LinLin

The 'self' as we experience it is a temporary coming-together of form, consciousness, feeling, etc. This breaks up at death. The 'no-self' teaching is that there is no fixed self, no enduring core.

Thought to add that I am very clean-living, having followed the 5 Buddhist precepts for many years. No smoking, no drinking, no drugs, nothing to cloud the mind. I do a lot of meditation as well and needed to access that familiarity with concentration to stay with a static posture for quite a long time.

One meal a day isn’t a practice I’m following, but receiving food with gratitude certainly is. 🙏

Hi, Apech - Buddhism has been evolving for millennia now. There are many forms. By ‘early’ I personally mean, based on my understanding today, teachings up to second council. Other people will have other definitions. And my own may evolve with time.

The Buddha asked people to believe nothing- he encouraged personal cultivation, direct insight, and knowing for oneself. Look at the Kalama Sutta for a short, clear teaching about this. Even the 4 truths are not to be believed - they are to be experienced directly. Each has a verb associated with it, asking for direct engagement. E.g. the instruction is to -understand- dissatisfaction. I see the Buddha’s teachings as invitations to run experiments of the mind for ourselves. This is an Early Buddhist perspective.

Hi, all - I’m new here, prompted to join to ask about a recent qigong practice. Not sure if this is the right place to ask, but here goes. Last week at the end of 2 hours of qigong, suddenly I felt like I would pass out - dizzy, nauseous, ears ringing like crazy. I’m getting back into qigong after a long break. Started in my new town with a new teacher who seems quite competent, having tried a few others. Had excellent teachers in the past in China and in the UK. It was a good and challenging practice. 90 min in I felt a bit dizzy (highly unusual for me), took a short break for water, and felt fine to continue. Then at the very end (30 min later), suddenly I felt like I was going to hit the floor, literally. Today I feel great but am left wondering… What was it that happened? I’d had food 2 hrs before practice, knees weren’t locked, was well hydrated, etc so no obvious explanation. I’m 53 yrs old and in good health. Thank you in advance for any thoughts or suggestions for practice to prevent the sickness feelings arising again.

Hello - Greetings from the UK, where I do both Buddhist practice and have recently re-started qigong and taiji after a break. Looking forward to sharing ideas and experiences here. In terms of Buddhism, I align with Early Buddhist teachings, having arrived at that after years of being in traditions, first Mahayana and later Theravada. Now I like to study Pali and access teachings as directly as I can. Taiji and qigong i first studied in China years ago, informally yet seriously. It has been on and off practice for me, and I always feel better for having practiced. So it's time to restart. Thanks for reading, and see you in the forums!