Mal

I doubt many would stop doing kunlun even if it was PROVEN 100% FATAL (ok a bit extreme) I do a heap of things that are unhealthy (eating chocolate springs to mind) and very likely to kill me (I ride a motorbike) The smart thing to do would be to stop, but I don't. So that chance that a meditation that I really enjoy is going to hurt me........... call me stupid but I will take that chance, because that is the sort of person I am.

co-incidence or fate? Cool story.

Squat Club!......too lazy to photoshop Anyone want to squat everyday (except thursday) # of reps and flavour of squat up to your personal preference. Loser not allowed to post that day? (AAARRRrrggg..... the agony)

Cheers m8t might end up doing that. Were you able to source it in Aus? Fishpond has not got it and the dollar is a bit depressing for amazon. Do you like it? I would like to own a copy for my collection as long as it's a decent read.

Well I've got my video tape set to record Like most tv shows I'd probable be better off wasting my time doing something useful but I'm interested in what star has to say. Just need to fast forward to the "good bit" To enjoy a bit of soap opera speculation "Ohhh look, star and taom are fighting" (but too lazy to go to empirical and actually check) {apologies if that is actually offensive, not my intent}

Price isn't the barrier it's quality Sounds good styrofoamdog, just re-read you practice page. Looks like we are hunting the same thing. Cheers.

Yep, 1000's of them and mostly untranslated. I guess it depends on how deep you want to go i.e. having done a bit of ashtanga its not really like kundalini yoga but I get what you are saying.

Perhaps, I don't look like that though. I've got at least 5 yrs to go before I get to master level like these Sifu's. The coolest thing is that they are all such nice friendly guys.

Cool video, I do the southern Tong Long <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0wRqR9J8WA&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01"></param><param'>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0wRqR9J8WA&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0wRqR9J8WA&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlInJFHw5mQ&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01"></param><param'>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlInJFHw5mQ&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlInJFHw5mQ&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

There appear to be quite a few gray aliens, exercise caution!

True, as a middle class white male, I have no understanding of this concept. To be honest as a child I could never understand why Jewish people were descriminated against in the first place, they look the same as me. Discriminating against someone who looks "different" was always easier to understand. I apologise for vendetta, but for me throwing someone to the police for a PM is way too extreme and it pushed my buttons. Obviously I am not a fan of LAWS But it's all good

Actually now I feel even worse for mwight because D just called to let me know my tea has arrived Well one of 2 packages and apparently it's the one with the teacup in it! I wonder which tea's arrived, Anxi Benshan Wulong Dragon Well Green Tea Pingshui Gunpowder Green Tea I hope it's the gunpowder. Going to be a long afternoon....... wonder if I can hold out till after practice.... I'm excited

5 is semi functional but my other powers seem to be broken

O.k. Prefered the first hug

To learn about Taoism as an "ism" I'd go with our official first (and only?) book club selection Eva Wong's Shambala Guide to Taoism http://www.amazon.com/Shambhala-Guide-Taoi...5575&sr=8-1 Not a book I would have brought so I'm glad it was recomended. I find that I still refer to it every now and then. And definitly get some Chuang Tzu, I like both of Osho's books & check out a few different full translations here http://www.thetaobums.com/index.php?showto...mp;hl=Chang+tzu

I needed that..... bit of a scary looking hug

AAARRRGGgghhhh...... and I'm only imagining your pain. There are piles of drugs going through the post but they seise TEA!?! I hope they had the decency to at least drink it.

Here are my questions and Bills response <snip> > Can 9 bottle breathing replace Anapana or can Tai Chi replace Anapana? No, anapana is best, but at your stage of clearing chi channels (a beginner) you need 9 bottled wind to help with chi channel purification. <snip> > So the question is, as a beginner, how long would you practice and for how > much of that should you visualise the skeleton and when would you let go > and just be empty? there are many ways to do the practice ... all bones visualized at once and then let go to emptiness, or for people who have already opened up chi channels to turn each bone into emptiness to let go. When you are the stages past the breaking through of the skandhas, this second method is what will happen when you are undergoing higher stage chi body purifications, but it is far beyond the typical person's experiential level Emptiness is the key thing. This practice helps open up all chi channels WITHIN the body versus deity yoga wherein you purify your chi, but slower since it is an external visualization. Plus this one helps one reach the Taoist stage of inner viewing quite easily/quickly, which helps with other practices. So use your common sense and adjust yourself according to principles and what works best for you vs. for other folks. In other words, if you choose an offshoot method and find other people are succeeding with the mainstream method, you drop your insistence on your own creation and go with what most often works best. However, that does not mean you cannot succeed with some variant. However, once again, most people who insist on a large variant are just pleasing their egos rather than humbling cultivating "let go." You see? In general, get to the point where you visualize the whole body as a skeleton, because then the mind is in a concentrated state and entire chi body involved, and then let go. If you let go to emptiness and don't cling, there is a "sweet spot" (like in tennis) where the chi is changing. If there is no such spot, you are clinging to mental emptiness -- a mental fabrication. Only a teacher can help you realize what that spot is unless you are smart enough to figure it out yourself. If you access real emptiness you chi changes instantly and at this stage you will feel it instantly, but people think that's wrong and try to block it to get back to stale clarity.

Do not seek from others They are far distant from me Now I will go on alone Everywhere I encounter him Right now he is me Right now I am not him One must understand this way Only then does one merge with Thusness. Tung-shan's Enlightment Verse from The Record of Pointing at the Moon Quoted in Working Towards Enlightenment p 245 Getting towards the end of this book, at last Thought people may enjoy this verse. I was tempted to change him to it or the true self as I found him a bit exclusive, but as you can see I left it as quoted. There is also a nice little one page explanation that I could run through the scanner if anyone is interested.

haha what a difference a year makes