Mal

I'm on facebook - I like to share inspiring quotes and cat pictures (p.s. The Tao bums is on facebook too)

Hey H, found an old thread with no real info :-) http://thetaobums.com/topic/1332-is-tonglen-practice-healthy/page-2 I like old threads http://thetaobums.com/topic/453-osho-rocks/?p=3137 it's a shame Yoda err... "got religion" and a recent one http://thetaobums.com/topic/16220-benefits-of-cultivating-loving-kindnesscompassion/?p=432811 Generalization - may have a slight depressing quality that some personalities could find challenging (eg. probably me, as I can get depressed sometimes) but can also be used to treat depression. While I practice loving kindness meditation, I haven't done tonglen very often. Apparently the Dali Lamas practice is Tonglen and it sounds like you are finding it beneficial

Have not seen any reviews yet but the preview looks very good

Yes! Even if you practice it totally incorrectly that's actually a good thing. You have learnt something now you can correct it. Over time you will start to see more and more differences and learn how to correct them. Your teacher may like to sequentially run through the moves, giving people a general overview of the flow, and then add corrections for students who can absorb them. It's often easier to teach like this when you have very different levels in the one class than trying to get everyone to the same "level" in a part of the form. Some people can learn by just following a form class once a week, but that can take a long time Sifu was always happy when we would try to show him what we had been practicing. I was happy when, after quite some time, he started to recognise what I was attempting to do

Find a classmate to practice with?What you are describing is what I have experienced with weekly classes. When I learnt my partner learnt with me so we practiced together during the week (she could remember the moves better than I could) It's very tricky at the beginning, can't learn everything at once, and it might feel like you are remembering nothing but you may be surprised. I'd also ask the teacher what he recommends you practice between classes

Interesting, his use of sound made me think of how whistling pots were used to access altered states of consciousness http://www.peruvianwhistles.com/index.html Animated Earth is a VERY interesting book

I do quite like this bit "The Universal One reveals this profundity to those who cultivate themselves for the sake of all" As cultivating for the sake of all helps us weaken attachment to false concepts of duality

HE, You will do well, it will probably be stressful the 1st time and things may not go to exactly to plan, but everything gets better with practice including teaching. 2 common traps to watch out for Don't be negative about yourself (eg I'm not very good. I have not practiced for long) Don't talk too much (often when you see that "they have no idea what I am taking about" look in a classes eyes the temptation is to talk more, instead I try getting them to do it as best they can, feel for themselves then correct) I like to have a rough idea for the class with some idea of how long for each component but I never made a really detailed plan as I like to try and get a bit of conversation going and usually end up going somewhere different than planned. I often don't have a great answer to every question but I "enjoy" that and instead explore that question myself and often come back to address that question in following weeks. I think my Sifu was a great teacher, but the first month new students would usually have a range of expressions from really interested to confused to bored :-) and the numbers drop off as the people realise that the class wasn't exactly what they are looking for. You can't please everyone no matter how good a teacher you are.

P.s. re: trophies :-( When I want to try something in a game, and I manage to do so, I'm already enjoying that moment. I do not need some token of achievement telling me "well done" It's the task itself that should be it's own reward. None the less token economies have always been popular "motivators" for completing trival, boring or routine tasks

Good point Leon, mobiles have a big user base and the apps are cheap. Looking at the PlayStation store after looking at the Google play store really drives home how much more expensive console games are (plus I'm stuck in the lounge room with the tv) Sure the ps3 is still better than the mobile, at the moment, but I grew us playing Atari and Commodore 64 games where it was the game not the graphics that mattered.

Cool ... I use to hang out at the local new age bookstore. As well as the people coming to the shop it had a notice board where I found the local Buddhist group that I once meditated with. It is FUN when you are together with like-minded people, so I'm sorry to hear the sanga disbanded, are you still in contact with any of the group? They might have some leads towards other groups and if there seems to be nothing else then why not have a go yourself

Good luck ROZ I'm sitting in my doctors waiting room with new x rays to see if we can work out what it's going on :-) Been a few months :-( My physio taught me the lying down and scanning exercise outlined above and it can help (as long as it's not so painful that I can't relax)

I think I can see your perspective, although you do not know what I am thinking btw But the girl will die, perhaps if she lives her life differently. It will be from different causes than her parents / siblings. But life starts and life ends, Duality it's like that so all we can really do is look after living while alive and death while dead.

I disagree because a virgin has some experience of an aspect of celibacy, but no experience of sex. How can we "know" something, like death, without any experience of it?

Thanks for the info nice Chess TaiChi combination

While thinking about this thread (which I enjoy {both the thread and thinking about it}) I realized that if "The Tao of Dying" was a book, then it would be like a book on sex written by a virgin. No funny images to tag this one with, just a short Chaung Tzu “Unconcerned they came and unconcerned they went. That was all."

Welcome to the Bums Republic Of Zen I'm sure you will get many responses either here or in the main forum but sometimes I find that as my attention starts to improve it's like my mind tries "harder" to get that attention, sort of like a little kid screaming

The last time my Sifu taught Tai Chi he taught the 24 form. He usually teaches Yang long form but tried the 24 because usually < 1/3 of the starting class make it to the end of the long form. We had > 2/3 of the original class make it to the end of the 24 form so it was easier for them to learn, a few stayed on to learn the long form. Personally I do not enjoy the 24 and do not practice it preferring the first third of the long form if I want a shorter form to practice.

You sound like me sz :-) I'll be wasting too much time playing games, so I'll go read a book Now I know I could be meditating, but I've already done my practices for the day, and I can't play sax all the time either (I'm sure my neighbors and I know my partner are grateful for that) I could go out and meet people but I do enjoy being home in my house at night .... so should I enjoy a nice single malt, perhaps some tobacco or watch a movie ... And so the circle goes

Most importantly IMO it moves energy http://www.assatashakur.org/forum/afrikan-wholistic-health/41609-deer-exercise-men.html However IME the best way to improve "bedroom skills" is to practice with a loving partner, it's called making love for a reason

Slight edit so to remove names, still, Thank You, for you presence _/\_