Aetherous

No, I'm referring to reincarnation or simply what happens after this human life. In Tibetan schools, they often recommend to view the entire world (of the five senses) as a magical display of awareness. As illusion. It's not their philosophy (well maybe it is in some schools) that life and the world is an illusion...but it is what they cultivate and practice! We require a historical figure to let us know that life is indeed real? Only if part of the teaching is to cultivate a sense that life is illusory. Only if we rely upon a mythological figure for wisdom, rather than (coincidentally, what the Buddha recommended, which is) our own experience. This is definitely not the belief of all schools of Buddhism... Also, do you really believe that, anamatva? I know you have been reading Ajahn Brahm's book...they don't teach the same kind of disappearing, but in that school of what could be considered original Buddhism, they say that once you're an Arahant, that's your last life. No more existence afterward, period. No mythological rewarding paradise. No doing what you want. Your selfhood is absolutely extinguished. I know Tibetan schools are different. Also, sorry, I'm going to duck out of the conversation...didn't mean to offend you personally or be a "smug Taoist" (even though I'm not a Taoist). I don't think we will learn or do anything beneficial here, based on the tone this has taken...

Although I think virtue and merit are similar, there is some truth to this. If you do it just to go through the motions in order to attain something, without becoming a better person from it, or without it being your natural response, then of course it's pointless and probably even more harmful than if you were to just be yourself. Funny...I was just checking out a Tibetan practice book last night. In the intro it said, "may limitless beings attain liberation from this practice". I was thinking, "How pointless is it to say that? Watch it not happen." Totally fake and unrealistic merit. Yup, once you really look at Tibetan Buddhism, you see how strange it is. Unfortunate, since it's experienced such a huge explosion in the West, and there are thousands of books on it! Prostrations I think are nice...sort of physical exercise and cultivating a sense of being humble. We all need that. But yeah, a lot of their traditions are off putting. Yup. Spot on. When a person becomes a Arhat or Buddha, that is their last life and when it's over, everyone else gets to reincarnate (if such a thing is true), whereas this guy simply is gone forever. That is the goal... No more "illusion", aka, LIFE. There is something to be said about the peace experienced in deep meditation. Something to be said about the fact that even the sense of self is bound for extinction, and is usually problematic. But yea, the very core of the path is messed up. Excellent post.

Nothing is being "offered" here...it's being sold for an amazingly high price. I have no need to argue with you or even continue in this topic, just saying, what a disgrace. As you were...

According to one of Mantak Chia's books...if you swallow your saliva incorrectly, it gets stuck in the esophagus and turns into phlegm. So the Taoists include a specific method for swallowing the saliva...part of it involves contracting your throat muscles in a certain way, and swallowing with a loud noise to ensure that all of the saliva passes down and doesn't get stuck in the throat. The method also helps relieve gas stored in the stomach...you may notice yourself burping more afterward. There are different versions of this, and I'm not sure what is the entirely correct method. It's said to be held secret. Edit: Adding...you could consider doing phlegm reducing Chinese medicine ideas. Also, I've read that in dao yin they work on eliminating fire in the heart and liver meridians to reduce phlegm.

I know someone will disagree with this, but IMO people like this shouldn't be allowed to come to this forum. 4 grand per person just for training for 10 days in very basic methods and what amounts to getting a healing done...that's 40,000 US dollars these people are making for 10 days of "work". What a ridiculous ripoff.

Have at it.

