Infolad1

We have to be very precise In our use of language. Language is segregative, by its very nature. So It begins to fail us as we discuss the higher aspects of reality. This is why it's essential to develop a consistent practice so that we can directly experience these things. Intellectual exercises are fine at the beginning but don't actually lead to anything but endless debate. We can't talk about Tai Chi Quan forever, we have to eventually do It and Master It. And this is the same for all cultivation work. Once you're clear on what you're cultivating. Cheers!

Hi, Lairg, All of It is virtual, Including the human. The etymology of the word human. Adam masc. proper name, the biblical name of the first man, progenitor of the human race, from Hebrew adam "man," literally "(the one formed from the) ground" (Hebrew adamah "ground"); compare Latin homo "man," humanus "human," humus "earth, ground, soil." Compare homunculus. human (adj.) mid-15c., humain, humaigne, "human," from Old French humain, umain (adj.) "of or belonging to man" (12c.), from Latin humanus "of man, human," also "humane, philanthropic, kind, gentle, polite; learned, refined, civilized." This is in part from PIE *(dh)ghomon-, literally "earthling, earthly being," as opposed to the gods (from root *dhghem- "earth"), but there is no settled explanation of the sound changes involved. Compare Hebrew adam "man," from adamah "ground." Cognate with Old Lithuanian žmuo (accusative žmuni) "man, male person." Human = Earth Man. Adam Kadmon, our original, mental aspect (God-Man), is not the same as the physical Adam Ha-Rishon (Earthman/Human). The gross physical human shell is broken down after use ("ashes to ashes, dust to dust"). The spirit doesn't occur before existence. The spirit is a database. No need for a database in No Thing. There is No Thing before existence. Just consciousness aware of Its consciousness. Consciousness is immaterial. Just infinite potentiality and eternal possibility. This is how It creates Itself and everything else. We are all mental constructs. The personality is a mask. Who leverages? Who is experiencing this? Who is this human you keep talking about? Just an amalgamation of virtual thoughts, Images, and conditioned responses to virtual stimuli. It's real enough for the game and Is to be taken seriously, but not literally. Cheers!

Hi, Chang dao ling, Once you get to a certain stage of your work, those won't happen anymore. In the meantime, don't obsess about it. Folks get really neurotic about leaking. Don't do that. It actually makes it worse, and puts you in a negative loop of action-regret-guilt-relapse. Just be consistent in your practice, and cultivate ignoring negative thoughts. How do you do that? By putting your mind on something else. Lustful thoughts show up? Go exercise, do your Qigong, or work on a project. Meditate. Stay away from porn. After a while, wet dreams will no longer be an issue. Cheers!

Hi, Lairg, The problem is that people are not using words precisely, which leads to a LOT of misunderstandings. The other problem is people using different words for the same thing, due to culture, dogma, misunderstanding, etc. It's all a matter of perspective and perception. Everything is Information, "The Word", "The Developer's Code of The Matrix/Maya", which becomes, light, sound, etc. Think of all of this like a AAA videogame. The code creates a completely realistic world, and it's real to the game characters. But at the fundamental level, it doesn't actually exist. Doesn't stop us from having fun playing the game, though. Life Force aka Qi/Ra/Nephesh, etc. is part of the phenomenal realm. EVERYTHING is composed of light. Molecules, sub-atomic particles, all of it. Reality is a hologram of frozen light. That light is an information carrier. The active version of No Thing. A wavicle. So every thing is composed of Divine Light. Things vibrate at various wavelengths and amplitudes, which is where you're density reference comes in. But we must always keep in mind that density, wave, particle, etc. are just parts of the rule set of the game. Every game has a physics engine, a rendering engine, etc. This is all virtual. All of it. virtual vûr′choo͞-əl adjective Existing or resulting in essence or effect though not in actual fact, form, or name. Existing in the mind, especially as a product of the imagination. Used in literary criticism of a text. (Important Note: The Western paradigm considers things of the mind and Imagination to be subjective, with no actual reality. that only the world of gross physical matter is real. This is false. The subjective realm of Consciousness/Will creates the objective realm). Created, simulated, or carried on by means of a computer or computer network. (note: or Consciousness) simulate verb sim·u·late ˈsim-yə-ˌlāt simulated; simulating Synonyms of simulate transitive verb to give or assume the appearance or effect of often with the intent to deceive: IMITATE to make a simulation of (something, such as a physical system) Synonyms for simulate that pertain to this discussion: act pretend pass (for) mask disguise conceal playact So the mind is virtual. The body is virtual. What do the Yogic, Buddhist, Chan and later Zen masters tell their students constantly? "All things are empty of intrinsic existence and nature". Cheers!

Hi, Lairg, A cause is an effect, which is "physical". I know what you're trying to say, but you're talking about phenomena, which are things. A persona is physical. That's the noumenal aka mental realm. The realm of molecules, atoms, quanta, etc., is the phenomenal realm. The realm above that is the mental realm. Thoughts, Images, personas aka personalities, Psychoid Archetypes, etc. Above that is the Absolute. Consciousness aware of Its Consciousness. People have more complicated versions of the above model, but that's the basic version. Thoughts are things. Images are things. Energy/Qi is Information. Knowledge put "Into Form". Persona/Person/Personality - Etymology: https://www.etymonline.com/word/persona Person c. 1200, persoun, "an individual, a human being," from Old French persone "human being, anyone, person" (12c., Modern French personne) and directly from Latin persona "human being, person, personage; a part in a drama, assumed character," originally "a mask, a false face," such as those of wood or clay, covering the whole head, worn by the actors in later Roman theater. OED offers the general 19c. explanation of persona as "related to" Latin personare "to sound through" (i.e. the mask as something spoken through and perhaps amplifying the voice), "but the long o makes a difficulty ...." Klein and Barnhart say it is possibly borrowed from Etruscan phersu "mask." De Vaan has no entry for it. From mid-13c. as "one of the persons of the Trinity," a theological use in Church Latin of the classical word. Meanings "one's physical being, the living body" and "external appearance" are from late 14c. In grammar, "one of the relations which a subject may have to a verb," from 1510s. In legal use, "corporate body or corporation other than the state and having rights and duties before the law," 15c., short for person aggregate (c. 1400), person corporate (mid-15c.). cause (v.) late 14c., "produce an effect," also "impel, compel," from Old French causer "to cause" (13c.) and directly from Medieval Latin causare, from Latin causa "a cause; a reason; interest; judicial process, lawsuit," which is of unknown origin. Related: Caused; causing. Classical Latin causari meant "to plead, to debate a question." Now with all of the above said... ...It's all Maya, a virtual reality. So phenomena, noumena, all things...Come from No Thing. No Thing created Itself, then created everything else. So when you keep saying that some causes are not physical, the only one that's not physical is No Thing aka Consciousness, Original Nature, etc. Everything else is physical, but most at levels of subtlety that we can't perceive without "upgrades". Like thoughts, Images, etc. This is the paradox. So you're not correct, but you are correct. Because all form is empty. Virtual. But there's no woman with a swollen belly for you to help without It. It's all part of the game, the story, the dream. Cheers!

WujitoTao, If you're dealing with hyperthyroidism, you've got to deal with the cause. Are you taking medication? It might be necessary until you get a handle on what's happening. I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV. Show the following to your Primary Care Physician: What You Must Know About Thyroid Disorders and What to Do About Them: Your Guide to Treating Autoimmune Dysfunction, Hypo- and Hyperthyroidism, Mood ... Loss, Weight Issues, Heart Problems and More https://www.amazon.com/What-Must-About-Thyroid-Disorders/dp/0757004245/ref=sr_1_23?crid=1FBB62SGKZ9BL&keywords=hyperthyroidism+book&qid=1680470679&sprefix=hyperthyroidism%2Caps%2C113&sr=8-23 You may also want to check out SelfDecode: https://selfdecode.com/?nab=1&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fduckduckgo.com%2F You need to find out from medical professionals what's actually going on inside your vehicle. ESPECIALLY when it comes to the thyroid. Once you have assessments done, THEN you can make informed choices. Cheers!

