This may be a shorter, one off post than some of the others. . .

Taoists (as well as people from many and most other practices) generally consider the human body to be a micro-cosm of the universe.  A universe within a universe. 

You may have heard an expression like “As above, so below” but haven’t given it much thought.

Take a minute to cue up your minds eye and visualize the rotation or orbit of the plantes in our solar system around our sun.  Now think of the orbits of protons and electrons around a neutron.  As above, so below.

What I am about to suggest to you requires more of a leap of capacity than faith, but it’s a leap that most normal people aren’t ready to make.

let’s start out with a simple illustration:

12345

What’s so special about this number?  Nothing, really.

But we’ll use it as an example. 

So we could read this as 1-2-3-4-5 or we can read it as twelve thousand, three hundred and forty five.

In this example, 1 is part of twelve thousand three hundred and forty five.  2 is part of it also.  So is 3 and 4 and 5.

However, the opposite is not true.  Twelve thousand, three hundred and forty five is not part of 1.  or 2.  or 3. 

Are you with me?

So . . . Quarks, Neutrinos, Protons, Neutrons, electrons, molecules, planets and galaxies are all part of our universe.  That’s not to say that our universe is part of any of those particular items, though, right?

Smaller systems are incorporated and are a part of larger systems that are similarly structured and follow similar laws

A man or a woman is part of a society.  A society is part of a species.  Etc.

So lets assume that the traditional Taoist view of the human body is correct, and that it is in fact, a micro-cosmic model of the universe.

Albert Einstein said that the most important decision you  make in life is whether or not you believe that the universe is a “friendly” place.

Of course, it’s friendly and unfriendly, just like the rest of nature.

But it leads to an interesting question . . .

“Are YOU a friendly universe?”

Again, if we assume that the historical Taoist cosmology is basically correct and that you are indeed a microcosm of the universe, than it makes sense that YOUR universe is teeming with life - or at least has life or capacity for life in much the same way as the larger system that you yourself inhabit.

Do you shake your head in agreement with Al Gore documentaries and chain smoke cigarettes while watching?

Do you purposely go out and through violence, over exertion, or whatever - destroy large amounts of your body or tissue before it’s natural time to die off and be replaced?

Do you live a life of physical, emotional, and psychological excess, or do you try to achieve a more homeo-static grounding?

This is a wake up call to people who know better but aren’t doing better

Preserve your body to follow its natural course.  Control your emotions to avoid the pollution of harsh neuro-chemicals into unknown worlds.  Take it easy, and when you “do unto others” remember that others might not just be the ones you see at your own level.  You are part of something bigger than yourself, and ultimately a bigger context for things that are smaller than yourself. 

This is one of my favorite sayings . . Everything that rises must converge.

The idea, that the truth, or truth is basically like a pyrmaid.  At the lower levels, it’s complicated and large.  As you get closer to the pure truth, it becomes smaller and simpler.

And while the truth may usually be simple, it’s almost never easy.

One of the best works on this subject is The Perennial Philosophy, by Aldous Huxley.  in TPP Huxley does a comparative analysis of the worlds religions and spiritual trends to find out what’s similar.  Comparing, rather than contrasting.

If we imagine the truth as a pyramid, at the base you have all of the worlds different religions, cosmologies, and so on.

As you move higher and higher up the pyramid, you begin to notice some striking similarities.

First, you notice that there are two parallel and slowly converging lines.

Those are the two main methodsd of spiritual enlightenment, and they can be summed up as:

1. Practice
2. Devotional Surrender

The practical schools can basically be summed up as things like Taoism, types of Shamanism, etc.

The Devotional schools are those that rather than take up the route of practice require one to competely devote and surrender oneself to a guru, a higher power, a messiah, or what have you.

In fact, for all of their differences, religions like Buddhism and Christianity belong to the same sid or line on the pyramid.

The interesting thing to not is that again - everything that rises converges.

At some pont, practice becomes devotional surrender and devotional surrender becomes practice, and the distinction is erased completely at the top of the pyramid.

So I’m sitting on a ton of domains that need to be developed, but I don’t really have time to do it.

 I’m willing to cover the hosting if anyone wants to develop the following domains into something that’s REALLY useful.

You can keep any profits if you make some money of ads or whatever.  All I want is a link back here.   The main point is I would like to see something cool and beneficial done with these:

lao-zi.net
zhuang-zi.net
sun-zi.net
kongfuzi.info

BookOfFiveRings.Org

KongMenQuan.Com
YuMenQuan.Com

TaoistMeditation.Net
TaoistMonk.Net
TaoistQigong.Net
TaoistTemple.Net

TaoYin.info Running Wudangquan.com is about all I really have time for, to tell the truth - because I want to do it right.

