sean

Welcome to the forum nature girl.

Jumping into this topic way late. Starjumper, please (re)read the insult policy for The Tao Bums. You can be "yang" in your opinions but stop resorting to name calling immediately. WYG, you've been relatively behaved lately as far as I've seen but I have to say that I think it's rather disrespectful that you posted your own skewed out of context version of Kunlun posture from the book here. [/admin] What is the quality of our energy when we feel self-righteously compelled to tear someone else down? I think everyone has hot spots, certain issues, people, places that act like instant buttons for angry outbursts, insults, sarcasm, rebellious energy, etc. even violence. Masters and students alike. We can't always model appropriateness from our teachers, unfortunately. Spiritual clarity does not instantly confer the ability to fly an airplane, I do not assume it immediately transfers emotional maturity. Personally, I find myself activated like this when I feel that there is a dangerous, manipulative trap hidden behind a person or even within an idea --- yet somehow this person or idea has gained a kind of blinding hold over others, and they are losing or have lost their own way out. A simple example are cults that brainwash people to think unquestioningly within a single perspective. This stuff can really get under my skin and I just feel this compulsion to lash out against the leader(s) and warn others. And perhaps rightly so. Likely there is a useful message within my contempt. Oddly I find that the more powerless I feel to create positive change, the more my response will resemble that of a snarky teenager. "Ughh.. that Huckabee guy is a pathetic dumbass, how can you stand him?" Whereas if I really felt that I had the ear of open minded students or to the leader himself, I would communicate my opinions much more constructively. "Mike, I understand you are passionate about your personal beliefs, but don't you think it's a bit dangerous to bring a fundamentalist religious view into American politics?". In my experience, this forum is filled with really bright people. Perhaps most of us are complete beginners, still I don't find that the majority of us, including those that are being drawn deeply into Kunlun, are naive or especially susceptible to being brainwashed into thinking something just because a teacher says it is so. Our personal experience reigns. On top of that Max (Lama Dorje) is not an inaccessibly remote teacher on a pedestal somewhere. Mantra68, one of his top students is right here on the forum with us and many of our critiques of Max's teaching style I believe have made it directly to Max and been used to effectively alter his presentation. I say this to suggest that there is good reason (besides forum policy) to take the time to communicate any misgivings you may have of him in a constructive manner, as it's quite possible he will hear your feedback and consider it with an open mind. On another note, I don't see what is so unrealistic about the fact that a few simple postures held with the right intention and particularly within the context of a transmission of lineage energy could be enough to lead a student to clarity. Many Buddhist schools have only a single posture. Some Advaita-Vedanta schools do not teach a single posture. Meditation is not a stance. Best, Sean

I may have to put my foot down on this one, but damn they are pretty cute. Sean

I used to have an EEG machine that hooked up to my computer and run experiments via software. Like trying to make your brainwaves visually flow within a certain range or else a buzzer would sound when you went out of bounds. Very interesting process to do this because you have to tap into subtle states that ordinarily do not give you feedback when you move in and out of them. I bought it after going through a 40 session neurofeedback therapy for ADD symptoms. Pretty fun, but I got sick of the whole process of cleaning the electrodes pasting electrodes to my head which left gunk on my scalp, etc. I remember seeing this electrode headset that was advertised as not needing the conductivity paste but it was out of my budget. Anyway, eventually sold it. Damn, now I regret it, I kind of miss that thing. I forgot the model I had but I think it was supposed to be $3k but I bought it used for much cheaper. I've read decent things about the Waverider but this was many years ago. Sean

Big GTD fan for a few years now myself. Kind of got obsessed with implementation for awhile to the detriment of productivity but I hear that is a common phase. Finally settled on moleskin and gmail as primary collection buckets and evernote for organizing projects, next actions, collecting somedaymaybes and tagging notes/reference material. Here is a great recent overview video by the man himself: Qo7vUdKTlhk Even just the concept of not using your mind/brain to store/remember things was big for me too and it instantly became a habit. I still cringe when I am talking to someone and action steps come up for them and they don't write anything down, saying "I'll remember". Sean

I would like the option to eat them, particularly if they cross me.

I've been waiting for this one to come out. I think I even wrote him about when it will be published but never heard back: The following new book contains the Different Schools of Training Daoist Alchemy, the Three Cultivation Methods, Five Postnatal Energetic Transformations, Principles of Daoist Dao Yin Training, Yin and Yang Dao Yin Transformational Methods, Understanding Dao Yin Harmony, Energetic and Spiritual Manifestations, Shengong Cultivation Methods, Nourishing and Strengthening the Shen, Housing the Shen, Combining the Shen with the Respiration, Combining the Shen with the Qi, Three Training Levels of Ancient Daoist Mysticism: The Level of Man (Rooting Qi into the Lower Dantian, Circulating Qi through the Seas of Yang and Yin, Macrocosmic Orbit, Regulating the Qi of the Wu Xing, Fusion of the Eight Trigrams, Activating the Belt Vessel, Fusing and Energizing the Taiji Pole, Creating & Controlling the Immortal Fetus), The Level of Earth (description and examples) and The Level of Heaven (description and examples), Introduction to External and Internal Cultivation, External Cultivation Methods, Internal Cultivation Methods, Daoist Five Yang and Yin Organ Exercises, the Daoist Turtle Breathing Technique used for Gathering Qi, Five Yin Organ Energetic Manifestations, and the Old Man and the Tide Pool exercise. Sean

