devoid

Hi Friends, All, thanks for picking up on this and picking it up in the spirit which was meant by it. Marblehead: As with all your replies, this one adds perspective to the discussion in question. I sense there's an open question on moderation. I guess what I am trying to advocate with my initial post is self moderation - no more, no less. I also agree that a deviation from the intended thread topic sometimes helps the discussion. My main point of concern remains that occasionally on some threads it seems to go viral when up to a handful of members start battling out in rhetorics. Of course, I could simply skip such posts (and mostly I do) - it's just that I find it a shame if there's a good discussion going on in perhaps 5-10 posts, these drown out in the 117 unrelated posts making it difficult to navigate through the topic in question.

Hi Sloppy Zhang, I think you are asking an important question. I guess where you are coming from is that a number of authors encourage keeping journals / logs wishing they would have always been more disciplined about it. What always irritated me about that advice was that there was no obvious reason accompanying it and as far as I can tell they're mainly nice to have, but do take a fair portion of time and effort to produce. Instead, I decided to ask myself following any 'revelations' like you describe them above to ask myself what I needed to learn from this and if there was anything important enough to really make a note of. Often, I am left with an idea or thought which I will try to include in my thoughts throughout the next day or so. When there is occasionally something which I decide is of grave importance I reaffirm it daily until it sticks. Sometimes, I simply acknowledge that I didn't get anything out of a given session other than feeling centered and better

Hi Tao Apprentice, I guess it depends on ones own personal goals and situation. If a Monk from an order which cherishes meditation meditates for only 2 hours a day that would probably be considered insufficient by his peers. If a working parent with young children would meditate 2 hours a day that could be argued to be considered excessive. Who is to tell you what is excessive or insufficient other than yourself or perhaps your immediate peers? To help answer these questions for oneself it may help writing down ones objectives, goals and aspirations and then prioritize them, while realizing that the day only has 24 hours. I guess that at the end of the day its all a matter of perspective and balance

Hi Beoman, Yes, it is possible to accumulate injury based on fueling energy into a spot in which it becomes stagnant. You did exactly the right thing by following you intuition to back off when it felt like this was not good for you. Back off, give it a rest, and then continue when you're comfortable that the blockage has dissipated and feel ready to give it another go. Pay special attention to directing the qi back to your dantian on your exhale while expanding your lower belly simultaneously with contracting the abdomen on the exhale. Allowing the sound of the breath on the exhale like a dog does when finally agreeing to lay down and take a rest helps further (note: the sound of the breath should not include the voice). This can help relieve pressure in the head assuming that your energy vessels are open. As others also mentioned, you should work on your grounding in parallel - a potential lack of it is not necessarily the cause of what you experienced, but generally speaking, grounding helps ensure against short-circuiting.

Good question. My advice is to look in different directions and listen to your intuition. If you decide to learn something (say, some qigong, meditation, energy exercise or other) be careful to look for general terms rather than let yourself being sucked into one set system. It is fine to go with a set system - don't get me wrong - but it is nice to be able to compare to some reference point which will allow you to triangulate. Thus, if somebody offers you the The-one-and-only-system Qigong be sure to look for other types of Qigong, etc. Also (and I know that I am probably going to get lamblasted for stating this) in my experience the more people with "the best system" tell you need a teacher remember that above all will you need your own sense of knowing what's good for you and you need to set your own goals and rework them along the way rather than have somebody do it for you. Happy searching

Sure, I don't doubt that. With intent I simply meant using whichever means works best for you, i.e. using the vision screen or whichever (some use imagined special-purpose built vehicles, others envisage entering a library-looking building, etc. and I suppose that the really experienced patrons of the Akashic Records simply 'go there' without vision screens or the likes). Personally, I prefer to 'go places' from the heart's garden to ensure the mind-heart connection which I perceive as my weakest link, but I am aware that Robert Bruce's preference is for the vision screen, which I would imagine works well for people who are accustomed to viewing television on a large screen. In signing up on astralbob.com (re. your other thread) I noted that Robert Bruce made available his book Astral Dynamics for free in an electronic format to people who sign up - and best of all: there's lots of new material related to his thoughts on the Akashic Records (spread over several chapters) which were not included in the printed book (1999 Edition). I will review this as well as the two books I ordered on the Akashic Records (Lumari's and Cheryl M. Trine's) and let you have my initial thoughts when I have browsed through them all.

Wow - this is great - thanks for posting, alwayson!

