the buddha & the beast

I have become very interested in accupuncture and I would like to learn more. I have watched videos on youtube about where needles go and about the basic idea of rebalancing the body. Can anybody tell me why it works? I'd also like to know about what areas effect what other areas. I for one would need it for stress, anxiety, and stomach aches. I noticed you can purchase the needles online. Does anybody ever do it on themselves?

I love your question and I feel I will answer it very differently than most. I was surprised to hear people say that you can do nothing because if I understand your scenario correctly, at this time in the story, your mind is still intact, for at least a little while longer and to some extent. In my studies of philosophy, I have found death very interesting and thought about it a lot. If you do not die instantly, your whole life may be summed up at this very important point and I for one would want to feel that I at least did some really awesome things in this world. So in a way, part of that ending would have to do with my life right now. No matter what happens when I am dead, those last moments could be my own personal heaven or hell! Then comes what one can consciously do. Luckily I have felt like I was dying before and I have also been hit by a car Now obviously I didn't die under the car; I didn't even come close to it. But I was pregnant and my leg was being rolled over by how much does a car way again? My one thought in my personal experience was my child. And because of that one thought, I instinctually dragged my body away and that's why the car only got my leg. I also instinctually rolled with the tires which made it hurt much less. I remember yelling but I never cried. And most of my pain was thankfully not comprehendible. Certainly other people would have completely different experiences and I don't know if this is comparable because I didn't feel myself slowly dying here. I've also felt like I was dying but that was either because of a really bad anxiety problem or due to terrible stomach issues I had for most of my life before I cut many things out of my diet. These things may also not be comparable because in both cases, "death" was only in my head. I suppose that between the two experiences, I can partially conclude that I probably would handle the true experience of death a whole lot better than I can handle life . I think that meditation would be my final resort because I could chant one word over and over in my mind while my mind was still capable of doing so and I would attempt to go through the pain and the fear. And I would still think of my daughter and die proud Perhaps reading other people's near-death stories or looking into experiences you have already had will help you to answer your question more thoroughly, as well. Good luck!

Well I must say I feel a little better knowing I'm not the only one who thought of doing it to themself! Thank you all so much for the information. I will continue to read more about this.

I was interested in people's opinions on picking a good school for children. Meditation, open-mindedness, and love are very important to me. Unfortunately, all of the schools I have looked at in my area are really not concerned with these concepts. Any school ideas for my kids? I plan to move in a few years so if anybody knows any good ones, feel free to let me know. Thanks!

I think that it depends. I used to suffer w/o being focused enough to stop it. Now, I am focused but I have a child and kind of feel the need to morn how some things are in this world or at least around here. I used to be able to stop anxiety by saying "everything will be okay because..." but now I feel if someone hurt my daughter, everything wouldn't be okay. Nothing would make that okay. Perhaps the only way for me personally to find peace again is to accept that everything isn't okay and move on despite that. Like perhaps I might have to decide to be okay even though the situation I'm in is not.

That was very informative. I love the story about the Inuit that started with nothing but feces and ended up with a sled! Amazing!

i just had a daughter and want to know what everyone thinks is important in picking a good home. i think i am overprotective of my family. i want the best for my them...not monetarily, but as far as their emotional and physical safety is concerned. it's difficult to get everything you want in where you live where i'm from; still, i thought you guys might have some ideas of how to find what's really important.

einstein...not as a scientist or a mathematician, but as a philosopher

it sounds like you are already in your own hell. but just like you said you got yourself there, you are the one who can change things and get yourself out. i had a really bad childhood & was in a deep depression for a long time, but it is possible to get out of it. a lot of the time, i tried to write my way out of it...and that helped a lot. every time i learned something big enough and wrote it down, some of the pain went away. the final piece, though, was learning to control my mind all together. i had to learn that not even thinking my way out of stuff worked as well as stopping my thinking and just being at peace to begin with. our brains have a million parts and a million chemicals dancing around the million parts and it's no wonder we feel terrible when we let it dictate how we feel. i sincerely hope you keep talking to us and that things for you go nowhere but up, ~The Buddha & The Beast~

for those of us who still struggle to see that everything is one: are there any techniques, thoughts, tools that help you get back to your "calm"?

wow it's really scary watching the population go up like that!

that i can have an ah ha! moment any time i choose to...i don't have to wait for something to happen. if i ever really stop my head and acknowledge that i am one with everything, then the one thing my head is trying to agonize over at the moment suddenly looks so small.

