TzuJanLi

Greetings.. LOL.. no.. you are demonstrating your preference.. Do you suppose that understanding the principles of Tao is limited to a cultural origin? Be well..

Greetings.. Intelligence is demonstrated by the ability to organize information revealed by experience/awareness and apply that information to the experiencer's relationship with existence in a holistic manner.. Be well..

Greetings.. You are speaking of religious Taoism, a mutated belief system contrary to the principles of Taoist philosophical understandings.. religious Taoism illustrates the deep influence/conditioning that ritual religion instills upon society.. the clarity enjoyed by the non-religious Taoist reveals the wisdom of letting go of conditioned beliefs.. Be well..

Greetings.. The Taoist realizes they are the 'essence' of this physical manifestation, and it is the 'essence' that is eternal, that never dies.. the Taoist, as a student of nature, is neither theistic nor atheistic, they are agnostic.. realizing the practicality of continued alertness and aliveness, paying attention to what is happening without attaching to beliefs.. the fundamental principle of nature is change, is evolution, observing that that which doesn't change stagnates and dies.. Life is change.. Be well..

Greetings.. From the TABBY CAT Gamespace blog: "The key thing about this top level of fighter like Uchiyama is that they punch at actual openings that they see.".. If you 'see' an opening, then move, you are already too late.. if you see the door open then try to get in, you are already too late, you have to be there when the door opens.. you have to be there when the opening happens.. I welcome the opportunity to cross hands with anyone regardless of skill level.. i have learned as much from novices as from masters, maybe more.. i'm not disparaging Meredith, i'm relating what i observe to what i've experienced, and i've experienced internal skill that defies rational explanation by the casual observer, but.. i've also dedicated a significant portion of my Life/practice to evolving beyond the limitations of a casual observer, and i recognize the video explanation as inconsistent with the actuality.. the actuality is dependent on experience, lots of experience with lots of people, all willing to "invest in loss" so they can 'internalize' what actually happens as the interactive experience evolves.. As i stated in my prior post, there is ample opportunity to demonstrate the skills claimed at internationally sanctioned tournaments.. i've found that most tournaments have sessions where the judges and officials push and play with others, including the competitors.. being a judge includes being judged as qualified by the community we serve.. i've got a box full of shiny trinkets indicating proficiency as judged by others, and they mean little in comparison with the opportunity to experience pushing with people of acknowledged skill and whose intention is to defeat me.. the test is not with them, it is with myself, to test if i am willing to remain true to internal principles, win or lose, for the opportunity to go a little deeper into the exploration of Taiji's potential.. I doubt that i would be disappointed by pushing with Meredith, it would likely be great fun.. i might get tossed around, too.. but, that's not my interest anymore, i'm interested in real internal skill.. i would not be disappointed by getting my ass whipped by Cung Le, or Chris Hientzman, or Georges St. Pierre, i would learn something, but.. my interest is in evolving deep internal skills, not entertainment or embellishing my own image.. actually, Chris could be a good internal experience, too.. anyway, if the opportunity would make itself available i would be honored for Meredith to prove me wrong, i have no attachment to being 'right', honesty is so much more rewarding.. Taijiquan is not magic or elaborate explanations, it's Kung-Fu, hard work, and brutal self-honesty.. it's constant self-testing, refinement, and more self-testing.. it's the willingness to make mistakes so you can learn from them, the willingness to admit mistakes so you can examine them honestly.. it's the willingness to learn and develop two-person drills until you and different partners can do them at combat speed, it's the willingness to let go of winning so you can grow beyond that limitation.. it's the willingness to not tell/show someone how 'good' you are, but the compassion to let them discover their own potential through their experiences 'with' you.. How well i can push a person is little indication of my internal skill.. how well i can help another find their own way into the limitless wonders of Taijiquan, is an indication of my internal awareness.. skill is a fun game we play, when our mind is clear enough to 'get it', and.. the very best pushing skills are usually revealed by the spontaneous laughter as the players 'get it', as the 'hard work' becomes effortless, and the joy of the journey is revealed.. some of my greatest joy has been feeling someone else 'get it', feeling them launch me or knock the wind out of me with nearly no movement.. often, i am laying on my back and laughing at the brilliance that so effortlessly put me there, as my partner is laughing incredulously at the simplicity of what 'happened'.. i'm not not going to tell you how 'good' i think i am, or how much i think i know, but.. i'll invite you on a journey with the promise that both of us will grow.. Be well..

