SecretGrotto

Yeah, there's a mini Drew Hempel inside each of us, ha ha!

I've always thought that, as one's consciousness vibrates at a higher rate one's reality, environment and temptation also reflects that vibratory level. The temptations quickly become more sublime as the courser temptations are rejected, and thus it becomes harder for the practitioner to avoid the temptations. i.e. the higher one progresses, the more difficult it becomes to reject temptations and advance. The desire to be virtuous and remain in the world is also a temptation. "At this particular period the mind-will should come to be at a constant standstill and remain more firmly than the Alps in the emptiness, and be as dead as the ashes burnt down thousands of years ago. Even though enchanting sounds come up you should hear nothing; though wonderful sceneries present themselves before your eyes you remain indifferent to them. "You should purge all passions completely of your heart, and never be proud of being in possession of miraculous power as I described before, and you should be as heartless as a stone, without any feelings. In brief, to prevent the foetus of your true self from being gone forever you must discipline your heart to be as nonchalant as possible, to be as dead as ashes burnt down thousands of years ago." - http://www.taoiststudy.com/content/step-17-raise-fotus-true-self-three-years-time-1

"Why are you stupefied at all this? The subtle unity of the phenomenal world is not hidden from true yogis. I instantly see and converse with my disciples in distant Calcutta. They can similarly transcend at will every obstacle of gross matter." - Swami Pranabananda When reading "Taoist Yoga", it quickly becomes clear that obtaining anything less than True Immortality and Merging with Nature, is failure or a half-success. I'm aiming for the stars so that I can at least reach the moon.

From http://longmenpai.blogspot.com/2008/06/1993-writing-walk-on-great-path.html

I see Freemasonry as a social network to cultivate grand virtue by enabling "leaders" in different fields to join forces. However, from what I've seen in my local Lodges, the actual experience involves a lot of boring formalities and rituals, a true snoozefest. Freemasonry is not what it used to be back in the day with St. Germain and other spiritual alchemists keeping things real and exciting.

Did Master Lin not say that a beginner should do 3 times as much standing exercise as sitting exercise?

They are some of Dr. Yan Xin's famous Qigong lectures where lots of people go into spontaneous movement. Scan through the first clip to see how the crowd reacts, it's astounding. I shared the clips because it came online only recently, and it's fascinating to see. I saved the first video on my PC in case the videos are removed again.

What verifiable energetic manifestations in the body cannot be explained by Western medicine, that is typically explained and treated by TCM? Bad examples: cold feet are caused by an imbalance of yin-yang energies; dark circles under the eyes are caused by kidney energy deficiencies; full moon causes the enhanced feeling of jing in the body. These bad examples would be shot down by a staunch skeptic because none of it is or can be scientifically verified. In general, what examples would you give to indicate to a skeptic that Western medicine is ignorant of very real but subtle energetic workings in the body, examples that cannot be explained alternatively as due to peculiarities in blood flow, electrolyte balance, nutrient deficiencies etc.?

Is there an unspoken rule that prevents masters from proving abilities and sharing mystic experiences with lay people? Although a high-level ability, I strongly feel that we need to at least prove the breathless state openly with medical certainty and scrutiny, so that mainstream science and media can start having serious discussions about the very real nature of yogic attainments and its implication on practical spirituality. I'm tired of standing empty-handed when a lay person asks for mainstream proof of the breathless state, even though I am absolutely convinced of it through the various occult sources discussing it like the Autobiography of a Yogi, Opening the Dragon Gate, and multiple practitioner accounts I ran into time and again. Yogananda: "The acid test of a master is the breathless state." I would volunteer to be scrutinized medically for attaining the breathless state, but sadly I'm but a beginner. Yet, why has no one else come forward to do this very basic but profound proof, as has Prahlad Yani who does not consume food and proved it in India. How can we expect the general populace to take our extraordinary claims of mystic practices serious, if we cannot make even one basic well-chosen medical proof of breathlessness (attained through yogic practice alone)? Perhaps, one day, if one were to attain this state with regularity and full control, one would be silenced by an unspoken rule or inner command? That certainly could explain the lack of such persons coming forward. Yet, is it spiritually or karmically irresponsible to render this proof in a selfless manner? Are we not to take responsible dominion over our plane of existence in acts of selfless service that works toward uplifting the spirit of humanity? We should not say, "The masses must wallow in their ignorance and spiritual blindness until they see the proof through their own self effort." Is that what Jesus did, or did he render ample proof of his divinity and do everything in his power to spiritually uplift humanity? Jesus: "What I have done, ye shall do and greater things shall ye do." "Does it not say in your scriptures that ye are gods?" Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Perhaps we should start rendering simple evidence, not for glory or ego, but as acts of maturing, responsible and powerful dominion over our world.

