doc benway

Looks great!

There’s a final posture she omits at the end, interesting. Wright recommended lying on one side, I think right side for men, at the conclusion. The book is excellent.

Since I'm creating some confusion I'll finish my own joke... Manitou who? Manitou-k a long time for someone to say who's there! Now back to our regularly scheduled programming...

Manitou...

Maybe a better expression would be like a stoner in a China shop… 😁

Some tread lightly, Others like a bull in a China shop...

Dedicated much of his life to making Chinese wisdom accessible to the English speaking world. Rest in peace Mr. Cleary. _/\_/\_/\_

I practiced from the Stephanie Wright book for a long time and also felt real value. I got away from it in favor of more meditation time but I think I'll try to get back to it. Lately it feels like my body needs something more. I'll take a look at the video when time allows. Thanks!

I was just listening to a podcast with Watts last week.

The man on the right is Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche. I don't know who the man on the left is.

A teacher of Dzogchen never ask you to accept or change something. A teacher of Dzogchen only asks that you observe yourself, so you can discover your real nature. If you discover your real nature, that is good for you not for your teacher. The teacher tries to make you understand. That is really the teaching. ~ Chogyal Namkhai Norbu

Maybe sean can't find a buffalo to take the job... Long hours and crappy pay. It's a problem all over the US.

My own path towards spirituality grew out of trauma. Something is often needed to shake one out of the complacency of our samsaric, self-centered existence.

The cicadas in my area are nearing the end of their active cycle. I’ll miss them but many people in the area are quite afraid of them. While they are harmless, they are everywhere and the noise can be deafening, up to 85dB if your are surrounded by active trees. The noises they make are fascinating and I find them to be beautiful. My wife says she wants to be a cicada in her next life - 17 year nap followed by all the sex and food you can handle… B4A9BFCE-AD56-4D89-9CF0-DDB06E44BE8E.webp

Seems humorous but this is precisely why there are people, not necessarily practitioners themselves, who willingly partner sexually with tantric practitioners. I'm told this is common in the Himalayas but don't have any direct knowledge of it myself!

Goya Panther bass from Italy c.1960’s - check out the push button controls

https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C21&q=diane+becker+chocolate&btnG=#d=gs_qabs&u=%23p%3DeCy6eZ8kx6YJ

"Specially enriched" most likely refers to flavanol-rich. The cardiovascular benefits of chocolate seem to be related to flavanol which is more concentrated in chocolate with 70% or more cocoa. Multiple studies have shown a variety of health benefits of consuming dark chocolate and cocoa. Hopkins published a study in 2006 showing a heart-protective effect due to anticoagulation. Google scholar is a good way to search for studies from peer-reviewed journals on the topic. Here is an interesting study on the effects of flavanols or brain function - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3575938/

Or perhaps we could say it’s all and nothing. No paradox exists other than in us. George got that!

Taijiquan, xingyiquan, and baguazhang all include training in staff or spear. Here is an example of xingyiquan -

perfect seasoning. Baltimore’s famous Old Bay, lots of paprika!

The last Jalus in a Bönpo was Shardza Tashi Gyaltsen in 1934. It’s exceedingly rare, even among the great yogis of the Himalayas. It is better to consider it a myth for most Westerners, I would say. I certainly don’t miss the DaoBums rainbow wars! 😴

“The logic is simple. The problem is doing it. The amazing thing is that often there is such a lack of trust in openness.” ~ TWR

Bagua is a profound and challenging practice. It can certainly be a valuable physical practice to complement meditation. It can be a meditation in and of itself. It can be an effective martial art. It can be many things. Bagua has fewer movements to learn but in some ways is more challenging to develop skill and mastery. Like taijiquan, it is an art that requires years of practice and study. Unlike taijiquan, there is a less material to cover (depending on the specific tradition of course) although the basic practices tend to be more physically and energetically challenging, at least for me. Circle walking is fairly straightforward but difficult to do properly. While there are many potential health benefits, there are also some risks. Improper practice can be damaging, especially to the knees and low back. I've practiced bagua for about 15 years. Benefits include core strength, flexibility, balance, agility, speed, rooting while standing and moving, both focus and expansion of awareness, and power generation; along with cultivation of coiling, spiraling, and flowing energies that are a bit different from those cultivated in other internal arts. In the beginning, it felt to me like a very awkward and difficult form of core strengthening and conditioning. With time and patience the stances, footwork, circle walking, and palm changes become far more fluid. Mind and body become more integrated and in sync. At this stage it is more like a vigorous qigong practice and even a moving meditation. Nevertheless, I find the continuous movement and active muscular engagement, particularly in the legs and core, to be considerably more physical than most qigong exercises. The benefits run the gamut of physical, emotional, energetic, and mental. The first benefits I noticed were clearly physical - improved aerobic conditioning, core strength, flexibility, stamina, and balance. Next I began to feel the martial benefits, in particular learning to generate power from the waist, stance, and stepping. Over time I noticed definite improvement in focus and mental clarity and a freedom and creativity of movement that are invigorating. The physical benefits like strength, balance, and flexibility eventually begin to pervade the energetic and mental realms which contribute to the improved response to adversity. One caveat is that I never practiced bagua exclusively, it was always a part of a larger training program which included taijiquan, xingyiquan, qigong, and meditation. That said, I could clearly see how specific elements of the bagua methods expressed themselves over time. While baguazhang is a complete martial art in and of itself, combing bagua training with taiji and xingyi is very complimentary and the whole seems greater than the sum of its parts to me. I'll echo Gerard's comments about foundational training. I spent many hours practicing standing meditation in unique baguazhang postures and practicing footwork drills before I was taught to walk the circle. The stepping and posture must be precise and comfortable or it is likely you'll injure yourself walking the circle. Once you do start walking the circle, start small. It took me months to get to the point where I could walk for an hour continuously. There is no benefit in rushing, only increased likelihood of injury. Like in meditation, a few minutes of clear and precise practice is far better than an hour of distraction and frustration. If you do choose to practice baguazhang, I'd highly recommend trying to find some personal instruction. Very important for someone to observe and correct your form from time to time. Good luck to you!