Encephalon

Thank you for posting this. I just read the attached pdf - "Release to Freedom: The Dissolving Process of the Taoist Water Method" by Frank Allen & Sally Kealy - and I have to say it was a perfectly encouraging read on this fine Christmas day in California. The "TAO of Letting Go: Meditation for Modern Living" by Bruce Kumar Frantzis is waiting for me when I get home next week and I think it portends a very productive year for my practice. Thanks again.

I emailed him about a month ago and still no response. And I never see him on here. Ever. Is anyone in contact with him and is he ok?

Definitely an intriguing parallel between the inner and the outer quest. Thanks for posting.

Sorry to hear about your family plight. If it's any consolation, this dynamic is being replicated in millions of homes as we speak, meaning that there is a huge demand for helpful resources, and those resources are plentiful and available in virtually any US metro area. People can change, but when addictive behavior is involved, they usually don't change until they've exhausted all other options and realize the truth of their dire straits. This is true for the individual, and there's plenty of evidence that it applies to humans collectively. The best thing you and your family can do is extricate yourselves from the drama so that your brother doesn't drag everybody into the craziness vortex. Al-onon meetings offer tools toward this end. Hanging around with him will only enable his conduct and slowly but surely disempower you as well. It sounds like you are already assuming an unrealistically disproportionate share of responsibility for rectifying this problem, which is not uncommon, and is actually a testament to your kind intentions. Find some folks at a local Alonon or Codepedents Anon meeting, and you will quickly discover that you are not alone. This alone will make a huge difference. Best of luck.

Ha Hah!! Good one! Although it may not be fun for All of us!

Hey Drew - Whatya say for old-time sakes that we don't derail each other's posts with divergent material, eh? Welcome back. Blasto

Like many others, I first began to feel chi in my fingers. I remember how deliriously happy I was when the first sensations of tingling started up. Within a couple weeks I was able to cause the thumbs and specific digits to awaken and throb at will. This is easily explained by the fact that the hands are richly enervated. To me, the movement of chi feels like the pleasant sensation of pressure right before a sneeze. A point of energy expands and makes itself palpable and can be manipulated by the mind (yi chi) with some months of practice. Unfortunately, like many earnest beginners, I practiced the Water method, Chu Nei kung, and even a few weeks of Gary Clyman's tidal wave chi kung. I was careful not to 'blend' these teachings into one practice but kept them separate, but the problem is I can't account for which practice was the most efficacious (although i have abandoned Clyman's routine due to its excessive Fire energy). I think Ish has made the critical point - relax, relax, relax. you hear this all the time. I was lucky when I started because I had been working at a gym as a trainer, working out a lot and making sure that my flexibility matched or exceeded my strength gains (I was the old man on the team but the most flexible). I attribute the capacity to deeply relax as the reason why my first year of energy training was so productive and enjoyable.

Man, I really dug this flick. I found myself weeping in some of the more tender scenes. I posted a review from Amazon and trailer. Based loosely on the 1982 martial arts epic Shaolin Temple, which helped to mint Jet Li as a star, this Hong Kong blockbuster from Benny Chan stars Andy Lau as a battle-weary warlord who finds refuge and then solace among the monks of a Shaolin temple. Set during the tumult of early Republican China, the story unfolds as Lau's warlord usurps his rivals, but at the cost of his daughter's life and his wife's loyalty. His spirit crushed, he decides to atone for his violent past by joining a Shaolin order (which counts Jackie Chan, in a glorified cameo, as its cook). Lau's path to enlightenment is cast into doubt when he discovers that his former second-in-command (Nicholas Tse, in an enjoyably overripe performance) has enslaved the local population and forced them to unearth relics in order to pay for greater weapons. Things naturally come to a head between Lau and Tse, but the film is less concerned with sprawling martial arts battles than the emotional conflicts between and within its major players. Honor, familial loyalty, remorse, and pursuit of spiritual wholeness are cornerstones of Hong Kong action films, but the depth of the performances and screenplay (by Alan Yuen) lends rich nuances to the subjects, often at the expense of adding an extra fight scene to the picture. That's perhaps a good thing, as martial arts choreographer Corey Yuen's usual pyrotechnics are hobbled somewhat by his leads, who are fine actors but only modest fighters, leaving the firepower to wushu champion Wu Jing as a Shaolin elder. Chan's formidable talents are used to underscore his comic contributions to the film, and as such, are only mildly entertaining. That's also how most martial arts fans will view Shaolin, though those who value theme as well as action may find it a frequently thoughtful diversion. The Blu-ray collector's edition features a gallery of deleted scenes (mostly extended versions of scenes in the theatrical cut) and trailers, as well as a pair of by-the-books featurettes on the film's production. Slightly more interesting are a handful of interviews with the principals, which touch on the picture's historical basis and the '82 Li film, among other subjects. --Paul Gaita

I don't hold the bar too high when it comes to this genre. That way I glean satisfaction when it does deliver. "The House of Flying Daggers" and "Fearless" were nice surprises, but before that...geez... it must've been "The Last Samurai" or "Best of the Best" that delivered on their own terms.

