thelerner

I am yin and yan. I alternate, I embody, I express. Neither good or bad. Just terms to describe the phenomena around me.

I was at an ashram and during a question/answer period someone asked a swami if doing yoga allowed people to live longer. I expected a quick 'yes', but the swami took there time to answer the question. He said that Yoga improves assuredly improves the quality of life but no guarantee for longevity. Later in that visit the Yogi who founded Sivananda (or was it his successor?) was brought into a camp. A man of prodigious energy who'd written the books and coined sayings like 'Health is Wealth' he was there and he'd suffered a paralyzing stoke. He needed to be carried and looked pained. I don't know about fate but it seemed like a hell of a test of character. In my eyes not a punishment but a supreme test.

Many masters have died young. I don't think it should be a criticism. Some things are a matter of fate.

I can't say it made me younger, helped me play the piano or grew back my missing arm (at the moment I only have 2). But unless a drug or herb is illegal I don't expect immediate or dramatic results, even then I tend to be unaffected by most drugs or energy work. I have 270 capsules of the 40,000. I plan take 2 a day for 4 months with the hope it keeps my arteries clear and maybe improves them. Hoping it works as a circulatory adaptogen. Not a thing that's easily measurable. Some feedback reports from Amazon said it worked nicely, and several talked about visible improvements on tests. The scientific test results were less flamboyantly positive, but still showed evidence of being effective. For $5 a month, what the heck.

Me too. There is a danger with concepts like 'you create your reality' and LoA, that makes big promises, lots of wonderful anecdotes and then reality crushes it.. like a bug. It promises you the world and when that doesn't happen depression starts in. The same can be said of certain 'Prosperity gospels', ie believe and you'll be rewarded 100 fold. Go back a couple generations and the truth that- 'life is hard' was the paradigm of most people's reality. They worked hard and long. You did your duty, and there was less expectations of wealth, even happiness. To me, the answer lies in a certain stoicism. Take the good, take the bad. Live with hope, but take life's hiccups and fuck ups gracefully. Shit happens, but so does good things. Sometimes from shit good things can arise. I think it was Churchill who said 'When going through Hell, keep going.' Things change, the sun comes out, the air is fresh, we breathe deep and though little has changed, we manage a smile.

Seems to me that over the decades you've been working on a Unification Theory; connecting body (fascia,tendons, circulatory system), energy (points and circulation) and breath (physical and deeper aspects). How has your research and practice evolved? What connections have you made?

, I've got 13 minutes til Solstice. omigosh, what do i do?? now 12.. maybe a really long, good nights sleep is most appropriate.

While I don't see overwhelming evidence of Karmic rewards handed out by some cosmic Libra-an mechanism, I like the concept and try to apply it to my own life. The belief that doing good/positive will if not help me, then at least make the world a little better place to live. Sow good seeds (a smile, some change, a compliment, a hug, an honesty), hopefully someone somewhere reaps good harvest. I guess there are some things in life, that may not true, may not be real, but living by them improves our life.

Spring Forest Qigong at springforestqigong.com is giving out some free material. A 30 minute long chanting called A Prayer for all living Beings Chant by Master Lin and 5 Tibetan Monks. If its your kind of thing look for it on the site (you may have to give an email). Deep and guttural like they're chanting through an Australian didgeridoo, nicely layered with bells and various sonics. Worth a listen in my opinion, might be a nice change of pace to listen to during seated meditation and see where it takes you. from the site: Like all Tibetan chants the sounds in “A Prayer for All Living Beings” were specifically chosen for the power of their energy. Sounds are a very powerful form of energy and the sounds in this chant are very powerful indeed and so very beneficial. Master Lin recorded this chant with five Tibetan monks whose energy is just remarkable, which is why he was so honored when they agreed to record a series of chants with him. Master Lin specifically selected “A Prayer for All Living Being” as a perfect gift for you in this the season of peace and love. You can benefit from the energy of this chant in many ways. Complete Focus Listening to this chant as you would a guided meditation is the most beneficial way to experience its energy. You can sit or lie down and focus your full attention on the chant. We will give you more details on this below. And remember: you don't get 3 tibetan monks chanting like inferior brands. Not even 4, you get 5!! In my day we were lucky just to get even 1.

While on the face, its ridiculous. The meditate with cat group has some advantages. As long as they don't get overly hung up about it, you can learn much by a cats posture and awareness. The cat becomes a symbol and reminder of whats good about the group. Unless its taken too far, the metaphor taken too literally. When symbolism becomes a crutch instead of a pointer.

I'm a great believer in initial conditions. Start the day right, the rest will follow. The night before have a list of thing to do (write it down) the next morning- give them some energy, imagine doing them in a good state. Either get up on time or recruit your dad to get you up. Don't worry about the day, just the morning, get some productive things done. Cross'em off your list. Just the morning, just the first few hours. You may find, good follows good. Start strong and you can coast and have better days.

I haven't studied (not Hindu esoteric astrology) but I've hung out at Ashrams with people who do. They've seemed pretty learned and wise. So even though I have no conceptual or cultural frame for it, I trust them enough to be open and respectful of it.

What.. that's your example of China's benevolence is- "they even enjoy some special privileges, like no one child policy... "!? They don't destroy the lives of people in Tibet who choose to have more then one kid. You set a pretty low bar for how well China treats Tibet. I think if you lived in Tibet, you'd have much less .. cheerful spin over China's 'benevolent' control. And if I were living in the West Bank I'd be very angry and critical of Israel <as well as the 22 Arab countries that have done little to help me, especially neighbor Egypt which also built said wall>.