Thanks for your replies. Alwayson: Thanks for the tip. I looked up the Akashic Records in "Astral Dynamics" by Robert Bruce. He's got about 5-6 pages on it in there - in short: go there (using intent) - and be very clear about what you ask for. Sounds right, but I was hoping for a bit more info, although I guess that's probably all one needs to know I'll probably want a book on the topic. Here's what I came across as potential candidates (the order is that in which they were presented to me by Amazon): Linda Howe and Juliette Lloyds : How to Read the Akashic Records Dr. Synthia Andrews and Colin Andrews: The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Akashic Records Kevin J. Todeschi: Edgar Cayce on the Akashic Records: The Book of Life Shaun Martinz: Remember Who You Are: Insights from the Akashic Records Kathy Karlander: Discovering the Essence of Your Soul: Learn How to Facilitate Your Spiritual Growth by Accessing Your Akashic Records Cheryl M. Trine, Morgaine M. Trine, und David R. Trine: The New Akashic Records: Knowing, Healing & Spiritual Practice Lumari: Akashic Records: Collective Keepers of Divine Expression Some of the books are intended as how-to's whereas some are more intended as case studies. There are many reviews of most of the books. After careful examination I'm probably leaning towards starting with Lumari's book. If anybody reading this thread has read any of the above books (or even a different one) on the Akashic Records, please kindly let me know which and what you thought of it.

When I feel my anger rising to the point where it is about to cloud my mind, I simply treat is as rising qi. This allows me to redirect it forcefully back down into the dantian using the same circuits as for MCO. I find that it takes reverse abdominal breathing to do the trick of really forcing the steam back into the dantian. After only few such dragon breaths I have fully contained my anger (it simply vanished) and I am able to act with my full faculties. Don't forget to be rooted - thereby you can send you fury down through the ground if there is any excess supply.

Hi steam, I never thought of it this way, but I think you managed to express it excellently. Thanks!

Exactly, Kate! Once you have peeled off all the layers of the egoistic self which keep popping up in the untrained mind, will you be able to cultivate (i.e. nurture, support, listen to, etc.) the true self.

Here are my three: Connect the heart and mind Connect the heart and mind Connect the heart and mind I find that repetition, although irritating at first sight, underscores the importance

Hi Kate, IMHO when Buddha said to give up the self, he meant that one should give up all the "I need/want"'s as in "I need/want a huge house", "I need/want a big car", "I need/want a big tasty ice cream", etc. Instead, the point I believe he was trying make is that only if you do not pursue your (egoistic) desires for pleasure of the physical senses will you be able to get to know your true nature - i.e. the one in which you take notice of none of your worldly senses such as smell, taste, lust, etc. - the one that you can only experience in meditation once you have let go of all current sensual desires (as well as perhaps, when you're dead...) I can't imagine that Buddha would have suggested that one should attempt to attain this faster, artificially, i.e. through self-destruction.

Hi j.fachao, For many taoists, longevity is not necessarily about whether to attain 80, 100 or more years of age, but about being mentally and physically fit until death. For several taoist masters, however, the real question is about being mentally fit enough to mastering immortality and perhaps make a good transition after death and thereafter being able to come back and help fix things for the better, if necessary. Although I can't say I am really into the Tibetan tradition myself, my view on it is that there is more emphasis on breaking the wheel of reincarnation than the above suggested goal of Taoist Longevity, i.e. escaping being born again rather than longevity in itself. On a side note, I have observed more dogmatism and ritual in the Tibetan Book of the Dead than in any taoist readings I have come across.

in my experience close proximity to wifi and microwave ovens are the most irritating - 3G comes next on the scale and finally GSM at lower frequencies. The irritation becomes worse when I do a lot of energy works (i.e. IMA and qigong) and fade when I do less - not immediately, but over a period of several days after scaling up or down. As for my smartphone I try to keep it a bit away from my body and turn off the wifi when I don't require it - during periods where I train a lot I'll usually switch off wifi from my laptop when having do a lot of work while having the laptop on my lap - if not, my kwa under the wireless transmitter starts vibrating and irritating the meridians of the respective leg. Is it dangerous? I really don't couldn't say, but it can certainly be annoying if you have the kind of sensitivity to energy I am experiencing in daily life

I think you managed to phrase it very eloquently, Marblehead. Your words also express how I feel about TTB.

Hi dmattward, Here's the second post I promised you on your financial situation related to Taoism. I recognize your problem. Sounds like you're down and out currently (running costs, but no income). This will be little solace, but over time many people, including taoists have succumbed to hunger. For the long run, are you looking at cause and effect? To help you on the way, please allow me to summarize what you have said. You have an education, but you are not putting it work (i.e. you take unskilled, low-wage jobs with low job security. Having done this for 19 years, I gather that you never really sat down and thought through: a. What do I want to achieve by 5 years time (in your case, job situation-wise) b. Compared to my current skill-set and experience, what is missing? c. What do I need to undertake to achieve this goal? I realize that one of these WTF signs that you have been experiencing may begin to light up again - but think about it: Cause and Effect! Perhaps you're in the current situation because your focus when things are going well is spiritual development rather than including spending some thought and effort on setting a goal and doing the gong fu required to achieve it?` Try to write it down - spend a few weeks mapping out those imaginary scenarios. Then meditate on it - connect the heart and mind and ask your higher self to have a look at it for you, then let go and probably after a while (suddenly and in an instance) it will be crystal clear to you. If any of this resonates and you want to some feedback or a more detailed set of questions to ask yourself, please feel free to PM me. In any case, good luck - I really hope that you will have a break-through very shortly to get you back on track.

