Earl Grey

Are you volunteering, good sir?

Not uncommon for people to learn higher insights through dreams--Chen Tuan received Liuhebafa through that. Good work! This is a mark of great progress in your practice!

They remind me of a lot of today's populist leaders.

Four different teachers of mine, four different opinions on it based on their practice. My Tai Chi/Neigong under Hairston/Randolph lineage says celibacy and orgasms do not drain your energy if you practice properly--all you are doing is changing the vibrational aspect of your practice. Nothing is lost or created because all energy is transformed/transmuted, according to the law of thermodynamics, stating that energy can neither be created nor destroyed. My Flying Phoenix lineage under Dunn says we do not worry about the loss of energy because it is a unique energy, but when practicing TTP, we lose cultivation from excess sexual release. My Xin Yi lineage under Rodriguez says that you can break the rules from time to time, but upon age 60, you will need to limit ejaculating sperm to be once a week as it will tire you out or make your back hurt. My lineages (plural) under Dolic says that depending on age, how many orgasms you have can vary, but generally doing it in excess drains the well, whereas doing none at all without proper cultivation makes the well run stagnant. My answer: it all depends on the system you practice.

https://www.npr.org/2019/09/13/760538254/greta-thunberg-to-u-s-you-have-a-moral-responsibility-on-climate-change

Turtles also breathe through their anus.

The best resource is Thomas Ashley-Farrand's books and course on mantra, which I am studying as well to become an instructor in the practice.

