searcher7977

I don't have access to nutritionists, but I have quite a lot of books. I have 5 books on my shelf, whose authors are doctors with active practices, that would agree with me: Dr. Steven Gundry, Dr. William Yi, Dr. Michael Ruscio, Dr. Michael Greger, Dr. Terry Wahls, all renowned in their field. All have quite a lot of sources backing them up. Additionally, there is William Bodri and Vasant Lad, also well-regarded. I don't quite know why you think I listen to witch doctors on youtube, I didn't mean to offend.

This is absolutely not correct, and dangerous to even to suggest to someone who is already experiencing negative effects.

Juicing dates? I thought the consensus was pretty clear that at least vegetable juices were incredibly healthy, at least properly made fresh ones. Is this no longer the case? Unless of course you have diabetes, in which case the evidence is mixed.

I don't know, I do not have further knowledge of this. I never got to that level of kriya yoga. Using biochemistry to describe a spiritual practice is still somewhat unique.

I do not think saying negativity stems from ignorance, in this case specifically lacking requisite knowledge, is an ad hominem attack. There are no "scaling properties" of an evolving species, nothing is set in stone. What you mean to say is, the current, popular science cannot understand larger humans. That would be true of the cardiovascular system, for instance, if the heart was viewed as a pump. However, that is not correct. What is more correct, is the heart is a hydraulic ram, and there are other forces that help blood circulate. This too might change as our understanding evolves. I would imagine a similar discovery would be made for the skeletal system. Given the humans ability to lift hundreds of pounds, it is not such a farfetched idea.

Don't be discouraged by the negativity found here. They are ignorant. Some of what you talk about is certainly not nonsense, is codefied, and well-regarded. Those people should not give input about things they know nothing about. Other people have talked about this junk food to breatharian toxic phenomenon, namely Arnold Ehret, who you might find interesting. The closest schools I've found that match your interest are the schools of indian yoga. They too talk about the biochemistry of hydrogen and carbon, in addition to breatharians, living off prana, fasting, etc. Specifically, kriya yoga as taught by Paramahansa Yogananda, but any lineage of the Lahiri Mahasaya likely is similar. Here is an excerpt from "Autobiography of a Yogi:" Kriya Yoga is a simple, psychophysiological method by which human blood is decarbonated and recharged with oxygen. The atoms of this extra oxygen are transmuted into life current to rejuvenate the brain and spinal centers. This is an extremely well-respected lineage internationally. So much so that people fake their authority by being associated with this lineage. Additionally, you can sign up for remote lessons from Paramahansa Yogananda's school, the Self-Realization Fellowship, or SRF. Another school that talks about similar things is the Isha Foundation by Sadhguru, and his program Inner Engineering. I've had personal practice and experience with both of these schools. Tibetan yoga might also contain this, but I know little of that.

I apologize, I misread one of your posts for one of Nungali's posts. I edited my message. You actually asked a question I thought was good, "what do you currently practice?" If OP doesn't really have a practice, his words are somewhat weightless here unfortunately. Even if he (or she) were one of those lucky people born like this, it would be hard to verify based on these posts alone. Again, I apologize. I will be more careful in the future.

You are not a raven, nor I imagine, a head monk, nor is this your student, nor has this person said anything about defeating anyone, nor any similar nonsense. I expect practicing cultivators to be respectful, or at least not disrespectful. Say, for instance like Bruce Frantzis, one of the more unlikeable popular teachers. Practice cultivates understanding and patience. Not hostility and anger. You talk like people in movies, and not like teachers in the real world. I was referring only to his talk about academic physics, such as newtonian and quantum mechanics, gravity, time, etc. He is correct. Ironically, it is something that I learned through the standard books taught in colleges and recommended by top modern physicists, which he seems to think are incorrect. I am not too precious to get slapped when sparing, if I am not sparing, but say am in a debate, then I will not take kindly to being slapped by strangers as you are vaguely threatening. I am saying a simple explanation should be enough, from you. Or else it reflects poorly, on you. If he deflects or doesn't answer questions, then end of story. But your method now introduces a dimension of condescending hostility and vitriol that makes this a worse place. Is it not enough for several people to give some good explanations of why its wrong and then be done? The future readers of the post will see that and move on. Instead, they have to wade through bs. I am not new here, just new to posting. I have also read many of the past posts and seen this stuff there as well. It is ridiculous.

