thelerner

Its not about being a good ass or bad ass. You have a chip on your shoulder. I think it will keep you from being a good teacher or communicating what you wish to. Michael

Mu Tea I ordered Mu tea also, waited, then got an empty tin. I called the company. A man with a chinese accent answered. "There was nothing in the tin you just mailed me" "Yes" said the man. I waited for him to say something else, he didn't. "It was empty, nothing was in it" I complained. "Yes" answered the man. I waited for an apology. Just silence. I raised my voice, "I'm a little upset. I ordered the Mu tea. Its supposed to be good for digestion, lose weight, meditate better, clear your mind", by the end I was almost screaming to this idiot. "Shhh, Shhh, you need more Mu" he said. "Yes" I said "I'll send you bigger tin. Mu will help you relax, clear mind" he said "Yes" "Same address and credit card number?" he asked "Yes", I said, the added "Will this one be empty too?" "Yes, Mu" he said. I considered. "I'll take two"

When it comes to human perspectives and actions truth can be awfully subjective. The question 'Are You enlightened?' is as loaded as a gun and the answer is going to say more about the listener then the asked. The same person asked, 'Are We enlightened right now?' may well smile back and say 'Yes, you understand'. Beware assumptions. Also after 13 years of practice and Nidan rank I am much akido, not some The root of modern Jewish tradition(hey we're 3000 years + old so its not an oxymoron) is that of the householder path. Finding the sacred in the ordinary and living now, in this world. No monasteries or caves. If the Chinese guy who dropped being a doctor to spend 10 years writing the TTC had a Jewish mother he'd be told; 'Meshuganeh, be a doctor, help people, then bill them. Get married and have some kids. You want to find the path, its right under your feet.' Ones path must help others, otherwise it lacks heart. Michael

If you put enlightenment on such a grandiose scale, "endless power, absolute truth, infinite peace, boundless compassion, incalculable luminosity, indestructible bliss, unchangeable happiness... Unsurpassable" then your not going to have many people in a generation who pass the test. I happen think a modern Buddha can as likely be a bum as a business man. I see people who I consider enlightened. You can go with big names like, Tolle, Advai, and dozens like them. You can go with people here on the board, guys like MatthewQi (sorry to drag you into this) who quietly calmly say, they're enlightened; and you know what I believe them. They don't have endless power and I don't know how to calculate incalculable luminosity. But they have something precious. They're complete. Good enough for them, good enough for me. Bodhi was famous for trying to judge levels of enlightenment. To me thats just an ego game. We all have tastes of it. Some more, some less. I have great respect for Buddhism. I'm sure we can all agree that the Buddha actually was Jewish. Isn't the heart of his teaching to try his practice with a clear mind, not to codify or gospelize it. well yada yada yada. Its late, there is enlightenment in eating when hungry and going to sleep when tired. Sorry I didn't have a chance to catch you for Live Chat Michael

Are we really talking percentages here? If I listen to a piece of music that I really like, isn't my mind(or lack thereof) in the same place as the mind of an enlight?ened? Same as when I'm relaxed and see the sky or anything that strikes the chord of beauty. Aren't we in the same place then? Isn't it desires and mind clutter that separate me from the enlightenment? Do the enlightened just stay in that place longer? Good luck to those who seek 10 year cave enlightenment. I think they're sorely tested when they leave the monastery or cave. Can we all agree you can be enlightened and still very screwed up? The path to enlightenment is litered with the paranoid and delusional. One of the keys that the West has found (and maybe all great guru's knew instinctively) is that there needs to be internal psychological balance. Enlightenment, powers, satori are no proof that one is a complete human being. Meditation and Juice are not enough. The enlightened person who cannot sit in a coffee shop, enjoy a good hot chocolate and carry on conversation with a friend has lost far more then they've gained. Michael Whoa while typing this SeanD typed his, want to take this live chat gentlemen? Michael

To get into Thorntons stuff seems to be about being alive and injured. Sort of like being mugged only costs you $80, but the cost of hospital bills and time out of work cost you $1,000's. Real has problems. Michael Course I'm slackard Aikidoist, often our favorite technique was kuchiwaza. Tonque technique practiced to avoid strenous workouts and over beer. Though it should be said, skillful kuchiwaza has saved many a life & limb.