Greetings.. Good for Meredith, he's selling stuff.. and, he's a good salesman.. but, from what is seen in the video, and as another skilled internal practitioner i can actually 'see' what is happening, it's like any other marketing video, staged.. and, even at that the evidence of internal skill is lacking.. I read the blog, why bother with theatrics.. show-up at an internationally sanctioned tournament win fixed, restricted, and moving-step push-hands competitions at the advanced level and that's that.. keep it simple. Be well..

Greetings.. Each time the 'master' slaps you on the side of your head and tells you your answer is not the correct one, he answers the riddle.. next time, slap the 'master' so he can feel the sound of 'one hand clapping'.. Be well..

Greetings.. "Concern" is a word that is too ambiguous for a Taoist's clarity, the word implies 'worry', pondering, uncertainty.. the Taoist lets go of such attachments and acts in harmony with what 'is' in such a way as to be healthy without being 'concerned'.. The Taoist realizes they are immortal regardless of going 'through all the troubles', the Taoist is interested in the quality of their immortality (health) not the possibility, that's a given.. the belief that a ritual, in contrast with a practice, will create immortality or health is misconceived.. rituals are based on beliefs claiming unverifiable anecdotal accounts as evidence, where practice is based on verifiable results.. some practices are mislabeled as rituals and vice versa.. Be well..

Greetings.. The active thinking mind and the beliefs/attachments accessed by the thinking process distort the information made available through the vehicle of awareness.. the still mind, sees/experiences what is actually happening, and the information made known through the clarity of a still mind's awareness bypasses the categorization and filing processes of the mental filing system.. information experienced through the clarity of a still mind integrates with your evolved presence, it becomes what 'you are'.. As Life unfolds, the still mind sees/experiences what is actually happening, it resonates and harmonizes with the happening, rather than what the active mind thinks or believes 'about' what is happening.. the still mind's resonance with what 'is' has no doubt, no hesitation, it acts in harmony with 'both' its individual 'and' its collective best interests.. Be well..

Greetings.. A 'Taoist' isn't concerned.. they are alert with a still and unconditionally curious mind.. from which they see/experience what is actually happening, and with minimum effort they achieve maximum results in harmony with the collective whole.. there is no distinction between nature and the Life of all living things.. Be well..

