Birch

Hey Hundun, Nice to read you I guess there's "plugged in" and there's "plugged in". I think everyone is "plugged in" but they often don't understand it as such. Sure, there will be discomfort at the situation and some kind of yearning for something else but maybe not enough to get anywhere societally very fast? IMO, "cultivation" is a very solitary thing, by definition it has to be (?)- and the "on-earth" changes that result from it, well, I'm not sure at all. Despite it being tough going for "cultivators" IMO and small experience, it could be even more tough going for those who do not cultivate and are "left behind" by those who have reached understanding (or even "enlightenment"). For me, the most difficult thing to envisage is how to go daily "back" into my society and world - "knowing" what I know. But from yet another perspective, my opinion is just that. Just another perspective and I don't "know" shit. So the question returns to me. What to do? I guess helping people achieve their own level of practice could be a good call. Helping people with their health? Maybe helping people with their happiness? I mean, you're not scheduled to fly off right this minute are you ?

The "religious" part of practice IMO serves as a container (or "vehicle" if you prefer) and links you to other people practicing same. I have never done sangha (sp?) apart from TTB's (which I'm almost sure no religious purist would approve of, but that suits me fine ;-)) I guess there must be a something that happens in a group that allows a practioner to go further in their own practice. Kind of like riding a wave, maybe? I'd rather not do it in a religious setting because I don't think it's necessary and the risks IMO outweigh the benefits. To myself, obviously

I've "wind" opened the MCO - this to me means I can run it through with "just" intention. Actual "movement" however is lagging behind and so I've got a curling under/behind heart centre. So it's part of the way open, if that make sense?

If I may suggest replacing "conspiracy theories" by a "thorough understanding" of government and "power" in general? I don't have one BTW. Beats me. TTC seems quite good at such. Still, I suspect a nation (an ego like any t'other) that has fought for its own freedom from "everyone else" might be loathe to admit that similar "techniques" might be being used on such a nation as those used inside the ones one had previously prided itself on escaping from? Yeah I know, sounds anti-utopian (which in itself is supposed to be an oxymoron ) I applaud the US for staging such a great empirical experiment. There's a lot of good in it. Ok, now we know what does and doesn't work, can we move on? I mean, it's one thing to carry out experiments on a bunch of people who agreed to it constitutionally, quite another to try the same experiment on people who didn't agree.

Aw sheesh, I'll just never be good enough to do any of this stuff - CAN sit in half-lotus, DON'T want to break my knees trying for full - CAN empty mind, DON'T see what it's good for ("absolutely nuthing, say it again;-)")

Aaah yes... Hitchcock. Hadn't occurred to me at all! Hmm, maybe it's time to move my name-changing experiment to my own forum. MewTwo has been kind enough to let me go further in thread-jacking than I reckon I have ever done in my short existence. Thank you MewTwo _/\_ BTW, if you found yourself thinking of Alfred Hitchcock for even 2 seconds, you were him, right there! You genius you

Thank you! Today I would like you all to call me "Alfred". In fact I spent some time yesterday thinking why I wanted that as a name today but couldn't find any reason at all There must be some obscure reference involved that's hiding out in my past somewhere. It seems archaic as a name. Thank you.

Wasn't there something on here about rebounding for that? I often think that the inability to treat many physical issues stems from models that preclude useful (I'm not saying "incorrect") understanding and mapping of them. For example, I grew up with the idea that bones were just this very solid thing (imagine the doctor's skeleton ) and they were connected to each other (as in the song ) or in some cases (like the spine) stacked and "weighing" down upon each other. Decades later, I looked inside my first bone on a plate and discovered it was soft inside. Then I started reading stuff about the mobility of marrow. Bone can reform (in fact many spine "issues" seem to stem from bones "mistakenly" fusing when they "shouldn't"... Bone also seems to be "easier" to reestablish than tendons or muscles or joints. Maybe supporting those tendons and muscles and joints could be part of the support the bone needs to do its thing? I'd also add. IMO and small experience the body wants to live, to survive and be healthy.

"I was really hoping Olive was referring to the hopelessly dependent and relentlessly loyal Olive of the Popeye persuasion. Popeye, truly enlightened...."I yams whats I ams, and dats all that I yams" and Olive, the Holy Fire and the desire." Maybe it was? Unfortunately that wouldn't be up to "me" by definition. I was only reporting what I was conscious of Wow! A "Shiva/Shakti" pairing in a cartoon! Neat!