The five year-old summary: Baby Earl in other thread was playing with everyone else in the sandbox talking about watching cartoons, and especially this cool cartoon Baby Taomeow brought, “Nu Pogodi!” and how they think some cartoons aren't so great. Baby Mouse comes and starts saying people like Baby Earl are saying silly things about the cartoon. Baby Earl says some people like silly things like the cartoon but there are better things he likes more than that cartoon, like the cool things games his teacher showed him. Baby Mouse says people shouldn’t say silly things about cartoons because people like him love cartoons and that teachers are scawy and vewy bad. Baby Earl said it’s okay to like cartoons and also teacher’s games. Baby Mouse keeps saying Baby Earl is saying cartoons are bad. But that isn't what Baby Earl said. Baby Mouse writes Baby Earl’s name on the chalkboard and says “PLAY WIF ME EARL!” and all the adults before would have said that's a no-no. Baby Earl goes to play because Baby Earl thinks Baby Mouse is having a terrible, horrible, no good vewy bad day, especially because all his fwends are gone and he’s scawed to pway here. Baby Earl wants Baby Mouse to pway wif e’rryone. Baby Mouse says Baby Earl and everyone are saying his favorite cartoon is Schoolhouse Rocks and nobody likes him because they just wanna watch and play Power Rangers, which is sooooo stoooopid. Baby Earl says he doesn’t have a problem with Schoolhouse Rocks, he just likes other tv shows more but has fun in his class. But Baby Earl was just talking about cartoons in general, not Schoolhouse Rocks. Baby Mouse says Baby Earl is no fair for hating Schoolhouse Rocks. He likes Schoolhouse Rocks. Baby Earl says he wasn’t saying Schoolhouse Rocks sucks, he just didn’t think it was that great and doesn’t like some cartoons. Baby Earl thought Baby Mouse wanted to play and talk about different cartoons, but Baby Mouse wants to cry about Schoolhouse Rocks. Baby Luke comes and says some cartoons like Schoolhouse Rocks are okay but he also likes the games he learned from his teacher and likes Muppet Babies even. Baby Mouse said Baby Luke can’t play because he’s a meanie and erry’one else is too. Baby Earl says Baby Luke can play because it’s a sandbox and Baby Mouse keeps saying nobody wants to play with him. Besides, Baby Earl thinks Baby Luke is cool and says Baby Luke is nice to everyone. Baby Mouse keeps saying Baby Earl doesn’t like Schoolhouse Rocks and everyone else hates it. Baby Earl says he wasn’t even talking about Schoolhouse Rocks because he was just talking about cartoons in general and the games he learned from his teacher. Baby Earl says some poor kids don’t have cable, some kids can’t wake up to watch cartoons on Saturday because they gotta go to their parents’ store, and some kids don’t even have a TV. But it’s okay to like cartoons as he likes some too. Baby Mouse says Baby Earl just doesn’t like Schoolhouse Rocks and is saying the same thing other meanies say about why Schoolhouse Rocks is bad because it’s just a cartoon. Baby Earl says HE LIKES SOME CARTOONS, just not all and has no problem if Baby Mouse likes Schoolhouse Rocks. Baby Earl says some people just don’t have TV or can’t watch it or don’t like cartoons. Some people don't understand it because they don't speak Engrish. Baby Mouse says if people don’t like cartoons then they don’t like Schoolhouse Rocks and he and his friends think nobody likes Schoolhouse Rocks. Baby Earl keeps asking if he knows some kids don’t have cable or even a TV, and whose house he has gone to, Baby Mouse doesn’t answer. Baby Mouse just keeps talking about Schoolhouse Rocks. Baby Zork tells him Schoolhouse Rocks is okay too but Baby Mouse only actually has the first three tapes and they never made more tapes. Baby Zork also says Baby Mouse is trying to get everyone to say they don’t like Baby Mouse or his friends because they don’t like Schoolhouse Rocks. Baby Earl gets fed up and decides to stop playing with Baby Mouse because Baby Mouse keeps talking about Schoolhouse Rocks and Baby Earl only came to play with him and talk about cartoons in general and games he likes to play. Baby Earl then says people don’t think Baby Mouse and his friends are bad because of Schoolhouse Rocks, but because Baby Mouse is acting like a poopie head. Baby Mouse is being a poopie head and draws a picture of Baby Mouse as a poopie head because he keeps saying people hate Schoolhouse Rocks even though Baby Earl never brought it up and Baby Earl even has no problem with Schoolhouse Rocks, he just doesn’t like all cartoons, only some. Baby Mouse still doesn't think he's being annoying or a poopie head and gets mad that Baby Earl called him a poopie head. Baby Mouse keeps talking about Schoolhouse Rocks and how everyone hates it. Everyone asks him why he is talking about Schoolhouse Rocks. Baby Mouse says stop saying Schoolhouse Rocks sucks. Baby Earl doesn’t want to play anymore because he doesn’t like this game. Baby Mouse says he won the game and Baby Earl lost the Schoolhouse Rocks game. Baby Earl didn’t even know he was playing Baby Mouse’s game or arguing, he just wanted to play with Baby Mouse since he thought Baby Mouse was having a terrible, horrible, no good vewwy bad day. He doesn’t want to pway wif Baby Mouse anymore. Baby Mouse still won't answer any of the questions about countries or languages. Baby Earl said that Baby Mouse owed him an appy-lolly-golly on page 2 because Baby Mouse accused Baby Earl of saying things he didn't say and then refused to take it back or listen to what Baby Earl said. Baby Mouse continues to say nobody will play with him or his friends and everyone hates Schoolhouse Rocks. Everyone else wonders what ever happened to “Nu Pogodi!” and the original conversation about cartoons. Baby Earl is now going back to bed because he only got up because Principal Sean asked him to say what’s wrong. Everyone else can play with Baby Mouse now or Baby Mouse can just play with himself.

Ooga-chaka ooga-chaka, ooga, ooga, ooga-chaka I can’t stop this feeling...

Taoists are more interested in Fred Flintstone and his natural physique and life compared to George Jetson and his 31st century dependence on toys and technology anyway. Oonga Boonga!

