Zen Pig

don't know much as far as recovering from a hernia, but back in the day, when i was doing Kenpo, my instructor wore a sash that was wraped around his waist. I asked him what the sash meant, and he told me of the Chinese color meanings, but then said that the main reason was because of the intense breathing they did in some of there meditation forms, and it was suppose to prevent hernia's. I sometimes wear a snug fitting wrap abound my lower hara/tanden when i do some forms of dynamic breathing meditation. good luck

Not bashing the thinking mind. The thinking mind is a great tool. I am kind of using it right now in fact,,,,,,, well a bit....... LOL. The idea, like any good tool, is to use the thinking mind for what we need it for. from what I have seen in both myself and others, we , especially in the west, identify with our thinking to the extent that we believe that our thinking is the core of who we are, not just another aspect of who we are. Proof in point is sites like the one we are on right now. many people want to think out how to become enlightened through the rational mind. well, good luck with that. the only metaphor I can use is doing martial arts. I have know guys who start doing MA and try to think out how they will respond or move, and they end up on the mat looking at the ceiling. In order to do good MA, one must train, (much like meditation), and then learn to let go of thinking and react in the moment. MA is great Zen in that way. Lastly, if you are looking for something to disagree with in post, you will always find something. If you are looking for something to be butt hurt about, you will always find something. sometimes these post have to be taken in the manner they were intended. to put words like "bash" or to bring a ad hominem argument while fun, gets boring after a while.

hold on a second, maybe Everything's cat is named Rasputin, after all, it would be a good name for a cat!

well, where do I start? for one thing I meditate, just to meditate, without expecting or wanting or needing to "obtain" anything. so I don't sit to "find joy" or to "feel free". all of those things are already here, have always been right here. nothing for me to obtain. from my experience life is so simple that we do not see it. We "think" we need special powers, or need to become immortal, because that very thing in us, the very thoughts that think we need something else, is the very thing that holds us back. Side note on "special powers"...... Many read books or watch youtube, (or shittube as i call it) that makes us think that our "will power" or thinking mind is the key to special powers. Once again, the little monkey mind is the very thing that prevents us from seeing what is right here, and what is right here is more amazing than any promise of being special or special powers. Things like esp, or how life suddenly comes into alignment with us, happens naturally, and comes up when it is needed, like all things, and is beyond amazing. our little mind does not and can not control these things, (in my experience) of course, I might be wrong on that. there might be a few folks out there like Dr. Strange, who can bend the universe into his/her will. never met one, but i would be a dumb shit if I said it was impossible. good luck

yes. no. maybe. if you want to mediate, then meditate, if not, then don't simple. nothing to obtain. don't over think it.

I just downloaded this. very interesting so far. thanks for the post.

well, I make an exception for you, so got to keep it balanced. (just screwing with you, don't get your panties in a knot. don't mean anything ... much/// by it, and also, what the fuck do i know)?

Rhetorical question to all the folks who drone on and on and on............ and on, about the theory of spiritual practice, argue about topics or metaphors quoted by dead guru's......... Those who preach there beliefs as if they are the finial truth, or written in stone.......... How's that working for you so far? Looking back on all the time spent discussing spiritual topics to debate, argued over, offer invaluable opinions on......... Have you ever had a deep ground shaking opening to life? One that was impossible to put into words"? Have you ever had the experience, (or experiences) of seeing this universe, life, god in the most simple and profound manner? As I said, kind of a rhetorical question, but an interesting one for me. Not suggesting that I know something special, (because I don't know anything special at all), or not that I don't comment on post, because I am human and love being human with all its amazing wonder, just something I am reflecting on this cold morning.

Wow. good thing its only the "awakened" who have the "impression of absolute certainty".......... can't think of anyone else who comes off telling folks about what is real. LOL

I am fascinated at our human ability to create a belief system, or a guru who we worship. I am reminded of the 4 century BC statesman Demosthenes who said: "A Man is his own easiest dupe- For What he wishes to be true, He generally believes to be true". Back in the day, more than 20 years ago, when Eckhart Tolle wrote "The power of Now", which I read, and it did make a big impression on me to the extent that i dropped my original soto Zen, and started looking into the whole promise of "awakening" in the western fake neo-Advaita movement for about two years, until I started to see the manitic ego involved in it. I even use to listen to Mooji, until I got that itch on the back of my head that told me, "something is off about this guy". The last time I even looked at him was about a year or more ago, when I locked on one of his "satsangs" and he had this very young man, or teen who had laid his head on Mooji's lab during the entire "teaching'. Right then, I knew something was very wrong. Now I find this news, and to be honest, have not fact checked it, so it might just be someone trying to lamblast Mooji, but from what i have seen, it does have a ring of validity to it. Would be interested to know if anyone else got caught up in this time period. cheers. and Happy Friday.

yes. well said. I do not separate day to day life from some "spiritual goal or reality" .. it is all one thing for me.

good post. I have yet to meet anyone who is not, or never affected by life, or ever gets moments of feeling down, or in a funk, as it were. but that is only my experience. might be folks like you speak of, who are unaffected by the changing world. At the point I am at on this journey, while I might have moments of feeling sad, or fearful, it just does not last anymore. like the clouds you speak of in your example, it comes and goes, and I am seeing that this "cloud" of what I use to think and believe as being something negative, or bad, also brings much needed rain, in a figurative sense . so even the so called "bad things" are perfect, and here for a reason, it has all made me what I am today. wouldn't change a thing, even if I could.

