dwai

Karma is part of the rules of a virtual game in which we all are virtual players. Virtual in the sense, none of this actually exists the way we perceive and conceive of. All of it is one big illusion, including the suffering we are subject to. So long as there is a player, the game exists. Once the player doesn't exist, the game is gone. And yes, this game can seem to continue across lifetimes... imho...

There's a stage in Tai chi practice when one can and should do that. But before one can just flow, one needs to first feel the qi, grow the qi and connect with the energies outside. Once you connect with the energies outside, then you let them lead you and it's okay to deviate from the form after that. However, its very easy to fool oneself into thinking they are "flowing" when it's more than likely that your mind is driving the "flow". When the outside moves you, you don't have any control...it just happens...

Mark Cohen's ZZ is similar to the ZZ we do in Temple Style Taiji. And he knows what he's talking about, so i'd not have any issues practicing what he teaches. I've not seem Lam Kam's stuff so I don't know.

So do what you feel like doing and be done. Then go back to witnessing, being in the present. Yes everything is a dream...so if you feel like you're in a dream, is because you are waking up to reality.

Word! I'd only add -- the other thing about patience is that you don't want to /try to/need to BE patient. Just be --- just being and being present is patience. It allows things to happen when they are supposed to happen. We think that patience is an antidote to the feeling that we are losing control. We want something to happen by vacillating between past and future. Instead, If we don't strive to reach some future state, we won't be in a hurry to leave the present moment. Being present is reason enough to remain present. And therefore without a need for patience.

In the Indic spiritual traditions, there are many different paths to the proverbial spiritual "summit". But generally they are broken down into two main categories - Direct Method - This is the method of Jnana Yoga, direct inquiry into Self (Advaita Vedanta, Kashmir Shaivism) Indirect Method (various Yogas - Tantra, Kundalini, etc) In the direct method, one directly inquires into the nature of one's Self, realizing that each of the identities we associate ourselves with, are not our Self (social labels, name, body, mind, intellect, etc) till we get to that which cannot become an object of inquiry (and is therefore called the True Self, the true Beingness, the true knowingness, etc). I have been lucky to have travelled both paths myself. Direct Method purists would probably consider me a "spiritual mutt", and I'm glad I became one. There are so many treasures buried in various spiritual traditions in terms of both wisdom as well as practical methods, that the journey of this lifetime became richer for me as a result of these, thereof. My friend (who has recently embarked down the Direct Method) and I were discussing this. He knows I've been a taiji/Daoist practitioner for many years (getting close to two decades now), and also have undertaken studies of Siddhar Yoga, Hatha Yoga and vipasana style meditation as well. My Paternal Grandfather had taught me a lot of basics about pranayama when I was a young teenager and my Karate training later on helped with some of the meditation/breath-work. However, a lot of my early practice was really instinctive. I didn't have any teacher per se, but I had many teachers visit me and teach me during dream time. At that time, seated meditation was hard for me to do, still I was able to meditate after doing specific breath work (bhastrika, kapalabhati, bhramari pranayama). At the same time, I had started practicing Yang style 24-form taijiquan. Overtly unnknown to me, I was going through these transformations, the Qi sensitivity was developing, the Lower Dan Tien was formed, my 3rd eye was activating. At this time I was also doing a lot of dream yoga (lucid dreaming specifically) and perhaps that is why I remember Swamis and Daoist masters visiting me during dream state and providing me with instructions. Eventually I found Temple style taiji and my first teacher, Master George Bolger and I dived head-on into Taiji and Daoist cultivation. When I think back to the early days, I think a lot of stuff was "revealed" to me without my knowing much in terms of concepts that I know now (wrt. spirituality). I was given a specific mantra in a dream, by a Swami, when I was going through an excessively terrible time mentally and also financially (without a job for several months). That Mantra had become a mainstay of my practice until recently and helped me go through a lot of ups and downs in my journey since then (for almost 17 years). In course of my taiji practice, eventually I got a point where my witness self emerged quite distinctively. As "I" observed my mind-stream, first by starting to meditate in the gap between the thought (both during form practice as well as in seated meditation), I started to get alarmed and judgmental about patterns I observed in my mind. It took me many more years of silent anguish and finally my current teacher Master Jose Perez' "shaktipat", until I was able to come to a full realization that I was not my mind. The mind-stream is just a stream of objects that arise in consciousness. The underlying "me", i.e., the Pure Conscious Being is unaffected by the mind. My friend does not understand Energy, he doesn't understand all these "indirect methods" as he doesn't have a feel for energetics at all. One day, recently while discussing jnana yoga with him, when i was giving him analogies of how one can get to the same state of clear mind/no mind with energetic work and how any repetitive action can result in meditation, it seems I ran into a brick wall (For him, the direct method works best). Taijiquan and qigong are excellent practices to take what we get in seated meditation/contemplative practices and extend them into moving state. He was struggling to figure out how he can get on the "same page as me" wrt. energetics and cultivation and I think finally gave up. Thinking back about myself, for me the direct method was very hard initially. God knows I tried ... When I first read about Ramana Maharshi's "Who Am I?" type method, I was nonplussed as I had no "bearing" so to speak. I was deeply immersed in Samsara and my mind had not developed the clarity (not the same as intelligence) or the stillness to know where to even begin. Only after the constant witness had emerged (and after torturing the limited self over it) did Jnana path start to work. Don't get me wrong...I had the theory part sort of worked out. I had read my upanishads, yoga sutras, madhyamaka, among other texts, many times. I 'got it' intellectually, but it was not a experiential reality for me at that point. Right here on TDB, I've participated in many discussions (and some battles) over Buddhism, Vedanta, etc etc. At that time, I knew somethings "intuitively" and far less, experientially. Now when I see people torturing themselves like I have in the past, about effort vs no-effort, I mostly don't feel like sharing my thoughts. It is easy to talk about the simplicity of the "truth", after it has "clicked". Otherwise one has no way to gauge how simple it all really is. When Master Jose told me the first time I met him, "you will be surprised at how simple it all is", I knew instinctively, but really did not know. It is really simple, and yet almost all of us struggle over a "seeking", "a doing", in order to "achieve or attain some state or another". Yet in reality, it is something that is never apart from us. It cannot be found outside. Yeah, we've all heard the instructions of how we have to turn inward rather than outward, happiness/peace/God/Realization/Enlightenment/<Your favorite term here> can never be found in external objects. And yet, as part of our respective journeys, we seek objectively something that is the most intimate, most subjective of all experiences. It is always with us, never apart from us (Haha, and i also know how this type of platitude is bound to drive people angry, frustrated, plain bonkers with annoyance). Even in the inward turning, we try to turn the "within" into the "outside". As an object (or objects). This chakra, that nAdi, this Dan Tien, and so on. Until one day it becomes apparent...all of these are still objects to be experienced, but they do help point out the experiencer more definitely. Yes, Energy is nothing but consciousness. Everything rises out of consciousness, and sinks back into consciousness. The purpose of my writing this long post is to share my thoughts and also seek to hear about your journey, my TDB friends. And to say, that its okay to be a spiritual mutt. Sometimes the mutts are the most resilient, and eventually we have to realize that a raft is only a raft, no matter how beautiful and awesome it is. We need to use it for our travels, and that's all there is to it. Love and gratitude, Dwai

