thelerner

Yeah. I think the best lesson I learned in Aikido, was how to walk away. Often its before trouble starts, sometimes its in the middle and always afterwards. Just walk away, win or lose, keep your mouth shut, no last word.. walk and keep moving.

To me its like this. First there was nothingness, from .. wait, I'm waxing philosophic, yuck. Yin and yan are processes as much as they are 'things'. Yin is feminine.. cool, absorbing.. vaginaliike (scratch that), contracting.. Yan is masculine, hot, expanding, thrusting.. Its all very Harlequin Romance. The symbol shows how positive and negative balance each other and in extremes change into each other. They change and evolve into each other. Each holds the other within its center. What I find interesting is when things get extreme they change, ie extreme yin is yang and vice versa. I certainly see this in the martial arts where a so called soft/yielding move can turn into a devastating throw. Shoot a bullet fast enough and it bounces off water. That kind of thing. We can think about the world and make decisions from yin yan basis. Keeping things balanced by applying the opposite. Sometimes going to an extreme inorder to create the opposite. I find element theory even better for this. Thinking of events in terms of fire, water, air, earth; what element or phase is going on, what adds or tempers it.

"How do we know what's yin and what's yang . Really." Hmmn, I hold it out a length and let go. If it rises up, I call it Yan If it drops to the floor, I call it Yin. If it floats, I call it balanced. Simple really. Just let go and observe. and that's kinda my answer to life Keep it simple. Drop the concerns about what others are doing. All your questions have answers, but knowing them probably won't make a lick of difference in your life. Define your path and walk.

I find.. when I look away or look closer, or stop believing, or even wait a while- illusion dissipates. Reality tends to hang on no matter how closely or long I look. Even if disbelieved, reality tends to stubbornly hang on.

well thats a pity

Its not just the 'spiritual' side. There are bikers, hikers, outdoor experts who don't go in for the spiritual labels but are definitely outside mainstream life.

Depression often doesn't make sense. Often it can't be reasoned out of. Its not as circumstance based as people assume. Sadly there are times its a brain imbalance some chemical or hormone that gets out of whack and its hellish. Othertimes there is a trigger for it and its everywhere.

dunno, but I'm usually the red.

Here's my theory. I think there's a physical enlightenment one can get. It's energy based, thus more neidan/qigong oriented. Energy/chi circulates through the meridians, channels and whatnot strongly enough and kundalini or its equivalent is awakened. There are physical and psychological effects which can create benefits and/or problems. Practices like Kundalini yoga and Taoist Microcosmic orbit are amongst the practices that can bring it out. Glenn Morris had some good descriptions of this in his book 'Pathnotes..'. His definition of enlightenment was physical, you had the strong energy accumulation and circulation or you didn't. I also think there is a psychological enlightenment. A person breaks out of dualistic thinking. No more me and it. A deep sense of oneness pervades the being. Again it brings benefits and problems. You see good descriptions of this in Zen, sometimes its triggered when a person hits bottom. A person like Eckhardt Tolle is a good example of this. His happiness is independent of his situation. The two enlightenments can come separately or together. Having one doesn't guarantee the other. Are they permanent? Hmnn, I don't know.. I think at first they can be temporary, but if held onto long enough, maybe they are.

I'm in Chicago and tomorrow night I'll be heading for the lake around 8:30. The full moon is about 10% closer then usual and will be rising over Lake Michigan as the sun sets. It should make for a blood red moon turning orange then pale as it rises and seems to split over the lake.

I guess some posts in this thread are touching on this. <maybe even answered it, but I need simpler terms.> I assume early astrologers thought of the sky in according to the science of there day, ie a couple of spheres. The sun circled the earth in its sphere, so did the moon, the stars, planets etc., I believe that was the thinking for many ancient cultures and it makes a certain sense. Historically how did the shift to a sun based understanding of the world effect astrology? How has modern and historical astronomy effected astrological thinking? inquiring libra

I look forward to your input. Elemental energy is a topic that threads through so many topics here, from TCM, Taoism.. magic. I do a practice by Rawn Clark called the Archaeous. An interesting Hermetic approach to element theory stacking the elements and there attributes onto the body.

