dwai

I agree...but his techniques were effective, as was his writing. In any case this thread is not meant to be about Osho but about introducing a discourse on Vedanta. I have no interest in discussing Osho either... Also, what are you thoughts on the column and the article itself? I get the feeling that you were "offended" by a quote from Osho and didn't really read the whole article. Best, Dwai

This group has nothing to do with Osho. Osho was however a highly accomplished master...so respect must be given where it's due. Our objective with the Medha Journal is to provide a tradition-based approach to spirituality...meaning the authors and experts working with us are classically trained or have a traditional approach to their subjects (as opposed to the New-Age way) It is also a fact that they are very well equipped to talk to both Native as well as Western audiences given their backgrounds as scientists, professionals and scholars in the main-stream, while being rooted in tradition. Best, Dwai

meditation...cultivating stillness. what works for me: 1) After a good taiji or qigong session, sit comfortably with spine straight and crown-point suspended , or 2) Lay down in the corpse-pose and LET your body relax...part by part, multiple runs up and down the body.... note the emphasis on LET? That means don't try to relax...let the relaxation happen naturally. The key to this process is patience. If you are pressed for time, don't do it then. Do this practice when there are no distractions, no where to go, nothing to do...give it your 100% After that: close the eyes and simply observe your breath. If mind wanders, gently bring it back to observing the breath. As the meditation deepens, the mind stream will rise to the top of your consciousness...observe the thoughts. If you get distracted by any particular thought, simply bring yourself back to observing the thoughts. Over a period of time, you will hit "blanks" that will keep increasing in frequency and duration. Stay in the blanks... Those blanks are stillness, silence and will create various reactions in your body and mind...stay neutral of these reactions. NOTE: In the lying down posture, you might even hear yourself snore...don't let anything distract you. If you get distracted, don't fuss about it...simply remember that your role is to witness the mind-stream. Not judge, not correct... Whether it is a good thought or a bad thought...don't pay attention to what their implications are. Simply observe and let it pass. It is possible that there might be highly contentious and potentially devastating thoughts that rise...don't give them power by simply letting them pass. One description I've heard is to be like the brilliant clear sky and the thoughts like fluffs of clouds flying across the background. Be like the Sky and don't identify with the clouds.

Hi, The root of loneliness is (imho) yearning. From the time when we are able to think clearly, a yearning begins in our heart. We fulfill this need by engaging with other sentient beings and/or material pursuits. So, the yearning is a void that we try and fill with relationships and/or material pursuits. The cause of this yearning is a subconscious understanding that we are somehow incomplete and we yearn for completion...to be whole again. Most people don't realize this and go through the motions of living chasing after one material thing or another, or one superficial relationship or another. What we yearn for is silence and what that means (to attain silence) is to become aware of our true nature, the underlying unity of all existence... That is why you might find a hermit completely at peace with him/herself and not loneliness even though on the surface it might seem like he/she is all alone. Those who are that way have found silence, inner-stillness and therefore aren't disturbed by the myriad turbulences that distract their attention from the core of themselves..their true nature.

Please explain what you mean by crisp or sloppy? Taiji is not meant to control the energies but to flow with the energies...you don't move it, it moves you. So if I go by what you are saying, crisp Taiji is flowing well and sloppy is a more physical thing. The application of Taiji Chuan can be done by those with a MA background (for eg, i've trained in Goju Ryu, Aikido before I started Taiji practice)...sure there are esoteric details of power transfer, generating 18 inches of force in 1 inch etc that cannot be learned unless specifically taught and application is best taught when done so experientially...but it doesn't mean one has to focus on the combat aspects of Taiji Chuan to learn it. Two-person practices like tui-shou, da-lu, roll-hands and simply power-transfer practices help us understand the principles and experience the effects of the applications of taiji.

TRy Dragon and Tiger Medical Qi Gong by Bruce Frantzis. I've tried it and it's very good... IINM, it has been designed to help clear out blockages and prepare for more serious Taoist practices. You could also look up Sifu Ron Hoffman (http://houseoftaichi.com/sifu/sifu.html). I believe he teaches in the Ft Lauderdale Area...and he is a student of my Teacher's Teacher. I think he teaches more martial-arts oriented Tai Chi, but his style is Temple-Style Tai Chi, as taught by Master Waysun Liao.

I'm looking for feedback on Rick Barrett

Sorry...don't agree. Kundalini has to be awakened, in that the flow of energy has to be reversed, so it can climb from moola to sahasrara. It exists but it has to be raised up the central channel to transform consciousness from mundane to "really awake"

tai chi can be used as a martial art, a healing art or for spiritual transformation. It depends on how the principles and energies are applied. My teacher doesn't teach Tai chi as a MA, but what we are learning can be applied quite effectively in case the need arose. Ward off is ward off, roll back is roll back after all (as are press, push, split, roll pull, elbow and shoulder) ...what is different is the intent behind using these energies... Also different practitioners have different objectives. Some learn Tai chi for power, some learn it as a meditative technique and others learn it for health preservation/enhancement. The core of any of these is cultivation...and MA tends to spend more than is cultivated for most cases, effectively depleting the Martial Artist's "Chi reserves"...so applying Tai Chi unless absolutely necessary might not be such a great thing (I"m talking about using the energies and power transfer, etc). My teacher says that we should spend only 10-15% of our practice time on power transfer (Fa Jing, etc) and rest of it in cultivation...sounds like great advice to me.

what's wrong with taiji for chi flow? works for me and many others who I practice with. Taiji IS afterall a type of qi gong (can be nei gong as well if one does it right)...

never mind

Seth, Who heard the answer? Our problem is that we think the Self is a personality, and individuality. It is not...it simply is...and there is nothing that is not it. DO is indeed great to show the underlying emptiness of phenomena that we take as being absolute realities day-in and day-out. And Emptiness is essential to realize all that which is not absolutely real... Nice post...