i thought somebody who goes on this site would know more about the idea of drunken boxing. i really like this concept of fighting. the person appears to be injured or falling down or unable to go on & then...BAM! i live in louisiana & all i see around here are regular karate classes. does anybody know how i could learn more about this or similar styles of self defense?

yah i just really liked the concept because being not a very large or strong person, i feel that trickery would be an advantage i could attain. i know it started in his movies but some people have really picked up learning techniques for it, as we see in the clips other people added above^

with a baby coming quite soon now, i have a question for everybody that i think is really important. it seems like everyone has something they wish someone would have done differently when they were little. sometimes it seems that parents, teachers, etc. can mean well but not really go about things the way we wish they would. here's what i want to know: Q) What is the single most important thing you wish someone would have told you, shown you, or done for you when you were a little kid? (Or if you're lucky, what is an important thing that they did do?) thank you so much, in advance!

yah i actually had the opposite problem: my parents wanted me inside all of the time even though i was a really good kid. i was that punished-all-the-time-for-nothing sheltered kid. so i'll remember to find the happy median between pushing them away and being overbearing...& i'll make sure to get what they wished for on christmas =D wow i was absolutely raised with fear, too~& i think it puts an automatic feeling of weakness on a person. i'll remember that =) My parents tried to get me to chose sides a lot. i always swore even if it didn't work out between my boyfriend & me, i would never try to take the child's dad away from them or harm their relationship in n-e way what's a Bjorn papoose~i've never heard of one before i love that you said "make kind suggestions." i think it only works to a point but in my parents' generation, they were supposed to act all-knowing and not treat the kids like a whole person...i definitely want to talk to my kid civily and then reallly listen to what they say back. aw =D absolutely~my values are pretty vague to begin with & i don't think it's good to ever force a child to be into specific things. i'll let them find what they enjoy & then show them support with it. this will also be great advice for me once i've become a teacher~you're right~i think all of us should keep an eye out for the signs of abuse of children! yah~i'm already worrying about doing everything right too much~i'll have to get my hands on that book that's awsome that u got such wonderful lessons from your family. i honestly don't always see such great families~the ones that are give me hope. thanks! i'll try to always learn about the situation =) i wish my family would have been like that! i reallly want to make mine so full of happiness. i bet most people don't respond to every response lol. but it's really given me a lot of clarity and peace to read what everyone said & reply. i want to keep all these things in mind. THANK YOU.

and i agree back. i've worked with people who have been through hard-ships and i plan to go back to school to teach little kids. my parents sheltered me a lot & i feel it was absolutely hindering to learn what something like war is at 18 and not 8.

OMG THAT DOG IS AWSOME!!!

by example. the louder we shout something, even if it's true, the more people (especially kids) will tune it out. if we show our pride in being peaceful, our children can follow.

looking back, i think a lot of the way i've lived has to do with going against people's morals that i think are just lace. and i've done lots of things like that...been homeless, been polyamorous, messed with gender, had an "unusual" sexual orientation, and went to tons of churches only to learn more about what i do not believe...& what i do. while i was homeless, i actually got a tattoo that says "on this path, i am home." to me it means that even though i follow a path that has different values from others, it is full of values that mean everything to me...& it teaches me more about my values every day.

the dhama pada

i think that i'm great @ practicing taoism...untill it comes to dealing with other people. can n-e-1 help me 2 understand how to use taoism in action? like, when you have a problem with how some1 is acting, you don't have time to go meditate and then come back and deal with everything. are there ways that can help me to stay in the moment and not worry about the outcome while i'm in the middle of conflict?

i think u'r right...every time i've managed to do this, it's worked either by making the other person angrier lol or by actually helping the other person to compromise on a solution for the both of us. i think no matter what, showing calmness allows your strenth to be seen both by others and yourself.

i never realized that i felt all those things about mountains...but it's true. they put me in my place, they show me beauty, they make me see how different where i live is, and they make me see oneness all @ the same time.

i have to study by not feeling like i'm studying...that's the only way i'll remember. i have to be having fun or it'll take me foreverrrr. so ways that work for me are learning through action, having friends call stuff out to me, learning real philosophies through jokes or at least interesting explainations, and also just from things i think of when i'm somewhere nice like in a tree. if i find a way to make something interesting, i could go over it 1ce or 2ce & get it. otherwise, i'll be there all night.