Thrice Daily

Don't take the mick i'm being serious About the kids? have you got them? it will totally adapt my answers to your questions about violence, stick fighting and knife fighting etc, If you got kids you will get a different answer, make sense?

Right but that's not the actual Crusade I first referred to, the one I was talking about was the churches first response after Christendom was battered for 400 years, the one that took 4 years and they managed to get Jerusalem back what you were talking about was a side story to what i was originally saying, fair point on the organized army though, I agree, it could all have been a lot more organized, and the soldiers would have probably done a lot better of they took a load of women with them too. I'm not even joking. Promise of eternal life and buying places in heaven was such a con, such a scam, shameful behaviour, a lot of the early popes were absolutely nuts as well, or gangsters and the like, crazy times for Christianity back then wasnt it.

Again I'll ask the question what should have happened instead of the 4 year crusade we are talking about? And what about the battle of Tours, should the French have not repelled the invaders, due to the civil upset they caused when they re entered Spain, I don't want to come off sarcastic, but I really think you should revisit that historical period for a bit and have a look at some maps.. And one more, have you got kids?

I'm going to finish by saying this, there are many peaceful Muslims, contrary to their core teachings laid out in the Suras There are lots of Murderous Christians that don't actually follow the core messages in the teachings, just the Jesus stuff (which is so very simple and effective) Not doubt load of Christians would have committed all sorts of atrocities, back then. They do now in times of war, its disgusting and terrible and these streaks run through the hearts of men don't they?, but its not part of the doctrinal teachings of the new testament is it, to rape and pillage and cannibalise. (so these are bad Christians I get that I really get that) But the bigger world picture seems to escape you entirely, Unless you are going to talk about the fact that 3/4 of Christendom was jacked, northern Africa and Spain included , and there was probably something that had to happen to diffuse the situation, (with force) I'm sorry the innocents got hurt in all of this by crappy Christians that took advantage of wartime... I really am, but what exactly is the alternative.... lose France, then what, the UK, Italy etc... At the time what exactly was the choice? I'm sure there are many stories of nasty stuff that locals got up to, and the church. I'm not denying that, I'm not defending the church as such, I think its probably rotten to the core at the top, like practically every other religious institution that has a pot of money at the top. That's just the way it is though isn't it? You don't throw away Buddhism because of political corruption in the temple, that human silliness, like what you are talking about. So stop skirting around the issue and tell me what should have happened instead of the 4 year crusade we are talking about?

I don't think it ended tribalism, please read my last comment above this one. It certainly didn't end it and luckily hasn't been ended by it either. Although it came close over the years, Conquests, Communism, Hollywood... It's all coming out in the wash though, the good, the bad and the ugly. There is a lot on the table, but I'm betting the good outweighs the bad, when it comes to the overall value and need for Christianity (and Buddhism, Taoism, and others,,,) in the dimly lit world right now. (and by that I don't mean we need the church or religious institutions as such, I mean in the heart and the good , with its ability to pacify evil in the world) . So many people need to be saved from the atrocities they are ready to commit, its so sad, I mean look at London and the knife crime there, every day another murder, another revenge, another vendetta, its so sad, in every major city. If all could find forgiveness in their hearts at the same time it could end tomorrow. That's why I personally trust Jesus message above all else, like so many others do, in the blood and pain of a sacrifice like that, it makes sense to me that wish can echo through the sands of time to the hearts of that man or young boys, the night before committing a sin like that, just that they see a dove, a lamb, a glimmer of hope, that tomorrow might not pick up that knife, and be saved from the sin before it happens. if only they can see a glimmer of hope in their heart they will be saved from the madness of it all and that tough step towards radical forgiveness and the mental leap of ,,, having trust in the universal law, or leaving ot in Gods hands... I love all the rich philosophy from other traditions sure, but nothing cuts to the root of the problem so swiftly as, forgive those... and love your enemy. It makes me smile that Jesus put it in that particular nut shell. If you can absolutely only give one peace of advice that could save humanity right now, it would be that, imho Do you agree? or do you think there is a better short quote of advice that could stop all the madness and killing in the world, right now if it struck the hearts of men? (like it does every day, thank god) I hope you don't think Tribalism is the right answer.

