hagar

IMO you are spot on. LOL. Im always ambivalent about sharing, and I respect my teacher too much to share anything verbally from his system as it is de facto experiental, evolving, changing and almost always based on what is "downloaded" in the moment. So sharing anything would be to try to describe how an artist work without actually grasping what the creative process is, and without his consent. Nothing "chinese" or secretive, or about financial gain. He does not advertise, and he does not "sell" anything. The reason for this is in my experience based on a basic respect and sense of integrity regarding the quality of the of the teaching and how it immediately gets devolved when explained by a third party. Its like trying to share a affection that is between two people on a hot date. There shouldnt be a third wheel on the wagon anyway. That said, an example could be used to share some fundamentals, yet the essense and the principles are usually pretty basic, as in essential, and they are not often that technical. Maybe even nonsensical if not received in the proper context of teacher-student relationship, as they are usually "transmitted"; not from person to person, but out of emptiness and space. True Daoist teachings in my experience are pretty practical, and non-denominational. They are not related to some magic fix, and not fraught with secrecy. On the other hand, they demand a degree of comittment from the practitioner, where a proper face-to-face interaction with a teacher usually (at some point) is needed. The rest of the time your cat or a mountain can also do =) Technical explanations without the transmission is like giving someone an free IOS OX upgrade without giving you an access to your apple ID. No logon, no info. h

First of all, let´s be realistic: There is nothing fundamentally wrong, and no special practice or action needs to be taken. Just stop doing what you are doing, and align with your body and emotional needs. If you want to feel better in social situations, then do it way more! Fake it till you make it. Meditating on stopping anything, especially thoughts will never, ever, reduce your social anxiety. Especially working in combination with a technology that usually have the effect of revealing such emotional issues, on a neurological level. It seems to me that you are using meditation as a form of manipulation, and to avoid emotional pain ( which is pretty common =). But if you talk to a person with any experience in meditation, they will confirm that the only way that meditation will be effective outside the meditation hall is to allow whatever is happening to be there and be seen and understood. Those who say that meditation reduces anxiety and attachement to emotions are right. Yet forcing someone´s mouth shut will have an immediate effect, yet its only temporary. Either you shut off the expression of your vital force with will power and it will turn back on itself, or it will magnify the moment you are not in control again. My advice is stop meditating, let go of your idea of yourself, and try to relax with others. Train physically. Most importantly, don´t try to change anything. You are 17. Peace h

I kinda agree, but then again...

In my experience, the place where the important distinction is made is not what choice to make, or act vs not act , good vs bad choices etc. Choice is an explanation of what has allready happened. Before you act, there is no choosing. After the fact, what happened is what happened. How do we know if there is a causal link between an action and our choosing? I have no clue as to when I am acting from the truth, or when I am just trying to be good, or when I know I am being an ass. Sometimes, the right thing feels contrived and forced. Other times, it takes tremedous effort not to be a victim of your darker impulses. But does every choice matter? What if we have allready chosen long before any alternative presents itself. I often feel that from a grander perspective, no choice we make matters at all, as it is such a tapestry of all the other choices that is co-creating every second of existence. h

I think my mind just stopped. My choice: Latch on to the elephant. Survival at any cost

You read the same story as me...

Since when was coffee from around here ? Thanks for still sticking around Steve. I second that. We waste so much time on our conditioning. You can taste your strawberry until you hit the ground.

When I take my first sip of morning joe, I sense the whole universe is watching. IMO, taking a flight somewhere, or even make a phone call, its pretty miraculous. Familiarity cloakes the objective nature of any phenomenon. I´ve seen some far out stuff, that I would have denied before I witnessed it. Thus I cannot tell others what I have seen either. But I do not find it miraculous. Legacy: something moves and is expressed through us, and when that is remembered, we are pretty much forgotten =) But its nice to leave something behind though....

