CEDAR
AND BAMBOO GROUP
The study and practice of Wuweidao
The study of the Daodejing and the practice of Zuowang
Formal meditation practice and text study have
always been part of the Chinese Daoist cultivation. The purpose
of this group is to ‘open up’ a translation of the Daodejing,
for students using the daily practice of non-conceptual meditation
(zuowang) it recommends.
“This is not a general introduction to Daoism. This kind of
study/practice is how to personally enter into Daoism. The decision
to join Cedar Group should be natural and not just inspired by curiosity.
It should come from a natural, mature, spiritual appetite and not
a hysterical need for salvation, enlightenment or self-improvement.
”
Each participant commits to a year of daily (one hour) silent meditation
practice, a daily review of the text and attendance at twelve consecutive
all-day (10am-4pm) monthly gatherings to discuss their practice
and study. In this simple informal setting Liu Ming guides us through
his own translation/paraphrase/commentary, a meal is prepared and
eaten and a qi transmission occurs that is certainly unique in modern
times.
This is not a class. This kind of “Daoist learning”
may not be cumulative at all. There is no graduation, but those
continuing in the class to the end of the text (renewing annual
commitment for 5-7 years) may continue to practice/study other texts
and methods.
Prerequisites: Anyone wishing to join in this
training for one or more years should first seek zuowang instruction
(from Liu Ming), practice for a month or two at home (in order to
make an honest and practical commitment) and then attend one of
the all-day sessions. Participation in this group is based on your
personal commitment and discipline. The practice is self-regulated;
there is no group meditation.
Class Schedule: Cedar group meets once a month (see schedule)
LION’S ROAR
Dharma Beyond Dharmas
A revealing study of Longchenpa’s Heart Essence practices
- Longchen Nyngthik Ngondro
In the Ming dynasty the enlightened and compassionate
Tibetan lama, Longchenpa, composed a series of truly ingenious instructions
and practices that reveal the essential nature of Tantric Buddhism
in relationship to Dzogchen. This approach to Tantric practices
renewed access to the profound essence of the Dzogchen tradition,
already obscured by accumulated commentaries and inventions. Longchenpa’s
system is quintessentially Nyingmapa (old translation school), but
has also been acknowledged for its brilliance and effectiveness
by all Tibetan Buddhists. The true genius of Longchenpa’s
Ngondro is, that it is still “modern” - even today –
and far beyond the often cumbersome medieval notions of Tibetan
Buddhist culture.
“This Tantric approach to Dzogchen was the focus of my own
study/practice of Tibetan Buddhism for ten years, and continues
to inspire me today. (Its parallels to wuweidao are abundantly evident.)
I believe, Longchenpa has created a magnificent system/strategy
for a practitioner aspiring to the spontaneous fruition of Dzogchen,
with all the thoroughness of the Tantras (and termas) as an illuminating
fall-back.”
The presentation of this class will be non-sectarian and practical
for anyone who takes their spiritual practice seriously. Its application
will be offered in a universal context.
FENG SHUI - CHINESE GEOMANCY
The theory and practice of Mantic Space
Chinese geomancy, over its three millennia of
history, has absorbed many influences and inspired several schools.
In the deepest sense it is an appreciation of place/space as integral
to the shaping and expression of our Fate. What does that mean?
Unlike the New Age and folkloric versions of fengshui that are obsessed
with “creating wealth and luck”, traditional fengshui
in China was more about “reading” the qi potential of
a place/space (both for the dead [grave sites] and living space).
In this course we will learn the basic vocabulary used to describe
the auspices of a place/space as mantic – something that can
be “divined”.
Part One of this course will focus on each student gaining the vocabulary
and tools to assess their own (home and work) space and evaluating
it in relationship to his/her Basic Astrology.
CHINESE ASTROLOGY
The theory and practice of Polestar Astrology
Chinese astrology, over its three millennia of
history, has absorbed many influences and branched into many schools.
In this course we are learning the vocabulary and auspices of the
system centered on the North Star (polestar/ziwei) with reference
to heavenly stem/earthly branch and 5 element influences. This basic
knowledge course is designed to gain an understanding of your own
fate (natal chart) while developing the knowledge needed to become
an astrological consultant.
Part Two reviews auspices based on the animal character and the
elemental nature. It also explains the twelve houses and the auspices
of their starry content.
CALENDAR QIGONG
Keeping up with the Nodes
Qi as Time
“Qigong is a generic term for any activity
that synchronizes qi, breath and movement. In that sense, there
is a qigong for everything – a qigong of piano playing, a
qigong of the cell phone and a qigong of stir-frying, to name a
few.”
Qigong’s most profound application (neigong/daoyin) is to
simply synchronize our human breath, qi and body with the overarching
Cosmos (Dao). One of the largest scale influences of the overarching
cosmos is Time, the cycles of astrogeomancy. Since pre-dynastic
times, systems of qigong related to astrogeomancy have been widely
used in Asia. In these workshops we will learn and practice qigong
exercises specific to each qi node (24 astrological divisions of
the year), the auspicious direction for each and variations that
allow practitioners to improvise according to their own needs.
Prerequisites: A minimal amount of strength and
agility. (The exercises are designed for the beginner as well as
the seasoned qigong practitioner.)