I'm a little confused as you seem like a well educated character, are you saying no Crusade should have been called for?. It seems a little crazy, it is kinda like me saying forget about the battle of Tours, lets just let the chips fall where they may. Remember we are not only talking about Jerusalem here, we are talking about Mesopatamia, (Zoroastrian, but part Christian) , Syria (Christian), Egypt (Christian), not to mention Palestine. Exactly how many peoples heads do you think should have been chopped off before the Roman church did anything at all... Turkey was Christian too wasnt it? So about 3/4 of Christiandom had been conquered before there was a Crusade planned against it... So 470 years of hostile take over from the south, and then the first crusade, which lasted for,,, 4 years, then they got Jerusalum back, and that was about it, Turkey gone Egypt gone [=Dark Ages In West] etc Should there not have been any notification sent out to anyone? It seems like that's what you are implying? War is harsh, there are harsh outcomes, even cannibalism, but what exactly is it that you would have like to have had happen, have you really thought all of this through? In actual reality.

@Paradoxal please 🙏 elaborate on your downvote. Hopefully we can get into something of further value for readers, in light of Truth, Thrice D

I know right, it has only been recently I learned why the Crusades even happened. I thought it was the crusades that spread Christianity and the knights just went around murdering people why didn’t convert. I had no idea it was because regular people in Antioch were being slaughtered raped and mutilated/beheaded by invaders… And eventually the Catholic Church in Rome were called on in absolute desperation to help so they intervened and sent Knights. Crazy to think how demonised the church got for that , what we were taught in school. Total Lies. It’s disgusting. Even ask Google now and you will get a mish mash of info that doesn’t quite tally with the truth, it’s remarkable. I'm glad we are able to learn about true history now and there are brave enough historians that are prepared to take the risks to write the books and do lectures.. We are very lucky ❤️

You know we were not quite fed the truth at school and we’re made to feel super guilty about our past. it put me off religion. I recently learned that the historians that wrote our education books were not independent. Our history was heavily censored and much of the literature has been politically corrected @blue eyed snake, You will never guess how many witches were truly executed in the entire Spanish Inquisition? When you think of all the horror movies made about it it’s quite dreadful what we have been palmed off with as true history.

Extraordinary experiences, it’s great you were able to start sharing the light like this at such an early age and develop your awareness in this way. Very cool story. Can I ask does it make you feel tired when you use it, or does it energise you, or does it vary. i’d be interested to know.

I do half agree with ChiDragon on this… But… Its good when there is a bit of pressure. That’s how diamonds are created. Really though if it’s all plain sailing in life you are not really challenged in terms of the virtue you are generating. It’s easy when it’s easy, when it’s harder it’s more of a test of character. generally. Its all a big illusion anyway. I mean ask the Buddhists. They like a good row on here. Even though everything is meant to be emptiness and everything is just more of the same , phenomena, and that’s all illusion anyway. Also the fact that suffering is a surety that only a grasp of Buddhism is really likely to help with , then causing eachother to suffer with clashing points. I love it though me, I see the lightheartedness in it. Luckily. ChiDragon, I think the other bums are thinking of you if they down vote really and are trying to help you improve your style of commenting. It can be quite helpful no? Otherwise how would you know if your comment hits badly… I feel for you a bit though because it seems like you really like to drive home the basics most of the time, and I think your attitude towards consistency is really cool. I come off a bit over opinionated sometimes as well. I have to remember to state that it’s just my opinion. Yeah.. but with arguments, try not to get sucked in. It’s s good test of character. Like you I agree, if people are coming on here to argue and enjoy doing that they are probably missing the point of the forum. Peace and Love Man Thrice D

It would be interesting to know how far back the history of Vippasana goes, all I know is that it was preserved for some time in Burma and for many years was not really known about outside of this. I’d like to know to be honest. The physical practice itself is so simplistic only breath and sensation. Just see, I mean sure phenomena comes and goes but really, only this breath and sensation. It seems like the purest concentration practice there can be for the human. is there purer and even less convoluted practice. Something simpler than breath and sensation as an object of single pointed concentration. it just stood to reason to be that surely this is one of the worlds very oldest practices. my mind fails to grasp that it could possibly be a modern invention. even if somebody relatively modern thought they invented it. Do you see what I’m driving at, I’d love to know more if you care to share. Eclecticly Speaking

I hear what your saying and I pondered it when I started thinking there may be damage. but you know I thought, access to hot water showers everyday was much rarer or even not possible in how much of our human history. hiw many 1000’s of years would we have made a fire at night to get warm. Slept close by, got up in the morning, ate our remaining food , then, headed to the nearest, river, stream, lake or ocean shore and just gone in the cold water for refreshment. I think most of human history we would have done this , and typically the water would have been cold. what do you bums think? this is what made me feel it’s probably ok in my physiology to take the cold showers and made the positive effects make sense to me. interested to here more specifics on it really, humbly yours, Thrice D

Might be a good idea. Can I have one or do I need to start more posts? I don’t know if mine will be all that exciting but it is a cool way to keep on track

Or any pre existing medical conditions that may be contra indications to certain practices. if you would prefer not to discuss specifics on the thread feel free to personal message me. I’m a fully qualified alternative and complimentary therapist but will not try to charge you any money. The offer is there though if you want to get more specific. I could be helpful especially if you are on meds or are prone to chronic pain. happy to help 👍

Do you do any physical practices like martial arts or purely stick with still meditation?

