TheSongsofDistantEarth

Yeah, we knew you were lurking. Here at Taobums we have a one-way webcam that we watch the lurkers with and they don't know it. Glad you finally joined, we think you have great potential.

The "ignore" function at work.

OK, back to alcohol... Alcohol and the spiritual life are basically okay, I believe abstaining is a better choice on the spiritual path. If you -can truly "take it or leave it", and leave it at least as much as you take it, -can share convivially with friends, one or two alcoholic drinks, -have gone and do go long periods of time (several months) or more without drinking, -never 'need' to have a drink -really drink alcohol pretty infrequently, no more than once or twice a month in the above manner, You are probably well established on your spiritual path and drinking alcohol is not a problem... However, if you ever -"need" a drink because something happened or didn't happen, -regularly drink alcohol to relax or "unwind", -get drunk or close to drunk, and you're over 25, -have consequences that cause regret or difficulty, such as buzzed or drunken behavior saying things you wish you hadn't, send 'dre-mail' or texts, phone calls, etc., or post things on an internet forum that you wouldn't normally say, -use alcohol to do anything: get to sleep, relax around people, deal with stress or overwhelming emotion, make love, -'self-medicate' with alcohol to cover up an uncomfortable feeling, emotion or situation. -drink regularly more than once a week, Then you are drinking alcohol in a way that is detrimental to your life and spiritual path. Here's the thing, worthy of being discussed at length in it's own topic: Human beings have an incredible innate capacity for self-delusion. This is especially true of those on the spiritual path, and of course, being deluded, don't realize it themselves. Alcohol can be tricky and seductive, often users in unhealthy patterns with it are in denial and unable to see how it is a detriment. In the above, I am not talking about true alcoholic behavior, but it is a slippery slope from the above behavior to being dependent or 'abusing' alcohol. And one usually lies to oneself the whole tome it's happening.

edited inserted instead, an entertaining musical interlude to the "Hell in Taoism thread"... icr71H1nb3Q

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I'm not following you around. You're pretty ubiquitous here. Don't get a complex about it. I post a lot of things unrelated to you, you can check. Besides, I have a life, I don't live on TaoBums, like you do. You're not a great master, there's a big difference. I'm talking about fellow seekers, not the gurus and teachers. But your meditative accomplishments keep coming up again and again in various posts. Again, to you or anyone else, who cares? It's subjective experience and doesn't have merit in relation to what you're saying. You keep bringing them up as if to say, "I really know, I'm right, I've attained this or that state". Who cares? How can anyone else judge? Well, I don't believe it anyway. I also don't believe you have any sort of daily spiritual practice or meditate much anymore. Sorry. You're on here way too much for that to be the case, an supposedly you're really busy with your businesses. But that's me, my take on it. You talk about this stuff way more than you apparently live it. Your words and actions belie your true status, irrespective of all your Buddhist philosophizing.

Very wise and perceptive words, Hardyg.

Whoopdedoo, good for you. It does not give your arguments any more merit, it is just your subjective experience. One's experiences in meditation are only useful to oneself to inform one's spiritual path, they actually mean nothing at all to others. I also tend to disbelieve other's claims of meditative experiences, they mean nothing to me, who cares anyway, one is measured in reality by the way one lives one's life and their presence, not what one states (repeatedly) they have experienced or attained.

