Trunk

There's this song from 1974, (hey!, how do we insert yt vids with the new interface?) edit: oh!, it does it automatically now! Really easy to play on guitar, just two chords over n' over, slide into each: D, E ... but the lyrics could use some re-working to include real martial and Taoist internal arts characters, from Yang Chengfu to Sammo Hung to Lao Tzu or any classic Taoist martial or alchemical terms. Fun community ditty. Here's the original lyrics Here's my own little variation; I'm sure all you can come up with a lot more (and better). Have at it, Trunk

I've been looking for several decades and I'm happy with DGS; here's a few links. DGS Reviews (page I wrote) Sifu Chris Matsuo TTBs thread DGS's Dizzying DVD Colllection TTBs thread Teaches healing, martial, spiritual ... often in the same lecture, same technique.

Well, right now we are in the midst of a different tech difficulty: The forum loads very slow, and often isn't loading at all. Once we get that worked out your problems may vanish. Give us a few days.

'like'

I've used written journals, off n' on, over the years. Critical tool, imo, important. I use those basic "composition notebooks" that you can get at any drugstore. However, at least for me so far, written journals have a couple of weaknesses (or at least things to adjust to): 1. I'm not consistent, lol. At first I thought I was going to journal every day or several times a week. I've adjusted more comfortably to, "when ever I feel like it". 2. It can be cumbersome to present some inner qigong experience in words, and cumbersome enough to review prior entries (pages of text) that I usually don't do it (only very rarely, and not very satisfying). .. versus PICTURES (drawings, paintings) of my inner experience 1. Well, I'm still not consistent, lol!! I just do the art when I'm moved to. 2. but it's *super* helpful for self expression and review!! The old saying, "a picture is worth 1,000 words". I can look weeks or months back, just at one picture on a page and - in an instant - see what was going through internally. This has been especially helpful for understanding progressions of a practice *over time*. While I was working on a certain practice "X", I'd paint a significant experience. Then weeks or months later I'd paint another inner experience. The thing is, they were stages of the same inner work that was prompted by that practice. I could see the stages of development in the sequence of pictures, that if I'd just written about it (or not put it down in any way) I would've missed. This has helped me immensely understand, and assimilate psychologically, what is going on with me mystically. 3. Also, re: inner pain. It's not all flowers and fireworks for me inside, lol. I also occasionally paint my inner regions of pain. And, I can see improvement (or not) over time, and also how it relates to the practices I am doing (or should do). Like I said before, this is mostly just for me: an art-based diary. Primarily not intended to show others. And it is pictures of my internal world, an artistic depiction of what I see~feel when I do my practices (or afterwards). Doodling is cool (and I think any kind of art is kinda cool and therapeutic) but what I'm specifically talking about is your inner terrain. Esoteric physiology being lit up, sometimes layered with physical anatomy and emotional colorings. The layered experience that Mark Griffin refers to as "the human form", which is meant to be a broad term that includes ... lots. - Trunk p.s. I think that loneliness and the mystic path is a really important topic. Music, cooking (finding common denominators that are helpful to us on our own and also by which we can relate to anyone), pets, art - all those are related topics.

We've really come a long way in a few decades. Those guys aren't exactly Jet Li.

*thread bump* I really encourage y'all to have a sketch-book, art based, qi gong journal. Pencil line drawings, brush work, crayons, whatever attacts you. And the purpose, context, is really that of a diary. It's (primarily) not art for other people. It's just for you to - sometimes, whenever you are moved to, to draw/paint whatever is inside for you during your qigong ~ spiritual practice. And it doesn't have to be good; it's just for you. As practicing mystics of one sort or another, you're going to find that, over time, you'll have a lot of experiences (and progression of experiences over months yrs) that you can't share much of with most people... and it gets more extreme the further you go. There's a pretty intense long term loneliness factor in this path. Art is one way that you can express outwardly, for yourself, what is going on inside ... helps you process it psychologically. Very healthy. Three bucks for crayola water color set. Ten bucks for a sketch book. Best therapy money you'll ever spend.

