gendao

No, that law was intending to standardize curriculums and shift them to core subjects like English, math & science...and away from arts, social studies & foregin languages. Which I agree with - since technology & manufacturing are far more important for us to remain viable in the Digital Age global economy now. Personally, I think school should just focus on mandatorily teaching the less subjective core subjects & minimize school hours. This will free up more time each day for students to then go home and study whatever else they wish. Not to mention, will also remove more bias from school - as it is far more difficult to bias things like math! BTW, I love art & music and agree they can enhance the quality of life in any area...just don't think they necessarily need to be taught as required classes in school. I mean, why stop there, then? Why not meditation & neidan too? Why not qigong, etc? Lol, uh my whole point is that there SHOULDN'T be so much interest in her race or sexual orientation...instead of her actual QUALIFICATIONS & positions. Personally, I would love to see some ENVIRONMENTALIST, alternative energy researcher, HOLISTIC HEALTH or consumer advocates (like Ralph Nader) on our Supreme Court. Instead, we got the court stacked with industry reps like Clarence Thomas - who is now ruling in the case to approve Monsanto's GMO Roundup Ready alfalfa...despite having been a lawyer for them for 3 years in the late 70s. But apparently, he does not see this as a conflict of interest and has not recused himself.

You only see "no proof" because of who (mass media) you let control your "sight." From one of the horses' own mouths itself...next? That's merely recent (Christian) kneejerk pushback from years of (atheist) liberal-slanted content. And it hasn't even really taken effect yet since it just passed. (Although, I personally don't find either liberal or conservative version very accurate. Where's the Icke/Alex Jones/Ron Paul version? ) Maybe the best answer is to simply label historical viewpoints upfront like "Liberal History 1" or "Christian History 1." But I am only blaming liberals specifically for our kids' lazy, self-entitlement attitude here. Which also includes an overfocus on identity politics over actual performance now. For example, while the liberal media grilled Sarah Palin as an "underqualified" VP...they've roundly applauded Obama's nomination of Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. Apparently, being a homosexual-feminist-Jewish-woman-yadda-yadda is considered an actual "accomplishment" by them today. Guess that's like a full house in ID politics poker... Unfortunately, the fact that she has NO ACTUAL JUDICIAL EXPERIENCE is deemed "irrelevant" in her case (becoming a lifetime judge in the highest court in our land). But again, what you ARE now supercedes what you've DONE. And people wonder why productivity & business performance is plummeting in this country? While we're busy patting ourselves on the back for promoting the first "check special interest boxes here," Asian countries are busy promoting their highest performers & eating our lunch. I agree, hence I put it in quotes... BTW, I am not all anti-liberal or anti-"progressive" at all. Mainly in just the areas I noted. I just see the world in my own way regardless of the prefab boxes that others might stuff things in. Where liberalism has gotten a "free pass" by our mass media and hence I feel the need to point out its dark side too.

This is more important in childhood, but if you can avoid sweets then, you can entirely prevent any cavities! My friend is past his mid-20s already and does not even have a SINGLE cavity. This is because his parents simply forbade him from eating any candy or packaged sweets as a kid! But for the rest of us, sweets typically start a downward dental cycle that starts with cavities & can progress to root canals, crowns, loss of teeth and worsening general health as a result. All at the cost of thousands of dollars. And the more your dental health slowly deteriorates, the fewer healthy options you are left with to "fix" them. It just becomes a no-win game of choosing the lesser of evils... And yet this all could have been easily prevented had you just avoided sweets as a kid! Dr. Weston Price found that DIET is actually the key to dental health. Namely, avoiding sugar & white flour. Which actually form the BASIS of our SAD (Standard American Diet).

Compost smells aromatically SWEET when it's ready! I just made a small batch myself...and it's true!

