thelerner

original is best

Red wine is good, but there are a couple better ones I can think of , Salud

It's not Bodri's method, but other schools of Taoism use a visualization techniques to 'light up' the skeleton. I believe its a healing technique, strong bones, strong marrow, good blood, chi goes (& heals) where attention goes. Giles Marin has a 30 minute guided meditation called The Bone Dreaming Meditation (on his Sleeping Chi Gung CD) that slowly takes you through the whole skeletal system, lighting it up as you go. Its very good, even separating out the bones that separate the skull, lighting up each tooth and feeling the system stretch with each breath. Kaishan Gi gong also has a very deep healing guided meditation that starts with lighting up the skeleton and then has you slowly imagine yourself aging to a healthy 140 year old, then down to a baby.

I don't know. It might be nice to have long term discussions based solely on a single schools. Ones that don't get washed down stream. On the other hand I don't like screen clutter and we're moving in that direction on the Bums, too many sub forums and saved topics on top. Its esthetics, but keeping a clean look where information is easy to find without having to search from forum to forum is important.

If people are interested in teaching or learning a new skill post soon before December comes. It'd be nice to see some new 30 Day mentoring hookups. There are some talented people here, take advantage, share a passion, learn a new skill, make a friend.

I like this. Right on target.

I waiver over this one. Whether to be modern and believe in what I see, science tells me and disregard other phenomena as superstition. But I run into wise people who claim we live in a 'thick' dimension with other spaces and beings living intimately near by. Beings interpreted as spirits, angels, demons even aliens. Then there's the world view of an intimate God watching us and controlling everything, and another positing a less personal but spiritual God which encompasses all of time space and our very being, one we 'feel' in states of deep peace and touch its infinite Oneness. I guess I believe in a less personal spiritual big big big God. Though if I have to guess, it may not be the strongest belief. And that's why I meditate. The satori experience, to get a glimpse of God, beyond a belief structure. What do you think the basic Reality we live in?

Thanks for the book suggestion, I hadn't heard heard of it before, though I've heard the author's name on some FB sites. I wish there were reviews or sample pages posted.

WWROA you said "Homophobic also being used as in insult. That word is being used out of context continually too... the nonsensical go to card to insult and silence people with differing opinions", maybe I've been guilty of that and I apologize. I simply think being gay means a man looks at another man, the way I look at woman, ie appreciatively and somewhat sexually. What it tells me about there moral character is nothing. Yet, they're vilified terribly in many societies (certainly ours) leading to heckling, hazing, defamation, even murder. In the face of such discrimination worries about hygiene ring hollow. I think when it comes to it you're a very 'live and let live' kinda guy and it takes guts to go against the often very liberal grain of the bums, especially on such a charged subject. Yours M.

True, the words to describe reality, are not the reality. But they're the best things we have. Short of a whacking stick .

, you sound like the blind master in the original Kung Fu series. I was kinda waiting for a punch line after the initial set up..something like A Christian, Wiccan and Tai Chi practitioner walk into a bar to meet there sick friend...The Christian crosses himself, prays and gives him rosary beads, the Wiccan takes out sage, rubs it around and leaves some nearby The Tai Chi player looks at him and says 'Your hands are in the wrong position, they should be more like this.' bada dum.

You're looking good, , but 50 is easy, 70 is hard .

I'd be more inclined to agree if the person talking was a 150 years old or there were monasteries where the monks were ancient. But there are monasteries, including taoist ones, where generations have dedicated there whole lives, almost every waking moment to transcendental practices of mind and body. I'm sure they've reached deep peace, understanding and wisdom, but they're not producing immortals. And these are places that look at 6 or 8 hours of daily practice as kiddie level. Without role models I aim for the easier targets of peace and understanding, and maybe as Daniel Reid has called it, one of the fruits of Taoist practice, long life.

meh, if I followed this rule I'd almost never have a chance to cultivate. , These days I'm not doing much energy training, mostly stillness, and there may be some advantages to holding on to some juice.

