thelerner

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Everything posted by thelerner

  1. One of the Tao Bums publicly doubted Lao Tzu's existence during a Taoist conference in China and got a very very cold reception. The lesson: Beware of who you're 'open minded' to.
  2. 5 Elements/Platonic Solids & Kunlun Nei Gung

    I thought I remembered Michael Winn the Healing Tao teacher writing about something like that. Here is a link: www.healingtaousa.com/pdf/dao_inner_alchemy.pdf
  3. an awesome recipe for winter soup

    Looks great, I find adding some peanut butter(!) to pumpkin and sweet potato soups puts them over the top and adds some down home Jamaican swing to them. I just made a batch of Ramen. Noodles from the Japanese supermarket, shitake shrooms, bok choy from my neighbors garden(yes she harvested in Dec! Global warming indeed), bean sprouts, chives. Cheap and delicious. Sadly my kids who were raised on the 10 for a $1 stuff turned up there noses at the real thing .
  4. Downward Flow of Energy

    In seated meditation keeping my hands on my tantien (as taught by Ya Mu's Stillness-Movement chigung) gives me a deeper sense of downward flow then keeping them more traditionally a few inches infront.
  5. Toad Exodus May Signal Looming Earthquake

    Funny, it seems like a pond would be the safest place for a toad if there was an earth quake. I mean.. what are they doing.. Hopping into buildings? And another thing. 'Abandoned a pond'?? Toads can't swim(frogs can). Before I say 'Run for your lives. The toads are on the move.' I'd want some back up info.
  6. Do Ya'll guys drink?

    I probably have a glass of wine with dinner or a beer on a daily basis. Tastes good and the moderate drinker tends to live longer (least in the West) then the tea teetotaler. Some how fermented grapes are a strong health tonic. Part of it is the grapes but apparently alcohol in moderation also helps the cardiovascular system. On the other hand I know of several teachers who don't drink. I organized a wine and smores camp fire at Tao Mountain years ago and while Michael Winn joined us he didn't drink because he said it messed with his qi. He might be correct, though I know other high level teachers who do. I don't find my meditation helped or hindered after a glass of wine, but I'm not particularly high level. I'll throw in this article: 8 Health Benefits of Drinking Wine Every year, there is a flurry of headlines about the health benefits of wine. But can drinking wine really make a difference? Here, the news—very good news, indeed—from the latest studies. Note: The health benefits come from moderate wine consumption, defined by the American Heart Association as one to two four-ounce glasses a day. By Christine Quinlan The Benefit: Promotes Longevity The Evidence: Wine drinkers have a 34 percent lower mortality rate than beer or spirits drinkers. Source: a Finnish study of 2,468 men over a 29-year period, published in the Journals of Gerontology, 2007. The Benefit: Reduces Heart-Attack Risk The Evidence: Moderate drinkers suffering from high blood pressure are 30 percent less likely to have a heart attack than nondrinkers. Source: a 16-year Harvard School of Public Health study of 11,711 men, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, 2007. The Benefit: Lowers Risk of Heart Disease The Evidence: Red-wine tannins contain procyanidins, which protect against heart disease. Wines from Sardinia and southwest France have more procyanidins than other wines. Source: a study at Queen Mary University in London, published in Nature, 2006. The Benefit: Reduces Risk of Type 2 Diabetes The Evidence: Moderate drinkers have 30 percent less risk than nondrinkers of developing type 2 diabetes. Source: research on 369,862 individuals studied over an average of 12 years each, at Amsterdam's VU University Medical Center, published in Diabetes Care, 2005. The Benefit: Lowers Risk of Stroke The Evidence: The possibility of suffering a blood clot–related stroke drops by about 50 percent in people who consume moderate amounts of alcohol. Source: a Columbia University study of 3,176 individuals over an eight-year period, published in Stroke, 2006. The Benefit: Cuts Risk of Cataracts The Evidence: Moderate drinkers are 32 percent less likely to get cataracts than nondrinkers; those who consume wine are 43 percent less likely to develop cataracts than those drinking mainly beer. Source: a study of 1,379 individuals in Iceland, published in Nature, 2003. The Benefit: Cuts Risk of Colon Cancer The Evidence: Moderate consumption of wine (especially red) cuts the risk of colon cancer by 45 percent. Source: a Stony Brook University study of 2,291 individuals over a four-year period, published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, 2005. The Benefit: Slows Brain Decline The Evidence: Brain function declines at a markedly faster rate in nondrinkers than in moderate drinkers. Source: a Columbia University study of 1,416 people, published in Neuroepidemiology, 2006.
  7. Image Streaming