This conversation was never about Mo Pai in the other thread nor was it in the beginning of this thread as far as I am concerned. It is my concern because he originally called this thread “For Earl Grey” and in my own interest I was focused on the general topic of learning from video. Several times already I said we’re not talking about Mo Pai but he instead insists on redirecting the subject back to Mo Pai, even without naming it. So he wants to talk about Mo Pai, okay. Yet he doesn’t feel safe talking about it here. Okay. Yet he brings it up in unrelated matters because he sees the general topic being too close to an older argument used against him, even if that particular argument about Mo Pai wasn’t even happening between us, nor was the conversation about Mo Pai. It was about learning from videos, and he seems to think I said one can’t learn from videos even though I never said that, nor am I even referring to his system. I reply specifically to you because I already added him to my ignored users list due to how he’s refused to answer direct questions about what languages he speaks or what countries he has visited or if he is able to consider learning styles, learning disabilities, as opposed to him saying anyone can learn from videos unless they are distracted or unmotivated—especially when those who are extremely motivated still struggle, just as i have seen people get multiple tutors and extra help from departments because they struggle to learn due to their deficiencies that prevent them from learning at pace. Immigrants and refugees come to mind, as do trauma survivors recovering their mental faculties. So far he has not and at this point I am absolutely certain he will not answer any direct questions (and I wonder why even for non-Mo Pai-related queries), nor will he be able to continue without changing the focus back to his victim narrative and his insufferable narrative. I have already identified every place he has not only been completely in the wrong, but how he violated user policies here, and still refuses to give an apology. At this point this thread should be locked because it is the same nonsense yet again and he will likely say this is proof of the forum oppressing him and his group. I also believe he should never have a PPJ because he won’t be using it in the spirit of good will but to instead log perceived oppression. And if he is so unhappy here, I really don’t see any reason he should stay here because nobody wants to talk about Mo Pai due to how draining it is and the perpetual Groundhog’s Day loop we exist in whenever the topic appears. He has his own forum with like-minded people, and initially with his earlier interactions he seemed like he had some other interests to discuss like on leftist ideas. Unfortunately he chooses not to and is in his own words, “looking for like-minded individuals” and defending himself against perceived attacks. I still haven’t seen any attacks nor have I in any manner attacked his system or his group. Yet in spite of it all, I still welcome him and the rest of them here if they are able to avoid bringing up Mo Pai just like they want us to never bring it up. So far, it has proven easier for us to avoid it and far more difficult for him to keep his mouth shut about it, and the real issue is, he’s insufferable and refuses to follow the rules, acting incredibly sensitive because an innocuous and unrelated statement set him off and brought him back to old arguments like a soldier back from ‘Nam sees flashbacks with every little thing. He demands the ridiculous double-standard of not apologizing for what he’s done that is objectively wrong and yet demands we on this forum walk around eggshells for him due to how oppressed he feels. Perhaps the best thing to do is to show him the door and welcome him back if he’s ready to to reciprocate and play nice. Based on his attitude and self-assured smugness, I don’t see that happening and so a more convenient approach is best left to Sean or whomever is moderating in the future.

Yes we have worked with this before too but until I have a clearer picture I am just chiming in and saying that yes you can do Zhan Zhuang even with those issues as in our school we’ve healed joint issues from adjusted and correct practice. A lot of people just picked up a book or looked on YouTube so that’s why I’m chiming in to check. Some people say it’s bad for your knees but if it is then often their stance is wrong.

The question is also if your Zhan Zhuang is correct in practice and whom you learned it from because I’ve seen students with this problem before who needed correction and adjustments.

I do not use slack and do not want to use it. I would have liked the old chat more.

Are you undressing me with your eye? 😳 😱 🤣

Lots of bugs hate lavender too, so...

“This one time at band camp...”

Korean jjim jil bang are fantastic. The wooden pillows also make more sense if you find people bringing them into the different bangs (rooms) to relax on that allowed them to handle the absorption in those rooms.

My personal record is only two hours nonstop, but in general I stand two times a day an hour or so each, plus 2-5 minutes in big basin training. When I don’t do forms after, I do feel stagnation and blockage of energy. I also read about compressing in Tai Chi Classics (mandatory from my Tai Chi teacher Eric Randolph), but that’s not how we do it. EDIT: I am no longer associated with Eric Randolph As for Diepersloot, I have never heard of that author, but you can see our lineage at www.xinyimeditation.com to see how ours developed and who the key personalities are. Usually from looking at someone’s stances can I tell how close they are to us because I’ve seen schools who do an entirely different set of eight postures than us. At that point we can only really tell after tuishou because we don’t hold the form or style sacred, we just look for power, rooting, and skill. At your level of development I would have more to learn from you as I am not as developed in Tai Chi even if I studied it longer than Xin Yi but I developed Xin Yi better. If I’m in Chicago let’s go touch hands.