Apparently there's been problems with e-mails getting through from the online webpage form. If you went through that channel, could be that's the problem. E-mail Sifu Matsuo directly: [email protected]. If not a response soon: repeat so it shuffles to the top of his inbox.

yummm

pesky moderators, lol Oops, I'm still used to having General Discussion listed first; that's what I intended.. /moderator hat on moved topic into General D. /mod off I think it does tonify essence or something, doesn't it? Anyone know the TCM and/or health properties of coconut?

hey Community, For those of you that don't know me, I'm a moderator here at TTBs. I think it's appropriate and serves community clarity that I recuse myself, publicly, from moderating any issues that might arise regarding the below schools (teachers). My involvement (or tangential involvement) with these schools makes it unseemly for me to moderate re: them ... Hard Light (Mark Griffin) Dragon Gate Sanctuary (Chris Matsuo) Eastern Internal Arts (Jenny Lamb) Kunlun (Max Christensen) - Trunk

Turtle Shell, I was actually thinking about you earlier today, hoping I could contact you ... in that I felt the 'real' connection that we had was back when we were communicating well and that I value, respect, think of you essentially in that way ... and just that (we all know) sometimes things get in an awful tangle here. I hope that we can at least remember each other in that way. Likewise, and thank you. regards, Keith

A lot of hand-arm wisdom in this school. Broad range of results/practices, substantial to refined, applications - health, martial, spiritual. Many effective methods. Perhaps I was overly eager in the beginning to get the whole view of the system, get the right dvd/s, right sequence, get all the dvds, lol. Turns out it takes me many months to absorb just several methods. Pick any one DGS dvd out of a hat and chances are better than average you've got a substantial deep practice to sink your teeth into for a good long while, lol.

got an e-mail from Sean

*really* cool thread! Some years ago I found a $5 brush pen in a Japanese paper store and started painting the syllables of the mani mantra (as the mantra meditation involves visualizing the syllables). Painted the mani syllables over and over... and over. Wanted to expand and so bought a book on Sumi-e (Japanese brush painting) and have been learning basic bamboo. Also my $5 pen ran out, couldn't find another so bought a Kuretake and am very happy w/ it. I've found more and more that I can paint my inner life. Few months ago I hit gold. A crayola water color set at the local drugstore for like $3. I started a JOURNAL that is just painting. I'll do qi gong or meditate or whatever I do to "look inside" and some days I'm impelled to express it... but when I've written it down in a journal it is just so wordy and not fun to look back at. I'm finding the paintings to be fun and beautiful and express what I need to, can be taken in at a glance... and tracking my paintings over time clarify inner progression tremendously. Hugely therapeutic for an esoteric nerd like me, no one hardly to talk to, lol.

Cool thread! No secret that I was a Tsongkhapa nut for a while. Tsongkhapa's Six Yogas of Naropa This helped me immensely re: sushumna alchemy. Some of the key pith phrases "enter, abide, dissolve" ... just priceless. Some of it (of course, this is Tibetan Buddhism) is too ornate to absorb, for me so far anyhow. Also his Lam Rim Chen Mo (stages of the path). It's 3 hardcover books 1, 2, 3. Much of it is compiled from other classic sources of the time. Very very detailed. I haven't gotten through all three volumes yet. .. but super clear. While reading this book I started seeing colors in my inner world, thought it looked familiar, looked in my Tibetan calendar and "that's what I'm seeing!": the chakrasamvara mandala. Tapping into classics written by heavies is such a good part of the ride. Too easy to spend too much time online, not enough reading classics.

I've fwded Sean the info + posted in the thread in the tech support section.

Sean, Attached is the notice I got from Google (saved the webpage). TTBs Google diagnostic b.htm Trunk

welcome. How do you like NC? I've heard there's a progressive (spiritually & environmentally) element, as well as deep woods nature and culture... Trunk

My experience is that Sifu Matsuo occasionally goes e-missing for a week or two +. Then all of a sudden replies. My impression is that he is very busy, there are sometimes lags, but he does reply/send product.

Taoism, Buddhism, Music, Art: you're in! welcome!

I think it is some combination of # of replies and # of views, I think. We mods are figuring it out as we go, also. Have you noticed the "Highest Reputation Content" at the bottom right of the main page? That points to the posts that have gotten the most "likes". Kinda cool. Some nice historical posts in there, for since we got the "like" feature.

p.s. For this or any other kind of long term trauma, illness, art & music therapy can be very helpful. By music therapy, I mean participate (play an instrument, sing, dance), not simply listen. It doesn't matter how well or badly you play, only that you engage and enjoy some. A cheap used guitar goes far. Painting is also good: you can find a crayola water color kit at Rite Aid for about $3. Again, paint anything you want, doesn't matter how well or badly. These sorts of things can be very therapeutic on many levels.

I have no experience dealing w/ this sort of thing, just a couple of ideas: 1. eye movement exercises (including EMDR) The eyes are heavily cabled into the brain and simple eye movement exercises are often used to activate & harmonize the brain. 2. Kwan Yin Magnetic Qigong has a good brain section. 3. There was something I read quite a while back about someone doing ambidextrous exercises in order to stimulate both hemispheres of the brain. A guitar teacher mentioned it. ... here it is, WholeBrainGuitar.net. Apparently there are a bunch of drills that don't require a guitar at all. I've not tried this, but am curious, so if anyone else tries it I'm interested in hearing results.