In the vastness of Russia and Ukraine there exists an organization calling itself the ancient school of alchemy "Zhen Dao Pai". On closer examination it turns out that this is no Taoist school at all, but a cheap homemade concoction invented to make money, which has been shown in detail on internet forums.
The present site generalizes and systematizes this information.
The history of this pseudo-alchemical "school" began with the fact that in 2000 a certain youth by the name of Vitaly Lishina invented his own "system" of qigong and named it "Zhendao".
Why it was precisely qigong is quite understandable, since Lishina is a seminarist of the widespread "Zhong Yuan Qigong" system, as well as an attendee of their instructor courses, about which he himself says, criticizing Zhong Yuan Qigong on his website (screenshot):
Zhong Yuan Qigong is ... (I personally attended a seminar on the training of ZYQ instructors and saw who received instructor status and how).
And it was precisely on this basis — the fantasies of a teenager and various qigong seminars held in Ukraine — that the "Zhen Dao Qigong School" was created, which over time mutated into the supposedly alchemical school "Zhen Dao Pai".
The moment of the mutation is clearly fixed — it is the launch of Lishina's new website in March–April 2010. Under criticism, the page that was the source of the quotation below was deleted, but the text itself remains on his forum to this day (screenshot):
Together with the launch of the new website we carried out a small «rebranding» of the name of the School, abandoning the phrase «Zhen Dao Qigong». Previously the word «Qigong» was used because of its wide renown, which told people of a certain orientation of the School, and this was always written on the main page of the old site. However, now we decided to abandon it, having discovered that different people understand the term «qigong» differently, and moreover incorrectly, and to use only the traditional name «Zhen Dao Pai», or simply «The Zhen Dao School».
Orientalists and researchers of Taoism immediately had questions — what kind of school is this, of which there is not a word in China itself?
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First of all, this invented "school" initially did not even "know" how it is written in hieroglyphs. Only half a year after Dmitry Aleksandrovich Artemyev (an orientalist, head of the Russian branch of the traditional Chinese Wuliupai School of Alchemy) pointed out to Lishina the incorrectness of the name "Zhen Dao" from the point of view of Taoism, noting that all Taoist schools consist of 3 hieroglyphs, the third being "Dao", "Jiao" or "Pai", did Lishina depict this writing.
He himself explained his "delay" and "rebranding" (see above) thus (screenshot):
The answer to this question requires turning to the history of the development of the Teachings in China. After the arrival of Buddhism in China (2nd century CE) there arose the necessity of distinguishing the names of Schools, so that even the word "School" itself would not be identical (there was competition, after all), and so that one could immediately tell by the name whether a School was Buddhist or Taoist, and so "determiner words" were introduced. Thus, at the end of the main name, any Taoist School was named «pai» (?), and any Buddhist School — «zong» (?).
The page with the quotation below has already been deleted by Lishina, being at the same time a vivid example of the logic of his "explanations":
Historical note: in China it so happened that since ancient times, absolutely any Taoist School has the suffix ? (pai) at the end — this very hieroglyph is translated as "School". If the phrase «Zhen Dao School» is translated word for word into Chinese, then it will be ???, which in Russian reads as «Zhen Dao Pai». Therefore, we simply translate ? (pai) into Russian, and this is already written and spoken as «Zhen Dao School». One can, of course, say/write "Zhen Dao Pai School" too, but this, in essence, would be a tautology.
The question of "pai" will be raised
below.
Let us note that the same story of the absent hieroglyphic writing repeated itself more than once. Another example — the "basic method of the Zhen Dao school", the "fusing of yin and yang" (original):
In the Taoist School of Zhen Dao... At the level of working with energy, the basic method consists in our comprehending its qualities and properties of Yin and Yang and carrying out their fusing.
When Lishina was asked to provide the Chinese writing of this term, which we had never encountered before, he had no choice but to "dodge" (
screenshot):
How "the fusing of Yin and Yang" is written in Chinese, I think you know.
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The very fact that the name constantly changed shows that there is no tradition there at all. But all the names proposed by the schemer were checked against the treatises, and a search of the Chinese internet was also carried out. The result was to be expected — nowhere does a school of alchemy with such a name occur.
However, in the course of the search one mention of "Zhendaopai" was found — a Chinese Christian sect (original):
东方闪电也称实际神(全能神),也被称为“七灵派”、“二次救主派”、“新能力主教会”、“真 光派”、“真 道派”,是一个在中国大陆扩张的新兴宗教,自称为基督教教派,于1990年代开始在中国河南出 现,并扩展至 多个省级行政区,乃至台湾地区[1],该教会的女教主邓闪电自称为道成肉身的最后一位基督,并宣扬末世理论,自称将在中国称王,教内 组织严密, 教众财产需上缴。
其教义的内容也被部分基督教教派公认为邪教或称为端异
Translation:
Eastern Lightning — also called the Reality Divinity (Almighty God), also named "Qilingpai", "the chief school of secondary salvation", "the union of bishops of new possibilities", "Zhenguangpai" and "Zhendaopai" — is a new religion widely spread in mainland China, calling itself a Christian sect, arising in 1990 in Henan province and spreading over many provinces, all the way to Taiwan. The founder of this sect calls herself the very last Christ, preaches the doctrine of the end of the world, names herself the Emperor of China; the organization is secretive, and the members' property must be surrendered.
The content of the teaching is openly recognized by Christian denominations as heresy and false doctrine.
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Lishina apparently has no idea that both "Zhen Dao" and the "patriarch Lü Shiyang and his student Zhang Baishi" he mentions were searched for in China in all seriousness, but neither the "school" nor the evidently invented characters have been heard of by anyone in official or unofficial circles.
It is also worth noting that the Zhen Dao Pai could not name their treatises, and Lishina, in answer to all questions about them, as well as about the school in China and about the teachers, only refers to secrecy.
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Let us turn to the "methods" taught to the students of "Zhen Dao" under the guise of Taoist alchemy. Here they are:
- visualization
- seated meditation
- the pillar
- a fake "daoyin" — a mixture of aerobics and stretching
- "hermitic life"
- the "tuna" breathing exercises
and so on.
All these methods are typically qigong and are in no way connected with development in Taoist Alchemy, of which it is clearly spoken in the works of the Patriarchs — Zhongli Quan and Lü Dongbin (link)
...
3. Gathering qi.
...
7. Chan meditation.
...
9. Awareness.
...
12. Observance of purity.
13. Stilling (stopping of thought).
...
20. Holding the breath.
21. The daoyin exercises.
22. The tuna gymnastics.
23. Gathering and replenishing.
...
26. Rendering help.
27. Withdrawal to the mountains.
...
29. Immobility.
...
It was precisely because of the Tao that they listened to vain chatter and superficial teachings, pointed to them as secret methods of practice to followers who understood nothing, and passed on to each other forms of instruction and interpretation, but in due time sank into the afterworld, making people's hearts grow numb with fear!
The same criticism can be met in another text available in Russian — Zhang Boduan's "Chapters on Awakening to the Truth", translated by E. Torchinov.
Not only are the methods qigong, but the instructors of the "Zhen Dao Pai school" constantly try to get away from the traditional Taoist opposition of Alchemy and qigong, asserting that qigong is an obligatory initial stage of Alchemy, etc. (screenshot):
Some traditional Masters distinguish two terms: «Qigong», understanding it only as work with superficial, ordinary qi, and «Neigong» (Neidan) — the inner work with the primary primordial qi. And although such a classification is, in essence, more precise, we shall nevertheless not draw such a sharp distinction. First, to avoid undesirable confusion; second, because, in essence, the latter is a higher level of the former; and third, because of the wide renown of the term «Qigong» itself, which tells people of a certain orientation, unlike the other, more precise definition, which practically nobody knows. Besides, at the beginning we practice work with ordinary energy anyway.
