turbo

Humans. People scare the everliving shit outta me. Sharks are one of the most beautifal creature on or in the planet. Sleek, fast killing machines, nothing wasted, in fact if they stop swimming they drown. Has to keep going, keep eating, magnificent. Its consumption feeds other fish, some live on it, some feed on the scraps. The varieties of sharks are incredible. Did you know that a maco shark can do sprints of over 55 mph? Its teeth are curved inward, so once it gets a piece of its preys ass it hold it. Tiger sharks are nearly as stout as a GW and inhabit waters along the Gulf of Mexico. A friend of mine caught a 12 foot one a year ago. They have been caught sa big as 16 to 18 feet weighting 1500+ pounds. Bull sharks have been know to swim miles up fresh water rivers to hunt. Amazing creatures, pinacle of aquatic evolution. Beauty. People on the other hand, and especially Asians, harvest shark fins for soup. They net hundreds of sharks bring them aboard their fishng vessels, cut off the dorsal fin, and throw the shark back in the water to die. It almoast makes me cry when I see video of it. Its like someone cutting off your arms and leaving you to die. People destroying natures most efficient and beautifal creature, that scares me more than the shark and it astounds me that so little has been done about it. Science has already noted the repercussions in the ecosystem. Ever wonder why every city that is expanding is having problems with deer? Its beacuse we killed all the large cats off years ago, same thing is happening with sharks. well its late good luck all

Yoda, start with a beginners model, not the modded pro edition (save it for later). dont expect anything the first ten times you try it. i nearly gave up on it, but it works. its really quite amazing. have you tried more lube? if your tearing/irritating the lining of your colon, then you must be using an awful lot of pressure, slow down, _relax_, be gentle, try a different angle. the reviews and experiences on the aneros website are quite informative as to how other folks have gotten it to work. good luck t

glad you like it. in the same post daowadiddy recommended "Somatics" which i picked up and also recommend for loosening up ones spine (and later other muscle groups). enjoy.

Dontca know anything? Your supposed to talk to plants, they like it and grow better. Every successful backyard gardener knows this, and so did the farmers of old. Its the same idea with water or rice or whatever...(your organs hmmmm) you smile and talk to them and tell them you love them and they grow better. Works for everything...try it on your partner, or a stranger.

I started reading a book today called Somatics that discusses this very topic. The myth of aging. As much as all the "taoists" want it to have to do with "lack of energy", according to Somatics, (and I think I agree, I'll add some posts after a few weeks of practicing the exercises) its BS. What happens is accumulated muscle tension pulls the body (spine) out of balance and the continually flexed muscles consume lots of energy. Hence the outward results of "old age" namely: poor posture and lack of energy. Thanks Charlie (DaoWaDiddy) for the recommendation. Link to book at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/073...0102679-2755007

Get a Chi Roller. $20 and it will erode the knots and tensions in your spine. http://www.chiroller.com/default.htm

Well, ritual is a strong word for bowing, in the case of a 10 day meditaton course. What seems more ritualistic is the opening day. However, once you get home and practice the meditation none of that exists, there is no ritual to perform. So, while in the strictest definition bowing at the tv may be ritualistic, you still have the freewill to bow or not, and nobody will say anything to you whatever you choose;). If you apply your intent and focus parameter to the bowing at the tv in the context of a 10 day course, then I think if falls out of the definition of ritual, as most people are doing it because everyone else around them is, not because they are expecting some spiritual benefit, or to please some diety. The non religious claim is silly, the course is a primer in buddhism. I couldnt take it during the last course and had to leave half way through. All goenka does is pump buddhist ideas at everyone hoping some of it will stick. But if you can seperate the technique from all that, then its valuable and beneficial to practice. Why cant you puch in a way that satisfies an american boxer after studying martial arts? Thats pretty obvious and I dont practice either. Why do people memorize _____ even though they dont know what its meant to do? The are told to, they think it will make them better, they think that chicks/guys will like them more if they do, they think they can kick somebodys ass if they do, they think that they can keep from getting their ass kicked by doing so, etc...mosty because they are ignorant and are hapy to remain that way. Why do people eat food that kills them, without reading the labels and/or research the effects of the chemicals they put in their bodies? You can ask the same question a lot of different ways and get the same answers. That has nothing to do with rituals in my opinion. Thats just behaving the way weve been trained to do. The way...the way to enlighenment, or to spiritual advancement. What is it that lets you know that you have found a the way? Since spirituality in purely subjective, how can you know that there is even a way? And if you know how can you express it objectively, so that someone else will be convinced beyond all doubt that you, or your method/technique/practice is a way that could lead them to enlighrenment? Is it possible to do so? And if not then that puts the necessity of it into question, since we can objectively demonstrate anything else, from pictures of the cosmos, to atomic subpartices, and everything in between. So perhaps we are all just tools practicing our rituals of meditaton or yoga or qigong or whatever else you desire in an effort to realize that we are who we are and that we dont need any of it, which we could realize if we just took it easy and lived life. Alas I ramble... Look forward to hearing from you... t