Hi, Lairg, Great Insight. you've got to get to the cause. Cheers!

WujitoTao, If your heart speeds up when you focus on it, then you need to learn to relax. Stop focusing on your heart. Focus four finger widths below the navel, at the center of the torso. Sit cross-legged on a meditation pillow or upright in a sturdy chair, palms on thighs. Eyes 90% closed. Breathe from your lower diaphragm, as if breathing into your lower stomach. Your lower abdomen comes out slightly and down, as you inhale and gently contracts as you exhale. Your shoulders and rib cage are relaxed and don't move. The tip of your tongue is gently resting on your upper palate, right above your upper back row of teeth. You're gently breathing in and out. No force is used. Your eyes are looking straight ahead, five miles off into the distance. Any tension in the face, then just put a slight smile on your face. Focus on your lower abdomen, four finger widths below the navel, at the center of your torso. Just keep your attention there, as you softly breathe in and out. You mentally say to your self "breath In", as you breathe In, and "breath out", as you breathe out. After a while, the mental chanting fades away. You become one with the breath. In later stages, you "zero out", just aware of being aware. Doing all of the above activates the vagus nerve, which helps you to calm down and relax. Start with 10 to 15 minutes, working your way up to an hour over six months. Practice twice a day after twelve months. You should have built up your LDT energy by then, feeling warmth emanating from it, in addition to other effects. Moderate your leaking (ejaculating) or else it'll take longer to make progress. Your stomach should be mostly empty, so 1 to 2 hours after a meal. Do not practice for a day or two after having sex, especially if you're over 35. Do not practice during bad weather, especially lightning storms. Stick to these basics. PRACTICE! Theory means nothing if you don't apply it. People want to talk forever about different techniques instead of putting in the work. No good. As Yoda told Luke In "The Empire Strikes Back": "All his life has he looked away… to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was. Hmm?" I hope this helps. Cheers!

WujitoTao, Please do not attempt to control your heart rate. That's very advanced and very dangerous if you don't know what you're doing, for obvious reasons. The Intelligence that runs our body knows what it's doing, we don't. Breath holds are also VERY dangerous without proper training and guidance. Your body has to build a tolerance to higher levels of carbon dioxide to do that. This is what freedivers do. This takes years of practice under a teacher and with a support structure on hand so that someone's there if things go wrong. You have to know and practice using static apnea charts so that you don't irreversibly damage your breathing. Ideally, you should have a way of monitoring your body's carbon dioxide levels, so you don't run into problems. Stick to simple diaphragmatic breathing for a year. Then you can learn from the Breathing Center about Buteyko Breathing, which involves breath holds. Do NOT play around with these practices. Cheers!

WujitoTao, They're both right. It depends on how you look at it. You inhale, that's yin. Yin is centripetal and contractive. You exhale, that's yang. Yang is centrifugal and expansive. But the belly expands slightly as you inhale, which is Yang, and contracts when you exhale, which is Yin. So it depends on how you look at it. You can't accurately measure your heart rate yourself. When you focus on it, it slows down. you have to use a measurement device, like a Fitbit, to get an estimate. Your heart rate slows on the exhale. It activates the parasympathetic division of the nervous system through the vagus nerve. Vibrating the palm is physical. Any thing that isn't the absolute is physical, most of which we can't perceive in a normal state. But that has nothing to do with this discussion. That's for The Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique thread. I hope this helped. Cheers!

Hi, Chang dao ling, Get your health together first. Stick to basic breathing exercises. Do you have a primary care physician? What is the exact diagnosis of what you have? Are you on any prescription drugs? DM me this info. Do not put it out in public. You need to have a healthy vehicle before engaging in these practices. Don't practice until you've been told that you can do strenuous exercise. Neidan can get dangerous as you progress into the intermediate and advanced stages. Ideally, you should have access to an acupuncturist and a Chinese herbalist trained in dealing with issues that come up with cultivators. There is a connection between the gut and the mind. Over the past few decades, researchers have found links between gut health and: the immune system mental health autoimmune diseases endocrine disorders gastrointestinal disorders cardiovascular disease cancer People with any of the above issues should heal their vehicles first before practicing Neidan. Basic diaphragmatic breathing and/or the basic authorized Buteyko method taught at The Breathing Center can help with healing. Cut as much sugar and processed food from your diet as possible. Everyone on this site should read the following article link. People with diagnosed or undiagnosed mental issues should not be doing these practices. Here are more details on why: DSM-IV Religious and Spiritual Problems - LESSON 3.5 Meditation and Spiritual Practices https://www.spiritualcompetency.com/dsm4/lesson3_5.asp I've run into this situation a number of times over the past almost 30 years that I've been doing these practices. People think that they're enlightened when they're actually just delusional. A friend of mine showed me a woman on Instagram that fancied herself a spiritual teacher. She had 100,000 followers. It was obvious to both my friend and me that the young lady wasn't well. She was having psychotic episodes and filming them as spiritual insights. The end result was predictable. She's now homeless and has lost custody of her kids. This is one of the primary reasons to have a teacher. So that master can access whether you're mentally and/or physically unwell or not. The problem sometimes with this scenario is that the master is also mentally and/or physically unwell. It's a thin line sometimes between enlightenment and madness. Cheers!

Hi, Chang dao Ling, Yes. the LDT is part of the beginning work. I can't go into detail about it right now, but in a nutshell, these channels open up over time as a result of breathing practices, our sincerity, our merit, and our intent. Why do we want to open the third eye? What are we going to do with It? What's our intent? Are we going to help others with it, or is it for us only, so that we can get what we want? To use Star Wars metaphors, are we going to be a Jedi or a Sith Lord once we have "The Power"? We don't need to be nice people in order to access the lower to intermediate levels of cultivation. There are some interesting abilities to be had at those levels. Gotta go. Cheers!

Hi, Pak_Satrio, As a general rule of thumb, leave the third eye alone. It'll begin to open when you're ready for it to open. It's the same for all of these energy/Information centers. And please make sure that none of you are doing any drugs while doing any of this stuff. It needs to be said. You can really hurt yourself. One of my fellow travelers had to deal with a situation at a retreat with a 20-something couple who were reefer heads. They were told not to smoke during the retreat, did it anyway, and had to be taken to the ER. The guy was out of it. The woman was terrified. She saw some things that she wasn't ready to see. Never force doors open that aren't meant to be open yet. You can learn that lesson the easy way or the hard way. Your choice. Cheers!

