JackSquat

Just out of curiosity, how much did you try and how did you prepare it? As I mentioned earlier, if your mouth isn't pretty numb by the time you finish your glass either you have low quality root, your preparation was inefficient, or you aren't using enough. I only tried one bag of shredded root from Kona Kava Farm, and it was of a similar good quality to what I get locally, but really that's all I can speak to as far as their products are concerned. It may behoove you to try the shredded root; some of the active constituents degrade quickly when powdered, and if you need a little more kick, so to speak, it may be worth trying. You may also want to try a somewhat more traditional preparation, as those are generally designed to maximize potency. That's why it's often prepared in a blender nowadays . From what I understand, the traditional method of preparation involving chewing the whole root and then adding it to cold water (which was only traditional for some peoples, others more or less just ground it up) has fallen out of favor in many areas for tastier and/or quicker methods. I believe it is sometimes prepared commercially by blending with coconut milk in areas where its use is common because some of the alkaloids dissolve better in oil than water, but it is also simply ground and made into a sort of tea. Chewing the root allows you to absorb the fat-soluble parts directly and helps break it down to aid extraction, but it just about turned my mouth inside out the one time I tried it. What I found worked best for me in the past was to take a palm-full of shredded root and blend it up with cold water, then drink the whole sloppy mess as quickly as possible, root and all (tastes like dirty water with Novacaine in it). Anymore I really only use pre-made teabags because it is easier and tastes better, even though all it really does is even me out if I get really stressed. Sorry, I guess I should have posted preparation info a long time ago, but it's been awhile since I used the actual root itself and I forgot -- thanks for reminding me . With all of the talk about white tea, though, I'm going to have to go try some .

Mak Tin Si, if good and evil are equally part of the Tao, and there is the capacity for evil in every human being, mightn't there be those whose job on Earth is to be evil? Are you saying that the Tao cannot be realized through darkness? Doesn't the tree of life grow downward with the same purpose that it grows upward? It would seem that here in this thread we have some who feel that their job is to teach, some who feel that their job is to question the teacher, some who feel it is their job to expose the truth, and some who are reading this whole discussion right now but not getting involved, and so on. Each of us follows our own heart, each one beating out a different rhythm, every one with its place in the symphony of the Tao. Does this not make ethics relative? Is there not a degree of evil in each of these goods, and vise versa? To be enlightened, must we not accept the blackness in ourselves as well as the light? It took me years to realize that at heart, I was a good person. As you mentioned, I had to become better than my parents to overcome my past. Such has been my path thus far. However, that does not mean that I want to impose my ethics on anyone else. I am what I am, and you are what you are, and I wouldn't assume that you should be me or anyone should be anyone else. That doesn't mean I don't have an opinion or won't tell you what I think, but again, that's just who I am. If you believe in ethics, that is fine, and quite frankly I don't give a damn about your lineage either way or what the "true" way to be a Taoist is or isn't; for my own part, I would just like to know why you believe as you do, and how you would answer my numerous questions . These answers are the ones that will tell me what I want to know. What say you all that we put the argument on grounds of theory instead of lineage? "Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, small minds discuss people." ~Eleanor Roosevelt No hard feelings, anybody

Opium is qualitatively different than any other opiate/opioid I have tried (pretty much everything except heroin). It has an almost effervescent quality, bubbling, swirling...makes you want to giggle . It has a tendency to give me the nods, though. Feels very natural, less like you ingested some foreign chemical and more like you're just so overwhelmed with joy that you can hardly believe it. Be VERY CAREFUL though; start small and work your way up on the dose because there is no way to know how much is in the seeds or the pods you bought until you try some, and then it's too late to take less. Oh, and by the way it tastes supremely awful, I mean truly disgusting. http://www.erowid.org/plants/poppy/poppy.shtml Kona Kava Farm is a great place. I get mine from my local herbalist, though, and it's just fine. In general the shredded root is better than the powder or the teabags, but the capsules are also nice if you can't get past the taste. It should literally make your mouth pretty numb by the time you finish the glass if the quality is at least decent. Edit: link added

Yes, a number of times, actually. Why do you ask?

