Ep312: Disciple of Wu Dang - Johan Hausen
Johan Hausen is a Taoist teacher, translator, Chinese medicine practitioner, and founder of Purple Cloud Press.
Available on Youtube, iTunes, SoundCloud & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
Johan shares his life story from his years of competitive Tae Kwon Do, through his travels and travails in China in search of a master, and to his eventual training and discipleship in the Wu Dang mountains.
Johan reflects on his years learning Classical and spoken Chinese, considers the challenges of translating ancient literature for modern readers, and reveals the unique metaphors and analogies used in textual descriptions of Internal Alchemy.
Johan also describes the Taoist quest for immortality, explains his research into the dantien and the mineralogy of cinnabar, and recounts stories of his own encounters with spiritually advanced beings.
00:00 - Intro
00:57 - Admiration for Mattias Daly
02:56 - Learning Chinese to better learn Taoism
04:53 - How Johan learned Classical vs Spoken Chinese
08:11 - Language is about communication
08:47 - Should we consult living masters about textual translation problems?
10:24 - Metaphors and analogies used in Internal Alchemy
12:53 - Why are there different ideas about the dantian?
14:12 - Is the dantian constructed or inherent?
16:12 - Elixir fields?
17:37 - Johan’s research on the mineralogy of cinnabar using Chinese texts
18:04 - The old alchemists’ surprisingly good understanding of organic chemistry
20:56 - Johan’s childhood and training in Tae Kwon Do
22:47 - Johan’s competitive Tae Kwon Do career of over 100 fights
25:18 - Injury and travel to China for healing
26:24 - Travelling to China at 20 years old to train Shaolin kung fu
28:48 0 Training methods of Shaolin kung fu
30:35 - Demystifying the myths of Shaolin training
33:08 - Recovery routine
34:26 - Illness and leaving China
36:15 - Returning to Germany and feelings of failure
37:47 - Leaving a film course in London to train in the Wu Dang mountains
40:32 - Meeting Li Shifu at the Five Immortals Temple
41:54 - Curriculum at the Five Immortals Temple
43:08 - Studying acupuncture and dedication to learning
44:19 - Years of study under Li Shifu and joining the lineage
47:26 - Struggles with being treated as a foreigner in China
50:50 - Growing resentment and leaving China
55:26 - Johan’s Dragon Gate Lineage
56:28 - The quest for immortality
58:53 - Details about Taoist Immortals
01:00:34 - Difficulty of becoming an Immortal
01:02:10 - Consolation prize if you fail to achieve immortality
01:03:38 - Ethical rules of the Dragon Gate Lineage
01:04:59 - A typical daily practice routine
01:06:47 - Singing the scriptures to communicate to spirits
01:09:26 - Taoist patron spirit of Wudang
01:14:45 - The remarkable qualities of Li Shifu
01:15:52 - Praise is bad in traditional Chinese teaching
01:17:05 - Is Li Shifu an Immortal?
01:18:02 - Johan’s reverence for his teacher
01:19:29 - Explaining culture clashes to Lif Shifu
01:20:33 - Is charisma and spiritual power inherent or cultivated?
01:24:45 - Li Shifu does not have attained disciples
01:26:05 - Is it really possible to achieve success in Taoism, or is it mostly just natural talent?
01:33:11 - Using gifted practitioners as inspiration
01:34:18 - Purple Cloud Press
01:35:56 - Johan’s goal to create community and preserve texts
01:37:09 - Search for location and funds
To find out more about Johan Hausen, visit:
- https://purplecloudinstitute.com/about-us/who-we-are-2/
Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James