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Despite the evidently "dumbing-down" character of the stories, articles and, by all appearances, lessons in "Zhen Dao Pai", one cannot but be gladdened by the fact that some people who had earlier placed great trust in Lishina were forced to leave this organization, seeing the inability of the head of "Zhen Dao" to answer the questions put to him.
Here is the past opinion of such a person (screenshot):
"Was there a teacher?" — There was. Vitaly is a simple-hearted man. The impression of an absolutely sincere and confident person. WHAT he says and HOW he says it give no grounds to assert that he is insincere.
But having gone to China and seen nothing relating to "Zhen Dao", people drew their own conclusions (
screenshot):
I want to sum up. We have returned from China. We did not find Lü Shiyang. You were absolutely right about the tradition of the "ZDP" school.
Now Vitaly has two "suckers" fewer.
In our view, there is no better gratitude for our work than the opening of people's eyes.
Taoism is the path of attaining freedom, and it necessarily implies the independent study of the heritage of the teachers of antiquity, reflection, doubt and, ultimately, the attainment of an understanding of how to distinguish tradition from profanation. And without knowing the direction, one will always go the wrong way.
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There was no school, so where did the articles proudly called the "theory of alchemy" on the Zhendaopai website come from?
Attempts to find this out directly from Lishina ended in his references to "secret transmission", "daigong" ("daigong" is the ability of direct transmission of knowledge, similar to "telepathy", taken from Zhong Yuan Qigong) and bans on the forum. Very convenient for him! If the author of the "revelations" does not know Chinese, all that remained for him was to invent yet another unverifiable tale about "chosenness"...
So, where did the "theory", "methods" and "structure" come from?
On the old "Zhendao" website (2005) there was an article about the term "qigong", the kinds of qigong schools and the difference from them of "Zhendao Qigong". Those who had earlier practiced Zhong Yuan found a striking similarity between the explanations in this article and those in the book about Zhong Yuan.
The original (the book on the first level of ZYQ):
The concept of qigong is denoted in Chinese by two hieroglyphs — qi and gong...
Qi is a certain substance existing at every point of the Universe. It contains three components, three constituents: the material, the energetic and the informational...
Gong is an action, a work that must be expended... It requires time and effort... Gongfu is the "attainment of the limit" in any worthy kind of activity...
Qigong is... a science, a philosophy,... a means of energy-informational exchange with the surrounding world and of communion with the entire Universe.
Lishina's version (
original of the quotation):
The word «Qigong» itself consists of two parts. The first part — «Qi» — in translation means «energy» or «life force», which permeates the entire Universe... Qi is also the carrier of information... by the term «Qi» one should understand not only a certain force, but also the energy-informational aspect of the Universe.
The second part of the term — «Gong» — is a shortening of the word «gongfu», which can be translated as «the work and time necessary to achieve a set goal». This word also means «supreme mastery», moreover in any sphere of activity, be it qigong, martial arts or calligraphy.
Proceeding from the above one can say that Qigong is... the science of the life of man and the Universe, since it includes such aspects as philosophy,... the teaching about interaction with the surrounding world, the teaching about the circulation of life and energy on Earth and in the Universe, etc.
The same story with the "directions and schools of qigong" and the use of the term "higher schools of qigong".
The original (the book on the first level of ZYQ):
Directions and schools of qigong
... The directions of qigong came to be divided into the Confucian, Taoist, Buddhist, Medical, and Martial-arts (wushu-qigong)...
A special place is occupied by... ZHONG YUAN QIGONG,... which belongs to the qigong of the higher levels...
Lishina's version — note the cunning change of the order in the list :-) (
screenshot of the quotation):
In our time there are about 250 directions of Qigong, but one way or another they can be assigned to one of the main schools: the medical, the martial (wushu qigong), the Taoist, the Buddhist and the Confucian. A special place is occupied by schools belonging to the Higher levels of Qigong... It is precisely to such schools that the Zhen Dao tradition belongs.
Now let us turn our attention to the explanation of the hieroglyph Dao.
The original (the book on the first level of ZYQ):
The left block is part of the hieroglyph "to go", "movement".
The horizontal line [top right] means "the whole world", "the Cosmos as a whole"; the two strokes above it say that this Cosmos consists of two parts — Yin and Yang;
the lower right block means "I myself", and the whole right part means "head".
And here is the variant with the changed order :-) authored by Lishina:
The upper right part means the «united Creation»; the two little strokes above symbolize Yin and Yang...
The lower right part means «I myself»...
Having joined the lower and upper hieroglyphs, we obtain a new one meaning «head» (首)...
The left part of the hieroglyph Dao is translated as «movement»...
Further, the "exercises of the 1st level" are clearly lifted from ZYQ.
The original (the book on the first level of ZYQ):
The Buddha's hand contemplates images
The sacred crane drinks water
...
Qigong while walking
Qigong while sleeping
Lishina's version — as always, an awkward change of order (the original of the quotation is in the screenshots
a little below):
The crane drinks water
...
Qigong while walking
Qigong while sleeping
...
the Buddha's hands restore youth
A similar similarity was noticed not only by us; see the screenshots:
;-)
Here, by the way, the "zhEndao" is clearly visible, from which Lishina constantly distanced himself (details — below). And the user under the enigmatic nick MIN — well, isn't it Vitalik?
Xu Mingtang (the head of ZYQ) at his lessons often spoke of the usefulness of attending the seminars of all teachers. Those who practice ZYQ know that the Russian instructors, referring to him, always call him "Master". For example, "the Master said", "When will there be a seminar of the Master", etc.
Lishina's fantasy about ZhEndao fully repeats these moments (this text has already been wiped by Lishina):
Basing myself on my own many years of practice and studying under different teachers (the Master said that I would need to attend, as far as possible, all the seminars held in Ukraine)...
One should note the obvious absurdity of such a recommendation from a "master of ancient alchemy from Lü Dongbin" who possesses "teleportation".
If you still have doubts about the origin of the "practices of the Zhendao school", we suggest you buy the "training" video discs of the "Zhendaopai school". Those who practiced ZYQ can easily recognize in them their own exercises, as well as the theoretical things Mingtang spoke of, but in the rendition of the "alchemizer Vitalik".
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In 2005 Dmitry Aleksandrovich Artemyev began to acquaint people with the ancient Chinese Tradition on the Eastern portal — oriental.ru. It was precisely on the Eastern portal that the most important terms were revealed — Xing and Ming, the teaching about their union, the kinds of immortality from the point of view of Alchemy.
It was precisely this unique material that was successfully absorbed by Lishina and, in distorted form, served as the basis for the "alchemization" of the homemade qigong school Zhen Dao. If desired one could show the obvious borrowings, but there is no need — for before D.A. Artemyev's explanations this information simply did not exist.
Thus, Lishina "borrowed" his exercises from Zhong Yuan Qigong, while the fundamentally new theoretical moments and explanations he blew off from the oriental.
But even after the creation of "Zhendaopai" he did not calm down. The public demanded spectacles — the talentless plagiarism continued!
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Under the guise of "exclusive knowledge from the Taoist patriarchs of the Zhendaopai school", Lishina presents quotations snatched from popular sources. Examples are below.