Here are the ones I can remember trying at various times, in rough order from favorite to least favorite. More Potent: kava kava, Lotus blossom, wild dagga, skullcap, coltsfoot, wild lettuce, valerian root, lobelia, california poppy (does NOT contain opium), opium poppy pods or seeds (DO contain opium ), and just to state the obvious -- marijuana, alcohol, and tobacco Less Potent: lemon balm, lavender, passion flower (passiflora), chamomile, hops, catnip Use lobelia very sparingly; a little dab will do ya, and too much will make you puke your guts out. Be careful with wild dagga too because it increases the activity of other substances or prescription drugs in your system. Most poppy seeds you can buy in the US for culinary use are actually seeds of the opium poppy, and depending on how they were harvested they can be coated by varying amounts of opium. I'm not going to preach at you, but some of these herbs can be physically addictive and/or cause long term health problems if you go overboard with them. I recommend using several or all of the less potent herbs in combination with each other or with ONE of the more potent herbs. My guess is that for your situation, you may want to try something like a combo of lemon balm, lavender, passion flower, and possibly skullcap. The first thing I would try though is probably Kava Kava. It is almost too disgusting for words unless you expertly mask the flavor, so I would buy the capsules or the premixed teabags. I keep these around to help me sleep or mellow out every once in awhile. It should be perfectly safe to use two, three, or even four times the recommended dose, but be careful as it is possible to get pretty intoxicated with Kava Kava. It can also be taken in smaller amounts 2 or 3 times a day as a general stress reliever and anti-depressant. I am not a doctor or an herbalist, but feel free to ask me about any of these herbs, how they taste, how they affected me, where I got them, etc.

Precisely. Real life is no-holes-barred, and so is Jeet Kun Do. When the adrenaline is pumping and there's no time to think you do instinctively what you have trained to do, so you HAVE to have your head, your training, and your muscle memory all in the same place so you can go with the flow of the fight; that is, in fact, one of the main reasons to train at all. If you train for the rules of some sport, then in a real life or death situation you will fight like there are rules, and you won't give it your all, be prepared for the unexpected, or use all of your opportunities. If you train for life or death situations, you will spend the entire sport match second-guessing yourself and pulling punches. Either way, you are liable to get your head caved in. This, I feel, is probably why Bruce Lee did not really get into sport competitions. A Jeet Kun Do master can bring you to your knees in the blink of an eye with pretty much what ever piece of your body is in reach, but this is a huge no-no in sport fighting for several reasons. First of all, it's just plain really dangerous and athletes would be routinely and severely injured. Second, it's really hard to score a fight like that. Third, most fights would be over in a matter of seconds, not minutes, and the audience would have little way to tell (or even see) what was going on most of that time. This, of course, does not preclude sparring. When you aren't fighting for money or glory, the fight can stop or slow down if there's even a chance someone might get hurt. This, by the way, is why I believe the bit I was told about Bruce Lee occasionally losing sparring matches to his students; I feel like it's almost impossible not to occasionally have to concede getting caught by some of these techniques -- even though you had a good chance of getting away or could have kept on fighting despite the injury -- just to make sure you stay out of the danger zone. In the class I took we would train dangerous techniques full contact on a heavy bag or willing participant or whatever countless times, building muscle memory, then when we sparred we used these moves very carefully so as not to severely injure each other but still get experience using them against a moving, retaliating target -- what's the quote about boards not hitting back?

I agree, and well said; doubt has its place just like fear, sadness, etc.. Our subconscious sometimes has a way of giving us what we need no matter how badly we don't want it. A turning point for me was realizing that even if I was on the wrong track entirely, my whole life and everything I was led me to my path, and quite frankly I just didn't know what else to do with myself. To quote the Beatles, "It really doesn't matter if I'm wrong, I'm right where I belong." Having no options was very liberating, an unrefined but powerful kind of confidence. Ask yourself, what would you do if you decided to give in to your doubts? Can you think of something better to give your time and faith to? Could you even live with yourself for not seeing your cultivation through? If you're stumped, then it really doesn't matter too much if your efforts are ultimately in vain. When it comes to enlightenment I say shoot for the moon until you run out of bullets; doubt is just that nagging voice in your head that helps you remember to learn how to aim properly.

