dwai

Fair enough. Someday you'll come back to it and go "holy smokes...this was all so clearly explained. Wonder why I didn't read it before?"

I'd say keep an open mind and read it

Read this book -- http://www.amazon.com/Nine-Nights-Taoist-Master-Waysun-ebook/dp/B0056J6F2M This presents the DDJ in a very unique and refreshing way, and perhaps present Lao Tzu in a manner not before encountered in the innumerable translations and commentaries.

The problem is definition of these terms and how to explain it to someone who has very valid questions but hadn't walked the path yet. Since I posted the OP, my friend has had a few deep meditative experiences and understands what I was trying to say...

I've been reading some discussions that compare different approaches to the Spiritual quest. One camp seems to consider the intellectual inquiry method (aka Jnana Yoga) to be superior to others, while the other camp seems to prefer the body-mind-energy method (aka Raja Yoga). I bring up the four yogas because this topic has been addressed in the Bhagavad Gita a few thousand years back. The Bhagavad Gita covers four different approaches to the spiritual quest - The devotional way aka Bhakti Yoga, The action without desire way - aka Karma Yoga (which essentially is Wu Wei approach) The mind-body-energy way - aka Raja Yoga The intellectual inquiry way - aka Jnana Yoga If you read a good commentary on the Bhagavad Gita (or if you know sanskrit the original document), you will realize that all the four ways are considered equally good. Paradoxically, the translations of the verses on each way says "This < > way is the superior way". When one reads only one section, they might come back with the impression that, that specific way is preferred over others. However, when taken into context of reading the entire book, it will become evident that specific characteristics are also mentioned about the type of person who might benefit from any one approach over the others. It depends on the mental, energetic and physical make-up of the seeker and no one way is absolutely better than another...it all depends

Actually it is an alternative theory. The mtDNA migration pattern posited by Stephen Oppenheimer shows that out of africa the group first migrated to India and then out to middle-east and Europe; whereas the Y chromosome posits that the migration happened from Africa to Middle-east/Europe/Central Asia and then to India.

There are alternative theories around that. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetics_and_archaeogenetics_of_South_Asia

When something is non-dual, it is necessarily non-phenomenal. If it is non-phenomenal, it cannot have had a beginning or have an end (because a phenomenon is something whose beginning and end can be observed). It is eternal because time doesn't have a meaning in it's context. It is everything because it is space doesn't exist when we countenance IT. So IT didn't create so much as the "creation" is really an appearance (and thereby unreal).

If you read the nAsadIya sUkta in the Rg Veda, it is very clearly an explanation of the creation process. I wrote this a few years back -- http://www.medhajournal.com/index.php/en/articles/philosophy/345-nasadiya

thought I could share something I saw on Facebook but looks like there's no way to do that

Yeah my teacher is like that. He is a Martial Artist who transcended The Martial Arts He teaches not just via words and action, but also energetically. I chose to learn Taiji to learn how to develop and generate internal power and reduce physical effort needed to fight. But it became about internal practice, energetics and how to apply them in my life (in all aspects). IMHO, if someone starts learning Taiji without the background of other MA, it might be easier for them to learn the internal works. Training in the Hard MA hard-codes things into our muscle memory and brains that are counter-productive in internal MA. I won't know of course, because my learning time was two fold - first unlearning the hard MA stuff, and then learning internal stuff. I don't know if that makes sense or not...

I'm posting a video of my teacher doing a 2-finger push on another student. First time I met him, he did something similar while both his heels were hanging off a flight of stairs going down into his basement and sent me flying into a door 3-4 feet behind me. I am 204 lbs, he is 120 lbs. I've seen him do far more "unbelievable" things, such as control another person completely while just touching him. It looks fake, but it's very real. Or this one for instance, where he cuts through another person's physical strength using internal energy. It seems like it is physical, but that's because we're seeing the effect. When he does it, it feels surreal because there's no way a 120 lb person can move 200 lbs of mass coming at him with force back so effortlessly...

You need to meet someone who actually knows Tai Chi. There are many who know the external form, but only a few who know the internal aspect of tai chi. The kind of stuff that allows a 120-lb man knock 200+ lbs of weight into a wall 3-5 feet away with two fingers applied from a distance of less than one-inch from the body. Or knock out an antagonist cold for 20 minutes by tapping them on their head...

