Daniel

Any statement attributed to John Chang should be taken with heavy doses of skepticism. It's kind of like plumbing... a plumber might make it look easy, and might tell you "anyone can do it"; but it's messy and foolish to tamper with the plumbing in your house without understanding how it's supposed to flow from beginning to the end.

I think it's important not to underestimate what evil people can do. An evil person can overcome their shortcomings by collecting evil disciples. That is where their power comes from. An evil person takes, not cultivates. Taking disciples is perceived by the evil person as cultivation, but it's not. BTW, this model works well beyond the religious and spiritual world. It also describes the political world. Organized people in large groups can do a lot of harm... regardless of whether or not they have siddhis. The taking is what sets up the karmic pit, and that is why these evil people cannot be called masters, imho. It's because they are ultimately trapped in a pit of their own making. The pit has a name; it's called "freedom". Because of this, evil people cannot see the pit for what it is. The label "freedom" obscures its true nature as a pit. The disciples make it seem less like a pit and more like a secret society. That's how it works, when it works, from my point of view.

... also includes the harm a child causes to the mother during child birth ... No one is perfectly innocent; we all carry karma; everyone suffers and everyone causes suffering. A seed does not harm the mother plant. Also the amount of actual suffering any plant experiences is nominal regardless of what happens to it in nature. An animal causes suffering when born and can do harm significant harm. But it does not choose to do harm, it is choosing to survive. The result is what appears to be a natural world without Karma. But it is there. The natural world appears the way it is (more life than death) only because the karmic effects of animals and plants are less harmful and less intentional. Humans on the other hand do a lot of harm and intentionally cause a lot of suffering for themselves and others, therefore the Karmic ramifications are more overt and easy to see in Humans as compared to Nature. Maybe someday... maybe...

eh? mundane is just a word.... Seize this as an opportunity! { ** he says while waving imaginary pom-poms ** } Even if the opportunity that's presetned is to take a little vacation from the energy work, it's still an opportunity... IDK I'm an optimist... YMMV

Pardon the question, but, are you Buddhist?

Hi @Kaiki, I had a similar experience, but not exactly the same. I'll share my experience; perhaps it's useful; perhaps not. There are many smart capable experienced cultivators on this forum. I expect that if my thoughts do not resonate with your dilema; one of the others will certainly be able to assist. About 2 years ago, I started having the similar negatvive emotional experiences, anger, anxeity, negative self-talk, etc... whenever I would try to meditate, or do anything religious. The negative feelings would bubble up, when my mind defocused. Anything which allowed my mind to wander would render the same uncomfortable negativity. In essence, these negative emotions needed expression and resolution in the material world, before I was able to move forward in my own religious practice. It was a sign of progress, in a way. While this was occuring, I considered changing my religious practice, wondering if perhaps Iwas "doing something wrong". Long story shortened: nothing worked. The negative feelings were a roadblock that I had encountered on the path of life. Any medatative or religious practice that I tried rendered the same result. Eventually, I was able to conquer my own inner demons (so to speak). I had to take a break from practicing any religion, from doing anything meditative, until the underlying negativity was addessed in the real world. Then, after that, I returned to my religious practice. In regard to your specific situation: "anger, feeling needy, afraid" Each one of these, imho, should be addressed individually, not as a group. As an example, fear/anxiety would , imo, need a different remedy than anger. Same for feeling needy. Each of these are unique. Keeping a journal might be useful, if you're not doing so already. And don't be put off if your journaling reveals 10,20, or even 30 of these individual emotional/intellectual roadblacks. Like I said previously, getting to these roadblacks is a sign of progress. Lastly, if your Reiki person does talk therapy or life-coaching in addition to the energy work, perhaps give that a try if you haven't already? Reiki + Talk Therapy + Journaling, imo, would be a good plan/perscription to address what you described in the OP. It's what I would do if I were in your position. I hope this helps. Certainly report back if you find something that works for you? Sincerely, Daniel

Hi-Lo @1bum, it's nice to meet you.

hello and welcome

not that it matters one moment or 5 hours changing is constant

Oh, very nice... Well played. { ... attempting to understand ... } The map is not the territory?

Following...