In my experience, myths and miracles are just products of mind. Nothing of this is left standing if you go through any deep transformation, gross or subtle. The biggest fruits of my practice is really enjoying a cup of coffee. Personally, what I see as the essence of my life as a Daoist is passing on a flame. Nothing else matters, or will fall away. h

Well this might seem not-so-spiritual, but the damage we inflict on ourselves and others on a level of beliefs and values are far greater than any amount of a drug or substance. If viewed from the insubstantial level, what we do to our bodies and minds with alcohol is far less damaging than what we do with our thoughts, words and beliefs. From my own perspective, and this is only me, the pleasure of enjoying a glass of wine or beer with a friend far outwheighs the dangers. In my practice for the last 15 years, one basic insight always reigns supreme: we never know what will happen to us. Life is unpredictable. Even with perfect merit and moral, life is always chaotic. Better to enjoy the pleasures that is given, within measure. Better yet; in cultivating energy, forget the body. In cultivating spirit, forget energy. In cultivating the Dao, forget spirit. But never turn down an opportunity to enjoy this life. Denying anything is dying a little. h

My gf has the same response. In her particular case I think the sensitivity has to do with how acidic or alkaline your body is, and to a lesser degree, how sensitive you are to this balance. Ironically, I drink alot more alcohol now, 15 years into my serious cultivation. I am probably less sensitive now than before. I have little adverse effects, yet feel that I feel sluggish when drinking wine with too much tannin in it. This confirms my suspicion that most adverse effects of alcohol is not the stuff itself, but subsidiary effects of acidity and other stuff like dehydration etc. Two glasses of wine a day is fine, and I endorse it. I think we cultivators tend to be overly puritan, probably because we are sensitive. Don´t misunderstand; I do not support binge drinking or being intoxicated, but from a purely Daoist perspective, many of the pivotal figures had a weak spot for raising of the wrist...

Hi In times of need, I have been dabbling with Tonglen practice. Especially related to loved ones or familiy members. I have had some strange coincidences happening with this before. I wonder if anyone have any concrete "evidence" of its effectiveness. In my experience Tonglen has some of not all of the characteristics of a blessing or prayer, but in addition has an energetic aspect. 1. Does anyone have any evidence of negative effects, like taking on others illnesses etc? 2. Is there any way to enhance the effectiveness of this practice For me personally, the benefit is a lessening of self-importance, or false self-awareness, and greater compassion and empathy. But still, I have read several places of the actual merit of this practice to the recipient of Tonglen, like actual healing, emotionally or otherwise. Feel free to share, if you have any insight into this practice. h

Interesting thread I must say, there´s a degree of romanticism about art these days. We turn to art when the modern life turns out to be too much of an ordeal. What isn´t always mentioned in aesthetics is the fact that most contemporary art is pretty much a mind game, a reference-indiced competition onto which all artists have a degree of a pissing contest. Even the avant-garde painting movement is so reference-laden, that it´s actually not really about painting at all. Its about discussing painting; the whole thing is very conceptual and top-heavy. Pretty much all conteporary art is a self-referencing tour de force. Its not really that interesting, and if it is it´s always discussing the end of art. That said, after I defended modernist and post-modernist art in a discussion with my teacher (who pretty much rejected the whole notion of contemporary art as degenerated), I took a trip to the Louvre. There, I came across a fresco of Botticelli. I turned a corner and there it was. Hanging on the wall. Immediately, before I was able to think, I felt tears running down my face. Therer was a sense of energy, a feeling of transmission, that emanated from the image. It took me completely over, and it was an energy of love. It was a transmission. It was startling to sense that this painter had created this image out of love. I felt it from the image itself. I dont really know what I wanted to say with this post. h

Allthough an exegesis into Buddhist doctrine might be interesting, how about what sharing actual first-hand experience? My own interest in Tonglen is not philosophical nor based any adherence to tradition. I find the actual practice in and of itself containing some universal lessons that is beyond lineage and tradition. h

The notion of merit, or building merit is sometimes related to such practices. Is this in any way related to Tonglen?