Class Schedule: All-day workshops are scheduled from time to time
CHADAO
The practice of Tea
The contemplative study of Diancha (Whipped Tea)
As contemplative traditions of Asia pour into
the modern West they are reshaped by the tension and hysteria of
our secular commercial life. We crave the exotic spiritual life
of hermits, ascetics and yogis with a spiritual appetites shaped
by Protestant ideas of salvation and Euro-centric psychology. Is
any real fruition possible from this dizzying mix? It’s a
good question. If fruition were possible, what would we do with
it, how would we express our true nature?
In China’s prosperous and peaceful Middle Ages (late Tang
and Northern Song dynasties) the formal preparation of diancha (whipped
tea) was associated with a unique aesthetic inspired by a new synthesis
of Daoism, Buddhism and Confucianism. Daoists, Buddhist monks and
the court elite approached spirituality as a matter of self-expression,
not a job of arduous transformation. Their daily lives were full
of simple and profound rituals of beauty. Diancha was one of these
rituals of natural self-expression that flowed from within. In their
hands the making of a bowl of tea was an act of alchemy, compassion
and modesty – a sublime artistic expression of the interconnectedness
of life.
“In these classes and through the practice of tea, students
will be able to approach the matter of spiritual self-expression
using the heritage of Chadao. We are not learning Chadao in the
formal method of a particular school of tea, as in Japan today.
We are simply using this tea brewing method as a means of expressing
our inner nature (de).
The long-term goal of this class is to create a society of peers
who spend time together in the peaceful expression of natural presence.”
Prerequisites: The purchase of start-up equipment
with an average cost of about $500, ability to sit comfortably (bench
assisted) in zuojing (Japanese: seiza) for at least 45 minutes.
Class Schedule: An introductory class will be held every few months
for interested students - smallclasses are scheduled, and tea events
(see schedule)
NOURISHING WITHIN
The theory and practice of Chinese Daoist Physiology
To simply breathe, eat and sleep
Daoism contains aspects of ancient science that
predate Han Daoism by many centuries. Among these sciences is a
form of “medicine”, not focused on diagnosing and curing
disease but instead focused on revealing the body’s spiritual/cosmic
nature and the patterns of its physiology – a dao of the body.
This dao of the body reveals the respiratory system (breath), the
digestive system (blood) and the central nervous system (qi) and
their palaces (organs) as “streams” not “machines
with jobs”. These palaces and streams are part of the essential
vocabulary used in the science and practice of Daoist alchemy (qigong/daoyin,
‘macrobiotic’ diet/herbology and meditation).
In this course we will wander over the Chinese Daoist applications
of these ancient sciences with an eye to the practical applications
for modern life. Each class will be composed of a lecture and a
small meal that reflects the natural possibilities inherent in simply
eating, resting and breathing.
“I do not doubt that these teachings are among the most profound
of all Chinese Daoist teachings, though they seem to have been abandoned
in recent centuries. It is an hysterical misreading of simplicity
that says simplicity is difficult to obtain.”
Prerequisites: An interest in participating in
the natural alchemy of good health. (CEU for acupuncturists is available)
Class Schedule: The class meets monthly on Saturdays (see schedule
for time and topic
HEALING APPRENTICESHIP
The theory and practice of Chinese Daoist Physiology applied
to Healing
An ancient view applied to modern methods
Modern medicine is no less philosophical than
older, traditional forms of medicine. Like all medical science,
the “culture” and philosophy of modern medicine is integral
to its effectiveness and its ineffectiveness. Though Chinese Daoist
alchemy does not focus on medical diagnosis and treatment, its concept
of the natural patterns and cosmic nature of the human body, informed
early and medieval traditional Chinese medicine. This course will
focus on what old (animism) and new (scientific) approaches to healing
have in common.
In this course we will wander over Daoist-inspired medical and mantic
sciences (astrology/fengshui and human physiology) with an eye to
the applications that may be suited to a modern healthcare practice.
The course is geared towards broadening the student’s approach
to healing patients and not focused on refining the logic of specific
“silver bullet” treatments.
“Refining clinical diagnosis (pulse and tongue) too early
or exclusively, can limit a practitioner’s ability to see
the obvious and communicate with their patients. In this course
we will look at the culture (view) of the practitioner, the method
and the patient to optimize the chances of success. When we investigate
how disease forms and gets “cured”, a qi-based system,
like Daoist science, can give us a fresh approach to healing.”
Prerequisites: A national and/or State license in acupuncture or
current enrollment in an accredited licensure program. (CEU available)
Class Schedule: Class meets Monday mornings (see schedule) once
a month
CHANGING
A ZHOUYI WORKSHOP
The Chinese Classic of Divination
Divination was central to early Chinese culture,
religion and government. In the centuries leading up to the Common
Era a text emerged that evolved into what the Chinese call the “Classic
of Change” (Yijing or I Ching). In these workshops we will
review and study Liu Ming’s new translation of a text called
the Zhou Yi (the heart of the Yijing), without reference to the
standard commentaries that give its later versions an often ambiguous,
Confucian flavor.
The morning session of the workshop reviews the history, development
and the basic structure of the text with emphasis on the modern
practice of divination.
The afternoon session of the workshop presents various ways to interpret,
approach and use the text, in ways developed by the Chinese.
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