juliank

Yes infusing chi into your lifts along with retention will make your muscle gains skyrocket. I dont think anything can rival anabolic steroids for pure muscle mass but energetic lifting is a real thing and it does work. There is actually a trainer named Chris Wilits who has developed a whole systematic strength training program around the idea. http://www.mindfulstrength.com/our-program/ I am not affiliated in any way but he does know what he's talking about.

"If you have no creative outlet, do not meditate very often - why is it that as male (I can only speak for my own male being) that you tend to get more straight forward, more expressive in a rather offhand or harsh way?" No offense, but that is the crux of your issue. I think you already knew this but it cannot be reiterated enough so that others can read this. If you are retaining meditation is an absolute must. The longer you retain the more critical this becomes. I don't even want to know what my retention journey would have turned into had I not made space for my meditation practice on a daily basis. Meditation not only calms your whole system down so that your excess yang gets refined and becomes subtler in its application but its the vehicle for sublimation itself. Somewhere on this board I read something to the effect "rocket fuel is worthless if you have no rocket". Meditation is that rocket. Get to it

You are correct that you will seem overly brutal if you are harnessing jing and do not express it in some fashion or have a steady practice of meditation. You are referring to retention, correct ? I laughed at your description at seeming like a sledgehammer to others even though your critique is 'gentle'. Also this critique that you are referring to is towards others, right ? I couldnt quite understand if you meant towards others or towards yourself.

I view two divergent processes happening wrt to this topic. One, I see a large segment of humanity becoming more asleep, more deluded, more slothful and more egoic in their lives. In another segment of the population I see a rapid expansion of consciousness that is evolving so quickly and with such a strong sense of momentum that its almost blinding. Granted, sometimes even in this segment there are heavy egoic tendencies and superficial projections that masquerade as the Truth itself, but the desire is there and its deep. This is heartening. I think the fact that we have reached an age where most of the First World's basic needs have been met and have topped off so to speak creates the need for MORE. There is only so much sex, drugs, and sensory experiences one can have before the thrill is gone. What's next ? Even a middle class person in the West is living like a King comparatively speaking to the rest of the world and most certainly with regards to the rest of history. This MORE is of course spiritual evolution. What I am still not certain of is how this will play out in terms of these two groups. Those who are working to dis-identify with the mind/body complex and those who are working to attach themselves deeper to Maya. I do believe that Light triumphs but that's because Light is all that is. However, to actually be a living manifestation of that Light is an entirely different phenomenon than just to understand it at the level of the mind.

It bothers you that girls chased you but you didnt respond ? Why does it bother you ? Does it bother you because you hurt them or because you missed out on an opportunity for sex ? Either way you should not feel guilty or have any remorse. If girls chase you and you dont respond, that's the nature of life and romance. Do you know how many people get their romantic advances rejected every day ? It's part of being human. As far as missed opportunities for sex, thats even less of a reason to feel remorse. That's like being remorseful for not getting drunk one night many moons ago. If situations and experiences are not opening you up to self realization they are closing you from realization. Sex is one of those things. Treat it just like that. Ask yourself is this engagement with this person/right now opening me or closing me to realizing myself ? Act from that place and will be well.

Echo the sentiments here about not saying a word to any prospective partner about your psycho/sexual issues. These should be worked out in solitude via meditation and if necessary with a psychotherapist. It sounds to me like you need a long period of purification. Both internal and external. I think retention if done mindfully can be of great assistance, if done simply as a way to cover up your issues could be harmful. As far as wanting to engage in relations with women, I recommend working on cultivation so that you can attract the type of person that would help your development not hinder it.

As someone who has some knowledge with Ayahausca specifically as a friend of mine is an Ayahuasca medicine man, I would say that the Ayahuasca experience offers the possibility for valuable spiritual insight if certain conditions are met. You have been physically, mentally and spiritually prepared. This includes a long period of detox where certain foods are not eaten. You remain celibate and retain, yes just like its described in these forums for a month prior to ingestion. You have the experience only as part of a legitimate Native American community which has been vetted by their peers. You find a medicine man that is legitimate and has been vetted by the elders of the tribe and they have accepted that you are ready to even begin the process of purification to go through the experience. This is just the beginning and there are other pre-requisites and rituals involved and this is just for ONE experience. Ayahuasca is no joke and I would reserve judgement on making comments about its use unless you have a very thorough knowledge of its history and practice. Is it spiritual cultivation? It is a form of it within its its tradition but it certainly not in the the way we refer to cultivation here. Any medicine man in the tradition would admit as much. I personally have not tried Ayahuasca but since my close friend became an apprentice and is now a proper medicine man I feel I have some info on this topic. He has stayed with me many times on his way to a ceremony and we have discussed this issue from various angles. I have personally housed many of the adherents who were either on their way to a ceremony or who were returning from a ceremony. It is a long affair that usually lasts a few days at least and sometimes a couple weeks. He did personally ask me if I would be interested in going through the rituals to undertake the experience but I had found my path via meditation years before he asked and I was certain that I had found the path for me. I have zero need for it as I feel that I am moving in the right direction even with all the attendant confusions and obstacles that are part and parcel of cultivation. As for the OP question I would say if you are friend is asking you to "try it" he most likely is not using it within the proper confines and pre-requisites as outlined by the tradition of the elders within the tribe. In this case I would say emphatically no it would not be in your interest to experiment randomly with it.

