Lucky7Strikes

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/04/science/04angier.html?em Hurm... One of the many reasons why basic concepts from TCM shouldn't be ignored....

My god. What can I say. This man is not a man, but a presence. How incredible it was to just be in his presence! I see now why they say the Guru is everything. Who imagined, in an age like this, someone as ambitious and genuine could be alive? It is astounding. I felt truly blessed to have had the opportunity to be with him. I am the last person on earth who I thought could become a devotee. Anyone who has seen my posts on this forum in the past years will know that. But I cried with such gratitude, that I could be in such a presence! Isha as an organization is nothing like anything I have ever heard of. Everything made by volunteers, in an event at a scale of hundred, thousands, and in India, hundreds of thousands of people! But when you become part of it, you know why. You can't help but feel that this blessing needs to be shared. The possibility of the world being such a way brings me to tears. Everyone on this forum, please, if you have the chance do not miss this opportunity to be with him or experience what he is creating on this planet. It's not often we are able to be in such a presence in perhaps lifetimes. If someone tomorrow gave me a billion dollars, I would not trade a single of my experiences for it. Isha and true spiritual awakening of other teachings will light the world on fire. I am certain of it, all the ignorance in the world won't stand for a single instant when seen in Truth. How silly it was for us to argue about the differences of buddism and hinduism and taoism or whatever! All truth is one. I am beginning to see now. My life has been turned completely inside out. Thank you, thank you, thank you everyone on this forum, Max, Thay, Thusness and Xabir, and Sadhguru! And whoever I have learned and struggled with. Blessings to all of you!

taken...mods please delete topic. won't post again sorry.

If anyone wants Jerry Alan Johnson's Daoist Internal Alchemy book, please pm me. Thanks.

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These deconstructions can be immensely helpful for transcending the very solid limitations that hinder our meditative progress. Because if you hold any of them to be real, it will inevitably stop at that specific realty. Or worse, counter the efforts of hard worked sadhana, making progress a 1 step forwards, 1 step back situation. It also helps me clarify my own understandings: All assertions of true existents are based on the claim that space, time, and quantity are real. The three dependencies traditionally taught can be understood as follows: Emptiness of cause and condition is emptiness of time Emptiness of imputation is emptiness of space Emptiness of part and whole is emptiness of quantity We break them down using dependent origination: What is space? Space is conceived by extension of location. From here to there (not-here). And the conception of here is via not-here. Not-here via here. So it is established like this: the conception of here is dependent on not-here. And not-here is dependent on here. This is a contradiction since here and not-here cannot be conceived at the same time. So the conception of space is an illusion based on an impossibility. What is time? Time is conceived by before and after (not before). So the conception and definition of before is via not-before. Not-before is also dependent on before. But to conceive them together is a contradiction. So the conception of time cannot not real. It is an imagination based on conflicting polarities. Same thing with quantity. One via many (not-one). Many via one. So is everything denied? No. There is one factor that cannot be denied, and that is experiencing. Because it is the foundation of conception. If you say conception precedes experience, then that means conceptions happens outside or before experience. Which we proved to be impossible based on the refutation of both space and time. If they co-arise simultaneously, they would mutually entail one another. But non-conception does not mean experience. Both conception and non-conception are experiencing. So the foundation of everything is experiencing (this is unbounded, meaning there is no such thing as individual units of experience, since that would make space real). The foundation is not conceiving or knowing (this is "individual" and unreal). Conceiving occurs only through dependent origination, because that is how anything can ever be conceived: via contrasting polarities. So if you experience the nature of conceiving (dependent origination/illusoriness), then that is good. If you don't, then you are pretty screwed and think the myriad contradictory illusions are reality. Seeing illusions as illusions thoroughly, being able to create and destroy it freely, then the illusion is a blissful play. If you don't, and take the dream to be real, then you are caught in a hellish play of contradictions, cyclical ideas, and impossibilities. So...let's everyone destroy the impact of delusions pervading our very body and minds! Then let's dance in and as the illusions. _/\_.

