thelerner

I'll feel the bottom of my feet, how they strike the ground. I'll focus on my hearing and turn off my thinking.

For most, it'd be stupid and foolhardy, but if you're really good at headstands, years and years of experience, then its probably as safe as standing. Hell just walking along that path seems a bit crazy. It may not be wise, but I have a certain admiration for those who .. hang out at the edge.

Theres the concept of compassion, in books and theory, then there's how it plays out in real life; say a disaster that strikes a city, then you see how a society demonstrates compassion to those who suffer. That would make an interesting litmus test. Somewhere on the internet there must be a relative apples to apples comparisons.

hmmn, is awareness a mirror or a flashlight?

Interesting article. I'll have to read it and the links more thoroughly. I was hoping to find evidence that they've done some testing with her. Simple, read a card or message in another room, type test to see if its a case of 'feeling' like leaving the body, or actually leaving the body. Didn't see any such information, unfortunately. Too bad. Just so you guys won't have to do it- here is the Rebuttal: http://www.popsci.com/blog-network/unpopular-science/woman-who-thinks-she-can-will-herself-out-her-body great minds think alike. I was writing above at the same time you printed this.

Maybe not so much trance as one pointedness. Quiet mind, one pointed focus on what one is doing. Even in meditation one tries to stay out of mindless trance and into mindfulness.

Definitely. My sensei would always say 'Don't leave your Aikido on the mat'. Same with a zendo. Sitting is a tool, an exercise, the pointer. Proper mindset, one that penetrates the subconscious and informs all of one's actions.

Personally, I think its possible. That the afterlife is a convenient myth. We are temporary beings using electro chemical processes and when we die, its an off switch- game over man. Don't know, probably can't know for sure. There are hints in religions, direct experience in higher meditation and dreamwork, but I don't think there are any for sures. Yet, I don't think that invalidates the present moment. If anything it makes the present moment that much more important, because after this life, there's nothing. Enjoy yourself, and in my philosophy add to world, make it bit better for those who come next. U may be temporary but you're part of a chain. Your actions do affect the world in some small ways, you have the power to make the world a better place after you leave or worse. and who knows, maybe there is an afterlife and we're judged. and we can walk up jesus, punch him in the nose and say 'Next time write a freakin book yourself, one thats clear so people don't commit thousands of years of violence in your name.

Sometimes changing the world is a euphemism for- I want others to believe and act the way I do. Or worse, I don't do this but you have to. There's an element of evil to that.. maybe necessary evil, but negative nonetheless even for 'righteous' causes. Frankly, no one likes to be told what to do. The best lead by example, but that can be a very slow way of change.

At his best, his role was to meditate and ours was to watch and catch hold of a little bit of that peace. Thats all. We wanted more.. made himself into something he wasn't. We wanted a Buddha, a savior, easy answers.. The stories not over yet. In time there'll be another disappearance into the forest. Years later a Buddha man will appear and he'll sit in the shade and meditate. People will walk by, and he will smile.

Few things are as insidiously corrosive as continuous high praise.

Why are they wasting this art on fingers? Maybe other body parts need lengthening more..?

The woman who created this has a couple dozen one sheet exercise programs that are actually pretty good. Her posters and website are worth checking out: http://neilarey.com/

That black swan feeding koi is strange. But at the Chicago Botanical gardens the feeder is high and meant for just swans. When they go to feed at it in the winter, they're surrounded by ducks.. and seem to throw out extra food for them.

Vortex, in my mind, once you sight evidence from Alex Jones site mentioning the "mind meld or rats to create a borg army of killer robots.. "you've jumped the shark. Moving from a real problem into imaginary ones. Which is too bad because there's been censorship and black balling from the medical field on things they don't understand. Course, there's a lot of dangerous quackery they've closed too.

I'm leery of repressed memories. The phenomena does exist but so does 'created' memories that feel real but are made up. Many (not all by any means) cases of child rape and satanic behavior are found to be false 'created/planted'. If your parents have been generally good and supportive of you over the years, I'd go towards giving them the benefit of a doubt. Maybe being a little more cautious w/ them around young kids, but in general letting it go. Man tends to be more rationalizing then rational at times. In any case, good luck.

