liminal_luke

I don´t know, but some of my most powerful experiences have come from increasing the time I did something. If I do Kunlun for two hours, the second hour is way more powerful/interesting than the first. Ditto for just about any meditation I´ve tried this with. I think if you want extreme experience you´ve got to approach it in an extreme way. Part of this, is about overcoming obstacles aka blocks. If you stop when you hit a block, you´ll never know what´s on the other side. Take anything and keep going past the point of comfort and things get a little wild. Unlike you, I´ve never been to Burning Man, but I bet some people have blissful experiences there. (Along, of course, with a whole lot of distinctly less than blissful experiences.) I think this is because going to Burning Man is such an extreme thing to do. Just deciding to go burns through resistance and blocks. People challenge themselves and find out who they are way out of their comfort zone, an experience that is often blissful. Just some thoughts.... Liminal

Nah. I prefer to confine my frivolous battling to internet forums. An actual court appearance would be too stressful.

If your money has to go to somebody´s bonus, you´d prefer if they were thin? Fat people need the occasional financial break too. Ok, rant over. (Hmmm...considering editing out my post. I don´t want to be curmudgeonly or critical. And perhaps you were merely being descriptive: was the officer who gave you the ticket fat? I just wanted to point out the little insidious ways negativity against people whose appearance we don´t like slips in.)

Bliss is great and all, but why not set your sights a little lower? May I suggest aiming for pleasure. Pleasure seeking, while arguably a lower calling, has it´s advantages. It doesn´t arouse the evil eye of spiritual purists who prefer to see bliss as on unsought for side effect. Because the high from pleasure is not so intense, you´re less likely to experience a "dark night" style rebound into depression and other hellish emotional states. Mostly though, pleasure is just plain easier to come by. To experience pleasure just pay attention. No need to do anything different at all. Feel the sand squish between your toes. Savor the crunch of the garlic bread. Smell the morning coffee. And who knows, while your soaking in all the pleasure available in the course of a normal day you might just experience a moment or two of bliss as well. Hey, what can I say: Bliss happens. Liminal

Find an activity you are passionate about and devote yourself to it.

Here´s something you might try. It comes out of a book called Wired for Joy by Laurel Mellin. When you´re feeling really bad simply repeat these three phrases over and over. I will not judge myself or others. Things may be bad, but I won´t do anything to make it worse. This too shall pass. I´m paraphrasing the phrases a little, but if you want to know more you can buy the book. The idea is that when we are really stressed out we tend to be judgmental -- both of ourselves and others -- which doesn´t help. We tend to do things to make the situation worse like go into addictions or make rash decision. We don´t believe the situation will ever change. These phrases counteract these tendencies and can get us to a better place. It sounds corny, I know, but in my experience it works. Liminal

double post

If I thought putting out details of my personal life would help, I would. But you seem pretty determined to do what you´ve decided to do. Personally, I love the idea of being able to share something and having somebody else take my advice to heart. Almost everybody loves that. But it´s not gonna happen this time, unfortunately. Oh well. Maybe some other thread.

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I haven´t checked it out personally, but my mother-in-law tells me that when people in nearby Fresnillo are hungry for mice -- or, more accurately, "country rat" -- they don´t have to catch them. They just go to the market.

Thanks Taomeow. You just cured me.

Putting aside, for now, the issue of whether or not the MCO is a valuable meditation -- in general, short but frequent practice trumps an occasional marathon session. That said, longer sessions can be very instructive. The best way to find out about this is not to ask strangers on the internet. The best way to find out is to try it. Try meditating twice as long as usual. What happens?

