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I thought some Bums might like this article. I have seen an explosion in promoting mindfulness and meditation apps. It is ironic that the same companies that are always vying for our attention are now telling us to meditate to be more calm so we can be more productive workers. https://www.thenation.com/article/ron-parser-mcmindfulness-mindfulness-meditation-book-interview/

What do we know? - Emoji's mean different things to different people. Reminds me of asking 10 witnesses to an event to describe what they saw and getting 10 versions. What do we know...?

Have you ever done 'Trauma Release Exercises'? I've recently started doing them a few times per week and am hoping they offer some relief.

Imagine being confronted with the revelation that you are a psychopath. If you have 13 minutes I highly recommend you listen to Dr. James Fallon's story about his discovery of learning that he is a psychopath. Talk about gaining some perspective into one's own nature...

I'm here. Who am I? Just a dude playin' a dude...

Some interesting stuff here, souls, infinity, eternity... I'll admit I've had some religious experiences in my life that seemed like the voice of God and the infiltration of my mind by demons. Those perceptions were a result of the worldview or model of reality that I held at the time. Now, I'm not really sure how to categorize those experiences. My world of beliefs was destroyed 31 years ago. I explored many systems since then and even tried to return to my original world only to walk away from it again. What strange animals we are. We think our life needs a reason or a purpose. It doesn't. Out my back door I watch deer, turkeys, hawks, groundhogs, foxes, and I hear coyotes at night. I have a dog in my house, too. Do they need a purpose or reason to live? What makes me so different? Am I created in the image of God? Where did that idea come from? What do I know? The only thing I can say with any certainty is that I am alive, I'm here. Anything that I may think about the world I experience is questionable. It is dependent on my ability to sense and perceive and limited by my knowledge and ability to process information. The only thing for certain is that I AM. Something i have recently found that gives me comfort is when i remind myself that, "I Am NOW." Because, NOW is all there really is. I guess that is what mindfulness is, when I pause to see the sunlight shimmer through the leaves, when I focus on the flavor of the food in my mouth, when I gaze into the eyes of my sons or wife, or when i just look around the room that I am sitting in and I forget all my memories and I stop obsessing about the future. I am here right now, that's all I know.

So are you saying it's more healthy to eat meat with a high fat content?

The key phrase here concerning the situation in the U.S. is "perception of scarcity". In this case it is Jobs. One group is being convinced that the other group is taking their jobs, their money, and their opportunity for a prosperous future.

I think the main driver, not just now but also in the past, is Scarcity (or at least, the perception of it). When people start believing that there is not enough to go around they get scared and start choosing sides and forming allegiances. Given that there are 7.7 billion people on this planet and still increasing this may be a correct assumption. Or is it? Maybe our real problem is that we just can't agree on a solution and are, therefore, victims of mismanagement. Why can't we agree on a solution to our problems? Fear of scarcity, again. Fear that one side will win and the other side will lose (a zero sum game). But, to get more back on topic, what is the world teaching us right now? It's teaching us that psychopaths win the game! Is this new? I don't think so. Sometimes i wish i could be a psychopath, but I can't, for some reason I care about people and don't want to hurt anyone. I feel sad when I see people suffering. I want to help. But how do we really know what we know? Remember that old Eddie Murphy movie, 'Trading Places'? The bet was whether genetics or environment determined if a person would be successful. In fact, it's both. We are all born with a base configuration and set of abilities. After that, we process our experiences using the physical structure we were given. Things that effect us in a highly emotional way get weighted more significantly in how we evaluate future situations. Over time our thinking takes shortcuts to save time and we function on autopilot using this "internal operating system". I've had to think about this a lot as I have a child on the Autism spectrum with sensory processing issues. I ask, "how does he see the world?" He does not perceive the world the way a "normal" person (if there is such a thing) sees the world.

I learned something from the article concerning the difference between Echo Chambers and Epistemic Bubbles. But, I'm not sure if I'm satisfied with the author's solution to rescuing people from Echo Chambers. It reminds me too much of Nietzsche's declaration of "God is Dead." Nietzsche did not celebrate this conclusion, rather he was concerned that one's loss of worldview would lead to nihilism and despair. For someone to throw away everything they believe and to build it back up again is dangerous, many do not survive the process. It is not easy as I have been going through it myself for many years. As Nietzsche predicted, i fell into nihilism and depression. The good news is that i was able to pull out of my nosedive and I have The Dao Bums to thank for some of that. For Reference: https://bigthink.com/scotty-hendricks/what-nietzsche-really-meant-by-god-is-dead In regard to the original question, I can only say that "I am that I am and/or I will be what I will be." Regardless of what we think we really have no control over what we think it believe, it just happens. This is why I will not insult, belittle, or hate people for what they believe. Some people need their beliefs to survive, to try to destroy a person's entire belief system is dangerous.

Let's ask a Taoist priest what they think: As a priest, I believe my religion’s strength lies not in converting millions of new followers, but in respecting diversity. ... Picture this: Everyone in China has converted to Taoism. They all wear long ocher robes, nobody eats beef, and state laws are replaced by Taoist scriptures. Temples where Taoist ceremonies take place line the busy streets, and the Daodejing is recited solemnly. There are no more scholars, soldiers, farmers, or any other professions at odds with Taoist philosophy. To me, it sounds like a dystopia. Source: https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1532/a-taoist-china%3F-not-for-me%2C-thanks

I'm just always suspicious when corporations promote anything... I wonder if anyone here has tried any meditation apps. Years ago I got a Photosonix Muse light and doing machine. It didn't do anything for me. I prefer to do things the old fashioned way - focus attention on the breath.