I do not doubt your skill or understanding of Zhan Zhuang but we do things a little differently in Xin Yi as we focus on body rewiring rather than qi. Master David’s record was five hours. In order to not get the energy stuck we do form that’s usually either Yang or Liuhebafa for the energy to go somewhere, otherwise it’s like overcharging the battery in a laptop. Muscle compressing happens with rewiring and awareness but I don’t know how it’s done in Temple style as the way I learned Zhan Zhuang is very different amongst my teachers who come from Tai Chi and Bagua as well, and my focus is from the Xin Yi lineage more (mostly Yi Quan).

I really don't want to say more than necessary at this point because I honestly still have no problem with their group or their system. The philosophy "stay in your own lane" works wonders here, as he can say and think what he wants about my practice, but it doesn't make my practice fake with what I've accomplished in terms of health, meditation, and martially against opponents, even grapplers and boxers. They can be here on the forum if they want and have the moratorium they desire, but if they expect us not to talk about Mo Pai, then likewise: we ask them not to bring it up themselves. Even alluding to it unsubtly counts. Oddly enough, this started out with just a simple discussion on the limitations of learning from video, and as seen earlier, he said that my reasoning was a common argument used against the practice of his system--but I did not mention or allude to his system, he did and continued to go back to it when I told him that wasn't what I was referring to at all No need to repeat my points and quote myself for examples--anyone who read the first three pages can see already, and I also specified that I have qualms with MildMouse23 as an individual, not his group or his practice. As he refuses to give an apology or stand down, let alone consider how others may feel instead of his own narcissistic solipsistic world view, then I wash my hands of any angst he invites upon himself and take a back seat from any further comments here--unless he continues to provoke and directly antagonize me. By the way: to those of you in the northern hemisphere, it is technically still the Summer of Love all over again.