    In December I want to do some work on image streaming. See if it I can expose some of the promise it suggests. Ultimately see how close I can get to waking dreams.
  8. Worlds oldest Person died

    Daniel Reid talks about longevity being of the sweetest fruits of Taoist practice. Yet for all the talk of immortals I don't see abnormal life spans amongst various practitioners. Ofcourse only a fool knocks long, healthy and productive. Here is the little bit on the woman who recently died - "Bolden was born Aug. 15, 1890, according to the Gerontology Research Group, a Los Angeles organization that tracks the ages of the world's oldest people. Guinness World Records recognized Bolden as the oldest person in the world in August after the death of Maria Esther de Capovilla of Ecuador, who also was 116. Bolden died at the Mid-South Health and Rehabilitation Center, a nursing home where she had been living for several years, said the center's administrator, Charlotte Pierce. Bolden suffered a stroke in 2004, and her family said she spoke little after that and slept much of the time. Family members said this year that Bolden had 40 grandchildren, 75 great-grandchildren, 150 great-great-grandchildren, 220 great-great-great grandchildren and 75 great-great-great-great grandchildren." Its sad that when you count the generations of relatives, she had no living sons or daughters. Michael
  9. Is honor bullshit?

    Boom. Thats good. This may be venturing into opinion territory, but I think a Taoist doesn't seek eternal reward or 'honor', yet holds himself to high standards of honorable behavior; not based necessarily on an external code, but reflecting a natural Te'. ie 'Honor' isn't something to die for, but to be lived out. You Honor the path by keeping your feet on it and moving forward.
  10. Global Revolution!

    Jeez is this the best you can come up with? Ad hominem bull. Those who don't agree with you follow the herd? Opponents must be shills? Get back on track.
  11. A Troubled Mind

    Maybe start lower. Just a teacher, yoga, tai chi, aikido, tea ceremony.. something with a bit of spirituality and growth. Don't spend months looking for a master, researching tibet, china, india etc. Look around your city and get involved in something growth oriented so you can get a few notches on your belt. Preferably something you have to go to several times a week. Nothing grand, keep it simple, build up and sustain a practice.
  12. I think some of the best discussions are in the Personal area. But they're hard to find, its cluttered with people who haven't posted for years, or only written 3 or 4 times then abandoned it. So the worthwhile posters tend to get hidden. I know it would be quite a bit of work but I'd love to see a reordering of poster there, with the more active ones on top, and the abandoned ones on the very bottom. Happy Turkey Day to All. This site and its members and moderators are one of things I'm thankful for
  13. Global Revolution!

    Speaking of Plus'ing. I often plus you on this thread. Technically I'm in the middle, but I admire you for standing up for the conservative position. Otherwise the board would be a love fest for loving, compassionate, dead end, less well thought out positions. Verse your seemingly harsh, practical, real world posts.
  14. Haloh, and hoppy to bee here.... ;>P

    Welcome. I'd love to hear some of your views on Hermeticism and Spiritual 'Tech' ie biofeedback etc. Most of my knowledge of Hermeticism comes from Franz Bardon, via of Rawn Clark's site. I know that's a only a small segment of the Hermetic world. Yours Michael
  15. Emptiness

    I'm reminded of my Aikido Sensei John Eley. He used to say, punch with nothing; ofcourse there is the nothing that is nothing and the nothing that is something. He had a 1 inch punch like a pile driver. He made the same point about meditation. When meditating there is the emptiness that includes everything, and the emptiness that is just mindlessness; be empty, but not mindless.
  16. Ch. 80, Taoist prophecy?

    Yup a good rebuttal to my somewhat rude monolog. I get that way when I think people are over philosophizing. There was a time I was pretty 'top heavy' too much into philosophy, these days I'm more into keeping it real. I can dig the concept I'm a construct within God, but doesn't change my life, give me powers or cook the rice.
  17. A Day Made of Glass... Made possible by Corning.

    I agree, though I wouldn't mind a little of the corning tech in my village.
  18. Learning Qi Gong/Yoga/Meditation in Asia?

