doc benway

I've run across two users on this forum since I joined whose posts were so consistently unpleasant that I've used the ignore function. One disappeared for a while and returned much more sedate and refined, the other was banned. I probably read less than 20% of threads. I pick and choose only what interests me. There's only so much time I choose to devote to forum discourse.

Nice commentary on a great parable. I see this as a parable for recognizing attachment and trying to live in accordance with wu wei. I see that my lovely horse creates excrement so I save it in a jar. I really have no idea what it is but I am attached to the horse so I hoard it's excrement and consider it valuable. In actuality there is no value to the excrement and certainly no advantage to keeping it in a jar. I am simply interfering with the natural process of waste (as described earlier). Similarly, in my misguided efforts to "help" my horse I swat it's flies and slap it, interfering with wu wei and causing the horse harm or anxiety through my misguided attempts at "helping." Allow the natural processes to carry on as they always do without your "help" is the message I get. I find Wu Wei to be a central theme in so many of his parables.

About a year ago I heard a fascinating experiment described on NPR. Somehow the experimental design was able to measure the exact moment the the brain formulated an intention or thought to carry out a simple physical task as well as the response of the neuromuscular apparatus in initiating the activity. The unexpected observation was that the neuromuscular activity was always observed BEFORE the participant had the thought or intention to intiate the task in question. This suggests that 'we' are memory, not cause. Cause is something which is before memory and is beyond thought. Thought takes a photo of it and memory stores it... that's what we do

Thanks Ian - what, afraid to throw down with us on Ramana?

Something that works for me is the following very simple approach - Sit in a quiet room in a comfortable chair and close your eyes. Turn your attention toward your physical being. Feel your feet touching the floor, explore what that feels like and stay with it for a moment or two. Move that quality of attention systematically through your body. It's particularly easy in body parts that are touching other parts or objects. Next bring this quality of attention to the rythym of your breath. Next, bring that quality of curious interest and attention to whatever it is that you can hear, smell, taste, etc... Once you get to this point you may even open your eyes and do the same with your sight. Spend a few minutes paying attention to all the sensory input and see how that affects your anxiety, stress, etc...

After studying Taijiquan for a few years, my shifu suggested I begin to practice Dao meditation - that was my introduction to Daoism.

Here's one that my 16 year old daughter told me this week: So this baby seal walks into a club.... OK, OK, she's only 16... Here's another one: How many Zen masters does it take to screw in a light bulb? ... ...

Ever come across an old post you made and thought.... It can be an instructive experience.

We're getting close! 36. Only if the thought 'I am the body' occurs will the meditation 'I am not this, I am That', help one to abide as That. Why should we for ever be thinking, 'I am That'? Is it necessary for man to go on thinking 'I am a man'? Are we not always That? This really surprises me. It seems to be a direct response to Nisargadatta Maharaj and his guru. It makes perfect sense, though. Who is it that is saying "I am that"? Surely, 'that' would never need to remind itself what it is, would it?

I once had a very sudden insight that I, as a person, am nothing more (or less) than an aperture through which the universe becomes aware of itself. It was an extremely intense experience. Although the intensity of the experience faded, my perspective was permanently altered.

I had the same experience. Many years ago I practiced Wing Chun which is known for fast hands. Your description is exactly how I trained myself to punch very fast. I'm not a big or strong person but I was able to develop a lot of speed and it served me well in sparring back then. I would simply use my intention to have my hand be at the target. No attention whatsoever to what (if anything) happened between point A and point B. It's just THERE! Good practice.

I've had no experience with Chia or Chang but I love Osho's commentaries on Zhuangzi, no matter how many Rolls Royces and Rolexes he had.

This makes a lot of sense. In the martial arts world, I believe that there is a distinct difference in skill level between people who train for a few hours a day over a long period of time and people who have trained intensively for many hours a day for a shorter time. Examples - 1. The Tokyo riot police and instructor training programs in Yoshinkan aikido are one year intensive programs that really give people a very high degree of skill in a relatively short time - I think they train ~ 6 hours/day, 6 days/week for one year. People who successfully complete the course are formidable aididoka. 2. I've trained under two Asian masters (one Chinese and one Japanese) whose skill levels are well beyond anyone else I've studied with. Each of them were with their teachers for a relatively short time (by that I mean several years but not a decade) but studied 5-6 days/week and 4-6 hours/day during most of that time. These are clearly limited examples but seeing the research you discuss helps me make sense of these observations. Thanks Michael.

Please read Karen's reply thoughtfully - therein lies the solution to many of life's "problems", IMO.

I drink water, tea and very little else. Occasional wine, beer, coffee, juice. To me, diet soda is poison and I think your decision is very intelligent. Good luck.

Another thing about push hands ... All partners are different . As you work with people over time there will be those that challenge your ego with theirs. There will be others who are much more collaborative or submissive than competitive. If you're lucky, you'll get to train with a variety of personalities and maybe even find a partner that is right on the same wavelength as you - that's really a blessing. I've learned a lot about my training partners and myself through pushing. One more thing... footwork is the key! Enjoy

When I first approached Daoism, I asked my teacher what readings he would recommend. His answer was none. I pressed him for an explanation and, in brief, his point was that Daoism is more about being than about knowledge. If you have interest in Daoism, I think it's worth your time to take a stab at Daoist meditation/cultivation. Intellectual pursuits can only take you part of the way. Then they get in the way.

My experience in push hands is that it is about balance - what I mean primarily is yin/yang balance, not just balance with respect to stance and movement. There is a need for softness but also a need for hardness. The interplay between the two is taiji. You cannot achieve superior skill in push hands with softness alone - there is a role for fajin. Nevertheless, it is wrong to let the ego take over and try to win at all costs. One of the most important concepts to learn in push hands is the classic - "invest in loss." Another very nice little quote that I got out of an article in an old issue of Tai Chi magazine is that push hands should be a conversation, not a shouting match (I'm not sure that can be achieved in tournament competition but it can be the goal in the training environment). Stick with it - it's a very long but rewarding road to travel.

I've posted about him many times and won't repeat myself here other than to say that I find his work to be profound and beautiful. He has an 8 cd set called Wake Up to Life that is urgently recommended. Thanks for posting that link!

FWIW, I'm a left of center Libertarian.

Wonderful links - thanks guys! _/\_ PS great avatar AugustLeo

If you're not enjoying yourself, why are you here? Maybe it's because you have something to sell? This is one of the least restrictive forums on the web. There are virtually no rules or restrictions. You have flooded this forum in the past with long, dogmatic posts that often border on sales pitches or prostelyzation. You seem more interested in oration than dialogue. Please forgive my belligerence, but I am angered by your attitude toward Sean and the forum. PS Hell exists only in your mind

Great post ThisLife - The brain seems to have this tendency to always look to become something that it is not. It's a very useful drive, particularly in terms of innovation and survival. It can also lead to anxiety, dissatisfaction, desire, attachment, and all the rest of it. I agree with you that, to a large degree, the spiritual search is just a reflection of that drive to "become" rather than just be. The irony is that the search seems to be the only thing standing in the way of the answer.

Interesting article on sufism. This brief excerpt: "Bakhtiar explains that while the Sufi tradition emphasizes the love of God first, orthodox Muslims teach the fear of God and both sides accuse each other of extremism." rings very true. Teaching children love and teaching them fear tend to result in fundamentally different attitudes and behavior in adults and is at the core of extremism whether it be Islamic, Christian, or otherwise.

I'm interested in what people think about prayer. What is it's meaning and purpose? Who or what is it directed at? How does it help? Does anyone have any interest in discussing this topic? thanks