MAssage school make bold claims, and Austin is pretty saturated with massagers. I think that Shiatsu, and tuina has more opportunities than just massage. Jampa, dunno about him. I know who he is through my research into the healing tao stuff, but thats it. Here is the other guy's page very powerful stuff: http://www.kaishan.org/ Good luck

So Zen Busshism, is maybe partly shit then, just not full of it? I dont know where you started on selfish religions from. The emphasis in on blind rituals, and bowing at the tv, while it is ritualistic, it is not a concious ritual preformed blindly in hopes of accumulating merit with some deity. Bowing at the tv shows respect for the teacher/message, as much as cheering at the tv shows support for your team. if not a sign of respect then it is a sign of self definition, as in, by taking this bow and repeating these words i define myself as supporting or being in line with these thoughts and ideas, much like wearing a t-shirt defines you as a fan of the team that you cheer at the tv for. I think the point is that walking around an altar three times with sandalwood incense in one hand while the other hand in some esoteric mudra and chanting some dietly name at exactly 6:30 am on alternate mondays, is not going to get you any cloaser to god. Neither is bowing at a tv and saying saddhu, and while both can be percieved as rituals, bowing at the tv has a meaning beyond a machine like performance of instructions. Rituals...an interesting topic to digress upon...so can a series of qigong movements be considered a ritual? Also, what evidence do you seek to satisfy yourself that any way is the way?

ok, so you are saying that buddhism is full of shit then...not just goenka, because those are all buddhist concepts (karma, merits, morality, etc), not goenkan. and even though he says its not buddhism, all he does in the lectures is make a case for it. we allegedly will realize that all of these things are true through the use of the technique. the technique is valuable, at least to me, keeps me mellow. bowing to the tv? that a shallow interpretation. the message, the intent is whats being shown respect, not the tv. otherwise people would be bowing at the tape recorder, or at the tape recorder operator, when the assistant teacher puts in a lot more effort than just puching play every so often. also, what evidnece do you have that this way is not the only way? for all anybody knows he could be right, he could be wrong. perhaps there is no way and were all wasting our time that we could be enjoying doing things besides "spiritual" practices.

Unfair? Perhaps, but what is it that keeps you from moving to Austin and studying under Li? I think the key is that you are well established in the movements, and if follow the video you will not be able to get the "flavor" of the movements. He dosent want to spend time teaching people while doing the teacher training, just tons of practice and perfection of movements, and discussions on how to teach the movements. While Winn did mention Li on Chi Gong Fundaments 2 video, he did not make him seem accessable. Whatever. Winn got what he wanted (my money) and I still learned Qi Gong from Li. Austin is a coom place you should check it out, there are two qigong masters there, with completely differnent systems. You'd probably like it here.