    Studying in your own backyard has some merits, people who over romanticize foreign masters tend to get ripped off by charlatans. There are some talented teachers who post here. Santiago's KAP program taught on Skype, (google it or See Mal's personal discussion page to get a first person view on what its like). Ya Mu who posts here has a powerful seminars in chi gung. Rainbow Vein has personal site that has some of her experiences in it. These are 2 I can personally vouch for, there are others. These and what's near you, may not be the 'master' you're looking for. But don't expect a 'master' to teach a novice, far from it. Learn what you can where you are. Develop discipline. Get a strong foundation. Then when you look in a year or decade from now, you'll recognize a master from a fraud and will be worthy to learn from them.
  19. I think a good system has emptiness meditation, a movement form, some standing, healing and rejuvenation modes and some dharma lessons. Thats a lot for 20 minutes. So take a pick with what connects with you. But remember the shining prize is awareness; doing things with complete attention. Personally I'll chant in the shower, do kunlun sitting on the toilet. Get my dharma lessons from Infinitesmile.org or zencast when I have free time at night. A person recently posted about keeping in mind 3 things. Posture, breathing, awareness. A 12 hour practice is watching and improving your posture, observing your breath and keeping it deep and long, finally focusing your mind on the proper attitude and what your doing.
  20. Ch. 80, Taoist prophecy?

    I agree, how do discuss anything with someone who isn't sure if the chair they're sitting on exists or not. Thats why zen masters carried sticks and used them often on the more existential members. Few things say you exist more then pain. Or some one who's just found that bad things happen. Thus society is evil? Here.. Everything is not sure if a chair he's sitting on exists, yet seems to believe a video on the internet. (hmnn believe eyes ears, butt or internet video?) In this case I do believe it, but its one video of one event. If something at that space and time happened differently would your philosophy change 100%, everything lovey dovey in the world, because someone, somewhere stopped to help a fallen child. Cause there's videos of that too. Happens every day. Personally I'm not taken by surprise by videos like that. You study a little history and quickly learn a lot of shit happened, is happening and will happen in the future. I think we need to actively study the good things to counter act it. And there's a whale of lot of good happening, it just doesn't get the press. I'm biased against those who do no good, because they fall back on semantic philosophies of existentialism. You can do it for a while, but the world is real and demands real action. Sit around wondering if you're a butterfly, life's gonna pass you by. And P.S butterflies don't type.
  21. Ch. 80, Taoist prophecy?

    An interesting way of dissecting it is here. It looks at a dozen translations, line by line: http://wayist.org/ttc%20compared/chap80.htm I like these explanations for it: Tao te Ching Chapter 80 by tao-meaning This chapter sounds more like a Chuang Tzu story. He like Lao Tzu made points by pointing to extreme cases and often made a joke out of people getting it wrong. There is no out and out humour in this chapter but the story told has rings of Chaung to it. The story is of a place so simple and right that people could live their whole lives in perfect peace without ever thinking of going anywhere else. People so right with Tao that they would not even know they were right with Tao. Simple Utopia by taoistic.com Making knots on ropes was believed to be a forerunner to the sophisticated Chinese pictogram writing. Lao Tzu expresses a longing back to previous times, when things were simpler. I have some problems with this chapter. It describes what Lao Tzu regards as a dream society, but I find it kind of boring. No travel, no visions, no aspirations, and no curiosity. Nothing but the routine of everyday life. It's certainly peaceful and secure, but isn't it also dull? Not to Lao Tzu, evidently. He praises this life, which could be described with his favorite image of the uncarved wood. We would call it rustic. People have boats and carriages, but no longing to use them for exploring other parts of the world. They see the neighboring village and hear sounds from there, but don't bother walking the short distance to visit and get to know its inhabitants. What kind of life is that? What kind of peace and security? To me, it seems like sleep, and a dreamless one at that. Prison or Sanctuary Lao Tzu is tired of the spectacular and the grand. He longs back to the basic qualities of life. That's possible for someone who has experienced the world, and gotten enough of it. For those who are yet to explore it, the simple village life might be closer to a prison than a sanctuary. Of course, what he describes has a lasting charm. No war. No frustrated longing for a greener pasture elsewhere. People are content with what they have, so they know how to enjoy it fully. The food they make may be simple, but it's tasty and filling. Their clothes may be colorless and coarse, without any fancy decorations, but they are comfortable and therefore pretty, too. Their homes are no palaces, but they find security in them. A house doesn't need to be big to be a home. People who enjoy the simple everyday life are free from anguished longings for what very few can get. They will not be tempted by things they can't reach, and they will not suffer because they have less luxury than the emperor, his dukes and generals. Only by not longing for something else, you can truly enjoy what you have. Somehow its hard to think in terms of machines doing 100's of times a mans work in Lao Tzu's time. Some translations are tools, even goods. Interesting. I'd some it up as Keep it small and simple
  22. Any entrepreneurial bums?

    Whats the point? Seems kind of Spammy to me.
  23. The path is not easy.

    This is great.
  24. Blueberry/Renegade

    Watching this inspired me. About 2 decades ago I did isolation tanks. Spacetime in Chicago is having a special, 3-1 hour soaks for $105. Just signed up.