Ah, but that tends to be my point. You haven't really 'seen' anything. You judge without knowing. You confidently make statements that you have no idea about. Most of them parroting MPG. If I asked you any question about myself would have the smallest clue? I doubt it. Here's one, I'll ask because its more quantifiable- how many years did I study martial arts? Which ones? What dans do I have? Do you know what a dan is? You don't know, cause you don't know me. But you confidently make statements. Even without a shred of a clue. Writing this teacher is this level, that teacher must be that level (below you ofcourse), when you haven't done a lick of study with them comes off as pompous and ignorant. Here's an assumption I'll make. Since you'll only study with someone who'll show you powers. You'll end up falling for someone who has youtube videos showing themselves floating things around. He'll cater to your ego, you'll wind up giving him lots of money and get horribly ripped off. That will be your path.

BKA, there are times people, newbies say things that are so.. show such a lack of knowledge that it behooves more experienced members to mention it. I don't want to convert KenB to anything, but when things get so delusional, ie a beginner saying he is close to Chunyli's level, then its hard to read that and not comment. It shows such a lack of knowledge and experience. If he said that in public at a meditation hall he'd be laughed out of the room. Its better to point out how ridiculous it is here. (also he gets into this exact type of argument monthly- he likes the attention) To Kenb You know. Spending 30 days in deep meditation in a cave, in full lotus without food and water is not 'fasting'. It's really not, its kinda miraculous and would impossible or suicide for most of us. I assume you dismiss it lightly because you have no experience with fasting or long term meditation. Or do you? Are you near his level and do, say a week without food and water, meditating in full lotus? Such a siddhi is impressive, but more so he's a living master and healer with accomplished students and a full system. He's a man with good wah; a good air about him, his tone and words are that of a cultivated man. You can talk to him, talk to his students, ask questions, learn from them. Get feedback. Without that you can go years doing it wrong. I think Jim McMillan admitted something like that happened to him in his book. I can't recommend enough finding a good teacher with a solid background.

Seems to me you made a mistake, a very human one. You shouldn't expect others to follow your own moral code of forgiveness and you can't give ultimatums to them when they don't. The good thing about being spiritual is it makes swallowing ones pride easier. You may want to consider apologizing to them for making a demand they can't follow. Explain you did it out of love and respect for your partner, but it was wrong to tell them how they should feel and act. Let'em know you still want them in your life, if that's the way you truly feel. To burn a bridge is human, to rebuild it is divine. Yours Michael

whoops double post.

ahh, so how long you reckon til you've advanced beyond 'Chunyi' level? his kinda 'month in a cave with no food or water' level stuff? I'd add- the greats, the near greats and even the very goods are all very focused people. They don't post a whole lot on forums or whatever the equivalent of that was in there time; probably pointless arguments with strangers. They practiced daily, probably obsessively, and often (I expect) under the watchful eye of of a series of excellent teachers.

Only surving One breath and then another Is it All we have?

Really?? He's not very far above your level? Really? If so you've advanced extraordinarily far in the single year you've practiced. Or your learning is so internet based you have no real life experience with people like Chunyi Lin. I think it'd do you good to empty your cup and visit with some experienced teachers. Not the 'only 10 in the world', but people with good reputations, from solid schools, who have decades of practice. I think you'll find your not close to Chunyi Lin's level at all and that you have a lot to learn. As do we all, but a good first step is knowing where you're at along the journey. Before seeking a wizard to teach you immortality, just joining a local meditation group might be eye opening for you.

Beautiful moon tonight. Spend some time with it. Soak up some yin. Be aware and if you get extra energy; go with it. Put in a little more meditation. http://youtu.be/NPazGVuBXmY

Waking up early and watching the sunrise each day is a pretty significant spiritual exercise. <I just wish it didn't have to happen so early in the morning>

Welcome, good to have you onboard. I look forward to your insights and comments.

This may not be what you're looking for, but when I was to breath deep, I put my attention under my belly. When I start breathing I feel my hip bones separating. Its a bit easier when lying down. The two sides of the hips separating out and once full my shoulders and top of chest expand and open up.

I used to collect bokken (Japanese wooden swords). Doing contact forms is destructive. After seeing dents and cracks on nice pieces I came to the realization if you have nice training weapons use them only for non contact. I have nice hickory bokken and Jo (short staff) that are a great for contact because they're an ideal combination of hard yet flexibility. That's why they've been the wood of choice for axe handles for centuries. Nungali's right, wooden weapons need oiling and maybe a light sanding every now and then. I've seen cheap bokken look fantastic after sanding off dark varnish and a good oiling. Though I've seen old Jo's that after decades of use have been so sanded and oiled by continually sliding through hands that they've become superb weapons.

http://youtu.be/4TAtRCJIqnk