dwai

Depends on what kind of “fa Jin” one wants to do. There’s the fascia based stuff (which is not what temple style taiji considers internal, afaik), then there’s the real energetic stuff. Within it there’s the application of our own field or that which is available “outside”. But all of those have components which can be drilled separately in solo practice, but culmination happens in two-person sets.

It is part of the process The reason I asked the question is, when I ask this of beginner/intermediate level practitioners, they struggle to be able to place their minds in more than one point at a time. But as you said, it is simple, yet they consider it very difficult. So we start small, and it takes time and perseverance -- but eventually, it becomes simple and natural.

I am inclined to suggest that you introspect on this peaceful feeling. Who is it that experiences this peaceful feeling? Is it the mind (monkey mind) or is it something else?

Do you vividly recollect that peaceful feeling? What happens when you simply go back to that feeling now?

Hi OP, just go through these series of lectures and do the practices and you’ll be able to observe your thoughts without being drawn in.

That is the right approach, but I strongly advise against self-defeating mindsets where everything is so complex that the mind doesn’t get the confidence to even try to fathom. Ok, as an exercise to illustrate, to place your mind at two points simultaneously. For eg. the center of your palms, facing each other, a foot or so apart. Is that complex or simple? Then placing the mind at two points in your room simultaneously, front and back, left and right, up and down. Then all the points simultaneously. Then the entire space at once.

In my experience the means vary with the student. Very few pick it up easily. For most it takes time and diligent practice. With time and practice one develops a way to understand what’s being taught. As far as methods...meh. For instance, in taijiquan, “method to method” doesn’t mean much. You can’t learn much from technique — solo form practice is of course important, but it takes on a different meaning along with push hands practice. The way to grow the learning is to push hands with someone who’s more skilled than you. And then push hands with someone who is less skilled than you. And keep working on that. It’s only after the ability to listen and let go (ting and sung) develops that other “methods” make sense. Before developing those skills, methods are complex and difficult. After, not so much. Effort is still required, but not in the way of a neophyte. P.S. FWIW, in my personal experience, the hardest part was learning to recognize where I was “not letting go”, and then figure out how “letting go” works for me. The listening skill helps in recognizing where one is not letting go, and then letting go becomes possible. This is why it is important to work regularly with one or more practice partner. My teachers always have said that the most important thing in taijiquan is finding a good practice partner.

I believe the time taken involves undoing “incorrect” things in the specific context. I’ve seen people struggle to understand what “abandon force” means after 20-30 years of practicing taijiquan. Is that a teacher’s fault or that the student? Perhaps neither, but rather a flaw of the “conventional” way of looking at the world etc.

Profound!! 🙏🏾

Once the proverbial “other shore” is reached, there is no more clinging. One of course may or may not continue to practice their chosen religion/spiritual practice.

Of course. One is from a perspective of veiling and the other from the perspective of wisdom. It’s not a matter of interpretation however...no matter who claims otherwise. It’s like this — once you directly cognize it, it makes complete sense. Till you can directly cognize it, there are only imaginations/theories/conceptions abound about it.

I've been following the travails of "The Martial Man", Keiren (I believe his last name is Krieger) since 2017. I must admit I truly appreciate the efforts this man has taken to seek out and interview so many great martial arts teachers. I hadn't logged on to the website https://themartialman.com/ in a while and when I did get there today, I find a very fascinating array of videos there dealing with Taijiquan, Wumei, 5 Ancestors Fist etc. I would say that it is a great resource for all bums who are interested in Martial Arts, and especially the Internal Martial Arts -- there's stuff one can learn from the videos too, but in general, from an informational perspective it is a great resource. Happy Holidays all..I thought I'd plug the website here. I'm not affiliated with it in any way except as a member who contributes a minuscule monthly payment (2.99$), and frankly gets significantly more return on this humble contribution.

Mantra practice will not hurt your other interests, if anything, you might be accelerating your spiritual development. And really, all it takes is a few minutes of your time every day. Sometimes we might feel a sense of loyalty to one tradition over another, but really it is a matter of our own choice. These things don't happen to random people out of the blue, there's a reason why you've been given a gift. Whether you act upon it or not is entirely up to you.

Thank you all my dear friends This journey is better traveled with this company. May the next year bring happiness, peace and joy in all your lives.

