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  • #481
    Profile photo of Riccardo
    Riccardo
    Participant

    Hello,
    I am reading Ling Bao Tong Zhi Neng Nei Gong and I am trying to practice the excercises suggested.
    I have a doubt about the position of the tongue during the meditation. It’s written that has to touch the soft palate behind the frontal teeths: that mean that we should turn the tongue back with the bottom side of the tongue touching the palate OR that we should move as back as possible the tongue and touch the palate with the top side of the tongue?
    Thank you very much
    Best wishes
    Riccardo

    #490
    Profile photo of Sandra
    Sandra
    Participant

    As no one answered so far, I will try and give it a shot, even though I don’t know what’s written in the book about the tongue. For me (my own personal opinion!), this book is not a practicing guide, it is rather a tool to aid us in times between seminars if there is a question about a certain practice. In the first year of my training I occasionally checked for reference in the book, if I had questions developing during my practice alone at home. However, I found it much more helpful to refer to my own class notes, as they are directly in relation to what I am daily practicing at home. With only following the book, I would never know if I do something accurately and if I am at a point of progressing to practice the next method described. There is just nothing existing, even close to substituting an experienced teacher and there are aspects of the teaching that cannot be transmitted by a book.

    So about your question: I have to make a few assumptions and draw conclusions – those are based on how your question was written and how I interpreted it. If I misinterpret those, then please clarify as then it might change my answer.
    My major assumptions:
    1) You have not yet joined a seminar with Master Wang and are practicing / want to practice only by the instructions given in the book.
    2) You are requesting about the tongue position during the basic sitting position of the practitioner and NOT referring to one specific exercise/method described somewhere in the book.
    3) I grasped your descriptions of the two tongue positions you described and my mental image of how you position your tongue is accurate; but I am not quite sure there, because if I try to do with my tongue what I read in your description, it would cause a lot of tension in my tongue muscles. So maybe I misunderstood you…

    So, I have to conclude that you mean the basic sitting position and in this case my personal opinion is that it is more the first option you described. Though, I imagine too much force in curling and twisting your tongue as to your description – for me the whole thing is a natural and relaxed position just with the tip of the tongue touching the palate. I can’t tell you the exact position, as during the meditation my tongue shifts automatically a bit – based on my personal needs, I guess. The purpose is to connect the ren- and du-meridians and that is all that needs to be ensured (at least in my present stage of training – maybe one day that has to change? I wouldn’t really know…).
    Something similar to the second option you described also exists – though for me that is more a curling movement, rather than the one you described. If I do what you describe, then I feel like blocking my throat and that would keep me from swallowing. For this option so far I only know of one training aspect where it is helpful to be applied (I am sure there are many more, but I did not yet learn about those).
    I, however, noticed that my body sometimes curls my tongue further back automatically – that is then a sign from my qi/mingshi/zhenwo/etc that I should use my time of silent sitting for a specific purpose. Then I observe closer where my attention is drawn to in my body and based on what is happening inside I then adjust my practice.

    Consequently, based on my assumption about you meaning that basic posture, I suggest: do not bother too much about it and only keep in mind that it has to have a physical contact to ensure the connection of the two meridians.

    As this is a forum, maybe one of my friends disagrees and sees it differently, or has read the book and knows better what is described, or has even read the Chinese original of the book, or has some insights from other seminars to add that I am unaware off. I am looking forward to hearing other thoughts on this!

    #491
    Profile photo of Riccardo
    Riccardo
    Participant

    Thank you very much for your reply.
    Yeh I have never been into a seminar with Master Wang Liping and I would like to join it next time is available.
    I found that book very complicated and I am releived that it’s not a guide book but something to use between the seminars.
    I was a bit focused on the tongue position because I thought that was mandatory to touch the soft palate and not just the hard palate. Maybe the soft palate is necessary for other purposes.
    Thank you again.
    Wish you all the best!
    Riccardo

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