liminal_luke

Surya, Best wishes for you and your dad and your entire family. I think it says something good about you that you were willing to reach out and be in touch. LL

I don´t fancy myself a reader of "past lives" but it´s easy to imagine you as a swaggering sailor out of Moby Dick.

If it´s any consolation, I miss the Current Events section too. (Though, to be honest, I did suggest it be abolished and thus cannot complain.)

Standing without expectations or demands on myself (or others) sounds great. Actually, doing anything that way would be wonderful, but standing is probably a good place to start. Harder than it sounds, at least for me.

Nothing if not helpful.

Born to Run made such a big splash that it´s now spawned professional detractors. Health guru Mark Sisson recently came out his latest cheekily named tome, Born to Walk, in which he argues that walking, not running, is the locomotive motion of choice. Surely "Born to Crawl" can´t be far behind.

double post

The subject of this thread is beyond me (so please excuse the interruption), but I´m grateful that my abilities in English, such as they are, have not turned me into the queen of England or Noam Chomsky.

Welcome back. I often think the Golden Era of Taobums is behind us, but reading about bears and Egyptian magic, I´m not sure if things have changed at all.

I also got a reading from Eric about some health issues I was having. He struck me as a nice guy, well-intentioned, and knowledgable about ayurveda and the body in general. I will say, however, that his psychic take on what was going on for me did not match up with diagnostic lab work I received a few days after my reading.

Ursinically speaking, it sounds like Portugal is a pretty barren country.

For whatever reason, this forum occasionally attracts people with psychiatric issues. The best we can do, imo, is encourage such people to get medical care. I suspect few heed this advice but it´s better than feeding delusional thinking with endless engagement. This is the way I see it anyways. Your advice to seek professional help was, in my opinion, spot on.

Agreed. I see a lot of the same red flags you do (even if I occasionally ignore them ).

For better or worse, my approach has been less rigorous and pure. It´s a style that suits me, though my progress is no doubt more meandering than it might have been otherwise. Much respect for your perspective.

I think much depends on the nature of the student / teacher relationship. These relationships can be very deep, familial even, as when a student commits to a particular path that the teacher exemplifies and represents. There can be an emotional bond on both sides that is central to the teaching endeavor. In this case, I think you´re spot-on that it´s crucial to consider the character of the teacher. But there are many teachers who we can learn bits and pieces from who maybe we don´t like in some ways. Like many others, I find Damo Mitchell´s cigar smoking bro-culture ways a little off-putting. I´m not tempted to join his academy. As for Max, one would be wise to take some of his stories with a mine full of salt. Neither of these teachers will ever be anything like a heart-guru for me. But, for all their imperfections, I believe both of them have valuable things to share. When I can, I try to take what feels worthwhile -- without going all-in on the fake Tibetan spiritual trappings, imported Habanos, and promises of everlasting life.

Max says that his system is not the same as his teachers, meaning, I think, that "kunlun" is not the same as "yi gong." Having received instructions for both practices, I can´t say I see the difference. But what is glaringly true is that Max (Kunlun) and Jenny Lamb (Yi Gong) have wildly different personalities and approaches. Max is flamboyant, a self-proclaimed "coyote" given to telling wild stories. Jenny is grounded, circumspect. I think it would be a mistake to dismiss Kunlun / yigong based on an appraisal of Max´s character. Those who don´t like Max will likely like Jenny, and vice versa. I´m positive that Yigong is grounded in a spiritual tradition, though not one that is easily accessed, especially now that Jenny is retired. My intuitive sense is that the tradition can best be accessed through committed practice. It´s possible that the best teachers are not presently embodied in human form, but nevertheless actively guide the diligent student. Just my guess.

I haven´t read those old threads for years, but I´m sure you´re right that much of it is about Max´s credibility as a person. Not so useful. My own view is that it´s the practice that counts -- not the likeability / trustworthiness of the teacher. If you undertake the practice, you´ll develop your own educated opinion about it. In the end, that´s all that matters.

Nope, not me. I know nothing about a Men´s Rights / Honey Badger connection and, uhh, claim the fifth.

trans issues climate change Charlie Kirk nondualism Took me a few tries, but I finally came up with a good one!

What is the purpose of hara development or building a dantien? I suspect that those who embrace these practices are aiming at something different from realization or awakening as it´s thought of in most Buddhist contexts. A related question: Is it easier to awaken in a healthy body?

Hi @Kaspar, Some years back Kunlun / yigong was all the rage on the board, and many people shared their experiences -- both positive and negative -- with the practice. If you search back, you should be able to read many of those accounts. I think of spontaneous movement as a process of purification; it releases blockages that get in the way of stillness and silence. In a sense, the specifics of our blockages are not "profound," but the underlying calm that remains when the blockages are removed is profound. That´s the way I see it. Like you, I love to read about other people´s experiences with practices I´m interested in. These stories are often inspiring, motivating. But what is ultimately important is the experience you will have if you commit to the practice. I¨m confident that your story will be uniquely your own. I think it´s a worthy undertaking. You may not do it forever, but it´s worth spending some time with as an experiment, seeing where it will take you. Just my two cents.

I don´t practice it now but I´ve taken numerous workshops with the main teacher, Master Li, back when he was first starting out in the states. During practice sessions he´d often tell us: Enjoy the movement, enjoy your life. I found him to be an amazing person and teacher.

I personally don´t worry about the rubber mat or even the mudra. I just sit on a chair, lift my heels up so just the balls of my feet are on the floor, and let the movement happen. The important thing, I think, is just to allow oneself to be spontaneous rather than trying to control the movement (or lack of movement) in any way and to maintain awareness of what´s happening. That´s it. Sit afterwards on the floor in stillness to allow everything to integrate.

You might consider Sheng Zhen. Sheng Zhen Meditation

I think about scrambled eggs. I imagine eating scrambled eggs. I decide to eat scrambled eggs for breakfast. All different. What the three processes have in common is that none of them actually are scrambled eggs, unfortunately.