Hey all, Just wondering what everybodys thoughts are on abstaining from sexual intercourse in the hope of to maximise the cultivation of internal energy, and further ones development in their respective internal art? Does anybody here actually abstain? Peace, Az P.S Yes, I am serious. Hopefully we can keep it mature though huh!
Well, I'd seriously like to try for a few months to see the effect on my internal energy, but as I told you and Master Ma on Monday, I just got engaged at the start of the year and I think I'd be in a fair amount of trouble if I went down that road! BTW - I do think it's a pretty good idea to try. If you're not in a relationship at the moment why not put a cork in it. Otherwise, if your other half isn't adverse to incense and meditation there's always tantric s**
Hahaha, yeah, true that Nzric! My partner would not be impressed if I pulled a 'stunt' like that either. Well, I'd give it a go if I were planning to be a long-term single. Why not aye? Not sure I would go 3 years like Ma Shifu prescribed, but I'd give it a chance, just as you said.
Gorra say no way. I personally think it has no or insubstantial affect on internal energy. Mind you i've been really tired lately
What a most relevant question for those serious about Chi cultivation. Yes I do abstain . In an ideal situation a strict Daoist will abstain from ALL sexual activity all his life. But a more tolerable compromise is to have sex, reach orgasm but not ejaculate. ie. You can cum but don't shoot your load. There are Daoist techniques to achieve this, but this cannot be discussed in an open forum. The plus side is , a man can then enjoy multiple orgasms,much like a woman who also experience no "fluid" loss. ( Read books by Mantak Chia) Azrael,you probably have read that a Daoist considers Jing ( semen) as very Chi rich and needs to be conserved.Part of the Jing- Chi- Shen refinement cycle. If you are a regular wa*n*k*er like I was before( some will say that hasn't changed heh heh ) when you try to accumulate Chi thru ChiGung and Meditation, it's like trying to fill a bucket with a large hole. You won't get anywhere. So your coach was right no sex before a big game...you lose too much energy or else tire from looking for sex all night . But Western science will say there's NO PROOF. There's a lot more to this subject, but I won't go into it now. Research some Daoist text, and especially the part where it talks about "sexual meditation" where Chi can be drawn from your partner . Why do else does an or*g*as*m feel so good? It's the passage of Life Force chi you're feeling....
Actually, recent Western science has actually found that an average sesion of coitus pre game actually improves perfomance compared to those who abstained, abnormally (or rather where under normal circumstances they would have). Something to do with the promotion of success and achievement promoting performance.
2sides to it "You may have heard it from your high school coach, or some of your teachers, even the great Mohammed Ali swears by it. The prevailing myth that sex hurts athletic performance is as old as sports itself. Some athletes believe that it relaxes them to a point that they would not want to compete, others swear it drains vital fluids necessary for a top athlete...... http://www.soc.ucsb.edu/sexinfo/?article=anatomy&refid=009 " Athletic folklore is filled with stories of coaches telling their players to refrain from sex the night before major contests. Mike Ditka, coach of the Chicago Bears, told his team the afternoon before they appeared in the Superbowl, "You can only play this game once. If your wives and girlfriends can't wait, tell them to take a cold shower." And Muhammad Ali made no secret of the fact that he abstained for as much as six weeks before fights. He said it got him angry, which made him a better fighter. " http://www.sexnews.org/features/Feature.asp?article_id=29
To further Tosh's point, many taoist masters do not believe that moderate sexual activity will deplete your jing. When I asked my master about this, he replied that if you are simply doing qigong for health or MA, moderate sexual activity is quite normal to the human body, and it won't have any negative effects. He did say that you want to wait for 3-4 hours between qigong and sex, however, because your body needs to rebalance. On the other hand, he said that reaching the level of cultivating shen, or spirit, is a different matter, and that you either need to practice taoist sexual meditation, or you need to abstain if you want to advance to the highest levels of spiritual cultivation. He said you'd know it when you got there, and in the meantime, "enjoy your wife." His words, not mine.
My instructor is making me do the same thing. He told me to i was only allow sex three times a week.(It's hard)Also meditate every day for 10 minutes.
Absolutely not. There are too many health benefits from healthy sexual activity to warrant it. I don't believe that abstinance has anything to offer my internal cultivation.
IIRC a recent study found that regular sexual activity for males helped prevent prostrate cancer and improve lifespan... So hands up if you're gonna live forever Edited to add: relevance to this thread... chi kung is about extending life...
Well, the blunt fact is that statistics show married men live longer than unmarried men. While sex is just a small part of the equation, I agree that there's so much that's healthier being in a close (sometimes sexual) relationship than there is abstaining. While you can theoretically have a relationship and also abstain, it's rare (try telling your partner she won't be getting any). Sex is a natural part of a healthy lifestyle so as long as you don't overdo it (like anything), there can't be much harm. While a food fast every now and then does wonders for your metabolism, I'm sure a sex fast would do the same for your internal energy.
Interesting responses, I don't think it affects athletic performance. Of course I abstain, but not by choice
