thelerner

Lately we've had a couple people change there name. You could probably ask in the Forum and Tech Support Discussion Center at the bottom. Great story Colorado Sage, if I may call you that. Classic meditation is still and silent, but for some walking in nature or being taken away by classical music is pretty close. Much of the Taoist energy meditation systems mentioned here can be helpful to those who have a hard time staying still for long. Ultimately stillness is road that must be walked. My shower meditation is chanting, usually Rawn Clarks IHVH's. When I wake up I'll listen to a guided meditation (I collect them) something experiential or trippy. And I'll try to spend some time just sitting each day. Again Welcome to the Bums. Michael

Fine thanks, hows yours? Actually mines quite bastardized. No regard or veneration for Taoist Pantheon, dislike of many taoists traditions like Fu's. I constantly mix it up with concepts from traditional Chinese element theory not to mention aspects of Zen Buddhism. Still its pretty good and serves me well.

Here is a video of one of my favorite teachers. If you're interested can access it through youtube and see his other presentations if you like it. Note he has dozens of audio dharma lectures out there to. <hmnn actually this is just audio, but worth it!>

Then you are wise. It was a joking add on , my bad. Here's a non joking one. In old recordings O'Sensei's kiai's sounded high pitched and bird like! <Bruce Lee also had an unusual birdlike kaia, at least in an early film> O'Sensei traveled to China in his mispent youth with a charismatic Guru Onisaburo who wanted to create a utopian city, he was given the name Bodyguard of the Gods. The Chinese disagreed, the group was captured at gunpoint, sentenced to death, saved by Japanese ambassador. Later in Japan the Guru would be outlawed and his followers arrested. O'Sensei hid in the Chief of Police's house til the matter died down. a quick autobiography http://www.aikidoofgainesville.com/O%27Sensei-Morihei-Ueshiba.html

Very impressive. Were you in hermit mode far away from civilization or within it? What kind of existence was it? Thanks Michael P.S I was kinda hoping your screen name was Colorado Sage, cause that'd be cool

I can't help myself, cause Zero is my hero too:

True, the general idea is the kiai is followed by a quick sword stroke or running away. Its not a stand on its own kind of technique. & I see minute 6 was edited out, where the winner comes over, talks smack to the fallen master then gets his head blown off by a mighty blast of ki-ai. Blood everywhere, covering the first two rows. So much for Mr. Nice Guy.

I like this. I also like- we are the result of a long line of perfectly timed accidents . Cause if I tell you the truth is you're the result of an alien hybrid experiment 120,000 years ago does it really effect you? Or you're a cross breed of angels and demons, will you live life differently? bad day at the condom factory. Would you even believe me? Unless you see me conversing in public with said alien or demon I hope you'd have some level of skepticism. Why are we here? Don't know. I suspect its not necessarily a grandiose answer and that we need to live our lives in a way that answers the question cause words won't do it.

A little cheesy, particularly the repeated camera effect of waves. I hate it when they use camera effects of photo shop to circle people in light or in this case wave effect. Unlike Karate which uses a loud shout with the blow to focus strength, in Ki-Aikido we'd use kiai's to startle and distract the opponent before the strike which I believe is in following many sword traditions. I loved kiai training. There were stories like the man said of people knocking down birds in mid-air, they may be urban legends or an example of faint hearted birds. There was a story of O'Sensei when he older. He was being audio miked for large demonstration. He said somethink like 'what is this thing for?' and it was carried through the sound system and people in the audience looked at him like..he was old doddering 70 year old. So he ki-aied at them. From 40 feet away and the entire crowd moved back stunned. A kiai is practical training. There was short cut through an alley to get to my first 'not in a great neighborhood' apartment. When taking the short cut I'd be ready with a kiai as if were a stun gun, ready to use. Its not going to knock anyone out, but a real kiai from silence is stunning. Its not just loud there is a focused ferocity to it. To me it feels like throwing a knife. There are certain oft practice kiai sounds, but really any word can be used to transmit the energy, and No done with a kiai is very powerful.