Hi, exorcist_1699, I totally agree with what you said. All of these esoteric texts are the same. By the tenth reading, you get all kinds of Insights. And when you actually practice, you get even more insight. At a certain point in your practice, you'll even get help from disincarnate human and non-human sources ( make sure you get their name and vet them). The Gateway Process analysis and Tom Campbell's course below go into detail about this. Proof! That is the goal. Does it work? It's why I make a point of making as much information on these practices available to sincere seekers as possible. That way people can practice and verify for themselves. NEVER believe or accept hearsay, not even from me. Test and verify is the rule. 90% of what most of us "know" is something we read or someone told us. We never had a direct experience so we could turn this information, this hearsay, into actual knowledge. This is how belief systems, aka reality boxes, develop. Certain scientists and folks In various governments already know that these core practices work. Just download and read this declassified CIA document that does a detailed analysis of The Monroe Institute's Gateway Process: Read this article first: How to Escape the Confines of Time and Space According to the CIA https://www.vice.com/en/article/7k9qag/how-to-escape-the-confines-of-time-and-space-according-to-the-cia Then this one. Download the document from this one. This is the complete analysis: Found: Page 25 of the CIA’s Gateway Report on Astral Projection https://www.vice.com/en/article/v7e4g3/found-page-25-of-the-cias-gateway-report-on-astral-projection?utm_source=email&utm_medium=editorial&utm_content=news&utm_campaign=210408 Get Itzhak Bentov's books: Stalking the Wild Pendulum: On the Mechanics of Consciousness Paperback – February 1, 1988 https://www.amazon.com/Stalking-Wild-Pendulum-Mechanics-Consciousness/dp/0892812028/ref=sr_1_1?crid=Y8O04JYUSR03&keywords=itzhak+bentov+books&qid=1680150466&s=books&sprefix=itzhak+bentov%2Cstripbooks%2C114&sr=1-1 A Brief Tour of Higher Consciousness: A Cosmic Book on the Mechanics of Creation Paperback – April 1, 2000 https://www.amazon.com/Brief-Tour-Higher-Consciousness-Mechanics/dp/089281814X/ref=pd_bxgy_img_sccl_1/143-9073426-8650663?pd_rd_w=hns51&content-id=amzn1.sym.6ab4eb52-6252-4ca2-a1b9-ad120350253c&pf_rd_p=6ab4eb52-6252-4ca2-a1b9-ad120350253c&pf_rd_r=T7E1YJAJSPWVKSWNPM7P&pd_rd_wg=xScSY&pd_rd_r=12bec092-f56b-409e-8a56-3010866452a1&pd_rd_i=089281814X&psc=1 And look at his video: Itzhak Bentov ~ From Atom To Cosmos The Taoists were cutting edge, for their time and place. And they still are, in a number of respects. If you want to be a Romantic and go the traditional route of a lineage-approved Neidan system, with all of its secrecy and elitism, then have at It. (To be fair to the Taoists, most spiritual societies tend to develop an elitist bent. But I digress). Actually, if you want a more modern approach to cultivation work, you could just get Tom Campbell's program: Exploring Consciousness and the Larger Reality with Thomas Campbell https://mysoundwise.com/soundcasts/1639695455662s As always, the choice is yours. Cheers!

Hi, Chang dao ling, Yes, that's exactly what he's saying. Taoist Texts is one of the folks on here that like to talk about possessing the one true knowledge, talk cryptically about it, but never actually say anything, at the end of the day. They then disrespect others on here for their supposed lack of knowledge. In other words, they're self-appointed gatekeepers. Depending on what school you may be part of, there are oaths that are to be kept, for various reasons. But there's enough of the various systems out here to know how they work. And as I've said countless times, and unlike them actually shown, there are many other ways to achieve the same thing. And there are ways to ascertain physically where someone is at in their development. That's how you know who's selling wolf tickets and who's not. As I said, I'll lay out the root of all of this over the coming weeks. Time to open the gates for those who are sincere. Cheers!

Yeah, and? Speak plainly, Taoist Texts. This routine was old five years ago. You don't know the man, so you actually have no idea what he's done. Opinion is not fact. Heresay is not fact. I still recommend the book. Cheers!

Hi, Chang dao ling, Here's a brief history of all of this: Wu-Liu Pai is a branch of Internal alchemy that is believed to have been founded by Taoist Wu Chung-xu (Shou-yang) initially from the Dragon Gate School (aka Longmen Pai), which is a sub-sect of The Quanzhen School of Complete Reality (Quan Zhen Pai); and his student Liu Hua-yang, a Chan monk who converted to Taoism; both were originally from Yuzhan (now Nanchang). The Quanzhen School (全真: Quánzhēn, "All-True", Complete Perfection, Integrating Perfection, or Complete Reality) is currently one of the two dominant denominations of Daoism in mainland China. It originated in Northern China in 1170 under the Jin dynasty (1115–1234). The Wu Liu School draws on the teachings of all Daoist schools and specific Buddhist texts such as the Diamond Sutra, the Surangama Sutra, and the Hua Yen Sutra – all prominent Mahayana discourses, routinely found within Ch’an communities. The Wu Liu also advocates the study of Confucian texts from a Daoist perspective. This school emphasizes an ‘earlier divine sky’ (xian tian) method, which through cultivation (Neidan), dissolves ‘essence’ (jing) into earlier divine sky vital force (qi); earlier divine sky vital force into ‘spirit’ (Shen), spirit into emptiness and unity, and emptiness and unity into Dao. One of the more widely known lines of transmission from Wu-Liu Pai is the Qian Feng Pai or Thousand Peaks school, whose popularity stems from a book by Master Zhao Bichen (趙避塵) also known as Zhao Yizi (趙一子), "Secrets of Cultivation of Life and Destiny". This book was translated into English by Lu K'uan Yu, known also as Charles Luk, and published under the title "Taoist Yoga, Alchemy and Immortality". The orthodox Wu-Liu Pai school does not recognize Qian Feng Pai as preserving the full transmission. Here's an excellent bio of Zhao Bichen: https://wenshuchan-online.weebly.com/biography-daoist-master-zhao-bichen-1860-1942.html Here's a Wiki from the Wu-Liu Pai school: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuliupai Here's Wu-Liu Pai's English website. Since September 2007 there is an officially functioning school branch in Saint-Petersburg, Russia. There are branches in several cities in Russia and in former USSR countries. https://www.all-dao.com/index.html Here's the website of a student of the Russian school's head : https://yuxianpai.com/2022/12/01/history-of-the-school-of-daoist-alchemy-wu-liu-pai/ And for completion's sake, here's the website of the only person authorized by the current transmitter of The Dragon Gate lineage Wang Liping to transmit their initial teachings in English, a gentleman by the name of Nathan Brine: Taoist Alchemy Online https://online.nathanbrine.com/ (As a side note: Mark Bartosh authored an earlier version of what Nathan's doing, called Daoist Internal Mastery, that was edited by Livia Kohn. Don't know what happened with that. There was also an even earlier version called "Ling Bao Tong Zhi Neng Nei Gong Shu". this was written by Wang Liping and translated by Richard Liao). Ling Bao Tong Zhi Neng Nei Gong Shu https://www.amazon.com/Ling-Bao-Tong-Neng-Gong/dp/1470174545/ref=sr_1_10?crid=3E9FCQ7EFJTCN&keywords=wang+liping&qid=1680035976&s=books&sprefix=wang+liping%2Cstripbooks%2C115&sr=1-10 Here's the second version: Daoist Internal Mastery https://www.amazon.com/Daoist-Internal-Mastery-Liping-Wang/dp/1931483396/ref=d_pd_sbs_sccl_3_2/143-9073426-8650663?pd_rd_w=0AlpU&content-id=amzn1.sym.38bbd1de-73a5-4ef9-9954-df27c3112829&pf_rd_p=38bbd1de-73a5-4ef9-9954-df27c3112829&pf_rd_r=PD8B0JMND5D2KHX5BJHZ&pd_rd_wg=hS1Fk&pd_rd_r=0fc5b1d5-0d47-4122-b12d-27b9550ad040&pd_rd_i=1931483396&psc=1 And here are Nathan's first two volumes, which are the most recent English breakdowns of the beginning part of the system. They're supplements to the online courses that are available at his site: The Taoist Alchemy of Wang Liping: Volume One https://www.amazon.com/Taoist-Alchemy-Wang-Liping-One/dp/1777046831/ref=d_pd_sbs_sccl_3_1/143-9073426-8650663?pd_rd_w=KjdEc&content-id=amzn1.sym.38bbd1de-73a5-4ef9-9954-df27c3112829&pf_rd_p=38bbd1de-73a5-4ef9-9954-df27c3112829&pf_rd_r=VKC3R466T0GXQ2CKTSS1&pd_rd_wg=asgGp&pd_rd_r=aa908b58-517d-4eaf-a2b1-0c70bebb14df&pd_rd_i=1777046831&psc=1 The Taoist Alchemy of Wang Liping: Volume Two https://www.amazon.com/Taoist-Alchemy-Wang-Liping-Two/dp/1777046823/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3E9FCQ7EFJTCN&keywords=wang+liping&qid=1680036519&s=books&sprefix=wang+liping%2Cstripbooks%2C115&sr=1-2&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.006c50ae-5d4c-4777-9bc0-4513d670b6bc That's It. If I made any mistakes, I'm sure that someone will point them out. You've got to have a conspiracy theory string map to keep track of all of this stuff! I'll add all of this to the Energy Cultivater's Handbook thread, at some point. I'll also give a breakdown in that thread at some point of where the original core teachings of all this stuff actually came from. Everyone always thinks they're doing something different when we're all just doing permutations of the same thing. Cheers!

