Nanashi

Alright, I recant my rage, joeblast and thelerner do make good points.

Bacteria is natural, should we not use soap? Viruses are natural, shall we not use medication? STDs are natural, are we not to use condoms? How sad that unfettered capitalism has otherwise decent people so brainwashed, they will defend this constant trickery and scams. Turnips. Pfft. I get it, people see Michael Douglas movies and think they will be rich as sin someday too. Yeah, I get it, corporate fascism is sexy.

the merchant class has always been, and continues to be, a blight upon humanity

brah, you no like beef? just bust out some pakalolo and everyone will be friends PEARL CITY CHARGERS REPRESENT

right, dragons are a metaphor for the spirit of a thing itself. example: "Is not Laozi the dragon? That unfathomable energy of the void." you are the dragon-- rise and soar

neo-feudal corporate fascism has taken control

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwnlmV3Ek4I

Let us observe this day on which our Buddha attained his Awakening through Enlightenment, experiencing Nirvana. I have purged, and can only hope to cultivate further compassion.

magnificent

hallowed ground beneath every step; polish the soul after every breath

It can't be easy to eschew this "medicine" in a state where it is readily available and legal, so I admire your discipline. As long as your "reward system" isn't hijacked by bad choices, mindfulness becomes the sword which cuts down illusion/temptation.

No use in asking the OP any questions, he has been banned for a lack of honor (amusingly). It seems honor in this case is meant as "sessou" (integrity) more than "giri" (sense of duty). Also, some quick quotes from the TTC: "What is a good person but a bad person's teacher? What is a bad person but raw materiel for his teacher? If you fail to honor your teacher or fail to enjoy your student, you will become deluded no matter how smart you are. It is the secret of prime importance." ~ "Know the honorable, but do not shun the disgraced: embracing the world as it is. If you embrace the world with compassion, then your virtue will return you to the uncarved block." ~ "The death of many should be greeted with great sorrow, and the victory celebration should honor those who have died." ~ "Knowing when you have enough avoids dishonor, and knowing when to stop will keep you from danger..." ~ "The Tao gives birth to all of creation. The virtue of Tao in nature nurtures them, and their family give them their form. Their environment then shapes them into completion. That is why every creature honors the Tao and its virtue. No one tells them to honor the Tao and its virtue, it happens all by itself. So the Tao gives them birth, and its virtue cultivates them, cares for them, nurtures them, gives them a place of refuge and peace, helps them to grow and shelters them. It gives them life without wanting to posses them, and cares for them expecting nothing in return. It is their master, but it does not seek to dominate them. This is called the dark and mysterious virtue." ~ "That which is well built will never be torn down. That which is well latched can not slip away. Those who do things well will be honored from generation to generation."

This anecdote was recorded by western judo pioneer E. J. Harrison in his book The Fighting Spirit of Japan, published in 1913. The speaker is Sakujiro Yokoyama , one of the greatest judoka from the founding days of Kodokan Judo. This is a fascinating eye witness account to an actual duel of samurai. --- "I can carry my memory back to the days when all samurai wore the two swords and used them as well when necessity arose. When quite a boy I accidentally witnessed an exciting duel to the death between a ronin [an unattached samurai] and three samurai. The struggle took place in the Kojimachi ward, in the neighbourhood of Kudan, where the Shokonsha now stands. Before proceeding with my narrative I ought to explain for the benefit of my foreign listeners [there were two of us present besides another Japanese gentleman] the usage that was commonly observed by the two-sworded men of the old feudal days, in order that the incident I am about to describe may be better understood. The sword of the samurai, as you know, was a possession valued higher than life itself, and if you touched a samurai's sword you touched his dignity. It was deemed an act of unpardonable rudeness in those days for one samurai to allow the tip of his scabbard to come into contact with the scabbard of another samurai as the men passed each other in the street; such an act was styled saya-ate {saya = scabbard, ate = to strike against}, and in the absence of a prompt apology from the offender a fight almost always ensued. The samurai carried two swords, the long and the short, which were thrust into the obi, or sash, on the left-hand side, in such a manner that the sheath of the longer weapon stuck out behind the owner's back. This being the case, it frequently happened, especially in a crowd, that two scabbards would touch each other without deliberate intent on either side, although samurai who were not looking for trouble of this kind always took the precaution to hold the swords with the point downward and as close to their sides as possible. But should a collision of this description occur, the parties could on no account allow it to pass unnoticed. One or both would at once demand satisfaction, and the challenge was rarely refused. The high sense of honour which prevailed among men of this class forbade them to shrink from the consequences of such an encounter. So much by way of introduction. The episode I am going to describe arose in precisely this fashion. The parties to the duel were a ronin and three samurai, as I have already said. The ronin was rather shabbily dressed, and was evidently very poor. The sheath of his long sword was covered with cracks where the lacquer had been worn away through long use. He was a man of middle age. The three samurai were all stalwart men, and appeared to be under the influence of sake. They were the challengers. At first the ronin apologized, but the samurai insisted on a duel, and the ronin eventually accepted the challenge. By this time a large crowd had gathered, among which were many samurai, none of whom, however, ventured to interfere. In accordance with custom, the combatants exchanged names and swords were unsheathed, the three samurai on one side facing their solitary opponent, with whom the sympathies of the onlookers evidently lay. The keen blades of the duelists glittered in the sun. The ronin, seemingly as calm as though engaged merely in a friendly fencing bout, advanced steadily with the point of his weapon directed against the samurai in the centre of the trio, and apparently indifferent to an attack on either flank. The samurai in the middle gave ground inch by inch and the ronin as surely stepped forward. Then the right-hand samurai, who thought he saw an opening, rushed to the attack, but the ronin, who had clearly anticipated this move, parried and with lightning rapidity cut his enemy down with a mortal blow. The left-hand samurai came on in his turn, but was treated in similar fashion, a single stroke felling him' to the ground bathed in blood. All this took almost less time than it takes to tell. The samurai in the centre, seeing the fate of his comrades, thought better of his first intention and took to his heels. The victorious ronin wiped his blood-stained sword in the coolest manner imaginable and returned it to its sheath. His feat was loudly applauded by the other samurai who had witnessed it. The ronin then repaired to the neighbouring magistrate's office to report the occurrence, as the law required."

Thanks very much, I will try that. I was bending my pillow to try and support my neck, but the arm/leg bends make much more sense in supporting this sleeping posture.

Hello Drew, I am glad to see you back here, sharing your experience and knowledge. I spend most of my sedentary time in full lotus-- even during martial practice I will sometimes break it up with pushing my fists against the ground and suspending my body sitting in full lotus (great for balance). Most of my practice and philosophy is Japanese in origin, and I remember a long time ago you told me that all Japanese practices are just "mind yoga"-- also you recently mentioned on your blog how you sleep on your right side, putting weight on your hip and shoulder. When I go to sleep (also on my right side), it seems like I place all my weight on my face, causing a lot of pressure in my mouth. I've tried to adjust the weight elsewhere, but my head seems too heavy/uncomfortable in other positions laying down. Is this connected with mind-yoga?

http://www.livestream.com/globalrevolution the main park has been raided and is now empty, all possessions taken. Stand off in the streets right now.