thelerner

The most powerful ring of all, (imo) sits on my wife's finger.

Fascinating and frightening map.

Its ironic that now, when costs of solar energy have plummeted greatly, it can't be used in places that need it the most due to smog.

Awful. 100's of million of people living where the atmosphere is a low grade poison. from wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal_in_China) before the current red alert disaster: "Air pollution in China has gotten so bad that a study by the World Bank found that air pollution kills 750,000 people every year in China.[40] Issued in response to record-high levels of air pollution in 2012 and 2013, the State Council’s September 2013 Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Air Pollution reiterated the need to reduce coal’s share in China’s energy mix to 65% by 2017.[41] Amidst growing public concern, social unrest incidents are growing around the country. For example, in December 2011 the government suspended plans to expand a coal-fired power plant in the city of Haimen after 30,000 local residents staged a violent protest against it, because "the coal-fired power plant was behind a rise in the number of local cancer patients, environmental pollution and a drop in the local fishermen's catch."[42] I'm often thought to be Pollyannish on danger here. Dismissing calls for coming apocalypses. Part of that is I see people jump to quickly on the hysteria wagon because a danger is 'new', thus it must be incredibly horrible and inevitable, disregarding quieter experts in favor of the conspiracy shouts. On the other hand, I see Coal, is a killer. Generally its not seen as such because it spreads its poison out so wide, diluting the threat, but the heavy metals, poisons and particulates are still there. The daily cost of coal plants around the world is staggering. Each one, even the cleaner ones are releasing tons of poisons. (Actually the factoids below say cleaner ones with baghouses can reduce particullates by 99% thus 5 tons, 10,000 pounds of particulates into the air if they're clean. They do 10 times worse cleaning up mercury though) We need power, but coal tends to be too high a price. Cars too, we need them, but it's worth paying more as a society to haves ones that don't pollute as much. If its got a motor on it, there have to be standards to make sure its not a pollution hog. Encouraging intelligent conservation saves energy, and lives. We find the sweet spot, or we slowly poison ourselves and our environment. FWIW I'll stick to pure poisons so I don't get tangled up by other controversies-(http://www.ucsusa.org/clean-energy/coal-and-other-fossil-fuels/coal-air-pollution#.WFr0VZLee5Y) Particulate matter: Particulate matter (also referred to as soot or fly ash) can cause chronic bronchitis, aggravated asthma, and premature death, as well as haze obstructing visibility. A typical uncontrolled plant emits 500 tons of small airborne particles each year. Baghouses installed inside coal plant smokestacks can capture as much as 99 percent of the particulates. Mercury: Coal plants are responsible for more than half of the U.S. human-caused emissions of mercury, a toxic heavy metal that causes brain damage and heart problems. Just 1/70th of a teaspoon of mercury deposited on a 25-acre lake can make the fish unsafe to eat. A typical uncontrolled coal plants emits approximately 170 pounds of mercury each year. Activated carbon injection technology can reduce mercury emissions by up to 90 percent when combined with baghouses. ACI technology is currently found on just 8 percent of the U.S. coal fleet. Other harmful pollutants emitted annually from a typical, uncontrolled coal plant include approximately: 114 pounds of lead, 4 pounds of cadmium, other toxic heavy metals, and trace amounts of uranium. Baghouses can reduce heavy metal emissions by up to 90 percent3. 720 tons of carbon monoxide, which causes headaches and places additional stress on people with heart disease. 220 tons of hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds (VOC), which form ozone. 225 pounds of arsenic, which will cause cancer in one out of 100 people who drink water containing 50 parts per billion. 1 EIA Data 2 Typical plant assumptions: Capacity=600 MW; Capacity Factor=69%; Heat Rate=10,415; CO2 Emissions Rate=206 pounds of CO2/Million Btu 3 Nescaum. “Control Technologies to Reduce Conventional and Hazardous Air Pollutants from Coal-Fired Power Plants.” March 31, 2011.

On the recent thread on E.A.Torchinov, there were two PDF's that mentioned cinnabar. Interesting stuff. Frankly I don't know cinnabar from cinnamon though one is good on coffee and the other can kill you.. and is reputed to have killed a few earnest Taoists as well as an emperor. Its a reddish ore, high in mercury. Did alchemists east and west try using it? West in there quest to create gold from lead, Taoist trying to create an immortality pill? Were the old Taoists trying to create such a pill or was it mis-translating a code/poet descriptions for inner cultivation? What are the modern thoughts, if any on cinnabar? addon> googling around. I didn't realize cinnabar is another word for dan tien. http://www.goldenelixir.com/jindan/dantian.html interesting ..The same passage shows that the appellation "cinnabar" originally derives from the red color of the innermost part of the dantian, with no direct relation to the mineral cinnabar or to the elixir. [See a translation of this passage.]