Gratitude is born from love. So Love is of first importance, imho. My picture is an ancient seal found at one of the so-called Indus Valley Civilization Sites...you can see more here -- https://www.harappa.com/category/slide-subject/seals BTW: I call it the "so-called Indus Valley Civilization" because it really is the Saraswati Vedic Civilization

+1 to Jeff for his point. +1 to qiqcat for her sound. Depending on which chakra is being opened, you will hear different sounds. It starts with the heart chakra aka anahata and these sounds are called anahata sounds (anahata means unsounded/unstruck).

The UFC and other pro MMA companies have been trying to make inroads into China. I won't be surprised if this was part of a hostile propaganda.

Look at this one, where one guy is using bagua to fight. He's circling the opponent, not standing still like a boxing dummy!

Was listening to this lovely song and it was so beautiful and moving that I'm sharing with you all. Enjoy

This is different from what I mean. Let me elaborate a bit more -- In my experience the "imagined" images that I create, are different from the 3rd eye imagery. Usually the 3rd eye imagery is a result of some spiritual practices...such as meditation or taijiquan + neigong. When I meditate (still meditation) or even holding postures during Taiji practice, I see faces of people, sometimes dragons. People I don't know or recognize, or even sometimes my teacher's master shows up, enters and I experience the world through his eyes (he becomes my 'I AM'), if that makes any sense. I'll see him standing in front of me or standing in the horizon, immensely large. The ground and all around is his being....each movement is a ripple in the fabric of his being. Or sometimes he is tiny, like a miniature figure standing inside the taiji ball I have generated during practice. Sometimes he sends energy to me, into the LDT or the MDT. Other type of 3rd eye vision I see is during circle meditation or taijiquan when I see the energy all around (like clouds of slightly grayish, white smoke). This happens irrespective of whether my physical eyes are open or closed. All of these are very difficult for my local mind to conjure up as usually they pop up unbeknownst to me. Does my local mind play a role in forming a local objective interpretation of the vision? More than likely it does, as it's role is to manifest objects for and in one's consciousness.