This really rang true for me, and at a non-conceptual is what is real. In that light, the deep significance of Tonglen is not it´s intended effects, nor its efficacy, but how it dissolves separation. I did Tonglen on my son when he was ill, and realized that he was actually helping me. In a sense, what comes out of such practices is not only compassion, but gratitude. And sometimes awe. Thank you also for the link=) h

Great, thank you all for feedback. Self-reliquishing and self-cherishing all come out of the same paradigm of the separate self. However, eventhough one might feel profound effects personally in diminishing the false self through consciously intending to aquire the suffering of others, there is, in my own experience a dimension in Tonglen, that is similar to blessing and prayer: that of letting a power within/without or in the heart to dispell the "dark", "evil" or suffering, that has nothing to do with your personal intent or will to do so. I might feel that in order for Tonglen to be effective, the ability to open and let this quaiity to do its work is the key. This light in the heart/mind, in whatever form is what dispells, and this is a form of "grace" or the actual blessing. This is what I find deeply profound. It is really great to see practices that dwell on the principle of going deep into the heart of darkness, or suffering to there create the most potent transformation. Thank you Seth, for those examples. The reason I did this inquiry was for a family members who might suffer from a degree of mental illness or neurosis. I have seen my teacher treat mentally ill (schizophrenic) patients. He went out into the garden behind the retreat center to find the spirit of the patient who was indoors. Then he lured and guided the shen/light back into the room and after a few hours, made it fuse with the body again. I feel that when one comes to a spesific place in one´s own practice, there is no point in doing the practice anymore if not for the benefit of others, or all. It is even detrimental to do it only for your own benefit purely. It builds plaque on your original face... So I feel it is a practice, from an energetic perspective that must be held up to a certain standard. Not for dabblers. And I feel it might have energetic issues related to it, if not done correctly. Any thoughts?

=) Thank you Wonderful suggestion Cat

Thank you Mal, Those threads did not pop up in my search. From what I have read here and elsewhere, very little is said about the effects on others. Not experientially, anyway. The same goes for prayer, or blessings for that matter. Having had experiences with both remote healings and blessings myself, but from a master, I am just curious about the actual effects of sustained practice of such meditations as Tonglen, prayer or blessings of any kind done by eh... lay people. And I think this is a pretty eclectic topic, thus not entirely a Buddhist issue. Many similar practices abound in both Daoist, hindu and even Judaic and Christian traditions. But actual experience from current practictioners? h

I remember once I was tumbling down a colouir in Chamonix, pretty sure I was heading for a tuning of the harp... Vividly, I remember my mind racing, my focus narrowing, time stopping, yet at the same time, I had this eerie sense of expansion, a broadness in my vision. So I my experience was that there was something more primal in consciouss than both narrowing and expanding. Something just there.

I´ve always wondered about that myself. But is contraction the same as "falling asleep"? I still miss those nice, expanded moments. Want to let them go. h

The thing staring you in the eye is usually the most potent: thought about finding another job? h

2 reflections: - The reason why you feel drained is not necessarily other people or any "auras" but that you let your attention, and thus "shen" or mental/spiritual energy disperse. Take frequent brakes, or fuse your awareness with your inner body repeatedly, or take a quick nap at lunch time. We all disperse our Shen, and will gain energy and feel awake when the Shen is back into the body. - The other perspective is that nothing outside of yourself is actually the origin of any problem, depletion or drainage. It is your perception of yourself as "me" and them as "other". This does not get solved mentally, and will not change if you just think that others are not "others". If you feel this in your heart, interaction with others will change. How to do this? Find in yourself, the space where there is no difference between "I" and "they", between inner and outer. This is space, stillness, peace, immaterial. Rest there for a while, and take this into life. It is life. h

=) Amazing how he is able to fly under the radar. I am profoundly Grateful and must have been born under a Lucky star. What a treasure.