I see very little reason to be hostile to this poster. Most of you are bullying him now, specifically Nungali. For such practicing cultivators you should be ashamed of your behavior. His physics is mostly correct. I agree, he probably shouldn't be giving practice instructions, but this type of alternative information is what these forums are for. Even if it is just book knowledge, there is value in that. This toxicity is discouraging, and should be stopped. If he is incorrect beyond a doubt, a simple explanation should be enough. Not repeated posts bullying him (or her). More people should stand up against this type of behavior. Edit to include this reminder about civility:

Hi all, My question is, what is so different about taijiquan and qigong, such that I struggle to do even 3 minutes of Spring Forest Qigong or zhan zhuang (or even Flying Phoenix Chi Kung), but I can do 5-10min of the tai chi? Not only that, but tai chi is the only practice that has actually given me a sort of buzz. It seems to me the active opening and closing movements, along with feet movements, are helpful, but I lack knowledge of the inner workings to understand this. The form of taijiquan I'm doing is Bruce Frantzis wu style. As a follow up question, given that my body/mind seems to have an affinity for tai chi, should I focus less (if at all) on qigong and practice tai chi almost exclusively? Or does this mean I need to endure it and keep practicing qigong? My goals are health and "spiritual progress." Recently I've been struggling with health, in particular movement, and some (diagnosed) zen sickness. I can only manage one 20-30min walk per day for example. Although I'm making lots of progress, one thing that eludes me is a consistent practice right now. In that past, before my zen sickness, I was able to do anapanasati or open-awareness type meditations for an hour or two everyday, in addition to being very phyiscally active. My background is almost two decades of inconsistent (self-taught) buddhist meditation and (self-taught) hatha yoga. Thank you in advance.

A senior student of Rinzai teacher Roshi Meido Moore, later confirmed by the Roshi himself. Unfortunately I am no longer in that state, so I cannot rely on them for guidance. As far as the definition, I suspected it after reading Hakuin's description. This is similar to what I experienced (5th paragraph in): https://buddhismnow.com/2015/09/12/zen-sickness-by-zen-master-hakuin/

I can only speak from personal experience with my body as the only data point, but cold hands and feet were primarily from inactivity. Ultimately it could be from imbalances or deficient organs, I don't know, but in my case it was solved by more walking and raw movement similar to what Gerard has been advocating in some of his posts. I also practice the resting squat throughout the day, aiming for 30min+ per day. I type or watch videos in the resting squat often. Heels need not be on the floor in the beginning. Secondary source is diet. When I eat high sugar meals, even if its just fruit or veggies juice, I feel my feet get colder within minutes. My diet is very good as it is, plenty of veggies and only whole foods, no dairy, no gluten, etc. Although, the more I walk the less this happens. If you are unable to walk, which could be the case with some people and was for a long time for me as well, any activity still helps. Roll from side to side on the bed. Practice breathing exercises or lengthen your breath. Detox from dopamine stimulants. No tv no videogames, dopamine is a neuromodulator that also governs physical movement. Other things that have helped: Legs on the wall, torso on a slanted board or inversions if you are able to, back bends to get your spine back in alignment from poor posture, especially your lumbar, stretching, particularly adductors and thoracic spine, again to improve posture while sitting, use a heated pad or raise the room temperature. Most optimal is just walking, in my experience.

Sorry for bumping this slightly old thread, but I'm curious since this would render mantras more (or less) accurate depending on the pronunciation. It would also mean japanese zen is more phonetically accurate than the current chan, and consequently may contain less translation errors. Does anyone know how would this affect nianfo/nembutsu practice? Is Amituofo still the "correct" pronunciation, or is the japanese nembutsu a more accurate transliteration? Personally, I'd like to learn another language so I can read the texts with greater understanding, but I do not know which language to select between Pali, chinese, japanese, thai, sanskrit, etc.

