.broken.

Agreed. I can only assume that you are coming to us because you did not do this under your teacher's instruction - he just mentioned it. That fact that he mentioned it to you is a good sign... perhaps mentioning you experience to him may lead him to teach you the method that worked for him. Just a thought... Yours humbly, James

Heya Santiago, would you mind telling us a little about how the camp went? Or perhaps one of your students might be willing to oblige? Yours humbly, James

Many thoughts During a period of phenomonal amounts of energy shooting up my spine I spent much time examining the origins of all that is. From what I understand, the Chinese were quite correct in their theories about existence: wuji, taiji, yin and yang, then multiplicity. Wuji is in itself a mind-boggling concept. Void, nothingness, emptiness, no-thing. Everything the intellect knows is a 'something'... it is simply indescribable to the intellect no matter how hard it tries to figure it out... much like how enlightenment seems indescribable to those who aren't enlightened. In fact, the intellect turns the concept of 'nothingness' into something by making it a concept in the first place. This is one of the many times in spiritual practice we can comprehend the limitations of intelligence. The etymology of the word 'zero' itself can be traced through Venetian, to Italian, to Arabic, to Sanskrit. The sanskrit word is sunya meaning empty or void. This word is in fact also part of the Buddha's teaching as sunyata, meaning emptiness or voidness. To quote wikipedia: "In the Buddha's spiritual teaching, insight into the emptiness of phenomena is an aspect of the cultivation of insight that leads to wisdom and inner peace." Form is impermanent; form stems from nothingness; nothingness lies within and beyond form. It is in the balancing of polarities (yin and yang) that ultimately one will begin to realise that the polarities co-exist and are ultimately the cause each other. However, behind these two polarities are two things: taiji and wuji. Taiji is simply the manifestation of wuji - comparable to how Shiva is the manifestation of Shakti, the ultimate consciousness. Wuji is the 'void' out of which taiji was manifested; zero lead to one, if you will. Nothingness is the cause of all that exists because, when manifested, it is everything. The Chinese had an understanding of negative numbers, zero, and positive numbers. Cleverly, they did not have a symbol for zero, however, as this would cause one to conceptualise it... As the philosophical Greeks argued, how can nothing be something? Also, it is good to note that zero is the only number that is neither positive nor negative. Zero is also considered a 'positional value' as all other values derive their value by contrasting with other numbers - zero is therefore an absolute from which all other numbers are given meaning. In contrast, the number 1 was first used to describe everything (an absolute), because all is one. It was all encompassing, infinite. Unlike the glyph we use these days for this number, it was originally thought to have originated in India as a horizantal line which is how the Chinese still write it. Practically, though, this concept did not last long as it had no practical use - particularly when we developed a sense of self and trade - so it was applied to microcosmic occurances. For example, one of your concubines for one of my nymphs. Other values quickly followed, as 'one' and another 'one' make something that isn't 'one'. In particular, note that numbers have great value when it comes to a matter of ownership of objects - the drive to have more than your fellow humans - the birth of materialism. Yours humbly, James

Too true

That's some seriously gross tumour. Seen others like it, he's lucky it only covers one side of his face so that he can see, breathe and eat without too much difficulty. To me there is nothing 'holy' about this person's physical appearance. Pardon my negativity if it comes across as such. Yours, James

The advice in response to your post, Pranaman, has been sublime. I couldn't help but feel that there was not a particularly practical answer... simply attempts to shift your own perception. Perhaps this is not what you were looking for. I shall therefore attempt to offer a solution that requires you to sacrifice your time for the benefit of those you love. And here it is: learn to cook. The art of cooking is a rarity in itself. Very few people have mastered it. Many have a few 'specialist' dishes, but their knowledge of flavours, colours and ingredients are minimal. If you are in control of the food that your parents eat, then you are in control of their digestive health. Of course, they may snack inbetween meals and consume alcohol, but this is their choice and if you cook for them you will see the impact one good meal every day has on them. I would personally suggest that you buy seasonal, local foods - and if the food budget stretches, make sure it's organic. Failing this, perhaps put in a request to whomever does the shopping that you are keen to eat more fruit. If you set an example, they will follow. Yours humbly, James

It was my pleasure, rain. I enjoyed writing it - it is a joy to hear you enjoyed reading it The definition of androgeny (as I've seen it spelt in the dictionary) is quite peculiar... when you google for a definition the results vary from the psychological to the biological. However, I shall attempt to divulge the meaning it which I meant it. To my mind, if something is described as androgynous it means that it is difficult to distinguish it's sex in a particular context... be that by what the object looks like, how it behaves, its function, etc. Now we all are aware that in whatever culture you grow up in there is a difference, no matter how subtle, that solely depends on gender. You are born into a culture and your learned self acts in ways that the culture/your parents perscribe(s). In this western society it used to be a matter of how you functioned within the community you lived and how you behaved in the presence of others (usually seeping into how one would behave outwith other company). The obvious example being that of the oppression that women faced, prior to the suffragette movement, partially thanks to the story of Adam and Eve and our evolutionary past. It appears to me that the average human being does all this functioning within the society they live as a matter of habitual thinking in their adult years. They are, for the most part, stuck in the ignorance of their ways. In sheer contrast, the enlightened being acts not out of habit, but out of intuition. At this level of functioning, the enlightened being has the learned self as a tool to go about the current culture unhindered - but that's all it is: a tool. To summarise, therefore, the average human being affiliates themselves with the self that operates (in society). They are that. The enlightened being does not affiliate themselves with that dear old self, rather they use that as a tool to function with other human beings. Gender comes into play here because, as I mentioned before, we learn our gender roles - be it from our parents, from films, from books, from what we see around us. This is the reason why spiritual practices make us face what is within us, for it is what is within in us that we must unlearn. The path is that of forgetting, and when we forget, somewhat perculiarly, we remember. Yours humbly, James