Greetings.. What follows is a rambling description of my understanding of ‘Mind’, and I am giving fair warning that it is difficult to follow. My hope is that I might inspire exploration of the Mind through shared understandings. Somewhere in this mess of words I have tried to explain a process that has brilliantly revealed itself to ‘me’ in a way that removed all conflicts and all unresolved questions in my relationships with Life. If there is fault in the message, it is in my skill at presenting it, not in the process being presented. First, I understand that most of what I refer to as ‘what I know’, is what I ‘believe’, it’s what I hold as ‘true’ unless or until more conclusive information reveals those beliefs to be inaccurate or inadequate, this I refer to as ‘understanding’. I understand that this mind-body organism experiences information from sensory input, and I do not limit sensory input to the five physical senses, I hold insight, intuition, and energetic awareness as equal in the process of experiencing information, and by interactive communion, as ‘that’ which the information references. Among my conclusions, what stands out as undeniable, notwithstanding deep ideological inclinations to contradict it, is this: That Mind is the naturally existent and inherent medium upon and through which all of the experience of existence is made known.. further, that any form of communication requires the natural functions of Mind to complete the conveyance of words, ideas, concepts, and experiences from one being to another, or.. between multiple beings and the cooperative expansion of their collective Mind, even if the collective reference relates to even two or three beings cooperating in a way that achieves more than could be achieved individually. The word, ‘mind’, is sometimes demonized for its less desirable qualities, and praised for its more desirable qualities, and there is a tendency among ‘Spiritual’ groups to discount ‘Mind’s necessary role in the fundamental process of existing and ‘Being’. What I have come to believe (see previous paragraph), is that mind is similar to consciousness and awareness, in that it arises mutually and in proportion with the organization of biological energetic structures. Mind is more closely related to consciousness, in that consciousness is the fabric of mind’s existence, while awareness is the vehicle of mind’s information acquisition. I have investigated much of the formal reasonings about mind, and I have concluded, rightly or wrongly, that the contending and competing perspectives about mind are too convoluted and self-serving to be reconciled by my own mind, so.. I have studied mind from an observer’s perspective, listening to people’s use of the word and their understandings of Mind, and.. I also listen to my own mind’s understandings of its own processes. I also gave myself permission to fail, to make mistakes, to misunderstand, and to continue intending to understand. And, what has served my intentions well, is that I scrutinize my own beliefs and understandings, I sincerely try to find fault with the beliefs and understandings I accept as consistent with ‘what is so’.. so that what is left within my understandings has been scrutinized far more intensely than acceptable behavior allows me to scrutinize others.. I have concluded that my understanding of mind, what I believe about mind, is that mind is a medium common to all perception, awareness, experiences, imagination, reasoning, recollecting, and cognitive processes, and it is upon and through such medium that ‘that which is’ is made known in relation to itself (self-awareness). Mind is infinite and isolated at the same time, allowing for that which ‘is’ to utilize mind according to its intention, as an independently functioning ‘part’ of the infinite, and/or as ‘all’ of the eternal infinite, for exploring its own existence. Mind allows for isolated ‘parts’ of its wholeness to experience privacy as different ‘unique patterns’ of the same essence, like the unique snowflakes that are all the same essence of water. In this way, ‘that which is’ senses and perceives its existence in the same medium, mind, as the ‘isolated parts’ of itself experiences their freely interactive experiences with other ‘parts’, and with the part’s inherent awareness of itself as ‘that which is’, too.. a functional equality, as necessary to be true to your own experience of ‘You’.. What is brilliant about this relationship between the collective Whole (‘that which is’) and the unique individually functioning ‘parts’ of itself (which ‘is’, too), is the common medium of mind, where part and whole interact and ‘feel’ their inherent relationship through experiencing each other’s perceptions of existing. This ‘Mind’, as the medium within which all things are made known, is a curiously malleable and supple substance, taking the shape of its closest and most dominant influence, which is usually the intersection of perception and belief. Semi permanent shapes within the mind, usually the individualized ‘part’, are sometimes referred to and experienced as beliefs, rigid structures that are a bit like rocks in a stream, as they distort the flow of understanding into identifiable textures, ripples, and rapids. Equally acknowledged, are the beliefs that create harmony, like the beliefs that alert us to danger, or that remind us of necessary activities for our well-being, or that counsel us of our relationship with the continuum of Life. What is impressive, from my perspective, is the omnipresence of ‘mind’. Mind acts as the interface between all individualized aspects of Wholeness and between those individualized aspects and their collective Wholeness, regardless of whether the reference to ‘collective’ applies to the perspective of the Whole perceiving the many, or the many perceiving the Whole. The same function of mind figures out how to communicate between different languages of people’s understandings, as it figures out the language of emotion or the language of insight and intuition which are communications between “part and whole”, exploring their common evolution through the common medium of mind. Everything experienced and everything known, is made known through the mind’s capacity for organizing information, understanding consequences, and choosing from potential results. What is not often discussed are the mechanisms for acquiring information, and the functionality of the mechanisms. Mind, as the common medium of understanding, depends on information that it arranges as directed by the parameters established by ‘You’, either as the individuality, or as the collective (‘You’ are both, choosing your current perspective by where you apply your awareness). As the collective, your parameters are so broadly distributed as to include everything, and as the individuality your parameters vary widely depending on the individual’s understanding and awareness. In either case, the parameters are evident as ‘beliefs’, structures shaped by mind’s self-awareness and self-imagery, and arranged to affect how information is organized, how it is understood, and how potential results are chosen to perpetuate the belief structure. So, i have presented the mind.. as the interface through which all of Life and existence is made known to and between each of us individually, and.. as each of us, individually, experience Life from our individual perspectives, our individualized function of Mind translates our experiences into the energy of ‘feeling’, the common language of Life, individually or collectively, so that.. in the instant of ‘Now happening’, the collective Mind ‘feels’ every detail of Life in every perspective of the individual perceivers, as an Energetic Symphony of frequencies and vibrations.. and, at that same instant every individual has total access to and with the totality of the ‘Mind of the Cosmos’, the collective consciousness.. this access is dependent on the ability to ‘feel’ the stillness of the individual Mind, in which there is the clarity to experience ‘what is’.. the individual Mind’s active attention to its local environment is like the activity on the surface of the Cosmic pool of awareness, it distorts the perception of what is below the surface, it distorts the perspectives of the depths of understanding.. This Mind is like a movie screen where on one side the energy of physical existence is projected onto it, and.. on the other side, the energy of an intangible collective Cosmic Wholeness is projected onto it.. individually and collectively, we ‘know’ Life and existence through the shared medium of this common Mind.. we will focus on small sections of the ‘movie screen’ on the side of the screen we favor, and our beliefs will wrinkle and distort the screen’s smooth potential for clarity, or.. we will allow calm stillness to provide the smooth translucent Mind’s awareness to realize.. that the two sides of the Mind’s ‘movie screen’ integrate both sides into a seamless Whole, two sides of the same awareness.. And, we/us/Life are that Mind’s exploration of itself as it translates the unknown into the known .. Be well..

