Bruce Lee Thai boxing with a woman

(BRUCE LEE ☯️ MANIA) Bruce Lee, the lost interview (1971) has been recovered

Bruce Lee challenged by Thai female kickboxer undefeated 1971 — Bangkok match

I can prevail with just one well placed strike.

(Bruce Lee: The Hidden Legacy) Bangkok, November 15, 1971, underground gym. Somrak Kamsing challenged Bruce Lee. Forty-seven fights, 47 wins, 43 knockouts, she never lost.

"Come to Bangkok. Fight me. Or admit you fear women." Bruce Lee read the challenge. Hong Kong. Filming Fist of Fury. He never fought woman before, never fought a perfect record, but he refused to decline the offer.

Female Master vs. Muay Thai champ | brutal kick

showdown #功夫 #武术 #泰拳 #Kungfu  #柔道

"She's undefeated champion. She deserves respect. She deserves fight." He accepted. "Bangkok. November 15. Traditional Muay Thai rules. Five rounds. No cameras. No publicity. Just two martial artists."

• 

  Muay Thai with boxer and farang

  Muay Thai or Muaythai (Thai มวยไทย, RTGS muai thai) is sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, the Art of Eight Limbs [5], or the Science of Eight Limbs [6]. It is a Thai martial art and full-contact combat sport that uses stand-up striking, sweeps, and clinching techniques [7]. The name "Art of Eight Limbs" refers to the combined use of two fists, two elbows, two knees, and two shins [8].
• Muay Thai went international in the late 20th-21st century, when Westernized practitioners from Thailand began competing in kickboxing, mixed-rules matches, and matches under Muay Thai rules around the world. The professional league is governed by the Professional Boxing Association of Thailand, sanctioned by the Sports Authority of Thailand.

• 

  Thai fighters wearing mongkhon

  Muay Thai is related to martial art styles of India's cultural sphere: Musti-yuddha [9, 10], Muay Chaiya, Muay Boran, Muay Lao, Lethwei, Kun Khmer, Benjang [11], and Tomoi [12].
• Muay Thai practitioners are known as Nak Muay. Western practitioners are sometimes called Nak Muay Farang, meaning "foreign boxer" [13].
• Muay Thai etymology: The Thai language term Muay Thai [14] that is a compound word made up of muay and Thai, the first derived from the Sanskrit root word [15] mavya [16], which means "to pull together," "to form into a single group or unit," or "unity" [16], defined as "to tie" [17] and "sport boxing" [18] in Thai. The alternative form of the Sanskrit word mavya is mavy (mavyati, Sanskrit मव्य् (मव्यति, lit. "to bind, to tie, to fasten") from its root term mav [19, 20] (Sanskrit मव). "Thai" comes from the word Tai [15], which means "free" [21] and "Tai-Kadai speakers " [Note 1]. More

Black implies white. White implies black. Swirling

Somrak Kamsing [the name of a real male fighter also known as Somluck Kamsing?] started training at age 8 disguised as a boy. Underground gyms didn't allow females.

She cut her hair, wrapped her chest to bind her bosom, and nobody knew for three years. Then one sparring session at age 11, fighting a 16-year-old boy, he hit her too hard and split her lip. She attacked, knee to body, elbow to face.

The Boy went down. The coach discovered her secret, "You're a girl?" She expected to be banned. The coach smiled, "You fight better than any boy. Stay. Become a champion."

By age 25, she was a legend. Men refused to fight her. They were too scared. "What if I lose to a woman?" She laughed. "You will lose. Question is how long you last."

I am water, I am void, I pivot to evade strikes.

November 15 arrived, Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, only 50 witnesses. No media, Bruce insisted. "This is not a spectacle. This is martial arts. This is sacred." They bowed a deep bow of mutual respect.

The bell rang. Somrak attacked, low kick. Bruce checked it. She threw a combination. He slipped. She threw an elbow. He ducked. He countered. A backfist grazed her cheek. This was a real fight, five rounds. Both gave everything they had.

I make martial arts films.

Somrak landed solid leg kicks. Bruce countered with precision. She threw a flying knee. He sidestepped, spinning back to give her a kick to the ribs. She stumbled, the first time in 47 fights.

