Cameron

I don't know that it's about postive thinking so much as having goals. If you call having goals and achiving them postive thinking than it's postive thinking I just look at it as accomplishing your goals. But like Tom Clancey said you have goals and accomplish them then you are what's called successful. One of my things lately is to try to completly stop theorizing and guessing about how things work. Instead, if something interests you, try it out. Don't worry what peoples opnions are about meditation or diet or excercise. Try it for yourself and decide for yourself if it's true. Here's an experiment we all could try if you want. Matt Furey teaches a way to get the ball rolling in accomplishing your aims. write down a top 10 list of goals you want to accomplish this year. Even if you don't beleive this conscious creation stuff works try it out. No matter how silly or far fetched you think it is, take out a pice of paper or note card and write down the 10 things you would want to create in your life. If you think it's utter nonsense maybe still try it. Write them down and turn the paper face down and hide it underneath your computer. Just stick it somewhere and forget about it. Don't even look at it until next year. It could be an interesting experiment. We could all test the teachings of the movie Sean posted and Furey talks alot about for ourselves and then give feedback in a year or so. Or even next January. Cam

I don't know that it's about postive thinking so much as having goals. If you call having goals and achiving them postive thinking than it's postive thinking I just look at it as accomplishing your goals. But like Tom Clancey said you have goals and accomplish them then you are what's called successful. One of my things lately is to try to completly stop theorizing and guessing about how things work. Instead, if something interests you, try it out. Don't worry what peoples opnions are about meditation or diet or excercise. Try it for yourself and decide for yourself if it's true. Here's an experiment we all could try if you want. Matt Furey teaches a way to get the ball rolling in accomplishing your aims. write down a top 10 list of goals you want to accomplish this year. Even if you don't beleive this conscious creation stuff works try it out. No matter how silly or far fetched you think it is, take out a pice of paper or note card and write down the 10 things you would want to create in your life. If you think it's utter nonsense maybe still try it. Write them down and turn the paper face down and hide it underneath your computer. Just stick it somewhere and forget about it. Don't even look at it until next year. It could be an interesting experiment. We could all test the teachings of the movie Sean posted and Furey talks alot about for ourselves and then give feedback in a year or so. Or even next January. Cam

Thanks!

Ken's outfits rock! Since were on the topic does anyone know where to buy some good tai chi/qigong shoes? Dragondoor used to sell these really good ones from Europe calles arcepidicos but no more.

Very Samurai-ish.

From my limited experience with IMA teachers..no..and they do seem to have a sense of humor along with the dissing Sunday might work. I think the Adya course starts at 1. If we could check my aikido guy out thursday night that would be cool. Too bad Fong doesn't do friday class. Cam

Damn Sean! atleast we know you don't hide your new teachers opnions from the rest of taobums Maybe we can check out a class when I visit? Damn, so little time so many cool teachers in your hood. Cam

BETTER that a colonic and in pill form and only 7 days?! WTF?! Link! Yoda why wasn't I told about this?!

Welcome. One of my teachers says trying to intellectually define Tao is like trying to capture wind in a bucket. That said, we will all try to grasp these things anyway. My understanding is Tao is understood through introsective meditation practices and living in harmony with nature. Cameron

Seanster, Ime not clear on this. My impression of that movie was that there is no destiny and no alignment with destiny. Basically, it's all up to you. Like that dude at the end with the chalk board saying there isn't any destiny chalkboard that you have to find..it's all your call. I do like it. It's a nice vision of life. Your basically like ana rtist that paints on the empty canvas of life as you see fit. You are the creator. It's just exactly the same stuff I learned from Matt Furey's programs. FOR ME..I would say a kind of balance between that apprach and the eastern approach is suitable. My understadning of the eastern approach is to be LESS GOAL ORIENTED. What are they talking about in that movie? GOALS. That's all there talking about is having goals and then achiving them. That's great..it's awesome..but I don't think that's what the Eastern practices are mostly about. The theme I here again and again about eastern practices like zen, qigong etc is PRACTICE IS ENLIGHTENMENT. And dont' do to achive something..just put yourself totally into the practice. Like in my aikido practice..it's really about the NOW. Unlike BJJ where your training to win a fight or whatever it's about practice. That's it..feeling good..training..practice. Like zen..sometimes you feel bad. You are sitting on the chair or cushion and your body hurts and you just want to stop but you have another 20 minutes to go. I really do like both of these approaches..see the differences..but if you really think they are the same in essence I would love to here more..really this is a very interesting topic for me. I suspect it's all just a function of the mind..learning to accept what is without concepts and be still..and learning to focus on goals and achive them..I guess it's pretty simple really...carry on. Cam

