balance.

I notice, at least more frequently than in other exercises, the desire to relieve myself while going through kunlun 2 cycles........ ... but most powerful? Sensationally? The urge to set out in pursuit of the nearest and most suitable head used to be pretty strong for me during that particular exercise, if that's what you mean. I've rectified the issue by not consuming water in such vast quantities pre-practice... As a result, there no longer exists the same unyielding desire to shed water-weight while in the thick of things..... KL 2 incites rebellion. Water practice or not, the line needs to be drawn somewhere. balance.

I too am awfully fond of HIIT. ... and I'm happy to see others who gain such enjoyment from it kicking around here... Thus far, and at my age, I see it as an indispensable counterbalance to alchemical work... But I've been told, quite recently actually, that one should consider toning things down as you get older in order to limit the harmful impact upon the body.. http://www.thetaobums.com/index.php?/topic/16063-eating-and-running/ (posts by Taomeow and Gerard) ... That said, I'm still at a point in my life where HIIT makes a tremendous amount of sense, is still deeply fulfilling and though I hesitate to say it, seems almost necessary.. I've no intention at present at giving up the intense and physically balancing activity that facilitates my tucan-sam adventuring... But, I am elated to have further stepping stones along the path highlighted for my consideration... Toning down physical intensity in favor of energetic gymnastics as one ages does make a tremendous amount of sense... Especially when considered in light of the inevitable, deep refinement of the inner faculties that results from diligent and disciplined cultivation... Of course the mind will gain primacy with age, and to allow that change to happen in a smooth and natural manner seems both proper and right. We're not being asked to pull the plug on intense activity now, but rather to consider and prepare for the inevitable. I enjoy this commentary with regards to the transition between reliance on the external and then to the internal .... And just look at how calmly he handles that youngin... Remarkable. best. balance.

Interesting. ...especially as I've been using those pluses and minuses for sometime here, thinking that they we're just affecting something on a level that I couldn't tap into.... Nice to know they'll actually do something now balance.