Well, the honest answer has little to do with nutrition in general and even less to do with soda, but, since you asked, here goes. Put simply: I like to be right. Like many others, I can get a little entrenched in my opinions and hold on tight -- arguably a little too tight -- when they are challenged. You might think vegetarians would be a peaceful bunch, but at least some of them like a good fight. Just like me. Sometimes they say bad things about bacon, which I happen to like. Sometimes they post disturbing videos online suggesting that people who don´t follow their diet are immoral. Paleo diets may be catching on, but when most people think healthy they think vegetarian. Still. It´s annoying. It would be easier, for me personally, if the evidence clearly showed that everybody needs animal protein to live. Unfortunately, while I believe that many people, most people, do better on a diet that includes some meat, nutritional science is very complicated. Different people need different things. Just as some people do better, at least for a time, on ketosis, some people really do better as vegetarians. I don´t like it, but I believe it to be true.

VonKrankenhaus, You ask if people are healthy on a ketogenic diet or an Atkins type diet for years. Some people probably are, but I don´t think this is a useful question. Our bodies change and our diets need to change in turn if we are to maintain optimum health. It´s a little like Chinese herbs. The herb that´s perfect for me today probably isn´t something that I would want to take for life. The ketogenic diet is a tool that´s appropriate for certain people at certain times. It can be useful in weight loss as you suggested. Also for epilepsy, other neurological conditions. It can be useful for some people with diabetes, for some people with cancer. I´m not suggesting everybody with any of these problems go on a ketogenic diet for life. I´m suggesting it´s a great tool for some people in some situations for some period of time. Liminal

Blanket pronouncements about the benfits/risks of particular diets tend to leave out the very important "for whom" part of the equation. Ketogenic diets are very harmful for some, ideal for others. I myself tend to do best on a low-carb paleoesque diet, but am willing to concede that there are people for whom low fat is the better choice. Some people even do well on a vegetarian diet (shudder), though it pains me a little to say so. Liminal

Dreambliss, It´s great that you are working on something and I hope it works out. However: if it doesn´t work out, or it doesn´t work out according to the timetable you´ve set, it´s important to remember that you have options. Not just one final option, as you put it, but options plural. Life goes on, even when things don´t appear to go our way. Or it can anyway, if we allow it. What you are planning now may not happen the way you hope, but that doesn´t mean that all is doomed. There are so many ways to get past the "then what" -- exercise, friends, your spiritual practice, writing, etc -- but if none of this is working for you I suggest seeking out professional mental health services (usually available very cheaply if you look for it). Liminal

Henro, What do you think: can someone without specialized knowledge in Chinese medicine put themselves on the tonic herbs from Dragon Herbs (perhaps after a phone consultation) and not risk messing themselves up energetically? I find Dragon Herbs marketing and reputation very appealing, but am hesitant to take anything long term without having someone knowledgeable actually sit down with me, take my pulse, look at my tongue, etc. Liminal

Being aware of emotions from an unemotional place -- just the right perspective, in my opinion, to allow one to deal in a Taoist way with any enemies, should they unexpectedly make an appearance.

At the risk of being diagnostically nitpicky, I don´t believe having any degree of borderline personality disorder is gratifying. Perhaps you´re getting borderline mixed up with sociopathy? Here´s something I found on the web about the difference. "Typically, antisocial offenders with borderline personality disorder are emotionally reactive, unable to regulate emotions, bereft of cognitive empathy (knowing how another person feels), rageful, and reactively aggressive. By contrast, antisocial offenders with high psychopathic traits can be characterized as emotionally detached, cognitively empathic, morally problematic, exploitative, and proactively and reactively aggressive." I get what you mean about that ruthless manipulativeness being accepted in socity, even celebrated. And you´re right, it absolutely is. But people with borderline personality disorder come by their antisocial behavior out of a profound sense of emotional anguish. It´s no fun at all. Sociopaths on the other hand are less likely to be bothered by their mental illness. Maybe even incapable of being bothered by it. Not that it´s a difference that makes much of a difference when deciding what to do after being punched or what have you. Either way, borderline or sociopath, the best course of action remains the same in my opinion: have as little to do with them as possible and protect yourself and those you care about. Liminal

