Sunya

Serpent is a symbol for wisdom in all traditions. It has to do with Kundalini. It's no surprise that there is a city named 'Great Serpent' in India since its a Kundalini culture... and Gnostics and Egyptians were well aware of Kundalini. These conspiracy theories are always ridiculous. Pains me to see people so paranoid or just plain bored. Is the world just not interesting enough?

Nobody is blinking past that; we're just smart enough not to judge an ideology by the actions of tyrants who come into power and act under the name of said ideology. Ohh that makes sense! The world became more liberal and that's why people are on anti-depressants. It's because all those gays are getting married and blacks have rights now. What a terrible and depressing world we live in. Actually all those changes happened because in the last 50 years corporations have gotten so huge and had so much money. There was also an increase in technology which connects everyone to these corporations via advertisements and marketing. Everyone is addicted in someway to the system; they keep us fed (with addicting food additives like MSG) and happy (with emotionally addictive soap operas). We are constantly taken advantage of. We are just desire machines! Next time you watch commercials, pay attention. What emotion or desire are they pounding at? Most likely its sex or insecurity. That's why we're unhappy. Corporations feed off of insecurity. They tell you that you're not good enough in many ways, so buy their products and maybe you'll be happier! But that doesn't work. You'll never become happier because that insecurity is the problem, not an actual lack of something. This sense of lack is what drives capitalism and it's what drives corporations. Without this sense of lack, capitalists wouldn't be able to exploit anybody. Everyone is infected with this virus and that's why we're unhappy. btw, vortex, it's quite obvious that Marx was a reptilian. 'Karl' means slither and 'Marx' means forked-tongue. There's definitely a conspiracy here. Marx was no doubt a reptilian who wrote the Communist Manifesto as a way to control the population to make room for an earth invasion. It's a good thing that the good Capitalists won the war against the Soviets, who represented Marx's utopia, because we'd all be slaves right now to these evil alien conquerors.

Communism was written in a materialistic context, but that doesn't mean that it's limited to that context. The world became more materialistic after the beliefs of religion began to wane. People go from one extreme to another. Most scientists, academics, and intellectuals in general today are materialistic. I could say capitalism is materialistic too, but that would be dumb because capitalism and communism are both economic systems and have nothing to do with metaphysics. You're trying to reach far and not grabbing anything. This is what all modern scientists believe basically. haha... damn commies.

Seems like the majority of people are missing out on Omega 3's and take too much Omega 6's. Makes sense since Americans eat a shitload of corn products. http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/cod-liver-oil.htm

Some very good and powerful points, mark. Good point. Considering Mexico barely even has a government anymore, and that government only controls Mexico City where the rest of the country is run by drug cartels, it's basically anarchy down there. No wonder all the Mexicans come here. Doesn't mean that this place is heaven. It's all relative.

Have you ever actually read Marx and Engels? You seem to know nothing about communism; you just have a knee-jerk reaction to the word from being brainwashed. Hell I was born in USSR and lived in the US since I was 6. My whole family lived in the Soviet Union most of their lives and even they aren't as brainwashed as you. Real communism the freedom and liberty is in the individual because there is no state. Your definition of communism is false, it sounds more like the US. Your freedom comes from the state/banks/corporations. What is this God business? God left the arena a long time ago. Today we're all just a pawns for corporations to make more money. The lucky few can make it and join the 5% that are rich and lack debt. The majority are stuck in slavery and servitude to corporations and banks. Wait till you grow up and see what the world is really like. You're gonna love it! Freedom!

Nah that's bullshit. Real (pure) communism is stateless. I will repeat for the 50th time. Real communism/socialism never existed. Stop comparing it to failed fascist experiments. Btw, your quote is hilarious. Nietzsche led to fascism? funded by Rothchilds? Hah! You've obviously never read Nietzsche if you believe that.. nor have you studied history. His writings were manipulated/altered by his sister's husband who was a fascist leader. His original writings exist, which weren't altered, and they are in publication today. If you read them you'll see that Nietzsche was anti-nationalism anti-race [didn't even believe in the idea] and completely anti-fascist. He was against institutions of any kind.

Communism does not have stages. Totalitarian is the complete opposite of Communism; your judgments of USSR as Communist are totally wrong. You also judge Socialism with the same regard. I'm not ripping off your thoughts..You said: You are equating communism with totalitarianism. NOBODY is defending totalitarianism. NOBODY is defending fascism. I was critiquing capitalism, and so were others. The alternative to capitalism is NOT JUST totalitarianism. There are other alternatives. The world isn't so black and white. According to you, the world is Cold War era. There are Capitalists and there are Communists. A] the world has changed. B] Soviets were not truly Communist. Communism is an ideal. Its a utopian ideal. It has never existed. You're judging the alternative to capitalism as fascism and totalitarianism. Though Hitler and Stalin pretended they were socialist, they weren't. Socialism is not a dictatorship control. True socialism has never existed either.