In the Western world influenced by Christianity much of this self-loathing comes from a Calvinistic misinterpretation of 1 Corinthians 2:14 (Read this - https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/643-who-is-the-natural-man-in-1-corinthians-2-14 ). We are told to distrust our "natural" self. We are continuosly told that we are sinners and never doing what God wants us to do. Also, even though we are redeemed and forgiven we are still probably going to Hell anyway. Thankfully, I'm done with that.

If you like something with a more citrus profile, and less herbal, you might want to try New Amsterdam gin. It's way more easy on the budget than Tang, too.

I did watch some of it. Still not really sure what was going on. I thought it looked similar to this video, though. I ordered Wayson Liao's book, T'ai Chi Classics, today. Maybe that will provide some clues.

I make my own simple syrup and keep it in the fridge - 1:1 ratio of water and sugar. I use a raw, unrefined cane sugar. Mix this in something like a coffee cup and microwave it enough so that the sugar melts. It's super easy. Mix to your desired sweetness into club soda (carbonated water). High Fructose Corn Syrup is of the Devil.

@dwai can you comment a little about what is going on here? How is this different from other tai chi? In the comments there is mention of some condensed breathing going on, how can this be identified?

If you're interested in Vipassana I suggest you get the book 'The Mind Illuminated'. It explains everything and you can go at your own pace. I think it will really help you. I'm sorry you're disappointed in your seminar. I recently attended a seminar of a different lineage. I'm not sure if I'm going to continue with it either, but I did learn some things. Ultimately, it's up to you, and nobody else, to do the work. Just try to take away as much as you can.

That's what I figured, but I wanted to hear your opinion. I understand there is a price to pay for good teaching. Wayson Liao's online material seems a bit expensive, though. Temple Style teaching is hard to find. Do you think someone could get started by reading Master Liao's book, Tai Chi Classics? I've been teaching myself Mantak Chia's Tai Chi Chi Kung 13 Movement Form from the book, The Inner Structure of Tai Chi. I'm really liking it and want to do more tai chi. But, I don't just want to dance. I want something/someone that teaches the neigong, too. Loretta Wollering hints about it in the Internal Gardens videos I've watched. Maybe I'll start with her, she seems very well grounded (unlike Clyman). It's just not Temple Style... Question, is it easier to learn Temple Style if you already know Yang style?

About three years ago I traveled to Indonesia for my work. I had to go to the Paiton Power Station ( https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paiton_Power_Station ), the largest power station in Indonesia. When I was down inside of the plant standing right under the coal pulverizers I got a sense of the massive scale at which we are burning this planet up. This place was huge and it is just one of the thousands of coal burning plants in the world. I asked my hosts where the coal was coming from, since Java Island is formed by volcanoes I wondered where the coal was coming from. They said, "Borneo". If you do some research on coal mining in Borneo you'll read a tale of destruction and pollution. I grew up living in the Upper Ohio Valley of West Virginia. My father and neighbors worked in the chemical plants, coal mines, and power plants. I played in the remains of an abandoned coal mine complex as a child. I think about what the land was like before industrialization when the Native Americans were the only humans on the land. I dream about how they could drink and eat fish from the Ohio River. You can't do that now unless you want to chance getting sick. I think we have passed the tipping point. There is no going back to nature. The environment is too polluted and the world is too populated. Only by even further industrialization will humanity survive. As for other species, they will not survive. The planet is already one big city and industrial complex. Any nature that still exists is because we've allowed it to remain, but we will bulldoze it in an instant if it is profitable. We all seem complicit in this so that we can feed ourselves and our families today. We will worry about tomorrow when tomorrow comes. While climate change is on the tip of everyone's lips I think there are more immediate issues. Fresh water scarcity is happening now. Water and air pollution is happening now. The forecast is that more and more people will live in cities, but people (especially children) are already getting sick from breathing the air. This is obviously not sustainable. I think our future is looking very much like the one portrayed in the movie Soylent Green (minus processing people for food). In the movie the world was hot, environmentally devastated, and the rich were protected while the rest lived in squalor. I would really like to hear what other Dao Bums think on this topic - The Anthropocene Age.

Is this different from the method that Gary Clyman teaches in his YouTube videos?

So, after reading it do you think you could apply the principles given to other forms. Does it provide "inside" information that you don't get from watching a YouTube video. It seems to me that without that inside information one is just flapping their arms around in the air. How is the Yi Jin Jing any more beneficial than doing burpees, push-ups, and planks?

This makes sense to me. She says that the knee is a hinged joint and is only made to go back and forth. Making the knee go any other direction is, "what we do to the opponent." I've watched several of Sifu Loretta Wollering's videos. I'm thinking of signing up for her online Tai chi course for $7 per month. Has anyone had any experience with her teaching?

I trust her. Part of her back story - she had a knee injury when she started doing Tai Chi. Here is another video on how to treat knee pain. I tried her methods and they have helped relieve my pain.

This makes sense to me. I've watched several of Sifu Loretta Wollering's videos. I'm thinking of signing up for her online Tai chi course for $7 per month. Has anyone had any experience with her teaching?