Thoracic flexibility of Branko Petrovic, the world record holder in static apnea, 11min54sec.

Thanks for all the great replies to a very open-ended question, that must've previously been touched on countless times before. I was at my wits' end debating with a staunch sceptic, which I don't normally do, but found frustrating my inability to express a complex collection of ideas and references that constitute my belief in Neidan. I feel guilty that I am not able to make a scientifically convincing case/plea for TCM/Acupuncture/Neidan/Energy medicine, and I feel like when evidence appears 20/50 years from now that sceptics cannot ignore, that they will blame us for not having appealed to their greater sense of reason. Granted, there are many scientists who are/would be convinced that there are plenty of phenomena not explained by "Western medicine", by looking at indicative scientific studies which have been performed thus far, of which there are many. I also understand that if Big Pharma cannot patent something, they can't make money from it, and they will lobby against it and for alternatives. Yet, there are plenty of 'level-headed', scientifically-minded individuals who do not at all permit any view that supports the notion of qi. I know there are many, because whenever someone tries to champion such notions on public participation sites like Reddit, they receive a significant number of downvotes. The bottom-line of the sceptic's concern is that there are no phenomena, accepted as valid by the larger scientific community, that cannot potentially be explained by what we already know about the body and it's processes. This standard does not admit any other stranger phenomena, and therein lies the problem, getting the sceptic to consider as possible the stranger phenomena to even begin to render alternative explanations in terms of energetics. Blanket judgements cast TCM/Acupuncture/Neidan in the same light as religion and homeopathy, which have a much more pronounced opposition by the sceptics. Yet, the processes that were involved in producing the body of knowledge for each of these areas are very different, especially in terms of the quality of the scientific method followed. I stand to be corrected, but I like to think that knowledge of energetic physiology (Acupuncture/Neidan) is the product of thousands of years of scientifically-minded researchers reaching consensus and refining the knowledge of a very intricate and detailed subject, using subjective measurements of feeling and sensing on an effectively very 'physical' level. As opposed to say religious researchers who record far more subjective experiences with wildly differing details, yet reaching consensus on only the most basic of facts like seeing the face of someone that looks like Jesus. Should we cast the research methodologies of internal energy researchers and religious/spiritual researchers in the same light? Should we completely discount such a vast body of knowledge of energetic physiology, simply because science does not yet or perhaps ever will possess the instruments to confirm the subjective measurements of the Neidan researchers? If the subjective measurements concur between dozens, perhaps hundreds of scientifically-minded researchers, in a process perfected over thousands of years, would we be at all surprised if mainstream science confirms their findings? Or would we say in retrospect that no convincing argument was made, or that the sceptics set shortsighted standards and disregarded outright the practice of restrained judgement and honest distinction between unrelated subjects such as energetic physiology and religion? Luckily, I take heart that every-day individuals like Wim Hof, the Iceman, can consistently demonstrate to the scientific community that the body can achieve feats that cannot be properly explained by mainstream 'western' science, like keeping the internal organs close to normal body temperature despite sitting immersed in ice for more than an hour. Running a 5-hour marathon in -20 deg C weather with only shorts and sandals. Training dozens of other people to command control over their bodies and climbing Kilimanjaro with them only in shorts and sandals. Running a marathon in the Namib desert without drinking any water. Sceptics would still be biased to think that all of these feats could be explained by science, but I hope fair-minded sceptics would at least consider these feats as an indication that the countless accounts of superhuman feats in all the traditions of yoga and taoism could perhaps be plausible. Wim Hof has mastered Tummo and has allowed many scientific studies to be done on his abilities: Video: Video: Video:

I would like my mental and intellectual energy to be drawn from LDT, otherwise I'm 'top-heavy' and get dizzy when I think too much, like my head energy gets drained too quickly. I've experienced this very often and get drained so fast that I have to sit down and then I'm unable to function normally again. I've read Mantak Chia's Universal Healing Tao instruction yesterday, where I saw this concept of doing all your brainwork from the LDT essentially. Almost like you are dropping your brain into the LDT, and use the LDT as the center of your awareness the whole time, which can then provide thinking processes the energy from the LDT so you don't get drained by focusing on the upper Dan Tien which doesn't store energy so well. The idea I've received from the instruction is to spin the UDT, MDT and LDT and sort of feel the awareness centered in the head moving down into the LDT. So most of the awareness should be felt in the LDT, with partial attention being paid to the spinning of the UDT and MDT now and then or simultaneously. Could you please give me more direct useful instruction on fully achieving the centering of thinking and intellectual activity in the LDT, like what a strong process I should follow to reliably achieve this?