Well, shoot. It's a pity that yous twos posts aren't less consistently accurate/informative... As I'll actually have to consider carefully what's been said here as opposed to just letting the rain continue to patter off my back and run down my legs.... ..Especially as I find tremendous fulfillment and enjoyment in bouts of high intensity exercise, off-set by days of finer-fare and mellower-pursuit... I feel that the body responds properly to given changes in stimulus and though it depends on the users level of awareness/development, the signals one receives from the body can be interpreted properly and truly... Not having Durkhrods opened third eye, this intuitive feeling/diagnosis will have to suffice for the time.... And, although after particularly harrowing days I may be followed about by a small procession of aches and pains, the underlying message radiated from my body is still one of calm, litheness, solidity, balance, contentment.... But, this assessment of mine could suffer from distortion, given that it's viewed through a youthful, poorly-constructed and crudely-developed internal lens... I know that I still have a great distance to cross before these essential critical feeling faculties are fine tuned and infallible. That said, I'm a mesomorph, and I've maintained a high level of activity since I was little... I began playing hockey when I was five.. Physical exertion and the testing and pushing of personal limit and ability has always brought me joy and seemed natural and right.... A physically sedate existence, albeit driven by alchemical gymnastics-- powerful and far reaching though they are, would strike me, personally, as imbalanced and incomplete... For me that would constitute a denial of a very fundamental aspect my own being.. And as I've just said to a member here via pm, I feel that a strong alchemical regimen must be augmented/bolstered/balanced by a properly trying/receptive/adaptive/integrative physical regimen... I've no interest in becoming a body builder, as posts of mine have made clear, but I do feel that tempering the body through fire and teaching the mind not to give up at the first sign of struggle is important... While not at all my intention at current, isn't there a gateway here to the denial and letting go of the body? And what about those who, after having delved deeply enough into the physical paths, have seen hints of the spirit and begun the Great Work? Peter Ralston comes most immediately to mind, but there are certainly hundreds (thousands!) of individuals who have seen something inherently connected between the physical and the spiritual.... And these citizens most certainly didn't give up all but charged, low-intensity, physical exercises upon reaching deeper understanding, but in all likelihood, found comfort in unity and further development in integration as opposed to division and isolation... ..Mustn't we first learn to wield the sword with effort before can we wield it without? Can't we only know effortlessness by first knowing struggle? .... Ha, and now that I've said that, and as I suppose I already well knew, there is a point when the path is taken far enough that the body must be let go of.... But, in my current uninformed and inexperienced state, I feel that to restrict oneself to nothing but mellow to moderate exercise while still growing and developing would prove to be more a hindrance than a boon... And thus far, even with my forecasted sessions of stormy, high intensity exercise, I continue to heal deeply from old, accepted war wounds.... But, it is/may certainly be true that I'm not maximizing potential here. So, being youthful, ignorant, overly-sure of my own abilities, overly-generous in my assessment of personal health, deeply-confident in the quality of my own judgment, I, for now, will maintain my current physical and formless exercises...... until my heart and kidneys spontaneously combust (or crystallize ) ..... at which point I'll then think back upon the selfless and considerate advice bestowed upon me and the other bums by Taomeow and Durkhrod.... and with head bowed, I'll wonder just how the hell I could've allowed such brazen, youthful exuberance and the extraordinary confidence instilled in those who just-don't-know to carry me so far from reason, safety, and an flawless wu xing reading. That very last bit does fairly reek of sarcasm, but I assure you I'm sincere... Because I don't know all that very much about the wu-xing and how it applies to me in the everyday (sounds like there's a book in the making here), and so I really can't see what sorts of repercussions are to be expected as I continue down this, reckless and intense path.... So, we'll see what experience, age, and wisdom have to offer as days drift passed... And until the time of the white beard comes, I'll have to allow my body to maintain its barometer-vigil and its clumsy, but confident internal dialogue with me. ........ that said, I'll not loose sleep (for the time) over the pursuit of activities that are deemed healthy and beneficial when compared to smoking, drinking and ejaculation. Thanks again, Taomeow and Durkhrod... I'm most appreciative of the knowledge you two choose to drop upon us from time to time and hope you don't take my initial unwillingness to adopt the above advice as a sign of disrespect... I hope you two continue to drop coins to keep my doubt machine running soundly. best. balance. * some thoughts... Not sure how pertinent these are.... All-nighters spent working on papers seems to give me a flare for the creation of the meandering and unfocused document.. tremendous. I feel that we should balance and reconcile this sort division, the all spirit or all body approach to physical maintenance and advance with a discerning and willow nature so that we don't lop off more of the limb than is necessary to complete our work by being too harsh, hasty, inflexible or narrow in our assessment of things as they are. ... and the more I think about it, the less certain I am of the "right" answer here... But then again, there may not be any sort of definitive ultimatum. I think cultivation is extraordinarily personal and that it's generally a futile, intellectual, masturbatory exercise to discuss our varying perspectives and ideologies because when it comes down to it, we each will have walked and will walk entirely different paths... Driven by different motivations and feelings and defined by a different set of experiences... There are great pools of collected wisdom (like the wu-xing) that have been passed down to us and deserve more than just our quiet acknowledgment and acceptance as law immovable.... Doubt, as Socrates and many others knew, is the prerequisite for "truth", and eventually, we must decide upon and experience for ourselves the truth of those truths ... ....Teachers, masters and elders can offer up to us the truths of their experiences, given to us selflessly and only for our benefit and continued growth, but we must remember, delusive, immature and hasty though we may be, the truths of our fathers and mothers and grandfathers and grandmothers may not resonate in our lives nor stand fixed, immovable and strong beneath us like they did for those before us. The sutras, the great truths of the buddhas, are not powerful enough, in and of themselves, to take anyone to the Light on faith alone... Those words, powerful, deep, inky chasms in paper, must still be doubted and experienced before they resonate with truth for you.... mm.. Well, I do apologize for the tangent, but I do believe I'm done for now.. godspeed. balance.