A close friend of mine recently got back from Peru where he participated in an ahayuasca ceremony with shamans there. His report was incredible, many revelations and lifelong patterns healed ... even now a few months later he is still reporting positive developments. Got me interested, if I went I would want to check out this guy's project, check it out he is building a pyramid: http://www.pyramidperu.com Sean

Via Living in Three Centuries: The Face of Age The photographs for this portrait series were taken in various locations around the world between 1987 and 2005. The Gerontology Research Group estimates there are 250,000 centenarians (people 100 years and older) currently living in the world. In rare instances, people live to 110 years and beyond, inspiring a new demographic label: supercentenarian. See more photographs Via Notes on Aging on same website The Common Characteristics of Supercentenarians Nearly all people who live to be 100 or older have long-lived relatives. A man with a sibling who lives to 100 years of age is 17 times more likely to live to 100 himself. Children of long-lived people also tend to have marked delays in the onset of cardiovascular disease. Most of these supercentenarians said they made no conscious effort to eat nutritiously, and many simply stated that they just ate what they grew and raised on the farm. Nearly all supercentenarians have been lean for their entire lives, some naturally and some intentionally. While some supercentenarians did drink alcohol, and several drank hard liquor, many never drank at all. Although most never smoked, one has a long history of smoking tobacco, and another used snuff for 103 years. Many of these supercentenarians did not see a doctor until they were in their 90s. Some for lack of money, but more often, they just weren't sick or injured enough to warrant a visit. Several, who had seen a doctor only a handful of times or never, also stated that they had never taken any medication. Many supercentenarians, when in their early 100s, were mobile and quite active physically, mentally and socially, and able to live independently. Perhaps the most outstanding characteristic of long-lived people is a tendency to not react to stress with excessive worry. These people tend to like living, many are deeply spiritual, and most have a well-developed sense of humor.

Via The great fall of China The most important story to come out of Washington recently had nothing to do with the endless presidential campaign. And although the media largely ignored it, the story changes the world. The story's unlikely source was the staid World Bank, which published updated statistics on the economic output of 146 countries. China's economy, said the bank, is smaller than it thought. About 40% smaller. China, it turns out, isn't a $10-trillion economy on the brink of catching up with the United States. It is a $6-trillion economy, less than half our size. For the foreseeable future, China will have far less money to spend on its military and will face much deeper social and economic problems at home than experts previously believed. What happened to $4 trillion in Chinese gross domestic product? Full story Sean

See full instructions here

Yup, I've organized all the questions here into something resembling a coherent set of interview questions and sent them to Jack. He is in the process of getting his responses back to me, but I believe he is a bit busy amidst Holiday madness. Stay tuned, I won't forget about you neimad. Sean

Merry Christmas!

Ok, Cameron, mikaelz and Wun Yuen Gong, you guys are suspended from the forum for 7 days. The rules here are really simple, have been recently reposted and are not difficult to follow. This isn't a frat house it's a sacred space I've put a lot of time and heart into creating. When/if you come back, please change your approach and start treating The Tao Bums like a temple filled with many intelligent, sincere spiritual seekers from many paths and many walks of life. You take your shoes off before you enter. Sometimes there will be people and opinions you won't like, and sometimes those voices will sound the loudest. But you trust that Sean is conscious of how he is running this temple, and that it's only a matter of time before members that are consistently disrespectful are asked to take a break or leave permanently. You respect your Tao brother Sean and you don't let your emotions distract you from your commitment to speak to members with utmost respect, and to generally behave like you are in a friend's temple. </rant> Thanks, Sean

This kind of thing has happened before. Not nearly as extremely, but TTB does seem to go through different phases where a bunch of members are obsessed with a certain practice or teacher. A few years ago the big thing was emptiness vs form based practices, with endless discussions going over every angle and permutation, Michael Winn vs. Bill Bodri vs. Nan Huai-Chin vs visualization vs. sitting and forgetting vs. alchemy, etc, etc. Last year a few of us went through some, hmm, "intense stuff" for lack of a better way of explaining it while regularly attending Adyashanti satsangs and intensives. Kind of collectively took our ground away, shook identities up and made it difficult for me at least to even relate as a "self" to people in person let alone on this forum. That was another weird phase. I think all Cam did was post Adyashanti Youtube videos and one liners during that period (I preferred that Cam). This Kunlun thing is unique though in that it's the first time I am aware that core members of TTB have been really swept up by such emotional feelings of energetic transformation with a particular teaching and particular master. I'm just here riding the wave. TTB is here to stay. In thirty years I think we will be calmly debating obscure translations of Laozi, since we will all know Chinese by then, and we will just smile at newbies who are still looking for the perfect teacher and the perfect practice to love them forever. I do anticipate a bit of a discussion lull when the need for a dozen Kunlun topics fades from this forum, but I think a lot of the more thoughtful members of TTB are also kind of waiting for the Kunlun surge to settle a bit before going back to our ordinary discussions. Does anyone remember ordinary? "Ordinary mind is the Way" -- Nansen Sean