These deconstructions can be immensely helpful for transcending the very solid limitations that hinder our meditative progress. Because if you hold any of them to be real, it will inevitably stop at that specific realty. Or worse, counter the efforts of hard worked sadhana, making progress a 1 step forwards, 1 step back situation. It also helps me clarify my own understandings: All assertions of true existents are based on the claim that space, time, and quantity are real. The three dependencies traditionally taught can be understood as follows: Emptiness of cause and condition is emptiness of time Emptiness of imputation is emptiness of space Emptiness of part and whole is emptiness of quantity We break them down using dependent origination: What is space? Space is conceived by extension of location. From here to there (not-here). And the conception of here is via not-here. Not-here via here. So it is established like this: the conception of here is dependent on not-here. And not-here is dependent on here. This is a contradiction since here and not-here cannot be conceived at the same time. So the conception of space is an illusion based on an impossibility. What is time? Time is conceived by before and after (not before). So the conception and definition of before is via not-before. Not-before is also dependent on before. But to conceive them together is a contradiction. So the conception of time cannot not real. It is an imagination based on conflicting polarities. Same thing with quantity. One via many (not-one). Many via one. So is everything denied? No. There is one factor that cannot be denied, and that is experiencing. Because it is the foundation of conception. If you say conception precedes experience, then that means conceptions happens outside or before experience. Which we proved to be impossible based on the refutation of both space and time. If they co-arise simultaneously, they would mutually entail one another. But non-conception does not mean experience. Both conception and non-conception are experiencing. So the foundation of everything is experiencing (this is unbounded, meaning there is no such thing as individual units of experience, since that would make space real). The foundation is not conceiving or knowing (this is "individual" and unreal). Conceiving occurs only through dependent origination, because that is how anything can ever be conceived: via contrasting polarities. So if you experience the nature of conceiving (dependent origination/illusoriness), then that is good. If you don't, then you are pretty screwed and think the myriad contradictory illusions are reality. Seeing illusions as illusions thoroughly, being able to create and destroy it freely, then the illusion is a blissful play. If you don't, and take the dream to be real, then you are caught in a hellish play of contradictions, cyclical ideas, and impossibilities. So...let's everyone destroy the impact of delusions pervading our very body and minds! Then let's dance in and as the illusions. _/\_.

If anyone wants to learn Kunlun System in the Seattle area let me know via PM. I've been given permission to just shows the basics of the system. You can learn about kunlun by doing some searching around in the forum. And no, you won't get super powers. And no I won't be doing black magic on you because I don't know how. Lol.

I've been doing kunlun on and off for about 6 years.

To clarify, I would still recommend Isha and Sadhguru for people who are looking for a consistent sangha, a guru, and a more structured way to open up to spirituality. I've recommended it to family members as such. However as far as energy practices go, I still find kunlun to be the most potent. I could not have had those experiences I had with Isha without the openings I went under with Kunlun. The difficulty of kunlun is often developing willingness to let go and the fact that you have to be very self reliant. There is not much support besides you and the practice. And some people might prefer that way due to life situations where they can't devote so much time to yoga or they prefer gentler methods of energy practice.

Huh? I've always practice kunlun as my basic energy practice. And Thusness stages as my insight practice. Sadhguru however, is someone I just get on my knees in front of. I practice kunlun as my basis because I started out with it and would like to go all the way in the system. It's also the most powerful sadhana I've come across.

