sean

chris, what's the latest status? rv, have you experimented with "view new content". seems like the replacement for "recent posts". re: android. can you let me know what exactly happens, e.g., does it say forum offline? or does it not show up at all? thanks, sean

ok. that took way longer than i expected. hopefully i worked out all the main kinks tho. please post any issues you have in this topic here. thanks, sean

steve, i've always found you to be an extremely balanced and clear-minded member of the community here. i jumped on the opportunity to have you contribute to our mod team, and was simultaneously sad to see you go and happy that you'll have more time for your (many) other sincere life commitments. nothing but immense gratitude for your service here, steve. thank you. *deep bow* sean

try using advanced search: http://www.thetaobums.com/index.php?app=core&module=search put your username in the "find author" box, leave everything else blank. sean

i had this identical problem, same exact location. here is what worked for me: 1. hands up - after my sits, 5 minutes of arms up and (important) shoulders back and down. relax. notice what begins to habitually contract as you fatigue and relax that. 2. back buddy - worked on trigger points, especially around the neck. 3. it starts with food - halfway thru a 30 day challenge with great results. incredible how much inflammation, joint pain can be caused by diet. i'd like to see that too, please. meanwhile, there's this: sean

con mucho gusto, chica bella. at this point it feels almost as though all of the nei/qigong i've learned has been like applying formulas in calculus, and now i am finally being introduced to arithmetic. will do. sean

this is dualistic bullshit: ... Ecstatic shaking radically encourages the practice of wild shamanism, wild religion, wild spirituality, and wild transformative performance. This does not refer to trivial, irresponsible, or unethical behavior. the final sentence (bolded by me) might be called out as a kind of dualism by another (e.g., someone "wilder"), no? in fact this last caveat might be more or less synonymous with what zerostao meant. particularly with its inclusion of the word "trivial". sean

please include a link here to any urls that you attempt to access that give you a warning and i will investigate. thanks. sean

a friend of mine is a carpenter and we've been playing around with seiza-esque bench protoypes. i'm wondering, anyone have any creative ideas for meditation bench, chair, seat innovations? or even just some useful incremental improvements ... thanks, sean

inspiring ideas, thank you! going to try and sketch a prototype this month. sean

i was trying to think of a way to create a really compact bench that is part of a modest bag with straps, so you can carry your seat around and it doubles as a messenger/laptop bag. sean

thank you!

meep meep. thanks for checking up on me cam. not ignoring you at all amigo, i'm just typically quiet(er) in winter and also busybusy with a new business, multitasking new love (!) and my spiritual practices (lol michael), while shirking an overflowing inbox and wanting to carve enough time out to give you something other than a rushed reply old friend. how are you cam, and how is china treating you? will you tell us a bedtime story about something interesting you experienced in 2011? sean facebook.com/sean.omlor <-- friendme

ok, i created a subforum, tentatively titled "yoga - tantra - vedanta discussion": http://www.thetaobums.com/index.php?/forum/184-yoga-tantra-vedanta-discussion/ the title feels a little clumsy, maybe i should shorten it somehow. sean

could a forum titled "non-dual discussion" encompass vedanta, mahayana, neo-advaita, etc? then a forum title "yoga/tantra discussion" for all things indian yoga. thoughts? sean

Buddhist Discussion *deep bow* sean

my main concern is that "buddhist discussion" as a whole big category under "tao lounge" opens the door to requests for additional big categories for many other religions, paths. not sure i want to open that door. could a compromise be a "buddha bums" subforum of "general discussion" or "taoist discussion"? sean

don't leave amigo. just shy away from the drama. sean

Via Did the Chinese discover America? In his new book, "1421: The Year China Discovered America" (William Morrow), Gavin Menzies claims that a massive Chinese fleet of huge junks and support ships made a two-year circumnavigation of the globe, with extensive exploration of the Americas, nearly a century before Magellan and Columbus. Needless to say, his assertion has raised an international flurry of debate. The book has already garnered mixed reviews from the British media, as well as skeptical articles from The New York Times Magazine and Salon.com. Menzies is unfazed by the reviews. Indeed, even he was surprised at the results of his research, he said in an interview in the New York offices of his American publisher, Morrow. Read full article

quiet friend who has come so far, feel how your breathing makes more space around you. let this darkness be a bell tower and you the bell. as you ring, what batters you becomes your strength. move back and forth into the change. what is it like, such intensity of pain? if the drink is bitter, turn yourself to wine. in this uncontainable night, be the mystery at the crossroads of your senses, the meaning discovered there. and if the world has ceased to hear you, say to the silent earth: i flow. to the rushing water, speak: i am. --- rilke (let this darkness be a bell tower) sean

yes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5OQ7B02V8w

i've found noting style vipassana practice prevents spaciness common with stillness meditation. e.g., http://www.buddhistgeeks.com/2010/03/the-yogi-toolbox-%E2%80%9Cpower-tools%E2%80%9D-for-investigating-reality/