Well, the education has been working...you just have to consider who is doing the educating and what they're teaching. The goal has been to make us increasingly dependent on the grid and decreasingly self-reliant. The CFR uses liberals to support endless Socialized welfare programs & neocons to back corporate mad scientists. And most people are too afraid of peer pressure to fight these agendas. But if nobody stands up against them...then they'll just steamroll over us & brainwash your kids. Why are kids now all a bunch of self-absorbed, self-entitling overconsumers? BECAUSE NO ONE STOOD UP AGAINST THE LIBERALS WHO CREATED THEM THAT WAY. NOBODY WANTED TO BE THE "BAD COP" TO PREACH RESPONSIBILITY & SUSTAINABILITY. Everyone wanted to be the "cool, progressive" guy who just said "anything goes." My parents never stood up for my rights. I don't blame them - because they were just immigrants happy to have more than in the wartorn, Commie country they fled. But I realize now that the future unborn rely upon US NOW to secure their future for them. These are the ones that politicians don't care about because they can't vote...and many aren't even born yet. These are the silent majority with no voice. But who will inherit our mess & pay for our sins. Unless we start acting & sacrificing for their welfare too, not just our own.

AGREED! Hemp is actually a sustainable, green SUPERCROP. It excels in a myriad of uses as you stated - and even better, grows like a weed with very little water needed! Legalizing hemp alone could go a looonggg ways towards solving our growing crises here... So YES, there are already plenty of EASY solutions available RIGHT NOW. Of course, what I've since come to realize is that 99% of Americans are intellectually incapable of connecting all these far-flung dots here because they simply aren't that intelligent. Like literally - I always scored in the top 1% of all standardized testing I've ever taken. That's why maybe only 1% of Americans like us can "get it" on our own, despite all the public propaganda otherwise. So unfortunately, it is our burden to educate others on this stuff that they would never figure out on their own in a hundred years. Cuz if we don't, they never will. And will in fact be brainwashed to think otherwise by their globalist puppetmasters...

In the US, they've recently set up the 811 program. Basically, you can call them up & within 48 hours the city will come locate all city utility lines on your property for you free-of-charge. I think this was done because it got too expensive repairing various lines that people blindly dug through! So, I recommend people doing this first BEFORE digging any holes. And when you do dig holes, be VERY careful! If you hit any obstruction, stop & inspect! That said, the main obstacles people will encounter most are shallow PVC sprinkler lines & existing tree roots. Perhaps some phone lines or power cables too. Potable water lines are usually buried deeper - but they're also harder to locate because the city will usually only locate them from the street to the water meter on your property. But not beyond that through "private property" to your unit. Other buried utilities may also include sewage, gas, cable, fiber optic cables, etc. I had this done and actually drew up a site map with the lines marked for future reference... Reality is - there's a lot of practical considerations to gardening, too. And far better to be safe than sorry!

American towns are all sprawled out. They are not compacted and walkable like most European or Asian cities. You see, even just a "minor" design flaw in our community designs can cascade into severe consequences. Urban sprawl forces us to use a lot more fuel. Higher demand for fuel fuels riskier operations to scavenge it from dwindling supplies. Increased risk eventually results in increased accidents. This is just ONE contributing factor, too. There's PLENTY more here too - like exponential population growth, etc. Yet, our government is doing NOTHING to address these issues (in fact, even encouraging them). Of course, our government is saturated in black gold itself, so don't expect any solutions out of them! I think they need to send a clean-up crew to Washington too! But, if you have any brilliant ideas to stop the leaks, you can also try submitting them here. (Although whether this is just a PR ploy or actually given real consideration - I don't know!)

Or more specifically: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbyEeMS10cs March 31, 2010: Obama reverses a 29-year ban & approves new oil and gas drilling off U.S. coasts now. Unfortunately, he doesn't add any safety regulations to reduce the catastrophic risks associated with this move (like other countries do). Wonder why? April 22, 2010: BP oil leak starts...

Ahh, coool... Now, does anybody actually personally KNOW any immortals, of any level??? Well, dang, that basically rules me out for now... But yea, start a new thread! I'd love to hear your curriculum & prerequisites. I'd also love to see someone here learn from you and give some feedback.

Immortality is about escaping the limitations of spacetime & transcending the duality between physical & spiritual. You become the "you" that is confined to neither, but can exist in either. Or so I guess...don't quote me on that. Dammit, you tease!! You can't leave us hanging like that! And what does being your student entail?

Zhuangzi Chapter 11: 1) Always question the assumptions...before assuming a question.2) Talk less about, and talk more OF. 3) Talk less OF, and DO more. 4) Do less, BE more. 5) Be less... Next?