A question to Vitaly:
From where (from which sources) do you know that wine disperses the protective QI? From your phrase it follows that if a person loses control over his consciousness, then, and only then, does the protective QI cease to work as a screen preserving the QI in the body...
His answer (
screenshot of the quotation):
I do not know from where exactly the phrase "wine disperses qi" is taken; for me personally it is not so important, since I rely first of all on practical experience, and not on sources. Only personal experience and result matter, all the rest is unimportant.
Of course, Lishina has learned well how to "forget" where he took things from, but one attentive participant of our forum pointed to the original:
the drunken one loses control of the superficial consciousness; secondly, the "true qi" easily escapes outward through the wide-open pores, as it is said: "wine disperses qi".
Ji Yi, translated by S. Sergeev, the journal "Qigong and Life". Year 1995. No. 3.
To the question "what is Daoyin?" Vitalik answers (screenshot of the quotation):
In the "Treatise on the Internal" of Wang Bing (618-907) the following definition is given: "Daoyin is the swaying of muscles and bones, the setting in motion of the joints".
Blown off from M.M. Bogachikhin's translation of Ma Jiren's book "The Chinese Teaching on Vital Energy". What is characteristic of Vitaly — he passed off the years of the Tang dynasty as the years of Wang Bing's life. Here is the original:
In books on Chinese medicine it is written thus about the daoyin gymnastics mentioned in the "Treatise on the Internal". In Wang Bing, who lived during the Tang dynasty (618-907), it is said: "Daoyin is the swaying of muscles and bones, the setting in motion of the joints..."
Especially for Zhendao, Lishina invented two new "alchemical channels" — "of preserving and perfecting life" — which he smelts at his seminars (original of the seminar program):
...c) the smelting of the channel of preserving life;
d) the smelting of the channel of perfecting life;...
But it soon turned out that this too was blown off from the book about Wang Liping. A quotation from the book:
In perfecting smelting one can bring out a line, beginning 1.2–1.5 inches below the navel and going inward, to the coccyx (Weilü), which is called "the Line of Perfecting Life" ("Xiu Ming Xian").
As can be seen, even here the information is distorted — in the original it speaks of a line, not a "channel".
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Separately worth noting is his clumsy attempt to "translate" Liu Yiming and his "correction" of his translation after the critical analysis of Vitalik's works made by D.A. Artemyev.
This happened in the following way: Lishina posted on his forum a translation of 10 instructions of Liu Yiming. As usual, he "prudently" did not indicate what exactly he was translating, and only after the criticism did he try to "shift the blame" onto Cleary (screenshot):
in this case, after all, we are translating from English (Timothy Cleary), and not from Chinese + sometimes we try to orient ourselves more to the semantic load in accordance with practice, and not to literalness.
Having seen numerous errors in the "translation", D.A. Artemyev pointed them out, publishing the correct translation of the Chinese text. Without thinking long, Vitaly, making use of D.A. Artemyev's correct translation, corrected his previous 10 instructions, and to mask this plagiarism of his he posted the translation of the 11th instruction (screenshot):
11.
...
P.S.
The previous ten instructions have been slightly corrected, since in the course of my editing of the book a more successful translation was made.
So, let us consider the "mutations" of the instructions in Lishina's rendition.
Instruction 1
Lishina's original translation:
Look through the objects of the world.
If you cannot look through the objects of the world,
You will drown in the ocean of suffering. How will you get out?
The translation from Chinese by D.A. Artemyev:
世事若还看不破,身沉苦海怎能出
If you have not yet comprehended worldly affairs, then you will sink into endless suffering, and how will you get out?
Lishina's "corrected" version:
Look through the worldly.
If you cannot look through the worldly,
You will drown in the ocean of suffering. How will you get out?
Instruction 2
Lishina's original translation:
Cut off the entanglements.
If you cannot cut off the entanglements,
The vicious circles of obsessive habits stand before you.
The translation from Chinese by D.A. Artemyev:
牵缠设若不能断,六道轮回在眼前
If you cannot renounce the entangling plans, then the 6 circles of the transmigrations of samsara will be before your eyes (that is, you will not leave samsara).
Lishina's "corrected" version:
Cut off the entanglements-attachments.
If you cannot cut off the entanglements-attachments,
The obsessive habit of endless rebirths stands before you.
And here is from the news of Lishina-studies of 2014 (someone might have thought that in 3 years this man had grown at least a little wiser?): as it turned out, even having disgraced himself once and changed the original text, our would-be translator managed to post on the ZDP twitter the old version of his feverish raving (
screenshot)
Instruction 3
Lishina's original translation:
Thoroughly investigate the principles and meanings.
If you do not know how to discern the principles of the body and mind,
You will not be able to discern the obscurations and clarity of the mind, and will lose the way.
The translation from Chinese by D.A. Artemyev:
不知辨别身心理,邪正难分误路程
If you do not know the differences in the principles of the body and heart, then it will be difficult to separate the false from the correct and you will err on the path.
Lishina's "corrected" version:
Thoroughly investigate the principles and meanings.
If you do not know how to discern the principles of the body and consciousness/heart,
You will not be able to discern delusion and correctness, and will lose the way.
Instruction 4
Lishina's original translation:
Find a teacher and companions.
When you empty the mind, you will be able to fill the belly;
If you are self-satisfied, you will grow old without developing.
The translation from Chinese by D.A. Artemyev:
虚心即便能实腹,自满到老无一长
Empty the heart and then you will be able to fill the belly; if you are self-satisfied, then until old age you will not attain a single virtue.
Lishina's "corrected" version:
Find a teacher and companions.
When you empty the consciousness-heart, you will be able to fill the belly;
If you are self-satisfied, then you will grow old having achieved nothing.
Instruction 5
Lishina's original translation:
Have a patient striving.
If you want to attain something that lasts without changing,
It will require work that lasts continuously.
The translation from Chinese by D.A. Artemyev:
要成经久不易事,必须经久不已功
If you must complete a matter that is not easy — longevity — then you must perform practice for a long time without stopping.
Lishina's "corrected" version:
Have a patiently-enduring striving-resolve.
If you want to attain unchanging longevity,
It will require practice that lasts continuously.
Instruction 8
Lishina's original translation:
Do not be afraid of hard work.
With the power of the mind you will be able to climb to the summit;
If you are afraid of difficulties, you will never come to know reality.
The translation from Chinese by D.A. Artemyev:
心强必上高山顶,怕苦终久不入真
If the soul is strong, then you will surely climb to the summit of a high mountain (that is, you will be able to achieve the highest goal).
Lishina's "corrected" version:
Do not be afraid of hard work.
Possessing a strong consciousness, you will be able to climb to the summit;
If you are afraid of difficulties, then you will never come to know true reality.
This is one of the most brazen cases of public plagiarism that we have encountered...
Truly a childlike immediacy!
In his message "The previous ten instructions have been slightly corrected, since in the course of my editing of the book a more successful translation was made", all that remained for him to add was, "by D.A. Artemyev a more successful translation was made", and the whole analysis of his plagiarism would have become useless :-)
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After a year of "correspondence" with Lishina it became crystal clear why he copies information from books with such zeal, and with numerous errors and distortions. Below are the most egregious examples of his profanism and his lack of elementary decency.
As was described in detail in the previous part, the "school" Zhendaopai grew up on the basis of Zhong Yuan Qigong. And one must understand that Lishina's "practical methods", with the exception of those invented by himself, come precisely from there — from the "lessons in all the qigong groups in Ukraine".