On staying grounded in the face of awakening perceptions: Remember that you are who you are for a reason, that your life is yours because you needed it and deserved it, and nothing can erase your humanity if you don't let it. Find something in your daily mundane life you care about, maybe something involving helping people. Use your purpose in life and your pet projects as an anchor to relate all your new experiences to. You are not given power for no reason; find that reason and I expect that your experiences should become less overwhelming and threatening. The only way out is through to the other side, so don't try to fight the flow. Your expectations and mode of perception manifest themselves in the character of your experiences, so be aware of yourself, keep an open mind, have a little faith, and smile often ! Also, getting out into nature has a way of making the process a little smoother. I feel your pain; I believe you and I are going through a similar time. Much peace and love

c) both

Minding your own business and being an adult is not necessarily "normal", unfortunately

cool idea, could be very revealing

Couldn't have said it better myself

I have been wondering lately what exactly the difference is between emptiness meditation and sitting-&-forgetting; is the latter just a specific type of the former, are they different, are they used for different purposes, which does everyone prefer, etc.. I would say the bulk of my time meditating begins by concentrating on my breathing and the moment at hand, and then clearing myself of thought, intention, expectation, and desire. Is this emptiness meditation, as I have been calling it, or do I have my nomenclature wrong? Does anyone have a entirely different way of accomplishing the same thing? Even slightly relevant data would be greatly appreciated

Don't worry, this is a pretty good place to think too much and ask too many questions To answer, it was more of a journey than a single moment of utter revelation. I have a tendency to be rocked by a revelation or experience that bubbles up from below and then spend awhile out of touch with myself while I sort through what happened and attempt to prepare for the next round. I am skeptical by nature so it took many such experiences for me to convince myself that rather than going crazy, I was in fact going sane. I started losing touch with my normal mode of experiencing reality and my own accustomed personality. I began thinking of myself as a being of energy without even wanting to at first. Suddenly knowing my own multidimensional nature left me completely gob-smacked and physically wretched. The first time I witnessed the death of my conscious self was the most terrifying and awful experience of my life, bar none. This is just me though; I feel that this is my path partly because I need to be able to explain certain things, both to myself and to others. Your experiences will likely have a very different nature and structure than mine. This may not be a very satisfying answer, but just keep at your cultivation; live a good life, be honest with yourself, be true to your nature, practice emptiness, keep an open mind and a full heart, conserve your energy, never stop looking upward, and so on and so forth, and one day you will be sure too. Of this I am fairly certain

I would say that if you have ever had a spontaneous experience, that could be an indicator. The bottom line, though, is if you keep at your cultivation you should know for sure one day. I had my doubts at first too (I just took it as an exercise) and those doubts have since been removed with a vengeance.

The idea that science, by being logical and based on thought, is by definition out of touch with a subjective reality is something I struggled with as well. Eventually, it came to me in a fierce bout of intellectual masturbation that perhaps both approaches are equally valid. It is my opinion that mathematics is the language of the universe. To quote Neitzsche, "Where force is, there becometh NUMBER the master: it hath more force." This does not, however, mean that reality is not subjective. In a way, science itself is subjective! Relativity and quantum mechanics are both based on the assumption that observed reality depends on the state of the observer. If everything were absolutely subjective and contained no qualities that could be considered objective, where could "truth" or "meaning" reside? Do we create a universe of our own design every time we have a thought? Is existing as simple as dreaming? Personally, I think we come to this universe of solidity to learn a lesson in humility and enterprise, that the ability to interact fully with a reality other than your own private one can only be won by combining subjectivity and objectivity into one mode; perceiving what exists because it is part of the Tao rather than because we chose to perceive it, living in the now and yet still following the rules of whatever game you should find yourself playing. The enlightened must still be able to comprehend the plight of the unawakened in order to be useful. Oh, and I agree that it may be very soon that we will be able to find a mathematically and theoretically compatible version of string theory/M theory. It will, of course, only be a representation and not the reality itself, but perhaps it will help guide those of us who are not yet fully awakened to a frame of mind that is more conducive to gaining understanding from our experiences rather than more self-delusion. So, does reality have an objective component, and is science now approaching a representation of it?

