Kar3n

Ahh, the old wages of sin is death speech is still in full swing, I see. I was born into and grew up indoctrinated into believing that if it ain't Jesus, it ain't right. Don't get me wrong I do love Jesus, but I do not believe in all of the hell fire and damnation that the church uses to scare people into their pews and fill the offering plates. Do not fall for it! No one needs that kind of negativity and the small-mindedness that small town Christian America bestows on the perceived heathens in the name of Jesus out of self-righteous concern for souls. The next time someone judges you and tries to make you feel like less than a human being because you are not walking the path they think you should, you just tell them that have a relationship with god (notice the little g), that it is personal, and that if they have concerns about you and/or your soul they are welcomed to pray for you right after they pull the mote out of their own eye. Jesus did say he who is without sin can cast the first stone, ya know. They will either clutch their pearls and shut up, or they will shout bible verses at you until they pass out. Just walk away, in either case. Give your body and mind time to adjust being still. Do not force it. Sit for 10 to 15 minutes a couple of times a day (morning and evening), increase it slowly over a few weeks to 20 to 30 minutes. You might try some stretching before and after too. I started with this guided bodhicitta meditation at our local Tibetan Buddhist temple. Give it a try when you are ready, if you'd like. He is chatty, so, the meditation itself does not start until 9 minutes in and goes for about 25 minutes with commentary at the end. Best of luck to you. Don't let folks get under your skin in the name of the Lord, I think He would be disappointed that his followers are causing you angst.

Welcome back, Tim

I am almost positive I saw a video where Flowing Hands did this exact thing. I wonder what the heck was going on. Thanks, CT.

The Sedona Method of dissolving blocks is a big one that one of the guys here recommends often. I have not, personally, tried it, but I have done some reading on it, and it sounds like it might be worth giving a shot. http://www.sedona.com/What-Is-The-Sedona-Method.asp?aff=SHWFM1 There are some DVD rips on youtube you can look up to find the practical methods. The energy you are feeling in your back, does it pool in the lower dantian or lower and then rise ? It is likely kundalini energy rising in the central channel. Kundalini energy is good at dissolving blocks if allowed to flow naturally during mediation. It will eventually make its way up your back/spine area and out of the top of your head. It is pretty cool when you know what it is. Drink plenty of water and do something physical in the days after and you should do just fine with it. Good luck & welcome to the bums

I first read cinnabar as Cinnabon. I had to look up cinnabar, it was a mystery to me too.

Far be it from me to tell anyone what to do, the rules of the forum are pretty clear when it comes to insults and terms of use. How one handles their self is up to them. Constructive critiques, criticisms and arguments would be a good place to start in having an open conversation with opposing views, but there seem to be other agendas at play here, evident by redundant threads with non-constructive intent and content, continuous questioning of the rules, even after they have been discussed and linked to for review on numerous occasions by not only myself and fellow mods, but also the forum administrator. IMPORTANT AND USEFUL LINKS: INSULT POLICY TERMS OF USE FOUNDING PRINCIPLES A few words from the forum founder and owner about content: I pray the content herein gives you a good starting point to begin meaningful and polite interactions on the forums that are informative and enjoyable to be read by all. Thank you. --- Best Regards Arkady And to you, Kar3n

It has already been discussed.

I am sad to say that you are mistaken about direct violations of the rules of the forum. Any person, at anytime can reject or refute a system of practices based on their own experiences and belief system. When people take a personal approach to the people practicing said systems or traditions that is where the violations come into play. For instance, your calling out awaken and Taoist Texts in almost every post and topic rather than posting with the intent to share information or teachings, the intent is perceived as a jab at another person to get even in a sense and really has nothing to do with content. Actions like this are boarder line in the rule book and raise the eyebrows of the staff. I kindly ask you to let go, let go of what you perceive to be attacks against you. It feels personal when someone disagrees with my practice so vehemently, so I understand, but, at the same time I take it as a lesson and use the angst and anger it causes me as a cultivation tool, rather than justification to add to a cycle of discontent. I like the old saying about sticks and stones, a lot.

I have read most of the Secret Buddhism pdf, while it is jam packed with Buddhist philosophies, principles and doctrines, the practices are not entirely how a Buddhist would go about things. No Buddhist would ever suggest that you replace Buddha in a chant or prayer with the god, saint, angel or deity of your choice, especially in an initiation or empowerment. A true Buddhist only takes refuge in Buddha, without exception. It is an interesting read though.

