Cueball

Yes, he does seem happy to make a (fairly arbitrary) distinction between the religious and the mystical, even though it's not so sensible to do that. Good for him for trying to bridge some of the gap between worlds, but a "scientific account of the contemplative path" is doomed somewhat from the start. The type of knowledge that science provides – no matter how sophisticated – is still limited by the stipulations that it places on itself. It's built in. Going beyond the ability to communicate subtle phenomena, let alone offering up for others to verify in any systemic way, those sorts of claims become intolerable to the scientific community. I wonder how he would get round this problem, given that sciences of the mind don't tend to impress physical scientists much these days. From what I've read, I'm not sure how much he sees that faith and evidence are subtle and complex issues in scientific as well as religious enquiry. Yep - that's the problem that any scientific account faces. Thanks.

That's lovely, I always felt something good from Thich Nhat Hanh without knowing much about his teachings. Thanks for posting.

That's pretty much been my experience too, especially that there's more than one type of transmission. Sometimes even when you think you're 'ready', you can end up biting off more than you can chew, in quality if not in quantity. (Obviously words not meaning a whole lot here.) I've found those adjustments and clashes to be very difficult at times. It's always interesting though. I think that's how it will be, with the real progress coming from a reworking of scientific methodology itself. So long as an arbitrary polarisation is made between subjective and objective - with 'objective' being the arbiter of reality - all sorts of phenomena becomes reduced to anecdotal (i.e. worthless) evidence. I don't see a radical overhaul being likely for a while yet....... but I'd love to see it happen.

Ah, right. I've found those types of problems that arise with clearing blocks/congestion come from needling more than qi healing. Feeling good is a more pleasant way to heal than hurting! Thanks for the info.

I agree, but these things should be very much dependent on what is needed, and what is appropriate. 'Blasting' may be totally inappropriate. As Ya Mu said, one type is not the same as another. Ya Mu, do you go into the differences between those two types much in your DVD?

bbbf - that's an interesting idea to speculate on. How would you go about finding out whether Jupiter exists without qi? Could you measure that measurable impact, outside of consciousness? I'm not too familiar with the physics, but assuming entropy = devolution of some sort, then certainly you'd like to think some anti-entropic force is in operation. Otherwise we're all just rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic, which is a sobering thought.

Sure, let's save it for a rainy day. I can relate to the points you made earlier. Personally I'm not at all sure that acceptance doesn't go hand in hand with being able to reject things, but it seems to require a lot to really develop trust in such a view. So the outer becomes more of a problem for me also..... although in itself that's not a problem..... but then really it is..... This is an interesting topic. Thanks.

That's also been my experience, thank you for writing that. From a non-Taoist source, but perhaps so in name only: Jesus said to them, "When you make the two into one, and when you make the inner like the outer and the outer like the inner, and the upper like the lower, and when you make male and female into a single one, so that the male will not be male nor the female be female, when you make eyes in place of an eye, a hand in place of a hand, a foot in place of a foot, an image in place of an image, then you will enter [the kingdom]." - The Gospel of Thomas (bold mine)

I wonder if relevant to this topic is the difference between overriding paradigms vs individual research programmes and peer reviewed evidence. Bohr and others showed a deep feel for the esoteric. But what takes root personally isn't what counts to the professional community in most cases. Such is the backbone of scientific empiricism, for better or for worse. Inspiration or personal conclusion is one thing, but in a Kuhnian sense, the dominant paradigm is only likely to budge with a development of both theoretical structure and a body of evidence. Both of which have to go someway beyond what is taken as 'normal' science these days. It's interesting to see what will happen.

That makes a whole lot of sense to me. Yes, the mind over matter attitude is a bit of a hang up I agree. I like your point about doing it with everything. With regards to qi, sometimes I've felt the (commonly taught) emphasis is more on matter over mind, which can be a similar problem. Personally, I find it really interesting how information gets translated into understanding, and also vice versa.

Ah! Like this - would be interested to hear more. Thanks.

Hi, would you say more about this if you have time? Especially their relationship. In your experience, do you see a kind of feedback loop going on - a reciprocation that encourages both intent and qi? Via INTENT? Great thread. Thank you.

Hello, I'm new to the site but just wanted to add that your heartism has very close parallels to gnosticism. Your axioms – in particular the first one – are much in keeping with a gnostic metaphysic. You could take a look at e.g. 'On the Origin of the World' and 'The Hypostasis of the Archons' (two codices from the Nag Hammadi find) if you fancy and haven't done so already. Quite an eye opener. Regarding the latter point, it sounds like you have set yourself an excellent Zen koan there! Thanks.

Hello, new to posting on the forum, but am enjoying this site and this thread in particular. Do you think that the compartmentalisation might be somewhat necessary? Otherwise a sudden removal of the boundaries would be like decompressing too quickly, resulting in sickness or even death. Just an idea. Interesting posts, thank you.

Hi - Long time browser, new member. There's a genuine sense of helpfulness on this site that, to me, counts for a lot. Nice to wander amongst people who walk their own paths, and to hear from people who speak with experience and generosity of spirit.