"In my dream, in my last morning-dream, I stood to-day on a promontory-- beyond the world; I held a pair of scales, and WEIGHED the world. Alas, that the rosy dawn came too early to me: she glowed me awake, the jealous one! Jealous is she always of the glows of my morning-dream. Measurable by him who hath time, weighable by a good weigher, attainable by strong pinions, divinable by divine nut-crackers: thus did my dream find the world:-- My dream, a bold sailor, half-ship, half-hurricane, silent as the butterfly, impatient as the falcon: how had it the patience and leisure to-day for world-weighing! Did my wisdom perhaps speak secretly to it, my laughing, wide-awake day- wisdom, which mocketh at all "infinite worlds"? For it saith: "Where force is, there becometh NUMBER the master: it hath more force." How confidently did my dream contemplate this finite world, not new- fangledly, not old-fangledly, not timidly, not entreatingly:-- --As if a big round apple presented itself to my hand, a ripe golden apple, with a coolly-soft, velvety skin:--thus did the world present itself unto me:-- --As if a tree nodded unto me, a broad-branched, strong-willed tree, curved as a recline and a foot-stool for weary travellers: thus did the world stand on my promontory:-- --As if delicate hands carried a casket towards me--a casket open for the delectation of modest adoring eyes: thus did the world present itself before me to-day:-- --Not riddle enough to scare human love from it, not solution enough to put to sleep human wisdom:--a humanly good thing was the world to me to-day, of which such bad things are said! How I thank my morning-dream that I thus at to-day's dawn, weighed the world! As a humanly good thing did it come unto me, this dream and heart- comforter!" "He who is not a bird should not build his nest over abysses." Both quotes are from Thus Spake Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche

You are absolutely right to caution against over-enthusiasm. It is all too true that poorly understood science is often pimped out by the philosophers and theologians and turned into something it is not. Think of this as my guilty pleasure. I also believe as you do that realizations are always personal, that there are as many ways to approach the unspeakable truth as there are intelligent life forms. However, I think that we can and do fool ourselves with the utter vastness of experience into believing things that are convenient or apparent rather than accurate. As I have mentioned before on this forum, I believe it is all important for us to share our experiences with each other to see how they mesh with a larger view of reality than our own private perspective. Science, although pig-headed, slow-witted, untrustworthy, and superfluous, is one of the many ways in which we verify our collective sanity. It is by no means a replacement for cultivation, and if I unintentionally implied that I apologize. What I was really wondering was if anyone had any opinions or specific reasons for believing either that science is still fumbling in the dark trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, or that we are finally approaching an understanding of the physical that supports the main points of spirituality. I feel that if science discovers spirituality of its own accord in its own peculiar way we will be miles closer to a planet that believes in the incomprehensible. If I read you correctly, .broken., you are hopeful but guarded. Personally, I am pretty convinced, but not so much that I couldn't be talked out of it. Anyone else want to weigh in?

I take powdered Acai berry once or twice a day whenever I'm eating or drinking something convenient to add it to. I also take raw bee pollen somewhat less frequently, like once every few days to a week. I have been off my regimen lately due to several inconveniences, and have felt noticeably less energetic, more depressed, and generally less healthy -- my allergies have even been acting up more. By the way, dried Acai is incredibly cheap if you find the right source, like around 2 dollars an ounce; I spend about 5 dollars a month on it.

I was just wondering what everybody's favorite meditation/exercise/practice/cultivation/whatever was; what do you enjoy the most, or what do you feel benefits you the most, etc.. Don't over-think this one, just write whatever comes to you. Personally, I try to make time once a week in between things to take a short hike. I know the trails through the woods in the park near here like the back of my hand, so I just relax and wander around mindlessly on zombie auto pilot until a spot strikes me for brief meditation. Some of the most profound moments of my life were spent in this way, and it is the most effective way that I know of to relax and get in touch with things. Peace all, and happy hunting!