"Do you believe in the Metaphysical Occult nature of our reality or do you believe Wikipedia?" Yes.

from an old fart, if one has not let the pelvis drop naturally, opening up the lower back along the way, one might experience some ligaments in the lower back getting sore, and maybe even seizing up . this also happens with the shoulders when they start to drop and connect, we are so use to carrying ourselves with tense lower backs and shoulders, that the connective tissue is not use to being relaxed and stretched. so yes, i to would suggest taking it in small steps.

Yes. from my experience the idea of chakras is a bit complex. I have had real physical sensations on both my throat chakra, (while doing classic zen meditation, not focusing on this area, and at the time, did not even realize that this was a chakra), and also at three spots on the top of my head, (where i later learned that these areas agree with traditional Chinese medicine). I do pull in breath, so to speak into my Hara/tanden, and "feel" the energy turning, but not as physical as experiences in throat and top of head. I feel that the separation between thought and physical is mostly a thought. LOL. but in the end, i really don't know. maybe a bit of both. either way, it feels like these areas open when they want, and in the order they want. I just have to relax, not force it, and let it happen.

dude, seems that your idea of my intent is all in your head, at least i did not say, "dead guru's who wear diapers" LOL. (as far as Buddha goes, "if you see him on the road , kill him" Frankly, if i had a choice, I would much rather go out and have a beer with Jesus than Buddha, after all, JC got pissed, kicked ass in the temple, and turned water to wine, my kind of guy!

My only questions would be, "Why do you want to become enlightened"? What do you picture enlightenment to be like? What if enlightenment was nothing special at all, and if you became enlightened, the majority of folks would not even notice? Lastly, What if the very thing in you that wants to become enlightened is the very thing that is stopping you from becoming enlightened? Not trying to bum you out, but a long time ago, I had to sit down and really reflect why I am on this path. the insights are interesting. Good Luck!

wow. maybe cut back on the coffee or meth . but love your input!

wow. lots, and lots of words....... My feeling is that you are either ecstatic, doing lots of meth, crazy, or drinking lots and lots of Starbucks. LOL. I think I like you. You seem to just own it. LOL. would rather know crazy folks than sane folks. cheers.

yes. flexible minds. willing to work a path, but being open minded. If something is not working, it could be the way I am doing it, (or not doing it), or it could just not be my fit, for my personality, or it could be shit. Much like Martial Arts, I could never do monkey form, because it does not fit my body type, and my personality. But some forms of martial arts are not so good , but in the end, we got to find what works, and Just Do the Art.

For once, I had to go find the definition to "mindfulness" , which is interesting, and it also turns out that the majority of my meditation can be described with that word. There is an aspect of what folks call "energy work" which seems to arise naturally, which I think it does for most folks who have a good meditation practice. "The connection between mindfulness and Buddhism is clearest, however, in the ancient text known as the Satipatthana Sutta; translated into English as The Discourse on the Establishing of Mindfulness (the word sati means mindfulness). Therein, the Buddha lays out the first-ever set of mindfulness instructions, guiding the practitioner to place careful attention on four different aspects – or foundations – of experience: The body (e.g., the breath)* Sensations or feelings The mind/consciousness Mental contents *Note that the Buddha's first foundation of mindfulness is the body (which includes the breath), and it is no coincidence that many modern mindfulness practices begin by focusing on one or both of these aspects. It is important to remember that modern mindfulness practices are often taught secularly – that is, with little or no mention of their Buddhist connections. "

same here my friend. experiences come and go, and while amazing, we find ourselves right here. sometimes one has to laugh. Reminds me of the old Oxhearding pictures, where in the end, the poem says: " Ragged and bare-footed, you approach the market and the streets. Even covered in dust, why would the laughter cease? The bees and buttterflies are happy because flowers have bloomed on a withered tree.

thanks for sharing your own direct experience. this is amazing. we both have had lucid dreams, and we both have different beliefs of what they are. how wonderful! while many of my dreams are "boooooring", many are very profound, and the ideas of "real and unreal"have no meaning. but that is my personal experience, and you have yours, and this is the reason I got on DB's. to share personal experiences with others and marvel at the amazing differences in our life experiences.

you and me both. use to believe that science could eventually explain everything, and got a degree in chemistry, with a lot of physics and a mathematics minor. It took many years of feeling my own hubris, and having it shattered with experiences in meditation, until I saw science for what it was, a good tool, but nothing more or less special than a shaman's tools in the rain forest.