Hi, Taoist Texts, So you know the gentleman who wrote the book? So you know for an actual fact that he didn't achieve anything? It's always interesting to me that with the various ways available to achieve results described by cultivation systems around the world, people seem to be under the impression that the Taoists were the only ones who had access to the process and achieved results. They weren't. George W. Carey wrote about it in 1920, using a Christian paradigm: God-man : the word made flesh https://archive.org/details/godmanwordmadefl00carerich Mary Atwood wrote about it in 1850: A suggestive inquiry into the hermetic mystery : with a dissertation on the more celebrated of the alchemical philosophers : being an attempt towards the recovery of the ancient experiment of nature https://archive.org/details/suggestiveinquir00atwo And Tom Campbell gets right to it, without all the dogma and secrecy: Exploring Consciousness and the Larger Reality with Thomas Campbell https://mysoundwise.com/soundcasts/1639695455662s Physics, Metaphysics & the Consciousness Connection But hey, you do you. Cheers!

Hi, EFreethought, Probably Jerry Alan Johnson. This guy: https://www.daoistmagic.com/professor-jerry-alan-johnson

Hi, Everyone, As an addendum to my previous post on this outstanding book, I'm going to add a few additional insights. It's a great book. It breaks down the traditional process in laymen's terms. But most people aren't looking to physiologically revert back to pre-pubescence, which is what the advanced steps of this version of the process do. (The Taoists figured out how to use meditation to do Epigenetic reprogramming of the body, which is the big thing now in anti-aging research. There's a research paper that talks about using meditation, but the Taoists took it to levels that the researchers haven't even realized yet). Rapid changes in histone deacetylases and inflammatory gene expression in expert meditators https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4039194/ Meditation Has the Power to Influence Your Genes https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/the-athletes-way/201312/meditation-has-the-power-influence-your-genes Study reveals gene expression changes with meditation https://news.wisc.edu/study-reveals-gene-expression-changes-with-meditation/ Molecules of Silence: Effects of Meditation on Gene Expression and Epigenetics https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7431950/ Original Taoism wasn't concerned in the least with lineages. Does it work or doesn't it? That should be the only criteria. Beyond confirming that the teacher isn't a nut or quack, lineages or useless to your practice unless you're connected by blood to the culture who created whatever system you're working with. This enables easier communication with transcended teachers, although certain techniques enable communication with anyone that you need to talk to. Some who practice Tai Chi Quan have this same obsession with lineages. Fortunately, I was taught to not get wrapped up in that. Internal Alchemy for Everyone is correctly titled. If you read the book, he makes it clear that it's for everyone in the sense of being easily accessible and not written in code. He also makes it VERY clear that it's not for everyone. The conclusion is worth the price of admission alone. He really straightens readers out on what it is that you're supposed to be doing and also lays out physical changes that occur as a result of the practice. Internal Alchemy for Everyone is not a truncated version of Taoist Yoga. Not in the least. It does a great job of standing on its own merits. Cheers!

Hi, Everyone, D'oh!! I almost forgot! IMPORTANT ADDENDUM: Buteyko Method Contraindications: People with the following medical conditions must never apply Buteyko breathing without first consulting a doctor and an experienced Buteyko practitioner. Arterial Aneurysm Hemorrhage Stroke Thrombosis Current Cancer Treatment Recent Heart Attack within twelve weeks Brain Tumor Uncontrolled Hypertension (high blood pressure) History of serious cardiac rhythm disorder (unless pacemaker fitted) Severe renal failure (includes dialysis) Uncontrolled hyperthyroidism Sickle cell disease Acute schizophrenia Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) with cor pulmonale Pregnancy (first trimester) In some cases, a very mild therapy may be possible. People with the following conditions must take caution when applying the Buteyko Method. Again, always seek help from an experienced Buteyko practitioner, rather than using self-help tools. Diabetes, especially insulin controlled Mild/ controlled hypertension Thyroid disease Angina / previous heart attack Epilepsy Past history of schizophrenia Reduced kidney function Pregnancy (second and third trimester) Privacy Policy Cookies policy Terms and conditions Contraindications References Please be mindful of the above. This method is VERY powerful, and should be respected. Cheers!

Hi, Everyone, I hope that everyone is well. Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV. Do not do any of the following without a doctor's permission and guidance, ESPECIALLY if you're on any medications, or have any chronic disease. The following is for educational purposes only. Drinking salty water is the equivalent of the Cole Robinson's Snake Juice diet. As long as the body gets or has adequate stores of potassium, sodium, and other trace minerals, fasting is doable: https://snakediet.com/get-started/ Cole can fast and workout for weeks on this regimen. I would advise people to have their vitals monitored while doing this. If you're on any meds, don't do it. He curses like a sailor, but he knows his stuff. I don't agree with everything he says, but he walks his talk. Konstantin Pavlovich Buteyko developed a number of techniques based on the original yogic pranayama texts found in the Shiva Samhita, Hatha Yoga Pradipika, and Gheranda Samhita. His method has been used to alleviate asthma and various other health issues for decades. The method involves breath restraint (prana(breath)+yama(restraint), what freedivers call static apnea. Modern yoga instructors incorrectly teach deep breathing, when the goal is actually shallow, relaxed breathing. Dr. Artour Rakhimov translated a chart of the various effects that occur from beginners to advanced levels of training. The chart is at the bottom of this post: https://www.normalbreathing.com/buteyko-table-of-health-zones/ If you have a Fitbit or other health monitor, you can see where you're at on the chart. Most people breath at 12 to 20 breaths a minute, which leaves them open to disease. I'm currently at 10 breaths a minute, 65 beats/minute heart rate. I was at 9 breaths, but I'm working on getting to 6 breaths. We have to be able to quantify our progress, folks. Anything less is just magical thinking and self delusion. What will be of interest to this discussion is the following quote from the link above of the effects achieved once you hit 7 to 3 breaths per minute consistently, achieving "Super Health": "Transition to each next row above the Buteyko norm (Health Level 7) triggers certain biochemical processes, and many students report the appearance of lost (and often unknown) amazing abilities of the human body. For example, there is a natural reduction of sleep down to 2-4 hours. Only 2 hours of perfect sleep are sufficient for people who have about 2.5 – 3 minutes CP. I regularly observe this effect in my students: with 60 s CP, all of them report that they require 4 hours of sleep and cannot sleep more. Buteyko, in his interview, claimed that his usual sleep was 2 hours long. Several other effects (including astonishing digestive abilities, abilities to regenerate and heal body tissues very fast, and so forth) are provided right below here as your bonus content. Find out when (at which Health Level) these effects appear: – production of antibodies in saliva that prevents cavities and the formation of plaque (no need to visit dentists at all since ordinary people need plaque removal or cleaning 1-2 times every year) – extrasensory (aura skills or ability to see an aura around other people), psychic and telepathic abilities for over 2 min CP and some other effects related to decalcification and activation of the pineal gland (and thymus gland), and natural gamma brain waves or super consciousness (not just as-if during meditation but naturally and all the time). At around Health Level 9 (100 s morning and daily CP numbers), the following effects become common: – ability to survive for days without food, water, and sleep, while still able to maintain a high CP and energy level to search for food and water and fight for life – ability to digest wider varieties of fibers – broken bones, deep cuts, and severe wounds can be healed in a few days, instead of weeks or months. Scars, if any, disappear within days – painless childbirth for pregnant females – production of antibodies in saliva that prevents cavities and the formation of plaque (no need to visit dentists 1-2 times every year) – extrasensory (aura skills or ability to see an aura around other people), psychic and telepathic abilities for over 2 min CP and some other effects related to decalcification and activation of the pineal gland (and thymus gland), and natural gamma brain waves or super consciousness (not just as-if during meditation but naturally and all the time)." Dr. Buteyko practiced what he taught: "As many famous doctors and scientists have done, Buteyko used his own body to experiment with his method. He practiced what he referred to as “air fasting” and followed a lifestyle that promoted reduced breathing. His own experience, which his advanced students confirmed, showed that breathing normalization leads not only to an improvement of physical health but also to the clarity of mind, inner peace, and calmness. Additionally, it promotes intuition, telepathy, and other types of extrasensory perception. Buteyko started his career as a traditional doctor, but by the final period of his life, he developed characteristics of a highly developed spiritual practitioner. He was known to have some clairvoyant abilities, such as being able to read people’s thoughts or to predict the future. He hardly slept, was able to exist without food for 50 days at a time, and was capable of holding his breath for several minutes. Often, the first question he would ask his patients was, “Do you believe in God?” His methods led him to a point when he did not have any doubts about the leading role of the divine, especially when it comes to healing." So we now know how to develop Bigu, along with many other abilities. I would strongly advise learning proper technique at The Breathing Center. They're the only authorized place in the US that teach the actual method. they have Mp3s, CDs, and virtual certification courses. I've got their book, Mp3s, and videos: https://www.breathingcenter.com/ Dr, Buteyko's Bio: https://www.breathingcenter.com/dr-buteyko/ Products: https://buteykobreathingcenter.com/collections/books https://buteykobreathingcenter.com/collections/audio https://buteykobreathingcenter.com/collections/video https://buteykobreathingcenter.com/collections/main-programs https://buteykobreathingcenter.com/collections/certification Warning: Do NOT jump into advanced breathing practices! You can seriously and PERMANENTLY hurt yourself, if you don't know what you're doing. Get the materials, practice, take your time, ideally get virtual and/or in person instruction. Take your time. And have fun! Cheers! Buteyko Table of Health Zones (average parameters at rest) Health state Type of breathing Health level Pulse, beats/min Breathing frequency/min CO2 in alveoli, % AP, s CP, s MP, s Super-health Shallow 12 48 3 7.5 16 180 210 11 50 4 7.4 12 150 190 10 52 5 7.3 9 120 170 9 55 6 7.1 7 100 150 8 57 7 6.8 5 80 120 Normal Normal 7 60 8 6.5 4 60 90 Disease Deep 6 65 10 6.0 3 50 75 5 70 12 5.5 2 40 60 4 75 15 5.0 – 30 50 3 80 20 4.5 – 20 40 2 90 26 4.0 – 10 20 1 100