Yes thanks for that, I’ll take it as a compliment. I think…

Hmm, yeah it happens especially in the start. Going for long walks in nature or even short walks is a great circuit breaker as was said in brilliant earlier reply. And the beauty of something as simple as getting 10,000 steps a day will do heaps for your general well being and thus your practice. Practices generally amplify how you already feel… if mega stressed just go for walk, change your focus change your state… If you are reading books and tempted trying things out for yourself. I would stick with only the very basics and build a daily practice that is very simple and easy to remain consistent with (with the view to very gradually build it out from there) One danger in the beginning can be overlapping practices. If we do too many things, it’s difficult to tell what practice or set or meditation is doing what to the mind body emotions etc. from day to day. And week to week… It can be hard in the start as there may be an amplification of results in the beginning of trying something new and even more if there are overlapping practices that may or may not be compatible. This can add to the confusion. I’ve found some of the best advice on here in Daobums is to get a very good grounding in the basic practices (of system you are using) in beginning it’s perhaps not such a good idea to mix systems . I’ve found it best when I stick with simple practices from a system and gradually increase the time spent and intensity each week. It’s hard to keep in check but 5% increase each week is sweet. You are creating new level of power in your bodies so you want to become stronger gradually in practice and your ability to maintain it. it may be good to take a journal and just try your hardest to stick to short sessions in your day (consistency is key for me so it’s every day, with a day of a week for most of the things I now have built into my routine) One of the things often overlooked when giving advice like this is the importance of absolute basics. Not even formal practices… Consistent sleep, food, rest, time outside in morning sunlight , good air, time in nature. Hopefully some social time too, even a bit. This will provide a good foundation for your practice, mental health is so important when working on yourself and going through the storms that naturally come when the water gets muddy. These basics are best if daily practice can become difficult to maintain. Hey it is possible to have great practices even being on the road all the time, travelling or being without a ‘fixed abode’ it can be interesting but hard to maintain Consistency. [opposites can also be true as Daobums May point out and you may get conflicting advice, consistency and basics though seem to come from the most solid sources, they all seem to say that] Regular money, regular place to stay, nearby nature, friendly community, good atmosphere locally. You’re set. Imho. Would you have opportunity for a simple class close by, like Chinese Martial Arts, Tai Chi? Is there somewhere close by you could get some acupuncture, maybe helpful. It was for me in the early stages. Helped me stay grounded when I had a lot going on. Lots of new energies moving sometimes it’s good to move around a lot. Unsupervised Seated Meditation, personally I would advise just focus on breath at nostrils. Trying to maintain this focus only in practice I’ve found is the best way to avoid ‘muddying the water’ focusing on other areas of body where emotions are stored or processes are activated may be unsettling. I personally wouldn’t concentrate on third Eye or lower Dan Tien for time in the beginning. It might put you off and upset consistency. If I don’t want additional drama in my life I’ll try to stay only with sensation on nostrils in seated meditation… it’s way easier and I’ll still get great benefits. I just stay more grounded. This focus on nostril region will naturally help strengthen your future practice. When walking I find it helpful to focus on one part of the body, say the big toe… it’s a great way to strengthen concentration and is quite grounding and calming too. Are you working with any pre existing physical injuries? Anything that still bothers you from old accidents etc?

One of the reasons I say about the male experience in Christianity specifically (where I live Catholic) is because of the roles being much more traditional gender roles. The idea of the patriarchy may seem out of date but it’s not really here. The men mostly guide the relationship , the women raise kids and of course do much talking amongst themselves. Traditionally speaking they tended to have more time for these things, and being much more heart led… I think some of that’s still true. I heard it once said quite interestingly. That in a marriage it could be a bit like chess, the man makes the decisions for each move but… the women can change the rules… I think a lot like the pope being the head of the church, the priest being the head of the parish and the man being the head of the family. (Traditionally) it makes sense for him to need a quicker guidance system generally than the women. Who tends to be busy with other affairs… again traditionally. im not implying the reserve can’t or shouldn’t be true inside relationships. I think everything should be open to negotiation … Open communication being key…