Hi dmattwards, I have something to say to you that encompasses concepts of Taoism, Buddhism and the Highly Reincarnate view held by some of the peers of Taoism and Buddhism. I will make two posts intended for you - the first one will be on your question of karma, the next one will be more hands-on about your situation and what you can do about it. First re. Karma - I would like to give you a caricature of each: The Highly Reincarnate view According to the highly reincarnate view you are currently in life at the lower part of the wage chain (worker level), you can reincarnate to lower management in the next. After that life, you can reincarnate again - perhaps one life you'll be a civil servant before making it to upper management. Eventually, if you reach CEO level and remain virtous you may even make it to head of state or church before finally reaching enlightment. In this view, you reincarnate automatically and moving up only depends on the goodness vs. the badness of your deeds during this life. The Buddhist view Yes, there is absolutely karma and something can be done about repairing it. You need to find out what is blocking you, repent and repair those bad deeds from previous life that are holding you back and then move forward from there. If you give up all physical desires and allow your heart to become pure, you too can achieve buddhahood. The Taoist view There may be karma. See to it that you make the best of this life, because life is hard to come by. With some adequate amount of hard work and determination you make become immortal. I'll try to get my second post off to you tonight, but gotta go for now.

I see what you mean, Marblehead. i.e. that fuzzy feeling in the center of the chest at the height of the heart - connected with the mind it comes out naturally when practicing the inner smile for a while, but can appear sporadically and naturally without the intent to do so (e.g. when watching a comedy or drama that appeals or simply enjoying a given moment in time) or based on intensional connecting the two, stemming from e.g. guided meditation or intent In summary, I think there are many ways to achieve happiness, but again I do believe it can only occur when the two are connected (i.e. the Yi and Xin if we want to use the Chinese terms of the intellectual, decision-making vs. the emotional mind, instead of referring to the chakras which cannot translate one-to-one to any organ). Incidentally, this union (of the two minds) is also the prerequisite for being successful in internal martial arts according to some of the texts passed down to us through various martial arts masters, several of which have been highlighted in Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming's books (although I don't recall him discussing happiness...) Sorry if this response got a bit long.

Hi Wayki, Interesting post. IMHO happiness is simply a result of connecting the heart and mind.

Hi Scotty, If you follow a few simple guidelines you won't damage your knees: Knees must be fully aligned with the feet - no twisting and no skewing of the knee to the left or to the right. Also knees may never be further out than the toes and should preferably be comfortably behind the toes somewhere over the foot (in a straight drop line from the knees). Apart from that: The clip I posted shows how its done by somebody who does it to perfection: you don't achieve that overnight (or within a year for that matter!) The Golden rule is always never to overdo it. And if it hurts: Stop! Think about it and give it a rest. Then try again a few days later and this time make an effort out of making sure that nothing hurts. As Gerard indicated among other things: Ma Bu is primarily about stretching the tendons. I would even argue that it strengthens the knees - at least that is my experience. After having done it regularly for a long time (and I don't mean for tens of minutes at a time - starting and 10 seconds, working up to perhaps a minute or two - perhaps one day after a long time deciding to take it further... but do it daily!) you begin to realize how "sitting in" ma bu means actually "hanging" there stretching your tendons. Contrary to what it looks like, this is not an exercise for the thighs! Once you realize this, ma bu becomes more comfortable and meaningful Funny thing though in the midst of all this knee discussion: The hardest thing about a good ma bu IMHO is not so much about how deep you can hinge on your knees because your current limit will be obvious when your sitting in it: The hardest part is about keeping the spine straight (and I mean vertical) thus ensuring that the butt doesn't stick out - as the Monk in clip demonstrates - here you also have to have an alert, yet relaxed posture for your arms. Practicing with large a mirror at your side can be very helpful in helping you adjust. Remember: little by little - only practice makes perfect.

Hi Tao of the Afro, Here's Ma Bu (Horse Stand) for you:

Hi Stig, As I also just said to Mal, I am sorry that certain individuals have managed to bully you to the point of wanting to quit. I think it is a real shame and I fear that TTB will suffer because of this. Thanks for helping keeping this site sane till now. Be well.

Mal, I think it's a real shame that you feel bullied enough to ask for your removal from the moderator list due to a handful of members who time and time again forget their manners and who seem to consider it their right to act it out like l'enfant terrible when asked to abide by the guidelines. You're intensions are pure and your judgement is good: Nobody's perfect, but in my opinion you are one the few people keeping this site sane - I fear that it will be heading south from here. I can't blame you though for wanting out given all the personal attacks - I probably wouldn't stand for this either and by now I wonder why a bunch of these members didn't get ejected for personally insulting you during this raid. Sean, I would be interested to hear how you feel about this whole thing although I can also imagine you're probably getting worn down by the constant bickering... Be well my friends.

I am pretty sure that there can never be a full conclusion and closing to this discussion. However, in trying to count the dead I have seen a good handful of members who are against moderation and who also seem to hold personal grudge against some of the moderators, for whatever the reasons. At the same time we have also seen about two handfuls of members who do support moderation. Additionally, you have all the other members who didn't bother getting involved, presumably because they're happy with the current state of affairs. IMHO this discussion has ended.