That means creating alot of free video, audio, and text content for free.

Other than here on the blog, you’ll notice that I am not even running any ads on the main site, because my motivation isn’t to make money from this.

But . . . I’ve got all these other good domains that are just going to waste.

Again, I’m willing to let somebody else run them, or sell them off completely to the right person with the right project.

If you’re interested drop me a line at jonathan at iamjonathan.com

Also - I have this really wierd domain and I don’t know what I should do with it . . . it’s Popullution.Com . . .  A pretty powerful meme, actually.

I was thinking about doing something related to hermits, or retreating from social life, but have no idea, really.  Any thoughts?

Today is Wednesday . . . Because of Visa issues during the olympics, I’m not going immediately to Wudang Shan, but will do a run down to Laos for a bit.

Will try to get some more content up in the meantime.

Not really . . .  To bad, so sad.

Later on tonight, I will be filming two new videos for the site.

They are:

1. Understanding the Zhuang Zi
2. An Introduction To Contemporary Taoism

But, I have this gut feeling about what people really want to see.

I guess, that alot of people are probably looking to see alot of video on internal martial arts, and training at Wudang.

And it’s coming, Don’t worry. . . There will be ample opportunity to see me (happily) made a fool of. 

I also am worried that some people might not understand why I’m posting the things I’m posting in the members area right now . . .

Why I’m posting so many videos and audio about traditional Taoist writing and theory:

There are multiple reasons for this, and it’s not really an accident, or because of a lack of other material that I could present instead.

The first, is that I personally am interested in study of this material.  So, while I’m doing that, I figure I might as well go ahead and make some shareable content out of my own study.  MP3’s you can listen to while walking or driving.  Videos you can watch that will provide (at least a minimal) audio visual input to help you internalize the material better.  PDF’s to read when you’re bored.

The second reason is because I enjoy doing it.

The third reason is because I think that before we begin higher level discussions or start putting higher level material out there, it’s important to create a solid ideological foundation.

Which brings us to the fourth and main reason . . .

I believe that it’s not a good idea to talk about high level concepts or processes without making every possible effort to talk about morality, first.

There are people who do this.

More specifically, lots of people mass market material on Taoist sexual practices.

My personal feeling about this issue is that I find it to be quite irresponsible.

There are several reasons why:

• It easily encourages an attachment to lust
• I believe that high level practices without a solid moral foundation can contribute to delusions and psychological disorders (Mainly wierd Messianic delusions and/or paranoia)
•  When or If people experience any results,  or phenominalogical effects from these processes, they can easily go down a wrong path

 What I believe in, and what I’m trying to follow and share with people is orthodox Taoism.

At this point, there are hundreds of heterodox practices that are derivative of traditional Taosim.

From martial arts, to Chinese medicine, to Qigong, Feng Shui, Astrology and all sorts of other things.

All of them are good, I think.

But, peoples intentions, motivations, secret desires and hang ups aren’t always good.

Often, it seems like the reason people become involved in these practices are quite contrary to “the Tao”.

• They seek to artificially influence something.
• They want to control things rather than let them follow their natural course.
• They hope to gain something that is not theirs to begin with.

 Hucksters, Charlatans and Fakes possess attributes which can be recognized

This is not a call out.  I’m not even saying that hucksters, charlatans and fakes don’t serve their purpose or have their place within the eco-system of Taoist cultivations.

Only that they can recognized.

Questions to ask yourself:

• Is this person offering me something for “nothing”?
• Is this person offering me a shortcut to enlightenment, martial ability, sexual power, well being, etc. that doesn’t require a proportionate sacrifice of worldly interests?
• Does this person have my best interest at heart, or are they out for material gain?  Is the true value they’re providing me consistent with what they’re asking from me, materially?
• Is this persons life, life style, and behavior consistent with what they’re teaching me?
• What is my OWN motivation, and reason for doing this?  What am I really trying to pursue?  (I don’t mean the features, but the results.  Not Qigong, or Kung Fu, Or Feng Shui, but things like fame, money, power over others, helping others, health, understanding the nature of “things”, living in accord with the Tao, blowing your load 99 times in half a minute, etc.)

I am an Indiana redneck - covered in bad tattoos. 

So in saying all of that, I guess I should caveat it by saying that I’m nobody to listen to.