Hi, Everyone, As an addendum to the previous post, keep in mind that you can still develop powers and abilities, and not be a nice person. But to use Star Wars terminology, do you want to be a Jedi or a Sith Lord? Superiority complexes and the need to control and hurt people come from fear. As Master Yoda said: “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” True power comes from peace. No Thing. Because in No Thing is Every Thing as a potential. A possibility. It's why awareness/consciousness is immaterial. A thing is a limited structure. In order to have unlimited ability to be, know, and do, there can't be any structure, not even a thought. So No Thing creates itself first, then differentiates into two (Yin and Yang), then four, then eight, sixteen, thirty two, sixty-four, infinitely permutating into the 10,000 things aka reality. The goal is to experience this infinite differentiation, while maintaining our original state of unity at the core of our being. "Good" maintains the unity of the all to the One. "Evil" is just that which breaks the unity of the all to the One. Evil happens when you think that you're separate from everything and everyone. If you're "other", then I can do things to you, because you're not me. Evil generates I not we. Now it's "Us" versus "Them". Good is the understanding that when one of us suffers, we all suffer. When a homeless man dies on the street, WE'RE dying on the street. When people get killed in a war overseas, WE'RE getting killed in a war overseas. Good is wishing the best for everyone, doing what you can to help your fellow man and woman, because you know that they're you, and you're them. Cultivation for a lot of people is a power fantasy, like Superheroes or Dragonball Z. If they get "powers", then they can beat up those "Others" that wronged them. Or better yet, escape to another reality, so that I don't have to deal with The Others. This is not cultivation. As I said in the previous post, if you're not clear on what you're supposed to be cultivating, the ego will take you for a ride that will end VERY badly. Jedi or Sith Lord? It's YOUR choice. As the Grail knight said in "Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade": "Choose Wisely". Cheers!

