doc benway

I love my wool tabi socks! They allow me to run in my beloved Lunas year round. Never thought I'd be able to sport some camel toe without an expensive operation...

One of the beautiful things about Buddhism for me is its flexibility and adaptability. As Watts once put it, it's a bit like Hinduism separated from its cultural context and streamlined for export. Its various forms are profoundly different depending on where it germinated in Asia reflecting local flavors and needs. It's far younger in the West but will undoubtedly find its character and place here as well. The magical aspects, assuming we would agree on what that even means, are filled with wonder and inspiration but only for those who can connect with them. For some they fall flat and meaningless. No value in pushing them on people who do not resonate, that causes far more damage than benefit. This is precisely why Buddhism has so many different practices and teachings. None are more important than any other. It all boils down to what each practitioner is able to make use of at any given time. The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the three times and ten directions manifest how, where, when, and as they are needed. They do not push a particular view or paradigm on practitioners. So I don't lament the fact that some of the more esoteric elements are not as well represented depending on geography. Buddhism is alive and well. It is far more accessible and widespread than anyone a century ago could have possibly imagined. Look at Tibetan Buddhism, for example. Rather than be erased from the world by the Chinese invasion, occupation, and cultural devastation of Tibet, it has been dispersed like the seeds of a beautiful flower and is blossoming around the world. Many of the iterations of Buddhism and Bön are now embraced globally and the internet allows anyone to access nearly anything. If our karma is such that we have a connection to more magical elements, there is adequate opportunity for us to make that connection. If not, we can be in the heart of a monastery and still not get it. Two of the foundational elements of Buddhism are the realization of emptiness and the primacy of the mind. In this context, when properly understood, all of these magical elements are empty and a manifestation of one's own mind. For me there is nothing more magical than this, when realized directly. I say this not to diminish them but to make the point that there is no need for being overly concerned with the presence or absence of specific elements of Buddhism in our field of experience or geographical region. If we are karmically connected to Buddhism we can trust that we will receive what we need, when we need it, and focus on what practices and studies are available to us in this moment. If we feel a connection to the "magical" elements, whatever that may mean to a given individual, that is wonderful and we have ample opportunity to seek it out and embrace it. If it does not appeal to any of us due to cultural, language, religious, psychological, intellectual, or other reasons there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, provided we don't punish ourselves for this simple truth.

I can’t say it sits on my nightstand because I read it in little more than a day, but I want to share for anyone who isn’t familiar with her work. Octavia Butler’s “Kindred” was one of the more enthralling books I’ve read in a very long time. Looking forward to exploring her ouevre.

Beautifully said Luke! It is not uncommon to try to help people by giving them what WE think that they need or want. True help is to be quiet and open enough to listen to what THEY want, whether or not we agree with that. It can certainly be challenging to be truly helpful!

I don't mean to be contrary but cautionary. "Knowing" what you are doing through theory is secondary in taijiquan. Once you have the physical experience, you can begin to make sense of the theory. Feeling the posture, connecting awareness and intention with the movement, listening to the opponent through touch - these are what application is rooted in. Studying theory does very little to help development of taiji skill, IMO. It's far more likely to be an obstacle in my experience. Whenever I asked my teacher about resources for reading, his answer was the same - don't waste your time with theory! Practice!!!

Perhaps the the medical doctor treating a patient IS a manifestation of their karma and refusal to treat would be the interference. Certainly there are plenty of folks with no access to doctors or healers, that is their karma. Perhaps the doctor is crappy and that is the patient's karma... If I step on a bug am I interfering with the Dao or am I the Dao's agent carrying out Her "plan"? I love the teachings of Fr. Anthony Demello, a spiritual teacher, Jesuit, and psychologist from India. He talked about sometimes being conflicted. As a psychologist he wanted to ease the client's suffering. As a spiritual guide he knew he may have to sit back and allow them work through the pain rather than relieve it... Interesting questions

IMO all taijiquan styles are very complementary with neigong practice. The internal aspects seem to be emphasized most in Chen and Wu styles but are present in all styles. Some of the emphasis is dependent on specific lineage and individual teachers. Of all the internal Chinese martial arts, I would say that neigong is emphasized most in Yiquan.

Along those lines, there is a wonderful collection that includes this song and many others - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/828458.Songs_of_Spiritual_Experience

A beautiful poem of realization! https://fpmt.app.box.com/s/o651pwy54z15mwwqpy0n4sx1qbigs2vw The Dalai Lama will give a teaching on this on 8/2/21 at 0330 UTC - https://fpmt.org/fpmt-community-news/save-the-date-his-holiness-the-dalai-lama-offering-teaching-at-the-request-of-lama-zopa-rinpoche-and-fpmt/?fbclid=IwAR33zvJiQLPnrhSPIOiM8nrHdPHmoehBurB-_IhOrPVQj6GaWhK_79KQLGM

I believe he is working on a book dedicated to sleep yoga currently. Not sure of a publication date. He's always got a lot going on but spent much of 2020 in retreat.