I am not capable to be anybody’s teacher or anything like that, because I’m just a beginner at trying to be a real person (ZhenRen)  myself, and I’m no where near even being close.

But . . .  my instinct and my spirit tell me that - before we start taking the camcorder into anybodys secret mountain caves, talking about re-directing peoples momentum into concrete walls, or seminal retention - it’s important to at least make available as much information as possible about how to be a good human, rather than just a human who’s efficient at doing this or that.

So bear with me . . . The time is VERY near when I’ll be living on WudangShan full time, and when it comes to providing you with great content related to internal martial arts, qigong, Chinese medicine, etc. - I guarantee . . . I WILL CRUSH IT.

In the meantime, bear with me while I try to get my own self in a better head space.  I encourage you to try and do the same, if that’s what you want to do. 

Today someone asked me at my Myspace Account about cultivating the Tao here in China, and about the place where I am now (Yunnan) in particular.

I was going to type this long reply to him, because I think that it’s worth explaining my thoughts on this subject, but I decided I would do it here, too because I think lots of people have these sorts of “crouching tiger” dreams about what Asia will do for them.

Upon arrival, it will probably mystify and enchant you. . .

Give it a year and you’re likely to be climbing the walls, and find yourself incredibly frustrated.

As many of you know, I’ve lived in lots of different countries here.  3 years in India.  4 years in Thailand.  A year in Korea, and now China. . .

One thing that I consistently see is people looking for this sort of mytherial “Asian” experience.  You know - The kind of stuff you see in movies, with sagely old men who reluctantly agree to show you “the way”, and bamboo forests, and lots of “spiritual” people.

 So without further Adieu, here are the top things spiritual/philisophical searchers need to know about Asia before they show up:

1.  It’s mostly corrupt in ways that you’re not accustomed to
2. The ideas that you hold dear, like the significance and value of the individual, don’t exist here for the most part
3. It’s generally dirty
4. People are generally MUCH more materialistic than in the West
5. There is no feeling of boo boo headed mysticism circling through the trees.  There is yellow dust, massive amounts of industrial pollution, and a sort of cut throat, dog eat dog selfishness that pervades almost everything

 With that being said, and with some clarity in mind - Let me tell you why Asia is awesome:

•  The social environment is terrible
• The moral quality is very low
• The environmental pollution is generally out of control
• Your limited only by your imagination in how evil you become and to what extent you surrender to your base nature if you have a bit of money

At this point, you’re probably wondering if I’ve lost the plot while you’re reading this right, or at least - “Where the hell is he going with this?” - right?

  The truth is, Asia has produced some of the highest level human beings precisely because the environment is so problematic.

Lao Tzu.  The Buddha.  Confucius.  Guru Nanak.  Ghandi . . . The list goes on and on.

In order for me to continue along this line of thought, it’s important that we be in agreement upon two basic principles:

The way to ascend in cultivation practice is to:

1. Improve your morality
2. Eliminate your attachments

Are you still with me?  Ok . . .

As a tangent ninja aside, I always tell people that I think there’s a standard of human morality . . .

Wicked, immoral people - Let’s take for example someone like Hitler, or the Cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer - As a society and as individuals we always condemn the acts of these people as being “Inhumane”.

Do we literally mean no longer human?  Or below the moral standard for humanity?  I would say so.

I’de venture to guess that at our core - that part of ourSelves which hasn’t been totally eroded by socialization - we basically understand that these people have fallen below the standards of behavior and morality to even be considered human beings any longer.

Still with me . . . ?

If we assume that the equation balances itself, or that if Yang exists so must Yin, then it stands to reason that there’s a standard at the upper level, too.

That - quite literally there is an upper level standard for human morality, and that if someone transcends that standard, and they have improved their own morality beyond that point, and have eliminated enough human attachments - We also can no longer consider this person to be a normal human.

Again:  Lao Tzu . . . The Buddha . . .  Jesus . . .  Is there a reason that we hold these, who were born in flesh and blood the same as us in such reverence?

I’d say “yeah”.

If you want to make steel, you turn up the heat

To further illustrate the point that I’m actually trying to get to, I guess it’s best to use an analogy based on Alchemy.

Let’s assume that you have a lump of iron ore.  Full of dirt, debris, all sorts of roughage, oxidized and not at all pure.

How does this dirty rock get from being a dirty rock to being high quality steel?

It has to be tempered.  You put it in a cauldron or kiln, and you burn it.

Or better yet - how does a lump of carbon become a diamond?