Already a great gardening thread here. I think it's a great "spiritual" endeavor...rather than just chanting & reading sutras all day...which can all get very "virtual" & mental. Whereas gardening is always a very "real" activity. Yet can be "spiritual" too - although many people have a very narrow box for what they consider "spiritual" activity. 1. Dunno - but trees are a great way to grow produce vertically. 2. Go organic. Stop wasting your compostable waste! Compost & reuse it! This will not only reduce landfill usage but also amend your soil! 3. Yea, you can get most 6' saplings for like $25 each. Considering the amount of harvest you will reap for many years after this small capital investment - the return is economically phenomenal. 4. The most important thing is to first select the plants that will naturally do best in your area. This usually includes natives...or foreign plants that grow in similar latitudes or climates elsewhere. A lot of Chinese & Japanese plants actually do very well in the US for this reason. Just make sure you don't plant any "invasive" species. Also, you may want to plant some woody perennial trees & shrubs that will just keep growing and don't have to be replanted every year... That cuts a lot down on work & maintenance. In addition, your harvests will keep increasing each year with the sizes of your trees.. PS - Another additive I recently stumbled upon to really enhance plant (particularly root) growth is Epsom salt. (Do note that "Epsom salt" is magnesium sulfate...and contains no actual sodium. That would be bad, lol.)

Actually, there is an operational hierarchy in Chinese martial arts. You are paying* the instructor to...actually instruct you. You may bounce ideas off your peers. And you might even be expected to help teach your "younger brothers." But, you are not paying your laoshi to merely be your training partner on an equal footing. His skills and know-how should be superior to yours. Now, if you don't think your laoshi is worthy of coaching you...then you shouldn't be paying him to be your coach in the first place. You should find another one. Or, if you don't feel you need one, then by all means learn on your own. Nobody forces you to learn from any teacher. In fact, it was usually a great honor to be accepted by a legit one. BTW, I don't think this is much different in the West, either. Try taking a boxing class and telling your coach how YOU want to train (vs everyone else). Try taking ANY class & don't follow along with all the rest of the students in the class routines. See how well your "liberated" Western coaches cotton to that.. Don't get me wrong - I don't think robotically mimicking anyone else will ever get you to realize your full potential. If you keep following the finger, you will never glimpse the moon for yourself. Hence, I myself seek the Middle Path between qualified instruction & self-practice. The other thing is that Westerners can sometimes get too stuck in our heads and ask endless theoretical questions...which are ultimately irrelevant or would be answered with continued practice. I think that's another reason why students may be encouraged to simply practice more & think less. (The other reason being that many teachers today are less accomplished and don't know the answers either, lol.) * Actually, in the traditional ways, you didn't even pay for lessons. The servitude was a token form of payment...but more a way to weed out the uncommitted students unworthy of wasting instruction on.

Wow, I'm impressed, thelerner. You really went outside your mental, lifestyle & geographic box for this off-grid solo adventure! I haven't even had the balls to do this & I don't even have a family! So, eagerly awaiting your next installment...

Cool, sounds like I am doing a similar routine as you, but at only half your breakneck pace! Also, great visualization of the dantian. Cinnabar (dan) is indeed red like a hot, glowing ember.. So, what circuits or centers do you think you've actually opened, btw?

Unfortunately, that is a narrow, selfish viewpoint (although not intended that way). The Baby Boomers wastefully squandered & deficit-spent all our resources but will suffer the least now since they don't have to live in the nightmare they've created. There is always a delayed reaction between widescale cause & effect and the world you live in is the one created by those before you (for better or worse). So, it is the young ones growing up today who will inherit this travesty. Talked to any new college grads recently? Most of them can't find professional jobs because there is less turnover and new positions now. One friend told me only 1/30 got a job in a recent graduating class...of a technical major! And if you're in liberal arts, fugghedaboudit! Maybe China will come save us? The real solution to our economic woes? Does it ever really change? Work hard, quit making excuses & handing out welfare entitlements! The "secret" to gong fu - not financial shell games & more deficit spending! Funny how "Commie" China & "capitalist" USA have been role-reversing in the last few decades...