On the road, I5 north out of Los Angeles, one week in San Fran, 5 days in Lake Tahoe. There is still fresh air in the world if you know where to look. Packin' "Mother of the Buddhas: Meditations on the Prajnaparamita Sutra" by Lex Hixon, so I guess this Buddhist humanist will be a Boddhisatva by New Year's... Not.! Also, "Fight Less, Love More: 5-Minute Conversations to Change Your Relationship without Blowing Up or Giving In" by Laurie Puhn. If there was ever a book written for couples that seems entirely inspired by Right Speech but not actually Buddhist then this is it. My wife and I are loving it! Five Starz! All the best, everyone! Scott

I don't know about any of ya'll, but I came away from this movie starring Bradley Cooper with a renewed commitment to daily practice. Having noticed modest increases in my own coordination, bodymind union, and mental clarity and general well-being thanks to Taoist practices, I couldn't help but be inpsired by this movie. For some reason, my wife would rather have sex with Bradley Cooper than begin her chi kung training. Whatever. Anyone else detect any Taoist themes in this flick?

I'm sure you'll get a half dozen reading suggestions in no time, but eventually the necessity of formal instruction will become apparent. Getting nei kung instruction has been the single most important event in my life (besides getting married, becoming a father, getting educated and getting sober!), but my recent posture tune-up was quite humbling. I thought I was making progress but was told I was merely doing "isometrics." Ouch! He adjusted my posture imperceptibly and the bubbling spring effect kicked in after about 5 seconds. Moral of tale: read everything you can, but formal instruction. If I won the lottery I'd move to Times Square for a year and study nei kung under Master Chu - www.chutaichi.com - My teacher co-wrote "The Book of Nei Kung" with Master Chu.

These kinds of stories don't often make headlines. They don't because whenever the conservative Papacy issues a statement about the need for a more progressive arrangement of global financial institutions (it has done so repeatedly over the last 3 decades that I know of), it messes up the tidiness that normally demarcates the lines between liberals and conservatives. Liberals become perplexed but welcome the news nevertheless, while conservatives like John Mclaughlin and Robert Novak react with apoplexy and sweep it under the rug before anyone else notices. In a way, these messages from the Vatican are not unlike the legacy of William Jennings Bryant, the fundamentalist Christian best known for his unwavering rejection of the theory of evolution During the Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925 on the grounds that it would legitimize Herbert Spencer's school of social Darwinism. He was a fiercely committed progressive populist, a Leftie by today's standards, but refused to let science create schisms in his worldview. Well, we'll see if this latest message from the Papacy figures at all in the growing movement to impose a global Financial Transactions Tax in 2012. I'm not holding my breath. ************************************************************************************************************************************* By Francis X. Rocca Religion News Service VATICAN CITY (RNS) Noting a "rising sense of frustration" at the worldwide economic recession, Pope Benedict XVI said that a more just and peaceful world requires "adequate mechanisms for the redistribution of wealth." The pope's words appeared in his message for the World Day of Peace 2012, released on Friday (Dec. 16) at the Vatican. The message laments that "some currents of modern culture, built upon rationalist and individualist economic principles, have cut off the concept of justice from its transcendent roots, detaching it from charity and solidarity." Authentic education, Benedict writes, teaches the proper use of freedom with "respect for oneself and others, including those whose way of being and living differs greatly from one's own." Peace-making requires education not only in the values of compassion and solidarity, but in the importance of wealth redistribution, the "promotion of growth, cooperation for development and conflict resolution," Benedict writes. The pope also calls on political leaders to "ensure that no one is ever denied access to education." The message was presented on Friday by officials of the Vatican's Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace. The same body published a controversial document in October blaming the world's economic and financial crisis on an "economic liberalism that spurns rules and controls," and calling for global regulation of the financial industry and the international money supply.

I think it should be allowed too. It's just that the last time this dialogue came up, some lost the ability to separate the Christian history from the Christianity, and all Hell broke loose. Maybe that won't happen this time.

Uh-oh. Their was a collective reaming of the Roman Catholic Church about a year ago in here, very much like the trajectory this one is taking. If memory serves it was I who originated that thread and it would disturb me if I have inadvertantly done so again. I believe the consensus was that it was beneath us to rejoice in the depravity of the RC Church and that we should pity those whose unskillful acts engender karmic debts. My intention was not to bash Catholicism but to point out that even amongst an institution as conservative as the RC Church there is alarm that half of our planet's brethren live on $2/day, while gluttony and ostentatiousness, and the attendant spiritual and ecological impoverishment, is reserved for a priviledged few. Brother David is The Man!