Here's a multi part "Info Packet" for those pursuing energy cultivation systems, such as mopai, Internal Alchemy, etc. Always good to understand the science behind why a human being could potentially be able to do the things these different systems claim is possible. Brian, with your background In applied physics, any insights you may have would be appreciated. It's going to be a long one folks, so hold on. With that said: Part 1 of The Energy Cultivator's Handbook by Infolad1 "Superconductivity Superconductivity is a phenomenon of exactly zero electrical resistance and expulsion of magnetic fields occurring in certain materials when cooled below a characteristic critical temperature. It was discovered by Dutch physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes on April 8, 1911 in Leiden. Like ferromagnetism and atomic spectral lines, superconductivity is a quantum mechanical phenomenon. It is characterized by the Meissner effect, the complete ejection of magnetic field lines from the interior of the superconductor as it transitions into the superconducting state. The occurrence of the Meissner effect indicates that superconductivity cannot be understood simply as the idealization of perfect conductivity in classical physics. The electrical resistivity of a metallic conductor decreases gradually as temperature is lowered. In ordinary conductors, such as copper or silver, this decrease is limited by impurities and other defects. Even near absolute zero, a real sample of a normal conductor shows some resistance. In a superconductor, the resistance drops abruptly to zero when the material is cooled below its critical temperature. An electric current flowing through a loop of superconducting wire can persist indefinitely with no power source. Macroscopic Quantum Phenomena Quantum mechanics is most often used to describe matter on the scale of molecules, atoms, or elementary particles. However, some phenomena, particularly at low temperatures, show quantum behavior on a macroscopic scale. The best-known examples of macroscopic quantum phenomena are superfluidity and superconductivity; another example is the quantum Hall effect. Since 2000 there has been extensive experimental work on quantum gases, particularly Bose–Einstein Condensates. Between 1996 to 2003 four Nobel prizes were given for work related to macroscopic quantum phenomena. Macroscopic quantum phenomena can be observed in superfluid helium and in superconductors, but also in dilute quantum gases and in laser light. Although these media are very different, their behavior is very similar as they all show macroscopic quantum behavior. Quantum phenomena are generally classified as macroscopic when the quantum states are occupied by a large number of particles (typically Avogadro's number) or the quantum states involved are macroscopic in size (up to km size in superconducting wires). Quantum Mechanics Quantum mechanics (QM; also known as quantum physics, or quantum theory) is a fundamental branch of physics which deals with physical phenomena at nanoscopic scales, where the action is on the order of the Planck constant. The name derives from the observation that some physical quantities can change only in discrete amounts (Latin quanta), and not in a continuous (cf. analog) way. It departs from classical mechanics primarily at the quantum realm of atomic and subatomic length scales. Quantum mechanics provides a mathematical description of much of the dual particle-like and wave-like behavior and interactions of energy and matter. Quantum mechanics provides a substantially useful framework for many features of the modern periodic table of elements, including the behavior of atoms during chemical bonding, and has played a significant role in the development of many modern technologies. In advanced topics of quantum mechanics, some of these behaviors are macroscopic (see macroscopic quantum phenomena) and emerge at only extreme (i.e., very low or very high) energies or temperatures (such as in the use of superconducting magnets). In the context of quantum mechanics, the wave–particle duality of energy and matter and the uncertainty principle provide a unified view of the behavior of photons, electrons, and other atomic-scale objects. The mathematical formulations of quantum mechanics are abstract. A mathematical function, the wave function, provides information about the probability amplitude of position, momentum, and other physical properties of a particle. Mathematical manipulations of the wave function usually involve bra–ket notation, which requires an understanding of complex numbers and linear functionals. The wavefunction formulation treats the particle as a quantum harmonic oscillator, and the mathematics is akin to that describing acoustic resonance. Many of the results of quantum mechanics are not easily visualized in terms of classical mechanics. For instance, in a quantum mechanical model, the lowest energy state of a system, the ground state, is non-zero as opposed to a more "traditional" ground state with zero kinetic energy (all particles at rest). Instead of a traditional static, unchanging zero energy state, quantum mechanics allows for far more dynamic, chaotic possibilities, according to John Wheeler. Philosophical Implications of Quantum Mechanics Since its inception, the many counter-intuitive aspects and results of quantum mechanics have provoked strong philosophical debates and many interpretations. Even fundamental issues, such as Max Born's basic rules concerning probability amplitudes and probability distributions, took decades to be appreciated by society and many leading scientists. Richard Feynman once said, "I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics." According to Steven Weinberg, "There is now in my opinion no entirely satisfactory interpretation of quantum mechanics." The Copenhagen Interpretation - due largely to the Danish theoretical physicist Niels Bohr - remains the quantum mechanical formalism that is currently most widely accepted amongst physicists, some 75 years after its enunciation. According to this interpretation, the probabilistic nature of quantum mechanics is not a temporary feature which will eventually be replaced by a deterministic theory, but instead must be considered a final renunciation of the classical idea of "causality." It is also believed therein that any well-defined application of the quantum mechanical formalism must always make reference to the experimental arrangement, due to the conjugate nature of evidence obtained under different experimental situations. Albert Einstein, himself one of the founders of quantum theory, disliked this loss of determinism in measurement. Einstein held that there should be a local hidden variable theory underlying quantum mechanics and, consequently, that the present theory was incomplete. He produced a series of objections to quantum theory, the most famous of which has become known as the Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen paradox. John Bell showed that this "EPR" paradox led to experimentally testable differences between quantum mechanics and local realistic theories. Experiments have been performed confirming the accuracy of quantum mechanics, thereby demonstrating that the physical world cannot be described by any local realistic theory. The Bohr-Einstein debates provide a vibrant critique of the Copenhagen Interpretation from an epistemological point of view. The Everett Many-Worlds Interpretation, formulated in 1956, holds that all the possibilities described by quantum theory simultaneously occur in a multiverse composed of mostly independent parallel universes.This is not accomplished by introducing some "new axiom" to quantum mechanics, but on the contrary, by removing the axiom of the collapse of the wave packet. All of the possible consistent states of the measured system and the measuring apparatus (including the observer) are present in a real physical - not just formally mathematical, as in other interpretations - quantum superposition. Such a superposition of consistent state combinations of different systems is called an entangled state. While the multiverse is deterministic, we perceive non-deterministic behavior governed by probabilities, because we can only observe the universe (i.e., the consistent state contribution to the aforementioned superposition) that we, as observers, inhabit. Everett's interpretation is perfectly consistent with John Bell's experiments and makes them intuitively understandable. However, according to the theory of quantum decoherence, these "parallel universes" will never be accessible to us. The inaccessibility can be understood as follows: once a measurement is done, the measured system becomes entangled with both the physicist who measured it and a huge number of other particles, some of which are photons flying away at the speed of light towards the other end of the universe. In order to prove that the wave function did not collapse, one would have to bring all these particles back and measure them again, together with the system that was originally measured. Not only is this completely impractical, but even if one could theoretically do this, it would have to destroy any evidence that the original measurement took place (including the physicist's memory). In light of these Bell tests, Cramer (1986) formulated his transactional interpretation. Relational quantum mechanics appeared in the late 1990s as the modern derivative of the Copenhagen Interpretation. Energy In physics, energy is a property of objects which can be transferred to other objects or converted into different forms, but cannot be created or destroyed. The ability of a system to perform work is a common description. But, it is difficult to give a comprehensive definition of energy because of its many forms.[ In SI units, energy is measured in joules, the energy transferred to an object by the mechanical work of moving it 1 metre against a force of 1 newton. All of the many forms of energy are convertible to other kinds of energy, and obey the conservation of energy. Common energy forms include the kinetic energy of a moving object, the radiant energy carried by light, the potential energy stored by an object's position in a force field,(gravitational, electric or magnetic) elastic energy stored by stretching solid objects, chemical energy released when a fuel burns, and the thermal energy due to an object's temperature. According to mass–energy equivalence, any object that has mass when stationary,(called rest mass) also has an equivalent amount of energy whose form is called rest energy. Conversely, any additional energy above the rest energy will increase an object's mass. For example, if you had a sensitive enough scale, you could measure an increase in mass after heating an object. Our Sun transforms nuclear potential energy to other forms of energy; its total mass does not decrease due to that in itself (since it still contains the same total energy even if in different forms), but its mass does decrease when the energy escapes out to its surroundings, largely as radiant energy. For closed systems, the first law of thermodynamics states that a system's energy is constant unless energy is transferred in or out by Work or heat, and that no energy is lost in transfer. This means that it is impossible to create or destroy energy. The second law of thermodynamics states that all systems doing work always lose some energy as waste heat. This creates a limit to the amount of energy that can do work by a heating process, a limit called the available energy. Mechanical and other forms of energy can be transformed in the other direction into thermal energy without such limitations. The total energy of a system can be calculated by adding up all forms of energy in the system. Examples of energy transfer and transformation include generating or making use of electric energy, performing chemical reactions, or lifting an object. Lifting against gravity performs work on the object and stores gravitational potential energy; if it falls, gravity does work on the object which transforms the potential energy to the kinetic energy associated with its speed. Living organisms require available energy to stay alive, such as the energy humans get from food. Civilisation gets the energy it needs from energy resources such as fossil fuels. The processes of Earth's climate and ecosystem are driven by the radiant energy Earth receives from the sun and the geothermal energy contained within the earth. While total energy is never lost, energy conservation refers to using less available energy, which may be considered lost when it changes to a less useful form, such as waste heat. Matter Before the 20th century, the term matter included ordinary matter composed of atoms and excluded other energy phenomena such as light or sound. This concept of matter may be generalized from atoms to include any objects having mass even when at rest, but this is ill-defined because an object's mass can arise from its (possibly massless) constituents' motion and interaction energies. Thus, matter does not have a universal definition, nor is it a fundamental concept in physics today. Matter is also used loosely as a general term for the substance that makes up all observable physical objects. All the objects from everyday life that we can bump into, touch or squeeze are composed of atoms. This atomic matter is in turn made up of interacting subatomic particles—usually a nucleus of protons and neutrons, and a cloud of orbiting electrons. Typically, science considers these composite particles matter because they have both rest mass and volume. By contrast, massless particles, such as photons, are not considered matter, because they have neither rest mass nor volume. However, not all particles with rest mass have a classical volume, since fundamental particles such as quarks and leptons (sometimes equated with matter) are considered "point particles" with no effective size or volume. Nevertheless, quarks and leptons together make up "ordinary matter", and their interactions contribute to the effective volume of the composite particles that make up ordinary matter. Matter commonly exists in four states (or phases): solid, liquid and gas, and plasma. However, advances in experimental techniques have revealed other previously theoretical phases, such as Bose–Einstein condensates and fermionic condensates. A focus on an elementary-particle view of matter also leads to new phases of matter, such as the quark–gluon plasma. For much of the history of the natural sciences people have contemplated the exact nature of matter. The idea that matter was built of discrete building blocks, the so-called particulate