Thanks chi...actually, that is probably spot on. I took Myers Briggs quizzes in the past where I got INTJ. And just took an Enneagram quiz while researching this stuff, where I got 5w6 (then 2w1, 8w7 for the tritype). _/\_

Interesting... Just out of curiosity/personal discovery, what would you say that I am?

chi 2012, Interesting, I've never heard of that form of personality diagnosis before. You can do it off of facial features? My own "diagnosis"...I've only read a couple books... His ears stick out like dumbo, indicating that he has issues with being stubborn and not a good listener. Any negative aspect of this diagnosis can also not apply, if the person has discovered their issues in some way and consciously has worked on them. So maybe his natural tendency is to be a horrible listener, but someone one day got through to him that he only hears what he wants to hear, and he took it to heart, then changed his ways to make sure that he considers others before himself. So the form of diagnosis I learned is just regarding natural tendencies, not about their behavior absolutely. His eye bulge out like a wrathful deity, are angled downward toward the outside. I was told not to trust people with that type of downward angled eye, and also in the book it indicates (from memory) that the person really values and works hard for their family. The wide open eyes indicate that he shares his emotions outwardly...versus someone who has eyes that are closed (like the stereotypical idea of Chinese people's eye) tend to keep their emotions inside or not express themselves. Moreover, my personal view, his eyes look exhausted although he has spirit...seems to me that he overexerts himself, and doesn't have much sensitivity or balance. My view of this is also sort of confirmed, as he does a lot of p90x, and is involved with politics. Bulged out eyes, also just in my opinion, indicate a lack of inner wisdom...pretty common these days, especially in politics, though. He has a widows peak, the hair pointed down at the middle of the hairline. Forgot what this means exactly. His upper forehead is narrow due to his hair encroaching from the sides and above...indicating a lack of intuition and connection to spirit. Lines on forehead indicate leadership traits. His lips where the actual lip area is kind of inside of the mouth, sort of pursed, at least in this picture, mean something. I forgot what the book said exactly. To me, it looks like he's either taking things very seriously at the moment, or has diarrhea that day and is eagerly waiting to run to the men's room. So yeah, I don't know much, just some ideas...I don't claim that these are correct or that I know anything...I was hoping more knowledgeable facial diagnosis people could help out. He of course is a mix of good looks (not overweight), and some pretty strange facial features, as described above.

Just so we're clear, my post wasn't sarcasm or negative at all. I truly thought it was cool.

Ha!

Aaron, Thanks for sharing your story. Cool that you knew someone famous...even if he did seem to suck as a person.

Yes, I must not understand what you meant. Care to explain further? We're still talking about it, and (some of us) enjoying it in 2012. I don't hear the past when I listen to it, I hear the present. I have the same kind of experience with Led Zeppelin, and also consider some of their music to be timeless for the same reasons.

Also a musician...I'm with you on this idea of channeling creativity. It just flows out sometimes and we aren't even coming up with the stuff. I don't think it's an apparition, but it's fitting to call it "spirit". It is something like true honesty, shining through. Nirvana had spirit in most of their songs, and Kurt was considered by many to be a genius. One can be critical and say that because he was messed up and killed himself, that he must have been an idiot...but, man, that is primarily a reflection on you. None of us here knew the guy personally, or have even considered living in his shoes. I do not think that anything creative is destructive...Nirvana's music (and the 90s) seemed angry on the surface, but I don't think it actually was. It raises energy...makes us feel more alive. It was pure expression. Part of it has to do with pulling on our heart strings a bit...we feel something from their music. To call that something "anger" is, IMO, not being in touch with who you are as a human being! It opens your heart...or at least it does for me. Their music is timeless. So yeah I'm with you, de paradise.

http://www.isidewith.com/presidential-election-quiz Check it out. It has me looking into Jill Stein and the Green Party, and reconsidering my Ron Paul vote.

I haven't heard of her, either, until today...neither did a number of my USAian facebook friends. Such is the nature of the machine.

Marblehead, What do you think of her idea for using the National Guard as the only means of national defense (instead of homeland security, CIA, FBI, etc)? That's one thing which has me questioning the Green New Deal. When I was in, I saw the NG as barely competent to even perform successful weekend drills...we did fairly well overseas, but real national defense these days is something really involved.