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

Wow. :lol: Last time I'm saying this... A TRUE COMMUNIST STATE NEVER EXISTED. USSR WAS TOTALITARIAN NOT COMMUNIST. Did you get it this time?

You're not really good at debating, alwayson. I suggest you take a logic class and more philosophy classes. You're not hearing what anyone is saying and are stuck in your own loop of biased views. For the 5th time, China is totalitarian not communist.

Hey Bruno, what are you studying for PhD? btw I read your post a while ago on DhO. I agree with you that those who are just on Insight path are missing out on something. It definitely seems like a slightly different path in terms of where you're dropped off vs Kundalini which focuses on purifying as well as insight, so its probably just a more enjoyable ride.

Wait till you grow up a bit and learn more about this country, and the world. You're going to laugh that you ever said this, and be quite embarrassed. Living longer and healthier is not enough justification for being a slave to corporations and banks. Wake up and see how we are constantly bombarded with advertisements of what we need, what we crave. Our economy thrives on consumerism and we are simply units in an economic equation. Consumerism thrives off of desire. How can you pretend to understand Buddhism and see capitalism as something good that works? Half of this country are on anti-depressants and divorce rates are through the roof. People aren't happy. There is something fundamentally wrong with how this country is operated and its expressed in the psyche of its people. If capitalism worked here, as you say, then people would be happy. Instead the people are hooked on drugs, legal or illegal, to cope with their slavish existence.

Not sure why you're against Iron, Ramon http://www.askshelley.com/forum/about2358.html A green supplement like Perfect Food would also benefit anyone, at any stage of energy development.

Man, I had a lot of respect for you in those Buddhist threads but now I see that you're kind of an idiot... Sorry.

My girlfriend asked me what I thought of this and I said well.. I have no clue, but it's an interesting topic to discuss with the bums. There seems to be the advent of more and more technology that attempts to incorporate the subtle energetic system, though I'm not sure if there is actually any hard scientific evidence to measure subtle energy (but perhaps I'm wrong). Is it just a matter of time before the scientific community catches up and accepts the notion of a subtle energetic system? Will technology then be very favorable for those interested in meditation/qi gong and especially practitioners of acupuncture? What about current technology such as the link above? Is there any current technology which is beneficial in healing the subtle energetic pathways? For some reason I'm skeptical that current technology has any benefit toward subtle energetic opening/healing, though I know some acupuncturists use electronic stimulation. I would think that only once the scientific community "discovers" energetic phenomena will there be actually good technology that will benefit us all. The likelihood of this happening is more likely overseas (such as Russia, China, Japan) where research is already being done in these areas. I do believe that it is entirely possible for technology to aid us and actually be much more beneficial than current traditional methods. Thoughts?

Gold, I'm sure your parents are very kind people. Btw mine escaped USSR out of ethnic persecution too. Now they live here, support Israel, and watch Fox news. I have many gripes with them Anyway its a very common response by Republicans that tax money that supports others will only make others lazy. Why should I support those who aren't willing to support themselves. I think its a good argument against socialism. Many live on welfare because of sheer laziness. My parents tell me all the time how lazy people were about working in the USSR because nobody cared. I think we would agree that this laziness is eventual outcome because peoples mentalities are selfish. Those that don't want to work are selfish and those that do want to work are selfish. So of course there's no middle ground. The former want as much help as possible so they don't have to work while the latter want the least amount of taxes so they get the most amount of money. Like I said before, a complete paradigm shift has to occur in how we perceive ourselves in the world and our relation to others. A whole different value system must be undertaken before socialization can actually be a good thing. So I'm not very clear on where I stand with current debates about socialization in America since I know that people aren't evolving at all. The politicians who want to instill change have good hearts but don't realize what people really need. We have this obsession, an all encompassing value, with fulfilling the "standard of living" and raising that standard. As if that's the holy grail of societal achievement. This standard is not only having food and shelter but being able to fulfill every desire; since we are inherently desiring creaters, right Hobbes? I think we have a lot of very good things in this modern era, but the majority of technology is useless and only clutters our lives. Supposedly technology is supposed to increase education possibilities yet I always see morons texting in class; whenever I want into the computer labs in the library everyone is on youtube or facebook. Wonderful.

Owned! Me too actually, though I was only 6 years old when I left. I don't remember much but my parents spent a majority of their lives there and were quite glad to leave. Unfortunately they've embraced the American view too much and became Republicans. It's human to take one extreme for another unfortunately. Btw Vortex why do you keep equating USSR, China, and other failed experiments with communism? As has been said earlier, a true communist state has never existed. You're talking about totalitarian states.

