innerspace_cadet

I do coordinate the breath with the movements. I also on occasion practice Zuowang sitting meditation.

Baduanjin (8 brocades) is probably the only qigong form I've stuck with consistently. Can anyone give me some pointers on how to do it with maximum effectiveness?

Though I don't meditate very regularly, when I do it is Zuowang meditation that I choose to practice. It is the only meditation technique that I have stuck with over the years (after too much dabbling in this or that technique). I've gotten to the point that my thoughts slow down from torrent to a trickle, and sometimes there are no thoughts at all. My normal "sense of self" begins to shrink a bit. Is this a common experience?

I own two didgeridoos, one of which is made from locally harvested aspen wood. (I live in Colorado.)

Thanks for the advice. Yes I have been practicing standing qigong and socking away as much money as I can. Today at work it seemed like the administration was more amenable to buying the books, magazines and DVDs I submitted, so it probably isn't as bad a situation as I first thought.

As a librarian. I've been there almost five years now and I am frankly getting fed up with the way things are being run. Practically 70 percent of my library's materials are outdated because whenever I ask my superiors about being able to spend money all I get are excuses and evasive answers. It is now the middle of February and I've been allowed to spend a grand total of thirty dollars on a single DVD since the beginning of the fiscal year which started last July. Now I am being told that I probably won't be allotted much to spend anyway, because corporate headquarters for some reason did not pay the bill for the library's online databases (which I submitted in September). Now that they are past the deadline for the databases, and because they'll finally be paying for it, less money will be available for other things. I'm starting to freak out because our accrediting body will visit the campus in May or June, and if the library gets so much as a single citation, yours truly will be on the receiving end of a pink slip. Some days I sit at my desk and I have to resist the urge to type up a resignation letter and just walk out, but I only have 1100 dollars in savings. It's not like I'm not doing anything about it; I am sending out resumes, but I fear I won't be able to secure other means of employment before I get canned.

Bullshit. It's the fundamentalists who are throwing stones at the theory of evolution and at women's contraception. It is they who are throwing stones at Muslim immigrants, at people who don't worship the "One True God." And please define "sacred" for me. Because according to your logic, I need to have "the most sacred things" to "win" at the end of life. You sound like a Baby Boomer, because you think I need things to "win" something at the end of life. (Except in your case it isn't "toys" but sacred things.) I agree with your contention that living and let living is a good way to go, but that has its limits. If I sincerely believed that God wanted me to kill infidels and I had in my possession a nuclear weapon, somebody out there in the world would be perfectly justified in debunking my beliefs. If I believed that the earth was flat, do you think I would pass high school physics? I'm sorry but when I see b.s. I call it what it is.

I don't think dragons literally exist. But the spiritual archetype of the dragon, representing intense transformation and dynamism, is pretty cool I think.

Though I'm not a Hindu, I have prayed to Ganesha in the past whenever I got into a bind.

I agree. He named his only son "Rahula" which literally translates as "fetter" and he never ended up seeing his wife again after his quest for enlightenment. Life is meant to be enjoyed and experienced fully. With its numerous levels of hell, Buddhism can easily slide into being a fear based religion. The Tibetan Buddhist saint Milarepa's devotion to the dharma was partly based on a fear of falling into the hell realms for having practiced black magic.

I'd recommend a book called "The Richest Man in Babylon". It is written in parable format, but lays down some basic, but very solid personal finance principles.

I've never been there, but meditating at Easter Island would be cool.

I was thinking of walking to work two or three times a week. The only problem is that it is a little over seven miles each way. I do walk at a very brisk pace, so I'm wondering how long it would take me. Is there anyone else here who does anything comparable to that?

Sorry to have responded so late, Blasto. Some of the responses do fit the intellectual tradition I'm describing, some not. It is possible to assert that everyone is skeptical about something. For example, a Christian would be skeptical about the truth claims of Islam. But I am skeptical about almost everything, unless there is compelling evidence for it. Other things that are unknowable, such as what happens after death, I am more agnostic about. I won't dismiss the possibility outright though. I hope this answers your question.

I'm coming to the realization that I am utterly incapable of being religious in the usual sense. My beliefs can be counted on one hand. I don't believe in Immortals, Buddhas, reincarnation, bodhisattvas, etc. I am not saying this as a criticism of the members of this forum who do. Is there anyone else on this forum who is somewhat like me? Someone who doesn't put much stock in beliefs, and who questions anything that doesn't make sense? What do I believe, you might ask. Well, I believe in the Tao as a philosophical concept of how the universe works, and I believe in chi, but that is about it. I am completely agnostic about life after death. I sometimes question even enlightenment itself. I think I should just sit and meditate, cultivate Te, and not worry too much about these metaphysical things. For the longest time, I tried to fit the round peg of my mind and soul into the different sized holes of the world's religions and it never worked out. It's just not me. Does anyone else here feel that way?