I was originally putting this into a thread on Destiny in Daoism thread, since it was getting into defining terms, but thought this question deserved its own thread. Is my conceptual base/paradigm moving off in the wrong direction by positing that there is sorta a ghost body we're suppose to cultivate as well as our physical. That they have organs in common/ same places but the physical and 'ghost' do different things. If I was to 'Westernize' dans, mings, xings etc., would such a framework, (lets get rid of ghost) and into subtle body and material body be accurate? If that's accurate, then how would you explain things without using Chinese terms, as far as how the Subtle body works and reacts to the real body? Cause If thats a half way decent metaphor, we can say nei dan is about working with the Subtle body and Gi gong is working both.. connecting. And the reason we meditate is to access/bridge the Subtle with the Physical. Any sense in that?

FWIW I moved this to its own thread in the Daoist section. Thought it belong better there. Is my conceptual base/paradigm moving off in the wrong direction by positing that there is sorta a ghost body we're suppose to cultivate as well as our physical. That they have organs in common/ same places but the physical and 'ghost' do different things. If I was to 'Westernize' dans, mings, xings etc., would such a framework, (lets get rid of ghost) and into subtle body and material body be accurate? If that's accurate, then how would explain things without using chinese terms, as far as how the Subtle body works and reacts to the real body. Cause If thats a half way decent metaphor, we can say nei dan is about working with the Subtle body and Gi gong is working both.. connecting. And the reason we meditate is to access/bridge the Subtle with the Physical. Any sense in that?

Sorry if this is moving backwards, I know my yin from my yang, a straight line from a curve, but I'm not sure what Yuan is. What are your definitions? Thanks

Good stuff and I particularly applaud the mature spirit your posts were offered in. Insightful and worthy of study for people like me who don't know post-celestial from post cereal.

One of my martial art senseis used to say: Everything I'm teaching you now is a lie, but a necessary one. I think what he meant is, at his level, he'd push, and we'd be blown off our feet. If he held any part of you and moved his hand down, you'd drop to the floor. For him, there was no trick, he just moved. If we 'just' moved, nothing would happen. To get from our level to his, we needed years of practice and a series of metaphors and tricks to get the body mechanics and internals right. The metaphors and tricks to be dropped once internalized.

If you have access to a sauna, sitting and doing some stretches in the heat gives an instant increase. Lately for my stretching I'm using Wim Hof's advice- holding the breath for a 4 to 6 seconds, letting it go, relaxing and falling into the stretch, keep repeating, hold breath, then let it out reach a little further. I've found it increases my flexibility in a nice relaxed way. No bouncing or effort.

We get the gist of your communication, what I believe Kar3n is pointing out is that from the OP author's point of view, your taking over their thread and throwing it into your own direction. A little bit isn't bad, but when it starts getting multi-page and far from the OP; then its time to get a room, or in this case, start a new thread. Some times the only wrong with a conversation is its location.

There are a few kabbalic practices I dabble with. The works of Rabbi David Cooper (http://www.soundstrue.com/store/rabbi-david-a-cooper-5527.html) in Ecstatic Kabbalah, which is less kabbalic then chanting, ie a system of kotodama, sacred sounds. Where the different vowels hit the body. Perhaps more up your alley would be his Guardian Angel Meditations, which are guided meditations including Metraton, and sources like the Shekinah. Can't say I got deeply into it, but for $4.99, it'll give you practices and outline on arch-angels within a kabblalic framework. The kabbalic practice I do most is from a Hermetic source. Like Ecstatic Kabbalah, it's not a practice that'd be considered standard Kabbalah. Rather its more a chant system that gets into hermetic magic territory. Rawn Clark's The Magic of YHVH chant/canticle system. Its later lessons run pretty deep and its available for free (along w/ his Archaeous system which I like)- http://www.abardoncompanion.de/MP3-Links.html addon> Rawn's practice also has you visually imagine some aspects of the Tree of Life onto your body.

It's kind of an open secret, but the high level practitioners in Yoga (who've sought the religious side) seemed to be all about interacting with the Hindu Gods. Go to an ashram, ask respectfully and you'll find all kinds of people, swami's and so forth who are on a first name basis with there chosen Entity. They'd go on at great lengths that the songs and prayers were specific introductions to the deity you chose and with the right practice, integrity and karma, you'd get personal answers and visits. Not my cup of religion, but its a big world.

Cool, you're a real snake oil saleperson, Seeker. You know that don't you? didn't work, writing it still feels negative to me.

I like the above posts, but I'm always leery with anything that says join my method and you gain powers and your problems disappear. I get the feelin, you change, handle things better and wiser, but problems.. same old same old. No richer, no stronger, no fantastic magic, but you get better at getting out of the way, especially of yourself.

It's hard to be impressed over intangles that I cannot see. Like someone saying they have an immortal fetus within them and versus another who says, 'just one? I've got twins'. There are philosophies and esoteric aspects I can't judge. One thing I can is practice. What people do. What is there cultivation regimen. What they do and for how long. That's one thing that impressed me with Vitalli, his practice regimen, especially outlined at what he did for special training was amazingly rigorous. Tell me what you think, and I know little about you. Tell me what you do, and I'll know quite a bit more. On the other hand there have been people who have done heavy duty training in the past and currently do relatively little. Yet they write with a demeanor that shows cultivated equanimity, an (air) wah of calmness. That also impresses me. Can members write about there practice schedules, what's done and how long they do it? I'm not doing any alchemy or anything much lately. Some Wim Hof training and breathing, a bit of quiet sitting morning and evening. Before the polar vortex hit (its 5 degrees F now, -12 windchill) quite a bit of walking (2 or 3 hours) trying to keep a quiet mind.