By Round 5, both were bloody. Bruce's eyebrow was cut. Somrak lip was split. They were still fighting, still trading strikes, no defense, just pure warrior spirit. The bell rang. Silence. Then both bowed simultaneously, smiling.

The referee raised both hands. It was a draw by unanimous decision. It had been 48 fights, and she was still undefeated. Both remained undefeated. Nobody lost. Both won. They hugged, "You are a real martial artist," Somrak said. "Gender doesn't matter, only heart."

I wish I'd eaten better and lived.

Bruce replied, "You taught me today. A woman can be a warrior equal to any man. Thank you." Gifts were exchanged. Somrak gave Bruce traditional mongkhon.

Bruce gave her a Wing Chun ring. November 15, 1971, Bangkok, five rounds, one draw, two champions. One lesson: Respect transcends gender because heart determines warrior.

#BruceLee #MuayThai #MartialArtsHistory

• BRUCE LEE ☯️ MANIA, 1971; Bruce Lee: The Hidden Legacy, Jan 17, 2026; CC Liu, Pfc. Sandoval, Crystal Q. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

How shall "I" become Nobody?

(Flowing Void) Why being nobody is the ultimate power of the Tao

Did Zen folk, being Taoists, get it?

• Avenged Sevenfold "Nobody" (official video)
• I went to a Buddhist retreat needing something to happen; nothing happened.
• My friend, a regular American woman into yoga, also went but not expecting anything, hoping for anything, "needing" anything; something happened.
• I asked, "How?! How is this happening? What did you do differently?"
• She claims she didn't "do" anything. She just sat. She just attended to the present moment with bare awareness, almost like that R.E.M. song, "Stand in the Place Where You Are." She didn't say that. She mentioned thinking about the song "Just Breathe" for inspiration sometimes.
• I asked, "You're thinking about music?"
• She answered, "No, but intrusive thoughts come and go. Sometimes by habit I engage them before mindfully-remembering and then letting them go, letting them cross like clouds in a vast open sky." And she mentioned visualizing the in-and-out breath as steam in a steam room or a small whirligig (windspinner) at her nose turning as the breath moved.
• I asked, "You spend your time visualizing?"
• She answered, "No, but sometimes to focus, I imagine some indicator of the breath just to help get focused."
  
• I asked, "How do you stay energized and focused for so many hours of the retreat schedule day?"
  
• She surprised by answering that she used a little peppermint under her nose.
• I asked, "You spend your time huffing essential oils?"
• She answered, "No but it's a nice pick me up in the morning, and it's good to feel a chill on the spot above the lip where I place my calm attention."
  
