Easternmost Frontier

I've been thinking a lot about this lately as I slowly, slowly re-engage with my own practice after a period of illness. I'm starting to think we're overcomplicating things. I've practiced and read about a great many systems of meditation and energy cultivation--which seem to grow increasingly complex the further I get into them--and they may be losing the plot, as it were. Simple "sitting and forgetting" and a more active component (Tai Chi, Qigong, Yoga, etc) are helping me regain ground faster than any of the more complicated systems. So maybe we should just return to basics? It's a thought, and I'd love to hear yours.

. . . strictly amateur, of course. Michael Phelps current holds more Olympic Golds than most nations who have participated in the modern games. More specifically, he has more Golds than 89.9% of the nations who have ever been part of the summer games. That's impressive. More impressive is the comparison of the cumulative totals. Phelps holds more Gold Medals than the cumulative total held by 69.9% of competing nations. That's absurd.

One of my projects for this year was to do more active good in the world. I'm currently working with a community garden and I spend my nights and weekends rebuilding computers for underprivileged kids. Having read y'all's post, I imagine some of the rest of you are doing similar things. Please tell me about them here.

It's a beautiful morning in my corner of the world. It rained last night and my garden is flourishing. I'm watching plants grow, the sun rise, and wondering if we'll get more rain this afternoon. I'm also drinking green tea. I assure you it's medicinal. Tea and other small things often figure into spiritual life. So what are you drinking/what's sustaining you in your world today?

I'm in the process of changing my life around a bit, and I'm curious about how your spiritual path reflects your physical home/dwelling space. How do you incorporate your ideas and ideals into your home's organization and decor? I'm open to any and all ideas. Thank you all.

I think that sometimes making life a bit more pleasurable is all a thing needs to do.

My understanding is that the word "tulpa" carries a lot of different meanings and connotations. Tibetan Buddhism seems to use it as a teaching tool, e.g. the tulpa as the "thought body" created by a contemplative life. Later sources start to use the term to describe a "thought being"--i.e. something created by thought, intention, or focus. By later I mean 20th century, at least according to my understanding. New Age and later pop cultures ran with the idea and turned it into a paranormal manifestation like a ghost or a poltergeist. There's a fun episode of the X-Files about that, if you've got NetFlix. While I'm unfamiliar with any Daoist use of the term, I can certainly see how it might be applied.

Hello all! I've read this forum on and off for a while, but now I'm starting a new stretch of the trail and it's time to engage a little more actively. I'm 30-something, living in the Southeastern USA. I read widely, grow most of my own food, drink a lot of craft beer and good bourbon, work at home, play too much chess, and a few other things. I'm focusing right now on my own development, and I'm hoping what I learn here will help me do so. It's nice to meet all of you!