Agreed. It is a huge topic. And that doesn't even include the problems associated with lack of consistent Mental Health insurance for many Americans. I can't site any real data, but my own experience has been that Mental Health Insurance coverage changes each year as my employer tries to offset annual premium increases. I've been told that this is not uncommon for small businesses. But regarding psychiatry, medications and treatments are considered effective based on their statistical specificity and sensitivities. At best, the last I reviewed the information, a clinical psychiatrist is able to help 75% of the time. The other 25% are either misdiagnosed, mistreated, or both. 75/25 is good odds, therefore people should try it, of course. But most medical Drs that I know do not openly speak about the 25% of psychiatric patients who don't get better or get worse. They are too concerned with non-compliance and practicing defensive medicine ( aka trying to avoid medical board complaints ).

I don't know, tbh. However, I would refer you to my carefully worded statement: "There is only one Truth in a similar manner that there is only one Eternal Dao." "

What does the DDJ say about it? I'm guessing it would say 'no'. But I could be wrong... Reality is subjective ( hence the word 'relative' ) Truth is objective. ( not relative ) There is only one Truth in a similar manner that there is only one Eternal Dao.

@Paradoxal, I haven't read all the replies, maybe this was already brought up? Based on the OP, I think QM and multiverse theory is the best fit for explaining the phenomena described in the OP. Are you familiar with this idea? Infinite multiverses? https://www.space.com/31465-is-our-universe-just-one-of-many-in-a-multiverse.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Many-worlds_interpretation It's, at the very least, an interesting thought experiment... But beyond that, I think @Earl Grey gave you excellent advice. Focus on now. By all means be inspired by your previous possible lives and who you may have been. But use that in a practical way. It sounds like you're already doing that, moving forward, not navel gazing into the past. So... ya know... good on ya Best wishes,

Hi Paradoxal, Sorry for the late welcome. I'm new here too and still figuring things out. The simple answer is, yes, it can take a super-duper long time to detox off psychiatric meds. The worst of them is Lithium, if I recall. There's a detox advocate out there, I cannot remember her name, but, if needed/desired I'll locate her website. About 2-3 years ago she was setting up her own forum and website specifically targeting the problems of detoxing off psych meds. But more than that, if you had been taking psyche meds for 20 years, then, that means there's more to detox than just the chemicals. The entire western psychiatric approach may have been toxic for you. Just say'n... ( Disclaimer: I'm not intending to discourage anyone from psychiatric treatment or psychotherapy, BTW. But it's an undeniable fact that some people do *not* react well to western psychiatric methods and western psychotherapy. )

Hello Friends, I'm aware there was a situation here not too long ago involving Desire. Desire corrupted. I have seen a similar thing in another forum, but due to excellent moderation it has not gotten out of hand. The situation appears to be contained. Disclaimer: I'm not an expert. This is all new to me. It may be something different entirely... I do not know very much about Daoism. However, what I've read suggests to me that attachments are the #1 obstacle towards progress regardless of the individual goals. Further, Desire, imho, is the strongest of these attachments. Desire can be corrupted, of course. And if it is corrupted at a high level, that is, to me, a crime of the highest order. I think Unwinding Desire is potentially the most important skill for anyone who is cultivating at high levels. Not only because it's healthy, but also because: without it an individual is somewhat exposed ( forgive me ). In light of this, my question is: Does your lineage, practice, religion, or tradition teach about Desire specifically? Is it an attachment? Or does it, maybe, encourage Desire as a source of power and vitality, or ... is it all just wu-wei? Many blessings to all who read and reply, Daniel

It didn't come from anywhere, I thought it was logical and still do. It's based on QM quantum mechanics. When particles becoming very hot, their properties and behavior changes into a domain that is inherently probabilistic. It's Math. Based on what I know about high energy particles, the odds are, the magma would nullify into you. That's all. You're welcome to disagree; And, I defer to your knowledge and judgement on this, seriously. I know nothing about making oneself into a human fusion reactor while simultaneously maintaining their sense of self.

My vote: ( if it counts for anything )... No. It's probably the opposite for you and becomes meditative. Eating, drinking, conversation with other people, are all healthy ways to ground oneself. ETA: if you're drinking enough water, simply going to the bathroom a little more often is all a person needs to be grounded.

@CataclysmicSky, this ^^

Thank you @CataclysmicSky, I agree.

Good Morning Friends

My condolences. And... you're always welcome. It's nice to meet you, and looking fwd to discussions with you in he future.

@Limahong, It's a pleasure to meet you. I hope you don't mind that I had a little fun with the ratings on your posts here. The 'little confused face' is not intended to mean "confused"... I intended it to be "pre-orgasmic", since the postwas talking about edging. Just joshing.