Perhaps it is not entirely fair to say that the qigong of Zhendaopai has no "exclusive knowledge" at all — for it contains a considerable portion of "Lishina's economic education" :-), about which he himself wrote in his biography. The laurels of Mavrodi do not let him sleep — they force him to produce promotions typical of financial pyramids, such as "bring a friend and practice for free".
Here is a message from the Zhendaopai forum (already deleted):
Vitaly, subject: Re: Regular lessons in Kiev. Added: 19 Jan 2010 12:42
Attention, PROMOTION!!!
(the promotion applies in the hall at the address: L. Tolstoy metro station, 81 Vladimirskaya st.; 1st floor, door No. 2)
1) the first trial lesson at half price — valid until the end of January.
2) purchase of a subscription with a 10% discount — valid until the end of January.
3) bring a friend — if you bring a friend to a lesson, then you yourself do not pay for this lesson — valid until the end of February.
:-))
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First of all — Lishina does not know the Chinese language, which, however, does not prevent him from attempting to "translate" himself and even to teach others to "translate". What are his transcriptions of hieroglyphs worth alone — "ZHEN DAO", "zhen", "shen", "yuan yu", etc. Below are examples of his illiteracy in Chinese.
On his forum he writes (screenshot):
Tao Hongqing indeed practiced both external and internal alchemy; it is also known that he did not realize the Body of Light.
Not knowing, and too lazy to check, the correct transcription of the Master's name (correctly — Tao Hongjing), Lishina permits himself to assert that "he did not realize the Body of Light".
An article on his website (original):
Originally he was called Wang Zhongfu (Zhongfu, 中孚), but having set out on the Path he took the Taoist name Chongyang, which means "the cultivation of primordial Yang".
As usual, after the remark made to him that "Chongyang" is not translated thus, the text was immediately changed:
Originally he was called Wang Zhongfu (Zhongfu, ??), but having set out on the Path he took the Taoist name Chongyang, which can mean "Double Yang", "Double Sun", and sometimes even "the cultivation of primordial Yang" (the last variant of the translation belongs to Eva Wong and is made more by sense than literally).
Another example — the funny translation of the term "linkunjin" (already deleted — screenshot of the Google cache):
One should understand that in ancient times even the basic work with inner Qi was transmitted only to a few, not to mention the training of the highest power of Taiji-quan, the most difficult to master — linkunjin (the moving emptiness).
But in fact linkunjin is "the formless force".
With such a level of knowledge of Chinese he had the audacity to write an article "On the difficulties in understanding Taoist treatises". And in it he continued to explain his unique vision of the Chinese language (screenshot):
The independent study of the Taoist Tradition is an extraordinarily difficult thing. And here one should not naively suppose that knowledge of the Chinese language and the ability to read classical texts in the original will fully solve this problem. This is connected with the fact that any Chinese text, all the more a text on inner alchemy, has a very great scope for translation, because in the ancient Chinese language there are no declensions, conjugations, concrete tense or gender, and also the absence of conjunctions (and, as it were, sort of, yes, even, barely, if, but, and, or, so, as, somehow, when, whether, or, and so on).
Then what are the following hieroglyphs called: 以, 之, 由, 而, 于? Before this assertion the dictionaries referred them to the conjunctions...
Note that on his website he has already posted a hastily "corrected" text of the article (original):
... in the ancient Chinese language there are no declensions, conjugations, concrete tense or gender, and also the frequent absence of conjunctions (and, as it were, sort of, yes, even, barely, if, but, and, or, so, as, somehow, when, whether, or, and so on).
How false is the nature of this deceiver!
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Other examples of the "translation and commentary" of Taoist texts.
He distorted the words of Lü Dongbin (original):
The Great Patriarch and Immortal Lü Dongbin in one of his instructions said the following: «The cultivation of Ming (gong) without the development of Xing (gong) can lead to insurmountable inner obstacles; the development of Xing without the cultivation of Ming is fraught with a mass of unpleasantness (with the physical body) and impedes the path to perfection».
The true words of Lü Dongbin:
只修性,不修命,此是修行第一病。
只修祖性不修丹,万劫阴灵难入圣
The cultivation of Xing without the cultivation of Ming — this is the first disease of cultivation.
The cultivation of primordial Xing without the cultivation of Dan — you will forever remain the soul of the deceased and will not be able to become a saint.
Where here are the "insurmountable inner obstacles", where is the "mass of unpleasantness", whence came the "physical body" with the "path to perfection", and finally why are Xing and Ming swapped in the first sentence? No answers ever followed...
The thoughtless "interpretation" of Zhang Boduan's words (original):
«Herbs, trees, gold, silver — [all this] is sticky mud;
Dawn, clouds, the sun, the moon — [all this] is the sphere of darkness».
A certain symbolism is expressed here and therefore the statement cannot be understood literally. The essence of what is said consists in that the external world (herbs, trees, dawn, clouds, the sun, the moon) and material goods (gold, silver) have a transient, illusory nature, while the Truth is inside us, and it can be attained only through deep inner work with the Primordial Spirit.
Using E. Torchinov's translation, Lishina did not bother to look that several lines below, in the notes, it is stated in black and white that this speaks of the external-alchemical elixirs made of herbs and trees, gold and silver.
Another egregious example of the "creativity" of Zhendaopai — the "translation" of Liu Yiming is analyzed in detail above, in the "plagiarism" part. Here, in addition to that, we will illustrate what distortions of the meaning of the text are brought about by "translations based on fantasy".
The described scheming with the "correction" of the translation did not go unnoticed by readers, therefore Vitaly never dared to "correct" the 11th instruction he had posted. Thereby he allowed us to observe without concealment the simple twists of his mind, which, as can be seen, has nothing in common with the reason of a translator and scholar.
Vitalik's "translation":
Take property lightly; value your life.
Ask yourself — even if you accumulate mountains of gold,
Can you bribe impermanence.
The translation of the Chinese text:
试问堆金等岱岳,无常买的不来无?
Investigate the question: gathering piles of gold equal to majestic mountains, buying the impermanent — it is impossible to come to absence, is it not?
"The understanding on the basis of practice and daigong":
"Can you bribe impermanence"
and the words of Liu Yiming:
"buying the impermanent, is it not impossible to come to absence"
This is a direct answer to those admirers of Lishina who suppose that it is possible to "understand Chinese texts without knowing the language".
There are many more similar examples, and judging by the unceasing verbal flow of the creator of the pseudo-school Zhendaopai, in the future we will be able more than once to amuse ourselves reading his talentless little crafts. :-)
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Vitaly Lishina is absolutely incompetent in Taoism and permits himself to invent what has never been there.
Since Vitaly was caught in the incorrect use of "pai" in the name of his school, he began to try to present everything as if it is the orientalists who do not know what "pai" was used for, and he knows.
Here is a quotation from the page on his website devoted to the "rebranding", by now already deleted:
Historical note: in China it so happened that since ancient times, absolutely any Taoist School has the suffix 派 (pai) at the end — this very hieroglyph is translated as "School". If the phrase «Zhen Dao School» is translated word for word into Chinese, then it will be 真道派, which in Russian reads as «Zhen Dao Pai». Therefore, we simply translate 派 (pai) into Russian, and this is already written and spoken as «Zhen Dao School». One can, of course, say/write "Zhen Dao Pai School" too, but this, in essence, would be a tautology.
The participants justly noted that Quanzhenjiao, Tianshidao and Zhengyidao do not fall under this "historical note" of his.
