dwai

This is very useful to clarify doubts. I keep re-visiting his talks again and again. Earlier on, it was to deepen the insights. And always, to help clean up the muck that arises from dealing with samsāra. Satsang is beneficial for all.

May be re-watch it? I didn't find anything that was discordant in the lecture

Self realization doesn’t require any effort. Just the mind must become still and quiet in order to “realize” that which always is, but seems to be hidden in plain sight. Each seeker has his/her own journey basss on their story. It might even involve retracing a teacher’s steps. But it seems what is necessary for the individual is what transpires.

The relation is inverse.

Both life and death only appear to be. What is life, but animation of an organism, and death, but the decay of the same organism? Neither proves anything. What seemed to exist, seems to cease to exist. That one is ever free, ever untouched by either life or death.

The lure of 'powers' is a trap. +1 for what @freeform points out.

This is a common misunderstanding. The intellect/mind expects to answer in a certain way. Forget all the rules. Just say it like it happens. Maybe if you're interested, and would prefer to pursue this further, we can do it by PM.

Yes. Stop using the intellect. The exercise as outlined will not make sense to the intellect. It cannot be done with the mind. Before your mind can activate, can you know who you are? If not, what CAN/DO you know?

How do you know this? With your mind or without your mind? It’s very easy to end up relying on the mind. Forget about all else. Billion years, eternity etc etc are descriptions generated by the mind and superimposed on what really is. Try again, without thinking, without the mind. What do you get?

Even one time, is sufficient. Do it now, as you read this post. Slow everything down. Just do it, answer the question "who are you?" without thinking. Immediately record the answer. I bet you, you have the correct answer, but you think it is not the right answer. Not why or what, but to whom? Before you can do that exercise, you need to find the answer "Who am I?". Ask the question "Who am I?" Underlying that is the process of trying to see if you get an answer without thinking (hence, in a fraction of a second, without thinking, tell me who you are). If you don't get any answer without thinking, that should lead to the question, "if you don't know who/what you are without thinking, is there anything at all you DO know"? If someone explains the process to you any further, it will actually set you back. Because this is stuff you need to contemplate over and come to some conclusions/deductions. Then you cross-reference your understandings with a guide/mentor or teacher. It has to arise organically. It took me a while to understand this, but when I did, everything sort of clicked into place! If you don't know what this "I am" is, how can you remember it? The "who am I" is the way to realize what "I am" is.

Works like a charm. It actually works immediately, but it takes some time to understand what that means What was your observation after trying it out?

Loved the chapter on enlightenment.

I know I've belabored this point several times in the past. However, I think it still needs to be called out (and perhaps a fruitful discussion will ensue). Techniques/postures/methods are secondary to meditation. They are means to an end. That then begs the question "What is meditation?" Meditation is complete absorption in which there is no separation between subject and object, or, there is only subject, no object. This is also called "samādhī). So, sitting in full lotus, or x,y or z posture, or n-repetitions of any mantra, or breathing technique etc etc, DO NOT constitute meditation. They are preparatory. This includes techniques like neigong, various yogic kriya, etc etc. They are doing. Meditation is undoing (had to use this cliché). Normally, our mind is always reaching out into the objective world, attracted to and attached to objects. My home, my car, my this, my that, and so on and so forth. This phenomenon is called "Chitta viskhépa" in sanskrit. What does "preparatory" imply? It implies that the mind is brought back from external focus/scattered attention to single-pointed attention/focus ( ekāgrachitta) and finally in cessation of the mind itself (manōlaya or better still, manōnāsha). The gate of meditation is entered when the mind becomes single-pointed. It becomes meditation with the cessation of the mind (identification with thoughts). This is the place of stillness. Once a practitioner has stabilized in meditation (stillness), they then can re-enter the world but fully stable in the knowledge of their true nature (empty, infinite, eternal, light). Forget about all the techniques, about being perfect in your forms and your posture, etc. Sit comfortably on a wooden or metal chair, and follow this meditation. It will super-charge your other practices if you do this every day.

Yes it is good. It is a sign of sung (release of tensions and traumas held in the body). With time this will become like a feeling of soft rain/mist all over your body, Do you get the feeling of something constantly under the skin? Feels like how it might, to have silk or soft cotton under the skin?

For me, a big realization occurred after having dedicated taijiquan/daogong practice for close to 15 years (around 2015). cultivation needs to evolve from physical/energetic to spiritual. If we follow the path and have a good teacher, we will evolve naturally. These techniques (any cultivation technique being used - qigong, taiji, etc) are means to an end. The objective of cultivation is (or should be) purification of the mind (in that, the tendency of the mind to attach to "this and that", and judge, and take positions, etc etc). A pure mind results in stillness of the ever fluttering veil that hides our true nature from us. The result of all practice should be end of practice and abidance in our true nature, constantly. Most importantly, the cultivation practices should be accompanied by spiritual (jñāna) teachings and study, so that the mind has a proper direction (this can be taoist, buddhist, vedanta, tantra, etc etc, but a proper framework is required). Missed the part about an easy daily set -- I still do the taiji single form/daogong forms. But it has now transformed into dissolving of the physical. A constant bliss always exists (a deep sense of well being, even when I might be physically unwell). Whenever I tried too hard for it (after having a taste), it went way. If I just let go of the desire for the bliss, it came back. Eventually I realized that it never goes away. It, along with the True Nature, is always present. Only the mind needs to be relaxed. Transmission to my younger self -- i was too dumb for any advice. You know our teacher already told us all we needed to know, but it took a long time to get through to me

The “I am” is ever present. Try this as an exercise (repeat it several times a day if you don’t get it). In a fraction of a second, without thinking, answer this question “who am I?”. After a while, you will have a sense of the answer. That is the “I am”...it is the gate to our underlying reality.

I’ve been reading the book. Excellent stuff! I’ve had some similar experiences, albeit yours are waaaay more interesting

+1 In fact, the main requirement for meditation and samādhi is "sukhāsana" (or comfortable posture), which is essentially the everyday, run-of-the-mill, humble criss-cross-apple-sauce posture

We have a modified version of the taijiquan single forms and neigong sets for folks who are unable to stand (injured etc). The main thing is to sit on chairs with flat seats and a straight back with no armrests. The same forms can also be done seated (cross-legged) on the ground or a meditation cushion as well. Key is to maintain the crown point suspension and a relaxed and straight back/spine.

Why don't you start with a moving practice like taijiquan? It is not a 5 minute workout, but once you learn the form, you can finish a form like the chengmanqing 37-form set in 8-10 minutes on each side (ie left side and right side). If you don't have time to do both sides in one go, do one side in the morning and the other side in the night (or whenever you have time). You can get some pretty authoritative training material here -- https://www.taichitao.tv The lessons are not very expensive its second best to having a real teacher of the system. I'll recommend starting here -- https://www.taichitao.tv/categories/beginner Each of the single forms taught in the videos can become hour long meditations too. I recommend this type of practice for those who don't have the ability to sit still and meditate. Besides, this type of moving meditation has health benefits too.