liminal_luke

I'm going to assume that what you say is true: that listening to only part of the audio can hurt a person and make them more vulnerable to demons. In this case, it's unethical to post the file here on Taobums. All sorts of people visit the forum and not everyone will listen to your file to completion. As someone who is aware of the power of the file, you have a responsibility to safegaurd the wellbeing of those who listen. The right thing to do would be to take the file down immediately.

A great new official video, Elton John - Tiny Dancer (youtube.com)

Or maybe you're a rebel like those go-your-own-way centenarians you always hear about, the ones who claim the secret to a long life is a bottle of Jack Daniels and a good cigar. When it comes to health -- and perhaps spiritual practice too -- pluckiness is an underrated virtue.

I think how a practice feels can change over time, and that's not a bad thing. Sometimes more is going on underneath the surface than we realize and it's best just to stay the course. Agree with silent thunder that talking about this with your teacher is a good idea.

I don't claim to know for certain, but intuitively I would think that not touching grass is the greater danger to health and energy. In fact, a whole industry of "minimalist shoes" (vibram fivefingers, for instance) has sprung up to accomodate the needs of people who want to feel the healing effects of being closer to the earth without actually going barefoot. This said, I suppose the advisability of walking around sans footware depends on local environmental conditions.

In the larger sense, everybody is spiritual and everybody is on a path to enlightenenment. We're all Dorothy on our way to the Emerald City. Of course not all paths are the same and, to our smaller selves, which path to take often seems a momentous decision. Some paths are more treacherous, some more direct, some feature finer scenery. From my reading, I gather that the path of kundalini checks all of the above boxes.

Gilles Marin's Bone Breathing practice recording comes to mind, Audio Downloads | CNTI (chineitsang.com).

It's a booby prize.

I Have a Dream speech by Martin Luther King .Jr HD (subtitled) - YouTube I watched this again and, I have to say, it really is something. It's hard to imagine a leader giving such a moving speech today.

Over the years I've read kundalini accounts from some Bums who regarded K activation in their lives as a great benefit and others who regarded the same as a nightmare. As with so many other things, one size does not fit all.

I like to do physical things for spiritual reasons, so put me down as a physical/spiritual hybrid guy. An example might be qigong -- physical movements that I perform with the hope of developing spiritually. This is opposed to physical movements that are done solely for physical benefits, like lifting weights to get big muscles. To these four paths I'd add a fourth -- introspective self-awareness. I think the start of all searching is values clarification. Once I know what's important to me then I can figure out how I want to live. Taking time to get to know myself -- through conversation with friends, journaling, deep thought, maybe therapy -- is central to my process. This path could potentially underlie and inform any of the other paths laid out.

How would I know if I have a lower dan tien or not? (It strikes me that this question is a little like asking how much a certain item costs at a fancy restaurant: if ya have to ask, you can't afford it.)

I feel the key is to be in tune with yourself and your own process, then you´ll know what is right for you. Any generic advice you might receive about the topic might well be wrong for you as celibacy can be right for some people at some times and wrong for others. In general, I don´t think it´s good to be in a struggle with oneself. When celibacy is right, it will come naturally. (Or so I keep telling myself ,)

Touche! I'm not sure there is a difference between neigong and alchemy, although someone might make one somewhere. Probably the more relevent distinction is between neigong/alchemy practices and ordinary qigong. I think of qigong as movement forms, often short (as opposed to say tai chi) and repetitive, intended to move the chi in a way that is conducive to health. Neigong, on the other hand, is deeper spiritual work aimed at transformation, enlightenment or "immortality" or whathaveyou. Others no doubt have more precise definitions but this is my general impression.

I'm reminded of one of my college triumphs. A professor was discussing a short story by Kafka, a short story I was supposed to have read but hadn't. Perhaps because I hadn't done the reading, my mind was not clouded by my own opinions and I could clearly see the direction the teacher wanted to take the class discussion. After a few of my classmates answered a question incorrectly, I raised my hand and commented on the motivation of a character. Bingo! I got it right, at least according to our professor, without having the least idea what I was talking about. My ballsiest classroom moment.

