thelerner

As Vito Andolini once said: I crush my enemies by making them my friends then stab them in the back, later. I think Aetherous is right. Maybe not so much specialization as passion; which may end up being the same thing. A life lived with passion is the most worthwhile. In the play 1001 Nights, the wisest person in the world was asked 'What is the secret of life?'. She replied with two words- 'Cultivate enthusiasm'. Not bad. Not that I'm a good example.

After meditating, I'll rub my palms together fast and hard. Once they're hot, I'll press the fleshy corner to my eyes, gently. Feel the heat, and let it sink in. Then as Seth does, massage/rub my face, downward, then upwards, over my head and down to the back of the neck. . Think about getting an eye pillow (w/ lavender scent) or sobakawa pillow to put on your eyes/face. Nothing too heavy but a little pressure can be very relaxing.

While you might not be able to find 'authentic' qi gong close to you, there is a good chance there is tai chi or yoga studio that can help you lay a foundation, of breathwork, meditation and body awareness so that when you do find something authentic you'll be ready. So check out what's nearby. Get involved, see what connects and what you can learn. Once you get involved you'll find sources that will get you closer to the art you want.

If the Dao Bums had an Oscar, what categories would we use? Perhaps we can come up with some light hearted positive examples. In the category of Who on the board Looks Most Like a Taoist Immortal?- I vote Starjumper. how old is this guy 30? 40? 200??

Hmnn, maybe he just needs to write his stern wisdom in a different font. Perhaps comic sans ms and use different colors.

That's really putting the chemical into alchemical Taoism.

I'd be interested in knowing too. Course I don't even know which kind of 'Pine' tree this stuff is supposed to come from. I get mine from Etsy- The Rural Apothecary $40 for 4 oz. Expensive but it lasts. https://www.etsy.com/listing/252925448/pine-pollen-tincture-wild-harvested-from They say "All of my pollen is tinctured in 100 proof grain alcohol. I tincture my pollen for no less than 3 full months, up to a full 6 months. Before my pollen is tinctured, it goes through a quick freeze to crack the cell walls as well, again allowing more of the essential nutrients to tincture into the alcohol. I tincture in all glass containers, no plastic or metal is involved in the tincture process. My tincture is 1:1, I use half pine pollen to the same volume of alcohol to produce a strong tincture. I decided on 1 to 1 ratio to make a stronger tincture that gives more doses per 4 oz bottle." Pine Pollen might need special knowledge. I think I'll try to make a batch of Ginger Turmeric Pepper tincture. Grind'em up, maybe leave the little pepper balls whole, fresh and sugared ginger, and leave'em soak in 100 proof vodka for a month or two, giving the small mason jar a swirl every now and then.

Long quiet walks, preferably in nature. Both seated meditation and some guided meditations. I'll release my fears by acknowledging the realistic odds the event will happen, having a plan A, B and C then putting it out of my mind til action is needed.

Do your research, dao and Taoism can be a pretty loose terms. Real monks live hardcore lives. We're talking long hours of work, hours of meditation, hours of study, with little sleep or private time. Doing a 3 to 4 hours of meditation a day, learning Chinese and studying the Taoist pantheon and Taoist classics, learning to 'eat bitter' are the bare minimum to show worthiness (I'm guessing). Here's an old thread that may have some leads- http://www.thedaobums.com/topic/1935-taoist-monastery-in-america/?p=17754

I go with cultural phenomena. As I recollect 13 is bad for a couple of historic events; one of which on a Friday the 13th the Catholic Church sprung a trap to destroy the relatively powerful Knights Templar. It's better then being in Japan where 4 is unlucky or China where 4, 13 and 14 are considered bad luck. Colors are similar, different colors different meanings. Superstitions aren't all bad. Being on the lookout for 'signs' can hone awareness but creating unnecessary states of fear is generally something to stay away from.

At some point propaganda AI gets too big and obnoxious, and (most) people will ignore comment sections.

In the Category of Most Mysterious Member- I vote Sean, the hard working, ever present, rarely posting founder of the site.

In the Category of Longest Running thread that's stayed Focused and Informative- I vote Flying Phoenix Chi Kung. Started in Dec 2009 with 4,067 replies, 516 thousand and four views, running 255 pages. (http://www.thedaobums.com/topic/12639-flying-phoenix-chi-kung/?p=159612) Kudos to Sifu Terry Dunn. What is the secret of the threads success?

Poker. You're dealt a hand at birth, genetics, social standing, environment. You play it well, or badly. More cards are dealt, good or bad. Playing well has its rewards, but offers no guarantees, except for the love of the game.