Greetings.. Yes, we do have "different lens/experiences/bias/and filters", and.. they become 'beliefs' when we become attached to them, unwilling to 'let them go' in order to see/experience what is actually happening.. we have the opportunity to see/experience what is actually happening, within the limits of our observational abilities and information awareness, by suspending beliefs and knowings and preferences when we still the mind's active thinking processes.. experiencing our relationship with existence without the influence of beliefs and knowings is useful way to minimize the differences that often lead to conflicts about the meanings of those experiences and relationships.. Be well..

Greetings.. My experience is simple.. stop attaching to beliefs, still the mind.. let go of your "same language and conceptual framework", that is the obstacle to you and i discussing the same experience productively.. you are insisting that what you experience fit into a preconceived model (conceptual framework).. the 'still mind' allows insights to be experienced without the stain of beliefs and conceptual frameworks, the still mind reveals the relationship between insight and Life, rather than the active mind's belief that it can force insight into its belief models.. liberation is not dependent on 'insight', though insight can be useful.. liberation is dependent on letting go of all beliefs and knowings, and if insight reveals that actuality, cool.. Be well..

Greetings.. No, you cannot see where i'm coming from.. you are still attached to beliefs and depend on dead words.. i'm interested in what is actually happening, and you've demonstrated no interest in that, yet... No.. still your own mind and prove it to yourself.. i've shared what i intended to share, and you've stated your conditioned biases.. Yes, i do know what stillness is.. it's 'still', even in the midst of chaos.. No, no flashbacks.. and, my experience with "energetics" is not something to be 'evaluated' by you or for you.. you need to do your own work.. Other beings or planes?? tell us more about this belief.. How can i show you anything, you already believe you know it all, and you see Life through the lens of your beliefs.. 'you' have to 'let it go', there's nothing i can do for you.. it's amazing what can be seen when you're not looking 'for something', just look and see what 'is'.. it is apparent that you find my sharing to be of value, you are interested enough to rummage through past posts and other threads,.. relax, my words are simple and non-threatening, my only intention is clarity,. nothing i say is true because i say it, it only becomes 'true' if you 'believe' it is.. stop 'believing', and pay attention.. it's not important that my words be 'true', it's important that my words inspire others to see/experience clarity for themselves, rather than to be told, conditioned, or coerced into believing what others believe.. Still the mind and see/experience what 'is', rather than what you think or believe 'is'.. Be well..

