Aetherous

Yeah.

The practice is very strong at the beginning in terms of making movement happen, then it plateaus off, so that less progress seems to be made. Personally, it took a long time before I began running into any kind of emotional issues...so I don't actually view it as a quick-quick path, when compared to vipassana or some form of self enquiry. Red phoenix on the other hand is very quick for enlightenment purposes...it's like you bypass your blockages. It took about 6 months before the actual "energy" was apparent, because the alchemy had to take place. After that, I thought it was going really well...THEN I began to run into health issues. To the point where I'm unable to practice without getting negative effects. From my understanding, a person needs to be really healthy to be able to pass through this phase. Maybe at a time when I can devote a lot of myself towards staying super hydrated, eating mostly veggies, and consistently exercising and moving, I will take up the practice again and try to pass through that phase. That is - if it's actually a phase and not just the bad results of an incomplete practice. At this point I'm not sure which it is. It doesn't matter to me that I don't practice it, because the spiritual path is always happening regardless of whatever contrived outward thing you try to do. In fact, doing such things can be counterproductive. I didn't find the energy to be too weird...in fact it was very pleasurable. Very light and pure. What I found weird was that everyone who started this practice pretty much turned all egotistical. Very uptight personalities developed. Not in everyone, but in most. Maybe it was the fact that the energy was digging up their issues so they had to deal with them...but I haven't been seeing anyone really dealing with them in a good way. Cat mentioned KL and RP running on their own - I've never had that experience. I've had spontaneous and random energy experiences...for instance, KL makes me feel a certain kind of peacefulness and inwardness. RP is a slightly more intense sensation, and it also includes emptiness. Sometimes there were tingles/cool feelings of energy and also emptiness in the head at various areas. After a while, it was pretty easy to spontaneously move right away if I intended it to happen. But at least RP was always a contrived method...meaning that I had to try to do it instead of just letting it happen spontaneously and watching it occur. I don't understand when people say that RP would happen on its own. Just my experience or lack thereof. And the practices didn't make me less horny.

I read the book and wasn't impressed. He seemed to have caught a glimpse and then thought that it was full enlightenment. A lot of people have done that, and it doesn't make them special. It shouldn't allow them to act like know it alls, and waste people's time with zen master antics. Just my view.

All of this just to leave the world and seek liberation? It's starting to sound like liberation isn't the actual goal here, and it's more of a laziness thing. Why not just work a normal job, instead of conning people into giving you money for doing nothing? That way you will make money in an honest way with which you could buy land and build your retreat place. It'll probably be quicker and less troublesome, too.

Even if we'd get rescued right away, the lawyer's gotta go.

Have tried and discontinued (but the effects can never be discontinued)...yet I may return to it. I didn't put a vote because I can't find an answer which fits that well enough.

Sweet, thanks for sharing this. Apparently the guy founded the National Qigong Association. I will begin reading it.

a policeman - They may be useful in providing order, and may have some skills which could help us survive. Also will be a strong personality which most likely won't break down, and will be eager to do manual tasks. a shaolin monk - They will be strong and disciplined. They will be able to carry someone who has been injured, and "chop wood and carry water". a priest - They can (if it's a good priest) provide comfort to those who are losing hope. Religion doesn't matter in this situation...this person will have decent experience with people's issues, which will be essential. an old woman - May have some wisdom which could help everyone, and know how to make things and keep things tidy. My grandma is really good at knowing how to prepare and store food...a skill which my generation has no clue about. They will be surprisingly useful. a lawyer - Absolutely useless! We will throw them off the balloon! a famous actor - Hopefully they don't break down emotionally...otherwise they might make a very good leader for the people. They will be able to at least act like they're in control. a nurse - Definite keeper...will know some tricks of how to take care of others. a thief - Useful person all around. They will be the most resourceful and unorthodox...which is great. an english teacher - Will have read a lot of books, and learned a lot in the process. It's not useless to spend your days reading fiction...it provides a view into someone else's world. They will be wise and be able to think outside of the collective box. a hooker - Good for morale. Keeper.

They're all just different tools. Think of it like gardening. If you're a good practitioner, you won't use a wheelbarrow to dig a hole in the ground. You use a shovel of some type. You don't use manure to water the plants. So different practices have different effects. For health, for 'no self', for strange experiences, for peacefulness or bliss, etc. Depending on what you need, you hopefully pick an according practice. If you want health, and you pick a practice which is for strange experiences, be prepared to be disappointed. Many practices claim many things, but the true effects are seen by your own practice of them. What I've found is that most often, spiritual practices don't have anything to do with healthiness.

Today I was in class, and subtly practicing...when all of a sudden the girl next to me began to bounce up and down, then suddenly she started to disappear starting at the neck and expanding up and down and out! It only lasted about 20 seconds. Everyone jumped back, and STILL no one knows what exactly that was all about. Needless to say everyone was weirded out the rest of the day...especially the girl. I'm just kind of confused. Why is it that I practice constantly, yet don't achieve that level?

Nice.

Nice post, Lin.

I'm of the opinion that if you want to meditate all day, you should be free to do so...even if it's just an attempt to escape reality, and even if it means meditation won't be fruitful...or whatever else. It's about making a choice and just doing it, and seeing how things change. I think going the hermit route would be best. Pretty much anywhere you go has people with all of their quirks...a monastery or something similar would just have the same old stuff. Someone wanting you to get out of meditation to ring a bell, or make food, or whatever. So doing it totally on your own in the wild is best. Then it all comes down to how efficient you are at keeping yourself alive. Like: it'd be a good idea to make a garden that will support you, and have a back up plan for if animals eat all of your food or something. Or: you probably want a shelter that won't be destroyed by the weather, and will keep you warm in the cold months at night. So a lot of preparation would have to go into it. Whatever you do, good luck.

This is so easy...how didn't I find this before? One day I looked for like a whole hour trying to figure out how to change that.

Thanks man...that makes me feel better.

Dude, I had to do it. This is the Tao Bums and no one did anything all day? Too bad I'm not creative enough for it to have been a really good one...if I was Yoda or Sean I would've been like, "The forum is being shut down tomorrow."

Pretty bad quote.

I'm not a teacher, but if I were, I'd make it my goal to inspire the students, instead of simply teaching them things. Learning has everything to do with caring about the material, and little to do with memorizing it or simply doing it. There should be reasons for why the students are learning the 8 energies, etc...and the students should for whatever reason care about those reasons. Everyone has individual goals...some want to get in shape, some want to be peaceful, some want to study the greatest martial art of all time, etc. If these people don't feel like they're going to reach those goals, then it won't be interesting to them.

Too much here is said too strongly. There are many exceptions to the rule. I think a true student/teacher dynamic comes from a mutual respect for the teaching, and has little to do with money or karmic debts. I respect teachers who support themselves with regular jobs.

There's not much to elaborate on. Max will not be doing seminars, and will move to a private place where he'll teach more serious students...at least that's what was posted by him on the kunlun forum. I'd copy the message and post it here, but it includes information about other people, so it's kind of private. I'll leave that up to Chris (Mantra68) if he wants to do that...since I'm not actually the Kunlun spokesperson, but just someone passing on info.

Oh.

Exactly.

And yet you are posting in a spirituality forum, and not a forum about your day jobs. Why is that?

There's not a level 2 book...just the one. Max left a message on the kunlun forum saying he's not going to be teaching publicly after December of this year due to various ego issues.