Fa Xin

Nice post spotless. also it's important to be said that the mind still functions - even better - once you let the mind loops stop running the show. Sometimes people will have great fear before letting these go. In my experience, the fear was regarding not being able to access any of my old memories or information that I may need. There was fear that they would disappear completely. They did not. that being said, you must be willing to lose it, in the end.

Hi Cosmic, Yes that's correct :-) I learned the Condensed form in person, but I'm sure learning it via Skype would be just as good in regards to transmitted information

"Black mirror" on netflix very thought provoking and slightly disturbing. Each episode is its own story. Although maybe dont start with ep 1 seas 1 ... :-)

Going to give this one a go today. Thanks for this

Hi cosmic soldier, yes i practice all the forms

You can check out Pangu shengong. It has a mail correspondence course available, and relieved me of a skin condition in 7 months with regular practice (I'm not sure if it was eczema or psoriasis, but I couldn't cure it with dietary changes or lotions etc. it mainly centered around my mustache area, around my nose and eyebrows. ) another one to check out is spring forest. They do dvds and have an easy yet powerful method.

So if a practice makes you super relaxed or super focused you can attain Jhanas. so why does that make my statement not true. People from all traditions (or no traditions or practices) attain realizations. No one has a copywrite on awakening, and it's not limited to anything.

No it hasn't done that for me personally.

I will try to answer this question as best as I can. Jhana will not come from a particular practice, but it CAN come through all practices. Qigong is good for erasing old patterns of ego, and it is great for quieting the mind. If you've studied any kind of Advaita, Buddhism, etc ... you know that the illusion must be seen through, which qigong can surely help with. I will not say that PGSG will bring an awakening, though. That's a huge statement, and I really can't make it for anything or anyone, because YMMV. I will say that PGSG seems to focus on developing one's character, developing one's health, clarity of mind, and overall well being. the well being/health/peace of mind is almost guaranteed, so they try to keep things in perspective and honest. i can appreciate this. lofty claims of enlightenment would've scared me off before i started. However with ANY practice, PGSG included, the trick (also the trick in "awakening") is to reside in the present, relax and let things flow. Everything already is, and will be...without trying! Hope this helps FX

Good to hear your doing well. Just remember to ground yourself. It's important as I'm sure your aware, but even more important when actively working with spirits.

I agree - the most important thing is finding what you enjoy doing! It won't last if practice becomes a chore. That being said, PGSG is a very simple practice: the movements and visualizations are easy to learn, and it has almost no restrictions/rules... your main focus is to relax into the form. The "energy" of the form does most of the work for you. It would be one of the best forms to learn long distance. Another thing worth mentioning is when you do actually learn from an in-person teacher, it is only ONE class. After that ONE class, you've got the form down (that's how simple it is.) It's up to you to explore it, practice it and come to your own conclusions regarding it. FX

Clipping our fingernails is also perfect

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I also found exploring some of the mantras, their meanings, deepened other aspects of my practice. For instance, researching the mani mantra lead me to the great books of Dilgo Khentsye Rinpoche and helped me to understand compassion. Searching YouTube for "om nama shivaya" lead me to listening to Krishna Das, which lead me to Ram Das. Which then lead me to my next "hit", the next teaching, the next book. the practice seems to deepen on its own if you let it take you where it will.

Searching this forum for a good qigong set to compliment my martial arts, I discovered my qigong teacher/system that Has benefitted me greatly. Also I've networked with people and made connections which is awesome. I feel many "seekers" on here have very small if any communities to share insights with (irl)

Yellow emperors classic of medicine is a good start.

"pushing hands" directed by ang lee.

for me emptiness was just a theory, until it wasn't. One thing that helps is to accept everything as being ok... without the need to change anything. This helps to release things that are blocking "emptiness"

Awesome

Right now I just sit in the moment and be. So no particular technique. who knows what I'll do in the future.

Unless of course they're the same thing There are many saints who did not claim any religious identity, yet members of the religions claimed they were in order to gain converts.

I'd say whatever method resonates with you. If if I tell you, "mantra creates stronger concentration", but you dislike doing the practice, you won't concentrate on it. I used to switch it up. Mantra for a few months, breath or vipassana for a year, back to mantras. Whatever I was passionate about got my focus.

I didn't catch that at first Brian! I never thought about it in add/subtract terms. Very cool. i used to work at a pre press department. Some of our customers would send their files in RGB. It was always a nuisance, we would be forced to convert and change all black text from a mix of 4 color to 100% black.

Sure I'll PM you with links.

Don't forget about black. RGBs only good for digital. For printing you need cmyk.