When talking about whether you will keep rebirthing or not, consider the state of your mind... Do you think about the future (afterlife) or the past (how much this life has sucked)? Are you able to stop going back and forth, and just exist in the present moment only, for extended periods? Is your mind constantly chattering about this or that? Are you able to silence your mind, and exist in the silence of the present moment for extended periods? Are you attached to the 5 senses? Are you able to detach from the world, in meditation, for extended periods of present moment stillness devoid of the senses? Are you experiencing the results of negativity and not so virtuous living? Are you able to be absolutely virtuous, even in the face of negativity, so that your life flows smoothly and easily most of the time? Do you constantly battle with your self, and wish for an end to your self existence? Are you able to let the sense of self be as it is, and exist free of it; are you able to distinguish what you ultimately are and are not and live as such? The way I see things, you have to completely pacify the mind if you want any chance at ending rebirth (for those who believe in such things). The first step hasn't even been taken...after that it's still a long walk. Buddhists speak of 4 levels of enlightenment...at the final level, after this life you are absolutely gone. That is the only way "out", as far as I know. Phowa is opening the crown so the spirit can leave that way...but, wherever you go, there you are. It's not liberation. I think this is what they were referring to when they said Buddhists simply become yin ghosts after death. Taoist immortality is like making yourself into a stronger spirit. This also opens the crown like in Phowa. There is so much about Taoism and immortality that we don't know, or is at least for me, impossible to discuss. Buddhism on the other hand is well laid out...so many books on the subject.

Yea qigong can sometimes be good for connecting with others and opening up, or balancing us. My experience with Carnegie's book...back in the day I was in a college swimming class. Didn't know anyone, and everyone had this dull 'I don't want to be here' look...no one was talking, just sitting pretty much in silence next to the pool, waiting for class to start each morning. There was one really beautiful girl in the class, who I felt was out of my league. I've never been popular or outgoing even, not the most attractive guy in that class by far, have always been slightly overweight and now was shirtless...haha...so I wasn't going to even try to pick her up or anything. I never do that anyway. She could just stay on that pedestal, and I could appreciate her beauty from a distance as usual. So I used the principles in the book and just started opening people up. Started making conversation with a couple guys just to lighten the mood and practice the ideas in the book, see how people reacted to my possibly really weird behavior. Well, the beautiful girl one day left her friend as a swimming partner, and asked if she could be my partner, as a result. I didn't even talk to her specifically, or do anything, just addressed her as I did everyone else...just contemplated the ideas in that book and tried them out. Basically, it makes you into someone who is truly considerate of others, if you follow all of it. That's so rare in this world! I spent the entire semester flirting and having fun in the pool, even learning about this girl's private life a little bit...although it didn't work out with her after the class ended, it showed how awesome the book's ideas can be in regard to social situations. Anyway, not trying to convince you...just sharing a story.

Wow, that guy came away with an entirely different view of Carnegie and the book, than myself. I think it's just solid ideas, not requiring you to manipulate others or become someone you're not...you should check it out for yourself.

Read this book. Best way of dealing with people. In addition, when around other people or even in general, I suggest you practice keeping your mind absolutely quiet and calm. Forget about yourself entirely, and focus on things that you like. Let go of all thoughts about who those people are...it's all just perception, and not entirely true. Get to know these people...most of us keep our real lives quiet on a social level, and really only open up to close friends or family. So get closer.

You tell me!

The moment you dive into the dragon's mouth, you are destined to exit its ass.

The heat...maybe increased local metabolism...maybe easy to do in the intestinal tissue, or some special type of cells in the area, in comparison to other areas of the body. Maybe the heat is also related to digestion. By putting your mind in the area, blood flow is increased. Metabolism rises. It'd be cool if they actually studied the effects of consciousness on the physiology of the body, because it clearly has an effect, versus if you don't put your mind in an area. Could be NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis)...or non-shivering thermogenesis (caused by thyroid hormone and sympathetic nervous system). Could be brown fatty tissue. I'm sure they could figure it out if they had a reason to study it.