Alright, alright... Not being well versed in the subtleties of the wu xing.... ...I'll bite. Why should one avoid intense, aerobic activity?

I'm personally rather fond of a spoonful of chunky peanut butter, and a piece of particularly dark chocolate.. ... a great deal of sustaining power in a small package. balance.

That shadow couldn't possibly be a zafu or a pillow.

I've resisted doing this, but here goes. The actual format of the images (relationships between height and width) rule out both 35mm film (though no one here suggested film [though it could be scanned in after development and edited]) and digital slr as being used to take those pictures... both are much wider along the horizontal than the height... digital slr is especially exaggerated in this regard. The quality (or lack thereof) of the images themselves rules out larger format cameras (which could use digital backs) such as medium format or 4x5 cameras, though the image proportions themselves more closely resemble medium format. The lack of clarity and sharpness rules out tripod use, actually. Sure, there certainly is more sharpness in the chair than in Kan's body, but nothing that indicates that a tripod was used... And in each of the images, there are blurs in the environment consistent with hand-holding. Most likely, these were taken with a cellphone.. Something which most everyone always carries about on their person these days. A quick search for iphone photographs seems to indicate a similarity in format... Though as I don't own an iphone (nor do I plan to ever acquire one) I can't speak to any sort of manual or automatic functionality and adjustment.. Nor the ease at which they can be transferred from the phone into an image editing program. The best way to discern the nature of these images would be to check the "metadata" ... Every digital image has its "birth" recorded... F/stop, shutter speed, ISO, time/date, and the make of the imaging device used to capture the image... This would indicate whether a cellphone was used or something else.. This data is permanently attached to the images except to those who have specialized software (ie. lightroom) that can be used to alter the information. As the images on the kunlun website are presented in a flash format (no doubt as a clever guard against such digital-sleuthery ) , they can't be taken down and viewed under a more proficient, digital microscope. Thus, we are left with nothing but speculation and futility in argument. In terms of the actual blurring/disappearing of Kan.. It's tough to say. Some images where his upper torso has almost completely disappeared have strange inconsistencies. For instance, such dramatic disappearance, if he was indeed moving to exaggerate things, means he would have to have been moving pretty god damned vigorously.. But if one follows the torso down to his forearms and hands, though they are slightly blurred themselves, there is no indication of the violent movement that must be undertaken to achieve the "effect" that is demonstrated. Also, there is a relatively smooth quality of gradation to the fading, which is also inconsistent with violent movement to effect blur/disappearance.. In those instances, there would be "growths" of texture and color which would form along similar lines of movement... Picture the formation of sand-dunes. What we see in these images is different. And yes, there certainly is a fair amount of over-exposure within those images... But nothing I've learned explains why over-exposure would be responsible for the peculiar qualities we see. Kan's level of movement is also (I'm noticing his legs in one image) particularly well recorded in a few of the images, which indicates that he was not just sitting completely still.. but there are still peculiar areas of stillness that I can't explain. Lastly, double-exposure is always possibility, but I've no idea if such a thing is even possible with a cell-phone camera, though even with a digital slr it would still be difficult to pull off. You need a tripod for such a trick to ensure that the environments line up precisely, and as I've already pointed out, the images indicate a tripod wasn't used. I don't care to speculate whether steps were taken to heighten and exaggerate the effect seen, nor do I care to speculate upon whether or not we're witnessing something genuine and unadulterated... I only wanted to push forward what it is I see happening technically in them... As we each will see what we want to see in them regardless of the "facts" and observations that are pushed in front of us. For the record, I'm working towards (amongst other things) a BFA in fine art photography. best. balance. *also here's a link to an article about a first-timers experience with Kunlun... the pertinent information involves the interviewer talking with Kan about the images (that are also in that reel) that he took while practicing in a field when he felt a presence.... So he took some pictures with his cellphone.. "Ed. Note: When I got home, the event producer was kind enough to send me the ethereal shots that Kan had taken with his cameraphone in the dark. Scientist that I am, I could not resist examining the metadata from the files. Sure enough, they were taken with a Docomo P905i. Check! Timestamps – 2009-09-18T22:36 - 2009-09-18T22:38 – etc. Check! These were definitely taken on his Japanese cameraphone, and at the time they say it happened. Yep, this looks like the real thing. Fingers crossed... Eyes wide open, I enter the world of Kunlun Bliss." http://www.tantricnews.com/diving-into-kunlun-bliss/all-pages.html While that information doesn't mean these images couldn't have been faked (even with a cellphone) it is interesting food for thought. Also, metadata is altered to indicate an alteration by another program unless steps largely unknown to the layperson are taken.

