual embryo" practices. Including "the heavenly consort" and such.

The technique given for the "Chi Lock" (which should prevent ejection on having sex) and the "Upward Draw" are similar to Mantak Chia's "Big Draw" and his practices with sexual energy. From my experiences with it I cannot recommend this at all. I also read that these practices can cause to the reproductive organs - which is not hard to believe. Keep in mind that Chia also has practices for "Chi Packing" in his "Iron Shirt Chi Kung" where Chi is strongly packed - around the organs, into the bones, etc, and this has also been reported to be harmful for some.

The problem with all these "abundant Chi" practices is that they force a lot of energy into one aspect of the human being to enforce some aspects of development or a quicker progress. Not everyone is made for that, and there are risks involved for mental stability and physical health.

The Kunlun book is in the "best" tradition of this as it does not acknowledge risks in here, and does only include minimal warnings (like: Drink no alcohol before practice.)

I remember Dr Yang warning that this path of cultivation cannot be entered after a certain age, surely not when being middle aged. The younger the easier. On the other hand most schools of meditation have no such requirement, testament to their less forceful nature. This seems to imply risks in the practice that can be more easily borne by the robust health of a youth...

2) The main practice

As discussed before.

There is a detailed list of all the "beneficial" things that might happen, and all are very good signs, of course. Most of them actually describe effects more commonly associated with a forced and unnecessarily cathartic clearing of blockages. This includes "leg shaking", involuntary "arm movement", "speaking in tongues", bouts of "laughter", take "spontaenous yogic postures".

About the yogic postures I would reason like this: Yoga postures were developed to maximise flow in certain energy channels of the body. If you forcefully open up such a channel the body might naturally react by adapting a posture of "least resistance" to prevent harm to itself. Call it a security protocol if you want.

To me most of these signs seem to indicate that Kunlun pushes parts of the energetic system to its boundaries, and you have to deal with what happens. This includes suddenly reactivated emotional material, blocks in your body, and so on. I see also a real risk of damaging part of the Chi-transporting channels of the body here - damage to the nerves, for example.

The question is if this is sustainable development, and I would expect some people to be fine with it. Knowing the state of my own body, however, this is not for everyone. There are many powerful Qi practices out there which can come at an emotional or mental price later on - and who will help you then?

Basically this practice triggers the upward current all the time for prolonged time. This is definitely forceful as the body is constructed to circulate Qi, not to massively draw it upward. Parts of the description are like this practice is designed to force open the crown chakra by leading a good deal of energy its way.

A particular funny phrase was this: "Sensations of crawling ants, or itchiness under the skin. This is when you have sufficient chi to break the resistant abilities of the skin." Suddenly this classic sign of blockage in the finer Qi-transporting structures of the skin (see Robert's "cobweb sensations") is a sign of "sufficient chi". I doubt it - I have cobwebs in the most blocked parts of my body, with the least Chi, not the other way round. The ones in the face are gone for years now, but the ones in the legs persist. Not very convincing.

The hint to "never stand up during your practice as you may faint" is not very promising.

3) Conclusion about Kunlun level one

In total I think this is a very rushed practice. It contains - as many Qigong instructions of its vein - no indication of how to deal with what might get unearthed. It contains minimal advice that is taken from meditation in the vein of "be like a child", "just let it be", "observe", "smile" and whatever, but no real instruction of how to deal with what comes up in the practice.

No signs are mentioned that might indicate wrong practice, which is not surprising, as other practices might list these "results" as them and as an indicator to slow down, ground more and similar things.

All in all this seems to be a practice designed for rapid, forceful and cathartic purifying, and I think the material given is insufficient to develop a practice that can responsibly handle its outcome. Not for everyone.

Oliver

[TalkingHead]

I like being able to fall asleep at night listening to binaurals and giving myself reiki

-Tom


How do give yourself Reiki Tom? I guess I'm not fully familiar with Reiki either.

[Tom]

First you receive a reiki attunement. The attunement process connects you with the energy that is reiki. There are three levels. In the first level you might rub the palms of your hands together as a way to get the energy flow started. There are other ways, but that is the one I learned. The second level uses a symbol to activate the flow of energy in your hands. In the third level you use your intent to activate the flow and you may send it through any part of your body of you have a reason to do so or even your entire body. If my knee were hurt from over-exercising I might want to send reiki to my knee either by putting my hands on my knee or by sending it from my knee. What I was mentioning in the case you quoted was when I give myself reiki while going to sleep. I put my hands on my stomach and start the flow of reiki to my subnavel storage center, then watch the energy flow to keep it going as I drift off. It is an easy way to get in a daily self-treatment and daily self-treatments are the best way to continue to improve your ability to channel reiki.

[CFTraveler]

Mmmm... Ive been doing the hand thing for years not knowing it had anything to do with Reiki. Does it mean I'm attuned to #1?

[Tom]

There is a self-attunement process. It can be done either through intent or by asking your Higher Self for attunements. It is possible to get a manual to familiarize yourself with a system and then self-attune to any reiki system. It tends to be easier if you have experience working with energy because at that point you will be more confident in your ability.

Yes, I think it entirely possible you have attuned yourself, whether you call it reiki or not. The important thing is that it is a source of energy that flows automatically through you as needed rather than depleting your personal supply.

[alwayson4]

Often I find myself feeling a bit when I have to try to explain a technique like Kunlun. My guess is that the marketing is so overstated for similar reasons. There doesn't seem to be that much actually new to the system, and yet somehow it seems to work differently than anything I have tried.

The first level of three is a sitting posture using a chair. Sitting on the edge of a chair with your back straight and your feet on the ground, your left hand is in front of your navel chakra with the palm facing up. The right hand is facing down and held in front of the throat chakra. There seems to be a couple of inches between the hands and the body. The elbows are a bit out from the body to open up space in the armpits. The tongue is in the usual place at the roof of the mouth. Then lift the heels to activate the flow of energy. It has been a while since I read the book to check if I've forgotten anything. When you are done, the next step is to lower the heels and then the right hand is placed over the navel chakra and the left hand is placed over the right. If it was the other way around for women, placing the hands on the stomach, I've forgotten.

Today I'm in a bit of a hurry and just kept finding things to say. Normally I am more organized.

Hi my friend. I enjoy talking to you over PM. What do the other levels of kunlun involve?

[Tom]

It has been a while since I read the book, and I can't find what I seemed to recall reading - it seemed to me that the effects of the third level reminded me of those of Dzogchen.