A Parable A Bum goes to med school, graduates, and builds a successful medical practice. He gets married and has kids. Reads widely, both fiction and nonfiction, finding much enjoyment and intellectual stimulation. Loves his dog. He learns a lot about current events and develops thoughtful perspectives in line with his values. He is well-loved by work colleagues and meditation buddies, especially online where he has earned the honorific title of ¨Steve on the Internet.¨ Importantly, he finds a spiritual community and teacher that feels like home and practices with enough depth and precision to significantly impact his personal vibe and the quality of his relationships with others. And then, seated atop this mountain of accomplishment, declares that he´s never been successful with New Year´s resolutions. Bemused Bums gather and whisper amongst themselves. What´s he smokin´? For @steve

I´ve not read it yet in any translation so I don´t have a personal opinion, but here´s the lowdown on the different translations by Simon Haisell, Join the 2024 War and Peace Read Along - by Simon Haisell (substack.com). I think I´m going to go with the Anthony Briggs translation. I´m told there´s a lot of French in the book (which I don´t read) so I prefer a translation where the French is translated in the text itself rather than in the footnotes. Looking forward to comparing notes if you decide to go for it!

I want to hear about other´s New Years resolutions (or decisions not to make them) because I find other people, especially my fellow Bums, interesting. Resolutions often tell a story, the story of the kind of human being a person wants to be. For many, there´s a tension between accepting things as they are and working for change, and it´s interesting to see how different people approach that polarity. I am somewhat of a neurotic striver, easy going on the outside but Type A deep down¡ others are more content with their own imperfections, an outlook I find commendable. I want to know other people better and reading resolutions helps me do just that. Some resolutions inspire me, some give me comfort. As prosaic as it might be, it´s nice to know, for instance, that others also want to lose weight or eat fewer donuts.

Not necessarily all "qigong" but some options to consider... Authenticneigong Taoist Alchemy Online (nathanbrine.com) Robert Peng For something along the lines of Buddhism but with a distinctly different flavor, consider Bon Ligmincha International | Ligmincha If you prefer a very physical, somewhat athletic path to spiritual development, there's Korean Mountain Taoism About SunDo International - SUNDO INTERNATIONAL I have personal experience with the final three -- all very good. (Now that I think of it though, the Sundo probably requires a bit of in-person training. The others have online programs.) The first two are more "alchemical" and "neidan-y" and also come highly recommended by other Bums. Oh, and I almost forgot, Dragon Gate Sanctuary What Is Dragon Gate Sanctuary - Newcomer Corner - The Dao Bums

I don´t mind the meat world so much; it´s the virtual world that scares me.

I've no idea if War and Peace will be for me, maybe not. I went through a Dostoyevsky period in high school but I was a much more ambitious reader back then; lately I'm more likely to pick up a Jack Reacher thriller. But I like the idea of a big slow literary project. The same substacker will also be leading a slow read of the Cromwell Trilogy (Wolf Hall, Bring up the Bodies, and The Mirror and the Light) Cromwell Trilogy - by Simon Haisell (substack.com) which I plan to try too. Turns out it's not just schoolchildren who are tempted to skip the "war parts" of War and Peace -- adults are skippers too. In fact, Simon Haisell addresses the question "can I skip the war parts" saying: In reality, there is peace on the battlefield and war in the ballroom. Sounds a little like yin and yang.

In 2024 I'm going to try and keep a clean house and a clean (read: well-nourished) body. (Will one resolutionl reinforce the other?) I hope to walk a lot, often with my partner Jose, occasionally along the ocean, at least once with a Tijuana-based hiking group. With gumption, I'll make it (finally!) to Poker Face, Ensenada's one gay bar, and put the lie to that nasty rumor that fat old gringos can't dance. Would any Bums like to join me for a slow read -- one short chapter a day for the entire year -- of War and Peace? Substacker Simon Haisell will be leading a read-a-long with weekly commentary, just the kind of wildly creative, challenging-but-doable endeavor that I can't resist. I'll be reading on Kindle, at least initally, which means I won't be lugging a dogearred paperback tome to coffeeshops where I could potentially impress my latte-drinking acquintances. One can't have everything. It wouldn't be New Years without some ambitious spiritual cultivation dreams, so here are some of mine. Work up to doing 4 rounds of primordial qigong daily; work up to two hours (or so) of Kunlun / yigong practice daily; work up to a double practice of Yi Jin Jing daily. How I will ever find time to do all this, mop my floors, and read Russian literature is anybody's guess. Stay tuned.

One way a person might work with these physical LDT issues is to practice self- chi nei tsang. Unwinding the Belly - Redwing Book Company (redwingbooks.com)

@Trunk For some reason the light bulb as metaphor reminded me of your old Alchemicaltaoism site. Ah, the good ole days....

Your friends and family will probably be surprised to learn that the most controversial thing about you here on TDB is your knowledge of Buddhism.