I have had trouble with the negative that arises in meditation and other practices. I too, struggled with people telling me to just let go and not attach to it. I wanted to know HOW, dammit, because all of the words I was hearing were just not sinking in. You know why they were not sinking in? Because I was wearing every emotion, every sorrow, every blame and every personal injustice like a suit of armor. It was a familiar friend, I loved it, it was oddly comforting because I knew them and their effects; they surrounded and protected me from the unknown. Letting go of them was just not an option that I could grasp and was quite fearful of. It is no secret that I do lots of light energy work, I have had some amazing and beautiful experiences doing so. I have also had some moments that were terrifying to my ego and defense mechanisms, my emotional suit of armor. I saw myself completely open, vulnerable to the unknown, free of all of the things that weighed me down and kept me from being where I really wanted to be, open and accepting, free from my own misery. Someone asked me what I was afraid of. I had plenty of answers, but not one that I was going to give so freely, even to this person I love so dearly. In truth, the answer was everything, I was afraid of everything that I was not, everything that I had not yet experienced, everything that was not contained in my suit of armor. I really pondered why, for months. I began to think about emotional responses and triggers that lead me to pull my armor so tightly around myself. They were all old and tired, I was tired of holding on to it, it was down right arduous. I thought about my intentions within the practices I was participating in, I thought about how it felt when I saw those glimpses of myself so free from the weights I was carrying around. I wanted that, but I still had no idea of how to get there. As much love as I had for everyone else, I questioned how much I really loved myself and the facade I had created so I could be comfortable in my own skin. I had many tools to begin to dismantle the sense of self I created, but I had no idea how to use them in ways that made sense to me. It was only when I began to use my mind and critical thinking skills that I was able to see a way that made sense to me. Thinking of all of my emotional baggage and their triggers, I questioned how beneficial they really were to my everyday life. When the emotional response to a memory or a vision would hit, I really examined, honestly, what and why I was holding on. What is the benefit to me? If a "friend" made me feel this way would I keep them in my life? Realizing that I was not being a friend to myself by dragging myself down with my armor I slowly started letting go of first the little things and then moved toward the harder and deeper issues. I hugged myself, I meditated, I cried... It was and still is hard saying good bye to that which has comforted and protected me for so long. It is most difficult to look in the mirror and say good bye to a persona I have nurtured for most of my life. It is even harder to have an honest conversation internally about the bits of myself I have grown to love even with all of their inflicting misery. There is no quick fix, there is no magic pill, there are infinite words and practices that can be spoken on emotional aspects of our lives, but it takes courage and perseverance to dig deep within and rebuild ourselves from the inside out, the how and when lies solely within yourself.

It if perfectly fine to start threads on a topic you would like to discuss in a meaningful way. The only issue I have spoken to about starting new threads is the repetitive nature of the quotes therein and the intentions behind them. The whole point behind TDB is to discuss, to debate, to learn, to understand, and to grow as individuals and as a community.

Speaking of cat bums... I saw some rather interesting "ass-erories" for cat bums in the form of "Twinkle-Tush Jewels" on Facebook today.

I will PM them to you.

The thread you are posting in is run by owner permissions, meaning the person who started the thread gets to decide what content stays and what content is removed. You must be a member for 6 months and have 200 posts before you can request owner permissions. Here is a list of where owner permissions apply.

It is probably kundalini energy. A good test is to walk around outside barefoot on dirt or grass and see if it subsides it at all. It has worked for me when I felt like I was going to vibrate out of my skin. Make sure you are staying hydrated.

Yes, much more of this...

Getting out and exerting some physical energy will help, in many ways, not just psychologically. I guess we will just have to agree to disagree on this one.

Realizing that not everyone's truths parallel and that it is acceptable to agree to disagree about our personal truths, is a good starting point.

Go outside and play, get in touch with the natural world around you.

I am having the same issue today! Thanks for the work around, Brian.

My days usually revolve around the schedules of my family and business, respectively. I fit in some some time at the gym, some energy work with friends, meditation, some community service and some down time when I can, but I can not say that I have a set daily routine other than what is dictated by my domestic and professional roles.

Don't all penguins wear tuxedos?

There has been some nudging by members and the mods team to move away from the sniping and trolling since this mess started. We like to allow members to self moderate and work through grievances with one another if at all possible. It is usually only when it starts getting nasty and reports start rolling in that we take real action. First by placing a notice in the thread reminding members of the rules, if it continues it goes to a warning in the thread along with a PM to the offender/s, and then to mod action in the form of a suspension or a ban if needed. Moderators are alerted to a new reports submitted via software notifications. We do some research and discuss whether to take action or not based on the rules and terms of service set by our forum owner and predecessors. Each report on a member, is for the most part, looked at individually, but can be compounded if they are on the same post or subject matter, even from a different thread. Closed reports are documented in appropriate logs where necessary. Moderators and admin are volunteers. We work as quickly as we can to close reports out and take action where appropriate, all while managing our personal, professional and spiritual lives. We thank you all, kindly, for your cooperation.

It was locked by our admin, at his discretion, you will have to take that up with him.

The thread was locked because the "debate" devolved into trolling and insults being tossed about, resulting in suspension of two members. http://www.thedaobums.com/topic/42563-joeblast/?p=721537 He is suspended until Jan 6.