thelerner

This has nothing to do with the OP, but I wanted some input from weapons/gun fans. I've never handled a handgun (did skeet/rifle in boyscout camp). I've got a groupon at a gun range. Thirty minutes instruction, then I can shoot 30 or 40 rounds. I can pick from any hand gun .22, .38. .44 etc., I want to learn how to load and unload safely, where the safety is. What else should I be concerned with and as a beginner who probably won't ever own a gun, any handgun I should concentrate on? For some reason I think I'd be more comfortable with a smaller caliber.

Interesting. How is energy developed and (is it) circulated?

My ceiling still has a dent or two from short staff practice. Note next time use even shorter staff when indoors.

I'm not a big fan of Castaneda, but what he wrote early on about the Big Super Major tyrant will always be Us, our thoughts. All other tyrant and problem makers will be between tiny and little.

I dig the zero gravity position. Laying down, head and upper back slightly up, knees up. There are message chairs and Lazy Boys that get you into the ideal position. Or you can just put a pillow under you knees, a pillow lengthwise under your back to your head, and a third normally positioned for you head. I don't use it for meditation, but for listening to music or guided meditations its very nice. Great with a pointy Spoonk mat underneath too.

Deceptively big question. How is Mo Pai similar to other energy arts. And how is it different?

One of my armors is kindness. The other stiff leather. One of my swords is love. The other folded steel. One of my shields is tolerance. The other is ignoring.

I think everyone should have a mantra, some practice with sacred sounds. Whether its from opera, or Hindu, Shinto etc., I like Rawn Clark's YHVH practice, simple at first, but it runs pretty deep. But any sound you practice long enough acts like a verbal mudra and can help you slip into a particular mindset.

Its (more) acceptable in their culture. Still it happens often, more per capita then most of the world, more then the U.S. rate. Studies have shown that if its put off, more often then not people go on to live good productive lives. Making it too easy, allows random factors to align sending a person very low when time would make things better.

How does energy fit into my practice.. Of late, not so much. The last year or two I've been working on emptiness mostly. But then nothing is really empty, just layers, like an ogre .

George Takei links to many funny things on his facebook page. Usually worthwhile for a laugh.

Well skydog you inspired me copy and paste this: The Sound Of Silence P. Simon, 1964 Hello darkness, my old friend I've come to talk with you again Because a vision softly creeping Left its seeds while I was sleeping And the vision that was planted in my brain Still remains Within the sound of silence In restless dreams I walked alone Narrow streets of cobblestone 'Neath the halo of a street lamp I turn my collar to the cold and damp When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light That split the night And touched the sound of silence And in the naked light I saw Ten thousand people maybe more People talking without speaking People hearing without listening People writing songs that voices never shared No one dared Disturb the sound of silence "Fools," said I, "you do not know Silence like a cancer grows Hear my words that I might teach you Take my arms that I might reach you" But my words like silent raindrops fell And echoed in the wells of silence And the people bowed and prayed To the neon god they made And the sign flashed out its warning In the words that it was forming And the sign said "The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls And tenement halls And whispered in the sound of silence

Hmnn, I've got no magic answers. But when I was experiencing something like you describe, I joined an organization of with good people in it. One that met regularly, planned things, did things. In some ways it doesn't matter what the organization was, other then good people and meeting regularly. It gave me a sense of belonging, people to talk to, a bit of anchoring in my life. You've got 12 churches nearby, then explore them. Which has the most activities and a congregation you could fit into. Don't look for perfect, look for good, fittable, need.. maybe not a church, but find an active organization and don't be a wall flower. Jump in, volunteer, become a worker and doer in it. Meaning is easier to find in doing, then by thinking. Religious philosophy is a wonderful dessert, but people and community are the main course. Get out of your comfort zone, and explore what's out there close to you. The goal is to start developing roots and relationships. No magic, just a sense of how can I help. That's called Karma yoga, and can quite powerful in changing your life. <fwiw in my case it was during college. I joined APO a service fraternity (co-ed), kind of an extension of the boy scouts. It got me out of a melancholy funk and the social aspects and service projects got me out of my head and into action.>

You talked about the number 72 in your first posts. Were you implying that the number 72 is widely used in religions, myths to show a 'completion'. Are you theorizing the 72 levels of Mo Pai should be seen as allegorical and not literal?

NASCAR- 40 cars driving in circles for 300-500 miles getting 5 miles per gallon. You can't get more American then that. Because of this, a typical NASCAR race car gets about 5 miles per gallon fuel efficiency during a race that lasts for 500 miles. More than 40 cars usually compete in each NASCAR race, so 6,000 gallons (22,712 liters) of fuel or more are burned during a NASCAR event [source: Finney].

Always interesting to hear about those who seriously 'hack' into there life.

I'm American.. what's the big deal and why don't they play real football?

Have fun, destress, be peaceful and creative. & know you are a queen of this site, and when you want to Tiki, it'll be there with a cold drink & umbrella.

Mod Comment: Simple Jack: Thank you for editing an earlier comment. Especially here in the Buddhist section- Lets keep it civil. When things get heated, re-read and re-write in a less abrasive way.

I think such problems are as much about studying out of a book (or video) then the system itself. Without a live teacher, little deviations become big ones. In a single class a live teacher would simply correct a problem, but without a teacher we get things wrong and they become ingrained. Plus if you have 100's or 1,000's learning from a book, its inevitable some will have bad experiences, even if the practice is drinking a glass of water. M. Chia's practices are not all that far from what I've seen in other authentic (imo) systems. People who've trained with him live have gone far. But lack of student/teacher feedback may well make his and any teaching problematic.

Congratulations all Dads. I'm on my 14th, 16th and 17th Father's day. Its 10 a.m and the miscreants are all asleep.

can't help myself http://youtu.be/x1iV24hL8Rk in case people somehow missed this classic (Tropic Thunder) Black guy #1 is Robert Downey Jr. playing a very obsessed actor.

I'm not worried about the Federal Reserve. I do worry about the Military Industrial Complex and the Prison Industrial Complex. And big money in politics. (In some ways it always thus). Still, I think these issues swing like pendulum, they get out of control and are reigned in, just takes a while. I think they just killed the very expensive Warthog plane fiasco. Machiavellian mandatory sentences are being taken off the books. The light of social justice and they were too damn expensive. (damn is my word of the day) Its its unfortunate to only have 2 viable political parties, but while change is slow, its also inevitable and that is one of the U.S's greatest strengths. I've traveled too much to see this country as the Greatest in the World, but I its pretty good. Rumors of its collapse seem greatly exaggerated.

I don't think we bash Mo Pai, not anymore then the criticisms that come up in any other system, though MPG would criticize so many other systems that it'd bounce back against him. Wait, I'm responding to the same message sent here each week by MPG or his puppets. Its nearly the same writing each time and I'm responding the same way. I suspect after getting repeatedly banned under different names, MPG is sending them here weekly. They use creative opening, but then they post the same thing. The truth is quite the opposite. MPG couldn't stand being on a site that discussed many systems. He'd insult each one, and there students, there teachers. He'd go after any Mo Pai students who didn't meet his standard of 'real' Mo Pai. There is a huge amount of prejudice and its not on our side. Its MPG's. His forum is a quagmire, full of insults, bitterness and anger. He's built a site in his own image. There's damn little mention of Mo Pai on it, but then he doesn't practice it any more. He's involved in an imaginary struggle with us, repeatedly creating new names and getting banned over and over, or sending people to post his paranoia.

I've found practicing in a hot dry sauna, hugely increases my flexibility.