Sloppy Zhang

Whoa now, let's not put all the blame on the old men. What about the young women with rich old men, they're looking to fill some emptiness too

He doesn't go too much in depth on a lot of the topics he brings up- mostly gives overviews in his books, and I've never met him in person, so maybe he would say something different, however, another thing he mentions is the different energy bodies that we all possess. Now while we all possess these energy bodies, not all of us have succeeded in feeling them/working with them. Each energy body, along with being more subtle and having a higher vibration, is also larger. The qi body extends slightly beyond the physical body. The last energy body is the connection with the Tao. So if you think of those little Venn diagrams, but keep adding circles and keep making them bigger. Each one gets bigger and bigger, overlapping with others, until you get to the largest one and we're all pretty much the same. So I would say yes, from my understanding, you are correct, we aren't separate to begin with

Most of my Daoist knowledge comes from B.K. Frantzis. He talks a lot about "water" traditions and "fire" traditions, and "fire" "neo-taoist" traditions. I think the goal of immortality (physical immortality, anyway) came mostly from the fire/neo-taoist traditions. A lot of energy work that involves building up, solidifying, things like that. But at the same time he talks about stuff the concept of the soul, and that how each person is an amalgamation of other souls, and normally after death the soul breaks up and goes wherever it needs to go. But through intense spiritual training or other powerful experiences, your soul can solidify into a full soul, and stick together in subsequent incarnations. So perhaps the idea of physical immortality is just a natural extension of that? I've also heard immortality means just being completely within your nature, with no conflicts, just being you. Or maybe being immortal is being one with the constant change. You never die because you are always changing to fit the situation. I don't really know. But I do think immortality is possible.

:lol: :lol: Ah.... that's pretty amazing......... Anyway, I don't think this thread is QUITE like that.

Same could be said for violence, sex, crime, and anything else really. The media in general is a pretty poor depiction of reality For me, personally, I never found vampirism all that appealing. I've never found compromising myself for power appealing at all. If I'm going to become a superior being, why would I weaken myself in the process? Mwahahahahaha

This. I, for one, am looking forward to the forum

Simple stuff: Get outside and get some fresh air. Exercise your body by jogging or doing push ups. These are pretty conventional physical ways to get "out of your head", which too much "head" practices can easily do, and 'cause problems, even if you think you are ready, and ESPECIALLY when you aren't. Another little technique (taken from the Dragon and Tiger medical qigong that B.K. Frantzis teaches) is while standing, to raise yourself up onto the balls of your feet, then lightly fall back on your heels. You want to kind of send a little wave of motion through your body. Not anything painful or forceful, your feet or legs shouldn't hurt while doing this, and your head shouldn't be jarring too much. You'll feel it gently flow through your body. That's a more gentle way of getting "out of your head". As for other practices.... well in the long run, I suggest getting B.K. Frantzis' book "Opening The Energy Gates of Your Body." That entire book is pretty much dedicated to teaching a method of dissolving energy and releasing it downwards, to prevent things like this. I'd say it's the best investment a beginner can make, especially if you are having problems. In the immediate present, I suggest you stop doing the upward energy practices you are doing, as they are most likely causing the problem (or exacerbating a problem you already had but weren't aware of). Then, when you breathe, just breathe naturally, and keep following the breath like you are doing. Follow it as far down as your awareness can go. Initially if you can only follow it through your nostrils and to your throat before you exhale (follow it back up), that's fine. Keep feeling further and further down until you can draw breath in to the dantien, then have the breath come up and back out. An important note here is to FOLLOW the breath. That really helps me. Rather than envisioning or feeling the breath as it happens, I let the breath go where it wants to go, and I'm a fraction of a step behind it. This helps me stay relaxed the whole way through- the body will move the muscles it needs to in order to breathe efficiently if you let them. if you are too concerned with "making yourself breathe" you are most likely going to do a terrible job and tense all kinds of places trying to do it right, when really your body knows what it's doing better than you do (even though... it is you ) In general, take it easy! Your body has a natural tendency to move towards equilibrium, and it will if you LET IT. Your body wants to be healthy, your mind wants to be clear! Step out of the way for a week or two, eat right, lots of fresh air (or as fresh as you can get in your area).