• I started to see the pattern. Everything I asked and conceived was about getting and gaining.
• And everything she answered was about letting go, relaxing, and staying aware without "thinking" (i.e., ruminating, perseverating, proliferating, drifting away on a tide of discursive thinking).
• A Buddhist retreat, like a Christian church service, is not somewhere to go to gain. It is a place to go to lay down the burden and let go a little, release, share, give, abandon, listen, allow with radical acceptance of what is. Imagine only ever going to church (mass, temple, the sabbath ritual) with a laundry list of wishes for the God. How well was that ever going to work? But a person with a purer heart goes just to receive the Word or the Spirit or advice embedded in the sermon to give more donations to the church or whatever nonsense most sermons are on nowadays. Surely that purer person would get more out of the experience than the person with the list treating the God of that church like a restaurant, ATM, or the lap of Saint Santa Claus (Nicholas).
• So let us follow in the example of the woman who "succeeded" in getting what everybody else on that retreat was after. About three other women got it, too, including Buddhist meditation teachers Shaila Catherine (Wisdom Wide and Deep: Jhana and Insight) and Dr. Nikki (The Persian Buddhist: Dr. Nikki).
• Oddly, strangely (coincidentally?), these three women are all from California, but the long retreat was on the east coast at IMS with a rare enlightened master. I do not now recall if there was a male among the very small group of retreatants/meditators who "succeeded" in getting somewhere very deep with their meditation. But it was impossible to overlook the fact that even if there were, it was still 75% women who succeeded. So I asked her about this.
• She answered, "I did notice, and I asked the Teacher, and he explained, 'It's easier for women.'"
• I asked, "Why in the world would it be easier for women? Surely, they have it harder than men in this world, which after all we are told is 'a man's world.'"
• She agreed, and she mentioned that she asked him the same question, and the great master, a successful scholar-practitioner not teaching only from theory but having a great deal of direct practical personal experience with the historical Buddha's Path, answered. He explained that it is how women are (by nature at this time) and how they are treated now (by injustice). Their way, as anyone can see in terms of American sex-role stereotyping and gender asymmetries (that they are treated less than, overlooked, underestimated, ignored, disregarded, and all that) actually gives them an advantage in meditation and spiritual progress.
• I said, "Why? Why would that be?"
• She answered, as it came right back around to slap me in the face and punch me in the gut, that it is because women, generally, are NOT striving, struggling, needing, demanding, insisting, interfering, pushing, muscling, and all the "wrong" (disadvantageous, self-defeating, dysfunctional) things we men generally do.
• I asked, "Well, isn't everyone there -- having paid and taken time off work and putting in all those hours of silence, getting up early, eating only in the morning, detoxing from technology, giving up their cell phones, social media, and email accounts -- doing EXACTLY that?!
• She answered, "Yes, except for the four of us, for some reason. It's not like we knew each other or knew what the others were doing. We were each just minding our business, not socializing, not looking around, not taking walks, not arguing, not demanding, not all of that stuff that everyone else [being American] were in the habit of doing."
• I said, "Oh, I see! It's exactly all that grasping, needing, struggling, striving, and kicking @$$ that is getting in everyone's (well nearly everyone's) way!
• She answered, "It would seem so."
• Then I realized I was pushing her for these answers, and she was kind enough, because we had known each other for so long and been such friends, and because I encouraged her and made sure she got to this retreat, that she tolerated this interrogation of sorts. I was startled by what she was saying, and she was saying precious little unless I pushed. I realized anyone with common sense and common decency would never push like this or ask pointed questions. But this is how I pressed that very teacher to answered and explain things, which he did as he kindly inquired about my practice and how I was doing and why I was so worried or interested in what anybody else was doing. (I didn't have enough sense to trust in him that when I was ready, I would learn all these things directly and not need to be so bullheaded in asking). But because I had not made progress, I'd been left to wonder what I was doing wrong, aside from everything. It was only my luck, my precious good karma, that I had the good fortune of knowing more than one person who had done it right (or was currently doing it "right" in the sense of the eight path factors of "right mindfulness, right effort, and so on) that I could see by comparison where I veered off. I already knew about my veering off. What I needed to know, for myself and Wisdom Quarterly readers was, What's the right road, the right path, the right practice? Now I was getting a dose of it. I had only been "a little" off but that little had grown to a complete derailing and going off the road, as a boat traveling a long distance -- with course correcting along the way -- would end up way off track like a wayward Columbus. I was stressed out in asking all these things.
• She answered without stress, gently smiling at my silliness, manliness, foolishness, and blindness.
• But there is an extraordinary thing I realized/remembered as I was talking to her about these things (Dhamma), these matters so rare in the universe that only someone with a real kalyana-mitta can ever hope to hear, and it came when I formulated a preface to a question like a lawyer would, establishing common ground, being on the same page. I wanted to ask her about her level of attainment and that of the others. But to do so, I needed to establish that she was ahead of all the others on the retreat, or was it the case that the elder and much more experienced meditator and teacher Shaila Catherine was ahead, and where was Nikki Mighafori in the ranking, and for that matter, at what level was the teacher?