Only to the extent of gratitude and authority given to your teacher. I have taken angamardana, surya kriya, inner engineering (twice), bhuta shuddi, and been to several satsangs. There is usually a picture of Sadhguru present, and an altar with a linga and incense. There were lessons on reaching the divine, and self-realization. He never really ever held himself "above" anyone or anything else other than a teacher to help you. All the staff (with the exception of the teachers I don't know if they are paid or not) were volunteers. Additionally, his hatha and kriya yogas share similarities with Sivanada's, Iyengar's, and even Paramahansa Yogananda's, three very well respected yogis. In a sense he is a vehicle that energetically helps us develop, similar to Chunyi Lin of SFQ. All of his students I met, were just grateful to have an authentic practice, one that we believed could help us advance spiritually. Perhaps that gratitude is what others think of as "deifying," but it did not seem that way then, nor does it now as I look back years later. I would still be practicing his stuff now, but his public offerings require a certain level of strength and vitality that I lost through life circumstances. Perhaps this small testimonial will sway you (and others) a bit. =)

Hi everyone, I am a long time lurker, and I greatly respect the information that can be found here in the forums. I was hoping you all could help me out. I hoping to find a qigong teacher in Texas, preferably South Texas, that can help me heal physically, and eventually grow spiritually. I was looking at this Longmen Pai school https://www.dragongatetaichiusa.com/ , since its affordable and seems to be a legitimate lineage. I currently practice Spring Forest Qigong, and I am not even sure if Longmen Pai would even be better. However, perhaps physically practicing with a teacher, in this case, is different. I don't know. I strongly suspect I have secondary cancer, spread from testicular cancer I had a decade ago, but I have been so debilitated for the last 3 years I am unable to work and thus pay for health insurance for any significant scans or tests. Additionally, I have been tested and diagnosed with HPA-axis dysfunction ( "adrenal fatigue"). At the very least, I hope to get functional enough to hold a job and get health insurance. Background: I have been a long time student of buddhism and yoga, and have studied multiple schools, on and off, for the last 20 years. I have experimented with a number of qigong systems as well. Qigong seems to be one of the few practices that offer such significant healing, and Chunyi Lin's approach includes buddhism, which is why I currently practice it. Just for the record, I also practice a number of other interventions such as celibacy, dietary changes (tried them all), fasting, herbs/supplements, pranayama, get sunlight, media/dopamine fasting, and exercise. I would appreciate any insight or advice. Thank you in advance =)

I would have to call, but all the workshops they have listed are from 2019. Some googlefu also tells me that lineage isn't in San Antonio anymore. There is another Chen Taijiquan lineage that seems a bit...weird: https://www.taichiwellnessspa.com/about-master-li-and-chen-style . Other than that, in San Antonio, there is a traditional Yang teacher that seems to incorporate Fa Jin: https://www.goodspirit-taichi.com/ . I am a novice when it comes to these chinese internal arts, but this teacher seems legitimate as well. Would you mind taking a look Gerard? Otherwise, I would have to travel further to Austin or Houston for some Chen Taijiquan.

Thank you all for the info. Yeah, I've searched more and there isn't much legit taijiquan in South Texas. That listed chen instructor, unfortunately passed away some years ago. There is some in the Houston area. Other than that, it will have to be online instruction in Spring Forest Qigong or Flying Phoenix Chi Kung. I was hoping to find a teacher even in North Texas and visit like once or twice a year. Man, it seems Texas really repels this kind of stuff... Thanks again everyone =).