FWIW on the ETSY website, on The RuralApothecary store, today I ordered another 4 oz of Pine Pollen tincture, really like it. A good adaptogen and I think it raises my testosterone. I also ordered Fo Ti also known as He shou wu. There's a little more grey coming in on top. I wonder if 'Wu's Black Hair' herbal tonic can do something about that? The Pine Pollen tincture is fairly expensive, $40 for 4 oz, but it lasts me a few months. I like that it's wild crafted, native to a pristine area in the U.S and they use 1-1, a long strong 'brewing' period (or so they say). The Fo Ti seems about average in price. I bought their Turmeric & Ginger Tincture which was inexpensive, but those are such common herbs that I may as well chop up the roots myself, dunk'em in vodka and make a batch. Too often we don't value the common. Undoubtedly if carrots or grapes were 'found' today, they'd be hyped as amazing super foods. Turmeric and Ginger probably fall into that category of unusually healthy but so common its ignored in favor of ginsengs. FWIW here are benefits of Turmeric - just found this article when I double checked the spelling https://draxe.com/turmeric-benefits/ 10 Turmeric Benefits: Superior to Medications? Turmeric, the main spice in curry, is arguably the most powerful herb on the planet at fighting and potentially reversing disease. It has so many healing properties that currently there have been 6,235 peer-reviewed articles published proving the benefits of turmeric and one of its renowned healing compounds curcumin. This puts turmeric on top of the list as one of the most frequently mentioned medicinal herbs in all of science and the next most popular studied herbs include garlic, cinnamon, ginseng, ginger and milk thistle. Of the 6000+ studies referencing curcumin, the most interesting finding is that when turmeric is compared to conventional medicine its benefits equal that of many pharmaceutical medications. In fact, a number of studies have even reported that using curcumin is more advantageous than certain prescription drugs. Health Benefits of Turmeric When examining the research, turmeric benefits go beyond that of these 10 drugs: Anti-inflammatory drugs Anti-depressants (Prozac) Chemotherapy Anti-coagulants (Aspirin) Pain killers Diabetes drugs (Metformin) Arthritis medications Inflammatory bowel disease drugs Cholesterol drugs (Lipitor) Steroids Now let’s jump deeper into the research on turmeric benefits at potentially reversing specific diseases. Turmeric Benefits Trump Medications Although the list is much longer, we’ve selected 10 drugs that pale in comparison to turmeric in potentially reversing disease. As you read this report, keep in mind that one of the most powerful advantages curcumin has over the traditional medical approach is the lack of side effects. 1. Anticoagulants/Antiplatelets Medical intervention generally includes the following medications to slow and prevent blood clotting: Aspirin Clopidogrel (Plavix) Diclofenac Enoxaparin (Lovenox) Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) Naproxen Warfarin (Coumadin), and others. Unfortunately, for people with conditions that are treated by these drugs (i.e. deep-vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism), this approach may not always be the wisest decision. Ibuprofen overdose is one such common problem. In addition to common side effects like excessive bleeding and hemorrhage, the risks associated with anticoagulants abound and include everything from back pain to headaches to difficulty breathing. Turmeric, on the other hand, has relatively no known side effects unless taken in extremely excessive amounts. Additionally, ever since several groundbreaking studies in the mid-1980s, the curcumin in turmeric has been suggested by researchers as actually being a better option for those with vascular thrombosis. 2. Anti-depressants Although few studies have been conducted on humans, dozens of research trials have proven that turmeric is especially effective in correcting depression symptoms in laboratory animals. To address this issue, the journal Phytotherapy Research published the results of an amazing, innovative study this past year. The study took 60 volunteers diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD), such as manic depression, and split the group to determine how patients treated by curcumin fared against fluoxetine (Prozac) and a combination of the two. Not only was it discovered that all patients tolerated curcumin well, but they discovered curcumin was as effective as Prozac in managing depression. According to the authors, “This study provides first clinical evidence that curcumin may be used as an effective and safe therapy for treatment in patients with Mild Depression.” 