Which makes this all the more unusual given that this Pope is probably the most conservative guy since Pope Innocent VIII who decreed in 1484 that cats should be burned at the stake, along with their cat lovers. Apparently, the presence of half the world living on $2/day while ostentatiousness abounds in consumer cultures wreaks a little too much cognitive, if not moral, dissonance in this man's consciousness. Sarah Silverman... what a pure angel.

Their wealth?! Hah! No, just everyone else's! Good point!!

Part of that is being prepared when the Muse starts downloading ideas, but the Muse has her own schedule, as you may know. The template upon which you attach all of your ideas is the story arc. If you're not up to reading "Hero with a Thousand Faces" by Joseph Campbell then at least get a copy of "The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers" by Chris Vogler, where he breaks down Campbell's original work for screenwriters. It's "The Odyssey" told a thousand different ways, starting with the... Ordinary world Call to Adventure Refusal of the Call Meeting the Mentor Crossing the First threshold Tests, Allies, Enemies Approach to the Inmost Cave Ordeal Reward (seizing the sword) The Road Back Resurrection Return with the Elixir PS - I am more convinced than ever that the single greatest means of welcoming the Muse (increasing creativityand imagination) is consistent Taoist meditation and nei kung. There just doesn't seem to be anything close in terms of supercharging your subconscious and overall nervous system.

I've always loved this man. The 1st video is about the meeting of the traditions. This one is about Interdependent Arising as Divine

His previous work,"Buddhism Without Beliefs," is a modern classic detailing the path of an agnostic humanism utilizing the power of Buddhist psychology. It is a Buddhism for Everyman, for the taking. Seth's path represents a grand departure from Batchelor's atheism though. He did say he remains a theist at heart, which he couldn't reconcile completely with Buddhism, if I understand him correctly. I'm completely on board with Seth's reasoning and the convictions of his spirit, because even though I remain a committed agnostic, due to the limits of absolute certainties, there remains in me a small ember of belief in some conscientious force, which I connected to through my own mystical impulses. But as the quote by Fritjof Capra below implies, this conscientious force manifests more as an ecological intelligence than a personal one, at least for me. I guess that makes me something of a modern pantheist.

Filthy, rotten, yellow-bellied traitor!

Sorry about the levity, but I thought you were pulling our legs by asking a circular question; how do you know what you're practicing if you don't know the basics?

I was going to post this in the "Any writers?" thread but I thought it would be interesting to see how many of you identify with this character type, and see it as an asset (or a hindrance?) to your cultivation practice. Is there a commonality between cultivators and artists? (leading question!) This is Habit #1 of successful screenwriters, but it applies to artists of all stripes. ************************************************************************************** From The 101 Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters by Karl Iglesias 1. BEING CREATIVE AND ORIGINAL Imagination is being able to think of things that havent appeared on TV yet. Henry Beard It may seem unnecessary to include this trait, because most people know creativity is an essential part of the writers makeup, especially in screenwriting. Ive included it, however, because many beginning writers dont understand how important it is to be original. Reading hundreds of scripts and listening to thousands of pitches showed me how most of them were derivative of other movies, with familiar characters, uninteresting ideas, and clichéd plot twists. Beginning writers tend to develop the easiest idea that comes to mind, rather than working hard to generate original ones. Our mentors are highly imaginative and can make creative connections between seemingly unrelated events. Theyre able to daydream about situations, characters, bits of dialogue, and get immediate answers to what if situations. As Pearl Buck eloquently puts it: The truly creative mind in any field is no more than this: a human creature born abnormally, inhumanly sensitive. To him a touch is a blow, a sound is a noise, a misfortune is a tragedy, a joy is an ecstasy, a friend is a lover, a lover is a god, and failure is death. Add to this cruelly delicate organism the overpowering necessity to create, create, create so that without the creating of music or poetry or books or buildings or something of meaning, his very breath is cut off from him. He must create, just pour out creating. By some strange, inward urgency, he is not really alive unless he is creating. No one can tell you what this mysterious creative energy really is. Its not a formula. You cannot control it, but you can certainly develop a relationships to it so that it will open itself to your more often than not. Tom Schulman: Screenwriters need a determination to be original and an unwillingness to accept clichés. Most writers I know dont hesitate to change, or at least add something special as soon as they sense what they wrote has been done before. edited for Tai Po

I would invite you to examine whether this truth is a truly sad one. All the successful people in the entertainment industry, from top screenwriters to directors, took at least a decade, and closer to two, to get where they are. Before that they were banging out educations, waiting on tables, working on student film projects, etc. Small incremental steps toward the goal is the path to mastery of any art form. At 19, you've got all the time in the world (a full-scale European financial meltdown notwithstanding!). I guess as an Englishman you're familiar with the life of Scotsman William Wallace. did you see and like the movie "Braveheart"? If you did, I will happily mail you my copy of the screenplay.