You guessed it.  Through a long, protracted process of being exposed to MASSIVE heat and/or physical pressure.

Out Of The Frying Pan, and Into The Fire

So that brings us back around to the original point of all of this. . . .

In *MY* experience, Asia is a great place to cultivate.  Not because there is zither music floating around on the wind the moment you walk out the door, but because if you can resist the temptations that are all around you (From “Get in my Taxi” to “Buy my book” to “F*ck My Son”) -

And if you can remain compassionate towards life around you -

And if you can resist being pulled into the consensus reality which is HIGHLY materialistic -

Then you can make real progress.

And you can probably make it more quickly than you could in another type of environment.

Plan to burn, not “chill”

So for those people who are interested in coming here for spiritual reasons - I would say that you either have to have a realistic understanding of how things are here, or you have to have the emotional resillience to deal with a big “let down” when you realize that nobody is hovering about the bamboo forests, you won’t be shooting an qi balls at the bad guys (the bad guys will be your bosses, masters, landlords, political leaders, etc.).

But if you’re ready to do that . . . And if you can resist the consensus reality in one place, and then resist it in another, and on and on until you find that you’re so outside the realm of social human “groupthink” that even if you went home you would still be a foreigner - There’s hope for you yet.

Lao Tzu’s classic text, the Tao Te Ching is now up in the free members area.

This recording weighs in at 54 minutes and 47 seconds.

I wanted to get this thing recorded before we went any further with the Tao Te Ching video study group, in case there were some people caught in “analysis paralysis” or who don’t like to read much.

This is what I want you to do.  Just take action.  Download the free Tao Te Ching Audio book ( go sign up for free HERE if you haven’t yet to get it) .

Once you’ve got it, I want you to load it up in your mp3 player.  Do this before you do ANYTHING ELSE.  Stop whatever else you’re doing and then just do it.

Next, I want you to take the VERY NEXT available opportunity to listen to it.  If that means listening while you’re on your lunch break, or driving in your car, or instead of watching that stupid T.V. that’s trying to brainwash you - JUST TAKE ACTION NOW.

Now - I want you to make a committment to yourself.  The Tao Te Ching is one of the greatest texts of wisdom and living that has ever been written.  Maybe you don’t have time to read.  Maybe you’re not a reader.  Cool.  I’ve recorded it for you.

I want you to listen to this recording one time every day for the next 7 days.  Will you do it?  While you’re walking, before you go to sleep - whenever . . . Just tell me whether or not you will commit to listen to Tao Te Ching for a week with me?

What I want to do is meaure the results.  I want to know if it has any affect on you, and your life.  Not my voice, but Lao Tzu’s words and wisdom.

So, if you aren’t a member already, go to http://www.wudangquan.com and sign up for free, then download the mp3.  Then put it on your computer or mp3 player.

Now, what I want you to do is leave me a comment RIGHT NOW stating exactly *when* you will listen to the recording for the first time, and if you can commit to listening to Tao Te Ching once a day for the next 7 days.

Leave that comment below.

I recorded six new audio book tracks for myself to listen to while I excercise or walk, or ride the bus or whatevever so I thought you might like to check them out to.

Here is a list of the tracks included:

• Chi Wen Dong - The Red Streaked Cave
• The Pivot Of Jade
• The Hsin Yin Ching - Imprint Of The Heart
• Ching Jing Jing - Purity And Rest
• Tai Hsi Ching - Respiration Of The Embryo
• Universal Understanding<

The tracks are kind of rough, as they’re just for personal
use, and I stumbled more than a few times, but you can download and
listen to them HERE.

I’m going to add the following videos tomorrow:

Wudang/Taoist Diet and nutrition

BenchMark Video (aka the watch how fat, out of shape and sloppy I am video!)

After that I’m going to focus on the Zhang San Feng video, and continuing with the Tao Te Ching video study group vids.

That’s it.

Take care everybody.

Video 3 for the Tao Te Ching study group is online inside the members area at wudangquan.com . . .

If you haven’t already joined, go ahead and do that, and leave me a comment here, or leave a video response on youtube and let me know what you think.

As a side note - I’ll be taking all of the comments from here and youtube, and will put it together as a massive Tao Te Ching Video, as well as an ebook and I’ll be giving that to everyone for free.

Also don’t forget that there are some cool gifts for people who participate in the study group:

I went ahead and added a video site for non members.

You can find it here:  Wudang Videos

This is not the members content - It’s just some other stuff from youtube, etc.

If you want the WudangQuan.Com Membership content, you have to sign up.