doc benway

It's not unusual to hear a voice when the mind quiets during deep meditation. My teacher has always told me it is important to ignore it and continue the meditation with no concern whatsoever for what a voice may say. On very rare occasions, I think I hear my named called or a very brief garble of words and cannot find the source, outside of meditation. I ignore it. Frequent or consistent auditory hallucinations, particularly if they are detailed and clear messages or discussions or multiple voices, can be a symptom of mental illness and should be shared with a psychologist or psychiatrist, IMO. Lozen - your experience seems very rare and related to exhaustion and I wouldn't be too concerned unless it becomes more frequent and focused. I think that, during fatigue, sometimes we can mistake a thought for an auditory or visual experience. This may be what happened with your boyfriend.

Thank you for the link to this beautifully articulated discussion. What I find fascinating is to wonder how the "knowing" occurs that this is so. Why do some feel this to be unquestionable, experiential truth and others do not? What occurs to lead to that transition? If any of us has experienced this transition, would you be comfortable discussing it in this forum? Do all methods achieve this? Does any method achieve this? I don't think these are necessarily answerable questions but they are stimulating, at least for "me" Thanks again for this very insightful link WWD! _/\_

All good points Franklin - very nice post. I agree that a simple system practiced and studied very deeply is more likely to be of real value than a complex system. More complexity means less time to perfect each step and each detail. As for new converts or beginning students being the most intense, I think there are a number of reasons: - the new adept only has a superficial understanding of the system and may not yet have had any negative experiences or information creep in to muddy the waters - the new student is at the stage where everything is new and exciting and they are working hard to absorb things and put them together. They haven't yet had the chance to become bored or disillusioned - the new adept has a (probably unrealistic) very high regard for their teacher or guru and has yet to have any reason to see through this and appreciate the fact that the teacher is imperfect and human Regarding the relationship with yourself - how many of us know who and what we really are? 'Ourself' is basically a story we are conditioned to accept. We can easily fall out of love with ourselves. Our relationship with ourself often doesn't work out - ie mental and physical illness...

I experimented with lot's of stuff in the 70's. K wasn't much available then but PCP was, which is very closely related. My exprience has been that drugs simulate states of mind that can be achieved through non-drugged methods but that the experiences and ideas that occur through intoxication are basically just entertainment. It gives the impression of awakening and understanding but it's really just a toxic alteration of awareness and perception that does little or nothing advantageous for you in the long run. The one benefit may be that it opens up the mind to alternatives to mundane, "by the socio-cultural rules", existence. The danger is that it becomes the focus rather than the catalyst. Furthermore, the intensity and physiologic effects often lead to harmful consequences. K is particularly hazardous due to it's intensity. I'd highly recommend always having a sober "sitter" when doing it if you must indulge. None of my drug experiences are anything like the insight and development that have come through the slow, deliberate, and disciplined work in Dao meditation, neigong, taijiquan, and selected reading and interacting with others. In a very similar vein, many spiritual practices are quite similar to the effect of entheogenic drugs. There's a reason why Karl Marx called religion the drug of the masses. Spiritual experience of great intensity is little different than drug induced entertainment. People tend to be turned on by the intensity of feeling, whether it's seeing colors and spirit guides or the body shaking or waves of orgasmic euphoria - it's all entertainment. It's highly addictive - it's like internet porn or collecting fine wine and so on. Always looking for a more intense experience that is more seducing to the sense or the intellect. Always waiting for that step that'll take one closer to "enlightenment" whatever that may mean to us. There's nothing more insidioius than the spiritual addiction that many of us get hooked on in our innocent yearning for something more than what is our "boring" everyday experience. And there is an enormous business devoted to exploiting this very thing. I'm not saying that we shouldn't try to improve ourselves and search for new experience but beware the path changing from catalyst to doctrine or objective. So those of us that self-righteously decry drug intoxication should take a close look at ourselves in the midst of our spiritual and intellectual intoxication. It's not as different as one might think. It's all a matter of perspective.

Nice illustration, thanks for that.

This is a common topic of discussion and I've put my ideas out there before so I apologize to those of you who've read similar posts from me (especially if you think I'm full of ...) I find it interesting to see how people tend to consider Qi as something separate from themselves. We tend to conceptualize Qi as stuff that moves into or out of us via orifices and so forth. We talk about things transmitting and blocking Qi. Gaining Qi and losing Qi and storing Qi and so on. I don't buy that concept. We are not separate from what's around us. That is just an illusion created by our sensory organs. Even if Qi were some sort of stuff or energy, it would not be anything separate from us anyway, it would simply be part of our constitution. I believe Qi is more an interaction, a process, not stuff, even in an energetic sense. Qi, in my view, may be more the interaction between our awareness and the fabric of our being, on a level that is foreign to our usual level of experience. I don't feel that Qi is something I can store or gain or lose. I don't think it's something separate from "me" or even any"thing" at all. It is process, not substance. My ability to become aware of or tuned into the experience of being is accentuated through certain practices. These practices are said to increase Qi but to me it's more a matter of refining and sensitizing the ability to perceive on a level that's not usually part of our daily lives. The practices of meditation, yoga, taiji, sensory deprivation, neigong, and so forth, exercise and develop our abilities to sense a different facet of being (a different "wavelength" some might say). I think these practices develop a part of the brain that is usually ignored because it's overshadowed by the more mundane funcitons of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and tactile sensation that keep us alive and well. These other senses need to become very quiet before the more subtle sense can be experienced and developed. This experience of our lives, selves, and environment on a different level as sensed through the "Qi antenna" to use a silly but useful image is more akin to my experience of Qi. This idea goes against the grain of how we normally conceptualize and discuss Qi but it's where my head is at currently as a consequence of Dao meditation, Neigong, and Taijiquan practice, and so I thought I'd put it out there FWIW....