One of the greatest lessons I've learned from my teacher is that of patience and openness to what I don't understand. Rather than grasp onto paradigms and theory, his invitation is to trust in the practice and see what you discover for yourself. Often when we don't understand a teaching or experience, we reject it as not being consistent with our conceptual construct. This shuts out so much possibility for growth. His advice has been to be OK with not knowing and being open to the possibility that there may be a deeper understanding at some point. That has worked well for me.

During a sleep yoga retreat a few years ago I asked this very question, if indeed someone has an experience of awareness during deep sleep how could there be memory of it in the total absence of any content or object of experience? The answer given was basically, through practice and direct experience I may one day have my question answered. I subsequently did have my question answered. My experience was much as you describe - no dream, no mental or physical activity, simply unbounded awareness blissfully aware of itself during sleep. Yet there was very clear memory of that experience upon awakening. How to label this? A type of dreamless dream? Awareness during deep sleep? Nirvakalpa samadhi? Since I practice in a Tibetan paradigm I go with a Tibetan label, the clear light of sleep. Here is a brief excerpt from my teacher’s book on the subject. https://voiceofclearlight.org/2016/june-2016/609-june-2016-distinctions-between-dream-and-sleep-yoga

In the sleep yoga practice of Tibet, a state of clarity in dreamless sleep is cultivated. It is clear and aware, in the absence of any content of dream, emotion, or thought. It is an unbounded and very stable experience. It is similar to resting in the Nature of Mind during waking and similar to recognizing dream as dream, but purer in the absence of all appearance or display. I hesitate to assign Hindu terms but this is a profound tantric training that is said to help one to recognize and liberate in the bardo and escape the cycle of rebirth.

For serious practitioners, sharing meditative experience can be very supportive. It is important, however, to share with like-minded people, IMO.

As already pointed out, quality is far more beneficial than quantity when it comes to meditation. Short periods of undistracted clarity will reveal more than longer periods of discomfort and distraction. Don't hesitate to reposition the body, take breaks, alternate sitting with standing and/or walking meditation, etc... Incorporating breathing and body movement methods in a meditation routine can be helpful. For example, there are practices of tsa lung, tummo, and trul khor used in Tibetan Bön and Buddhism that help support deeper, clearer, and longer meditation practice. [Edited] There are some good stretching programs if you want to be able to sit in lotus or half-lotus more comfortably. Stretching the hip joints so that they can more fully externally rotate is the key, otherwise there is too much stress on the knees. One very good resource is this simple book - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25711032-becoming-the-lotus If you focus on good posture of body and mind, your formal meditation sessions will naturally become longer. Expect this to take months and years to develop, be patient, and follow the guidance of an experienced teacher in the beginning if possible. The discoveries available through meditation do not require a teacher or system but learning a basic method that will open you and support you to making those personal discoveries can definitely be facilitated by expert guidance.

Apparently you and I do, at least... I don't so much feel "bad" talking about it. For me, there are a few aspects of talking of these things that can feel a bit uncomfortable. There is the feeling that perhaps I'll say something "wrong," something "incorrect" and that others may think less of me. This is the spiritual ego speaking. There is the feeling that maybe I'm sharing things I shouldn't, sharing things that my lead others astray unintentionally. Part of me wants to share to help and support others and part of me knows that we are not always ready to hear things and some of these discussions can have negative effects on some people. There is a sense of reverence, due to how valuable and rare such experiences are, making me feel a bit protective, even defensive that can make me feel uncomfortable sharing, as if I am being disrespectful by putting some of these experiences into words.

Yes, it is an experience I’ve also shared. In the tradition I follow it’s often referred to as the unbounded space of being. It’s an important part of our practice and theoretical paradigm. I agree that words are inadequate to describe such things. I think such experiences can be very meaningful and profound, hence the sensitivity and discomfort in discussing them openly. Welcome to the DaoBums.

That’s exactly right, become THE mother

Derail alert - I think it's useful to think about spirituality in 3 categories somewhat parallel to martial arts - - theory (like in the gym we learn the techniques and concepts, both theoretical and practical) - on the cushion (like in the ring we face an opponent, our own mind, but under fixed circumstances) - in real life (like on the street we face an opponent, our own mind, under unpredictable and variable circumstances)

May your fetus be immortal!

There's a lot of similarity in martial discussions and spiritual discussions viz a viz experience, ideas, and bluster...

So much fun to see things that exceed rational limits - it tickles. Magic is everywhere, always.

They’re 3 levels to how techniques look - gym, ring, and street getting progressively less recognizable. It’s like that with any style.

No more or less than with other martial arts. The situation dictates the application and nothing on the street looks quite like the ring or the dojo. Looks and effectiveness are not necessarily related, IME. I recall a world champion fighter in Kuoshu Lei Tai whose techniques looked like crap but he could knock folks out and throw them off the lei tai like nobody’s business. Couldn’t deal with a decent wrestler though (my son 😎). In my mind, the style is less important than the quality and dedication of the student and teacher and the training methods.