• She answered no answer, just a perplexed look, a series of sounds and utterances that gave me to believe we were not sharing common ground and not on the same page.
• I pushed, "Look, regular people are 'uninstructed ordinary worldlings,' right?"
• She answered, "Okay?" as if confused by my very lowest common denominator question.
• And I kept pushing, and any Aryan (any "noble" disciple, any attained person of whatever ever rank, stage, or level) is greater than that, right?
• She answered more perplexed, "Okay??"
• I pushed to the point of breaking, "What? You won't give me that? There are ordinary people and there are attained people, and they're not the same because of a 'change-of-lineage' (gotrabhu), riiiiight? The Buddha said as much! It's foundational to the whole Teaching in this school of Buddhism. This is not hard. This is not a trick question..."
• She responded, "And why are you asking?"
• I, exasperated, kept pushing through, as if I were doing a set of heavy weights at the gym and just needed to get a certain number of reps in even if it hurt, "I'm trying to establish that there's a difference. There are ordinary people there and extraordinary. And among the latter group, there are gradients..."
• She looked puzzled, dismissive, not catching on, "Okay???"
• I barked, "Well, come on! There's that, right? And this is when she blew my mind. Did you, dear reader, know that enlightened people (in the specific Buddhist sense of the word bodhi and not what other traditions, religions, or systems think or mean when they use the exact same word) DO NOT THINK OF THEMSELVES as better than anyone? Sure, you did. Anyone can figure that out. They know there's no ego; they go lording it around over anyone's head. BUT, did you know, enlightened people (of whatever stage or level) DO NOT THINK OF THEMSELVES as worse than anyone? Sure, come on, that can be deduced by anyone who gives it a little thought. "Saints" (Aryans, the noble ones) are nice. Here's the mindblower: Reader, did you know that enlightened people DO NOT THINK OF THEMSELVES as equal to anyone? 🤯 (See the Pali canon sutta "With Khema" AN 6.49: Khema Sutta—translated by Bhikkhu Sujato for suttacentral.net) And this is what was happening here. We were getting snagged and tangled up on the very first presupposition of stages and levels. It's not that she didn't know or had forgotten that there were levels, but what had happened is that she had DIRECTLY REALIZED that in reality she is no better, no worse, and not equal to others. These Aryans just don't think that way. It doesn't occur to them. They don't frame things that way anymore. And they may not even remember ever having done so, or so it would seem as I tried to remind her that this is how the whole world thought, including the Buddha, if we can deduce this from his teaching that there were levels of attainment and therefore it is possible to designate someone as higher, lower, or equal to someone else, anyone else.
• She just looked at, as if remembering, then came back to herself, "And????" leading me to make my point, whatever my point was originally going to be. I didn't remember, and there was no sense in asking if we could not agree on that much for starters. This was a nonstarter.
• "Wow," I thought, the things in the ancient sacred texts are really true: Aryans are this way or that, whether it makes sense to us or not, whether it fits our frames, whether we agree or would have it otherwise. Buddhism (the Buddha Dharma), what the Buddha taught, was not "hammered out by mere reasoning." The Buddha directly saw these things, knew these things, taught a path-and-practice for others to be able to DIRECTLY know and see these things. I bowed to her and left it at that for the moment. There are some things we are not meant to know before we are ready to know it. And all of this, it seems, was none of my business. It would become my business when I directly experienced these things and became one who knows-and-sees. This is a teaching for the wise, after all, not for those sunk in worldliness, distraction, delusion, resentment, aversion, fear, greediness, selfishness, self-centeredness, or all manner of wrong view arising from ignorance, delusion, and holding views.
• And now I realize that one way to talk about all this might be through the Taoist video at the top of this article. Maybe on this path we are becoming what we always were and have been -- nobody. Certainly, nobody special. Not better, not worse, not equal. The worldly mind will completely reject this out of hand. It's preposterous! This is a patriarchy founded on a hierarchy as taught by the oligarchy and a lineage of worldly rulers all the way up to the first heaven. And we must submit to them because that's the way God wants it. 🙄 That's ludicrous and preposterous, but it just might be closer to the truth than the way we've been carrying on here in the world IF "the God" we are talking about is the Monad (the One in Gnosticism, the Brahman not Brahma in Buddhism, possibly even the Tao in Taoism). That GOD doesn't want or not want, doesn't look on needing it to be one way or another. In that sense, there is just being. We can just be (though technically there is no "being," only becoming, this ceaseless impersonal process of radical impermanence as everything falls apart and rebuilds all the time, marked by three universal characteristics the Buddha taught again and again, implicitly and explicitly: All things are radically impermanent, utter unable to ever fulfill us, and impersonal whether we imagine there to be a stable "self" or not. That's reality. Here we are over here never really in touch with what's real due to all the distractions, talking, ruminating, thinking, and everything else coming at us all at once. If we slow down, let things be, allow, accept, welcome experience as it is without needing to change or "improve" it, we can quite possibly make quick progress to the end of all suffering and the arising of liberating-insight, the wisdom that has gone beyond, that which we set as our goal when setting off on a spiritual path. So "be nobody." After all, that's what really are already, and the sooner we get right with it, the happier we are likely to be so we can see things sa they really are and always have been.