I used to use Discipline shoes but now I much prefer Adidas Sambas. I injured one foot years ago and the Sambas have a nice arch support and are great for pushing hands, IMO.

I practice Qigong sets along with internal martial arts practices I'm not sure the question is phrased optimally. I don't apply the Qigong to my martial practice. The combination of Qigong and the martial practices yield a more well-rounded system, IMO. There are two major methods of using Qigong - one is more 'internal', the other more 'external.' With the 'internal' method, the focus is on breathing and guiding the awareness throught the various postures and anatomic areas while maintaing a feeling of song (relaxed structure) throughout the body. This is the more commonly taught method of Qigong. The 'external' or 'martial' method involves more dynamic muscle contraction throughout the exercises along with different methods of breathing and continued use of the intention to guide awareness. Both are relevant to martial training for a variety of reasons - healing the body, strengthening the body, improving the mind-body connection, imporving pulmonary function and stamina, improving balance, and a host of other benefits.

I had a similar experience only a friend loaned me a set of 12 CDs called Out of Your Mind. They are recordings of his lectures and are fabulous. Listening to him speak is even better than reading his books, IMO.

Nicely stated - another perspective is that Yiquan is less differentiated than Taiji, Xingyi, or Bagua.

Are you speaking of your own translations or a compilation of existing translations?

Good point and well stated Stig! yet another Tale of Power no doubt...

Very cool to hear you describe it thus - that's very accurate. I've been trying to put it into words for my teacher and it's very tough to describe. I was describing it more in terms of a vibration but your visual description is perfect.

I sort of go with what feels right to me. It varies with my situation and physical/mental condition from day to day but generally I am at my peak ~ 5am as far as meditation goes. 3 am would be too disruptive for my daily life.

Not only the best but perhaps the most challenging... The conditioned brain does not want to let go of it's "control" and "understanding" and return to perfection... Beautiful photograph Patrick - is that you?

Not spending more time with my children when they were younger. I'm always, already here. I am the map. What else could I possibly be?

I think the Self has everything to do with everything. Limiting Self to any particular concept or description sort of contradicts the concept. I would cautiously compare Self more with Yuan Qi but even that really goes contrary to the concept of Self as non-dual. Just some words about something that is difficult to discuss directly. One of the things I like about Ramana's verses is that they point to the truth without really trying to categorize, describe, or pigeon hole it. They're very poetic in that sense. I would suggest reading the verses without indulging in the tendency to compare to more familiar or commonly accepted paradigms. Try it, you may like it.

Best wishes for a fruitful and fulfilling future in NYC, Lin! PS There will be a serious CMA competition in New York this fall. Check it out here: http://martialarts.ntdtv.com/en/ I am going to try to come up and compete.

Very nice post seadog. Exorcist - I don't know you beyond your posts and this may therefore be inaccurate or presumptuous, yet it appears that you have an idea, a feeling, and you are seeing Daoist scripture through this veil. Our world is filled with people who find support for their ideas in sacred texts - is that what they were meant for? Is this usually fruitful? It might help to try and empty your cup and fill it with fresh tea. Good luck in your studies and cultivation. With compassion and respect, Steve

Started in early 20's - now I'm in my fourth cycle! Year of the Rat baby...

Welcome back Mal!

In response to your question, I've been a practicing Orthopedic surgeon for 18 years. Ligaments that are completely torn almost always heal except for a few exceptions as I mentioned above. It is not a miracle, it is natural. Well, you could certainly call it miraculous, after all isn't life miraculous? But the point is, our body is perfectly capable of healing torn ligaments. Treatment is needed, but rarely is surgery necessary for most ligament injuries. My partner is a fellowship trained foot and ankle specialist. His opinion is that anyone recommending urgent surgical repair of a sprained ankle in anyone other than a professional athelete is being extremely aggressive. I agree with him. Just the opinions of two surgeons who take care of these injuries every day and operate on people for a living. I'm not trying to tell Mal#2 what to do or to provide any specific medical advice in this particular case, other than to encourage a second opinion and to share my views with the readers of this forum. Take it as you will. Good luck Mal#2. Steve

Hi Mal #2, The MRI findings you are describing are what is known in the business as a 'sprained ankle' - that's exactly what is torn when you have a bad lateral ankle sprain. The only patient I would consider offering surgery for this injury would be a high performance, professional athelete who needs to get back to work ASAP. The vast majority of people with this injury have an excellent long term outcome and a stable ankle. Just because a ligment is completely torn does not mean that the body cannot heal it. Certain wrist ligaments and the ACL and PCL in the knee are exceptions and usually require surgery. The ankle almost always heals itself. There is a small incidence (probably less than 10%) of chronic instability than requires late surgical reconstruction in bad ankle sprains. I would suggest a second opinion and non-surgical treatment. In the unlikely event that there is instability in the future, reconstructive surgery usually works well. Good luck - PM me if you have further questions. Steve

Superbly inspirational video. The fact is that our skin is one of the most physiologically active tissues in the body and we all have a new skin about every 2-3 weeks... It constantly is being shed and replaced by deeper cells. Much of the dust in our homes is composed of dead, shed skin cells, or so I'm told.