To which Lishina posted a new portion of his revelations (screenshot):
As regards Quan Zhen Dao (Jiao), this suffix is applicable to this School too; here is how it will be in Chinese ???? — it is enough to simply look in Google for the presence of these hieroglyphs together:
http://www.google.com.ua/search?hl=ru&s ... %B2+Google
Or even simply Quan Zhen Pai (???) http://www.google.com.ua/search?hl=ru&n ... =&gs_rfai=
Analogously with the School of Zheng Yi Dao ???? (Zheng Yi Dao Pai)
The fact that such combinations do not occur in Taoist dictionaries and texts — that is nothing, but they do occur in "Google" — that is proof! :-)
Other distortions of Taoism
He invented the division of the "paths of Taoism" (screenshot):
There are many different Taoist schools, but, by and large, one can single out the Three Paths of Cultivation: the Lower, the Middle and the Higher. This classification is very ancient and was applied by the Great Immortal Patriarch Lü Dongbin, his student Wang Chongyang and other famous Masters.
Another error in transcription, by the way — the correct name of the Patriarch is Wang Chongyang (Чунъян, with a hard sign), and not "ЧунЬ Ян" (with a soft sign).
So, where was this "ancient classification" "applied"? It turns out, in Eva Wong's translation! Here is the quotation:
Zhongli said:
The three paths of cultivation are the Small path, the Middle path and the Great path...
Lü asked:
I do not wish to become an immortal ghost, and I dare not think of celestial immortality.
Can you tell me how to attain the immortality of man, of Earth and of Spirit?
Zhongli said:
The first is attained by the Small path, the second by the Middle path, the third by the Great. Although in appearance there are three paths — in fact it is one path.
Once again it becomes visible on what this "ancient tradition" of Lishina's fantasies is based.
And now let us look at the original — that very Zhonglüchuandaoji:
鍾祖曰：「法有三成者，小成、中成、大成...
In the methods there are 3 COMPLETIONS — the small COMPLETION, the middle COMPLETION and the great COMPLETION...
And these completions are connected with the 5 statuses of immortals, that is, they are sequential, not separate:
鍾祖曰：「人仙不出小成法，地仙不出中成法，神仙不出大成法。是此三之數，其實一也。
The human immortal does not go beyond the method of the small Completion, the earthly immortal does not go beyond the method of the middle Completion, the spiritual immortal does not go beyond the method of the Great Completion. Although there are three of them here, in fact it is one.
And in zhEndao there is both a "path of righteousness" and a "path of religiosity", and neidan, it turns out, begins only with the "higher path" :-).
Trying to prove that this is an "ancient classification", he also invented a "division of the texts of the Daozang" (screenshot):
All the texts in the "Daozang" are divided into the higher (inner alchemy), the middle and the lower (health improvement and how to lead a correct life).
No such "classification" exists. The actual division of the texts goes by entirely different principles — by the belonging of the treatises to schools, or by the subject of the texts.
Not knowing the stages of the immortals, he asserts that at the stage of renxian a person has an "immortal embryo" formed (screenshot):
In a practical sense this means that Yin and Yang, Kan and Li are fused, and consequently there is a formed immortal embryo (this is the level of renxian).
And his statement about the "awareness of the immortals" continues the absurdity (screenshot):
Question: How does the awareness of an ordinary person, of a human immortal, of an earthly immortal, of a heavenly immortal differ from one another?
Vitaly's answer: By depth and volume.
In fact, in Taoism it is held that one possessing the status of an immortal has a super-self-awareness having nothing in common with the consciousness of an ordinary person.
The treatise says: "When the cognizant spirit Shi Shen dies, the Yuanshen is born." Shi Shen is precisely the consciousness of an ordinary person.
Absurd from the point of view of the Taoist tradition is the situation when a "patriarch of a Taoist school" rides to the city of Nikolaev for 7 years in a row "to transmit knowledge to Lishina" (screenshot):
Then Master Lü Shiyang came to Ukraine every year to transmit ever new knowledge to Vitaly. At first with Zhang Baishi, who helped the Master and was at the same time the translator, and then alone.
If "Vitaly" had read even fiction about the immortals, he would know that those striving for the Tao undergo countless trials and the heaviest labor of seeking the Teacher...
Considering Lü Dongbin the founder of his "Zhendao" school, Lishina permits himself statements about him that are completely impossible within the framework of tradition (screenshot):
And with Lü Dongbin there is so much vagueness... that he turns out to be the vaguest type of all.
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If one considers the practical core of Taoism — Taoist Alchemy — one sees that here Vitalik's creativity showed itself in full measure.
All the below is absent in Alchemy
The "Wei-action" (screenshot):
To understand the principle of Wu Wei (non-action), one must first do a lot and use Wei (action).
The method "Lungaizao", included in the composition of the "main methods of the Zhen Dao school" — described in the article Xingong and Mingong (original):
The cleansing of the mind/consciousness/heart (?) of impurities.
Here by "impurities" are understood various limitations of consciousness generated by the human ego and hindering the seeing of the world as it is... Many "impurities" with time penetrate deeply into the subconscious and we are no longer able to be aware of them...
The cleansing of the mind/consciousness/heart (?) of impurities is realized through such practices as:
Lun Gai Zao — the hermitic life.
Yuan You — the wanderings with the clouds.
"Yuan You" has already been corrected by Lishina to "Yun You". And this was one of the main "methods" of the Zhen Dao school.
Lun Gaizao is an article in the work of Wang Chongyang in which he described how a Taoist's dwelling should be made. Lun — "discourse", gaizao — "construction". Lishina blew off both "lun gai zao" and "yun you" from E.A. Torchinov's article "The Taoist 'reformation' and its consequences", posted here (
original). In principle, this fact alone is quite enough to draw one's own conclusions about Lishina and his pseudo-school.
Let us also note the terms uncharacteristic of Taoist texts:
"consciousness", "ego", "subconsciousness" — all this is blown off the internet in various variations.
The "explanations" of shishen.
So, let us consider the following words of Lishina on his forum (screenshot 1, screenshot 2):
The practice consists in cleansing the Cognizant spirit of the Post-heavenly impurities and obscurations... one must change the state of what exists (the Cognizant and the Primordial Spirit), and not destroy any of them... The souls Hun and Po are in essence manifestations of the Cognizant Spirit (Shi Shen). This information I received from my Teacher Lü Shiyang.
And here is what the Taoists themselves and Lü Dongbin say:
The ancients divided the spirit Shen into the Yuanshen of the Preceding Heaven and the Shishen of the Following Heaven; in the process of practice one must use the Yuanshen and remove the Shishen. The Shishen cannot be used in the practice of neidan.
Lü Dongbin said: Only the Yuanshen is the true nature Xing, since it descends into the Qian palace it divides into Hun and Po...
All the enthusiasm for passions and anger comes from Po; this is precisely the Cognizant spirit Shishen. The student in practice completely exhausts Po (Shishen) and then realizes the Pure Yang.
The practitioner of the Tao destroys the Shishen and cultivates the Yuanshen.
Commentaries are superfluous.
In the same theme of the Zhendao forum — the "method of fusing Shishen and Yuanshen" imagined by the fantasist Lishina.
The goal of Taoist practice is the turning of Shi Shen inward, for the cognizing of Yuan Shen, and ultimately their fusion into a single whole.
The same answer to the question "And is the attainment of immortality possible?":
It is possible, it cannot be impossible. For this it is only necessary to fuse the Cognizant Spirit with the Primordial Spirit.
The idea of attaining this kind of immortality is one of the most important goals of Taoism, and is called True Heavenly Immortality, in distinction from human immortality, which, in essence, is only longevity.