Could be something very specific to you. Perhaps. I have lots of experiences that relate to my crown chakra that are similar to what’s being described here. Some of it is universal and some highly personalised I feel. It certainly seems to be a trend with Christianity that the Holy Spirit enters through the crown doesn’t it. And perhaps up there is the furthest away from our base desires and our human experience with one another. So on the body maybe you say the crown is closest to God. I get some experiences like this. And I’m thinking it’s maybe more of a male experience too. I can’t speak for women per say. But if you look at Saint Faustina for example, her experience with visions of connections from God was much more from the heart. I don’t feel as comfortable with this, the crown seems more apt as a collection point for communicating in this way, with God directly via the Holy Spirit if indeed any of that is even really helping, convincing experiences that’s for sure

I’m pretty sure Zen Buddhism was attributed to Bodidharma an Indian Prince who made his way to China and influenced the monks there to do exercises as they were weak from sitting… Vippasana I was told were the original practical basic teachings of the Buddha, (well there have been many Buddhas) Really though it is just breath and sensation so I believe this would be correct. There are no statues, no candles, flowers, scented water and so on. Just quiet individual practice. Its great.

Depends what you’re after. I know what you mean though. I took just warm showers for years as I thought this the best for qi. Last year though I had cold shower everyday and cold adapted which suited the climate where I am living as it gets well into the minus temps. I did much better last year in terms of the cold affecting me, it hardly did and I wore less clothing outside… Akso it seems cold water really helps with recovery if I train a lot. Although I don’t do it close to strength training as that inflammation is good to leave as is for the muscle building response. Them there is the massive dopamine spike that comes after cold showering.I think it’s like 300% and can last for hours afterwards. I felt great I must say. I run the water hot afterwards though. Then soap and rinse which is still nice. I will say I still use the same cold water method I read in a stretching book 20 years ago (much better for the heart this way). Reduces the shock and decreases temp more gradually and safely via the blood stream First cold water on legs for some time, then on arms, then face and finally if you choose , back and then front chest etc i find the water is so freezing in my shower I just do 10-20 seconds on each leg, 10-20 on each arm and 10-20 seconds on face and head, then I repeat this 3-4 times i still get hella cold and get shiver response (which is what’s wanted apparently) butt without the insane stress of doing back and chest. Hope that helps. If you wanna learn about cold adaptation I’m steer clear of Wim Hoff and go straight to Huberman for all the juicy tips … works well when fasted and after heaps of coffee, but is also good right after a nice protein meal Enjoy

Just my opinion. Basics. Right food, good sleep, calm mind. Consistency, your own personal discipline. Back when I was 27 I was planning to go to Wudang for three years martial arts practice, and learn some not only Kung fu and weapons but also be a herbologist… (I think that’s the right word) I remember thinking I would be quite a good student because I already had some martial practice, footwork etc so I could follow instructions, you know it wasn’t entirely new for the nervous system … I also had some practice with meditation so my mind had already become a little calmer and I had passed through some storms so I would not have to go through all that in my training , that was already experienced so easier to let go. I’d also had some study with I-Ching and so was familiar with Confucius thought and later King Wen commentary so I’d spent time pondering the language for quite a while. As well TCM five element theory, I’d spent quite a while picking elements of this apart and putting it back together in various ways so again it’s not all new… It would have helped me I think work through the syllabus better when I was there, but alas I did not get to train in Wudang. One of my biggest regrets. I had £10,000 ready to go train for the three years. I booked on the course to literally fly over and start around Christmas time, then I found out a couple of months earlier that the money was not going to be available as it was promised… I should have trusted destiny and just flew there to see what would have happened I could have just turned up and begged everywhere and anywhere for a job doing anything, sweeping up washing pots anything as close to the schools as possible. if I could go back I would do this, present myself as a student rain or shine. And throw myself as the discipline 100% if you have a deep reverence and a respect for what you plan to do you will no doubt be learning lots about it… or Chinese history, early writing, anything I guess… What attracts you to these subjects??? I would suggest that should you meet a teacher, I would let them lead and drop expectations, me personally I wouldn’t even be reading on my own unless it was encouraged (after meeting teacher) I’d just follow the teacher. But that’s just me, when I was younger. Better respect and trust. Really though if you got no kids or responsibility consider community to full time study and living in where you learn with other so you can practice continuously like a monk. Again just my personal opinion but I think this is the most potent and quickest way to train and learn, develop the most. Again just my opinions. Good Luck 🤞

I quite liked it to be honest, you did go off on a bit of a mad one, but we all do that from time to time. Can reach some pretty good ways to present truths in that state. I love this forum, I remember working in the kitchen at Vipassana centre and on a piece off paper on a wall by the prep area (where we would do all the shredding of cabbages by hand on a grater) it said , Buddha dictated to Ananda , “no discussing, no theorising, no speculating” Ananda must have found that quite funny when he wrote it down.

Oh I love that …