Cameron

Good question. Let's all chime in with our emergency jing replenishment recipes. I have bottles of Ron Teeguarden's He Shou Wu formula that I will use .He says it quickly replenshes jing reserves. But other recipes would be cool to learn about...

I was hanging with some family over the weekend and one of them was trying to get me to admit another of them was basically a narcissistic snob. I said yes, I love how he puts his nose up at everyone, it's such a great big nose, like a peacock displaying it's feathers Finally I broke down and admitted my present philosophy, we should learn to appreciate people for who they are, not be critical of there so called faults. I am not there yet I still fall into the trap of judging and comparing others all the time but narcisstic people can be fun at times. There probably not who you want to be with on a spiritual retreat or long trip but for a few hours they can be entertaining, and the narcissim may have helped them achieve greater goals like the Green Boy said.

I can't committ to it but remember Santa Monica being an awesome place and would be nice to check it out. Will have to wait until like Aug and see what my schedule and work is like...

Adya is great. I am glad someone like him is around and definetly interested to see him in a couple months. Yoda brought something interesting up in a convo awhile ago. I was talking about how Cohen really specifies how many minutes to do different practices..basically a qigong cookbook, while Adya doesn't do all that and I think is trying to get you to wake up to your true nature which is beyond practicing for X amount of time or whatever. Anyway, Yoda said how he really needs that cookbook..which teachers like Cohen provide. I tend to agree with Yoda even though Adya, as well as a teacher I study with live, basically focus on the non manipulation thing. Actually, from what little I know, Dennis has a more comprehensive approach(though he may not be as enlightened as Adya..atleast from what level people say Adya is at). Dennis combines the Adveta, non dual stuff with qigong. I like it. It's really where it as at for me. So although Adya may be a Master of this path and BK Franzis may be a Master of dissolving/water method Michael Winn of interior alchemy etc. I think it's great to have the freedom to learn and practice all of these ways. But I am a novice..I could easily have a different view in 1 year...

Sean, awesome post. This is alot of what I have been trying to practice latelly. Actually, Dennis theme for this weeks meeting which I missed since I just got back from my sister's wedding was, "Openness in mind, heart, and senses." I tried to pay attention all through the weekend to subtle(or not so subtle) moments where I would close off from others, judge or contract. It's amazing you can get pretty open in your meditations, release and let go of tension of body and mind and the SECOND you come into contact with a new situation that totally throws you off or new people there is an ever so subtle ego manipulation going on. Of course you don't have to be a groomsman at a Catholic wedding where you feel a room of hundreds of people on you(that you barely know) you experience it in everyday life. With the beautiful girl your a little shy to talk to, the new employee who you feel you have to impress, the random person on the street that you avoid because you just don't feel like it. Those moments of "shutting down" are very, very, very interesting to me...

I was watching this documentry about bicycle delivery workers in NYC few days a go. The level of focus this guy has was insane. He was so awake if he was going down the street at full speed in between cars and someone suddenly opened the car door he could immedietly swerve with one hand and close the car door with the other.

I have such a small and superficial understanding but it seems like the awakeness, presence, compassion and love that arises from emptiness is almost as important or even more important than the emptiness. I don't know that emptiness is the goal but through emptiness I think we can realize our true nature. I don't know that concepts like empty or full, yin or yang can adequatly decribe it. I think the zen tradition has a wonderful way of poking fun at concepts and putting them on there head so you see everything in a different way. Then when you see everything in a different way you see how you had essentially created THAT WHICH IS with concepts rather seeing with clarity. I think zazen/emptiness meditation is essential since it gives you time to experience this. If you don't do it, you probably won't ever see it. Or maybe you can see it, but you won't go deeper into it. To me zazen is just the activity of sitting down and looking into your mind directly. I mean, maybe if you are sitting with an enlightened teacher you can sort of catch the vibe and wake up but 1. How many really enlightened people are around 2. What do you do if you wake up to your true natre. The way I see it you wake up you still do zazen. If your sitting zazen for a few minutes or hours a day that is the amount of time you are actualizing Buddha Nature. Even if you don't realize it, by doing it and living it and practicing you are actualizing buddha nature and it will eventually manifest in your other life activities. Definetly days that I do zazen and dont' do zazen there is a change in the quality of my awareness. In zen terms sitting zazen devleops Joriki. this is a kind of mind power that is essential to waking up. If you dont' develop joriki you can still wake up but chances are that it will be harder to really live with what has been experiences. I am more than open to adveta teachers who may or may not have a different view but still not sure what there life would focus on. Ultimatly, to a Buddha, everything is enlightened activity but zazen sort of gets the ball rolling in that direction I doubt many of us will get anywhere without it.

Better you make peace with your own inner redneck rather than try to resist. You will only make it more powerful. Sweet dreams. *evil Jeff Foxworthy laugh*

Probably not until next summer(2007).