3. Anti-inflammatories Arguably, the most powerful aspect of curcumin is its ability to control inflammation. The journal Oncogene published the results of a study that evaluated several anti-inflammatory compounds and found that aspirin and ibuprofen are least effective, while curcumin, is among the most effective anti-inflammatory compounds in the world. This news should have reached every household in the world after the study was conducted because inflammation puts people at risk for almost every disease process known to man. Diseases today such as cancer, ulcerative colitis, arthritis, high cholesterol and chronic pain can be the result of inflammation. As you will see below in several other articles related to chronic illness, keep this in the back of your mind: Turmeric’s key to disease reversal may be its ability to keep inflammation at bay. 4. Arthritis management Because curcumin is known for its powerful anti-inflammatory and pain reducing characteristics, a study was conducted on 45 rheumatoid arthritis patients to compare the benefits of curcumin in turmeric to arthritis drugs (diclofenac sodium), that put people at risk of developing leaky gut and heart disease. The study split these volunteers into three groups: curcumin treatment alone, diclofenac sodium alone, and a combination of the two. The results of the trial were eye-opening: The curcumin group showed the highest percentage of improvement in overall [Disease Activity Score] scores and these scores were significantly better than the patients in the diclofenac sodium group. More importantly, curcumin treatment was found to be safe and did not relate with any adverse events. Our study provides the first evidence for the safety and superiority of curcumin treatment in patients with active RA, and highlights the need for future large-scale trials to validate these findings in patients with RA and other arthritic conditions. Published by Phytotherapy Research in 2012, the results of this study has encouraged more human research to evaluate the amazing effects curcumin-rich plants like turmeric has on people suffering from various different types of arthritis. 5. Cancer treatment Of all the various topics scientists have tackled in regards to the curcumin and disease reversal, cancer (of various types) is one of the most thoroughly researched topics. In the words of global authorities like Cancer Research UK, A number of laboratory studies on cancer cells have shown that curcumin does have anticancer effects. It seems to be able to kill cancer cells and prevent more from growing. It has the best effects on breast cancer, bowel cancer, stomach cancer and skin cancer cells. A 2007 American study that combined curcumin with chemotherapy to treat bowel cancer cells in a laboratory showed that the combined treatment killed more cancer cells than the chemotherapy alone. States-side, the American Cancer Society states, Laboratory studies have also shown that curcumin interferes with cancer development, growth, and spread. Researchers have reported that curcumin blocked the formation of cancer-causing enzymes in rodents. Recently, curcumin has received a great deal of focus because of it’s ability to reduce tumor size and kill cancer cells. Bottom line: Turmeric works incredibly well to help naturally treat cancer and is especially effective at treating breast cancer, colon cancer and skin cancer. 6. Diabetes management For lowering blood sugar and reversing insulin resistance there’s arguably no better natural treatment than adding turmeric into your diet. In 2009, Biochemistry and Biophysical Research Communications published a study out of Auburn University that explored how supplementing with turmeric can help reverse diabetes. The study discovered that curcumin in turmeric is literally 400 times more potent than Metformin (a common diabetes drug) in activating AMPK which improves insulin sensitivity which can help reverse Type 2 Diabetes. In addition to correcting the causes of diabetes, curcumin has also been proven to help reverse many of the issues related to insulin resistance and hyperglycemia. Take, for instance, diabetic neuropathy and retinopathy. One of the most common complications of diabetes is damaged blood vessels which cause blindness. A study found that supplementing with curcumin can delay this horrible complication of diabetes because of its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. 7. Gastrointestinal treatments Oftentimes, people with digestive and stomach complaints become intolerant to medical interventions because the stomach flora is already compromised and drugs can literally tear up the mucosal lining. An in-depth analysis of all the studies evaluating curcumin’s ability to manage inflammatory bowel disease (IBS, Crohn’s disease, and Ulcerative Colitis) found that many patients were able to stop taking their prescribed corticosteroids because their condition improved so dramatically by taking curcumin! For many patients with IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) corticosteroids reduce their pain symptoms, but damage the intestinal lining over time actually making the condition worse. However, supplementing with curcumin did not have these side effects and, because of its anti-inflammatory properties, actually helped heal the gut and supported the growth of good bacteria (probiotics). 8. Cholesterol regulators One of the reasons heart disease is such a problem in the U.S. is that people are developing pre-diabetes (excessive blood sugar) at an alarming rate. In turn, diabetics and non-diabetics alike are suffering from a common complication called oxidative stress, which damages the inside of blood vessels. Because of this damage to the arteries, cholesterol begins to build up to patch up the damaged areas which leads to high levels of LDL cholesterol. Traditionally, statin drugs (like Lipitor) are widely known to harm the kidneys and liver and cause a number of deadly side effects. They do bring cholesterol down but never address that actual cause which is oxidative stress that is caused by high blood sugar levels and inflammation. Thankfully, medical doctors are becoming more and more aware of the dangerous side effects of statin-drugs and prescribing natural alternatives like curcumin and fish oil instead! A study done by Drugs in R & D found that curcumin was equal or more effective than diabetes medications at reducing oxidative stress and inflammation in the treatment of high cholesterol. Studies like these are causing pharmaceutical companies to try and design a synthetic form of curcumin that unfortunately, will not work as well as the real thing. 