Greetings.. That's not quite accurate.. a classic reference, "the menu is not the meal", applies to your description.. changing the 'meaning' is like changing 'menus', it only manipulates the description and 'beliefs about' reality.. let go of meanings, beliefs, knowings, etc.. and just see what 'is'.. i understand the inclination to believe that 'our reality' is 'the reality', but it's not.. Be well..

Greetings.. ] Be well..

So, you think i'm a "poser" and you don't like me?? Cool, i can live with that.. your opinions are based on beliefs and attachments, though, and fail to add even the illusion of understanding or clarity... so, keep at it, you are likely to impress yourself even more.. Life is Life.. the 'illusion' is that you think you understand what Life is, and yet label it an 'illusion'.. you're attached to dead people's words and beliefs, people like Buddha, Niz, etc.. and, i'm not interested in Dujom Lingpa's beliefs or your interpretation and attachment to them, you're just another person defending their conditioning and and lacking the authenticity to experience your own existence.. Comprende'? Be well..

Greetings.. I have been fortunate, some would say, to have 'low friends in high places'.. in the mid '60s one of my best friends was a concert promoter, and i was asked to work/manage security for some of the biggest bands in the business. and.. once the venue was secured, there were serious after-show parties, some that lased for days and traversed several cities.. it was during those times that i discovered my enthusiasm for 'pushing the envelope' further and further into unexplored regions of mind and empty-mind.. Drugs played a part in the experiences, but i had to maintain the ability to actually do my job, or establish the protocols with others that allowed me an occasional interval of deep exploration.. where that led, was to reveal what was possible with a still/clear mind that could actually navigate, chart, and document unexplored regions of existence and potential.. time-off between shows/gigs/tours etc.. allowed me the freedom to focus that intense curiosity in a regimen of body/mind/spirit practice/training that, among other things, explored the differences between artificially induced states of altered consciousness, and naturally allowed states of still-mindedness and clarity that arrived in approximately the same place/awareness, union with 'That which IS', the unified whole collective consciousness.. The difference that i noticed was that drugs rocketed you to 'wholeness' so fast and without any reproducible clues as to where you were in the wholeness, that there was just random amazing imagery that fairly quickly got reattached and associated with the immediate 'local' physical stimuli, really nice,but.. with a structured practice/training that liberated the mind naturally, i was able to navigate around the collective consciousness with some consistency.. after a time, though, i began to notice that i was creating 'structures' and attachments that were limiting the explorations, so.. occasionally, usually on a yearly basis, i would set aside a week or two, and tear down the structures, and allow myself to be propelled wherever the natural substances took me.. this revealed more and deeper regions of unexplored and even unforeseen/unimaginable consciousness/opportunity/potential.. which i was then able to navigate to with clarity and awareness.. That was Zen ~ this is Tao.. the practice/training has become a natural state of presence.. i can choose the experience/perspective, whether individual, whole, or both, as the situation resonates the effects of the options.. i find reality to be most present 'between' part and whole, between individual and collective, a balance that is both and neither simultaneously.. the only compelling motivation i experience is 'clarity', the ability to see/experience what is actually happening, the sense to 'feel' my relationship with Life.. it all began with the willingness to 'let it all go', to trust 'That which IS' to reveal itself to me through me, and the experiences of living with unconditional sincerity.. Be well..

Greetings.. Apparently, you've spent a bit too much time in imaginary 'game-lands' like Zelda.. and, you seem the think that juvenile language and pretend tough-guy talk substitutes for actual experience and clarity, it doesn't.. For your benefit, i will explain, again, that Clarity is the ability to observe, experience, or realize what is actually happening without distortion or influence of beliefs and knowings.. clarity reveals, without contradiction or conflict, the natural and resonant interactions and interconnectedness of all that 'is', such that it benefits a holistic and healthy existence and environment.. because clarity reveals what ‘is’, there is no question or hesitation between awareness and action, the experiencer is present without conflicting conceptual distortions or influences.. Be well..