Sigh, here we go again. I think this link here is useful on the four control dramas: Even more detailed from the site: A Deeper Look At The Interrogator Control Drama More aggressive personality is the Interrogator “Control Drama.” You know when you run into this style of manipulation because you suddenly feel criticized, and begin to monitor your actions so that you feel less vulnerable. Usually, the person playing such a game has learned to put someone down (sometimes under the disguise of being helpful) to seize control of the relationship. Subtle criticizing forces the other person to lose confidence, and begin to look at themselves through the eyes of the Interrogator, and so, giving them power and energy. Manipulative comments by an Interrogator could be about appearance: “Don’t you feel a bit under-dressed at this occasion.” Or behavior: “I can’t believe you said that.” Or intelligence: “You really aren’t smart enough to compete in that job.” It could be any manner of criticism. Ultimately, it is all about throwing the other person off balance so they will defer leadership in the relationship to the Interrogator. Again, this moves all the energy of the larger joined mind of the two, and all the good feelings and security it produces, into the consciousness of the perpetrator. To the victim, it feels like an immediate diminishment and a loss of well-being. How do you transcend this Interrogator game and bring the sharing of the joined mind into balance? Do not shout, or run away. Stay connected and do not use another “Control Drama.” Name the game by authentically expressing exactly how you are feeling, “Every time I’m around you, I feel criticized.” This will immediately collapse the manipulation as the Interrogator has to move toward authenticity and deal with your feelings. The first response you will probably hear is that you are wrong. Hold fast to your beliefs, and maintain your new-found strength. The goal here, as before, is to not become an Interrogator or an Aloof yourself, nor to try moving all the energy over to yourself in order to deflate the person. Even if the Interrogator never admits the game, your remark will stay with the person. And if others follow your example and expose the manipulation at other times, the person will, hopefully, get it then. If after discussing the situation openly, you find you were wrong, perhaps too sensitive, or the comments from the other were not a game at all but were actually meant to be helpful, then you have done what was necessary to bring your relationship into authentic truth and growth. A Deeper Look At The Aloof Control Drama The Aloof “Control Drama” is less passive than the Poor Me Control Drama, yet still tries to lure you into connection by acting distant and unreadable. They want you to connect with them, but they only partially connect themselves, while withholding information. Acting this way leads you into the pursuit of more knowledge about whom they are and what they are doing. When you do investigate and engage more of a connection, they respond with obscure facts released with a certain air of mystification. They also might imply that they know secrets no one else knows, and even that these secrets reveal something that the pursuing person desperately needs to know. This pushes you to further your inquiries. Their effort is to get your attention solely on them and for you to subconsciously allow them to have control of the relationship. Thus giving them the uplifting energy of your connection. The victim of this tactic, in turn, feels depleted. Some of the interactions with an Aloof person can be quite amusing. They are continually withdrawn, as the victim questions and stresses to get the Aloof to open up. One might ask, “What did you do last night,” and only receive a brief, cryptic answer. They might say, “I had a meeting with someone and came home late,” giving no details. Asking a follow-up question yields an equally distant reply. How can you tell whether the person you are interacting with is playing the Aloof game or just doesn’t want to open up to you? Give up, walk off briefly, or just be silent. The Aloof person, who is actively pursuing the energy of the joint mind, will want to keep your connection. They will tend to give just a little more info to keep you interested, something such as, “It was a very successful meeting actually.” When you inquire more about that, they will seize control and go vague again. What to do to break the Aloof game? Again, express precisely how you feel about this interaction. Say something such as, “Every time I try to get to know you or really share your life, I feel like I can never get a straight answer.” In this way, you have “named the game.” Just make sure you remain authentic to yourself, and don’t slip into your own “Control Drama” such as “the Interrogator,” which is the natural partner game to the Aloof. A Deeper Look At The Poor Me Control Drama This is the most passive of all the “Control Dramas.” This style is designed to get the other person to feel sorry for them using this indifferent manipulation. This lures them in to connect or reconnect with them in sympathy, which shifts the energy of the jointly connected minds to their control. Here is how it works: the drama is designed to make you feel like you did something wrong, and were not “there” for them in a time of need. They may say something such as, “You were not there for me when all these bad things were happening.” Or more boldly, “After all I have done for you, you let me down like this.” This suddenly throws you off balance and brings your attention and connection back to them, as you consider whether what they are saying is true. When the game fully works, you connect deeply with them, trying to make amends. When this happens, they feel good but you, in turn, feel drained or weakened. This is because they have seized control of the joint mind the two of you have created, moving you into a kind of voluntary deferral to their dominance. You know that this is a game because even if you think they might have a point and you try to comfort them, they never quite interact authentically. They always carry the air of one wronged. No matter how attentive you are, they want more, and they often repeat the game by naming some other guilt-inducing accusation at you. How do you end the “Poor Me” game? The solution is simple, though sometimes difficult. Dr. Eric Bern, in his famous book “The Games People Play,” advised a simple solution where you do not angrily fight back or leave, but instead help them break out of their game. You “name the game.” In fact, naming the game is exactly what you have to do to stop any of the other “Control Dramas” as well. One person cannot play games successfully, unless the other person who is being manipulated plays along, to some extent. Usually, this happens when they are not honest about what they feel, or often using a counter game of their own. By naming the game, you bring the interaction back to authenticity by honestly revealing what you feel. Plainly say something such as, “Sometimes I feel you try to make me feel guilty in order to control me.” What you are saying is the truth as you know it, and the truth always sets you, and the other person, free. Now they might argue with you, or guilt trip you a little more, but stick to your guns. Say, “I am just telling you how I feel.” Pose it in that way because it might be possible you are wrong. They are reacting rational to the situation, and everything they say is true. If that is the case, then that truth will also emerge once the conversation becomes authentic. Another principle to employ in breaking the game, while also moving the interaction into a more genuine state, is to not use what you are saying to seize the connection back under your dominance. In fact, make sure that you speak to them with the assumption that they are rising into their own Divine Connection. In this way, they will be more likely to feel a greater increase in energy and will be less dependent on yours. Lastly, keep the conversation honest by sharing your own “Control Drama” tendencies with them.

Tension is created from any of those exercises. Zhan Zhuang is crucial for compressing the muscles, redistribution of power equally through the body, and draining lactic acid while increasing bone density. You will find it much easier later on to the point tension won’t even build up if you do a lot of Zhan Zhuang.

Link to the PPJ thread.