Ralis. While I certainly was not applying Freud's use of the word, as I thought the context of this discussion and this forum would've made clear, I propose two alternatives for your generous consideration... The Ox and the Monkey-Mind. Perhaps those are more to your liking and I apologize for any confusion that I may have unwittingly caused you by not better clarifying the meaning of the loaded word that I chose to use.... semantics can be a bummer. best. balance.

Isn't Karma inherently justice? Isn't Karma a system in which we enjoy or suffer through the repercussions of our actions? You'll not allow for a microcosm of the macrocosm here? Irrational actions are unmotivated? And, although mildly, you may have noted that I did express some concern for the woman in question.

The truths of the heart are greater than the truths of the mind... and you won't find the real world by thinking with your head. While it's certainly good to be discerning, the ego is ever-cunning. And I'll say it again.. Isn't there self-efficacy in practice? Can't you feel yourself changing after spending days/weeks/months/years diligently practicing the offerings of a particular path? This is what I keep trying to get at. I don't think a teacher should be expected to rob a student of his opportunity to overcome, surpass and learn to let go of his fears and doubts and insecurities... I feel that this is an important component of whatever path you should choose to commit yourself and your time to... and I also think you'll find it in each and every practice you look to hoping not to find it... Regardless, at some point you need to decide what is important to you along the spiritual path, and then commit. Energetics are not always an indication of depth in progress. best. balance.

I think it was Ya Mu who said "A smooth mountain is difficult to climb" .... Disruption, obstacle and suffering are necessary components of practice and necessary catalysts for growth. The easy path leads ever downward into stagnation. And if you're so concerned about the efficacy of a path, why not make things easier on yourself and settle upon Zen or Buddhism? They both have quite the track record... Shikan-taza was good enough for Shakyamuni. Have you ever considered that the constant questioning of your "path" is just a ploy by the ego to derail your practice? You said yourself, the switching doesn't get you anywhere. Why not commit to a practice and learn to still the the doubt machine in your mind? Or you can continue to roam the spiritual streets waiting to be wowed by some master who thinks the best students will be attracted by the performance of fireworks. And you "started" with Mo Pai? For how long did you practice under Chang before you decided that it was no good for you?

Why is it so vital to prove or disprove the veracity of these images? Why is it so necessary to know the "truth"? I'm not saying that the purported genuine nature of these images ought to be taken on faith, but I'm surprised to see that they have caused so great a stir, especially as we can't possibly hope glean or gain anything of substance from them by arguing. So what if they're real? Would everyone jump on the Kunlun bandwagon? Would all the naysayers and doubters repent? Would all those sharks who come to gather when it looks as if the name of Max and Kunlun might be besmirched, disperse? Is there anything really to be gained here? Wouldn't cultivating be more worthwhile? balance. *as an afterthought... Why must we be presented with facts and evidence before we commit? Is there no self-efficacy in practice?

Yeesh. Though I laughed initially, I do feel (mildly) sorry for that woman.. Her whole world has fallen apart... Fired from her job and internationally vilified... The power of youtube to bring people to justice. Yikes. ... Though it is amusing that she has yet to explain her motivation for dropping the cat in the "wheely-bin" in the first place... Anyway, thanks for the karmic update, Bum... The Universe certainly does operate in strange ways... gotta love it. balance.