Interesting point. From what I've read our 'Happiness' quotient in the West (at least in the U.S.) is below many other nations. We're way to caught up in the rat race. Its as if because we don't have 'real' suffering, so we create our own crappy illusions. With relatively long lives and modern conveniences, little threat of starvation we should be dancing in the streets. I wonder if that mostly the human condition or Western culture?

Whoa, take a walk and get some sun guys. He wasn't bad mouthing anyone, just stating a personal truth. His eyes aren't necessarily closed to the suffering of the world, but they are open to the blessings he and probably most of us enjoy. Have you two taken a vow of poverty and constant unhappiness until the world becomes a utopia? Imo help others, give to charity, make a difference even if its small, but for Gods sake strive to be happy and appreciative of what you have. Enjoy good things, and keep your eyes open to the suffering of the world and do something about it. Crying and moping helps no one and is going limit your energy and ability to give to others. Whether you cry or smile you won't help a staving kid in the subsahara. Smile and sing anyway.

Too often we compare the best of 'our' belief against the worst or our version of the worst of there belief. Too often we're comparing it against a philosophy the majority of that 'system' believes in. In other words we're setting up straw dogs. Frankly I don't think a religious person is necessarily any better or worse then an agnostic or atheist. IMO its not the religion its the man himself and his (or her) place of worship to blame for the scalawags who do wrong and use religion to justify it. Personally, I don't see the laundry list of crimes going on in my place of worship. And probably they're discouraged at most. If they're not I'd shop around for a better church, temple or mosque. Why join a religious organization? One- active community of good people (if its done right). Two, I enjoy dharma speeches and my rabbi's sermons, often they're looking the same problems through a different lens and angle. All religions have a long history of wisdom and mysticism, dig in (the right way) and you'll find gems to live by. Three, Tolerance, this may not be universal but my kids go to mosques and various churches as part of their religious learning. Four, active charity work. Five, the brotherhood had a pretty good pizza party last Bears game. There are probably others.

NOooooooooo

Saying you want to join -kundalini, illuminati, NWO, secret societies, etc is kinda like saying you want to have power. In these cases power over others. Before you go that route you have to ask, how well do I control myself? Why do you want it and what would you do with it? The cry- Death to all tyrants includes the benevolent ones.

Seems like the easiest fix is to make -K- a Mod. Works for me

I was also thinking Tengu, bird spirits and legendary teacher of the martial arts, according to one strain of Tengu legend.

I don't think beliefs are so much chains as they are filters. Perhaps an analogy is they're like sunglasses. Sometimes in the harsh light of day we need something to block out the harsh glare so we can concentrate on where we're going. On the hand you don't want glasses that knock out a whole color range. So imo having beliefs can be good, no sense going through life too wishy washy. Getting so attached to them you can't see pieces of reality or both sides of an issue, not so good.

I know lack exists. I know people go to bed hungry at night, many millions will starve to death this year(at least 5 million kids), others drink bad water, get dysentery and die. Lots of them, huge number, over 100,000 suffering from Hoof & Mouth disease epidemic in Korea as I write this. Its a very painful disease.. for them and 10's of millions of others existence lacks and lack exists. I don't mean to be too dark and pessimistic, its a good time to be alive; we should enjoy life and do what we can to help others (I gave blood today). But to me help is working and doing, not wishing and aligning my intent with the universe. I resent the paradigm of wish it sincerely and the Universe grants it. My study of human history and current conditions don't show it to be true. I acknowledge I could be wrong. Miracles happen, I just wish they'd occur a lot more often. added. and we can make things better. Be kinder and more patient with others. Give blood, give a flock of chickens through Heifer.org, they'll lay protein laden food, eat insects, poop fertilizer and there's a request to share the flock with neighbors after it grows.

For WWIII, its remarkably peaceful so far. Personally I don't hear global war drums. Not here, not from China, Russia, certainly not from Europe. So the big boys are staying out of it. It may escalate, but I doubt it will be long lasting or more then a Middle East affair. I doubt Israel would go nuclear if a power plant was hit or it suffered a major loss of civilian life, because they don't have to. Convention weapons kill just as dead especially in a crowded zone, plus it opens Pandora's box wide open and they don't want to give nearby countries more justification to go nuclear. We probably won't see the E.T's come out for this one, but you never know.