To call the impossible from the point of view of the Taoist tradition "fusing of shishen and yuanshen" Heavenly Immortality — is a joke of the highest degree of success!
Let us see what the treatises say (we are ready to provide the source at a personal meeting, so as not to breed new Lishinas):
识神死元神生 - When the cognizant spirit Shi Shen dies, the Yuanshen is born.
The ascription to Taoism of "practices in dreaming" (screenshot):
The goal of the section "Meng Gong" (the Mastery of sleep) is not the simple self-awareness in a dream in order to later "amuse oneself" in this state. Sleep and dreams are an inalienable part of our life, and the art of Meng Gong was developed in order to use this time for self-cultivation. And one of the main goals is the comprehension of the nature of the reality of the dream.
The creator of Zhendaopai, who has read Castaneda, does not know even the widespread phrase of Zhuangzi: "When the perfect man goes to sleep, he does not see dreams."
And in conclusion of this part — the no less absurd statement of Lishina about taijiquan (screenshot):
... the correspondences of hexagrams and movements in Taiji-quan do not relate to inner work. And there are no unambiguous correspondences, since in one and the same external movement different inner forces may be manifested.
It only remains to advise reading Chen Xin. There it is written in plain text that whoever does not understand the laws of the Cosmos does not understand taiji. And other Masters have it too.
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In the process of "correspondence" with Lishina it becomes clear to all the participants of the discussion that Lishina's human qualities leave much to be desired. And speaking directly — he is a liar and a deceiver.
One of the most obvious caught cases of deception — his absurd tales that the transcription of the homemade school "чжЕньдао" (with the Cyrillic letter Е, pronounced "ye") was always written correctly — as "чжЭньдао" (with the letter Э, pronounced "e") (screenshot):
This is banal lying, because from the very beginning of the spread of the School in the CIS, its Russian name was always written as «Чжэнь Дао», of which one can be convinced simply by looking at the oldest messages of the forum or the internet resources where the advertising of our School's seminars was given.
The fact of the writing "чжЕньдао" is clearly recorded; the proof is the picture that hung on the school's website for many years. It is absurd after this to try to assert the contrary. The writing was the same in many advertising messages on the internet, hastily corrected after the remark made to Lishina.
Besides, in analogous places he makes the same errors.
In one of the themes of his forum he writes (screenshot of the already-deleted original):
Well, for example, Shen can also be translated as "body".
The description of the mountains (
screenshot), blown off from here (
link to the original of the article), as always without mention of the source. And in the material itself there are errors in the transcription of the hieroglyphs entering into the name of Lishina's own creation (i.e. "Zhendaopai") — and those too are not checked.
the monk Xuan Wu (Zhen Wu) attained Enlightenment in these mountains
Many famous monks... attained the status of a "True Man" ("zhen ren").
Evidently, Lishina simply did not know that the transcription of hieroglyphs cannot be written thus in principle: in Russian all hieroglyphs are read only through the letter "э" (not "е").
Another indicative fact of his deception — the attempt to present himself as a connoisseur of "the translation of Chinese treatises" in a corresponding article (screenshot).
In it he gives an interpretation of a doubly-translated text:
Let us begin with a difficult fragment from the treatise «Zhong-Lü Zhuan-Dao Ji» (The Teaching of the Tao as expounded by Zhongli and Lü):
(translation from Chinese by Eva Wong, translation from English edited by S. Pankov).
And on the basis of this double translation, with the air of a connoisseur, he tries to prove that Taoist texts can be interpreted thus and in no other way.
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And, in conclusion, let us gladden the reader with photographs of the would-be "master" with his vaunted "well-structured body":
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No less interesting are the changes of this invented "school of alchemy Zhendaopai" over time.
On the one hand, it is obvious that if there is no information of one's own — and a Chinese willing to play Lüshiyang has not yet been found — all that remains for Lishina is to steal information from translated books.
On the other hand, his obvious desire to quietly, under one pretext or another, correct the fabrications torn to pieces from his website is quite understandable. It is amusing, by the way, that by criticizing Lishina, knowledgeable people unwittingly helped him become better! ;-)
Below are examples of his unscrupulous changing of his own materials, of his own volition or in accordance with our criticism.
Let us consider the changes of Lishina's "biography" (link to the latest version).
At first he was modest and irresolute (31 December 2005 and 2006):
Lishina Vitaly Ivanovich
practices Qigong since 1995 (more than 10 years), teaches since 2000.
Studied various directions of Qigong and Taiji-quan under various domestic and Chinese masters. Having generalized the experience of study and of his own personal practice, he developed, with the help of a Spiritual Mentor, the universal method of Qigong — "Zhen Dao", allowing one to train harmoniously all aspects of human existence: body, energy, consciousness.
So, on the basis of "study [in various qigong groups] and personal practice" a "qigong" was "developed" here, named "Zhen Dao".
Then the appetite awoke (from January 2007):
Lishina Vitaly Ivanovich
I have practiced Qigong since 1995. Since school I was interested in the East and martial arts. Even then I understood that behind all this stands a deep philosophical system, and began to buy various books on Buddhism and Taoism. Over time I passed a Qigong seminar in the city of Nikolaev with an instructor who studied in Thailand, and began intensive independent practice. Over these years I visited all possible seminars of well-known and little-known, Chinese and domestic Masters of Qigong and Taiji-quan in Ukraine. And in 1998 I was fortunate to meet a Master by the name of Lü Shiyang, under whose guidance I began and continue to study Taoist alchemy. With the permission and help of my Mentor, I systematized all the knowledge received into an accessible and practical system. The process of systematization was simply inevitable, although it proceeded within the framework of a certain structure and criteria of the Taoist tradition — for study in antiquity and in our time cannot be identical. I teach Zhen Dao Qigong since 2000.
Here, as can be seen, "developed" was replaced by another word — "systematized the knowledge received".
Then it carried him away altogether (Aug 2007):
Vitaly was interested in the East and martial arts since school. Even then he understood that behind this stands a deep philosophical system, and began to buy various books on Buddhism and Taoism. Special attention he paid to the study of ancient treatises. Since 1995 Vitaly Lishina attended various seminars of well-known and little-known Chinese and domestic Masters of Qigong and Taiji-quan, and also practiced intensively on his own.
In 1998 fate brought him together with the Chinese Master Lü Shiyang. Under his guidance he began and continues to this day to study the Taoist tradition, which includes: qigong, neigong (inner alchemy), taiji-quan (the Yang style), xing-i-quan (the Hebei direction) and Dao-yin. His study proceeds in accordance with the traditional classical requirements, which implies a fairly strict practice and the unswerving fulfillment of all the requirements of the Teacher.
With the permission and help of his Mentor, Vitaly systematized all the knowledge received into an accessible and clear system. At that, the method of performing the exercises remained complete and traditional. And, since Lü Shiyang has before himself the goal of the wide spread of knowledge, with his consent Vitaly softened the strict requirements for beginners, so that all seekers could touch the Taoist methods of cultivation, closed until recently.
Since 1999 Vitaly Lishina took up teaching, transmitting the knowledge received to people. Over this time the method was honed and many people became convinced of its effectiveness.
Now Vitaly Lishina directs the Zhen Dao Qigong Association. Last year his training video discs on the directions of Zhen Dao Qigong and Taiji-quan appeared. At present his book devoted to the inner alchemy of Zhen Dao Qigong (the first level) is being prepared for publication.
Note that he "began" to teach already in 1999 (before it was 2000). And the "inner alchemy of Zhen Dao Qigong" needs no commentary at all :-) The term "qigong" appeared in the 50s of the last century as a counterweight to the ancient traditions, which were then not held in honor in communist China.