The 5 most famous Chinese poems

(Skritter) The only Chinese poem [poet] we need to know

(Learn Chinese Now) The 5 Most Famous Chinese Poems of All Time (Explained in English)

Li Bai (Chinese 李白, Pinyin Lǐ Bái) (circa 701-762), who is also known by his courtesy name of Taibai (太白), was a Chinese poet acclaimed as one of the best and most important poets of the Tang dynasty, even the whole of Chinese poetry.

He and his friends such as Du Fu (712–770) were among the prominent figures in the flourishing of Chinese poetry of the Tang dynasty, often called the "Golden Age of Chinese Poetry." The expression "Three Wonders" denotes

1. Li Bai's poetry,
2. Pei Min's swordplay, and
3. Zhang Xu's calligraphy [1].

Around 1,000 poems attributed to Li are extant. His poems have been collected into the most important Tang dynasty collection, Heyue yingling ji [2], compiled in 753 by Yin Fan.

Thirty-four of Li Bai's poems are included in the anthology Three Hundred Tang Poems, which was first published in the 18th century [3].

Around the same time, translations of his poems began to appear in Europe. In Ezra Pound's famous work Cathay (1915), Li Bai's poems enjoy the lion's share (11 out of 19) [4]. Li Bai's poems became models for celebrating the pleasures of... More

• Skritter; Learn Chinese Now; CC Liu, Crystal Quintero, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly Wiki edit

I became a Taoist monk for a year

(George Thompson) I lived as monk for year. Here's what happened. Wuhan pandemic lockdown

• 
  Tai chi (moving meditation) and sitting meditation in Taoism, the Way [of harmony with nature], on a holy mountain in China with Master Gu, I had to do it. Then I had to go back for the yin and the yang. For an atheist, what is the Tao?

Alan Watts: Philosophy of the Tao

Alan Watts on the Philosophy of the Tao – Being in the Way Podcast Ep. 29 - Hosted by [his son] Mark Watts
(Be Here Now Network) Premiered March 28, 2024: Alan Watts - Being in the Way. Join us on a journey of contemplation and enlightenment in this captivating introduction to Taoism (which should not be mistaken for Buddhism).

Discover the profound wisdom of Lao Tzu and Taoist philosophy with Alan Watts as he invites us to embrace the course of nature (the path of least resistance).

Through insightful exploration, he delves into the timeless significance of Yin and Yang, illustrating their inseparable connection and guiding us toward a deeper understanding of harmony and balance in existence.

In this episode, Alan Watts speaks about

• Ancient Chinese philosophies
• How social institutions are mistaken for the real world
• The self
• Confucianism and the roles we play in life
• Taoism and the basic energy of the universe
• Tao as the force of nature
• How space and solid are two facets of one reality
• Yang and Yin, positive and negative, male and female
• Conscious dying and preparing to let go
• Acting in accordance with nature.

“Whereas the emphasis in the Confucian tradition in China is on interference to a large extent, keeping things in order, there is a certain anxiety about the whole thing, the emphasis of Taoism is to trust in the course of nature.”

– Alan Watts

This series is brought by the Alan Watts Organization (alanwatts.org and alanwatts.com) and Ram Dass’ Love Serve Remember Foundation. Visit alanwatts.org for full talks from Alan Watts. Subscribe to the Being in the Way Podcast with Alan Watts on Apple, Spotify, or favorite podcast app, proudly presented by the Be Here Now Network, home of official podcasts from thought leaders like Ram Dass, Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg, Jack Kornfield, and others.

Is it I, me, and mine (ego) or the environment?

Alan Watts on the Philosophy of the Tao – Being in the Way Podcast Ep. 29: Being in the Way – Ep. 29 – Philosophy of the Tao - beherenownetwork.com/alan-watts...

Make sure to catch every single video podcast from Be Here Now Network. Subscribe: @beherenownetwork. Follow Be Here Now Network: Facebook: beherenownetwork, Twitter: beherenownet, Instagram: beherenownetwork.