FWIW, my 94-year old grandma drinks Aloe juice and rooibos tea every day, eats very little, regularly fasts (no water) for 3 day periods, and she still works 10-hour days on her own terms, baking biscuits and making food. Her parents died when she was 6 years old, and she had to raise her younger brother and sister under an abusive foster parent. She had cancer, TB, broken feet and bones. Someone pushed her down some stairs when she was 18, crushed her spine, which is still crushed. She's a hunchback, but she's very thankful and still running around strong, albeit with crutches at times.

Ketogenic diet. Reduce carbs to less than 50g/day, eat only complex fibrous carbs when you do. Eat fat for main energy source. Macadamia nut butter (fat) as energy staple food. Only practical source of extremely beneficial food-intake-reducing Omega 7. Replace coffee with anti-coffee (Prepared He Shou Wu / Foti root). Replenishes Jing, invigorates liver, kidneys, adrenals, turns gray hair black again, most potent longevity tonic known. Alkalize body. Frequent baking soda+lemon juice diluted in water. Aloe juice in citric acid base. Daily fast. Don't eat after 7pm.

There may be one benefit of living in South Africa, and that is cheap Macadamias. I pay $2/day for 1400 fat calories from 200g Macadamia butter. In the US and Australia the price is at least 3x more, but still reasonable. Would you complain of eating an almost perfect staple food for $6/day? I don't eat any other fats, and I just need to add complete protein, lots of leafy greens and a general multivitamin (taking Spirulina) to the diet, but I get most of my calories from Macadamia butter. But seriously, $6-$8/day fat replacing all carbs you would've had in your diet, for health, convenience and a simplified life, I'd pay that any day. I think Amazon would have Macadamia butter options. I wouldn't go for the oil, just because it makes it harder (ironically) to consume. Nobody wants to drink oil every day, but eating something as delicious as ice cream, I have to restrain myself with the Macadamia butter it's just too delicious. I don't like whole Macadamias that much, it's not particularly pleasant eating the hard kernels, but Mac butter becomes something different, smooth flavour and texture that is so tasty and easy to eat. Looking at the macros of Peanut butter, it seems to be a really good keto food source, high fat, moderate protein and carbs, and cheap. But, it has 30% polyunsaturated fats, where Macadamia has 4% at a very good Omega6:3 ratio. The polys in Peanut butter are definitely problematic, especially if you eat it every day, and I have a peanut allergy. The most amazing thing about Macadamias is that it's one of the rare few sources of Omega7, sporting 22% Omega7 fats: Scientists have recently uncovered a specific kind of omega-7 called palmitoleic acid. This newly discovered fat molecule is so important that Harvard Medical School has applied for a patent on it. It powerfully addresses many of the underlying factors involved in metabolic syndrome. This feat would require multiple prescription drugs to achieve—with potentially dangerous side effects. Omega-7 palmitoleic acid can safely do all this at a fraction of the cost. Omega-7 can reduce risk of type II diabetes, prevent the buildup of atherosclerotic plaque, increase beneficial HDL and lower an inflammation marker called C-reactive protein, which is associated with an increased risk for heart attack and stroke. In these ways, omega-7 is able to powerfully—and affordably reduce risk of the negative consequences of metabolic syndrome—including heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and other life-threatening disorders. Omega-7 fats function as signaling molecules that facilitate communication between fat and muscle tissue in your body. This special signaling function qualifies omega-7 to be identified as a unique lipokine—a hormone-like molecule that links distant body tissues to assure optimal energy utilization and storage. Ingestion of just a small amount of omega-7 has a profound effect on the body’s response to energy intake, fat storage, and utilization, all of which are imbalanced in metabolic syndrome. Omega-7 suppresses the production of new fat molecules, especially those fats that damage tissue and raise cardiovascular risk. In fact, omega-7’s beneficial effects resemble those of many drugs (such as Lipitor®, Actos®, Lopid®, and others) commonly used by people with high cholesterol and/or high blood sugar, major elements of metabolic syndrome that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. It reduces insulin resistance and lowers blood glucose. It suppresses fat production and accumulation. It normalizes abnormal lipid profiles (including raising beneficial HDL-cholesterol). It fights obesity, especially abdominal 'apple-shape' obesity. It powerfully suppresses the inflammation that drives metabolic syndrome. Omega-7 doubles glucose uptake by muscle cells, increasing their ability to burn sugar for energy and store it in quick-release, non-toxic glycogen. Omega-7 protects the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas from glucose-induced toxicity; in fact, omega-7 enhances proliferation of pancreatic beta cells, helping your body optimize blood sugar control with its own natural insulin. Omega-7 levels strongly predict insulin sensitivity: One’s odds of having beneficially high insulin sensitivity rise dramatically as their blood omega-7 levels rise. Omega-7’s ability to raise HDL and lower LDL—while also supporting endothelial function—make it extremely beneficial for cardiovascular health. Studies show that omega-7 improves lipid balance by favorably regulating fat production within fat cells, while regulating fat burning. That means less fat deposition—and lower levels of fat and triglycerides in blood and liver tissue. Omega-7 levels have also been shown to be powerful predictors of the all-important endothelial function, the control of blood flow and pressure by the inner lining, or endothelium, of blood vessels. Omega-7s help manage metabolic syndrome because they signal your body to stop storing fat. Animals fed diets rich in omega-7 show significant increases in stomach and intestinal hormones that promote the feeling of fullness (satiety). At the same time, such diets produce decreases in hunger-promoting hormones. The combined effect is a significant reduction in food intake. It improves insulin sensitivity, lowers LDL-cholesterol-triglycerides, and raises beneficial HDL.3,5,22,24,29 It helps manage body weight by promoting fullness-inducing hormones and dissipating hunger-producing hormones.13,32 Perhaps most important of all, omega-7 acts in a unique fashion to stop the inflammation that forms the link between the metabolic syndrome and its life-shortening consequences. - http://www.lef.org/magazine/2014/4/Omega-7-Protects-Against-Metabolic-Syndrome/Page-01 Sorry for going on about it, but this natural food source is the secret ingredient I've been looking for my whole life. It's the gateway food to nutritional Bigu, allowing one to eliminate all gluten-like carbs and reduce ones diet without having an energy or nutritional shortfall. It allows one to easily stay in ketosis, at a really reasonable cost and absolute convenience. It makes it a lot easier to enter periods of fasting, because the body will readily resort to stored bodyfat for energy without having to first switch over to ketosis, which _does_ happen every time someone with a carb-diet wants to fast.