Tibetan Ice at one point in this thread asked to come back after sometime with Isha and re assess my experiences... So it's been about 2 years with Isha, and a year and a half after coming back from BSP when I began this topic. I was in absolutely delirious ecstasy during these weeks. During the whole month my veins were just pumping blissful awareness. I would throw all my clothes off and dance for an hour, lol. I dropped everything in my life: school, job, internship...and went and lived at the ashram for three months. It was challenging there because hidden blocks and emotions emerged all the time and with unrelenting force. The energy of the temple penetrates you. I would often get into quarrels with the monks there over small things, but then go into uncharted states of meditation effortlessly. I would be just sitting behind the temple and enter absorptive states of great energy and awareness. Then I attended a 8 day silence program with Sadhguru...and coming out of that program...I came out a different person. Something within me shifted, became totally silent. A lot of identification I carried melted away at levels I wasn't even aware of. It was at first hard to recognize what exactly had happened, because I would find myself thinking and moving differently than I had before. Meditation became such an easy practice for me. Just sitting, intensely alive and aware. I returned this year again for a month. And this time each day at the ashram was such a blessing. The community, the people, and the temple...it wasn't even really about Sadhguru anymore. If one is open to it..the place is total magic. I remember walking out of morning meditation with tears of gratitude..just love flowing through everything... During my time with Isha there has never ever been a hint or story of exploitation. I met many people there...people there who work ten hours a days but with much joy, willingness and energy. Everyone who has been with Isha is so alive and intense. Its great to see. There has been so much love. freedom, and ease blossoming within me since my time with Isha..I look back even two three years now and I can hardly recognize myself. Well...so here is my report back after sometime..hehe.

Just stopping by thetaobums for some questions... Yoga says the masculine aspect of the body, the sun channel, (pingala) is its right side while the feminine aspect of the body, the moon channel, (ida) is the left side. TCM says the opposite. Anyone have a good knowledge why? From observation, it makes sense to say the usually the right side of the body is yang and left is yin. This is a pretty big difference between the two traditions.

That...that is confusing...

I was also looking into the seasons that correspond to the four celestial beasts of the directions, and the phoenix is the beast of summer, yang, and the back side of the body. Which again confirms that the Yang, the dragon, is on the right side of the body, because it is east, while the Yin is on the left side, the west.

I guess it's auspicious to face south because then the polarities of the body are in harmony with external conditions.

Ahh I see, then that makes sense. If the south and the back of the body is yang, then if we align the body, it makes sense to say that the right side is yang and the left side is yin.

I don't see how this is a cultural philosophy or a conceptual thing. Why would I follow one or the other, when it's based on the human body? Do you follow the human body? The yin yang idea and sun moon channels aren't that different. So one of them is wrong.

Ahhh that's really interesting. What do you mean TCM swaps the kidneys?

Uh...your body isn't a philosophy. Yang qi and Yin qi are symbolic differences given to energy in the body, and their characteristics are masculine and feminine. There should be a correlation when it's as basic as this.

I don't think the Chinese have a different body than Indians. This is a very basic principle found in all energy arts, the sun and the moon, masculine and feminine. TCM seems to be the only system that switches them.

Do people activate Kunlun just by focusing on the third eye, or am I doing this wrong?

It's been four and a half years on this forum and 2200 posts and definitely time to leave. To ask for more would not be sensible and I have offered as much nonsense as I can. Anyways the mode of communication here is very limited for anyone to really learn from anyone else regarding practices (unless through insults! or intense mind numbing debating!), and I believe the best that can be found on thetaobums is the information we share about teachers and teachings we have directly experienced. And I have reached the limit on that in both ways, so.... I would just stop posting without all this apparent drama, but I feel have to show my full gratitude to what this place has given me. I first lurked and posted here without any experience with meditation besides Ramana Maharshi's "who am I?" question that suddenly awoke the spiritual urge in me. Now I'm just exploding with joy and the world has turned upside down and a whole new possibility has opened up! Everything I have today I have found from the users here. From Max, Thusness/Xabir (they're not the same person!), and Sadhguru, I wouldn't have got in touch with any of these great beings without this forum. So thank you! (especially Sean, for putting this together!) But most of all the interactions I've had with users here, although not always positive, have been a continuous inspiration to challenge myself, and most of all, to be honest with myself. To any new users, I suggest using thetaobums as a stop by to find a path suitable for you. Again, thank you everyone! And I truly and sincerely wish your experiences of something beyond the mere material limitations come to fruition and true insight and bliss can be attained. Realization is possible for everyone and within reach. Good luck on your paths!

Whatever. Sadhguru definitely doesn't need me to defend him on a website. His work speaks for itself. Good luck on what you are doing. But if you do change your mind, please come back on the forum and correct your statements. I often do so too. So we'll see.

I whole heartedly agree. Man, and who hates bread? I understand twizzlers though!