Greetings.. Yeah... one can spend a lifetime pondering "what if", or imagining they can jump from 10,000 feet without apparatus to slow their fall land on a concrete surface and walk away undamaged.. people imagine all manner of beliefs in their minds, but have no way to demonstrate the actuality of those beliefs beyond 'faith',, and, 'faith' is foundation of myriad beliefs, religions, philosophies that contradict each other, and at's all based on attachment to imagined belief.. nothing changes when those imagined beliefs are 'let go', the experiencer continues to exist as before.. well, letting go of beliefs frees-up attention and awareness to see/experience what is actually happening.. The challenge is to still the mind, experience what is actually happening, and apply that realization without influencing it with beliefs... Be well..

Greetings.. There is reality, and there is escape from it.. imagination is the most common escape, and the rationalizations for that escape are the beliefs people refuse to honestly scrutinize.. Math is symbolic representation, meaningless without 'that' which it represents.. to rationalize 'unchangeable' with math is to mistake the menu for the meal.. NAJA: yes, it's clear that you only listen to the deluded echoes of your own imagination, and i wish you well with that.. go in peace.. Be well..

Greetings.. "The mundane daily grind" reveals the fear that drives you down the woo woo rabbit hole known as your imagination.. what is 'real' is shared and understood by everyone, not just personal deluded imaginings.. Reality and science reveal 'actual' potential rather than the pointless imaginary blunderings of people who lack the creative vision to shape their own tangible reality.. Where are those "INFINITE UNIVERSES, EXPERIENCES, GALAXIES, WORLD, PEOPLE. you just created "?? where are they when you 'still the mind'? you and i can experience a tree with still mind clarity, and agree with what we see.. but, i cannot find the "INFINITE UNIVERSES, EXPERIENCES, GALAXIES, WORLD, PEOPLE. you just created", where are they? People are suffering, abused, oppressed, and corruption is the agent of these conditions precisely because of people's avoidance of 'what is actually happening', because they are living in an imagined reality where they don't see and feel the the suffering of those that provide the goods and services that afford them the luxury of living in an imaginary playground.. Just still the mind, see what is actually happening.. Be well..

Greetings.. It's not either/or, new age vs traditional, right/wrong.. it's about finding the clarity to see/experience what is actually happening, rather than what is thought/believed to be happening.. Life in not a dream, dreams are dreams and Life is Life.. some of the problems in Life are sourced from misuse of language, redefining words to mean what we want them to mean, and failure to honestly scrutinize the beliefs and knowledge we hold as 'true'.. The Universe/Cosmos has not yet finished creating itself or discovering its potential to do so, so it is irrational to assume that any 'truth' is immutable.. some wise person once accurately observed that "the Universal constant is change", and it is my experience that the absence of change is stagnation, death.. Knowledge and belief are the lenses through which what is actually happening is seen/experienced.. if, and it is very likely, you have been conditioned by the socio-religious processes to see and experience within a context designed to perpetuate those socio-religious processes, it is essential that you find the clarity to see/experience reality.. if you cannot see/experience what 'is', it is not possible to understand your relationship with what 'is', or to navigate through the deceptions and illusions that are designed to separate you from that clarity.. If we are distracted by labels like right/wrong, new-age vs traditional, either/or, we will not be paying attention to what is actually happening.. i find elements of workable understanding in almost every perspective, but i couldn't if i was attached to 'this' or 'that'.. at some point, if you are honestly pursuing reality, it becomes necessary to let go of all beliefs and knowings, to allow what is actually happening to reveal itself independent of the prior socio-religious conditionings.. That which remains consistently present after we no longer believe in it, after we have exhausted all efforts to disprove it, and which maintains a reasonable and plausible working relationship with what is actually happening, is worthy of consideration as something 'understood' to be valid within the current context of human consciousness.. speculation and 'stories about' what is directly experienced distort clarity and create ambiguity for those seeking their own authenticity and clarity.. Still the mind's active thinking processes, so that beliefs and knowings do not distort what is experienced, in this way labels like 'new-age' and 'traditional', and 'truth' do not influence the experience.. no evaluation or analysis is valid if it begins with distorted data or conditioned beliefs.. Be well..

Greetings.. Agreed, in the stillness there is only that which 'is'.. when the mind is active, though, there are reliable filters that sift-out illusion and belief.. Tao is not empty, and Tao is not Tao without emptiness.. Be well..