That is the tricky question. Of course when you bring up these sort of teachings the person who was a victim can feel like so I attracted that shit? Is the inoocent child that fell into the backyard pool and drowned because there parents didn't close the gate and werent watching them responsible for there death? I don't know. I had an experience when I was about 5 or 6 years old. I was at the park with my mother and little sister and when it was time to leave my mother went to pick my sister up off the swing. Instead of waiting for my mother I started walking to our car across the street. When I got to the side of the road I saw a taxi coming from down the street and I thought " I can beat it". I started running and got run over by the taxi. It smashed into me and I went flying down the road. Nex I here my mother screaming and some other people coming to help pick me up and my first thought I had was "So this is life". I got rushed to the hospital and they stiched me up(I still have a scar on my face) and was ok but I distinctly remember that first thought of so this is life. And that is the first of the Buddhas 4 noble truths. Life is suffering. There is no escape from suffering and we will all experience sickness old aga and death on some level. However, I think positive thinking(pretty much all that movie is about) can help you along to achive your goals in life but it's not going to do shit for the BIG stuff. Your definetly not going to resolve the big questions of life and death though positve thinking IMO. Maybe having that mindset will help you attract the right teacher and teachings that will help you answer big questions. Maybe it will give you the right mental tools to make money and support you spiritual practice, healthy healing lifestlye etc. So the real question..is the victim attracting sufferng to them or are they just 'unlucky'. I don't have the answer. I like to think as a 5 year old boy I wasnt' attracting that kind of pain on myself ans was just careless and unlucky. but I cant' say I really know the answer. Cam

Reminds me of theKYBALION. Talks alot about mental vibrations and how you essentially attract to you what you are putting out through the law of vibration. It goes alot deeper than that. I remember first reading it and thinking wow this is it! I don't know that is adresses the Taoist concept/path of wu wei/non effort..I like to think combining the eastern teachings with hermetic teachings is a nice balance. Interesting read in any case and fun movie. Cam

OMG. http://www.praisemoves.com/

Would it have any bearing if she prepared breakfast(a proper country one) or are regular bowel movements more important to you that breakfast and fine chocolate love? A friend who cares.

I see no need why you can't go raw the rest of day after a healthy and balanced country breakfast.

Then it is imperitive you make time for your proper country breakfast. Cam

Maxie..you must not have had time for your country breakfast to make a post like this. Perhaps a nutritious Xcyience bar would get you back on track like the champ Matt Hughes? A concerned friend

Thanks, interesting talks. Cam

Who do you think wins tomorrow night. I think if Royce taps out Hughes I will have to go back on my word and do BJJ instead of Aikido. Kidding...not really though...

I don't get it.

Yes..it definetly is applicable to me. Don't you read my jounral..my thinking changes all the time! I appreciate any insights you have to share and don't mean they arent valuable. Even if you come up with some deep insight is that deep insight YOU or is there something that doesn't come and go(like the insight) that is even deeper? I don't presume to know any of this but I don't thik it's really about that anyway. Cam

Although your Dad is a Buddhist and says "from the Buddhist perspective" I don't think that is necissarily what an advanced Buddhist/Meditator does. Of course, teachers will back there stuff up with quotes or stories attributed to Buddhas or Patriarchs or whatever but then there is also the reality mode where you express your practice in your life. To me, zazen is the process of deconstructing all of your views anyway so it's not so much finding your own views but dropping them all. Then you can check out whatever you want and if you like it absorb it into your life but I think everything is a little different than if you have this perception of this is really ME and what I LIKE. Mostly what you think is you is an illusion and what you think you like is pretty arbitrary IMO. Of course without the thorough and deep grounding of stillness meditation in your life this is all talk anyway. Cam

Here you go Max.. http://www.sherdogvideos.com/events/ufc60/...post_hughes.wmv

German chics seem cool..

I'll have to look for it. In the meantime here is Tim Sylvia on Blind date http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3soctPKTdI