Kodawari Hombu Dojo
Water Methods
VS
Fire Methods
I started working on this posting and then quickly came to the conclusion that the disclaimer above is probably going to come in handy.
If you have read much of this site so far, you will have seen that on more than one occasion I have mentioned that there are differences between the water and fire traditions of Taoism and that I would soon be writing about it more in-depth. Well, soon is now (how Taoist is that? LOL). When we are looking at all aspects of the Taoist arts, it is really more that I have just defined. In this post I hope to take a true deep dive into the entire subject.
It is VERY important to note at this point that when we talk about Taoism, we are NOT referring to a religion in any way, shape or form. No one at the Kodawari Hombu Dojo cares what religion you belong to or whether you are religious at all! No one is looking to convert you from whatever your religious beliefs may be to Taoism or anything else. Taoism (or Daoism) refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家 – daojia – “Dao family” or “school of the Dao”) or to a religion (道教 – daojiao – “teaching of the Dao”). Taoism holds that humans and animals should live in balance with the Tao, or the universe. Taoists, in general, believe in spiritual immortality, where the spirit of the body joins the universe after death (matter or, actually energy, is never destroyed…it merely changes form). We (those seeking Kodawari) endeavor to learn both the arts and sciences that assist with our development of the combative and personal protection arts. In particular this would cover breathing methods, meditation methods and energy work.
Whether you end up agreeing with me or not, please just for a moment assume that all that I say is correct. You can come to a different conclusion later. But just for now assume that I am correct. The reason for this is so that we can get on the same page. Comparing apples to apples if you will. Therefore, we need to lay out the terms that will be used here and, more importantly, what they mean. This way we can speak the same language moving forward.
水法修道
Shui Fa Xiudao
火法修道
Huo Fa Xiudao
I have mentioned in another post that I believe that due to being taught a fire method (small or microcosmic orbit – 小周天 – shoshuten) qigong or kiko (気功) incorrectly is one (of perhaps many) potential reasons that I now face some fairly serious health related issues.
The Middle Path