It gets better. Where's that song about "breaking through to the other side" ? ;-) I'm on a bit of a fixation in my music thread Read up on the biology of kundalini website. It's worth it (i.e. free ) PSD could be a good idea. I also like the compassion/vipassana/heart focussed stuff. That helps IME. AS does becoming VERY educated about symbols, semantics and holographic understanding. Get system/process/rhetoric wise ASAP. You'll be in good hands (i.e. your own, with whatever you need, you'll find it )

"what happened to reasonable, rational, educated people of purpose in this country to drive them into such burrow of cowardice that they can't speak the truth, or act decisively, or even defend themselves against such a host of vicious morons in a time of troubles?" - I'm not sure. The one's I've met who still live there seem to believe they are powerless in the face of what you are referring to. So they don't really do anything. - Some others I've met have left the country because they gave up and wanted a better life for themselves elsewhere I guess if no-one values any of these "reasonable, rational and educated" people (to the point of them NOT being able to support themselves or their families) then they'd probably opt for a variety of options to resolve that problem - them being the reasonable, rational and educated people they are n' all. Get to practicing "taoist" level and I suspect nations and border have their uses and limitations. No one is a prophet in one's own... - blah blah blah.

I found secret smile tough because it made me realise just how little time I generally spent in those states of mind. That brought many tears. When I found I could do it "at will" it opened up a huge can of worms about my own responsibility for the way I feel, how I interpret what I feel, just all kinds of things. I suppose I have been sorting through those ever since. Not finished by a long shot I doubt I ever will be. It helped me to become more aware of suppressed feelings/physical areas of tension(I guess TTB's often call these "blockages") and opened a different dimension as far as mind/body goes. I had been VERY dichotomous - but that doesn't work very well.

Thanks! What's really insane is I am still wearing the same olive t-shirt. i had intended not to and then a series of events "forced" me to conform to the continuous wearing of said t-shirt. Of course I could have gone change at any point today, but it's late enough and kind of ridiculous to change when I'm quite comfortable as I am. I even fell asleep in my t-shirt, I was sooo comfortable. Although maybe I was just tired. Now I'm not sure. Reminds me of that story about the guy who meditated as an ox and then couldn't get his horns through the door. Imagine I was obliged to wear the same olive t-shirt everyday for the rest of my life? that would be horrible!

"on a diet with a lot of sugar and other bad foods. I'd assume since 2/3rd of a man's zinc supply is lost with each ejaculation that overdoses of zinc or perhaps overdoses of protein and sugar (some of the main components of seminal fluid) could cause the body to use ejaculation to expels excess. Idk how that works exactly." Me neither, but I suspect some clues could be found in Witch's book. I just read it and the electrochemical/diet stuff seemed really interesting. Vortex, I found the poster really sad. I've also heard stuff like this from women, so I can't deny they do it. i find that sad as well. Oh, aside from the fact that most of "those" women seem to hate "me" - which is very unpleasant BTW. Thankfully, they're not ALL like that.

The thought/idea of the statue is "you". But it's not the whole "you". Of course you exist or you wouldn't be writing on an internet forum. I realise I'm leaving the door wide open for the "r" word (haven't heard it in a while) and I don't think we need to go there. Just because we use a word over and over again doesn't make it any more or less "so" than another word. Well, except it does. And here's why IMO we keep getting confused about very important things. I was thinking of changing my name every day for a week to see what happens. Today I ask you all to call me "Olive" (the only reason I thought of that was because I am wearing an olive-coloured t-shirt.) But I won't be later on.

I sometimes look at things this way: If you took a far-off view of the world without being able to hear your thoughts (or interpreting anyone else's) what would you see? I see a bunch of animals, plants, people being born, living, eating, defecating, fighting, sun rising, clouds forming, rain falling, sun setting (if you go far enough out it doesn't even set). I find this very easy to acknowledge. It's when I go into my thoughts about any of this that the trouble starts. How much trouble this ends up being is variable, especially since my thoughts about it can cause me to take action - or maybe they don't.

"Kate- I know it's tough to see this from a guy's perspective" I actually CAN'T I'll try. "but for one who wishes to cultivate it's a completely diff world." Looks that way. "And if you're uncomfortable with the idea due to your own unconquered lust" - Oh, it's not conquered at all, but i don't mind it anymore. It's there with the other stuff. "then just imagine a guy who retains, learns tantra, then learns to last indefinitely. hmmm, squirting after 5-10 mins then drained or lasting hours and feeling energetic...which do you think you'd want? " From the guy's POV I'd prefer the energetic feeling for sure. I just still don't "get" why the guys have to retain. I know at the beginning of KAP practice - the feelings felt too much and I HAD to circulate otherwise I couldn't do anything else because it was bugging me too much. But I wonder if that's not just because we have been taught that to feel this way is a "no-no". Finding the sensation "acceptable" was IME as important.

