doc benway

I think there is something that you can do - practice awareness. Notice everything that is going on. Open yourself up. It will be your last opportunity to experience Mal's life - drink it up!

I'm very much looking forward to checking him out, thanks! If you like him, check out the work of Amit Goswami, if you haven't already. Edit: Just looked at his webpage From The Resonance Project website "Instead of seeing ourselves as separate from everything around us, this view allows us to recognize that we are embedded in a fractal feedback dynamic that intrinsically connects all things via the medium of a vacuum structure of infinite potential. This research has far reaching implications in a variety of fields including theoretical and applied physics, cosmology, quantum mechanics, biology, chemistry, sociology, psychology, archaeology, anthropology, etc. A fundamental understanding of the dynamics of this interconnectivity redefines the lens through which we see the universe and our place in it, and leads to theoretical and technological advancements that move us towards a sustainable future. This new approach to the physics of universal forces has the potential to solve the most pressing issues of our times." Here's another quotation that I really like that shows that others have had a glimpse at truth through science: "A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty." Any guess at who said that? ..... ..... ...... Albert Einstein

There are no shortcuts. While it is certainly OK to practice the orbit while standing, the refinement of the orbit is best done seated. Combining sitting and standing practice will NOT yield the same results as if one were to have a dedicated practice of each, IME. So do it if you choose but you're not killing two birds with one stick, just crippling them both a bit... Just my $.02 FWIW

I've practiced sanchin as taught in Goju-ryu and Shorinji-ryu and the method we were taught is very similar to the breathing methods used to build Qi in martial QiGong such as the ShiBa LuoHan Gong. I would consider it more external in that the technique uses the breath to "pack" Qi into the dan tian rather than using the mind of intent to guide and sink Qi to dan tian. Both methods of Qi cultivation are used in QiGong depending on the goals (ie I practice ShiBa LuoHan Gong with the more internal approach) and that could be the case with sanchin as well. There may be other aspects to sanchin that I never learned so my response is certainly not definitive.

Blasto - All joking aside, it occurs to me that the subtitle of this thread could be a legitimate and concise definition of enlightenment - A state in which there is no longer any need for independent verification of wisdom.

I love John McLaughlin! You probably knew that already... I actually emailed him a few months ago. It was a long email and talked about seeing him in concert in the 70's and a whole bunch of other boring stuff. He actually responded! It was a very nice and long email. He told me that he is currently into reading translations of poetry by the Chan masters. But you knew that already! I will miss this thread... Thanks for the levity.

I'm going to have to continue to disagree with you on this point. What I'm talking about is a specific type of focused awareness that is cultivated by Daoist practices. I don't think there is any way you could observe or measure this skill in someone other than yourself. Nice post, especially the part about pharmaceuticals vs "drugs"

+1 When is the next TB get together?

I prefer Merton. I like his poetic approach. You can feel his love for the material.

Darin- Please stop holding your sword by the blade! It just drives me nuts! Your friend, Steve PS I've done my share of drugs over the years and have lived through watching my children begin to experiment with them (a painful experience). From the perspective of cultivation in the Daoist tradition that I practice, there is absolutely no role for the use of drugs. It is a process of developing the mind of intent. Drugs do nothing to assist that process, they only detract.... Nevertheless, it is not for me to tell others what to do or not to do.. except for when I see people holding the blade of a sword!

If you are serious about Daoist cultivation, please re-read Hagar's post. He tells the truth here (edit - as always) There are many things you can learn from a book, video, or the internet. Daoist cultivation is not one of them. Good luck.

Master Blasto! _/\_ I've already sent you my social security number and bank account number telepathically in case you don't want to bother with Paypal. My wife will be at your place around midnight... please be gentle.