And also — he remembered that at school he "paid special attention to the study of ancient treatises" (in the previous version of the biography there is no such thing).
And here he has already grown callous, beginning himself to believe in his own raving (2011):
The head of the School of Practical Taoism Zhen Dao is Vitaly Lishina. Even in childhood, in the 5th-6th grade, on the wave of the popularity of films about eastern martial arts and the Shaolin monastery, Vitaly became interested in the East. However, even then he understood that behind the external mastery stands a deep philosophical concept, and began to try to study Buddhism and Taoism. Heightened attention he paid to the study of ancient works. Since 1995 Vitaly Lishina attended various seminars of well-known and little-known Chinese and domestic Masters of Qigong and Taiji-quan, and also practiced intensively on his own.
In the spring of 1998 fate brought Vitaly together with the Chinese Master Lü Shiyang — the Patriarch of the Taoist School Zhen Dao. Under his guidance he began and continues to this day to study the Taoist tradition, which includes: Qigong, Neidan (inner alchemy), Dao Yin, Taiji-quan (the Yang style) and Xing-i-quan (the Hebei direction). At that, the study proceeded in full accordance with the traditional Taoist method of transmitting knowledge, which means a fairly strict practice and the unswerving fulfillment of all the requirements of the Teacher.
With the permission and help of his Mentor, Vitaly systematized all the information received into an accessible and clear system. At that, the method of performing the exercises remained complete and traditional. And since Lü Shiyang has before himself the goal of the mass spread of knowledge, with his consent Vitaly softened the strict requirements for beginners, so that all seekers could touch the Taoist methods of cultivation, which until recently were under great secret.
At the end of 1999 Vitaly Lishina took up teaching...
He nonetheless decided that "the study of ancient treatises" was too much, and decided modestly to "begin to try to study... ancient works". (Judging by his unceasing pearls, he has been unsuccessfully "beginning to try to study ancient treatises" to this day).
It is clearly visible how Lüshiyang "teleported into the past" and re-taught Lishina neidan instead of neigong :-)
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Separately one should note the changes in the goals of the "Chinese" and their knowledge of the Russian language.
In an interview to the internet-newspaper "Ukrainska Pravda. Life" he says (original):
He [Lü Shiyang] came to Ukraine with his student, who came to Nikolaev on work.
At the same time, on the Zhendaopai website it is written:
Possessing, by virtue of his mastery, the Highest Wisdom and knowing whom and why they seek, Patriarch Lü Shiyang and Zhang Baishi came to Ukraine, to the city of Nikolaev, where they met in 1998 with Vitaly Lishina.
He must have read the book of Wang Liping :-)
In the "history of the school" (original) on Lishina's website it is written:
By a happy coincidence, one of Lü Shiyang's students — Zhang Baishi — knew the Russian language to a certain degree and periodically visited Ukraine on working business trips.
Answering the question "how do you receive the transmission without knowing the Chinese language" on his forum, he, to give greater plausibility, "strengthened Zhang Baishi's knowledge of Russian" (
screenshot):
... in the study and understanding of the Teacher I was helped by my elder brother in the School, Zhang Baishi, who knows the Russian language well.
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One of the most absurd examples of his machinations with his own information (not to speak of the falsity shown in part 3) is the change of "чжЕньдао" to "чжЭньдао".
Such an obvious error (in the transcription of the name of his own school) was noticed first of all.
The two-faced nature of the head of the then "Zhen Dao" was not yet clearly visible, therefore we did not save these pages. And in vain! For already a month later "master Vitaly" corrected the absurd error and began to assert that it had never existed :-) Thus he would have continued to pull the wool over the eyes of the entire internet, but in the archives of the web a page was found with the proof of this example of brazen lying:
It is clearly visible that the name in the heading of the page has already been corrected, but the hands had not yet reached the picture :-)
The conclusions are clear.
We also draw the reader's attention to the change of their site's domain from "zheng-tao.com" to "zhendaopai.org".
"zheng-tao" is read in pinyin (the Chinese transcription) as "zheng-dao" — compare with what was written on the site itself — "zhen dao". And about the addition of "pai" it is written in detail below.
Lishina permitted himself similar errors in transcriptions and writing, and permits them to this day, however, not forgetting to correct them when they become known :-).
For example, "нЕйгун" (neigong, "inner work") from the old site — in fact "нЭйгун"; "юАнь ю" ("cloud wanderings") — in fact "юнью". Even now on the Zhendaopai website there are examples of such errors, but let the profaner Lishina himself take the trouble to find and correct them.
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The dressing-up of the homemade "school of qigong" into a "school of traditional alchemy from Lü Dongbin".
A quotation from Lishina's old site (zheng-tao.ru):
Having generalized the experience of study and his own personal practice, he developed, with the help of a Spiritual Mentor, the universal method of Qigong — "Zhen Dao", allowing one to train harmoniously all aspects of human existence: body, energy, consciousness.
And here is already the description of their school on the new site (zhendaopai.org):
The Taoist School Zhen Dao is a traditional Chinese school of Practical Taoism, going back to the Patriarch Lü Dongbin (more than 1000 years ago) and having preserved to this day the once-secret knowledge of the methods of cultivating life. Its main peculiarity is the complex approach to the development of the body, the energy system and the consciousness of man. In the program of lessons are studied the methods of working with energy (Qigong), dynamic complexes (Dao Yin), breathing practices (Tuna), i.e. everything necessary for health, as well as in order to pass to the practices of working with consciousness and inner alchemy (Neidan). The School Zhen Dao is a complete system of self-cultivation, including methods for the development of all aspects of the human being.
As in the well-known advertisement — the difference is obvious!
Most brightly this dressing-up manifested itself in the change of the name of the pseudo-school "Zhen Dao":
In the summer of 2010 Dmitry Aleksandrovich Artemyev pointed out that the name "Zhen Dao" itself is incorrect from the point of view of Taoism — for all Taoist schools consist of 3 hieroglyphs, the third being "Dao", "Jiao" or "Pai". In answer to this, Lishina decided to call himself "Pai".
Just think, for the first time in world history an ancient Taoist school carries out a "rebranding" :P:
Together with the launch of the new website we carried out a small «rebranding» of the name of the School, abandoning the phrase «Zhen Dao Qigong». Previously the word «Qigong» was used because of its wide renown, which told people of a certain orientation of the School, and this was always written on the main page of the old site. However, now we decided to abandon it, having discovered that different people understand the term «qigong» differently, and moreover incorrectly, and to use only the traditional name «Zhen Dao Pai», or simply «The Zhen Dao School».
Historical note: in China it so happened that since ancient times, absolutely any Taoist School has the suffix ? (pai) at the end — this very hieroglyph is translated as "School". If the phrase «Zhen Dao School» is translated word for word into Chinese, then it will be ???, which in Russian reads as «Zhen Dao Pai». Therefore, we simply translate ? (pai) into Russian, and this is already written and spoken as «Zhen Dao School». One can, of course, say/write "Zhen Dao Pai School" too, but this, in essence, would be a tautology.
Lishina himself wrote about this on his website, but, what is characteristic, subsequently tried to erase the original (
the link does not work), but could not even fully clean up after himself, having quoted himself on his own forum (
screenshot).
Only here is the deciphering of these three endings, which D.A. Artemyev did not explain at once. Here it is: "Dao" — needs no translation, "Jiao" — the teaching, "Pai" — points to a branch off one of the main schools. Lishina, not knowing this, assigned the "school Zhendaopai" directly to Lü Dongbin, thereby making himself the main school, which cannot be — all the main schools are very well known. And then he also called himself "Pai", contradicting himself.