Gendao, I find the idea that the entirety of the "outside" world is set up to perfectly mirror my inner reality appealing in a way, but I´m not sure I buy it. If that´s true, everything can be solved by simply working inside ourselves. It´s comforting to think that if we get clear inside there will be no monsters walking around that we might innocently bump into because we´ve structured our internal world so that that possibility doesn´t exist for us. I´m prepared to believe that I "create" some of my reality, but I think there is more to it than that. Sometimes we run into a monster or two without having summoned them, even unconsciously. They simply appear. Liminal

Here´s what comes to me. There´s not much of a possibility of talking things out in an interpersonally satisfying way. She´s not likely to take responsibility for her actions, and, furthermore, it isn´t really your responsibility to teach her anything anyway. You could find a way to bruise her back, but what would be the point of that -- she´s been bruised enough by life and her own psyche as it is. What I would do is this: use your internal tai chi skills to evade. Protect yourself by being as sly and cunning as she is. Be silently powerful like a big cat with nothing to prove. Have nothing more to do with her without appearing to avoid her at all. Of course, this is easy to say and hard to do. I´m not sure I could do it, but something tells me you can. Liminal

I´m not sure how to quote from another thread, but here is my copy/paste of a practice given by Lin to be done during periods of "retention." I think it might be useful. ........................................................................ Inhale from the tip of the penis, up through the spine to the crown, and then back down to the dan tian, on exhale keep focus at dan tian.This can be done whenever the desire arises, and also throughout the day, for a constant "saving" of the sexual energy instead of letting it disperse on its own. You can also direct the energy not just to the crown, but also to the 3rd eye (pineal gland), or to the heart center, and even on the inhale you can choose to bring it up to the crown down to the dantian, and around to the mingmen, then on exhale hold focus at the mingmen. (Just a few options to play with.) if one chooses to sit in meditation for this practice, do it for 15-30 minutes 2x's a day for as long as the retention practice is ...practiced. It can be done standing, lying and walking as well. During sexual stimulation, do not ejaculate, but upon the orgasm, inhale it to the crown, and into the dantian. On exhale, keep focus at dan tian. Throughout the whole entire practice, keep the tongue to the roof of the mouth. Even something more simple than that, chant OM and direct the vibrations you make with your molars right to the genitals, and then, when you feel charge up in that area, direct that sensation right up the spine to the crown and right back down to the dantian. You can place that vibration also to any other chakra you wish. On the inhale, hold focus at that center. That's as simple as I can make it, without any loss of sexual energy, and without any harm. Enjoy! Lin

I´m no tea expert but unless your actually noticing negative effects I´d be inclined not to worry about white tea. If anything could be too much, I would imagine it would be caffeine. Are you having trouble sleeping? Feeling jittery? Anxious? If not, I wouldn´t sweat it. Many people have experienced negative consequences from over consumption of alcohol and cannibis, but you never hear about people being carted off to Betty Ford because of an out-of-control white tea habit.

Sorry if I come off as a "hater" Oneironaut. I don´t mean to be judgmental. I was speaking from my own experience as someone who hasn´t always made good sexual decisions. I´ve done my own version of what you propose, and paid a price energetically. That´s all.

Oh, well I think it´s pretty common anyway. And not necessarily a bad thing. It actually does make some sense to commit to a system and see where it takes you. Otherwise you risk cobbling a practice together on your own whose parts might not work together optimally -- or at all. There´s also the danger of flitting from spiritual flower to spiritual flower and never really getting anywhere because you´re always moving on. Anyway, I wouldn´t let my reservations stop you. They are more about the fit between my personality and the system, and might not apply to you at all. I think SunDo is a legitimate system, and if your attracted to it I don´t think you´ll regret checking it out. One more note: SunDo is a very physical system. It´s challenging physically, and a good work out for the body. Which isn´t to say it´s not spiritually potent as well. Just a very different kind of a practice from meditation which involves just sitting still and doing something (or not doing something) with your mind.