This is why I think it makes sense to make book purchase tied in with forum membership. That way it's not just an arbitrary payment for forum access, it's just that you need to own the book to be part of the discussion. There could also be a second level to the forum available only to those that have attended seminars. ie: Lobby (anyone, including guests can post) Pillars of Bliss (general members area for people who at least own book) Golden Dragon (people who have attended at least one seminar) Alien Mothership (for members who have returned from alien space voyages) etc. Sean

WYG, even in your post above you still got your potshots in, accusing people of coming here to get rich off Kunlun and that members drawn to Kunlun are all suckers. Can you understand why you are annoying people that are not even into Kunlun? I really do hope that you mean it when you say that you've said your piece and can drop your anti-agenda, because from my perspective it's way more driven than anyone's supposed promotional agenda. I also think you consistently underestimate the sophistication of the members here and their ability to intelligently make up their own minds about what they practice and what is working for them. If you go back and read the first big topic about Kunlun you will see that most members here tactfully discussed critiques of Kunlun from various angles. And as far as I can tell the members here that are exploring Kunlun practice more deeply are doing so because the practice is creating meaningful transformation in their lives. If you have direct experience with Kunlun practice, or for some reason feel that you have a more advanced understanding of certain dangers or pitfalls to Kunlun practice you are welcome to bring these up constructively in a non-spammy, non thread-derailing way. But I am wary to even suggest this though because frankly I sense that your distaste for Kunlun uproots you and irritates your intentions and is causing you to project that irritating energy back out. I think we all have reactions like this to certain teachers/teachings. In my experience it pays more to work on these personal issues and get to a point where you at least OK with what your are resisting before repeatedly offering criticisms. Otherwise what you say is so clearly filled with personal emotional agenda it's worse than useless. Best, Sean [edit] Ugghhh... Alright WYG, you made the above post while I was writing this one. You are just not getting it and I'm sorry but you are like 30 seconds away from being banned. This is your last warning.

I just pm'd you Mantra. I'm hesitant to create a Kunlun-only subforum here because I think part of the vibe here is that The Tao Bums is system agnostic, it's more for discussing how each of our paths intersect. Creating a kunlun-only forum would kind of open the floodgates to potentially creating dozens of other subforums for all the other great systems people are approaching, you know? I'm totally wiling to help setup and even moderate if needed a kunlun forum over at kunlunbliss.com. The idea about the paid access had more to do with the way the next incarnation of the pillars of bliss BOOK be distributed. Instead of selling it as a paperback, I suggested making the book digital and cost $25 one time or even yearly to get access to, with the understanding that its a work in progress and you will get access to free updates, etc. We could even automatically give free access to anyone who has already purchased the paperback by importing the Lulu purchase database with the membership software database, so people who already paid for the paperback and have limited funds don't have to pay again. Sean

I think it's a cool idea, in fact I've been talking with Mantra about doing whatever I can to help him setup and manage a forum on kunlunbliss.com. I think his concern is that he is too busy too really maintain a forum there. Another idea I've been trying to get him interested in but so far no bites, is instead of selling the pillars of bliss just as a paperback, making it a "living document" online that you pay, you know, $10-25 one time or even per year or something to get access to it, and it's refined and updated here and there as the teaching evolves, with a growing question/answer FAQ, maybe access to a members-only section of the forum, etc. That way its not such a big deal to release a whole new version of the book in print form, if something is not working, they can just go in and reword a paragraph or two, add a picture here and there. Sean

Server went down hard earlier today. I upgrade to another 1gb of RAM, hopefully that keeps things running smoothly. Sean

Yeah, I noticed my hands were shaking a little too. I just chugged a cold beer, that seemed to help. Sean

Hey WYG, why don't you just put in your forum signature that you are skeptical of Kunlun, think their marketing is over the top, that your questions have not been answered yet, whatever, etc, etc. Just lay out your whole schtick preferably minus the sarcasm and snarkiness. I estimate it would save you from making about 95% of your posts and us from having to read the same content-less potshots over and over. Sean

Yeah, I caught that too. Not sure what that was. I rebooted the server and it went back to normal. Sean

Yes, numbers have been increasing rapidly. It was just a few of us to start. Let me see if I can remember ... in no particular order some of the earliest members were: Cameron, Yoda, Trunk, BobD, Max, Peter Falk, sunshine, Thelerner, SheepishLord, Pietro, spyrelx, mbanu, Ron Jeremy, Ian, MatthewQi, rex, Ron Jeremy, Mitch, vidiami, turbo, Harry Pain, IanB, hagar, GrandTrinity, RedKooga, DustWalker, neimad, VCraigP, Tenguzake ... Lozen, cat and freeform were in here pretty early too. Sorry, I'm sure I am forgetting a bunch of people. Sean

Hey waitaminute! Are you just trying to trick me into deleting a topic after I said I never do that?!