9. Painkillers One of the more widely accepted properties of curcumin in scientific communities is its ability to manage pain. Just this past year the European Journal of Pharmacology published research that discovered curcumin naturally activates the opioid system in diabetic rats. Typically manipulated by drugs, this natural process serves as the body’s inherent pain-relieving response. Not being limited to diabetic pain conditions, an interesting study also published late last year gives us a clue as to the wide array of pain conditions that can be treated by curcumin. Take, for instance, severe burns. Typically, burn victims are treated by dangerous opioids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories. However, because of its anti-inflammatory benefits, U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research suggests that, curcumin should be used to treat burns instead of these conventional medications. The trend should becoming clear at this point. Therapeutic use of turmeric and other curcumin-rich plants are displacing conventional medical treatments and proving it’s a legitimate natural painkiller. 0. Steroids Lastly, we’ll take a look at how turmeric benefits the many conditions normally treated by corticosteroids such as: Psoriasis Lupus Rheumatoid arthritis Scleroderma Chronic pain In a 1999 breakthrough clinical study, it was found that curcumin has the ability to cure chronic inflammation of the eye. Typically this condition was only treated with steroids but today it’s common for medical doctors who practice functional medicine to prescribe curcumin instead. What cannot be overstated, however, is that although statistically “comparable” to steroids in managing and reversing chronic disease, “The lack of side effects with curcumin is its greatest advantage compared with corticosteroids,” as stated by the authors in the above study out of K.G. Medical College. To give you a sense of the amount of suffering alleviated by curcumin, the following is a sample of steroid side effects listed by the UK’s National Health Services (NHS): Acne Asthma Cancer Cataracts Delayed wound healing Diabetes onset Glaucoma Hypertension (high blood pressure) Increased appetite (oftentimes leading to increased weight) Indigestion Insomnia Kidney and thyroid issues Mood disturbances (including aggression, irritability, and rapid mood swings mimicking bipolar disorder) Muscle weakness Nausea Risk of infection Stunted growth in children Tachycardia (rapid heartbeat) Thinning skin (leading to easy bruising) Ultimately, when taking into account the large amount of deadly complications these 10 drugs puts your body at risk for, it is easy to see how taking therapeutic curcumin is superior to most medicines. If you have any of the diseases above, you will want to consider this natural approach first. For those of you who aren’t sick, taking turmeric will serve you well as a preventative measure. Turmeric Side Effects Some people have reported allergic reactions to turmeric, especially after skin exposure. Typically this is experienced as a mild, itchy rash. In addition, high doses of turmeric have been observed to cause: Diarrhea Increased risk of bleeding Increased liver function tests Hyperactive gallbladder contractions Hypotension (lowered blood pressure) Uterine contractions in pregnant women Increased menstrual flow People taking certain medications should also be careful when using turmeric in their food or supplementing with it. Turmeric may interfere with anti-coagulants like aspirin, clopidogrel and warfarin. It also can affect medications such as non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs. As with any herb or supplement, use as directed. If you’re in the position where you must be on prescription medications, don’t discount the need to include ample amounts of fresh, organic turmeric into your diets because it will help reduce the adverse affects of the medicine. A study that was published in the Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology describes how combing curcumin with prednisolone (a steroid) effectively reduces the side effects of this dangerous medication. Turmeric Recipes One of my favorite recipes for including turmeric benefits into your diet is turmeric tea “liquid gold”. Also, consuming turmeric eggs for breakfast and curried carrot soup is an excellent way to get more turmeric in your diet. Amazingly, anti-arthritic activity and a marked reduction in steroid toxicity was seen when supplementing with curcumin. At the end of the day, the research speaks for itself and we cannot think of one reason why EVERYONE shouldn’t be taking some form of turmeric every day. Whether as a supplement or a spice to flavor your food, you will certainly be satisfied with turmeric benefits for your body! Me: after reading all that, I'll definitely brew up a batch. Turmeric- liquid gold indeed. No need to go crazy with it, but a spoonful(or dropper) a day, putting the tincture under the tongue so it avoids digestive acids, may be a cheap easu way to protect against so many inflammatory diseases that plague modern society.