Hows that?

thats buddhist meditation - the heart of the matter

Whats the point of studying an ancient religion whose meaning is confused by time and interpretation, when the heart of it has been extracted and is free to experience? dhamma.org

I think he went last year or the year before. Winn was dissing Li on his board recenly, without good cause, esp since he took his qigong moves, modified them and sells them. To Winn's credit he does say that he got them from him, however he also says he is in Beijing, not Austin, TX. I think you would benefit from doing a few weekend intensives. I seriously doubt that he would let you attend a teacher training after following the video for a few months. Also, to become a certified teacher you have to have practiced for a while under a teacher and have attended at least two teacher trainings then have approval from Teacher Li. So it takes a while. Good Luck, T

Also, Laughter is very important, be sure to laugh very loudly from your belly. This was always a lot of fun, to get a whole classroom of people laughing full on. Laugh before and after practice.

Hey I havent been checking the website lately. Uhh, its best to start of slow, Teacher Li would show us about one new move a week, sometimes less. The Quan Yin practice is considered the basic one and is often taught along with the Jesus Sitting (you can learn this one in 5 minutes), then Jesus Standing, and then Mohammed and Return to spring later. Its not strict though... I learned Return to spring before Mohamed (which i still dont know). Anyhow....the teacher trainings require a certian level of experience, and Teacher Li is less flexible about this. I would go to one of his weekend training intensives (check aoma.edu), after you think you have the moves down from watching the video. I say think, because after nine months of training he was still correcting our Quan Yin form, as well as teaching us other forms. I like to do Kuan Yin standing followed by Jesus Sitting, which is the most powerful qigong technique I have ever experienced. As far as practicing Jesus Standing 7 times in a day...well, I may have hit that once. I used to joke that of course you wouldn't have anything to worry about, you wouldnt be doing anything else. But dont expect that result if you chase it...you really have to get to the point where you do it as an extension of nature. Teacher Li said that qigong was so natural that it us like going to the bathroom, you sonetime just have to do it, but this dosent come from a concious desire to do it 7 times in a day so you can not have anyting to worry about. As far as time goes, once your body loosens up (via Kuan-Yin) then you can move through it faster, I used to do 2 Jesus Standings in less than half an hour. Teacher Li always emphasised the importance of meditation, at least thirty minutes after movement, which he said was only to loosen the body and calm the mind. The meditation starts on the Dan Tien, do this for three months, or longer. Then move the chi up and down beteen the heart and the dan tien, do thia for 6+ months. Then move to the heart then up to the third eye then back down. Do this for even longer. Then after a while gradually stop the chi at the third eye and repeat the mantra (in your head) "I worship heavenly mother" (or father). Eventaully you will receive a message from heavenly mother/father and you will know what your purpose is, and learn the meaning of love. Sounds real nice. But I used to get massive headaches from the meditation, I guess I was putting too much chi in my head prematurely. I eventually moved away, and returned to my practice of vipassana meditation. Which I still do. This helps me remain calm and focused, and helps the tension in my body. There is also a chi circulation meditation that is nice. However I have all but abandoned the movement of chi around the body, I guess my reading of Bodri's material convinced me this was not a real good idea. However now I think he is heavily influenced by Buddhist dogma. So I dont really know where I stand on that now. All I really care about these days is playing more guitar. So... As far as the two (vipassana/sheng zhen) complementing each other, I dunno, I am definitely more sensetive to the movements now, and know what Teacher Li meant when he talked about the "flavor" of the movement. As far as channelling things goes, I dunno, I just know what he said to the classes I was in, and I dont doubt him. His daughter claims to have had a similar experience. Students of his moved to Austin from around the country to learn from him. His most experienced student hadnt had a direct experience of receiving a message, but had definitely felt a connection and heard things that he couldnt make out. He also knew people who had the experience of communicating. Sorry for the long message, if you made it this far then start learing the Quan Yin qigong and the Jesus Sitting and goto a weekend Intensive. As far as where I am, I'm in South Texas, let me know if you come to Austin for an intensive, I may take it with you. Cheers, T

I know there are some juicers here, and I am considering the purchase of a juicing machine. Anyone care to make a recommendation as to a machine, or share some juicing recepies. Cheers

