Maddie

No argument there, I agree it was doing it's thing, but since I'm not a monk and still have to function in the world it was too much too fast.

Then serve to guests for the perfect finger food 🙂

My advice then would be to do lower dan tien breathing. You would get the same breath meditation aspects that you were already doing but by focusing on the LDT build qi as well which is the foundation and basis for niedan which you expressed interest in.

Mind intent yes, but after doing it a while you can feel it too. Sorry I currently don't have any visuals.

It's from the intent. You don't move your fingers other than to aim them at the foil. Then you visualize qi projecting from your fingers to the end of the foil.

It's qi. Another easy way to experience qi is to hang a strip of aluminum foil from a thread and spin it which way you want by projecting qi from your finger tips.

As in the middle way 😉

After a few years deeply into Theravada I began to feel that it was nihilistic as well.

Yes I find this very ironic also.

Yes I've heard this too that largely before the 19th century with the challenge of Christian missionaries from the west for the most part meditation was rare even for monks in the Theravadan world. Monks would mainly perform ceremonies, recite and copy the texts and were seen as a field of merit. It was with the missionary challenge that the meditation tradition saw a revival.

It's said one can know when they are a master of a topic when they can explain it easily to a child in few words.

Actually Theravada Buddhism teaches that its only more likely for a monk to become enlightened than a lay person. There are examples in the Pali Canon of lay people becoming fully enlightened. You're right though I've spent several years immersed in Theravada and no they don't really teach energy work per se, but they do talk about things that happen when meditating that cause the energy to do things. Now while the Pali Canon does teach that lay people can and did become enlightened, Theravada culture became such that the general attitude and what is commonly taught is that if you are a lay person the best you can expect and hope for is to make merit by supporting the Sangha so that in a future life you can be born a male and then become a monk and then attain Nibbana. But generally yes to obtain Jhanna it does require long meditation retreats, so not really conducive to lay people in most circumstances. This is one of the concerns Nichiren had in medieval Japan. The problem with "dry" (as you say) Vippasana retreats is that mindfulness is just one part of an eight fold path. The Buddha didn't teach the one fold path of Vippasana, he taught an eight fold path. There is more to it than just meditation. In the past I would spend hours upon hours doing Anapansatti meditation and it dug up so much crap I thought I was going to loose my marbles. In the last year or so I have become somewhat disillusioned with the Theravada path somewhat and have been doing a lot of reevaluation.

At the risk of sounding like captain obvious I would always recommended Ginseng. As a TCM practitioner I've seen it work wonders for my chronic fatigue patients.

Unfortunately I didn't see this post earlier but when I get patients like this in the clinic (childhood trauma, ect...) the only thing that causes real break through's is needling all or most of the command points for the eight extraordinary meridians. There are usually lots of tears several times, and then things improve. I would suggest seeing an acupuncturist/TCM practitioner that uses this approach. Having the right supporting herbal formulas is important as well.

It could be called a reflection on the testing capabilities of various areas.

You were warned.

Like Santa Clause?

I guess they are not so secret anymore.

The literal physical immortals apparently hide from the public after they become immortal which is why you never see one, but don't let the lack of evidence stop you from believing.

Actually if I found anything believable it was that Atlantians would have cropped pictures as this is what I think of when I consider what Aquaman does in his free time.

As a Buddhist I was unaware of propitiating local deities, but am curious to know more about that? Christianity does seem to lack tools for inner development these days, which I guess is why you don't hear stories about modern day Padre Pio's flying up to stop bombers from dropping bombs. I suppose when a traditions becomes more focused on what others should be doing they loose sight of the inner life.

What are everyone's favorite sacred texts and why? Which ones have impacted your life and how?

Hmmm I find that very interesting for some reason.

Yes. One interesting thing I've noticed from quality sacred texts is that you can read them over and over and still always get something fresh out of them.