We should not forget that the serpent in the Bible originates in the story of Adam and Eve - which is from the Book of Genesis... written many many centuries before the New Testament, before the Bible as we know it (constructed some 400 years after Jesus' death), and well before the establishment of the Roman Catholic Church. As such, it has been the subject of much interpretation in Jewish midrash and Christian mysticism. The literal meaning of the story had never been considered as true until around the time of the Enlightenment (Bacon and other rationalists). The Enlightenment led to great advances in science, logic and mathematics. Unfortunately, most Enlightenment thinkers disregarded any literal interpretation in the stories of the Bible as nonsense and this inevitably led to the Christian fundamentalism that is with us today. Creationism vs evolution, spiritual practice vs indoctrinated worship, etc. Tackling the story of Adam and Eve itself ... The serpent tempted Eve to eat the apple from "the tree of knowledge of good and evil" (duality). As everyone probably knows, she ate it and convinced Adam to eat it too. Thus they knew the difference between good and evil and realised they were naked, thus covering themselves (with an ego). God threw them out of Eden and the garden's gate is sealed by a cherub and a flaming sword. The serpent represents pretty much the same as the flaming sword. It was the serpent that divided humanity from God, and the flaming sword stands between humanity and God. Note that the sword is commonly used to represent the spine, the flames the energy, the serpent/snake the rising Kundalini. Many people who undertake spiritual practices eventually end up awakening the Kundalini - the undulating energy, usually felt of as heat, that shoots up the spine from the perineum to the brain. "There was a fire in my head" is the brilliant description that I have come across recently in both shamanism and Christian mysticism. Essentially, what I believe one should take from the story of Adam and Eve is that we need to practice in order to re-unite ourselves with God/the Dao. Practice to experience the serpent, to experience the flaming sword. (After thought... the cherub possibly respresents the following: a child-like nature and androgony. These are both marks of the enlightened.)

Brilliant topic. I've done many meditations in my time, some under the influence of a variety of drugs. A personal favourite is the Practice of Natural Light, as perscribed by Namkhai Norbu in a book of the same title, under the influence of LSA (in particular, Chemistry by the London Underground - a legal high company). Energy shot up my spine... lots of it. I could see swirls of energy pervading everything, I received many messages from spiritual guides, my aura was beaming, I experienced the oneness of everything... and much more. However, a warning: do not use the temporary levels of higher energy for one's own gain. Sounds obvious, but I had hell to pay for telling the Kundalini that I was ready and for my enquirying about past and future events. Guess what... I wasn't ready. Drugs are as much a part of the divine as anything else. Some people fail to realise this. Use them at your own discretion but I beg all those who try: do your research. Read, read and read about the drugs you plan to take. Talk to people who have taken them, ask them what advice they would give to someone who wanted to take them. Do it until you know you are sure you want to take them, remove all doubt, all negativity - then it's simply a matter for waiting for the right time in your life to ingest them. DMT is a particularly powerful drug that I have yet to try. My drugs days are behind me, but I think that for DMT I would allow myself a temporary break... and perhaps Iboga. I've had friends talk to hundred year old trees for hours on these drugs. Shrooms: wait for a beautiful day outdoors, and they are most potent brewed in a tea (do not boil). A common myth is that the more blue the insides of the mushrooms the more powerful they are, the blue is infact the bacteria that breaksdown the active chemical... Also, have a friend who is more sober with you for the journey, preferably one who is very chilled out and won't cause any unnecessary agro. Yours humbly, James

A little unfair on Vajrasattva... He said it was horse shit that it was a necessary practice for high levels of cultivation. He also acknowledged that it was a very good asana. That aside - apologies, it was difficult to know whether that comment was in jest or not... tone is difficult to determine in written language - it is my understanding that certain sources claim that the orbit will open up once a certain level of single pointed concentration has been developed (re Bill Bodri, Master Nan and Charles Luk). Yours humbly, James

I am sure I speak for many of us here when I say that your posts are quite sincere and from the heart. I look forward to the time when we will meet I wish you happiness in your new career... may it be a path in which you continue to flourish. Yours humbly, James