Congrats SecretGrotto on your retention practice. I know what you mean as it has been a huge blessing here as well. What's funny is that I did the same thing as you ! I spent a full day cleaning my home and I even went into my closet and threw out all the old clothes, books, boxes and things that I no longer serve me. Before I would make excuses and say " oh I will sell it to a 2nd hand store etc" but not this time, straight to the garbage bin haha. Negs are everywhere I agree and the more energetically mindful you become the more you will be aware of them. Most of them are encoded in two areas. Memory and genetics with environment being the third. Which is funny because genetics is a form of memory ! In modern neuroscience and genetics there is a term called epigenetics which if you have the time I recommend you research. The main gist is that any positive or negative practices in your life get encoded in your DNA and you pass them along to your children. Likewise your parents practices have been passed onto you which tallies with your experiences with your mother. The amazing thing about this field of study is that they are finding out you can actually change your own DNA ! That's what we are doing here via meditation, positive thinking , love projecting practices, etc we are changing our DNA and also changing our future childrens DNA as well. This is an incredibly motivating thing to know and remind ourselves of as we are going about our day to day lives.

Even here in CA Qi Gong doesnt have the same social status markers that Yoga does. Also from many peoples perspective it just looks 'weird'. Granted so does yoga but we know that what gets taught as yoga these days is just Indian gymnastics. So much really is about perception and social acceptance and less about whether its subtle or flashy. If Qi Gong was considered 'cool' you would see the parks filled with young kids doing it.

This is a great insight. It's not so much the comparison or measuring up that is at stake in my case as is the danger that someone else's projections and dilemmas get entangled in my own process. I want my issues to be worked out via cultivation and I really dont need something I read in a forum to seep into my subconscious and then later come out in my practice. It's a tricky thing reading about other peoples practices. Then again I feel I have eschewed many pitfalls just by reading what to avoid wrt certain practices that I am certain has saved me some heartache and headaches too. I do think though that less time on the forums and more time cultivating is the wiser choice. It's something I have been giving a lot of thought to the last week so I am glad you brought it up.

I think the OP was in this group.

Thank You for your knowledge on the topic. I have been to one Adyashanti satsang and unfortunately I did not get a chance to meet anyone there but I did have an experience there that confirmed some things about my own practice. I will check out some of the resources you mention !

I dont know about this periorbital theory but I have always looked at claimed spiritual masters eyes for a certain internal resonance or affect with my own. There always seems to be an internal luminosity, penetrating strength and kindness that seems to seep out. I know that this is a purely subjective intuition but its one that has had some influence on my own readings of their legitimacy. When I first read Gurdjieff's works I knew that I had encountered a man who had gone deep in the spiritual realm but I also sensed a certain deformity in the soul of the man who I was reading. I could never get past it and later during that time I was invited to join a Gurdjieff group to which I declined for the same reason. Much later when I searched for his face did I get my answer. Again purely subjective but I can't help it and it colors my perceptions to this day. Humans whose faces speak to me on a level that makes me wish I could have gotten a chance to meet them.

I asked this question and lo and behold I live down the street to the BPI. That wasnt the answer that I was expecting. When I asked about a spiritual group that would add as an addendum to my own inner cultivation I just didnt have in mind other people who are looking to expand their psychic powers. In the last few months since I have gone much deeper in my practice I have experienced a taste of the siddhi realm and I am not looking to go further down that road. I intuit the pitfalls all too clearly and I get the sense they easily lead to a colossal waste of time and distract one from the real work of self realization. Any other suggestions ? BTW I appreciate you sharing your story as I couldnt help but think of it I was walking to work today. Please correct me if I am wrong about my assumption about the sorts of people who I would tend to encounter at BPI.

Haha, reading through this thread makes me realize I agree with both perspectives and they both have their pros ans cons. Intent and inner honesty always becomes the final arbiter on these matters. Are you single from a position of inner resolve, strength and love towards God and your fellow sentient beings or is your unattached romantic state simply an engorged egotism ? Only in your deepest silence can you answer this question. Are you with someone simply because you lack the inner strength and confidence to be in deep solitude and face yourself, your dilemmas and need the romantic validation of a finite being in order to mask some deep soul insecurity in yourself ? Only in your deepest inner silence can you answer this question.

Just today I was speaking with a female co-worker and she pretty much repeated verbatim your characterizations of men she meets at spiritual retreats/centers/gatherings. She claims they are devoid of any masculine energy whatsoever which is why she doesnt date them. The funny thing is she herself is a walking cliche of that whole scene but even she recognizes that masculine void.

How do you go about finding that group ? Do you seek it consciously (online etc) or is it better to continue cultivating and allow life itself to bring it to you ?

I have been in this exact situation. Nikolai you show great intelligence and insight in all your posts. I think you already know the answer to your dilemma. My only advice to you would be to be unflinchingly honest about what you need, what she needs and what is the best course from there. Radical and brutal inner honesty is my advice.