And after the pointing out of this insoluble contradiction — attention, watch the hands — he began to assert, having been in China in his whole life only a week, not knowing the Chinese language, that "pai" means simply "school" AND AT THE SAME TIME wrote on his forum
The School Zhen Dao takes its beginning from the patriarch Lü Dongbin and is one of the earliest branches of the direction Quanzhen Dao.
Moreover, he wiped the theme with this next lie of his, and therefore we cite it from the Google cache. (
screenshot)
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After the proposal to translate the "Structure of the Zhen Dao school" (in the picture above) into Chinese, he immediately reworked it.
It was:
1. The Art of Inner Rest
2. The Art of Outer Balance
3. The Intermediate Mastery
It became:
The Mastery of rest
The Mastery of balance
The Mastery of sleep
So we will apparently never learn what its creator saw when he dreamed about the "intermediate mastery"...
And how vivid it is when the adepts "swallow" all these inaccuracies, as regarding the "intermediate mastery", as well as the hastily corrected zhEndao, and the hastily seized-upon "zhEndaopai".
Some kind of a workshop of profanation and dumbing-down, simply a zhEn-chameleon-pai. :-)))
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Since Lishina is a profaner both in the Chinese language and in Taoism, his attempts at translations, which are elementarily subjected to criticism, or rather "exposures", look absolutely absurd.
In part 2 (2.4) it was told in detail how Lishina changed his "translation of Liu Yiming's instructions" after the criticism and the publication of the correct translation. Here we will not repeat ourselves, but refer the reader to the corresponding material.
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And in conclusion — an absolutely unique story.
In confirmation of the connection, appearing in Lishina's imagination, of the phases of the Moon with the "small celestial circle" in the human body, Vitaly cited the widespread scheme Xiuzhentu.
To which his own student "Irina" asked the question (screenshot):
And what do the animals in the scheme denote?
The creator of the Zhendaopai immediately looked at the scheme and, without thinking long, gave out:
The animals correspond to the five phases (wuxing):
The Green dragon — wood, east
The Red Phoenix — fire, south
The White tiger — metal, west
Xuan Wu ("Dark belligerence") — the Black tortoise, a tortoise entwined with a snake — water, north
The Pheasant or the Yellow Unicorn — earth, center
To such an explanation, on another forum, it was pointed out to Lishina:
... the father of Zhen Dao Pai did not even bother to read what is said in this scheme about the images of the animals. We will see that in the scheme the kidneys are depicted not at all through the black tortoise, but through a deer. And no pheasant-unicorn is mentioned in the scheme for the earth.
However, it is clear that not knowing Chinese, Lishina could not read the commentaries to the scheme.
And already a few hours later Lishina corrects his explanation:
In the message above I cited the standard classification of wuxing and the animals; on this scheme the symbolism is a little different (I have just looked, sorry). But symbols are only symbols; the main thing is to understand what stands behind them.
Precisely thus, for the first time in history, did Lishina acknowledge his "misunderstanding" (and in fact — his lying).
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All this "debriefing" might not have happened — one's own development is always more interesting than criticism and exposing... were Lishina not possessed of such insolence.
With all his profanism and ignorance, Lishina permitted himself to criticize the traditional school Wuliupai.
Even before the turning of our attention to this pseudo-school, in an already-deleted theme of the forum (In the mentioned article the primary source is somewhat distorted ("Zhong-Lü Zhuan Dao Ji" — the Conversations of Zhongli Quan and Lü Dongbin about the Tao)...
As regards the "school" of Dao De, one can say that they distorted the treatise in vain.
and gave out his own interpretation of the words of the Patriarchs. There also Lishina himself made his mark:
I support all the above said by Sasha.
What was the astonishment of all the participants when, a couple of pages below, "Sasha S." asked to give him a link to the Chinese text whose translation he called distorted.
I am only studying Chinese and would gladly improve my level if you could, as a gesture of good will, give a link to the primary source in Chinese... And I relied on Eva Wong's translation...
Needs no commentary.
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Another example of such a provocation — the appearance of a mysterious user under the nick "Lun Wang" on the forum of the Naths, who gave out the following (original):
I became acquainted with these materials some time ago and also became acquainted with the materials of the opponents.
In turn I can confirm that everything said by Vitaly is indeed so. I can also add that the School Zhen Dao really exists in China.
No more, no less. And when this "Lun Wang" began to repeat word for word Lishina's "information" about "pai" with argumentation in the form of links to Google and to refer to the zhendaopai site, a quite well-founded suspicion arose that "Lun Wang" and Lishina are one and the same person :-)
"Pai" — means that the school belongs to the Taoist tradition.
"Tian Shi Dao (天師道)" — one of the most ancient Taoist schools in China, created by Zhang Daoling. During the Song dynasty, in the 12th-13th centuries, this school acquired a new name — "the School of True Unity" or "Zheng Yi Dao (正一道)". And since then it exists under this name to this day.
正一道派 (Zheng Yi Dao Pai) — [link to Google]
then read this too [link to the zhEndao site]
And a few messages below he again gives a link to Lishina's site.
A striking desire to promote zhEndao! :-)
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Now it is already visible that Lishina does not disdain "dressing up" in different nicks and in such a guise engaging in self-promotion.
One of the witnesses of this disgrace did not even take the trouble to compare the words of Lishina himself, of "Lun Wang" and of yet another anonymous — spoon111(1), discovering the similarity of their "argumentation" and style of utterances — below is the extract.
The accusations of "throwing mud"
spoon111 (the message is deleted):
But do continue developing the theme. It is coming out excellently. Why discuss practice and theory... Better to slander another school.
Lun Wang (
original):
You with your brethren have already poured a heap of mud and insults on me on your forum, although I did not even appear there; how can one conduct a conversation with such people as you at all?
Vitaly (
original):
«By virtue of the fact that the theme turned into the throwing of mud at our School and an insult... the theme is being closed.
The panegyrics to Lishina and Zhendaopai
spoon111 (the message is deleted):
I personally saw Vitaly's demonstration of how qi acts on physical objects, and I know at least five more people to whom this was also demonstrated. Including the above-mentioned breaking of stones. And this is only a small fraction of the abilities he possesses...
This is nothing — compared to the results which Vitaly and some of his students achieved.
Lun Wang (
original):
In turn I can confirm that everything said by Vitaly is indeed so.
Vitaly (
original):
For beginners, the greater interest is the effectiveness of the methods which the School disposes of, and this can be verified only through personal practice. Traditional Schools, after all, can also, with time, become false or disappear altogether, therefore the sole criterion here is to listen to one's heart and to try on personal experience.
Moralizing, instead of concrete answers — references to the ambiguity of concepts and appeals to tolerance.
spoon111 (the message is deleted):
to your questions about the origin of this or that term, of translations, I unfortunately have no answers personally. As there is no answer: to why Qi is called qi, shen is called shen.
... do you know with what goal "the cleansing of the mind of impurities" is set before a practice.
... And whether a practice is correct can be judged by the results.
Lun Wang (
original):
ambiguity is everywhere, always and in everyone; that is not what was being discussed.
... and what, must I here personally set out for you the whole history of Taoism?
Vitalik (
original):
It is precisely therefore that I advised you to try to find a common language with other true traditions and gave an example above.
And think once more about the fact that although the root is one, it can and will manifest itself differently.
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"And will there be a continuation?" — the reader will ask.
Our answer: there will certainly be one!