I think he means the "internal" aspect of Taiji Quan. It's not about joint locks and close quarter grappling etc. It is about issuing power - fajin, being able to apply long power, short power, cold power, the ability to end a fight before it becomes a fight (knock your opponent out with one touch)

As much as I am loath to introduce more syntax, perhaps these will help -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savikalpa http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirvikalpa And Sri Chinmoy's discussion of the same topic -- http://www.srichinmoylibrary.com/ecmh-234

I had typed out a response to A&P's post, but deleted it. But in essence what you're saying is my experience as well. But I have had what I consider a complete immersion (or deeper perhaps) and it's different from the non-attaching, a-personal state that I think I enter quite often with varying degrees of intensity (since it's subjective, we have to talk about it with a certain degree of presumption).

The question is, is that complete absorption? In my experience it is not so. We are changed and there is minimal to no attachment to identity and the material world and all it's drama, but there still is recognition/cognition of those aspects of our former self. If that's the case, is it not at least partially Egoic?

Vedic astrology can be very accurate. My Grandfather was one and he taught me the basics. There are two aspects to it -- One is the mathematical calculations and the other is the foresight/prediction. One is a matter of choosing from two options - There is a 120 year life-span method (vimsottari dasha chakra) and a 108-year life-span method (ashtottari dasha chakra). The predictive aspect is more complicated as it involves intuition and developing the clairvoyant side. I used to put stock in astrology and astrologers a lot before starting down the spiritual path. Since then, I don't. When we have a solid spiritual practice we don't need to worry about astrological predictions etc. The practice and the divine take care of us. In my humble opinion and experience of course...trying to look into the future too much limits our options and possibilities. Instead, try and develop your own intuitive faculties. That'll be far more rewarding. It is spooky initially when it starts to work, as we can see patterns of things forming in advance, and after several instances when we ignore the signs, when we finally learn to trust this ability, it will help take the fear of the unknown out of the picture. And this ability will kick in only when we need it, not always...

True compassion can be cruel, and it's nature depends on the circumstances. You think those Christian evangelists who feel "compassion" for their fellow human being have a positive effect in the world? I don't think so - they cause more strife and pain. I think relevant to the OP is a concept I'd read about in Carlos Castaneda's writings a long time ago - it is called "Controlled Folly". I think that is very imperative to do justice to this physical husk and it's various commitments and promises through the natural course of it's duration. It's funny, my friend and I were having a conversation about being "enlightened" and staying in the non-dual state forever. I am of the opinion (after years of practice and contemplation) that it will not be practical to stay in the non-dual state forever. Our physical body will die if that were to be the case.

My teacher says this - If we "hoard" energy, we end up blocking our natural abilities, as we are condensing and solidifying energy over our existing idiosyncrasies and blockages. If we are empty and let the energy (Dao) work through us, the results are limitless. We have to let go of the idea of "I, me, mine and myself" if we are to allow the power of the universe to work through us. He mentioned that he's seen people who "greedily and jealously covet energy and powers" go crazy. My thoughts now -- The allure of "power" and "abilities" (we call these Siddhis in Indian traditions) is very overwhelming and attracts the wrong kind of people. Most of these people can't get anywhere because they don't have the right attitude or discipline. Some of these do have the discipline, or perhaps their power lust is so great that they do invest time and effort to learn something, but they are the ones who end up hoarding and jealously guarding their power. I ran into a few such individuals recently - they were condescending, secretive and their energies felt cold and closed. (Sith Lords) The real practitioners are those who don't give into the allure of power and abilities. They practice because they find spiritual growth and succor in their practice. They too develop power and abilities, however in this case their natural abilities and gifts shine through, and this attitude helps develop their compassion and heart (Jedi)

Here's an alternate understanding/explanation of space

Just wondering whether you continue practicing his material and whether that is informing your erudition...

Zoom, aren't you Dorian Black, who was Gary Clyman's internet student?

I can't say I've spoken to plants, but I can say that being with plants and water will drain you of any negativity that might exist. This was a while back, when I was in a stressful job (or was less capable of letting go of foolish emotions and egotism), I came home feeling really angry and frustrated. For some reason my wife kept insisting that I help her in the garden. So grudgingly I picked up the watering hose and started spraying the plants and a mid-sized maple tree in my front yard. Now, this maple tree has been involved in many of my tai chi practices, including practicing with it itself, but on that particular day, no sooner than I started watering it, my negativity, anger, frustration just evaporated! I was left with a feeling of great peace and serenity (like I had just finished a nice meditation session)...

And many of these organizations are full of crap themselves. They have imbeciles who claim to be skeptics and scientific, but you won't be able to find an iota of genuine intelligence or scientific temperament in them with an electron microscope