Speaking from personal experience my greatest leaps forward in consciousness have been post-relationship. I have been in 4 major ones that lasted a minimum of 2 years each. All my mates were spiritual to some degree and would never formally get in the way of my practice but I found that the structure of relationships over time did erode the time I was spending practicing. I do not blame them, nor do I blame my relationship, I lay the blame squarely on myself. Frankly for me it's an issue of time management. As an example. Wake up. Yoga from 7-9. Off to work 10-8. Get home, unwind and read for an hour. Meditate for 60 minutes and its now 10. Wake up repeat. On my days off I am at school, studying for school or working on my wellness venture. When I was in my relationship guess where the time for the relationship was eating into ? That's right, meditation, yoga, reading or school. These are all things that I require right now in my life. Did I try to have her come to yoga with me ? Of course we did that at times, the same with meditating together. But in my experience my gfs want more than just to meditate or do yoga with you hahah. Don't get me wrong, I think relationships are wonderful things with the right person. But now that I have been retaining for over 100 days and realize how little sex has a hold on me I prefer being alone. To be frank I have never felt more love for others, have advanced more in my spiritual and personal life than during this phase of being single and in retention. Will this change ? Perhaps, but I will let God/Source/Tao make that determination and for now I will continue quietly cultivating, growing and spreading that energy to others in the best way that I can

I agree with this proposal. At the very least a sticky of top threads.

The growth that occurs in the spiritual process especially after the initial 'honeymoon phase' can get murky, ambiguous and very very subtle. We all live in our own bodies and this makes the ability to see ourselves and our growth objectively that much more difficult. Please list attributes or observations that are encouraging signs you have grown or are moving in the right direction wrt your process. This I feel could help others who may be stuck or think they are stuck and not realize progress is being made. I also understand that is a Taoist/Eastern philos forum and that the idea of progress is a misnomer but until we are all enlightened, some general markers and a loose barometer of our own spiritual 'temperature' can be incredibly useful and most importantly encouraging. In this society especially I feel we need every scrap of encouragement that we can get. I'll start. Today on the bus I came across a group of people whose conversation would normally be the equivalent of putting nails inside my brain and scratching the inside out with no mercy. You might wonder what 'type' of people these were but to define it I think would be to add distinction ; the very thing that is pernicious for ones growth. Anyways, what i found on this bus ride was the ability to fully accept them as part of myself, and not be bothered by their conversation, demeanor and general 'tone' to their speech. The most encouraging aspect of this whole experience was that I didn't 'try' to ignore them or to accept them or to use intellectual acrobatics to justify their presence. It happened of its own accord with zero internal.volition on my part. I wanted to literally get down and kiss the ground when I got off the bus but to claim victory would be to overemphasize the importance. Instead I felt a warm sense of gratitude for the inner silence and stillness that has been growing inside me after many years of meditation and I went about my day.

These are my favorite herbs for focus. Schizandra Rhodiola Rosea Ginseng Green Tea Extract Coffee This is my favorite supplements for focus. Acetyl Carnitine I have tried all the racetams and I feel they are a mixed bag. Your mileage may vary. If I was going to say what has enhanced my focus more than anything it has been Ashtanga yoga, Vipassana meditation, and 8-9 hours of restful sleep, no gluten, low carbs, and a reckless amount of fruits and vegetables in my diet. The herbs/supplements will only amplify these practices imo, if you are eating and sleeping badly, not exercising or meditating, the herbs are a waste of money. Oh and retention

Indeed. Marketing is rampant in all domains of human experience in 2013 but it is especially grotesque in the areas of spirituality, the arts and human relationships. It cuts the deepest because it takes something so elevated and sublime and runs it through the conveyor belt of the marketplace and spits out a facsimile of the authentic experience. What can be more distressing is when people take the facsimile and treat it in their own life as a fashion accessory to be talked about and paraded around like a new trinket. This has certainly happened with yoga (asana) and to a certain extent meditation. I am reading a great book on meditation right now that cuts through the idea that meditation should somehow be 'pleasant and relaxing'. It certainly can be at times, but it can also be a harrowing test of ones inner will and patience. It ebbs and flows. And ideally one observes without resistance. That being said; does this bother me ? Not in the least. I find the whole circus amusing and I view it with an eye angled to the optimistically . How many people who may have come across the most marketed/over produced/corny/cheesy version of spirituality eventually searches for the real thing ? Many my friend. Much more than you would imagine. The human spirit cannot take too much bullshit for too long before it realizes that 'there is something in them hills' and starts making inquiries as to how to get there.

Short, lucid and correct. Neither for, nor against, neither to the left nor to the right, neither above nor below, neither to be attracted or repelled, always observing the observer, always watching the doer, never getting involved.

yeah, gh and insulin added to the mix turns you into a cartoon character. also i do agree that the bodybuilding aesthetics of the 1970s (steve reeves et al) is the golden age. i mean look at jack lalanne in the 1950s pre steroids was pretty huge on just a great routine, diet and proper sleep. still too bulky for me personally but he was certainly a healthy individual.