theory of matter, was first put forward by the Greek philosophers Leucippus (~490 BC) and Democritus (~470–380 BC). Matter should not be confused with mass, as the two are not quite the same in modern physics. For example, mass is a conserved quantity, which means that its value is unchanging through time, within closed systems. However, matter is not conserved in such systems, although this is not obvious in ordinary conditions on Earth, where matter is approximately conserved. Still, special relativity shows that matter may disappear by conversion into energy, even inside closed systems, and it can also be created from energy, within such systems. However, because mass (like energy) can neither be created nor destroyed, the quantity of mass and the quantity of energy remain the same during a transformation of matter (which represents a certain amount of energy) into non-material (i.e., non-matter) energy. This is also true in the reverse transformation of energy into matter. Different fields of science use the term matter in different, and sometimes incompatible, ways. Some of these ways are based on loose historical meanings, from a time when there was no reason to distinguish mass and matter. As such, there is no single universally agreed scientific meaning of the word "matter". Scientifically, the term "mass" is well-defined, but "matter" is not. Sometimes in the field of physics "matter" is simply equated with particles that exhibit rest mass (i.e., that cannot travel at the speed of light), such as quarks and leptons. However, in both physics and chemistry, matter exhibits both wave-like and particle-like properties, the so-called wave–particle duality. Battery (Electric) An electric battery is a device consisting of one or more electrochemical cells that convert stored chemical energy into electrical energy. Each cell contains a positive terminal, or cathode, and a negative terminal, or anode. Electrolytes allow ions to move between the electrodes and terminals, which allows current to flow out of the battery to perform work. Primary (single-use or "disposable") batteries are used once and discarded; the electrode materials are irreversibly changed during discharge. Common examples are the alkaline battery used for flashlights and a multitude of portable devices. Secondary (rechargeable batteries) can be discharged and recharged multiple times; the original composition of the electrodes can be restored by reverse current. Examples include the lead-acid batteries used in vehicles and lithium ion batteries used for portable electronics. Battery (Electric) - Principle of Operation Batteries convert chemical energy directly to electrical energy. A battery consists of some number of voltaic cells. Each cell consists of two half-cells connected in series by a conductive electrolyte containing anions and cations. One half-cell includes electrolyte and the negative electrode, the electrode to which anions (negatively charged ions) migrate; the other half-cell includes electrolyte and the positive electrode to which cations (positively charged ions) migrate. Redox reactions power the battery. Cations are reduced (electrons are added) at the cathode during charging, while anions are oxidized (electrons are removed) at the anode during discharge. The electrodes do not touch each other, but are electrically connected by the electrolyte. Some cells use different electrolytes for each half-cell. A separator allows ions to flow between half-cells, but prevents mixing of the electrolytes. Each half-cell has an electromotive force (or emf), determined by its ability to drive electric current from the interior to the exterior of the cell. The net emf of the cell is the difference between the emfs of its half-cells.Thus, if the electrodes have emfs \mathcal{E}_1 and \mathcal{E}_2, then the net emf is \mathcal{E}_{2}-\mathcal{E}_{1}; in other words, the net emf is the difference between the reduction potentials of the half-reactions. The electrical driving force or \displaystyle{\Delta V_{bat}} across the terminals of a cell is known as the terminal voltage (difference) and is measured in volts.The terminal voltage of a cell that is neither charging nor discharging is called the open-circuit voltage and equals the emf of the cell. Because of internal resistance,[15] the terminal voltage of a cell that is discharging is smaller in magnitude than the open-circuit voltage and the terminal voltage of a cell that is charging exceeds the open-circuit voltage. An ideal cell has negligible internal resistance, so it would maintain a constant terminal voltage of \mathcal{E} until exhausted, then dropping to zero. If such a cell maintained 1.5 volts and stored a charge of one coulomb then on complete discharge it would perform 1.5 joules of work. In actual cells, the internal resistance increases under discharge and the open circuit voltage also decreases under discharge. If the voltage and resistance are plotted against time, the resulting graphs typically are a curve; the shape of the curve varies according to the chemistry and internal arrangement employed. The voltage developed across a cell's terminals depends on the energy release of the chemical reactions of its electrodes and electrolyte. Alkaline and zinc–carbon cells have different chemistries, but approximately the same emf of 1.5 volts; likewise NiCd and NiMH cells have different chemistries, but approximately the same emf of 1.2 volts. The high electrochemical potential changes in the reactions of lithium compounds give lithium cells emfs of 3 volts or more Excerpt from: THE DEVELOPMENT of the LIVING MATRIX CONCEPT AND IT’S SIGNIFICANCE for HEALTH AND HEALING by James L. Oschman, Ph.D. We begin with a story about energy. In 1941 Albert Szent-Györgyi, who had received the Nobel Prize in 1937 for the synthesis of Vitamin C, gave the Korányi Memorial Lecture in Budapest, Hungary. His talk was published in both Science (Towards a New Biochemistry?) and Nature (The Study of Energy Levels in Biochemistry) at a time when his country and all of Europe were descending into the chaos of WWII. The remarkable insight that was the topic of his presentation was that proteins are semiconductors, rather than insulators, as had been thought previously. Semiconductors are intermediate in conductivity between conductors, such as copper wires, and insulators, such as the coverings of electrical cables. In essence, our bodies are composed mainly of materials that are similar in properties to the substances that make possible our modern computers, cell phones, televisions and so on. He introduced his new ideas as follows: "If a great number of atoms is arranged with regularity in close proximity, as for instance, in a crystal lattice, the...electrons... cease to belong to one or two atoms only, and belong to the whole system…A great number of molecules may join to form energy continua, along which energy, viz., excited electrons, may travel a certain distance." This means that the human body contains free or mobile electrons that can move about within the fabric of the body. These electrons are energetic and can therefore transfer energy and information from place to place. The 1941 report proved to be prophetic, although it was not recognized as such at the time. The area where these ideas have had the most impact is in nanoelectronics ─ the world-wide search for ways of using atoms and molecules as miniature components of electronic circuits. SzentGyörgyi’s insight is now recognized as one of the foundations of the modern molecular electronics industry. Electric Eel The electric eel (Electrophorus electricus) is an electric fish, and the only species in its genus. It is capable of generating powerful electric shocks of up to 860 volts, which it uses for hunting, self-defense and communicating with fellow eels. It is an apex predator in its South American range despite living in an environment rich in predators such as humans, dogs, caimans, jaguars, giant otters, giant snakes, and birds of prey that kill fish of similar size of the electric eel as prey. Despite its name, it is not an eel, but rather a knifefish. Physiology The electric eel has three abdominal pairs of organs that produce electricity: the main organ, the Hunter's organ, and the Sach's organ. These organs make up four-fifths of its body, and are what give the electric eel the ability to generate two types of electric organ discharges: low voltage and high voltage. These organs are made of electrocytes, lined up so a current of ions can flow through them and stacked so each one adds to a potential difference. When the eel locates its prey, the brain sends a signal through the nervous system to the electrocytes. This opens the ion channels, allowing sodium to flow through, reversing the polarity momentarily. By causing a sudden difference in electric potential, it generates an electric current in a manner similar to a battery, in which stacked plates each produce an electric potential difference. In the electric eel, some 5,000 to 6,000 stacked electroplaques are capable of producing a shock at up to 600 volts and 1 ampere of current (600 watts) for a duration of two milliseconds. It would be extremely unlikely for such a shock to be deadly for an adult human, due to the very short duration of the discharge. Still, this level of current could in theory cause fatal electrocution in humans, depending on the path the current takes through the human body, and the duration of current flow.[citation needed] Heart fibrillation (reversible via a heart defibrillator) can be triggered by electric currents of 700 mA for more than 30 ms.[citation needed] The Sach's organ is associated with electrolocation. Inside the organ are many muscle-like cells, called electrocytes. Each cell can only produce 0.15 V, though the organ can transmit a signal of nearly 10 V overall in amplitude at around 25 Hz in frequency. These signals are emitted by the main organ; the Hunter's organ can emit signals at rates of several hundred Hertz. The electric eel is unique among the Gymnotiformes in having large electric organs capable of producing potentially-lethal discharges that allow them to stun prey. Larger voltages have been reported, but the typical output is sufficient to stun or deter virtually any animal. Juveniles produce smaller voltages (about 100 V). They are capable of varying the intensity of the electric discharge, using lower discharges for hunting and higher intensities for stunning prey, or defending themselves. When agitated, they are capable of producing these intermittent electric shocks over a period of at least an hour without tiring. The electric eel also possesses high-frequency-sensitive tuberous receptors, which are distributed in patches over its body. This feature is apparently useful for hunting other Gymnotiformes. Electric eels have been used as a model in the study of bioelectrogenesis. The species is of some interest to researchers, who make use of its acetylcholinesterase and adenosine triphosphate. Bionics Researchers at Yale University and the National Institute of Standards and Technology argue artificial cells could be built that not only replicate the electrical behavior of electric eel cells, but also improve on them. Artificial versions of the eel's electricity-generating cells could be developed as a power source for medical implants and other microscopic devices. Bioelectrogenesis is the generation of electricity by living organisms, a phenomenon that belongs to the science of electrophysiology. The nerve impulse is a bioelectric event. In biological cells, the Sodium-Potassium Exchanger maintains a voltage imbalance, or cell potential difference, between the inside of the cell and its surroundings (see also ion channel). Also called a pump, the exchanger is said to be "electrogenic", because it removes three sodium ions for every two ions of potassium it allows in. The process consumes metabolic energy in the form of ATP. Plant cells also exhibit light-induced electrogenesis. Certain types of bacteria are able to generate electric currents; these are used in microbial fuel cells and educational kits are available for students and hobbyists. However, the term usually refers to the electricity-generating ability that is in some aquatic creatures, such as the electric eel and to a lesser extent the black ghost knifefish. Fish exhibiting such bioelectrogenesis often also possess electroreceptive abilities (which are more widespread) as part of an integrated electric system. Electrogenesis may be utilized for electrolocation, self-defense, electrocommunication and sometimes the stunning of prey. Piezoelectricity /piˌeɪzoʊˌilɛkˈtrɪsɪti/ is the electric charge that accumulates in certain solid materials (such as crystals, certain ceramics, and biological matter such as bone, DNA and various proteins) in response to applied mechanical stress. The word piezoelectricity means electricity resulting from pressure. It is derived from the Greek piezo or piezein (πιέζειν), which means to squeeze or press, and electric or electron (ήλεκτρον), which means amber, an ancient source of electric charge. Piezoelectricity was discovered in 1880 by French physicists Jacques and Pierre Curie. (Mechanical stress like Standing gongs? ) Pyroelectricity (from the Greek pyr, fire, and electricity) is the ability of certain materials to generate a temporary voltage when they are heated or cooled. The change in temperature modifies the positions of the atoms slightly within the crystal structure, such that the polarization of the material changes. This polarization change gives rise to a voltage across the crystal. If the temperature stays constant at its new value, the pyroelectric voltage gradually disappears due to leakage current (the leakage can be due to electrons moving through the crystal, ions moving through the air, current leaking through a voltmeter attached across the crystal, etc.). So these are some of the potential keys to understanding what's happening In energy cultivation systems, from a Western scientific paradigm. This is MAJOR. It also helps explain how these mopai masters, and other energy manipulators, could handle the energies they're working with, without turning to ash. My theory is that the tissues, electrolytes, and fluid dynamics of the body allow it to go from a semi conductive, to eventually a superconductive state, when triggered by the Internal alchemical process, allowing various macroscopic quantum phenomena to occur. There are 37.2 Trillion cells in the body, according to recent estimates, so It takes time to change them all. To paraphrase Oscar Goldman, We can rebuild ourselves Into the beings we're meant to be. We have the technology. More to come. Cheers!

