Vajra Fist

I've been rereading the Malazan books. Top notch gritty, epic fantasy for fans of Game of Thrones. Also finished watching Mr Robot recently. I think that's one of the best shows on Prime at the moment. Edit: Also one thing that I can't do normally because of my work commute which I'm really looking forward to, is completing the Ultimate Yogi challenge https://theultimateyogi.com It's between 1-1.5 hrs of yoga every day for 108 days straight. I've tried it a few times but always had to miss a day or two for work then ended up giving it up. I'm going to complete it this time and do my old bones and flabby arse a favour. I'll come out of this lockdown looking like a super stretchy Adonis.

I can't find the exact quote in the original thread but I think he said something along the lines that cultivation through qigong is the path of energy, and it is a separate path with little or no crossover to the one he followed. That was fascinating for me.

-Apologises to the universe for being sexually attracted to women; posts profile pictures of adult cam model (according to reverse image search).

God! I forgot all about V-origin. This sounds exactly the same, you're right!

Edited. Apologies folks for the vitriol. It's been a stressful week. Best wishes to you all.

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This is basically just Cummings and his "behavioural weirdos"

Their thinking is that whether they quarantine people or not, the majority of people will eventually get it. Rather than keeping the numbers artificially low and then having to eventually lift quarantine, leading to a sudden rush of cases that overwhelms health services, they hope there will be a gradual curve where almost everyone gets it, but not all at once. This is why Boris told people yesterday that they should expect loved ones to die. Of course for now it looks like they're doing nothing, but this is the advice of the chief medical officer. It is contrary to the advice of the WHO and of all the other countries in Europe. Personally it feels like fatalism and an awful gamble they're playing with people's lives.

Didn't he get enlightened after spending a couple of years at a Thai forest theravadan monastery? I think a lot of what he's described as his method is more like the result of practice.

I use the Insight Timer app and I think a few other bums do too. It has some options from silence to white noise to chimes. Personally I really like the sound of a flowing river.

His account of his enlightenment is probably the best thing I've ever read here. What an epic thread that was.

I've come across many, many qigong and tantric practices over the years, hundreds. And none of them compare with this simple practice of mindfulness of breathing. The present moment is where you will encounter the true nature of reality, with a relaxed but present awareness. It was after all the method of enlightenment of sakyamuni and millions of his students over the millennia.

If you believe that is possible, then I would strongly urge you to go to a monastery with all sincerity and willingness to learn. Empty your cup and be willing to spend years learning the basics. High level monks as you describe who may or may not have these siddhis have spent decades in their practice, and all of them without exception have learned at the feet of masters. You will get yourself into serious trouble by trying to pursue these final states on your own, either madness or possession. My suggestion still holds, learn to live with awareness of the here and now rather than in your thoughts. Everything comes from that.

I would advise you, as someone who has your best interests at heart, to not get too carried away reading about these things. The real high level states are more mundane than you might realise. To be able to sit on a park bench and listen to birdsong, to feel the wind against your skin and the grass beneath your feet. To be in the present moment and not be distracted by wild thoughts or intense pursuits for magical states, that is where the goal of the practice should lie.

The only thing that keeps people trapped in samsara is their own past karma and the karma they create through their actions every day. Better not to seek outside of yourself barriers to growth which are after all within your own control.

Why does it all come back to money?

In the space between dreaming and waking this morning, part of a poem I had read a long time ago, which had lodged itself in my subconscious, came back to me. It just kept repeating over and over, and each time seemed to be imbued with a deeper meaning. Think you guys might appreciate it: On either shore the gibbons' chatter sounded without pause While my light boat skimmed past ten thousand sombre crags. - Li Po Any old Chinese poems that speak of cultivation that stuck out for you guys?

I've been told to look after my lungs, apparently. Worrying with coronavirus floating around. Have been doing lots of breathing exercises!

Thanks for this. I'm a wood rat, do I count as a lesser rat in this case?

My advice is to neither deny yourself nor make it your main object of focus. Just take it very lightly.

I think this is partly due to how Doo Wai himself was seen to have treated these arts. Sifu Terry has tried to restore some gravitas to the part of the system he inherited. But that's something of a rarity in terms of the BFP community, which is frankly a bit of a dog's dinner.

Do you mind saying which one? I've got a few Doo Wai dvds in my collection

100% agree with this. Whether it's the coronavirus, nuclear war or simply being hit by a car on the street, circumstances outside of my control can end my life at any moment. The thing that matters most to me in this life is being at peace with the inevitability of death. To die well and with equanimity is one of the greatest achievements I hope to have one day in my cultivation.

As a journalist, this amount of unproven speculation masquerading as fact really makes my head spin. But I do agree that there are things that don't add up and warrant some investigation.

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