thelerner

Otis inspires on many levels. Great video.

For anyone in the Chicagoland area I recommend doing the Full Moon Meditation at IMU (google it). Its 3 cycles of 45 minutes silent sitting 15 minutes spontaneous dance. Its held every full moon. Sadly there were only 5 people there last time. Very worthwhile. Good space, nice people, great way to celebrate the seasons.

I wonder if those who look back with the most sense of regret are the ones who sought Siddhi's and powers? Do this and you'll be enlightened, Do that and you'll have this power, finally do that other thing, and nothing will ever hurt you. But things do hurt, misfortune happens, spiritual cravings can be as empty as material ones. Cravings stop and peace begins when we realize, Its enough, just sit and be thankful. On the other hand its a long life, nothing wrong with trying new things and being open to new practices, but the goal should be the practice itself, not a future target.

Haven't thought of it for a long time, but there was one method, maybe from the book Tao of Sexology?, that had 8 shallow, then 1 long thrust. Doing that 9x was one unit, then doing like 81 units, or something like that. A bit mental, but as I recall recall a fun challenge.

The system is always rigged, by its very nature its an agreed upon fiction. Even when it was based on Gold or silver; some places the metal is worth this much, other places, its not. An oz of gold is actually relatively worthless. Try going into a store and spending it. Its only useful if you can trade it into dollars. Ultimately your pesos, shekels or bouillon are 'worth' whatever the collective society says they are. The bigger the collective the more useful the money.

I hear its full of Dakini's in bikini's . Be careful you're not metaphorically in a book store, staring at Muscle magazines and worrying about what will happen if you gain 100#s of muscle, will you look freaky. Its a long long way from here to there. And 'there' (or attachment to it) may not be particularly healthy anyway. Plan your spiritual work outs and don't get worked up over concepts that are decades or lifetimes away.

As long as we'll be getting weekly posts on Creationism let me ask Immortal this: How has ID and Creationism changed over the years? Do you see it moving away from biblical interpretations and into alien theories? What trends are happening now and do you expect to see in the field?

I'll second this. I'll consider my first Chi Kung to be Ki-Aikido, and I was told over and over to be more relaxed, more relaxed. Stop planting and using muscle, power come through relaxation, extension and extending ki (intent).

I don't know if it tells about enlightenment, but I do think abiding in a quiet mind is a sign your on the right path. I.E a mind full of racing thoughts is further from the path. Thats not to say thoughts are bad, but they must be servant and not the master.

True.. they save us from all the evil villain churches. In Europe the Churches are the museums. They're incredible in art and history. Even being Jewish I've picked up the habit of visiting large ornate Churches in whatever town I'm visiting. The artistry is often amazing. Plus places of worship often have a good vibe. A good church has some sacred geometry built into its architecture. So despite the blasphemy, the 28 meter statue of LaoTzu could do some good. Least it's not posing flexing his muscles .

Hmnn, how about a 'matured' soul, who's been around the block a few times. Two of my kids seems like old souls. Tastes and preferences that run counter to prevailing norms. One son stopped eating meat at 7, spent 3 years wearing nothing but orange t-shirts, zero knowledge of anything eastern. Another who came out strangely blond and blue eyed, wanted to learn German!? We tried to talk him out of it, but he was very insistent. There was a school German trip, we said no. He really wanted to go, said he'd take no allowance, he'd pay us back for it, great learning opportunity etc. He'll be back in 4 days.

It gets worse. They might be underestimating the cost. 33 kilograms (1,164 oz) of gold would be about $16 million. edit it might use 'just' 3.3 kilograms, gold spreads well. It totally ignores LaoTze's teaching. A large inexpensive stone statue would last a long time and not need men to guard it. Making it shiny and valuable means paradoxically its lesser creation.

I don't think people here despise Siddhis. Some of us have taken to heart the belief that Siddhis can be enticing traps along the way that ensnare and take you away from the main path. In that point of view, Siddhis are neutral, neither grasped or ran away from, just nice mile stones on the Way. Personally I think developing Siddhis is fine, but it shouldn't become a distraction or ego trip, and thats very tempting. Also I don't need Remote Viewing to see the ugly side of humans. I have the internet . But I don't use it that way. I like looking at beautiful woman. I'd hate to look at a sexy body and think about shit. Yuck, I like my sexuality. The fact that its fleeting means I need to take advantage of it Now. Indeed, there might not be sex or beer in heaven. I understand its a classical method of teaching young monks to control there carnal desire, but I'm married, I have a better outlet. Nothing wrong with doing what comes naturally, as long as it doesn't hurt hurt others or make too much noise. I'm clearly on the house holders path. I have great respect for masters who are in loving relationships. Its has its distractions, but having a close partner keeps you honest.

This style of conversation pops up in Martial Arts forums all the time. Usually amongst the younger members. Ultimately its doesn't matter who could beat up who; in whose imagination. What counts is what are You doing, How hard do You practice, How much time spent on the mat. That is what matters in life. If some master can pull a rabbit out of his butt, that's impressive, but is that what you're training for? Is that the goal? Does he have students who can do it? Some people are prodigies who've trained with master level teachers since youth. They're the superstars. They can inspire us, we can learn from them, but unless you're in similar conditions, you're not going to become them. Still you can become the best you can and be happy with it. Sometimes the best we can hope for is steady progress.