Hmnn, fine you'll have my vote once you reach level 70. Also what is the future dictators views on the pit bull issue infield fly rule. I need to prepare just in case .

Question is, if you go back 200 years before Western exploitation was it really all that rosy? Study history in depth, beyond nationalistic programming there was extreme caste based prejudices, internecine wars and injustice. <which is why the East Indian Company had such an easy time controlling such a rich country> By which I am not saying the English did India any favors, just that like most places it had its problems. Go back 1,000 years to the non tech middle ages and was it paradise? Not really. People were still attacking and stealing from others. Its not a tech thing, its a dark human one. You think taking away guns and a few billion people will protect the animals? Nope, we'll hunt'em to extinction for dinner. Something that won't happen now <for big mammals> because people care enough to set up sanctuaries, zoos, and best of all repopulation efforts to re-introduce endangered animals back into the wild. You think industry is the sole producer of pollution? People died, choked to death in there beds by extreme coal pollution. Knock out coal you've got people burning wood and cutting down whole forests. Thankfully whales are a renewable low tech source of fuel, right? In fact your future is a dystopian one, where central command finds and destroy all tech. Even warming yourself with coal or other fuels might be considered an arrestable offense. Certainly all metal, agriculture, maybe even textiles would be outlawed for being too civilized or industrial? Perhaps the worst crime of all would be writing because that is the ultimate way to transmit ideas. Progress outlawed at pain of death. Yuck. You complain about colonization<and you have a good point actually>,but your wishlist includes mass genocide and repression on a level they could never imagine! Please imagine for a moment if the English had been commanded by a person like yourself. First cull most of the population, then knock back all tech in the country to prehistoric levels, kill or re-educate those who resist. Sound good? Not to me. Ultimately your vision is so dark, you can only theorize about it, and wouldn't dare live it yourself. And that I find the is the final nail in your arguments coffin. You don't dare practice what you preach, not unless an evil overlord forced it on you.

It's allowed me to waste time I'd otherwise have wasted in less interesting ways . I've been turned on to some new philosophies. Gained insight from fascinating people who are on same planet but different world. Expand my mind a bit, shed some prejudices. Learned about and taken classes w/ great esoteric teachers like Ya Mu, Max & Santiago. Made some friends. When my kids are off in college I'd like look up some of the people here in the east and west, visit some members down under and on the Isle.

Question is can we be at peace with this world? Right Now? I can. Don't like everything, but around me its pretty good. And through various charities I'm working to make it better. I recognize the dangers, avoid what I can, accept what I cannot, and right now; I'm at peace; dogs, mosquitoes, flu, bites and all. maybe peace is just a cup of tea away, preferably with a neighbor or friend. making a cup of tea i save the world

If thats what you believe who am I to argue?

Still seems off to me. Greater intolerance = more peace, Nope. All conservatism = abominable belief, No. Its so extreme <Sith like:) ) it becomes literally the opposite of what you strive for. You become the elements of conservatism you're against. You become intolerant of so many beliefs that you're amazed people are so intolerant of your own and want them banned. Tolerance <within limits>, balance and understanding.

me too. I'm working up to long and cold.

Those who think banning the 'other' side will bring peace and prosperity are usually sorely disappointed. Its happened through out history whether its outlawing another religion, all religion, the educated, the elites, the rich, the liberals, the conservatives ect. it usually goes up in flames as extremist elements fill the gap left by the elimination. Assuming the other side is the cause of all the problems is way too simplistic. Sadly We are the problem.

I don't think you'd last long there chief. A good chance one of the 'dumb' ones <castrated?> or even 'smart' ones would do you in. Dictators tend to go down hard.

