liminal_luke

In your earlier accounting of "unpopular acts" within your repetoire you neglected to mention the crafting of literary suspense. Pray tell, what is the Fifth and Ultimate Ignobel Arrow? (I'm guesssing death? That seems to me like the ultimate take-the-cake unpopular act.)

Just when you think this thread couldn't possibly get any more interesting....

Where can I buy the hat?

Casual readers of The Lancet, a prestigious scientific journal, are being misled by climate change alarmists. the cold facts about heat deaths - by el gato malo (substack.com) (Luke hides behind melting ice floe.)

By virtue of their very unpopularity, unpopular opinions are targets for bullshit callers. Which is why I'm keeping mine to myself.

Sometimes I struggle with my self-esteem and feel less than other people, so you can imagine my joy to discover that I'm one of the 10 most spiritually advanced people in the whole wide world. Way to go Luke!

That's hilarious though my recent experience suggests that very few people say they don't trust science. It's very common, on the other hand, for people to say, accusingly, that other people don't trust science. (My apologies for this curmudgeonly and unhumorous observation; I'll try to do better next time.)

I don't make the rules, I just repeat 'em.

Your post seems to suggest stirling's consistency is a drawback but what if he's on to something? Many problems, one solution.

I think all art is rooted in wu-wei -- that's what makes it art. So yeah, Johnny B. Good counts for sure. But what we see and experience is not wu wei itself but only it's echo as it comes spinning out of us in creativity or kindness or an inspired decision. I don't know what wu wei in it's purest form feels like. Most likely nobody on the board does, though I've learned not to underestimate the Bums.

For health, you might check out Flying Phoenix chi gung. I'm not a practitioner myself but there's a very active community here of people who are and it generally gets good reviews, particularly for those who want to improve their health. Take a look at the thread pinned in the General Discussion section. I'm also a fan of Master Li's Sheng Zhen, Sheng Zhen Meditation.

Hi LUXAleX, There are many threads on the board about various teachers and schools. Most would recommend having a teacher or taking a class rather than trying to learn from books alone. Would you be willing to tell us a little bit more about what you hope to accomplish with your cultivation? I think having a little bit more information about you would help members make suggestions that would be a good fit.

You're not a cancer, @rene, and I appreciate you and wish you wanted to contribute more -- though I respect your wish not to. That said, you do have a way with a bow and arrow. Ouch! It's hard to imagine now, but there was a time when the forum was dominated by political conversation, with our more conservative members largely holding sway. Nothing wrong with being a conservative (I've been leaning embarrasingly rightward myself lately) but some of the more right wing Bums -- not you, Rene -- were downright dismissive of other opinions. How many times were we lefties referred to as "snowflakes?" I started to think, based on my experience here, that Daoists were almost exclusively Republicans. Democrats were ridiculed, to say nothing of our upstanding Socialist members and their more radical ilk. It was only after the purge, when leftists once again dared show their faces, that I realized one could both practice Tai Chi and dislike Trump. All this is to say that I understand why Sean acted as he did. I never agreed with him but I understood. A great deal was lost post-purge and we're still dealing with the consequences, the loss of many wonderful members, hurt feelings. But who knows what might have been lost if lopsided conditions had been allowed to continue. I wouldn't describe any Bums as cancerous, though I've had my struggles with a few over the years. But what might be cancerous is the wrongheaded conviction that my side is right and the other side unequivocally wrong. What might be cancerous is lack of empathy for those who see the world differently. We were suffering with that cancer before the purge and we suffer with it still, but muddle on as best we can. May we all recognize the goodness in each other's hearts (even if we continue to ask what-could-they possibly be thinking?). Liminal

I, for one, wish you'd break them more regularly! (Every once in a while I read a news story about how some outrageous stodgy old law is still on the books somewhere even though society has long moved on. No selling liquor on a Sunday. Don't tie your horse up to the fencepost at the general store. This is how I regard Sean's once-upon-a-time proclamation, as a legal relic that has yet to be reversed but isn't actively enforced.)

So apt! (a link to your allusion -- for those who want the full musical experience) The Four Tops - Walk Away Renee (Live) - YouTube

I agree with @Shadow_self above that the search for dopamine is "the plight of the modern world"...so it's more than a little ironic that I find myself here.

Addiction is running from the dragon. Meditation is facing the dragon, or ought to be anyways. I've read that some people have found a way to use meditation as a way to run though that hasn't been my experience. A story: years ago I set myself a goal to meditate for just 10 minutes a day. I kept putting it off and putting it off and I couldn't figure out why; was I really so lazy that I couldn't even manage 10 minutes? Finally, I sat myself down to do it and immediately broke into tears. Oh, so that's why I didn't want to meditate.

I've taken workshops with Master Li as well and yes -- he's wonderful! Kwan Yin Standing Qigong can be practiced without initiation as you say. -Enjoy the movement, enjoy your life. Master Li

Hi PestiferMundi, I think you'll find it difficult getting very far studying from that book alone. If you're interested Wang LiPing's lineage, an accessible entry might be to take the online course offered by Nathan Brine. Taoist Alchemy Online (nathanbrine.com)

prestidigitize? I had to look that one up Tibetan for love.

Then I'd say you're doing pretty good. Not that you asked...

While a few people may fall squarely in the saint or sinner basket, most of us are neither good nor bad in our essence but rather just hurt people doing what we can in a sometimes messed up world. The practices that I find worth doing help me become healthier and happier, and as my life gets better I find I treat other people better too: win-win. I'm more accepting of myself and others, less irritable.

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For bone breathing you might find this CD useful: The Bone Dreaming Meditation - CD | CNTI (chineitsang.com). It's different from pore breathing in that the focus is the bones rather than the pores. I second silent thunder's recommendation of Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. He teaches online workshops regularly through glidewing. His community has an online presence here: Ligmincha International | Ligmincha. Great stuff although I'm not sure if there's anything similar to pore breathing.

What a beautiful, inspiring practice. Can you imagine Biden, Trump, or DeSantis doing that? I've said it before and I'll say it again: Taomeow for president!