I've heard about this as well... 2012 not as an indicator of some apocalyptic event, but rather the end of an Age.... Specifically, the Age of Pisces. Jesus was associated with Pisces. Each age is about 2000 years, and up next in the revolution is the water-bearer, Aquarius... as an Aquarian, this has me pretty excited. Some moderately useful but by no means exhaustive links. http://www.greatdreams.com/ages.htm http://ancientegypt.hypermart.net/twelveages/index.htm balance.

Taomeow, in some distant post, was describing how certain practices/paths are riper for the times than others depending upon the conditions of the universe... I believe it came up with regards to downward vs upward flowing paths... Hopefully she'll jump in here and save me from possibly flawed paraphrase..... ...I'll see if I'm able to unearth the original post in the meantime. balance.

Bummer. I'll miss your acid tongue, Old Man. balance.

I'll send you a PM. balance.

I'm going to siphon a few quotes of note and mentions of experience into this here post. "My wife suggested we dispense with the generalizations of what women want or do not want, and simply be clear that people with painfully low ego strength are not attractive to themselves or others. This condition sends out an unmistakable vibe, all esoterica aside. I used to think that if I just manifested my gentleness, nonviolence, and sensitivity (crying at movies) that this would be enough to secure an intimate relationship. What I failed to realize is that personal power and self-acceptance is far more attractive to healthy people. Unfortunately, low ego strength, and self-loathing in general, has become an epidemic social pathology in most consumer cultures. Kill your television!" --- Blasto. "... The thing that Drew does isn't really not masturbating, it's taking the sexual energy and bringing it up to his third eye. Women do like third eye men." ---- Witch. "We attract people into our lives based on our own deep subconscious programs. If you think you are a loser you will attract losers. If you know you are a god you will attract goddesses. Being a nice and good hearted person is one of the most potent aphrodisiacs out there. Have the qualities of the heart that you wish to find in others and they will find you." ----ShaktiMama. "What attracts women is confidence. It doesn't matter what you [do], as long as you do it confidently. And it isn't just women, people in general are attracted to confidence. Part of being confident is being comfortable in your own skin. It's having that self stability. Which is something that meditation can bring you, conveniently enough." --- Sloppy Zhang. "The goal of celibacy is much the same. Divert energy from sexual functioning to rehabilitation and growth of metabolism. This happens two fold. It increase metabolic functioning of the regenerative aspects of the physical frame, and secondarily, retains the male hormones and allows the testosterone and adrenal functioning to store up excess. Much like when we were animals, the more hormones we retained, the more energy we had to fight off other bucks. And then have more sperm to attract females for mating." --- Drew Hempel. Drew has a better, far morere pertinent quote out there in the ether with regards to girls being very attracted to energy.... but I can't find it. So. My longest bout with retention was 47 days, and that ended a couple weeks back with a glorious night of chemical indiscretion... But, even within that short time, there is most certainly a noticeable difference in the way that girls act around you... While I can't relate to effilangs tale of "girls taking numbers.." , I did feel that girls would go out of their way to make sure that I'd noticed that they'd noticed me. There was also a marked rise in giggling girls when they were close to me.. Waiting in line at lunch etc. Is it all due to the energy? Hard to say. I know that I felt *really* tremendous during that time (and still do). Very light-hearted, active, happy and confident... I felt like a giggly lion... Bounding down between long rows of library stacks and hallways.. I was in a place where everything seemed possible and easy and natural... So there may be a lot to be said for just possessing that attitude and positivity.. Did this sense disappear after that ejaculation? Slightly, but the taste was still there. I think some of that lessening had more to do with being upset that I'd lost control with the Ms after so many nights of the cool and calm.. But there's no sense in crying over spilled milk... You just need to keep walking up that hill. But does higher energy put you in places like the giggly-lion syndrome? I think most certainly. Can you get there without retaining? I can't see why not, but retention put me there without trying. So is it energy alone that provides the catalyst for attraction, regardless of your poor attitude or sense of worth? My feeling is no. I think at the very core of this is the "love yourself and others will love you" attitude... All that energy has to be manifested properly for that "energetic" attraction to blossom fully (and for your practices to be effective) and properly IMO. I think, as demonstrated by recent posts in the forum, you can retain in excess and not find the magnetizing effect that pulls lasses to your side.... Which really is just a happy consequence of work done well anyway. I feel that attitude and energy are very much linked. Happy energy attracts. balance.

