Dainin

Tzu, can you say a bit more about the "instant meditation" method? Sounds like an interesting teacher...with an unusual approach.

Personally, I tend to think that the more deeply that I can meditate over time, the less meaning this issue will have for me...but good luck to those who are going for it!!!

Do excess pounds always equate with a lack of mastery? Wang Shu Jin: B.K. Frantzis: B.K.S. Iyengar:

Regarding Vortex's (Vertices?) last post, wasn't there a guy a while back that talked about a "key sound" that men could make to facilitate multiple orgasms (for themselves I mean)? I forgot what his name was. Is this article by Suzie Heumann similar to that guy's concept?

Do you think it's really him, or an impostor? The one I remember always typed with the caps lock on!

Interesting stuff...I wonder how many of the "Cirque de Soleil" type contortionists have this condition, or is it their training...or maybe a combination of the two.

The last picture actually is a yoga asana called yoganidrasana, not a pathology .

It's been a while since I've seen it, but I think I remember in Dr. Yang Jwing Ming and Shou Yu Liang's book on bagua they show some exercises being done with cinder blocks, like carrying them around the circle with arms extended, palms up, etc. I'm not certain what the author's backgrounds are in this art, or if these conditioning exercises are typically characteristic in it's training. My tai chi teacher is always on my case for too much un-necessary muscular tension in my upper body while doing the movements!

I am he As you are he As you are me And we are all together.

Could he defeat God's Direct Contact, Supreme Master Ching Hai, in dharma combat? I wonder...

These aren't religious! Of course you could always go sacrilegious too!

A similar story was announced recently about Brian Jones also. I think the case is being re-investigated after 40 years.

Ralis, I agree with your point to a large extent, but let's not forget that many of the most "shamanistic" performers of this period (Morrison, Joplin, Hendrix, Tim Buckley, etc) died of overdoses. This would not be the case with traditional shamans (shamen?). Also, following charismatic leaders can sometimes lead down very bad paths, if they lack certain other values. Music was an important component of the 1960s-70s societal change, but not the only one: civil rights, feminism, ecology, satellite communications, etc. all emerged around this time.

Just to add a side note to your side note, Stuart Alve Olson has translated what is purported to be Li Ching Yun's writings on Eight Section Brocade: Qigong Teachings of a Taoist Immortal: The Eight Essential Exercises of Master Li Ching-yun . He also has an Eight Brocades Workshop DVD set which sounds quite extensive and detailed. I ordered the book last week, so if I like it I'll probably get the DVD set eventually.

I remember seeing a film in anthropology class years ago that had a section on polyandry. It was about a tribe in the Himalayas, I don't think they were Tibetans necessarily. They were animal herders, and one husband would go out with the flocks, while the other stayed at home, and then they would rotate. So it wasn't like they were both there serving the wife at all times!

Ho ho ho!!!

You can find the instructions here: One Through Ten Meditation I think it is also a bonus on the DVD version of his "Chi Kung: The Healing Workout" video (I have the VHS). This is one of my favorite qigong videos, with a really good sequence of movements and good production values.

As a kid back in the 70s, I remember seeing pictures and film clips from the People's Republic of China of large numbers of students in formation on athletic fields going through a standardized exercise routine. Usually there was a scratchy sounding tape playing music and a woman's voice calling out the exercises (I think). Is anyone here familiar with what this routine was? I'm guessing it was probably calisthenics, and not qigong or martial arts. Know of any sources that describe the routine, or maybe a video? Thanks in advance.

Interesting points Gold, thanks. Your mention of the psychological aspects of this power reminds of Alejandro Jodorowsky's movie "El Topo." One of the master gunfighters El Topo had to face had the power of letting bullets pass through him without causing any harm, through non-resistance. By causing something unexpected to happen, the master's powers were disturbed and he lost.

The "anti-bullet" nei gong protection didn't work out very well in the Boxer Rebellion, nor for those folks in the Congo. But maybe John Chang has better "special powers"! There is an old martial arts movie called "Legendary Weapons of China" that includes discussion of this issue.

Quite a few teachers that have been certified by their lineages as being "enlightened masters" later went on to exhibit all sorts of behaviors that would be generally considered immoral/unethical: drinking themselves to death, committing adultery with their students, lying, stealing funds, etc. I'd be interested in hearing some of your opinions on these type of questions: Should an enlightened person automatically manifest a higher level of ethics/morality just by virtue of their enlightenment? Is it possible that all of these masters were not really enlightened? Could they have been enlightened once and then lost it? Does this happen? Is enlightenment as impermanent as everything else? If a teacher acts immorally, does this negate the value of their teachings, since it didn't work for them? Is it possible that we since we are not at their level of "enlightenment" their "crazy wisdom" cannot be understood by us, and should not be viewed as unethical? Thank you.

In my opinion, from the very beginning all wild lions are fully liberated. They do not need to achieve it, because their actions are pure expressions of lion-ness. Only those whose karma leads them to be captured by humans and wind up in zoos, circuses or Las Vegas lose this liberation, and enter the hell realms.

Tim Ferriss just did a nice overview of this topic on his blog earlier this week: Lucid Dreaming: A Beginner's Guide There is quite a bit of interesting material on his site, even if you don't care about the four hour work week angle.

I think I've seen the Light! Where do I sign up? God's Direct Contact Hallelujah!