I like money. I use it every day, having it allows me comfort, a measure of security and freedoms. I don't think corporation or big business are evil. This computer I'm typing on is the result of 30 or 40 companies. Similarly the electricity that runs it. Hell, most the objects around me are from companies that employ people and allow them to make a living. Banks, I'm fine with them. My house, my parents house, my car & education, all used banks to finance them. No one has to use them or credit cards, indeed they're a double edged sword, but if used properly they're quite a blessing. What is properly? Don't over leverage, don't buy stuff you can't afford and don't need. To owe too much is to become an indentured servant. I use 'the buying question'..Imagine 2 weeks or a month after you've bought something, someone offers you the same amount you paid for it. If you think you might take them up on the offer, don't buy it. In every financial decision look for value. Every purchase is an investment. The best way to get money is have a good job. Keep your eyes open, let your light shine. See if you can combine your passion with a steady career. If you can't then seek a job that pays well and carry on w/ your passion on the side. Look for ways where you can turn a serious hobby into a side job. The book 'Money Mastery' has some good principles and practices in it Live well. That doesn't mean keeping up with Jones; be wise, stay real. Enjoy life, pleasure doesn't have to cost much. Really the best part of life is connecting with others. Enjoy the fruits of the season. Always be a tourist, looking at things and people with interest. Saving money.. learn to like water and to cook healthy and well. I tell my kids the water drinker ends up richer and healthier. A part of happiness is having no debt and nice nest egg. Force yourself to save a bit of each paycheck (when you close to debt free). The standard advice of putting money regularly into non-correlated assets is good. Slightly better is to ride the big waves of change. But if you go that route you have to pay closer attention and know when to get off the wave. For example, natural gas prices are historically low right now on account of some big finds in the U.S and Canada. Natural Gas Pipe lines companies like Oneok (OKS) and Kinder Morgan (KMP) pay about 5.5 to 6.5% dividends. Buy'em, have dividends re-invested, forget about them. In 10 years if the price is the same, you'll have 60 or 70% more stock due to the re-investment. You may have an investment that'll be paying you the equivalent of 15 to 20% yearly interest on your money, but it took 10 years for that miracle of compounded interest to happen. Odds are natural gas stock prices will be much higher by then because coal and nuclear plants are being shut down and/or converted into natural gas plants. I could be wrong, individual companies can go bankrupt for myriad reasons and the futures hard to predict. Still the rewards of a good solid growing investment are such that they can mean the difference between a comfortable old age and one that lacks. Its not love of money, but intelligent use of it. Like the cave taoist knows his environment and the seasons, and urban taoist should know what bears fruit in there world. How to take advantage of it and flow with its cycles. I almost didn't write that last line, 'take advantage of it', struck me as somehow selfish. But life isn't a zero sum game. Don't degrade the environment but we can take advantage of it in order to have a better life. Breaking out of win/lose calculations into win/win thinking is the way of truest growth. my 2 cents

Ditto, also 4rth sword is D'Artignan . TMTOMH

Apparently the 'mirage' isn't that the buildings are appearing out of nowhere, rather its the fog is making the buildings look like they are floating in the mist. ie the buildings are indeed there, the fog is makes them look really cool though. Thats my understanding of what I've read and the pics I've seen anyway.

You're comparing Taoism to Jediism?? Jedi as in Star Wars, the movies? Uh..generally there is less use of muppets in Taoism. There are s few other differences as well. Keep up your studies.

If you judge a master by his students, then he looks lousy. The 'attackers' don't seem composed before during or after. I'm highly skeptical about how he'd do in any kind of sparring. Unless I knew a lot more about the 'master' I find his abilities in doubt. I think some of these utube guys have skill, but because its too subtle for the camera, they get creative. Whats worse is if he's raising a cadre of students who believe they have repulsive power.

Healing Tao USA had a cool article on 'Going Bigu'. Michael Winn also writes about experiencing Bigu when he'd stay in Taoist caves for a few days. No food or water, urine was allowed. To me the 'top guys' eat naturally, often going in and out of bigu. Just by listening to there bodies. Sometimes going days without eating just because they don't feel like it.

I see your point and at one time in my life would have whole heartedly agreed. These days I'm of a mind that action is way better then wishes or prayers. The fact that Mewtwo is asking speaks well of Donovan, I can honestly say I wish him peace and justice. That justice could mean him staying in jail, I have no idea. More importantly I don't think it effects the situation a whit. Not to D., not to the universe. Maybe if I had more passion, or 'juice' it would be different. Course I'm getting old and crotchety Michael

Personally, I find it hard to pray for someone I don't know, who's in a situation I have no idea about. Even to send good wishes seems disingenuous because I honestly don't know if he deserves them. Not to mention I doubt my good wishes carry much weight in the universe, much less to Donovan Smith. Really..if you tell him 'Michael on the tao bums wishes him well', will that bring him good cheer? Still, I like the name, Donovan Smith, it has a nice flow to it. Its Irishly cheerful, yet anonymous. Good luck Mr. Smith, may you have mercy and clemency if the Universe decrees it so.

Posted Today, 04:15 PM View PostSloppy Zhang, on 17 June 2011 - 01:01 PM, said: The lowest. in your world not mine The Lowest might be wiser then you think. The people who 'just sit' or 'just stand' or 'just serve' probably go as far as anyone. As you read through threads you'll find an interesting argument that pops up regularly. Its concerning energy work. There are two schools of thought (actually hundreds, but forget that for now), one body of thought is do Something, ie get the micro-cosmic orbit flowing, power up the channels, clean out the chakras-rotate'em merge'em fuse'em etc. Lots of techniques. The other school is sit down, shut up, meditate. Spend enough time on the mat, maybe some supplements with a few techniques but nothing forced. Then when the orbits open its for real. There are talented proponents for both paradigms. As I get older, I'm switching more to the sit down, shut up school. If you aim for a 'legendary' teacher, be sure you're at the right caliber to study with them. Beginning requirements are a few hours of meditation a day, minimum. You're not going to get much out of it unless you've got years of serious practice under your belt.