Hi, Everyone, I hope that everyone is well. I just saw some of these posts from January about practice time. I apologize in advance for the length of this post, but the following needs to be said. Your cultivation work can be destroyed by this type of attitude in a heartbeat. Cultivators have to be really wary of indulging in what's known as "The Stink of Zen", when talking about other people's practice, or talking about their practice. You practice for as long as you can practice. if you're sincere, It'll work. It'll just take you longer to get to various stages, which is fine. We have to give the body time to adapt to the various upgrades that it receives as we do the work. We also have to gradually let go of the ego, as the work is done. The ego is a mental construct. Not real. Only the awareness functioning through these virtual vehicles we use is real. THIS is the major impediment to progress. A LOT of energy is trapped in maintaining this construct. The goal is to GRADUALLY let go of the personality (from the Latin persona, meaning "human being, person, personage; a part in a drama, assumed character," originally "a mask, a false face"), so that the true Self is revealed. There is nothing to become. We're ALREADY Superman, believing that we're Clark Kent. So the solution is simple... ...Clark's gotta go! (I'm kidding! We need Clark, in order to function in our 3D world. But once we're awake to who we really are, we're now like Superman. He uses Clark as an "Alter Ego", in order to stay grounded and be in the world, but not of the world. So don't be a flake! ) The ego wants to survive. It doesn't want to "die". So it uses a number of tricks and misdirects, in order to keep our self delusion going. One of the best Lies that it comes up with is that because we meditate for hours on end, and don't live like "the profane", that we're now somehow "Spiritual", "Evolved", and "Superior" to those poor slobs who can't get their act together, and can only manage 15 minutes a week. THIS is the stink of Zen. A spiritual snobbery and elitism that just reeks of ego, and is not true cultivation. A TRUE Zhenren (perfected person aka Superman) treats others with poise, calm, good nature, and allows them their dignity. Because they KNOW that EVERYONE is ALREADY a Zhenren. The majority of people are just "asleep" to this fact...for now. This is the ONLY difference between the "enlightened" and everyone else. If we have to tell people that we're enlightened or awakened...then we're not. People know this intuitively and tend to gravitate towards these people. But you have to be careful with this observation, because psychopaths and sociopaths tend to be very charismatic and also attract followings! Most of my students don't do their standing postures consistently. I good naturedly tease them about it, but I don't humiliate them, or insult them. Who learns from that? Just be an example for others. The power of your Qi, your Spirit, will move them to practice more, if it is their time to do so. It may not be time for them yet. Some people wake up in a few years. Some in a few lifetimes. Unless we're awake, we don't know. Ideally should we have a practice schedule? Yes. Should we be anal retentive and dogmatic about maintaining it? No. Life happens. We should always be relaxed, flexible, and natural in the execution of our daily tasks. Do we cultivate discipline? Yes, but be natural about it, not rigid. I remember one of my teachers talking about this, years ago. "A guy meditates at the same time everyday, without fail. His house is burning down, but he keeps his meditation schedule!" He was telling us to avoid being too rigid and dogmatic about our practice. If we're doing it right, our daily life becomes practice. Our sleep becomes practice. So we're ALWAYS practicing! Life is practice. We learn to live life correctly (loving, caring for, and wishing the best for one another). This dissolves the ego and allows us to live happily ever after as our Self. Life still brings "Drama", but now we're at peace and joyful for the peace in the face of it. This enables us to activate our various powers to now be able to successfully overcome life's challenges. If we don't understand this, then we have no business labeling people as "lazy". Who are we to judge others? WHO is it that meditates? WHO is it that practices? Cultivators have to stay mindful in order to prevent the development of personality disorders. Narcissistic Personality Disorder is one you tend to see a lot of in spiritual cultivators and groups. A number of "gurus" are spiritual megalomaniacs. The ego will take you on a very bad trip, if you don't learn to ignore it, and stop feeding it energy. Don't feed the Animals! LOL!! TL;DR version: Don't be a "Spiritual" snob. Loving and caring for our fellow man and woman is loving and caring for our Self. Life is practice, and practice makes perfect, once you know what practice is and what you're practicing to be. Cheers! (P.S. More book reviews next week!)