Let me ask you this..do you think rmax stuff cultivates jing , qi and shen in the 3 tan tiens(elixer fields) circulates and transforms sexual energy(jing) into qi and ultimately into shen(spirit). Do you experience a feeling of fullness of vitality in your lower tan tien elixer field that pulsates up and down your core channel from rmax stuff? I think rmax stuff is awesome, it makes me more mobile, more fluid..but these are some of the effects I get from qigong that I doubt I would cultivate with rmax stuff alone. Is your experience different? I experience rmax stuff as opening up my physical structure while qigong and meditation opens my energetic structure. I like the Taoist explanation of the energetic structure of a human based on the 3 tan tiens and 3 treasures but you can use another map if you like.

Cool. Scott's stuff is great. Sounds like you found something. Personally, I agree with Sean in the debate(for the most part) only I wouldn't have brought up the debate in the first place on Scott's forum. I think in the big picture it was still a good thing since it basically defined certain things about rmax philosophy but I would just as soon it not have happened. Still kind of turned off by it. Anyway, it's about practice not opnions of who is right or wrong .And you have found a practice you will stick with and enjoy..always a good things to happen. Maybe we can hang out when I visit Australia in a year or so. Have cousins there I havent seen since I was like 10! edit-And I know it really wasn't a debate..it was..well...we know what it was..and can forget and have positive feelings towards those that bring us cool practices(IMO)

I always say Cohen's book is the best intro to qigong. He is very pro western excercise and science as well as also being a mystic. He really balances out the science and spiritual very well. If your interested that is a good start. I don't think "everything" could possibly be contained in any one system but if you really think that rmax does great it sounds like you found your path. G'day!

One of my inspirations outside of qigong these days is Steve Maxwell. Here is this 40 something year old guy who is proficient at all 3 modalities(bodyweight, rmax, dragondoor) sees that there are unique benifits to each and expertly conveys those differences. Of course you have to respect Scott for being so focused on developing his system and sticking to his philosophy of training. I really dont' care if he calls it qigong or yoga it's still good stuff. if you want to get technical I feel kettlebells more directly work the hips and the back while clubs more directly work the shoulders and grip. There both cool but work different things. Also, I notice an almost internal event when doing clubbell workouts I don't get with kettlebells. the kettles kick my ass fast but in a really aerobic sense wheras clubs seem to tax me internally. I am working out with the 10 lc clubs now but thinking of ordering a pair of 15's maybe they would add more cardio like my kettles. Also, Pavel teaches mobilty in several courses too he just doesn't say it is the essential foundation of everything like Scott. Pavel sort of takes a more macho attitude from Russia, drink your vodka throw kettlebells and throw in some stretching when you have time .Or if you don't have time just skip it and lift the iron. scott reall, really, really, really stresses mobilty above all.

Welcome...

Violet Crumble Bar!!!!??? *Cam's favorite Australian Candy*

Oh. I thought you were going to enlighten me somehow by showing how I make false distinctions between Australian rednecks and American rednecks when there is only really one primordial redneck that fills the universe(Redneck yuan shen). So this is not what you were going for then?

If you ever doubt yourself or abilty to acheive your goals just watch this movie. Some sick goal setting there.

How would you define these lofty goals? Is one different than the other? Is one a mistranslation of ancient teachings? Immortality for the most part seems to be linked to Enlightenment by some teachers and considered a higher or lower stage by others. Winn clearly thinks it is a higher stage involving the development of a "Yang Body". When asked to define the yang body in a retreat Winn said most people have a "Yin body" this is what people use during OBE's or remote viewing. With a yin body you are still in our body but your consciousness can go to other places. Then he said if you develop yang body you actually go to those other places. So, like a Taoist Immortal doesn't have an OBE he actually goes to wherever he wants. Then some people compare this to the rainbow body in Buddhism . Bill Bodri throws a different view that even the development of the yang body is a low stage of the path that does not come close to enlightenment(annutarasomyaksombhodi)which is the complete "dropping" of the self, complete freedom from suffering and conditioning etc etc. Then other alchemy teachers like the Australian Brynn Orr say it's not about creating a yang body but waking up to those levels of the self that already exist. And...Ken Cohen says the word immortal is a mistranslation that actually stands for a person connected with nature. When you let go the seperate ego self you live as long as nature does as you are connected with it etc etc. But not really about devleoping a yang body per se. Man, I am regretting doing this thread already. I suspect some of you think very differently about this subject and perhaps to be more honest about it we mostly don't know?

Clubbells are awesome. However, I differ from ego maniacs like Yoda in that I put Kettlebells, Fureys/Gotch/Gamas bodyweight training and rmax stuff on the same plane of awesomeness. Hopefully Master yoda can learn from my more inclusive and less superiority complex oriented ways. *nods head contently*

Sean, I keep hearing about this and remember you said your BJJ teacher is into it. What's it like? How would you compare it to Sonnon's stuff or Yoga? links.. http://www.ginasticanatural.com.br/ingles/ and http://orlandocani.com.br/

Not sure. I havent done any extensive research into high redneck culture I suppose a lack of manners might be one defining trait. Along with love of Nascar racing

Has everyone seen this? Pretty wild. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5...&q=loose+change

I thought you said before you didn't go far with body flow? Are you changing your story now that you are an rmax initiate? Don't back peddle Yoda! *sips tea*

No, my friend, I lived in the south(Georgia) for like 10 years. I know about rednecks. I don't think what you got in Australia is quite the same but I got it