thelerner

Peter keep checking the <People Now in Chat Room> while you are online. You are online now, and missed a great conversation w/ MatthewQi. Your perspective is always welcome and live conversation kicks it up a notch. Peace Michael

Einstein spent his last 20 years searching for TOE, the Theory of Everything, why don't we spend some time working on POE, the Practice of Everything, or Practice of Enlightenment. Lets try to do it democratically, come up things that most could agree on. I'd also rather keep it light on philosopny and heavier on practice. I'd also like people to be conscious that a beginners way is different then an intermediates and advanced. I'd like posts to keep that in mind. Light on philosopny but some has to enter in. For example; are we in latter heaven a multitude of opportunities for happeness and enlighenment or is a world of illusion and suffering. I like the idea of latter heaven. The root of most suffering is the ego screaming for things to be some Other way, when really its pretty good here. Ofcourse there no denying we're physical beings and that physical pain and deprivation can be a bitch. On the practice side, I'd say the near term goal is a trinity of quiet mind, superior health and contentment. For a beginner what should they do? Peace Michael

Confession, I haven't done it. I tell/yell/plead at my kids daily to try a fruit/vegetable/noncandy saying It won't kill you its good for you. I assume I'll try urine one of these days. But the will is weak, particularly in the morning. But spring is here, a time for new beginnings. Things I've learned. Urine is distilled, in that there is no bad bacteria in it. It probably is good for us. Its interesting that the ancient Indian advice is in line w/ Michael Winn's technique of not drinking the first or last third. A technique he used while fasting in taoist caves. A 'purist' like Ron drinks it straight and swears by it. There are books on it. I paged through one a few years ago. It is a bizarre practice. But it is a long life and there should be time to try and evaluate everything. Peace Michael

Lets think about 24 minutes in the morning for a beginner. Kinda symbolic, one minute for every hour of the day. I'd say a few minutes of vigorous shaking, starting with vigorous wrist turns until the whole body shakes and the back of the heels pound lightly and naturally. This is a great practice to relax the body, open the joints and create a good vibrational state Then 15 or 20 minutes of ocean breathing, standing w/ hands 'cupping' the hara and as you breath in, the hands move to the side. Expanding as if you were in waist deep water a wave comes and makes your hand float effortlessly up and to your side. Then as the 'wave' recedes your hand go back to hara w/ the feeling of an ocean wave going infinately inside, til you breath out again and repeat. Peace Michael

Be young w/ an old soul. Happy Bday Michael

I've been getting more into my juicer. Nothing to fancy. A carrot juice here or there w/ the some other herb added. My favorate is probably a small granny smith apple and piece of ginger. I juicem then put'em over ice and seltzer w/ a few drops of vanilla and a sprinkle of nutmeg on top. Its a fantastic homemade gingerale. Peace Michael I want to work on a good home brew rootbeer this summer. Probably Sassparilla bark and root, licorice, wintermint and burdock in brandy for two weeks, mix w/ some honey and try it over seltzer water.

Matthew, I see you take Nexium. You know the company that makes Nexium also makes OTC Prilosec. They are very similar drugs, they work the same way and are chemically very close. I think they also did a Claritin to Claritex switch when that patent came due. From what I heard, when the patent on Prilosec was up, they made it Over The Counter and came out w/ heavily marketed Nexium. Cost difference $18 a month vs $100+. Effectiveness difference, neglible. Try Prilosec, like Nexium it should be taken every day. From what a doctor has told me it can be used every day. I find it works just as well at a fifth the cost. Google it to double check, but its worked well for me and others. Peace Michael

Our fame spreads

I took Shotokan Karate for few years, Taekwondo for a few years, and Aikido for 13 years. I find the teacher is more important then the particular martial art. Don't have preconceived notions. Take a look at the martial art schools closest to your house. See several classes of each one, try to see beginner and advance classes. Don't be overly impressed by flash, hype or high kicks. Long term contracts are also a bad sign. Are the senior students talented and sincere? Peace Michael

I'm like Spyrelix, I know whole grains are better, and try to get them when available but basically I'm a Grainivore. Peas Michael Probably healthier to keep even healthy grains to a miniumum and mostly do fruits and veggies and chocolate

Tenqzake, you are describing my old Sensei's use of 'old fashioned' Kiatsu. I've been hit many times and it never felt as painful as his Kiatsu sessions ;0 . Part of it had to be some sort of endorphin release after he was done. Again he was old school, its since lightened up a good deal. Ron recommended a pressure point book that looked quite good. I'm fine, but I regularly use some of Anne Wises Healing Guided Meditations. I don't know how effective they are, but they feel really good. Peace Michael

I'm glad you started this post. It is remarkable that we talk so little about Healing, in both theory in practice. The laying on of hands crosses wide swaths of culture. In Ki-Aikido, we had Kiatsu, which as I understand has evolved from hard finger pressure (painful) along muscle lines, to a lighter energy touch. I find it interesting in Qaballic healing it is important that the healer does not intend to heal. He is just there, laying on hands with no intent. Hmmn, getting out of there ego's way? or more of a thy will and power not my own? Peace Michael