Interesting, who is the first teacher? I'd like to maybe check him out sometime? As far as the second one, he did have a playful, informal flair...but he actually avoided socializing with students after his large, public workshops. I also think the number of upset students and drama surrounding him was actually relatively small - considering the vast number of students he taught in his world tours. Of which most were happy with their experiences. Although I would say that I do wish we were more prepared for the heavy detoxing the method could induce. That probably would have eliminated much of the confusion & controversy that did exist. I think you are correct in that many students may think they can "get ahead" by kissing their guru's (finger) azz...instead of just focusing on the practice (moon) itself. In the second case, the vibe towards the end seemed to turn more egotistically competitive & commercialized amongst some of the facilitators. I certainly don't blame anyone for trying to make livings at something they believe in...but I did miss the initial scene where everyone humbly put aside their egos & personal gain to partake in this new experience together. There was an innocent purity then, that later got lost. I guess it's just human nature to want to get ahead on a hierarchy & turn a buck. Nothing entirely wrong with that either...the short break from the rat race was just rather refreshing.

Lol Bad news for cougars seeking boy toys though: Might still be worth it though!

The goal is not to retain semen. The goal is to sublimate prenatal jing into yang qi...rather than get aroused and let it convert into postnatal jing. Once it becomes postnatal jing and seeks release via semen...forcefully blocking its exit will only cause stagnation at that point. You've already lost the battle & are only making it worse now..

But the key lies in the observation. Humans - preconditioned to view phenomena at a certain resolution in a narrow band of the EM spectrum in our spacetime dimension, see this: Whereas the "universe sees" this: Point being, what we see as dramatic phenomena being magnificently created & devastatingly destroyed...the "nonconceptual universe sees" merely as constantly-shifting sequences of binary yin/yang. Nothing to get worked up over.

I'm keeping my own private journal, but if I make any major breakthroughs, I can let you guys know! So far though, I've only made incremental improvements in opening & realigning my kua, finding the proper wuji-style posture experientially, feeling qi more, maybe opening a few major acupoints & possibly sinking/rooting lattely. Again, like building a skyscraper by stacking paper here.. Overall, It's so far been very rewarding just because at the very least, I'm depending on me and "nobody" else for this. 2 years ago, I never thought I could fit in even 20 min everyday, much less 3 hours. So I've pleasantly surprised myself now that I have. Basically, if I'm at work for about 9 hours and sleep about 8, that still leaves 7 hours/day. If I use about 4 of those for practice, I have just enough time left for all my other daily activities...and not minutes to spare. Think about THIS though! Yet, nobody asks, "How can people find time to watch 4.5 hours of TV per day??" I would definitely recommend getting rid of your TV as one great way to save time & reduce mental pollution.. This commitment required at least a year or 2 first to stabilize myself & modify my lifestyle to open up this space. I've had to cut out a lot of "nonessentials." The DDJ talks about the usefulness of a wheel's hole & Zen about emptying your cup. So, I'm continually trying to pare down & simplify my life. If you want something bad enough, you'll do some crazy sh*t to get it. If not, you won't. Most won't because it requires "crazy" amounts of desire, discipline & effort. I have no real "street cred" yet though, since I haven't made any big breakthroughs. So, I can't credibly advise anyone to do, or not do, this. At worst, it could be inefficient or largely a waste of time. Only time will tell.. This is an ongoing experiment for me and if all else fails - at least I can say to myself that I really tried. (Although failure is not really an option for me.) Michael - I simply say "static stillness" meditation to distinguish it from moving forms of qigong. I pick a stance or pose & just freeze in it for an hour. Theoretically, I try to combine Zen meditation with Taoist energy cultivation. Basically, I try to get my mind out of the way while sinking energy down to my dantian. Again, not saying this is the best method - just the one I happen to be doing right now.

I'm practicing static stillness meditation just a tad over 3 hrs/day right now. I'd do more if I wasn't working a full-time job too. Am I crazy? F*** YEAH I'm crazy!!! (At least by American laymen's standards...) I too just eventually got sick of all the idle talk & dabbling...but lack of any real sustained results. So, I'm now busting my ass relatively hardcore until I can finally get some concrete ones. Seems like that's what anyone here who has actually attained tangible milestones did - like drewhempel, Blasto & Vajrasattva. These were some of my inspirations on here. Main thing I need to catch up more on now is early sleep.

Those who have not yet transcended dualism - still "suffer" from duality-based emotions.Those who have attained non-dualism - may have Buddhalike compassion for others not having transcended dualism (and thus emotional "suffering"). But this can be a dispassionate concern only, because they do not feel their actual same duality-based emotions anymore. It's like being understanding & considerate of how people watching a scary movie may be frightened, but feeling none of that actual fear yourself because you know it's only a movie...