Maddie

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Everything posted by Maddie

  1. Often the question says a lot about the perspective that we bring to that question. To be "trapped" in our bodies assumes that we are really a ghost driving around a skeleton and meat suit. Another way of looking at it though is that we ARE our bodies. If one thinks about this for just a bit it has a huge impact on perspective.

  2. Daoist meditation: water and fire methods

    Maddie replied to snowymountains's topic in Daoist Discussion

    This is actually the method that I use LOL.
  3. Interestingly I saw something or read something that was saying anthropologists think the very earliest evidences of religion in Homo sapiens had to do with afterlife ceremonies. This seems very deeply ingrained into us as a species.

  4. Junior needs guidance

    Maddie replied to You Dare?!'s topic in Welcome

    Eight brocades are one of the first qigong routines that I ever did :-)
  5. This is something I ponder (probably too often). It seems like objectively there is no evidence of an afterlife but that seems sad lol.
  6. What conclusion have you come to, if you have come to one? Do you believe in an afterlife or not? And what ever your position why do you hold the view you hold?

  7. Daoist meditation: water and fire methods

    Maddie replied to snowymountains's topic in Daoist Discussion

    Not really the definition of enlightenment according to the Buddha, but it was a break thought for me on one level :-)

  8. Daoist meditation: water and fire methods

    Maddie replied to snowymountains's topic in Daoist Discussion

    But people do, do this for sure.

  9. Daoist meditation: water and fire methods

    Maddie replied to snowymountains's topic in Daoist Discussion

    Four steps. 1. breath in for 4 seconds 2. hold for 4 seconds 3. exhale for 4 seconds 4. hold for 4 seconds. A box :-) * I don't think it has to be 4 seconds, but you do the same count for each "side" of the box.

  10. Daoist meditation: water and fire methods

    Maddie replied to snowymountains's topic in Daoist Discussion

    When I first began to meditate I was in a really bad relationship and this is precisely why I started meditating. The notion of leaving the toxic relationship didn't enter my mind at first. I wanted to somehow feel ok in the toxic relationship. Happily though once I began to shift to mindfulness I began to realize important things about this mindset.

  11. Daoist meditation: water and fire methods

    Maddie replied to snowymountains's topic in Daoist Discussion

    Yes that is a good point.

  12. Daoist meditation: water and fire methods

    Maddie replied to snowymountains's topic in Daoist Discussion

    My first meditation practices were usually Qigong or Daoist. Specifically in this case I did a lot of five element/organ meditations at the beginning. Typically after working on a specific organ/element for a while a lot of repressed stuff would come up to the surface and I would become aware of it and observe it and learn things about myself. The observation part I wasn't taught it just sort of happened spontaneously but this was basically mindfulness.

  13. Daoist meditation: water and fire methods

    Maddie replied to snowymountains's topic in Daoist Discussion

    Samatha meditation is very much a Buddhist practice. I'm not knocking it and saying its not useful, but it was not working for me.

  14. Daoist meditation: water and fire methods

    Maddie replied to snowymountains's topic in Daoist Discussion

    This reminds me of when I first wanted to learn meditation. Every where I went I was always told to do Samatha type meditation of focusing on the breath and "making the mind quiet" This did not work for me. What I would notice is that I would do this for just a little while and all kinds of things would come to the surface, to which I was advised to just ignore. This seemed like odd advice since I had been led to believe that the point of meditation was to know one's mind better. To ignore what was coming to the surface seemed like suppression which seemed to be the opposite of the goal of meditation. Later I learned about mindfulness meditation where the goal was to observe what was in the mind. I have made much better progress with this type of meditation and it is the one that I specialize in now.
  15. I didn't even realize he was responding to me lol. Just because something is necessary for survival does not mean it is not perceived though. In order to gather survival basics one has to both perceive they need these things and also perceive what they need to get to meet these perceived needs. I'm probably going to get at least someone saying "but wait survival needs aren't perceptions they are real needs" to which I would respond, how do we know what reality is if now via perception?

  16. Jesus in India ( Himalayas)

    Maddie replied to Chang dao ling's topic in Abrahamic Religions Discussion

    I do not know much about Judaism or Kabbalah.

  17. Jesus in India ( Himalayas)

    Maddie replied to Chang dao ling's topic in Abrahamic Religions Discussion

    I did. Unfortunately I can not give you any specific examples off the top of my head but I have heard them say such things over the years here and there.
  18. For sure. I'm not arguing that people do not value things. My point is name one thing that has value to people that isn't perception?

  19. Jesus in India ( Himalayas)

    Maddie replied to Chang dao ling's topic in Abrahamic Religions Discussion

    https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/reincarnation-the-transmigration-of-a-jewish-idea/
  20. What are most things if not perception? Money has value only because everyone agrees it does. Same with anything that has value. It is because enough people perceive something having value, it then works as a medium of exchange. Same could be said for almost anything. What is a country really? Enough people agree that everything and everyone on this side of an imaginary line are a certain country and follow certain rules and so it happens. Perception is everything.

  21. Daoist meditation: water and fire methods

    Maddie replied to snowymountains's topic in Daoist Discussion

    Haha I often use the "what would a kid think about this" test a lot when evaluating things. Like would they giggle and say "that is just make believe". Or is this something I would see kids on a play ground playing i.e. lets play Harry Potter as they pretend to have magic powers as they pick up sticks for wands. If so, I don't take it seriously lol.

  22. Daoist meditation: water and fire methods

    Maddie replied to snowymountains's topic in Daoist Discussion

    Yes. The reason I even mentioned that at all was because I use this same early UFC approach when it comes to spiritual and religious traditions as well. I look at the overall character and behavior of the practitioners to see if its even worth wanting to emulate in the first place or not. I think this is within the spirit of what the Buddha said about this topic. * As an aside in my personal observations the most emotionally immature group over all seems to the the "powers" people.
  23. I would imagine that society collapsing would precede people abandoning money. I'm thinking a post apocalyptic type scenario.

  24. Daoist meditation: water and fire methods

    Maddie replied to snowymountains's topic in Daoist Discussion

    This is one reason I train Brazilian Jujitsu and what I found interesting about the early UFC in general. Before the UFC there was lots of talk and claims about which marital art was the best but these claims hadn't really been tested on a broad and widescale range with a large audience. In the early UFC it was pure art verses pure art. During those times BJJ rose to the top along with wrestling. * In a similar manner if someone practices a tradition and they seem like a pretty happy and kind person this gets my attention. On the other hand if they seem reactive, immature and unhappy I am not impressed.
  25. Then we would go back to bartering like we did in the stone age.