Yeah I too am confused by Stalinism and Maoism are the basis for blanket statements about Communism when a true Communist state has never been. The overgeneralized hypothesis of wealth disparities OR extreme poverty for all is deluded. The world is not so black and white. Progress does not depend on manipulating greed so people work. Communism would work but everyone in the world would have to have the same values, where selfish desires are replaced with communal ideas like helping everyone. There would have to be a paradigm shift in the individual to identify with everyone instead of just himself or his family. Then there would be, dare I say, way more progress than there has been with Capitalism. We should also define 'progress'. I don't see longer life, shinier toys, healthier bodies, and endless modes of entertainment as substantial progress that is worth becoming a slave to banks and corporations. In Capitalism you become a slave, pure and simple. Your desires are fed to you and your worth is calculated by how much work you can do. You are no better than a robot. Debt is the epitome of slavery and our whole system NEEDS debt. Without debt there wouldn't be banks! Check out 'Money as Debt' on youtube since it explains this thoroughly. Intellectually, spiritually, ethically we haven't made any progress since the ancient Greeks. What progress? Ok we have science, great, maybe there's some intellectual progress there but the majority of people have the emotional control of children and lack any spiritual awareness whatsoever. Is progress simply becoming as comfortable as possible, satisfying as many desires as possible, and even creating new ones?

Very interesting post Shaktimama, especially about how crazies are treated in Western culture and how that only makes things worse. I remember in Path Notes, Glenn wrote that "most religious writings are poppycock" since they don't mention epilepsy or schizophrenia or other fun characteristics of being 'touched by God' and not being able to bear the voltage." If Kundalini is truly an intelligent force, and you say "She know what what's doing", how does that explain those that end up in a living hell for the rest of their lives because things go wrong? Does "she" truly know what she's doing?

Hey guys, I acquired some dried Chinese herbs that were recommended to me for tonifying my Qi and drying up dampness,improving circulation, all that good stuff. I have no clue how to prepare the herbs though, I'm hoping there are some experts here who can give me some advice! Here's what I got: Bai Zhu (white astractylode), Astragalus Root [Huang Qi], and Codonopsis Root [Dang Shen]. So what do I do? How much do I take? What do I need to prepare the herbs? Please be specific because I have i'm very new to this! I also got Qian Shi (Fox Nuts), Yi Mi (Chinese Barley), and Shan Yao (Chinese Yam). I was recommended to take all 3 and make a soup out of them. In addition I got Goji berries, which I eat raw, and Hawthorn berries, which I make tea from. These I know how to prepare but just listing them in case there might be problems combining all of these.

mm I'll have to give it a try. You got all those ingredients at a local chinese market?

Hmm interesting observation. Do you think even using needles in the future will be unnecessary? It'll strictly be healing from person to person with no necessary intermediary? I like that idea.. a lot..

A very good and fair point. Nice, goldie. Its absolutely true that those with money have power over others. This is the biggest flaw in capitalism: money is power. It is one thing to say everyone is free to work and earn as much as they can, but when that money turns into power over others.. it's extremely problematic for society as a whole. If I remember correctly, John Locke was a major influence on the creation of the United States. One of his major tenets was utilitarian, which is a very "hippie" mentality. Actions are morally just if and only if they provide happiness to the largest amount of people. I believe John Locke also stated that politically we must be free to do as we wish as long as we don't hurt others. Somebody earning a shit load of money is then in power over others, can hurt others, and doesn't necessarily have the best interest of others in mind. A point I was pondering. Unequal healthcare and education are intrinsically tied to the perpetuation of a stratification of society. To say it is everyones right for healthcare, everyones right to be educated, is not only expressing that everyone deserves such things but also expressing that there is a real danger in not doing so. Everyone having education means less idiots out there which means society functions better. But also, besides the obvious positive effect it'll have on society, these social institutions are a requirement to move beyond the Darwinian model we have where the rich are the fittest and the poor are destined to be removed from the gene pool. It is just a false model. The rich are no better than anyone else. There is a lot of potential among poor people but there are so many road blocks in place that prevent upward mobility, healthcare being one. If you're born poor the likelihood if you going to college is unlikely. You won't reach your potential and instead will work lousy jobs and probably be unable to afford health insurance. Is that fair? I heard that the incomes were released for the heads of hedge funds, some guy made an annual profit of 3 billion dollars. Is that fair? Now he can profit his own war if he wanted to and because he learned how to manipulate the system and earn a shitload of money? Is that power justified? Why is he more worthy of living and being healthy than any other person?

Thanks for the responses guys. Do you think there will be a point where technology will exist that can scan your meridians and fix you right up? I know this sounds very Star Trekkie but it's a very cool idea. Though a perceived danger of this is that people will become dependent on this technology and not want to do their own work (like people horde vitamins instead of eating good whole foods). I wonder if there can be a balance between doing your own work but really benefiting from technology. I know that the Chinese, Indians, and Tibetans have done this through their traditional medical practices which have herbal tonics meant to supplement yogic practice. Ya Mu, what are your thoughts about the future of technology in relation to spiritual practice? Do you agree that it could be problematic because people will just become dependent? Such as the example of some machine that can pinpoint your blockages and instantly heal you. Even if this is possible.. perhaps it'll only make people lazy.