Regarding "the extra arms"...in taijiquan, we have to pick two points and project our mind out between the two points to support the energy + physical body. This is done in order to form a large background against which we can use both as a launching platform as well as counterbalance. Furthermore, It could be simultaneously be vertical, horizontal and the energy is projected in the 3rd perpendicular plane (x, y and z axes). The Nataraja (the dancing Shiva form you posted earlier) contains the martial arts of India, codified in the 3000-4000 year old text called the "Natya Shastra" composed by the Sage Bharata. "Natya" means "performing arts" and is rooted in the sanskrit word "Nrt" which means "Dance". This book has many martial techniques which were codified in Lord Shiva's famous dance of "tandava" (the dance of destruction). This is still living in various martial arts/dance traditions of india, albeit the more internal aspects are only known to a few masters, passed down over the ages orally (in family lineages).

What is the "sub-conscious" mind and how is it different from the witness "I am"ness? I think what you call subconsciousness is what I simply call consciousness

Third eye imagery is different from mental imagery though, in my mind experience. Mental imagery has to be evoked, 3rd eye imagery appear, as they are not imaginary. thoughts?

Beautiful story and thank you. Yes, I'm often in such situations. I find the Buddha's perspective on this very valuable -- http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sacca/sacca4/samma-vaca/ But that is indeed very true. The "Real" Seer does not speak. That which speaks is not the "Real" Seer. Hari Om!

This gentleman seems to know what he's talking about --

Hari Om Tat Sat _/|\_

Indeed...that is an irony

Yes. But as a "method", the negation needs to happen, to get to the realization of the Self first. Otherwise, one is usually left staring at the finger instead of the moon.

The "rejection" of the form is a necessary precondition in the Advaita Vedanta/Jnana Yoga path. If one doesn't negate all those things that one considers to be the self (Body, mind, thoughts and emotions, intellect - basically going through the 5 sheaths or panchakoshas, and thereby the "form" and it's various manifestations), one cannot easily find that which one truly is. When one realizes that anything that the senses + mind apparatus perceives and conceives of, is essentially just modifications of consciousness, one can begin to do "self-inquiry". Yes there are many Guru lineages and various interpretations of Vedanta, even some which predate vedanta, such as Sankhya. But they don't complete the realization of either Brahman or Atman, unless they follow a path similar to Jnana Yoga. Even in Tantric systems, there are references to the direct method (Advaita style self-inquiry) and indirect methods (using mantras, yantras, ashtanga yoga) to help a seeker get to the "truth". Not everyone can follow the direct method, as it requires pre-conditional qualities/qualifications that most don't have. That's why the indirect methods help prepare the seeker to eventually get to the Direct Method.

The "transcendent" is always there, so there is no question of transcendence or reaching us through form, imho. What is "missing" while in form (for almost all of us) is the knowledge of what we truly are. This is forgotten (for whatever reason) after being caught up in "samsara". While pure advaitins will hold steadfast to the statement that only Brahman is real and the world is artificial, it is only from the perspective of the non-dual. No one denies that the material universe does not have a relative sense of realness to it. Sometimes teachers take what seems like extreme rejection of the "form", but that is usually, as a teaching tool. If we take something out of context, we risk misunderstanding what is being conveyed. Hari Om Tat Sat!

My Sifu tells us to train this way - starting with push hands -- after we have built sufficient sensitivity with listening and understanding power, and with the ability to transfer power, we should increase the speed and pressure within push hands, while remaining empty and sung. After this is done, the next course is to do full contact sparring with striking. Can a taiji player stay suspended, rooted, empty and sung while facing a flurry of jabs, crosses and hooks coming at them from random directions at full speed and mixed in with full power strikes? How long would it take for said taiji player to "close the gap" and get into push hands range? Can the taiji player neutralize the strikes and stick, adhere, follow? Does the taiji player know how to make use of concepts like hwa jin and bii jin? Does the taiji player know how to "swallow and spit incoming" attacks (tu and na)? Does the taiji player know how to "separate and diffuse" incoming forces? Can the taiji player lead their attacker into emptiness? Going a bit higher level now... Can the taiji player transform incoming forces without sending to the ground? Can the taiji player return incoming force, immediately, from the surface (Golden Bell)? There are two different tracks of Taiji training. One is for cultivation and spiritual practice. The other is for martial efficacy. In some respects the two are orthogonal, until one gets to a advanced level of practice when there is no difference between the two, but then one goes into the "magical" realm (which is very real BTW).

DK Yoo is an IMA guy too. He has a series of videos on what he called "chamjang gong" which I think is Korean for "zhang zhuang gong". in most of his videos he is showing how to move from the waist, fold the kua, move the spine, etc. His drills are interesting and he does some using exercise balls etc - a more modern take on internal training (at least the biomechanics part).