Gendai, you're not including the million plus Moslems living inside Israel now in your chart, or the 7 to 800,000 Jews forced out of Arab countries at about the same time your chart is talking about. Wait a second. You're arguing China is to Tibet as Israel is to Palestine? That the way you defend it? If so, you must think China sux. (Not a good comparison because 100,000's of Jews fled the Arab countries but you didn't have millions of Tibetan invading/going to China. Your sympathy for suicide bombers is telling. They mostly killed Moslems. They mostly blew up government offices and mosques; they did good business with shoppers and mourners at funerals too. When you look closely at the millions who died, look into those suicide bomber you feel sorry for. I think you'll find the answers to who killed who there. History is complicated. To understand you need more then a chart. Its rarely clear cut. Yet when we're on one subject and when challenged you throw out 4 or 5 other subjects it means your not interested in any depth on any subject. Just out for a rant. When challenged about your 92.8% statistic, you fall back on "I'm not sure the exiled Tibetan numbers are more accurate, either" but the numbers do matter. You can't get an exact number due to Chinese regulations, but looking at the evidence, its probably closer to 50% then 92.8 that you quote. That a huge difference, and thats the reason for the protests that you don't understand. That and the destruction of Tibetan culture, monasteries, schools, prison camps for disenters. You seem like an Chinese apologist because you change the subject instead of discussing the OP.

No, I don't think so. They'd probably doubt and question your statistics of 92.8% in 2009, a 'wikipedia fact' or maybe its accurate for something called Tibet Autonomous Region and not Tibet itself. Matter of fact with statistics like that it'd be hard to see what the fuss is about. Due to Chinese intervention its hard to get firm numbers. I suspect they're much closer to- Amdo (Qinghai)In 1953, there were estimated to be 100,000 Chinese in the province of Qinghai, most of which is made up of the Tibetan province of Amdo. In 1985, there were 2 5 million Chinese and 0 75 million Tibetans in Qinghai (Chinese Statistical Yearbook 1985). The resettlement process is evident to any visitor. For example, in 1985, out of 40 families in Takster, the Dalai Lama's home town, only eight were Tibetan. There were no Chinese households during his childhood (1930s). While not totally accurate this is probably a bit closer to the mark- Population of Tibet Tibetan exiles claim 7 5 million Chinese now live in Tibet alongside six million Tibetans. These figures are unconfirmed, but recent Chinese figures confirm the trend (from http://tibet.dharmakara.net/TibetFacts2.html) I suspect you know this too, and have to bring in Hitler, Native American, Israel because you've got a weak case.

Traditions can be wonderful bonding experiences. The best ones strengthen the family bond and link us to past generations. Nothing wrong with allowing them to evolve with the times as long as their essence remains. Matter of fact its that evolution that's kept them alive.

iaian, what happens next? Do they go on with there lives or is it some kind of long term marriage that the girl is trapped in? Whoops never mind. Through the power of reading I learned the girl is free to marry again later. So it is a bad luck breaking ceremony.

Everything I know about Chinese secret societies and the White Lotus, I learned from Jet Li movies. Thus I doubt the accuracy <of my knowledge cause its movie based>

Be in the world, but not of it. Which I understand as don't take things too seriously. (a female cardinal and bright blue jay just landed in the the bushes a few feet from me) A sense of humor isn't just about 'funny'. Its also about being able to take a step back and look at the absurdities and sweetness of the world and appreciate them. Cultivate and don't lose it.

It seems to fit into the adaptogen category. Improving well being by way of lessening inflammation and clearing blockage in the circulatory system. Its not too expensive either, I think my 270 pills (40,000 u) were under $21 shipped (amazon, brand Trunk mentioned). So about $5 a month at 2 a day. Not bad.

Could you give me some examples? There is no argument as powerful as personal experience.

Geez, give the woman a break. I'd be willing to bet people who've had babies are less judgmental then those who've never cared for an infant, especially from a very short snap shot of life. Even the best mom when caught at the wrong moment will look bad. Even if you're a good mother or father, babies will cry and you won't always be there 24/7 perfectly. The reality tends to be the more kids you have, the more you realize you don't have to be connected to them 24/7. You can do a few things for yourself and you don't need to be totally anal. For our first we recorded every feeding, every poop, every moment they'd fall asleep. Kept everything meticulous and clean. By the third, people would tell us, your kid's crawling in the mud and it looks like he's eating worms there. And we'd be, 'Meh, that's fine'. You don't get a manual with the birth of a child. You go in a rookie, yet some how they tend to turn out okay. Least ours have.. so far.. so good.

Usually when the sun is effulgent I throw a tums at it. If you're describing the infamous green flash, one of the places that practically makes a religion out of it is Key West, FL. Locals and tourists line up at sunset to celebrate it. In most places it doesn't last long, not even half a second, literally just a flash in the Keys. Timing is all important because if you look too early you get a solar image burned into your visual screen for a few minutes that keeps you from seeing it. But as the last trace of sun sinks under the water horizon, you get brief green flash. Pretty to cool to see, and without proper timing, very easy to miss it.

Do you think people who are very advanced, decades of hard core practice, are more likely to believe in spirits and ghosts? ..because they have real experience with them versus lay people and beginners??

I'd be interested in how people 'cycle' it. Sometimes herbs and adaptogens work best and safest having a few weeks on, a few weeks off. Has anyone got information to that end? fwiw, I'm taking it to keep the arteries clear. On day 2, I'm taking 2- 40,000, and 2- 2,000 of nattokinase first thing in the morning. Matter of fact I've moved them into the washroom so I can take them as early as possible.