Just walking along the beach is purifying. The sand itself is a wonderful of potpourri of tiny rocks, minerals and quartz. I learned years ago I could take off my shoes, walk for an hour or two and they're still there when I get back. Its a good chance to contemplate and get back in touch with the basic elements. Air water earth fire.

Its good to be educated, but beware of getting too head heavy. Doing is better then learning. Its really about finding a few things. Finding a good system of seated meditation, standing, moving and healing. Nice if it includes solid philosophy too. Example, I like the Pan Gu chi qigong form for its simplicity. Here it is on youtube, as interpreted by Michael Winn

Subscribing is a bit like Enlightenment. In many ways amazing, in others- indescribable, yet also very ordinary. A few have noticed a tingling in there dan tien, all others feel nothing except a sense of supporting a forum they enjoy.

I also prefer a higher cushion. I like crescent shaped ones, I think mines stuffed with sobakawa beans. A thinner under cushion helps quite a bit with the legs and knees. I have a small sheep skin from Ikea, but that might get funny looks from the vegan crowd. Get it early and get in time on the mat. For long sits (I am nowhere close to Spotless level), I'll do small, natural rocking movements ala Stillness/Movement meditation (and keep hands pressed lightly against lower dan tien). It helps me be comfortable for longer sits. I've never used meditation beads. The Bai Hai temple near me has a gift store with some good looking meaningful ones. I'll have to try it.

Welcome to the bums. I've done some fasting via Daniel Reid's book The Tao of Health, Sex and Longevity. His method has you taking in some psyllium seed, volcanic ash, lemon juice and a bit of maple syrup, so its way easier then water fasting. Maybe even more cleansing. Bigu is pretty extreme and imo for very advanced practitioners. Some people fool themselves and the practice makes them progressively weaker and unhealthier. In an interview with Lily Soiu (Diary of the Way), an advanced teacher who thought it was best to fall into it naturally, ie she'd go a few days without eating, because she was busy. She didn't consciously practice Bigu, she'd just follow her body's signals.

You'll be singing a different song when it starts raining. Then you'll be happy he built a 73 million dollar (at phase 1 & before interest on bonds) ark (that may not float or be water proof) because it'll save your sorry life and allow you to hang out with your animal friends (before you have to eat them, dooming a whole species). If there's a god of Irony he must certainly be smiling at the thought of Ken Ham building an ark to honor Noah. Since biblically Ham is the big villain of the story. In some translations he oogles his drunken naked father, in others (ye olde Jewish translations) he sodomizes him. In either case he's told he's considered the lowest of the low and his children are cursed. Thus you'd think a guy named Ham would concentrate on other parts of the bible. Though it'll interesting to see how the life size diorama on that episode works out.

They could all be real. Just saw the pen one, its very precariously balanced, so much so a tiny breeze would tip it. Could you rig up something that creates a tiny breeze and focus it a bit. Yeah, it wouldn't be easy, but a good amateur magician could figure out 6 or 7 ways to create it (imo), some high tech, some low. Certainly the easiest would be with the centuries old fake thumb trick and hide a pump gadget there.

Maybe its real, but one mans magic is another's engineering. Moving the spoon could have been magnetic, the lightly balanced wooden stir could be a light breath. I don't know who's key he's bending, if its a random one (truly) from a hardware store or a special key. I've been looking at a metal alloy that melts at 88 degrees and its popular with magicians. The amount of effort that goes into magic, time, materials, practice is tremendous. A 30 second trick that looks easy can take 30 hours and 1,000's of dollars to perfect. Course that's why you do the same trick every show for years.

vetoed. The governor of Arizona didn't sign it. She's a right winger herself but claimed intelligently the law would open Arizona up for ridicule and financial mishaps. She was right. Like a zombie the bill is probably not dead. The original allowed you to discriminate against anyone due to your religious convictions, it'll probably come back re-written and targeted 'only' at gays, migrants and people of color. Then.. I predict it'll fail again, people will gather the bigot king has no clothes.