Be Here Now Network podcasts, courses, and articles to help live a Life in Balance. Heart-Centered wisdom from Ram Dass, Jack Kornfield, Sharon Salzberg, Krishna Das, and many more. Get a Free Guided Meditation from Sharon Salzberg when first signing up at: beherenownetwork.com.

Explore the podcast 37 episodes Alan Watts - Being in the Way Be Here Now Network Podcasts 

COMMENTS

(@eaton55r) Alan Watts probably helped me the most with depression and anxiety. I am an alcoholic and would like to say Alan is, I think, a good example of how a person with amazing knowledge can be slowly pushed into ill health and poor judgement by alcohol. It slowly crippled my judgement, health and family. Now in recovery for 6 years I live with fear of the alcohol 'spirit' taking me over again like so many others. Please be ever so careful with alcohol and drugs they can crush anyone... Anyone!

Taoism, Tai chi, Kung fu: Sun Lutang

Defining the Internal Martial Arts

Sun Lutang (1860-1933) was a master of Chinese internal (neijia) martial arts and the progenitor of the syncretic (blended) art of Sun-style tai chi [1].

He was also considered an accomplished Neo-Confucian and Taoist scholar (especially of the I Ching or Book of Changes) and was a distinguished contributor to the theory of internal martial arts through his many published works [2].

• Lives of Chinese Martial Artists (4): Sun Lutang and the invention of “traditional” Chinese martial arts, Pt. 1 (Kung Fu Tea)

Biography

Sun Lu Tang doing bagua

Sun Lutang was born in Hebei, named Sun Fuquan (孫福全) by his parents. Years later, his baguazhang teacher Cheng Tinghua gave him the name Sun Lu Tang.

It was common in old China for people to have multiple names during various phases of life. He continued to use his original name in some areas, including the publishing of his books.

He was well-versed in two other internal martial arts, xingyiquan and baguazhang, before he came to study tai chi. His expertise in these two martial arts was so high that many regarded him as a master without equal. More: Sun Lutang

• Pfc. Sandoval, CC Liu, Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly Wiki edit

Is Alan Watts a shamanic madman?

The Mystical Experience - Alan Watts

Alan Watts: A Short Biography

(IVLIAN MCMXCVI) The famous Western philosopher Alan Watts is a legend of the 20th century. An illustrious mind that influenced the conjunction of Eastern and Western ways of life, Watts brings his profound message to a generation of hippies through his legacies, actions taken during his life and his wise thoughts recorded by Pacifica Free Speech Radio (KPFA and KPFK) and KQED TV.

This short biography is about the existence of a happy man, a father and a teacher. His life may be an example for us, for those that want to achieve serenity and true calm. Whether we live up to the idealism of what he discusses, we are at least given insight into how other parts of the world view the world and why the West was won over by the East and its ideas.

This film was created for educational purposes and is not intended for commercial means. Credits to the composer Eugen Doga for his beautiful song "I loved it."  Please subscribe to channel and share the film to popularize such types of knowledge and further help other people to achieve understanding. Subscribe and like if you enjoyed the video. Thanks! Join: Instagram: modus_accessio #alanwatts #philosophy #enlightenment

• Aldous Huxley: A Short Biography
• IVLIAN MCMXCVI, Jan. 24, 2019; Pat Machpherson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Alan Watts' last radio interview (audio)

Alan Watts via Alan Watts Forum (reddit.com); Seth Auberon, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

The 1960s were a time of tripping and self-inquiry, which Alan Watts helped.

Supernatural: Taoist on Hungry Ghost Festival

Eugene Tay, Wel Wei, Supernatural Confessions 7/2922; CC Liu, Crystal Q. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Young female Taoist practitioner's view on 7th month Hungry Ghost Festival

(Supernatural Confessions) Wel Wei is part of the next generation of spiritual practitioners. She's taking over from her father, Yeo Chin Nam, giving their traditional Taoist temple a more accessible and vibrant feel for what is otherwise regarded as a scary time, at least for those who do not know about their faith.

This interview took place at Ji Zheng Gong Temple, 15 Lorong 21A Geylang, Singapore. Besides sharing her views about her relationship with ghosts and the 7th month Hungry Ghost Festival, Wel Wei also shares a frightening time in her life when she first discovered she had supernatural gifts.