Some reseach on the discountjuicers site (http://www.discountjuicers.com/) yielded this article on juicers v blenders: http://www.discountjuicers.com/vitamix.html and this webite which has some good diet advice: http://www.hacres.com/home/home.asp sounds like you dont really need the pulp as long as you get enought fiber elsewhere...

yeah, its weird. i havent practiced it or looked at it in a while, but i remember that the slow version and the fast version are different. i remember just practicing it slowly at first and as i sped up chenging the breathing pattern, which seemed to conflict with the idea of the exercize, which is to "be breathed" and not to force air in or out. eventually, i got to where i could let go and just to the exercize and let it breathe me with the volume of air increasing each session. when i start it again, in a couple of weeks i'll let you know, and we can discuss

I'm not implying anything...I'm outright saying it. The initial forms of Qigong were channeled to him via the spirits of Jesus, Quan-Yin, Mohammed, and Lao Zu. Hence their names. There are two forms of for each standing and sitting, except Lao Zu, which is only standing. After this there were healing qigong forms, and still others that have not been revealed by Teacher Li.. Its good stuff, find a teacher if you can, the videos are helpful but the flavor of the moves can only be revieved from a live teacher.

If youre in Ohio you should know ekoostik Hoohah, if not you should check them out. Great band, incredible players, great grooves. http://www.ekoostik.com/ They are a lot different than the bears, but maybe you can get into them. Also, though not related to Ohio, Umphree's McGee is a great band that should be seen live if in your area. enjoy

They are friends of everyone! Master Li was a highly distinguished teacher of martial arts in Beijing, he taught Jet Li and his teams won many international competitons. Throught this time he shought instruction in every form of martial arts and qigong available in China. He learned them all. His last human teacher taught him two forms of meditation. These two forms of meditation are 9 turns (similar to microcosmic but it traverses teh whole body) and don-ten-ichi (thats hos its pronounced) where the energy is moved along the central chanel of the body. After diligent practice over a number of years his teacher called him back and they meditatied together to recieve a "message" from the heavens. The message was about 10 different form of qigong. He felt the spirit of Jesus enter him and show him Jesus standing and sitting qigong, same with Quan Yin, Mohammed, and Return To Spring ot Lao Zu qigong. They are all wonderful forms of qigong. Later he received teh healing forms and there are other forms that he will teach you after enough experience with Sheng Zhen. Most people dont hear that story until they have been practicing under him for at least a few months. At first I was sceptical, but I do not doubt any of it. Kinda makes me think I should start practicing it again. I guess I will. Later.

yeah sheng zhen is good stuff, i practiced under master li for about a year and a half, the techniques are great. i recommend you take an intensive from him in person. he travels once a month or so and offers them in all parts of the country. then buy the coresponding video and just practice that one form for a long time. he has many forms of qigong to teach, and its easy to get distracted and to try to learn them all, but the most benefit is dedicated study of one form. I would recommedn the Jesus standing or Kuan-Yin standing forms, or healing qigong 1 and 2. these can be done in combination with Jesus sitting the single most powerful qigong I've ever practiced. good luck.. i dont know anything about the other link

I have not read many of them. As a man thinketh - I read this in one sitting its a great, inspirational read. Master Key System - reading a chapter per week as the instructions say Practical Mental Influence - read some of this one last year and was searching for it again when I found the website I posted. Its got all the same info, but it seemed to have a darker angle to it, which I didnt like. If you look on amazon there is a guy who has reviewed several titles in this genre. See his review of this book: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...0102679-2755007 Cameron Clark is his name and he has several recommendations for the best of these books. I also read one of the "Abraham" books by the Hicks, and a friend of mine really got into it, listening to tapes of theirs and a bunch of other stuff. Their materiels gave me a bad feeling so I sold the book and moved on. Anyways, the short answer to your question is no, I havent reas them all, and hopefuly I wont have to before I tap into these techniques. Cheers, t.