I read about someone that happened too. An uncomfortable state of distance from life, kind of the purgatory state of enlightenment. In this case it wasn't just psychological, there were dopamine and certain brain chemistry blocked. In the story I read, he went to a psychiatrist and got some drugs to restart his bodies natural flow. Sorry to be so anecdotal (it was years ago), but if its serious, a psychiatrist who can prescribe might be a possible but expensive cure.

As a great man once said: Every time I walk a mile in someone else's shoes, they get angry at me. For stealing their shoes.

Nice. I'd love to see a thread with more details on the retreat. What the schedule is like, about costs and classes. General philosophy and people would get there.. I know much of the information is here: http://www.tienshan.net/guidelines.html , but it'd be nice to have a little more info and it deserves its own thread. It'd be great to have visitors post about there experiences there.

Welcome. Lots of benefits and critics(!) of most arts mentioned here. One direction I'd suggest is standing meditation, formally zhan zhuang. It has many of the benefits of sitting meditation but builds up more energy, works a little more on structure. Its a part of some internal arts. It can be as simple or complicated as you'd like. Personally I'll do it listening to Rawn Clarks Archaeous series audio's, which gives me 15 minutes of standing along with a hermetic elemental stacking system. (strange, but its what I do). There are a couple of good simple systems for zhan zhuang out there. You can search here, on youtubes (master Lam) or web in general. Only caveat, take it slow and steady.

Welcome, I look forward to your writings .

Falling into dogmatism and lack of humility can trip up long time cultivators.

Not as much as it was, but for a while there it was very slanted right. Seems creating artificial 'likes', and comments are the new frontier in propaganda. No side is innocent, but some players are massively abusive. Maybe it'll lead to the use of more data asked for before you can leave an opinion or checks to see your not a bot and/or knocking out questionable outliers.

Climbing mountains in your underwear, hangin by a finger over great height for hours, strengthening the immune system, insanely long breath holds - to all of that Yes, Kundalini.. not so much. Though it wouldn't surprise me, that for some people, it triggered alternate states. The Wim Hof's rapid breathing is not so far from Rebirthing, Holographic.. certain Shamanic breathing styles. little is new under the sun.

I remember seeing that. I thought the point was having an Intelligence agency with 1,000's of professionals, trained in essence to be private detectives with much more freedom, who are able to 'leak' information is not a bunch you want to insult. No psychic abilities or threats needed. Trump business M.O. tends to be promising the moon, getting the deal, and if needed betraying investors and partners to his own benefit; leaving with millions while companies were left in bankruptcy and dozens of investors left in ruins. He has sued for tens of millions, people he convinced to lend him millions then stiffed. He has done this repeatedly. Duping, betraying, underpaying then threatening with a league of lawyers is not uncommon. Not all the time, he has legitimately had success, but far more then most, he's left financial corpses in his wake. Many top business people will not deal with him. He is the epitome of looking out for number one; when quite often, he is number 2.

I hope not. Sometimes your writing is irritating, but I hope I'd warm up a kettle and not do anything to drastic to you. The best thing to happen if I found an invader in my house, is for him to leave quickly without taking anything. The worst is violence. Worse if its me, rather then him, but violence to either is a bad outcome. The more hurt (or killed), the greater we get linked, legally and karmicly. On the third hand, being good does not mean being stupid. I've been looking at something called a Salt Gun. Apparently it fires hard (pepperball) like objects that have strong tear gas properties. I'd rather open my door a crack and shoot a few of these into the wall and shout out 'I've called the police, why don't you leave'-, with little chance of permanently hurting a crook or unexpected child or Dao bum member, then risk killing someone. FWIW (see youtube videos Salt Gun) about $350. I might get one of these. I have a bokken and staff in my bedroom, but wouldn't want to bring those to a gun fight. Plus nothing says get out of my house like the spread of tear gas/strong pepper spray. Apparently each shot spreads a potent gas/dust that blinding and unpleasant. addon> in the being good does not mean being stupid vein- A nation has the right to secure borders. Illegal is illegal, and we shouldn't put legal and illegal immigrants in the same group. Yet the U.S has long enjoyed a symbiotic relation with illegal immigrants; they pick our fruit, clean our houses, heck, often build our houses. Despite demagoguery they are as a whole more honest (less criminal) then the average US citizen. For me, the best solution has to balance justice, compassion and realities of the long symbiotic relation. I'd like to see a path to citizenship for long term illegal immigrants with clean records, perhaps for a limited time as Reagan did. I'd also be cautious in the face of despots using refugees as part of there war plan, ie more should be done to set up local safe zones, then allow massive refugee inflows. An admittedly massively expensive and difficult option but cheaper and safer in the long run. Military budgets and strategies have to incorporate and plan for this option. Criminals should be deported. Somehow large sweeps and massive deportations seem unAmerican. I'd rather see it done slower. We are a nation of immigrants and need to respect our principle of being a beacon of hope.