Chat room rocked. It was great to hear live from so many people. When it get real busy I wonder if other 'Rooms" are available. One way to slow things down might be to ask a question and let the person know that you will spend a few minutes listening. Agree to give someone the 'floor' for some depth. Not always but sometimes. Give the shy and slow typists a break. Having different colors also makes it easier to trace voices when the room is full. Yawn ]Peace Michael More then anything this is what the Taoist world needs HT & Bums

There is one song, Communion With Sun, on the RA album by Utopia. Yoda, you really should listen to it, I think it would be your bag. Peace Michael

Excellent I got to talk today at 9:35 to the mellow and advanced MattthewQi. Its nice to chat live. It would be even better to have more of you lugs on board. I don't know if I;ll be able to make this Sundays 1:00 Pacific meeting. Probably not, I think 1 pacific is 11 a.m when my wife and I work out. One helpful hint. Be willing to type, 'go on I'll listen for a while'. This gives people the chance to communicate ideas beyond one liners. I highly recommend using it in any electronic conversation. Peace Michael

That is so simple. Sleep outside, watch the stars, be close to the Earth. Simple, deep and natural, as soon as it warms up, I'll have to try it. Peace Michael

You are all worthless and weak. This is day 3 where I have patiently waited. Typing nonsense to myself and no one was on the Live Chat. When I entered at 9:30 central time, ah Matthew Qi was there. I could even see a Private message from him asking me to chat. But I typed and tried to private message him back. No use. He didn't respond. Another 25 minutes spent mulling around watching the blank screen. I assume Matthew couldn't see my typing. Does Live Chat work. Do I care anymore. The answer to these and other questions will be asked in the future. Peas Michael

I have her Fusion I, two CD tape. There are 4 guided meditations on it, each about 26 minutes. Some of them are Paqua oriented, ie see the 4 paqua diamond spinning. Collecting the different energies into the center. In that way, I think she is more Winn oriented (I havent studied Chia's Fusion). I find the paqua visualizations to be difficult. But they get easier as you work with them. Some of the Fusion routines feel like deep psychoanalysis. To me they're the best taoist deal imagineable. The biggest bang for the buck I've gotten. Peace Michael Minke's Tao Basics CD is still my all time favorite. I have 3 of her breathing CD's. My favorite on there is Circular breathing.

People try to get online to chat at 9:30 central time or come up w/ a better time period. Also keep your eye on your New Messages(top right). If you see other people are online, Private Message them and go to Chat. When you're on Chat stay on for a few minutes so you don't end up being Chatters passing in the nite. Peas Michael

Aargh, I was here all alone at 9:30 for the chat room. Where was everyone else? Peas Michael

Ron you're always tilting at windmills you have absolutely zero control over. Personally if I wasn't Jewish I wouldn't have my kids circumcised, after all if nature put it there who am I cut it off. I've been to 4 jewish circumcisions. They tend to be big events, w/ lots of relatives. Two at my own home for my two sons. Its very fast, one child cried a little bit, the other didn't cry at all. Both got a few drops of wine into there mouths before the cutting which lasted about 4 seconds. There's a short ceremony, welcome to the tribe etc. a party and every is happy. The notion of Rabbis of giving blow jobs sounded like the usual slander. One its gross, two antiseptic, three duh blood is taboo to jews. So I looked into it. Here's what I found out. There was a practice w/ some basis in the Talmud of Rabbi's 'cleaning' the wound orally. They'd have a mixture of wine and sometimes Cumin in there mouths when they'd do it and would spit out immediately. The practice fell increasingly out of favor in 1900's. Its very rare to see it today except in cases of very eccentic and/or very orthodpx mohels. \ Most Jewish eccentricities have some health benefits. You Have to wash your hands before meals, there are certain times you Have to take bath(mikva), pigs were the trash disposers in medieval time, deliscious but diseased. Most, though not all 'commandments and customs' have some outer value, usually of cleanliness, far ahead of their time. Its a stretch, but maybe wine and cumin have some antispetic properties, before the 19th century maybe a mans mouth was as clean or cleaner then whatever dirt rags they had around. In my internet searchings, I found problems happen in 20 out of 1,000 circumcisions. 18 out of 20 of those being benign, infections that go away. 2 out of 1000 are more serious. On the other hand a reduction in penile cancer(not that it happens very often), more importantly nowadays a probable reduction in veneral disease, and a condition that strikes 7 out of 1000 uncircumcised men that I forget the name of I am now immune too. On the third hand, I do think its a racket and dishonest for any hospital to do a circumsision without the prior knowledge and consent of mother and family. Is it a big deal, not really. On the lists of injustices its pretty far down. Anyway, I'm circumcized, the equiptment seems to work pretty well. Though I've always suspected the female orgasm is more powerful then male. Peas Michael P.S You don't mention if your tool is tailored or not Actually, I don't want to know

Peter I see your online NOW, if you see this Now, go to Live Chat. Peace Michael Its 9:35 my time in Chicago, c central USA

Give us some details, man. Where did you get the colloidal gold from? How much was it? How many ounces do you get? I remember in college there was mint shnapps that had gold flakes in it. At the time, drinking 'gold' was taking Japan by storm. Peace Michael