• More stories and discussion: supernaturalconfessions.com
• Listen to podcast on Spotify or Apple
• Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/supernatural...
• Facebook page: facebook.com/supernatural...
• Instagram, YouTube Channel

ABOUT: Eugene Tay is the host and originator of the Supernatural Confessions series. He started this channel for others like him who are unfortunate enough to have had supernatural encounters to share their experiences.

Alan Watts on Taoism: "not forcing" (audio)

Alan Watts: principle of "not forcing" (wu wei)

(Motiv Mate) British Eastern Philosopher/Spiritual Entertainer Alan Watts expounds on the topic of Wu Wei or "the principle of not forcing anything in life."

COMMENT: (Alyria Tutoring) "Words my martial arts master told me I will always live by: 'When you’re feeling you cannot force; when you’re forcing you cannot feel.'”

Thai Nine Emperor Gods Vegan Festival

CC Liu, Natalie Wijlaongporn, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly Wiki edit Vegetarian Festival

Symbol of vegan/vegetarian food

During the festival in Theravada Buddhist Thailand, streets are filled with food stalls offering vegetarian Thai and Chinese food, like buns, dim sums, and mushrooms.

The Nine Emperor Gods Festival (Chinese 九皇爺誕, Jiu Huang Ye Dan, Malay Perayaan Dewa Sembilan Maharaja; Thai เทศกาลกินเจ, Thetsakaan Kin Je) is a nine-day Taoist celebration beginning on the eve of the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar.

It is celebrated primarily in Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand by the Peranakans rather than the entire Overseas Chinese community.

It takes place at the same time as the nine-day Hindu festival called Navaratri.

The Nine Emperor Gods

Jiǔ Huáng Xīng Jūn / Jiǔ Huáng Da Di (九皇星君/九皇大帝) are the nine sons manifested by Father Emperor Zhou Yu Dou Fu Yuan Jun (斗父周御國王天尊) and Mother of the Big Dipper Dou Mu Yuan Jun (斗母元君), who holds the Registrar of Life and Death

The worship of Dou Fu Yuan Jun has declined strongly as proper teachings of Taoism degenerate since being exported out of China.

Today, most Nine Emperor God temples do not acknowledge the existence of Dou Fu Yuan Jun. However, Dou Fu Yuan Jun is invoked alongside Dou Mu Yuan Jun in Great Dipper Honoring ceremonies known as Li Dou (禮斗).

According to Priest Long Hua, the 35th Generation Leader of Long Shan Men Taoist Sect (Singapore), honoring the Northern Dipper stars prolongs one's life, eliminates calamities, and absolves one of bad karma/sins and past debts for oneself and one's family [2].

The term Ye (爺) as in Jiu Huang Ye (九皇爺) loosely translates as "Grandfather," a title worshipers commonly use to bring a more intimate relationship between themselves and the Nine Emperors.

The Nine Emperor Gods should not be confused with the Wang Ye or Princes of the Ming rebels.

Popular folk culture has it that the Nine Emperor Gods are actually sea pirates of the Ming Dynasty who plotted to overthrow the Qing Dynasty.

According to Priest Long Hua, this information is inaccurate and considered derogatory to the actual teachings of Taoism as the Nine Emperor Gods are actually high-ranking Star Lords [celestial devas] who preside over the movement of planets and coordinate mortal Life and Death issues [3].

The Nine Emperors pantheon is formed by the seven stars of the Big Dipper of the North Ursa Major (visible) and two assistant stars (invisible to most people).

The Nine Emperor Stars are:

1. Tan Lang Tai Xing Jun (貪狼太星君) 1st Star (visible) Bayer: α UMa
2. Ju Men Yuan Xing Jun (巨門元星君) 2nd Star (visible) Bayer: β UMa
3. Lu Cun Zhen Xing Jun (祿存貞星君) 3rd Star (visible) Bayer: γ UMa
4. Wen Qu Niu Xing Jun (文曲紐星君) 4th Star (visible) Bayer: δ UMa
5. Lian Zhen Gang Xing Jun (玉廉貞綱星君) 5th Star (visible) Bayer: ε UMa
6. Wu Qu Ji Xing Jun (武曲紀星君) 6th Star (visible) Bayer: ζ UMa
7. Po Jun Guan Xing Jun (破軍關星君) 7th Star (visible) Bayer: η UMa
8. Zuo Fu Da Dao Xing Jun (左輔大道星君) 8th Star (invisible)
9. You Bi Da Dao Xing Jun (右弼大道星君) 9th Star (invisible)

Nine Emperor Gods Festival celebration in popular folk culture

On the eve of the ninth moon, temples of the deities (devas) hold a ceremony to invoke and welcome the nine emperors. Since the arrival of the gods is believed to be through the waterways, processions are held from temples to the seashore or river to symbolize this belief.