In Aikido we did a lot of sitting seiza (zazen). I like it, but like the lotus it takes practice and unless you're a real light weight I don't think its ever painfree after a certain period. Matter of fact I don't think its numbness free unless you've done it since you're a kid and developed rounded veins (my sensei's theory). But you can sit through the pain and numbness. The secret for going longer painfree is to sit as lightly as possible, as though there's silk between your butt and ankles and you just want to touch it. Its great for keeping your back straight and breathing big. Maybe its half way between active standing and passive sitting. Michael

I really like Tolle's teaching. When I read them I get a nice sense of calm. His words and presence are certainly enlightened but in the long run I don't know how tranformative it is. His teachings are by no means radical or new, they're the basis of much Buddhism and certainly Krishnamurti was 'preaching' the same thing 60 years ago. I admire the German mystic, but he is so different in temperament and lifestyle that its harder to fully connect with him. I listen to Michael McAllistair on Theinfinitesmile.com. Here is an enlightened(?) person speaking the dharma, but he's married, has a dog, lives in the states, watches basketball. Mostly the same message, but the messenger is living a life closer to mine. Michael

When on the floor I find a firm cushion (zafu) is a must. It raises the butt, helps the spine stay straight and allows for longer more comfortable sitting. Even after years of sitting I have to keep vigilant about a 'lazy' lower back, that slumps if I don't watch it. Other then that I keep a pretend elastic cord going along my back up my head and down my back fairly taut. Another running across my shoulders a bit stretched, my chin slightly down, eyes closed and I'm ready to rock. Michael For most of my guided meditations I lie down on the bed. I like having a soba kawa pillow lying on my chest and stomach sometimes another propping up my knees. Its nice to have a soft herbal eye pillow on my eyes too. Large headphones on the ears and I'm ready to zone out to where ever they take me. The Archaeous series by Rawn Clark I listen to standing up.

I had some thoughts about saving some when my kids were born, but somehow saying, excuse me doctor and shoving a bloody veiny mess into a baggy didn't seem apprapo. Nor did explaining why I needed it for the staff, "I need it to brew a drink". "No don't take my baby away" Michael

You mention string, but I've always thought there is greater spirituality to wood wind instruments, since they're tied so intimately with your breath. The breath control they teach is valuable to the meditator and martial artist. Also if you have to hit a music critic on the head a wood wind has a much better chance of surviving then a string instrument. Michael

Good luck finding the human placenta. As I remember Daniel Reid likes it to be dried. If you have extra, I hear its very healthy to chew. Be careful though since cannibalism is illegal in some states. Complicated as it is, Reid has an even more complicated Spring Wine recipie con human placenta in his Health, Sex and Longevity book. Michael

Karen, You're right of course. You should coin the term ITDS, Its The Diet Stupid. Why the arthritis, the Gerd, the fatness, the aches, pains, the premature aging, the cancers, the strokes? You can mask it with drugs, massage it a little herbs, but ITDS. Proper diet isn't a cure all, but its a cure most. I'm smart enough to realize it, but too dumb to put it into practice long term. Michael Actually thats great tittle for a diet book. ITDS. Ofcourse after write, I'd be exposed, the pictures of me stuffing would twinkies down my throat would hurt sales.

As I understand it, a drug company made prilosec, it was a very popular once a day acid controller. When its patent was up they made it Over The Counter and released the expensive Nexium, which was chemically very similar, but they could get a new patent on. I'll get some more noni. Are you using the straight stuff or premixed with juice? Michael

Great site Matthew. I've used apple cider vinegar in the past. I think it worked well. I've heard it described as the best cure all for the buck. The problem with life is you try things and even if they work well, you take them for granted and forget about them, only to rediscover them anew. Michael

I've been out of it for a while, but in Aikido there were still deschi 'live in' programs available. There are a couple of yoga programs that are deschi like. They might seem cultish from the outside but they are the fastest way to learn the art and spirit of the practice. Michael

Hi Cat, Soo long ago. How the past comes back to haunt us. After a few days my stomach acid came back as bad as usual. Gentle herbal remedies like noni and licorice didn't work. Strict dieting did. Going veggie as well as its opposite Atkins !? I didn't stay on either diet long enough for long term results, thus I'm a long term prilosecerian. Michael p.s About the child. After many bouts of strep we found out he was strep 'carrier'. He was also usually stuffed up and had a hard time breathing at night. Doctors recommended taking out his large tonsils. We avoided it for a year. Then did it. Great decision. Strep and night gasping went away.