Well, I was thinking (got to stop that ) that: - "reincarnation" is going on all the time in the body/mind - "karma" (as in "effects with causes") is "stored" everywhere in the body/mind and is held there - even at cell-level - as new cells are born, they "plug in" to the existing body/mind (including the "karma" that has not yet been purged)- Or maybe just are shaped by what's already there... - cell-death involves a cell reaching the point of no-return damage and killing itself (to avoid becoming anything nasty like cancer) - get enough cell-death and you age the organ, enough of this and you can lead yourself to death So at least in my badly considered theory, if you can remove "karma" before the following incarnation then you can affect several things about how the body/mind forms and maintains itself during your lifetime. As for speeding up all of your vibrations (which I think is what John Chang referred to) I can't comment aside from "it makes sense" that if he's able to hack a table with a pencil then he's got to some level which allows him to play with the gaps in matter.

"comments about Crowley and the Western Magickal Tradition and its relationship with Taoism and the east...in the Flying Phoenix Chi Gong thread on this forum." Cool! I will go check it out. At least when I read the Crowley stuff online it did include what sounded like Taoist practices (but also Bahkti yoga, Hatha yoga and lots of other things).

I hadn't been to see this thread for a while. i just read it and i say "Huh" The leg pictures looked pretty but I suppose that was all there was to it. About the rest. I dunno, it sounded kind of weird and incongruent to me with the Ebay thing. Although I'm sure some people make lots of ca4h with it. However, I'm also very pleased to read Vajra busting out of his shell. Looking forward to even prettier pictures and personal philosophies (which BTW, most of them ARE).

"don't you think a high level master would have better things to do than spend all his time" - I suggest that for "high-level" masters "time" may have taken on a different meaning than the one I often ascribe. "scanning every possible forum in every country of the world" - I guess if I were a real master, I wouldn't need to attempt such "hit and miss" online to find anyone. "just in case he might be able to answer a few questions" - being able to answer questions is IMO a very great skill. I'm not kidding "from some random nobody?" - I don't really know what to say about the last part except "Wow" it is as I thought. People ARE actually random! I dunno about you but I spent all that time trying to figure stuff/me out. Totally pointless - as for being a "nobody" - well, I dunno. Smacks of "secret teaching" to me

"Any time we classify something as 'great' we automatically suggest that there are things that are not 'great'. This is dualistic thinking." Any time at all?? I guess that most of our (well, lots of mine) time and energy is spent grappling with things as they are illustrated in the above. Pretty neat example from Mr Marblehead. If I follow his lead correctly, my immediate assumption ought to be that he IMO has also made "not neat" comments at some point in my past. So that's weird in itself. How could anyone (and much less a dear TTB's) do anything to effect the way I see/feel/understand about them? Woaah.

Witch's book isn't exactly about marriage BUT she writes about her and other women's experience of sex inside (and outside) marriage. Ask her about it. I think her book is great. If you would like a very "marriage"- friendly book then check out Gottman. If you would like a love-people-sex-friendly book then check out Deida or ask Mal and Cat.

Sorry! Will try to not do that again :-p. Hopefully only stole the part you needed rid of. Oh whatever, I have no idea how this stuff works Where's our resident "jing-theft-analyst"? Drew, man. Reckon I was stealing the sugar from Scott? if so, what should (should I) stop doing whatever it was?

A) I read Witch's book on this stuff and it was very interesting. Still, if you believe certain things about a "good" marriage then, oh, I dunno. Look at that stuff? Sometimes I think that marriage is made to take people "out" sexually. B)The feeling of being in control of yourself is IMO tenuous and illusory at best. But IMO and small experience "knowledge is power". If you don't dig yourself as a sensuous guy then by all means find ways to emotionally/nutritionally/psychologically/professionally/socially reduce/castrate yourself. What a waste IMO C) What is it about "squirting" that makes you "old"? See my post above about the "Scientific American" - it could be, it could be that "reproductive" sexual acts "point" the organism towards death and that "non-reproductive" sexual acts do the reverse. But that would be IMO, pretty lame as a deduction. D) Hum. I don't know a great deal about "LOVE" except that it feels nice. "LUST" is IMO and small experience pretty much a feeling of "empty" but I'm only speaking from my own experience.