Hello everyone, I am keen to gain knowledge of practices that lead to the ending of desire. This, somewhat obviously, also includes fear - which is just the desire to avoid. Descriptions of the effects of desire and its elimination are rife throughout much of religious teaching - both Eastern and Western. Despite all this, I have no knowledge of how this is achieved, and if I do know I clearly do not label it as such. My own instincts are that 'non-attachment' has to be attained. If we didn't act on our desires and fears then what grip would they have over us? I would be keen to read what you think about this. Perhaps even informing us as to what practices help release/sublimate desire. Yours humbly, James

lol I find the image of a little mouth at the end of one's penis quite entertaining! ... Come here you sexy love bean ... *munch* *munch* *munch*

Appreciate the responses. It was as I expected, and I am grateful for the confirmation. Glad I could put a smile on your face freeform I recognised the irony of this thread after having just posted it. Letting go, acceptance, silence, absence of expectations, non-attachment... All points to the results of deep meditation. Appears there is nothing left for me to do but practice. Yours humbly, James

Your very presence was compassionate - I learnt much from reading your posts. Thank you. Blessed be, James

A brief glimpse of light; grateful for you insight. Happy travels in the Void kind sir. Yours humbly, James

A sign of things to come, Bill. Wise words Yours humbly, James P.S. Great thread guys - thoroughly enjoyed the read. Answered some of my own questions!

Looking forward to seeing this The God Movie Despite the fact that Christ may not have existed, a heavily disputed topic in academic theology, he does show human's a good example of compassionate living. Yours humbly, James

Not sure 'fanatic' is the word I would use to describe myself... Chen style - loajia and sabre

These two sentences have stuck in my mind ever since I read them almost a week ago. It isn't the first time that I have read/heard this. Some 2012 theories abound with this stuff. I would be grateful if you took the time to explain this. Is this an intuitive feeling due to your high cultivation, or something else? Yours humbly, James

Wow! Looking at the second link I posted above... at the bottom of the page there's the logo: "Not Rated: Contains mature language, partial nudity and heresy" I find it astonishing that heresy is labelled as something to be avoided. If the consumer has discerned faith they should be able to take it in their stride and allow it to develop their believes further - as such, it would not be worth labelling. Is this another sign that America has many Christian's with blind faith who find even the notion of it being questioned, or shown in ill-repute, an outrageous and offensive act? In my eyes, they are no better than any other fundamentalist... whether islamic militants, Dawkins-style atheists or those you believe Sharia law has a place in a compassionate society. My compassion is with them all. Yours humbly, James

Fat yogis exist Fat martial artists exist too. If weight loss is what you wish to achieve, and yoga is the path you wish to take, then I might suggest you take private tuition from a yoga trainer to come up with a series of practices to help lose weight.. However, I would advise that you first look at how many calories you take in and how many you work off. If you take in more calories then you work off, you are likely to gain weight. Do not solely ignore cardio vascular exercises due to the loss of chi that occurs. They are quite effective at burning off excess fat. Look at you eating habits: how many meals you have a day, how many snacks, how much you drink (and take a note of what you drink), do you drink with meals, do you eat until you are full, what is your intake of refined sugars, how good are you at eating over 5 fruit 'n' veg per day... These are just some of the basics to be mindful of in order to eat well. I, and I am sure others on this forum, can offer advise on what to eat, how to eat, when to eat, what to drink, how much, etc. Please note, however, that I am no nutritionist and it's always best to seek advice from a number of sources. If I remember rightly, Christopher Hansard (who runs a alternative health centre in Soho, London) writes some good advice in his book The Tibetan Art of Living. If you have the cash it may be worth visiting his centre. Any type of chi kung should do the trick of teaching you how to relax your body, enabling you to listen to your body more carefully. You will instinctively know what is best for you body after some time - how much to fill your stomach, what to eat... and the rest. I hope this is an acceptible answer. Yours humbly, James (former resident of Ealing, London)

Alas, I do not have my books with me to share some words on inspiration. 'Who am I?' is probably the most profound of all questions. All people are a mixture of who they think other people think they are, and who they wish to become. It's quite rare to come across such an extreme case of exterior self definition. Unfortunately, I have come across many in my life. As such, she may find more balance by finding out who she wishes to become. To know that she is of her own making will be an important lesson for her to learn. Hehe, as the main character in Never Back Down found out, "it's all on me." Yours humbly, James

There is much to be overwhelmed by from the large pool of cultivation techniques. Ultimately the answer lies in why you want to take up cultivation practices in the first place. From this information, myself and others of this forum would be able to help more accurately - as opposed to telling you how we started, as this could overwhelm you even further. However, I shall not disappoint. I started with standing meditation from Master Lam's book, The Way of Energy. From this I branched out into Dr Yang's tai chi warm up and some seated meditation focusing on my chakras. I also took up Kum Nye (see Stephanie Wright's book... if it's still in print). Later, I decided to take up Chen style tai chi which I continue till this day. I have dabbled with many other seated meditation techniques, finally having settled on Yogani's Deep Meditation and his Spinal Breathing Pranayama. The most joyous practices I've had are the Kum Nye, the standing meditation and the Yogani's stuff. All for very different reasons. The most important thing for starting would be to have the dedication to practice at least for 20 minutes every day. Preferably twice a day. It's the cumulative results of daily practice that produce the best outcomes - arguably, regardless of the cultivation method. All possible joy, James