Sorry, this is wrong information. Poison in small doses does not "strengthen the immune system". There are homeopathic concepts that include this notion, but in homeopathic preparations there is not actual any of the substance present, but rather an exponential dilution such that there is statistically there isn't even a single molecule present. You may be mistaking this notion for the principles behind a vaccine, in which a very very small portion of some sort of pathogen or disease agent is usually inactivated (but not always), and presented to the body in order to stimulate an immune response. Same principle behind allergy shots. But these do not work with poisons! Don't put any poison in your body, not even in small amounts! A tiny amount of weed killer, or cyanide is NOT going to strengthen the immune system!!! If you really believe that, go ahead and ingest a "small" amount of mercury a couple of times a week and get back to us (or maybe not) in a year. To use this principle to justify tobacco use in fallacious thinking. You're looking pretty hard to justify your use of tobacco. I fully agree with hardyg. You're not getting the point. There is no reason for you to keep on smoking, even occasionally, except that you're looking for justification to satisfy some sort of craving for that experience. A good conscious meditator can accomplish relaxation and reduction of anxiety through meditation and breathing, there is no need to rely on a substance for this if you are actually very far along in your spiritual development. Really? Please give some references for this phenomenon. Even if true, it does not really justify the use of tobacco, unless you are just using it as a rationalization to back up your need to use tobacco.

Hi Gigi, Thanks for a great reference. I do believe that knee problems are the effect of hip and/or ankle problems, and usually do not manifest in isolation.

Little Richard is: a. your son. b. a sixties musician with a pencil moustache who now lives with you. c. "mini-me", your imaginary doppelganger. d. keeper and guardian of the family jewels. I'm guessing "a", but you never know.

I have never been a fan of heavy metal music, rap (euphemistically known as the fun sounding 'hip hop'), believing it to stimulate the lower chakras of tribalism and survival in a very negative way. Here's more fascinating evidence for the power of music not to uplift or inspire, but as a means to engage the killing instinct in war: How the iPod Became an Instrument of War No surprise, I guess, but it's more evidence that what you feed into your mind has consequences. I wonder what some of you (Marblehead?) think about this? sorry, this probably should have been in the 'off-topic' forum...oops

Whoa. Just...whoa... a6Rn3lck5Dk

Anyone currently using clubbells? Reports? Using with or instead of kettlebells?

I've never read Stephen Hawking, but I wonder what it would look like to compare Buddhist cosmology with the modern theories and views of the Universe of physics and Hawking. I think whoever were to do so would have to be pretty well versed in both.

Actually, Omraam's Surya Yoga has less to do with actually gazing than it does with relating to the (rising) sun and working with it's energies. When I have practiced it, I basically do Zhan Zhuang for some time before the sun rises, along with the solar meditations, and only gaze at the sun for about 5 minutes, until it fully clears the horizon. I also sometimes use the 'double breath' that Rudi (Swami Rudrananda) taught, in order to 'eat' the energy of the rising sun. It's an interesting practice, sometimes i also take in other energies the same way...like that energy that comes with the acceleration of a jet as it starts down the runway and takes off, pushing you back in your seat...there are lots of opportunities to take in energy like that. .

I recently came across a book written by a therapist on a specific technique related to EMDR. EMDR is an extremely well researched integrative method for dealing energetically and psychologically with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It is called Tapping In by Laurel Parnell, PhD. It involves creating and reinforcing positive mental states by simple bilateral stimulation. It occured to me that if one were to perform this bilateral simple tapping while invoking the various Secret Smile inner states, it would likely vastly strengthen them, and in addition, make them available in daily life by invoking them with tapping. It has so far worked extremely well for me! Here is some brief information/excerpts from the book: What is Resource Tapping? How To Tap In Resources WhenTo Use Resource Tapping Thoughts? Try it and report back!

I totally agree that EFT is excellent, but this is very different from EFT, and I think, works extremely well with the Secret Smile.

This is a great practice that I am taking up again. I follow the Surya Yoga Path of Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov.

Almost always bivouac under the stars, out in the open. Almost never use a tent. Even when a tent is called for, I usually use a tarp or two and some line secured to trees and rocks. Nothing like sleeping outside. I sleep out in my backyard from winter to spring, until the bugs come out.

Wow. Anybody doing this? Worth looking at again? Trunk?

I know, how do I switch it over?

Now that's some real music! I must add, that for the most part, music in the past (when I was young, of course!) was much better. The youngsters of today will probably be saying the same thing.