Sounds like you have what is called a “vata imbalance” in Ayurveda. The symptoms of vata (wind/air humor) imbalance is mental fog, confusion, anxiety, panic attacks, negative and often neurotic thoughts arising in the mind. It can lead to heart palpitations too. There can be pain in the joints and bones too, with sensations of cold/shivering and sharp pains. Try to eat items listed below and keep yourself warm, close your ears with small cotton balls, don’t expose yourself to windy/cold weather. https://www.banyanbotanicals.com/info/ayurvedic-living/living-ayurveda/diet/vata-pacifying-foods/ maintain a vata pacifying lifestyle — https://www.banyanbotanicals.com/info/ayurvedic-living/learning-ayurveda/lifestyle-recommendations/vata-pacifying/

I would suggest undertaking what is called a purascharana. Take the number of syllables in the mantra and multiply 100,000 times. Chant the mantra in increments of 108 until the purascharana is complete. The power of the mantra will be realized in one or more purascharana. If you do undertake it, do it diligently every day without miss. Usually practicing it after a bath/shower (ritual cleansing) is good. some good advice here — http://mantrayoga.blogspot.com/2015/11/how-to-perform-purascharana-simple.html?m=1

Do you remember the mantra? PM me if you're not comfortable sharing here. Don't reveal the mantra in public. Did you know that Mantra before (heard it anywhere)? Or is it something that came at you completely out of the left field? I've had mantras come to me in a dream state from unknown teachers -- but they were most profound, timely and helpful -- and revealed things about my own past (previous lives) that got validated by a teacher many years after receiving the mantras.

"Meditation" is a preparatory practice. Meditation practices purify and focus the mind. After meditation/along with meditation, one needs to perform Self-inquiry/contemplation. If you want to become a super-being with many siddhis, stick to the methods. If you want to become free from suffering, inquire into who is suffering.

I consider myself very lucky indeed to be able to visit Kenya and Tanzania. If I can, will go again. I didn't want to come back

This one's from when we came upon a few lions during mating season --

This is an African leopard I photographed on a trip to Masai Mara in Kenya back in 2018. Apparently it was a big deal to get to see a wild leopard.

I just think trolls tend to have a low sense of self esteem, and feel better when they put others down/annoy the crap out of people, making them react with anger.

I didn’t get “stop one’s periods or sexual expressions” from the OP. I think she is advocating moderation, listening skills, humility, and sincerity of intent and practice. Fwiw, I do agree with you @freeform that the wanton mental modifications need to be reduced to bare minimum necessary. My teachers advice us to not let the mind go crazy with its activities as that is the biggest drain for humans today.

In Hindu traditions, not every sound can be a mantra. A mantra literally means that which takes you beyond the mind (mananam trayate iti mantraha). In order to derive benefit from a mantra, typically one has to do what is called a "purascharana". The purascharana rule is as follows -- the number of repetitions of the mantra needs to be a the number of syllables of the mantra times 100,000. So a mantra with six syllables, would need to be chanted 600,000 times for its effect to be visible. Sometimes, we have previous life affinity to specific mantras, and they might bear fruit with lesser number of repititions. The idea however is to approach the mantra as a practice, with diligence, sincerity and trust. Usually the mantra is given to us by a teacher who has "mastered" it, so we are thereby qualified to practice it. But these are the traditional rules, not many follow them anymore. In such practitioners, the mileage will vary.

Main thing is to understand that as many views, that many paths exist. Part of the journey is an evolutionary process of acquiring knowledge, refining knowledge and also eliminating knowledge (if & when it’s purpose is served). Just because we see others holding different views doesn’t mean we should dislike them or worse hate them/label them as evil. The world is facing exactly this very crisis today in the form of social bubbles and echo chambers. Diversity of view is a healthy thing, when backed by true insight and not blind faith. Main thing is to use our intelligence, intuition and eventually direct perception to know the “truth”, whatever that might be. The idea is to be open to understanding other perspectives, whether we accept it or not is a personal choice. And when it seems appropriate, not shy away from voicing our own view in a compassionate manner. P.S. I've been reading a very fascinating book that explores the Nondual traditions of Vedānta, Buddhism and Taoism, titled "Nonduality in Buddhism and beyond" by David Loy. *Okay, I confess, it might be fascinating only to me * This is a book after my own heart, I love the approach to find the underlying unity of these seemingly disparate traditions. It would be a worthwhile read for anyone interested in the different approaches of these three traditions...I'm only through chapter 2 and I'm loving it...Did I say that I *LOVE IT!*