Pitfalls-Guru shopping. Is it? Are we one guru, one book, one concept from knowing the truth? Seeing behind the curtain? Quiet mind. Nice, essential. But its what makes the few existing thoughts hammer with enough intensity to drive us to paranoia & insanity. The world is ... Is this the ultimate pitfall/paradox; The world is... Michael

Hey Wayfarer, Just darker late night musings. Unless I'm wise enough to meditate and clear my head, my Sunday nights get clogged with thoughts great and otherwise. Michael

From the house holder (type training) perspective, the doctor who dabbles is worth more then deep solo cultivator. There is certainly room in the world for both, but the person who stays a doctor is connected with people and helping people. So what if he can only meditate 1 hour a day instead of 5 or 6. So what if he reads fewer books. The motions of life are the tests and the playing field. I'm not sure what we can take with us once we're dead. Something between bliss with God and food for maggots. IMHO we can't identify so much with an Ism that we turn our backs to our family, friends or community. Because the ism is or maybe its not. Michael

I've always thought true wealth is being happy with what you have. I don't think money, having or not having as a litmus test to spirituality. You can be obsessed with money and things, but you can also stink of zen with pungent ripe humility. Michael There is an old gate in Jerusalem called the eye of the needle. Its narrow but you can get a camel through it. I have great respect for the monastic tradition, but I also see the value (maybe greater value) of us norms. Maybe its a matter of the cycles of life, being student, soldier, lover, entreupreneur, monk...

In a totally different direction- How much man, how much myth do you ascribe to Lao Tzu. Many think, including Winn I believe, that the Old Man, is a conglomerate of Taoist thoughts by different people at different times. That riding off into the sunset and/or immortality is the mythic imbellishments that we need to truly believe in something, beyond there plain worth. Michael

Umn, Sheepish, I know there's a smiley faced icon next to the comment but how serious are you when you say "I tell you truthfully, since 9/11 I have been praying every day for more terrorist attacks in the hope that they will drive people out of this town and lower the cost of living. True, I may get killed too, but quite frankly I have never been very impressed with my existence. " ?? Michael

In college I read up on meditation and mysticism. I'd practice vispasana meditation. Later I did Aikido and they had various breathing exercises and meditation styles. Gi gong interested me because it made such extravagant promises. I read Glenn Morris's 'Pathnotes of Ninja Grandmaster(bad tittle)' and its description of kundalini and meditative powers' interested me. I took a seminar with Mantak Chia when he was in town. It did seem that the Healing Tao practices started where most practices ended. Instead of 'just' sitting they offered a world (too many?) of practices of movement and sound and opened chinese 5 element philosophy. I started buying Michael Winn's Healing Tao tapes and Videos. I liked them, and eventually took a few live courses at Tao Mountain. I never got into his 5 animals Fundamental Video, but really like the practices and forms on his Fundamental II video. I also got into Minke's guided meditations CDs. Go to the US Healing Tao site and see if it connects. Earlier thoughts of any powers or abilitites and even enlightenment have faded. I simply like the practice. Live teachers are best. There are some good series out there. I think Michael Winns is one. I've heard good things about Ken Cohen's. People here can give you many more names and systems. Yours Michael

How literal are you when you say become an animal. Personally I don't think anyone is capable of were'anythinging out. I have been reading some of Franz Bardons works, particularly essays on him from Rawn Clark. In his hermetics system after gaining a thorough understanding of oneself and ones energy systems and a fair amount of meditation, one explores sending the consciousness into animals and objects. I don't know how much it is imaginary, how much you are really being/sensing through the animal. All Shamanic lineages seem to believe such transference is possible. (Matter of fact thats the basis of one of my stories, Strange Adventures of Arianna). Google 'Rawn Clark'. He has a free guided meditation series called the Archaeous that is quite good (start with the Center of Stillness Meditation). Michael