So I was out doing some qigong today, when I noticed this constantly tingling in my finger. At first I ignored it, then I looked down and see this HUMONGOUS FLY just sitting on my pinky finger. So I flick it away, it flies off, then promptly reattaches itself to my other hand So after a good 15 secondss and a nuclear explosion amount of qi thoroughly dispersed, the fly is finally shooed away. Then I think, "wow, I totally just threw all my qi out of whack getting so worked up. Next time it happens, I should just, let go, one with nature and everything..." so I keep going, and sure enough, Mr. (or maybe Miss??? ) fly lands on the back of my hand. So I think, "let go let go let go.... ah, I'm building my qi powa!!!"..... then it starts walking up my arm. AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH I just couldn't do it. Had to shoo that thing away 3 times in total, and on my walk back, I felt it firmly attached to the back of my calf..... So, what do you guys do about unwanted animal visitors that just can't seem to stay away from you during qigong practice? Any problems with flies, ants, cockroaches, cute little puppies, nice sized tigers, antelopes, elephants, birds, or any other member of the animal kingdom? How to deal with, or is it just something you have to.... deal with?

Not much into acupuncture myself, but very good to know that they are still researching this stuff, rather than just accepting the studies done in the past that were inconclusive at best.

So I stepped out of the shower yesterday when I was faced with an armed intruder! An eight armed intruder!!!!! It was just chillin' in the middle of the floor. So I took the time to examine it and reflect on what I found so creepy about spiders. And as I was examining it, I started to feel the tension building up in my mind. And seeing as how in my practice I'm working in dissolving tension, I did the only thing I could think of at the moment: dissolve the tension. And that's when all the thoughts kind of melted away and I just saw the spider. And I was like, "so is it your multitude of arms/legs that I find so creepy?" And thoughts and tension started to build, then they went away. I thought, "is it the jerky way that you move which is so creepy?" It moved a little, almost on cue, then those thoughts dissolved away. And I was just like, "well, you're just a spider.... not so bad....." And on that note, spiders DO have a spider sense, because as soon as I picked up something to kill it with, it moved like hell to a safe corner. I might have to start emulating spiders to develop ESP And on THAT note, I really like Spider Man....

Well the Tao that can be explained is not the true tao. Enlightenment, ignorance. Arrogance, humility. All of these are dualities that are quite limited so neither of these can really be the full truth, can they? Plus when you throw in change, there is a season for everything. Sometimes it's good to be humble and sometimes you gotta stand up and tell someone they don't got a clue So who knows. Good to know I haven't met this person, because I don't have very high opinions of the people I've had in mind, despite my very high opinions of what some of them have accomplished.

Perhaps I'll try that with a fly. Maybe not with a giant man eating spider.... But perhaps a fly. Thanks

Can you divulge the name of this teacher? Sounds like a few people I've come across. The rule of thumb, at least that I've heard, is learn from someone you want to become. Because, what you practice, you will become. I hear a lot of people say stuff like, "well when you are that advanced, you just don't relate well with people who are so far below you." ...... Right. Now look, I have my crazy eccentric moments. There are moments where people look at me like, "what the heck are you talking about?" I think it's safe to say that in those moments I don't relate to them, and they don't relate to me. But there is no arrogance anywhere in there. There is never a sense of inferiority/superiority. Just because we can't relate, doesn't mean there's some hierarchy, like I perceive something they don't in a situation. It's just, we're on different pages, and that's all. With a high level teacher, they're maybe chapters apart. That doesn't mean that with time someone can't catch up to where they are, it just means that the teacher has a lot of spoilers I find it very irresponsible how people use explanations like that as an excuse to act arrogant or treat people unkindly. If you are a teacher that is so perceptive, then you should be able to perceive how the student is feeling, and what a jerk you are being by acting arrogant and putting people (students or not) down. Now, I guess there's a slight distinction you have to make, in that sometimes you need to separate the message from the teacher. Some very flawed people are giving a very pure message. So I will say that you may want to consider that. HOWEVER, the other thing you must consider is, "how did that person get to be that way? When I get to his point, do I want to be that way? Did he get that way because of what he teaches, or something else?"

Well I am planning to start working on the energy gates in the hands and fingers, and I've always had tight calves so..... maybe. Or maybe they land on problem areas because they know that's where my awareness is weakest and they'll know they won't be discovered Either way, they're very perceptive little bugs

Hulu has some excerpts. Probably a few (and by a few I mean possibly the entire episodes.... ) have been uploaded onto youtube.

I've found that Brazilian Jujutsu develops many of the same skills that tai chi produces. Listening, leading your opponent into nothingness, not meeting yang with yang, but instead striking (or, grappling) where the opponent isn't. Royce Gracie didn't out muscle his opponents in UFC 1! They didn't have weight classes back then, you know.

Good to know, thanks.

I presumed he meant John Chang.

Did you try talking to her about having the operation? Beforehand, I mean.