I vote yes because this place has been much too serious lately. Too much pontification and scripture. Not enough fun. A kangaroo in the china shop is just what we need around here, IMO... Yeeehaaawww PS Maybe Buddy will show up too, I miss him

+1 Our training methods in Taijiquan include strength training methods at more advanced levels. A very small percentage of students get to that point and even fewer actually put the time in to do it. We also use heavy, medium, and light. There's a lot of misconception about internal arts. Strength training doesn't necessarily build a lot of muscle bulk but trains how to work with force, which is absolutely critical. I don't have an opinion one way or another about weight training and body building for internal arts. I don't think it would hurt to also build physical strength but I don't think it's essential. Internal arts emphasize using technique (coordination power, timing, movement) to overcome superior physical strength. I've met John Painter and participated in a Qigong seminar and Bagua seminar with him. He has skill and is an excellent teacher.

Think about the thunderous silence

This is a fabulous book but extremely difficult to understand for the non-physicist/mathemetician (ie me). Brian Greene wrote 2 excellent books on current astrophysics and string theory. I find string theory to be extremely interesting, plausible, and very consistent with alot of Daoist and related energetic descriptions of reality. Greene's books are very easy to digest - I'd recommend The Elegant Universe

I'd like to ask if anyone would like to define or discuss the nature of shen - what does it feel like? what are its characteristics? what aspect of 'me' is shen? is shen collective or individual? and so on... We frequently throw words around but don't often agree on what we are referring to. This is of interest to me from the perspective of my own cultivation practice right now. I hope the OP doesn't mind, I think this is germain to the discussion at hand.

Excellent questions for which I have no answers. I can say this - tomorrow and the future in general are a part of my life, provided I don't die unexpectedly. Every moment could be our last but it is reasonable to live with some attention to tomorrow. Past experience can guide us a bit in terms of making some guesses about what to expect tomorrow to be like. And preparing for tomorrow is, therefore, a prudent use of today's time - within reason. Death is different - all discussion about death is gratuitous. There is no experience or basis for reference that make for a meaningful discussion of what is after death. It seems to me to be a waste of life to be concerned about what is beyond death. Don't get me wrong, I waste time on lots of stuff (including the occasional discussion or thought about death and beyond), I just feel at this point in time that I'd rather waste my time on other things.

I have too many teachers to thank in one lifetime - But this is a timely thread for me and I would like to thank my good friend Jeremy who has helped to show me the value of honesty and integrity.

To the OP - this is not meant to attack your thread, just sharing my thoughts on the matter... Why do we care what happens after we die? What does it matter? It's only when we are not really living that we worry about what happens after death. If we live life with eyes wide open and really see who and what we are, there is absolutely no interest in what happens after we die.

To the OP, if you're still there.... Question for you - if the mind is the chooser, who or what is it that is making the choice? Look at that for a while. You don't need to get rid of anything. Just look at it, see it for what it is. I think that some of us feel somehow that we are not seeing the whole picture. We start to search for something. That something leads us to question all that we hold dear, all of our stability and security. If you have enough energy and seriousness, you will inevitably become uncomfortable with what you find. At some point, the recognition occurs that "I" am simply a construct of societal, cultural, parental conditioning and conventions. We start to see through all of the bullshit and lies and hypocrisy. We choose to let all of that go and then realize that there is nothing left. No security. No stability. No rules and conventions. Unchartered territory. Liberation! Some of us will find solace in ritual, dogma, sutras, or scripture. Still conditioning. Let it all go and see for yourself - I think you are doing that. If you are frightened, you are probably seeing things more clearly than most. At some point you may also see that there is something more that allows you to again feel secure and at peace despite a complete lack of any real security or stability. And who you are is always still there, it's just that you get to choose when to play the game and when to be free of it. As has been said, you no longer have the choice to just go back. You can try but you've gotten a glimpse of truth and it will stick with you. It won't always be uncomfortable though, I think that is just a transition. Good luck to you! _/\_

Exactly!

From time to time there is discussion about the Shiba Luohan Qigong set. It can be done with dynamic tension for physicial conditioning or equally well with focus on intention for Qi cultivation. I usually do the latter. Here is a demonstration that's pretty close to the way I learned this set. Overall, I do it more slowly whether favoring internal or external development. In particular, I like to do the kicks very slowly and with control. Enjoy IHc_ZUR10Sg

Only the hot ones!