Sadly over the last 20 years news has been drifting into the area of infotainment. But we also have more outlets for getting the news. The trick to finding out the truth is looking at several sources and not letting bias's blind you from listening to opposing views and becoming increasingly one sided. I find Fox sets a new standard in slanting and literally creating their version of the news. All there shows clearly are given instructions on which memes to repeat that day. Whereas MSNBC is slanted, but lacks Fox's Machiavellian touch. Still, even with there bias or because of it, Fox will break stories and do a good job of it that other sides ignore, same w/ MSNBC. Its best to look to foreign papers to get a better non biased look, I often like BBC for concise reports. Best yet, take a break from all news sources a week or two (at least) each month. They're all a distillation of worst things going on in the world. An 'If it bleeds it leads approach' that distorts our real world view because it ignores the billions of things that going right. It creates a negativity and paranoia thats probably unfounded.

I think people on both sides have a point. They can be loveable wonderful dogs strong loyal and intelligent. Lets be honest though breeds have certain characteristics. Like any dog it can be a noble companion, but they were bred to be watch and sadly fighting dogs. They bite harder and flip meaner. My friend had a beloved Japanese Akita; beautiful dog, but bred to be so fiercely loyal to his family that it didn't like anyone else, even other dogs. I've heard other Akita owners also saddened by there dogs lack of friendliness to others. Maybe it could trained out, but it seems to be an inbred trait, one for a perfect house guard it was bred to be. I don't think pit bulls <or any spirited watch/fighting breed> should be anyones first dog, owners should be experienced and extra watchful and probably buy from reputable breeders. I could understand if a town had restrictions or extra insurance needed to own one. From Pitbull411.com: "While the pit bull does indeed possess a feisty and spirited character, the history of the breed reveals a much more complex tapestry of temperament and personality. Like many modern breeds, it is impossible to be completely sure of the details of the American Pit Bull Terrier's long history. However, many pit bull enthusiasts believe the origins of the breed can be traced back to antiquity and the Molossian family of dogs. The Molossian family of dogs bears the name of the people with whom they were most often associated - the Molossi tribe, a group of people who lived in ancient Greece and favored the use of robust, muscular dogs in warfare. Officially termed canus molossi (dogs of the Molossi), these animals were reknowned for their fierceness, and for their innate ability to intimidate the enemies of the tribe... <not to end on bad note> The negative treatment of pit bulls in our society is unfortunate to say the least. Pit bulls and people can live harmoniously if given the chance. Training is an important consideration in pit bull ownership. The history of the breed demonstrates that unless he is properly trained and socialized at a young age, this strong-minded dog will quickly attempt to dominate the household. However, with the proper training the American Pit Bull Terrier can be a remarkably loyal and valued member of the family." <me, this is going back over a thousand years, there are so many types and sizes of pit bull its very inexact term>

I've read good things about it and tried it for a couple of days years ago. Keep the water luke warm. Some people will put a small piece of ginger or lemon in to give a tiny flavor and extra umph. I'd recommend keeping close to a toilet for the first 20 minutes, lots of action there .

Not a bad antidote to nihilism...More truth has been said in jest.

Many people have gone from what your going through and come out the other side fine. Often there's no magic formula, no 'do this' and you'll feel fine. It can be a gradual process and years later you're like 'what the hell was I thinking? Cause sometimes its not your thinking its some chemical imbalance that needs to be nudged. My untrained advice; Get help with a professional who's got experience. This is bad crazy rough patch, they happen in life, they're tough as hell, but they pass. Having a professional to talk to and give guidance, and maybe a medication can be a life saver. Be open to it.

First by 'We' do you mean include Yourself? Have you begun stopping the thousands of consumer goods and services you use or is this guilty lip service masturbation that others should follow? <rhetorical question, as long you're re-re-reprinting old posts, why shouldn't I?> There are people on this site who come close to practicing what you preach. Except they don't preach, they live it, simply. Sadly from what you've written earlier you're not one of them. Thats why I give you grief. You've stated in the past, if 5 or 6 billion people do what you say, then you'll bravely follow them. I'm saying in your own belief system you're a murderer and earth terrorist, and aren't willing to give up modern luxuries to walk the walk. Me, I'm a freakin cave man who built a time machine 120,000 years ago. You know why? Cause it sucked, fresh air, clean water and lots of things that wanted to eat me. Technology rules!!

As The Challenger, may I ask what your breathing practices are. What kind and how long?