I think Damo Mitchell studied with Master Hu and DaMo Qigong, but they are not to be confused. Master Hu and Damo are also FB friends.

I'm flourishing ever since I switched over to a ketogenic diet. My staple food is pure macadamia nut butter (88% fat calories), which is my main energy source. I also eat protein to meet my RDA of 1g/kg bodyweight, and I eat lots of lettuce to neutralize potential damp heat from a fat- and protein-heavy diet. Before switching over, when I was still eating a carb-staple diet, I had constant food cravings, lethargy from having too much food in my stomach, and blood-sugar issues. Even when I avoided gluten for a long time, and ate rice and beans as my carb staple, I did not feel like my diet was ideal. My body is in ketosis, which means that my body uses fat as primary and direct energy source, being converted in the Liver to ketones. Transitioning from glucogen-mode to ketogenic mode was hard for a couple of days, I almost fainted a couple of times after my body screamed for glucose, but my body quickly normalized in a state of ketosis. This means I don't need to eat any carbs, and I have plenty of enduring, sustaining energy even if I haven't eaten for some time, because my body resorts to bodyfat reserves for energy. A human's brain comprises half of the bodies energy consumption, and can also run perfectly fine on ketones, better in fact. Fat is 2 to 3 times more calorie dense than carbs. A gram of fat has twice as many calories as a gram of refined sugar. This means that you can eat a lot less and obtain the same amount of energy. The human body thrives on fat, the right kinds of fat. My staple Macadamia nut butter is mostly monounsaturated fat (including Omega 7) and its small polyunsaturated fat content almost has a perfect Omega 6:Omega3 ratio of 6.2:1. The US military adds Omega 7 fat to packaged meals, since it promotes excellent cardiovascular health, and it reduces suicidal tendencies. I contend that the best possible food and energy source on this Planet, is Macadamia nut butter. Nothing else can beat its Omega 6:Omega 3 ratio, its Monounsaturated:Polyunsaturated ratio, its Fat:Carb and Fat:Protein ratio, its perfect edibility and deliciousness. If you substitute any other nut or seed, the Omega 6:Omega 3 ratio will become too high, or the Fat:Carb ratio too low. Olive oil is also high in monounsaturates, but it is difficult to consume in similarly large quantities daily over a long time. Coconut oil lacks the healthy monounsaturates, and oils in general lack the added minerals and vitamins in whole fatty sources like nuts. Furthermore, I contend that a ketogenic diet with Macadamia nut butter as main energy source, is the best diet possible, especially for the 1 in 4 who are carbohydrate intolerant. Any other diet will have to source energy from sources with inferior properties in one category or another. A balanced diet can still be had, and a lot of foods can be included, as long as carbs are kept below 50g/day and fibrous. I include a lot of leafy greens, since it adds good fiber to an otherwise streamlined diet, and it prevents damp heat caused by a fatty diet.

A wide, deep, assisted horse stance is great for strengthening muscles used in the full lotus. I use my hands to push my legs further apart in the deep horse stance position, which really helps to stretch the hips. Flexible hips are key to a good full lotus.

The glorious radiance of the 'Magic Presence' within.

Olive oil changed my life. Liquid gold I tell you. Coconut oil also.

Thx Spotless, really inspiring and well written post. Food for thought.