Sifu Terry, Thank you very much for the gift of FPCK, I hope these holidays have found you well! I have two questions I'm hoping you will be able to answer! Quick background: I am currently somewhat bedridden, suffering from chronic fatigue that has plagued me for a decade, and completely disabled me for the last 2 years. This is likely due to both enormous amounts of stress and improper/unguided buddhist meditation throughout the last decade. I was diagnosed with "zen sickness" at one point by a legitimate rinzai zen monk. I have decided to give up seated "stillness" meditations for the time being and instead try to heal myself with more yang, moving, physical practices. I used to be a very active athlete, and cumulatively have about a year of experience with various qigong practices and (Wu-style) Tai Chi before I got to this almost bedridden state. My questions are: Would it be okay to use the circling blocks warm-up in DVD Vol. 3 as a beginner (to FPCK)? I ask because it incorporates shifting weight back and forth, which seems to have a healing effect on me. How can I approach Flying Phoenix Chi Kung when it is difficult and sometimes impossible to do the breathing sequences? I can do them some days, but other days my will-power and awareness completely disappears, and its impossible for me to control my breathing. On those days sometimes I can only do the warm-ups in Vol. 1 for a minute or two at a time before I have to lie down. My plan was to just do the warm-ups or even the just the forms in DVD Vol. 1, one minute at a time for months if necessary, until I was healed and strong enough to be able to do the proper breathing sequences. Thank you very much for your time! -Aaron

For me, it was/is a matter of what works. I tried Way of Energy's Zhan zhuang which was hard as hell. Next was Flying Phoenix for 5-60min per day for 2 months before I could no longer do the breathing exercises due to mental block /stress issues...and was still stressed. I tried SFQ but could not do the visualizations. Then I found Energy Gates Qigong and could do the moving forms a lot easier than the static forms. When I finally did some Tai Chi, I simply found that I could practice it longer and easier than most qigong systems, so in the end my body decided for me.

I'm posting because I'm interested in reading the Flying Phoenix thread, but I'm not sure I'm able to until I get some sort of approval. However, I would also like to try and participate in the community if I am able to. I am a 27 year old guy, and I've been a student of the path since I was about 13, starting with with Brad Warner's Hardcore Zen and Shunryu Suzuki's Beginner's Mind. 95% of my practice has been reading and meditating on my own. What brings me here, aside from access to super secret Flying Phoenix techniques, is that recently I have begun struggling so much at work and at home with concentration and loss of will power (among other...phenomena), that I have devoted almost all my free time towards some sort of awakening or liberation. I think I spent too much time trying to cultivate stillness and made some errors, because I kept getting worse and worse until all of a sudden I could not seem to sit and meditate for even 5 minutes, let alone the 30 minutes or sometimes 2 hours i had in the past. So, here I am trying to find some way of unfu-...healing myself and trying to figure out where the hell is the peace or bliss or happiness or strength or whatever it is that any of these practices are supposed to help with. Also, thank you to this site and community, you are one of the few genuine places I've found and trust online. Hopefully I too can contribute and help others grow. -Searcher

I think your intuition is correct, it sounds like you have been in a similar position! Very recently I realized what an important part walking played in all sorts of Buddhist meditative traditions. I find that when I struggle it helps to pace back and forth. Prostrations or bowing also seems to help. Very basic stuff, but very helpful for me.

Hahaha, not really. I cannot blame my meditation practices for the state of my mind, however much I want to. My mind would probably be the same without any of the practices, I would just not be aware of it. Funny though, In a certain way that question makes me wonder what meditative practices have done for me, or to me. And while things are certainly different in many ways, I cannot point to one or two things and say these are how I have changed. The Way that can be named is not the Way I guess =) As far as recognizing my true identity, I'm afraid not. I mistook my heart for myself once, which was a happy moment. I once separated and saw my worldly self for a moment. Other than that, no matter how much I have looked I have not found something that I would call my "Self." Everything I perceive has been "Not me, not mine, not my self."

I do think that is the case most days. Sometimes it seems like nothing works and I have no choice but to keep trying as best I can. I have faith that I can find solace though. At this stage I have both peace and suffering (or stress). It is a very weird combination =)

Thank you for the welcome and your encouraging words Fa Xin. I do get a sense that I get closer with every passing day, despite whatever feelings arise or mood I'm in.