Pie's argument was better than yours. Your argument is nothing but an ad hominem argument, another trick in the 14 year old youtuber handbook

I got enough experience to know that when you lie to them, it only hurts you. [edit] And most women consider a "lie of omission" a lie. [edit 2] At least in my experience [edit 3] And I got enough experience with men (being one myself) to know when somebody just wants to fuck with no responsibility. I've tried to avoid saying that so far because I don't want to come across as attacking pie, but that's really what his argument sounds like. At least to me. But hey, to him, my argument doesn't even make logical sense! So I guess it doesn't really matter, right?

I really so no weight to any of your arguments, they just don't make sense, not in any manner that is in any way elevated above some dude who just wants to fuck with no consequences and doesn't care about anybody's opinion other than his own. Whatever keeps the bitches in the bed is what works, right buddy? You're right on the path to transcendence my friend!

Nothing morally righteous. Just courteous, respectful of the other person's feelings, with a little bit of unselfishness thrown into the mix. That's not what I'm saying, and you know it. I said PERTINENT to the relationship. You are taking it to an extreme in a poor attempt to refute my position. A classic straw man argument. Please stop, 14 year olds do it on youtube videos. If you were, say, groping that woman's nice tits, yeah, that may be something you should tell your significant other. And if she winds up leaving you, well, now you can grope all the tits you want. Oh, wait, you want a girlfriend AND you want to grope all the tits you want? That's just being selfish. Oh, wait, I think I'm making my own strawman argument. Let's just stop that why don't we? Again, PERTINENT TO THE RELATIONSHIP. Big letters. PERTINENT. If you don't know what that is, I suggest you start to find out. Speaking as a human being who takes other peoples' feelings and plans into consideration (especially when in a relationship) that's a rather self centered viewpoint. It sounds to me like you are saying just enough to keep a girl around so you can do her whenever you want without consequences. And if you tell her you're sterile, she's going to leave. Yeah, that's not selfish at all. (and that sarcasm, by the way, it IS pretty selfish)

I don't know, maybe because it's a fact? Maybe she plans to convince you But really, because it's a fact, and she has a right to know what she's getting into. Because, like above, she has a right to know the FULL PICTURE. She needs to be aware of all eventualities, everything that might happening, and everything that might not happen. She might be thinking, "well he might change his mind in 5-10 years." She might think maybe years down the road, something that is not an option might become an option. You need to explicitly tell her that it is never going to happen EVER and you have already made a commitment to not having children before you have even made a commitment to another person and you have done so by getting a vasectomy, and that if she decides to commit to you, she has to commit to the fact that having kids is NEVER going to happen (at least in the way that it usually happens). Just like you need to reveal any other pertinent aspect of a relationship, and yes, having kids is a VERY pertinent aspect of a relationship. And you know, if she really wants to have kids, if she wants that to be a part of her life, then she has a right to find someone else who also wants that as part of their life. And maybe that means leaving you. That's part of life, and that's something you are going to have to accept, and if you really care about that person, you should wish them well on their way. Well, if it's pertinent, then I'd have to man up and tell her. If there's something that can impact our relationship, then I'd tell her. Better safe than sorry. I've inherited a genetic disorder that could drive me or our children insane when I hit 35.... uh, might be good to know. But she doesn't need to know about all the porn I've watched Or exactly how much of the Star Wars trilogy I have memorized But she might need to know if I have another family living in Montana that I go visit every couple of months. Starting to get a feel of what might be pertinent and what might not be? Kids are kind of a big deal. You've said it yourself multiple times in this thread. A big enough deal to leave someone over. If they want to have kids to complete their life, WHY WOULD YOU NOT LET THEM COMPLETE THEIR LIFE? Not something someone moving towards transcendence should be doing. Then again, I haven't transcended much, so maybe I'm doing it wrong

Yeah, that's what should have happened if she wasn't being selfish. It comes down to a lie of omission. Premises she has upon which she is building a relationship: 1) You do not want children. ACTUAL premises of the situation: 1) You do not want children 2) You have had a vasectomy so cannot provide them in the usual way Seeing as how the stuff she is told does not line up completely with reality, they are false premises. Don't see how it can be any other way. You owe it to someone to give them ALL the information so that they can make the most INFORMED decision BEFORE they invest anything in the relationship. You should give them ALL the fine print up front. (maybe not LITERALLY up front and all at the same time, but as the issue arises, and when the subject of "do you want kids" arises, you should be giving your significant other, man or woman, all of the facts. You owe it to them) If you are withholding information because you don't want to break up with her, and you are disregarding the fact that she might want kids because, they, you already told her that you didn't want to have kids, that is a pretty clear cut act of selfishness. But hey, that's according to my book. You've got your own book. And that's about all I can say.