Haha, no worries. As I said before I launched into my treatise, I was only interested in offering up another perspective, not in dictating a value or efficacy judgment with regards to regimen choice (so very personal )... only an alternative. Having said that, I suppose my opinions and chosen approach do react against what I perceive to be the muscle-mass endgame... form vs function... though that certainly is not always the case with those that opt for the bench press over the push up... So I do apologize, and sincerely, if my initial post was interpreted as ostracizing or detracting. We all have our own path to tread and must respect the choices of others. best. balance. *But.... You'll be hard-pressed to find someone who says that bigger muscles encourage chi flow.

I suppose I'll add my two pesetas given how disparate my approach to physical "perfection" is compared to the above. I believe in simplicity in practice... and I like to be able to practice simply wherever I happen to be... That means no reliance upon the fitness center to get 'er done. I've taken many a leaf from the pages of Pavel's "The Naked Warrior" [http://www.amazon.com/Naked-Warrior-Pavel-Tsatsouline/dp/0938045555/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1286988097&sr=8-1] which at its core recommends two exercises that get progressively more difficult as you get stronger.. These are the one armed push-up, and the shotgun. These exercises are difficult-- there's no denying that-- but they force your body to work together as a complete unit and begin to forge those strong, neurological connections that become so important when your end game lies in fluidity and strength in movement as opposed to pretty bulk... The body unified and not partitioned off to beautify pieces and parts... the balanced complete. So, with this foundation in simple, body-weight movements that pay off in terms of lean, enduring, and powerful muscle, I began to throw in dips [put two chairs together], pull-up variations [finger boards, the tops of doorways, hanging rings], push-up variations [hit the ground and adlib] and v-up variations for the core... These basic movements already work the entire body.... I enjoy these because you're limited only by your imagination in terms of how you execute particular exercises, as well as where you choose to get down... That means you can perform movements from destabilized positions etc... The spontaneous nature encourages your body to adapt accordingly to a wide variety of situations and begins to strengthen your body in really unexpected [at first] ways. Once you really get to know your body and the feeling of particular muscle groups, you can begin to do really interesting things with exercise that allows you to intuitively shore up weakness that you might not as readily notice by remaining within the confines of prescribed exercise... The variable nature of the exercises and the forum gives the informed practitioner a great deal of flexibility over machine-based exercise where there is only one possible outcome... There is an element of childlike play and exploration here that I feel is vacant from the fitness center and really important in taking exercise to the next level... Except you begin to loose the sense that you are exercising--- instead, you're playing. In terms of weights, I swear by kettlebell (though I'm beginning to swoon over those clubbells) sessions punctuated by either plyometric jumping exercises or hill sprints [weather dependent]... Strength, speed, intensity and stablity in movement. Tough to beat the HIIT approach with these groupings. I'm also a big fan of isometric exercises... The plank [and its myriad variations] , supermans, reverse bridges [one-legged/one-armed, held and alternating sides], held-shotguns, held crane-pose, and held full boat-pose. ... My glue is Prasara... and I feel that brings it all together for me in terms of really ramming home suppleness, strength, unity and the essential nature of the mind-body connection. And though kettlebell and hill-sprints really do a great deal for cardio, as I live in Colorado [baseline altitude of Gunnison is 7703], I prefer xc mountain biking and trail running... The proper balance of mind-numbing climbs and exhilarating downs... I can't handle the television/jogging approach which bids you to turn off the brain while the body is doing its thing. ... So, in a nutshell... my regimen changes day to day and different things are felt and intuitively stressed/relaxed, with the end goal being a balanced, strong, supple, agile and quick body that is capable and prepared for a great many things and isn't burdened by rigid, specific, bulk muscle. yum. balance. *Oh. I take Sundays off... So six days of intentionally varied intensity and movement... The heathen though I am, it's important to recognize God's day.

http://www.holisticwebs.com/eye/hearts.html