I'd recommend you find yourself an accomplished teacher. The energy rising to a certain point of your spine is due to a blockage potentially. DIY Yoga and meditation only works for certain types of practices..and this is not what one should do on his/her own without expert guidance. In the school of Yoga I practice, it is very natural to raise the energy in the central channel during pranayama and even during normal asana practice... Good luck with your practice.

You are an inspiration!

Agreed. Ayurveda, as is Hindu religion needs to be 'grown into'....pop-cultured versions are not really very effective (albeit I must admit that they at least let the sheep think out of the box). I have met Ayurvedic practitioners who switched over after getting an MD and many do Western medicine, Ayurveda and TCM (I think this is a good thing in most cases)... The "complexity" arises due to the different-ness of it. I think it is perfectly possible to cook within bounds of Ayurveda by oneself (although having help sure makes it easier) Thanks for the summary on TCM-based cooking.

Very good point there Durkhod...the "greater picture" should not be forgotten while focussing on some detail. This boils down to what one's motivation for meditation is...

I think we should walk in which ever river serves the best circumstantial purpose. I find TCM and Ayurveda equally fascinating. The fact that TCM also deals with meridians and Chi makes it even more so relevant. But Ayurveda as a system is very sound and has a framework comparable to that of TCM...albeit techniques such as Acupuncture are more prevalent in TCM. What are your thoughts on cooking? How should food be prepared for consumption? Any special techniques per TCM?

congratulations..you experienced your chakras spinning. It tells me that you had managed to step "out" of the way and experience. Don't try too hard to re-create it...because it is fleeting with effort and the harder you try the more blocked you get. Simply sit and let go (as you did), without any presumptions and expectations (remember...expectation reduces joy). Good Luck.

I agree...interacting with food depends on your nature (Doshas)...and the old saying -- "one person's food can be another's poison" (and vice versa) hold true. However, there are certain standards given the human constitution is generally predisposed towards a certain type of afflictions and their ameliorations thereof. Glad to hear you aren't an Ayurveda Neophyte. I would assume you have read Charaka and Sushruta Samhitas? Those are important if you are serious about the topic...I will have to look up Maya Tiwari's books. Incidentally, I have had the good opportunity to read Dr. Jay Apte (and interact with her via my website medhajournal.com) who is also an authority in the Bay Area, definitely recommended. I would also recommend reading Dr David Frawley (Vamadeva Shastri) while on the topic. Meat can be Yang under certain conditions (ie based on the freshness, type of meat, etc) but in general Meat is Tamasic (therefore Yin in a negative sense). I am not a militant Vegetarian and do partake...so I am giving an objective opinion, imho. I'm not interested in debating, I thought I'd share my thoughts with the OP... BTW, I found your insights very interesting (albeit I did sense you were a tad confrontational with your response to my post...I take that as a knee-jerk reaction in light of my posts on Buddhism topics...what can I say...not everyone is ready to hear the bitter truth).

Gunas and Yin/Yang are very related. You might have misunderstood what the Gunas are. They are not static by any definition but keep inter-playing and affecting the subject. You ARE right...people in certain regions do sustain themselves on meat...but the evironmental conditions have them do that. If they lived in a place where weather was not conducive, they would suffer from massive health issues (albeit I doubt if the health-levels in those specific groups are as good as you make them out to be). I would recommend Dr Vasant Lad's book on Ayurveda if you want to learn more about this topic...

All vegetables are richer in prana than meat-based foods. Preserved meats are worst (deli type). Fresh Fish is better than any meat... In vegetables, those that grow upward are richer in prana than those that grow downward (or below the ground). When we talk about prana we have to talk about gunas (or qualities). In Indian Medicine, there are three qualities -- Sattva (Spiritual), Rajas (Royal) and Tamas (inertia). In terms of properties, Sattva is balanced (Yin/Yang), Rajas is Yang and Tamas is Yin. Fruits like Mango are Rajasic, Cucumbers etc are Sattvic, Meat is Tamasic. Can give you more details if you are interested.

The Buddha simply prescribes the Middle-path...simple and easy. Some Buddhists tend to over-complicate things...it is they and not Buddha who gets convoluted and convulsive. I think it is very important to understand that the "Buddhism" some bums here preach is not Buddhism at all...it is some hodge-podge result of demented understanding of what the Buddha wanted to teach?

I would only change the word Awareness with Consciousness...but this is perfect!

existence is the source of experience