Devotees dress in traditional white, carry incense and candles, and await their arrival. A carnival-like atmosphere pervades the temple throughout the nine-day festival.

During this period, the constant tinkling of a prayer bell and chants from the temple priests are heard. Most devotees stay at the temple, eat delicious vegetarian meals, maintain celibacy, and recite prayers in a continuous chant.

It is believed that there will be rain throughout the nine days of the celebration. The ninth day of the festival is its climax. A procession that draws scores of devotees sends the deities (devas) back home. 

Celebration in Thailand "Vegetarian Festival"

The characters เจ as often shown on stickers or flags indicate that food is vegetarian. The characters have been stylized to be reminiscent of Chinese writing.

In Thailand, this festival is called thetsakan kin che (เทศกาลกินเจ) or The Vegetarian Festival.

It is celebrated throughout the entire Buddhist country, but the festivities are at their height in Phuket (pronounced \pooh-keht\], where over the half of the population is Peranakans.

The Phuket Vegetarian Festival attracts crowds of Western spectators because of many of the unusual and magical (impossible) religious rituals that are performed [4, 5] for all to see. Young men lance themselves with all kinds of spears, hook, shards, and swords without bleeding or scarring, for example.

Shops in Phuket and throughout Thailand display red and yellow jay (vegetarian) flags to indicate they are serving appropriate vegan food for observant participants [6].

During the festival, food stalls sell Thai and Chinese foods free of all dead animal products. Noodle dishes, stir-fry's, curries, and soups are prepared without flesh, fish sauce, eggs, or dairy.

Realistic vegetarian faux-meats (from the Chinese Buddhist temple kitchen tradition) are used instead. The dishes are prepared without the use of garlic, chili, or strong spices (in accordance with ancient yogic Indian instructions) [7].

The American chef Dan Sriprasert used the vegan recipes he learned to make at his mother's food stall in Nan, Thailand during the festival to create the menu for the popular Green Elephant Vegetarian Bistro in the United States [8]. More

Alan Watts: The Tao and Karma (audio)

Alan Watts (alanwatts.org); Pat Macpherson, Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly

"KARMA: It's Everywhere You're Going To Be"

• Buddhist Radio, Los Angeles ("Something's Happening," Sunday mornings at 8:00 am, Thursday nights at midnight with Roy of Hollywood Tuckman) archive.KPFK.org

Taoism: In my own Way (Alan Watts)

AlanWatts.org via Motiv Mate, 7/17/18; Pat Macpherson, Crystal Q. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Watts stood in his own way.

Go with the flow, the drift of things, sailing rather than rowing. Wu Wei. What is the "Way," the Tao? Is it Nirvana (the altogether gone beyond, gone beyond beyond)?

Is it Brahman (godhead, GOD)? Is it Nature (Mother Nature, Gaia, Bhumi)? Is it Suchness (tathata, thusness, tattva, thatness, the that thou art)?

Or is it just this (this being, this continued becoming, samsara)? Spiritual entertainer and British Zen Buddhist, Hindu, Taoist philosopher Alan Watts says it is not forcing. Here he speaks on Wu Wei or "the principle of not forcing anything in life."

Taoism: We have a SECOND brain (video)

Mantak Chia (via Be Inspired, Dec. 5, 2018); Pat Macpherson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Techniques to Activate Our Second Brain

Mantak Chia, "We have a second brain." Do this to activate the second brain. ►Struggle and have a hard time? Consider taking an online therapy session with Be Inspired's partner, BetterHelp (tryonlinetherapy.com/beinspired). ►Motivational Alarm Tones (beinspiredchannel.com/alarms). ►This video was uploaded with the permission of the owner. Special thanks to LONDON REAL for this amazing interview. Subscribe. ► Follow on facebook, instagram. ►BeInspiredChannel.Com.