doc benway

... And yes, the patriarchy and abuse are no stranger to Tibetan Buddhists... Real progress exists in their communities and sanghas are now far more alert and ready to act on corruption. Far too slow but alive. 😢

In the tradition I follow, the male and female energies have never been obscured. Obscuration arises in individual samsaric beings. The female is the loving Mother of wisdom. The male is Compassion. Emotion is not the enemy, it is the path to liberation.. We only find this enmity in the context of a specific practice, that of renunciation- the sutric path. Different strokes are needed for different folks. It does not apply to the higher Tantras.. Self-originated primordial wisdom is the base. The five poisonous mental afflictions are the dynamic energy. Chasing after them is the way you are deluded. Viewing them as deficient is the error. Leaving them as they are is the method. Freeing them into vastness is the path. Non-duality is the realization ~ from The Twenty One Nails Certainly there is ignorance in the collective, but that is a conceptual construct itself. As practitioners, we can only take responsibility for ourselves, as I post often here.

I’ve actually done this when a bigass bull shark was approaching my brother on a wreck in North Carolina.! 🤣 It was not quite as funny at the time!

Deagol! How did the last Steward of Gondor die?

His brother... ???

Tom Bombadil Q: What is Aragorn’s pseudonym?

Saruman Q: Who controlled the Lord of Rohan?

freaky styley

Stank!

wash over your soul my beloved promises a life of pure bliss

Groucho

learning never ends so unlearning must begin it feels like cool rain

Should be done

Sure

The noise in our head and body is a good distraction from underlying mental issues. Meditation, standing, etc... do not cause harm but they certainly can unmask underlying issues and allow them to express themselves. The longer they've been repressed or suppressed and the more frightening, painful, and serious they are, the more damage they can cause us. I recently read about a young lady committing suicide after a Goencke style vipassana retreat - heart breaking. My Dao teacher taught us that meditation is important in part because it allows us to expose and address repressed toxicity under controlled and supported circumstances while we are young and healthy and prepared to deal with it all. Otherwise it all comes out towards the end of life or while we are in a compromised and vulnerable state when we are less able to deal. This may be one reason why there are so many suicides in the elderly.

In my opinion there are few practices that are safer than zhan zhuang, if practiced properly. In my Daoist tradition, standing is the foundation of most other practices, be they martial or spiritual. It is extremely simple and with a relatively small amount of guidance and support, one can easily become one's own teacher. The body and mind become the teacher and all we need to do is simply make adjustments to the posture of mind and body when they deviate. This is fairly easily recognized with a small amount of guidance. The concern here is "some issues I was having, and I was recommended to stop all internal work for some time to get things in order." Zhan zhuang does increase our sensitivity to and awareness of the experience of mind and body. The more still and quiet the mind and body become, the more we open ourselves to reactivity to the experiences of mind and body. Any underlying imbalance, suppressed or repressed mental and emotional content, physical sensitivities all can become magnified and in rare cases harmful. That said, properly practiced zhan zhuang can be a remedy for many of these very problems. One simply needs some support and guidance to make sure they deal with any problems properly as they come up. So the answer to your question, from my perspective is a qualified yes. Zhan zhuang is quite safe but it is important to be aware of whatever "issues" are present and one needs to be prepared to seek support from someone (be it a teacher, a therapist, a healer,...) if problems arise.

I often notice emotional shifts with no obvious source. Emotion is energy, energy is movement, it is natural for emotions to wax and wane. When we see a reason, that is fine and we can address it or not. When we do not see a reason, that is equally fine. It is enough to feel the emotion fully, knowing it is a transient life experience. No matter how bad I feel, I know that if I give it some time I will feel better. No matter how good I feel, I know that if I give it some time I will feel worse. Just the natural ebb and flow of feeling.

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Whatever we call it, sometimes adding more labels and analysis just solidifies our view and perspective. The mind can’t often solve its own riddles. My practice is to be aware of whatever it is you are experiencing. Don’t suppress, analyze, or engage. Leave it as it is. In time it releases, it cannot sustain itself. Deepen a relationship to what remains in the instant it dissolves. That is the true source of healing.

Borges!!! His Dark Materials - loved it Another favorite of mine - Naked Lunch William S Burroughs

My earliest were Verne - Journey to the Center of the Earth, From the Earth to the Moon, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea HG Wells - War of the Worlds and The Time Machine Mind blowing for a child

Hated: Foucault’s Pendulum and Radix

Pool