My recollection with Mo Pai (especially its main proponent here) was attacking other members and systems, ie calling other arts frauds, going out of its way to spam threads. I'm glad to see new experienced members join up. But when a new group immediately gets into spam wars on multiple threads, when they bring up old grievances from threads that are years old, then they will get moderator attention. No group or method should have its threads spammed or be continually insulted, but this is a discussion site with a 1,000+ members, people are bound to disagree and have negative opinions on just about anything that is mentioned. The best thing to do is answer (or simply ignore) criticisms without insults, and try to keep the thread on target without being pulled into circular arguments. Avoid tit for tat spam wars and do not carry them over to other threads.

Two thoughts. One, writinging someone attained snake-oil level is a bit dark for a post and thread against negativity. Two, imo, unless your truly saintly, there are things in life, that are simply bad, you can't spin them, just acknowledge there truth and do your best.

This cannot be repeated enough. Not only with yidam practices, but throughout many discussions we find people using outliers to describe or insult systems, when they are far from the norms.

To the OP, I have this poem http://www.julianmaddock.info/poetry/please-call-me-by-my-true-names.html Please Call Me by My True NamesDon't say that I will depart tomorrow— even today I am still arriving. Look deeply: every second I am arriving to be a bud on a Spring branch, to be a tiny bird, with still-fragile wings, learning to sing in my new nest, to be a caterpillar in the heart of a flower, to be a jewel hiding itself in a stone I still arrive, in order to laugh and to cry, to fear and to hope. The rhythm of my heart is the birth and death of all that is alive. I am a mayfly metamorphosing on the surface of the river. And I am the bird that swoops down to swallow the mayfly. I am a frog swimming happily in the clear water of a pond. And I am the grass-snake that silently feeds itself on the frog. I am the child in Uganda, all skin and bones, my legs as thin a bamboo sticks. And I am the arms merchant, selling deadly weapons to Uganda. I am the twelve-year-old girl, refugee on a small boat, who throws herself into the ocean after being raped by a sea pirate. And I am the pirate, my heart not yet capable of seeing and loving. I am a member of the politburo, with plenty of power in my hands. And I am the man who has to pay his "debt of blood" to, my people, dying slowly in a forced labor camp. My joy is like Spring, so warm it makes flowers bloom all over the Earth. My pain is like a river of tears, so vast it fills the four oceans. Please call me by my true names, so I can hear all my cries and laughter at once, so I can see that my joy and pain are one. Please call me by my true names, so I can wake up and the door of my heart could be left open, the door of compassion. Thich Nhat Hanh published in Earthlight Mahazine

I respect what you're saying and it'd be great if it works for the writer. Still, we can put our hand to the fire and cold of a dream and be just fine. The dream is.. empty, filled with what value we give it. In this case the author's bought into the emotional symbolisms of it. Is what CT pointing.. if you don't buy in/cling, if you realize its essential emptiness, you can get peace. And that metaphor for dream is the same as life..?? Much of the drama is of our own making. Not so much becoming godlike as.. a bit more Zen, less pulled and pushed by the dramas of the world. On the third hand, I like one famous dreamwork authors exhortation to take dreams more seriously (honor and figure them out) and life, less seriously. Life as dream (full of symbolism and synchronicity, yet not to be taken too seriously), dreams as life (full of important messages to ponder and figure out).. to a certain point.

Lots of questions . The guy who runs the Lonemanpai board always seemed balanced and cutting edge to me in a Bruce Lee, in a Jeet Kune Do way. In the early stages though, imo putting in time (years) to get down fundamentals is more important then questions or answers about divinity or Oneness. Good to look around, but progress only comes when you choose a practice and go deep. You marry one and maybe flirt with others every now and then. addon> 2> I don't know about uniting, but its certainly seeing the divine in aspects of the world around us. Maybe thats the same thing. In Judaism traditionally you're saying blessings through the day, most of them 'The spirit of God is all around, his mystery suffuses Everything (time and space), Wow, a ____ 'bread, wine, water, washroom.. pretty much any noun. Traditionally that goes on about a 100 times a day. Striving for the recognition of God, within the mundane.

When you become very famous, its hard to find a way to limit classes. Everyone wants to learn but huge classes cause problems and dilute learning. So, my hope is he milks the market for the high end of the going price, and that pays for the hard core teaching the rest of the year for true long term serious students. Such serious students are a more private exclusive matter where integrity is more important then money. I'm thinking/hoping is he's doing both.

Premature declaration can be a serious problem. Especially for the recipients. Much of the time it can cured by slowing down. Deep breathing. Taking ones time. Less rushing and thrusting about. Realisation is about the journey not the destination or so my wife tells me.