Aaron

whatever... this is a waste of time so let's just call it quits here. you know so much, I doubt I could teach you anything, so I just hope for the best and that maybe your immense wisdom will rub off on me and I can know the truth like you do or maybe I'll just be happy being ignorant. Yeah probably that. Aaron

and who decides what enlightenment is? is it you? The Dalai Lama? and who decides what perspective is right? when do we realize that beliefs are nothing more than notions within our mind. I don't see 3 D, because I have an eye condition where I can only see out of 1 eye at a time. so am I to believe that 3 D exist simply because you tell me if exists? my point is that we should not accept something as Realty simply because someone says its reality. it is up to each of us to decide what is real and what is not real but to depend on someone else to define that for us is a mistake. I would much rather be ignorant, then to have my life dictated by what other people have to find it to be. so if you tell me the sky is orange, but I see it as blue, should I believe that it is orange? the problem with the vast majority of people, not only on the site, but throughout this world is that we do not make decisions for ourselves anymore rather we allow other people to make those decisions for us. it is only when we can make those decisions and decide what is real and not real based on our own experiences that we can truly begin to understand what this world is about. Oh ET perhaps someday you'll understand, but I think at this rate it may take you a while. give up what you know and start to experience the world and you may just get a glimpse of what I'm talking about. till then I would recommend not responding to these posts, because you are simply the blind believing that you can see. Aaron

Hello folks, only the blind can truly appreciate sight, just as only the deaf can truly appreciate sound. what most of us fail to appreciate is that are perspectives of the world are limited. I love to see how many people seem to understand it all, yet fail to realize that they can never have a complete perspective of the universe. to say it is a matter of perspective is a lie. the truth is that we can never know everything, the best we can hope for is too ocasionally get a glimpse of the truth. rules are ever changing. Nothing is ever static. we have known for awhile now that chaos rules supreme, yet within chaos there is order. the truth of the matter is that what we believe we understand is not actually fact but just our own belief. it's best not to have any beliefs at all, then you can really appreciate life. Aaron

No, no! Tell us what you really think. Anyways, to each his own. I think One Piece is pretty lame. Forced myself to watch twenty episodes or so, then put it down. I think Fairy Tail is much better and much funnier. I also think Ghost Hound is one of the best animes I've ever seen, so not only is it a great anime about Astral Projection, but it's also overall well done. I didn't care for Bleach or One Piece, but perhaps that's because they're more geared for young teens than adults. I think there is a big difference between an Anime like Fullmetal Alchemist or Mushi-Shi (AWESOME Anime I recommend everyone watch) and One Piece. I'll take the former any day. Plot and substance can't be beaten by repetitive fight scenes and minimal character development. Aaron edit- Yeah I said it, One Piece sucks... whatcha gonna do about it rubber boy? <This is a joke people who've watched the show will get. I'm clarifying this for those who might not get the joke and decide this is the perfect opportunity to ban me... you know who you are. I love you by the way... I'm hugging you through the internet... oops. I did not mean to touch you there. That was an accident. Now I'm really embarrassed.>

You should watch Fairy Tail if you like One Piece. Anime is a blast. I think Ghost Hound is a must for anybody interested in astral projection. Check it out.

So, I've been thinking a lot about this over the last few days, in particular the similarities between hypnosis and meditation, and low and behold, I'm not the first to wonder about the topic. I knew there were some studies done regarding brain wave patterns and altered states of consciousness, but I didn't know that there had already been debate regarding the level of suggestibility present during the practice of certain types of meditation. My theory is this by the way, that certain types of meditation, especially those that rely heavily on visualization, depend on suggestibility to work. The more trance like the state of meditation is, the more suggestible the person becomes, but even without a strong trance state it's possible to create effects within others simply by inducing the belief that something will occur prior to meditation. The more concrete and clear that occurrence is, the more likely someone will experience it. In this regard hypnosis and meditation are quite similar. In fact I ponder how different self-hypnosis and meditation really are? There are many effects that can occur during hypnosis that seem to defy logic, or appear paranormal, just as there are many abilities in meditation that can defy logic as well. Perhaps the two are more similar than we've thought? Perhaps what we've believed were sidhis and qi practices, were actually the brain performing it's normal duties? I really believe that this is an area of research that deserves more attention. It took nearly sixty years before we understood the potential for hypnosis, hopefully it doesn't take that long for meditation. Aaron

Why? The state is natural and, for her, normal. There's no reason to play with it or alter it. The problem most people have is that they're unaware of how often they enter an altered state during their own lives. Ever drive someplace, arrive, and forget most of the drive? Well that's an altered state of consciousness. Our mind processes so much information that we can't really keep up with everything that's going on around us. In order to do compensate for this sensory overload we have the ability to shut most of it out and focus on just those things that are important at the moment. An example is walking through the woods. Imagine you're walking down a trail, there are trees all around, it's a bright sunny day. You see the dappled light of the sun as it breaks through the canopy. You're very relaxed and at peace, then you hear a snap of a branch and suddenly you're aware! Up til that point you were hearing, seeing, and smelling, numerous stimulus, unaware of it, but that one piece of information set you on edge, how is that possible? Well most of that information is processed subconsciously, in fact there is too much information for you to pay direct attention to it all, so your mind knows subconsciously which pieces to pay attention to. In essence you are living within an altered state of consciousness. The practice of hypnosis is really nothing more than bringing the subconscious to the forefront, making you aware of what you're unaware of most of the time. Our bodies and minds can do amazing things, subconsciously, but with hypnosis we can cause those subconscious actions to become conscious. We can raise the body temperature, turn off sound, sight, and smell, or make them more acute. We can use it as an anesthesia during surgery, in lieu of drugs, help people cope with their fears in a safe environment, even come to a greater awareness of self, all through entering this altered state. The problem is not this altered state, hypnotic state, whatever you want to call it, that's a natural and recurring state within us, the problem stems from the superstition that surrounds it. How many millions (yes millions) of people have died during surgery because of anesthesia, when they could've been put under using hypnosis? Our ignorance is causing us to ignore a tool that everyone has in their possession, a tool that can help people with numerous ailments and emotional conditions. When I state that hypnosis and meditation are similar, if not the same thing, and that we should examine that similarities, it's for a few reason, the most important being to dismiss the superstition surrounding meditation, the idea that we can arouse supernatural powers or achieve states of consciousness unavailable to the normal person. I believe that any state of consciousness one can achieve during meditation, can be achieved using hypnosis, and if this is true (and I am certain it is) then perhaps we can use it as an alternative to progress to heightened states of awareness quicker and safer. I'm advocating using self-hypnosis for personal exploration, as an alternative to meditation, not a replacement, lets clarify that. I'm saying it's worth exploring, especially if it can provide faster results and allow for one to become more aware of their self in the process. Anyways, that's really a different topic, but I thought i'd mention it anyways. Aaron

He's the reason hypnosis has such a bad name, people like him at least. They use hypnosis like a toy, rather than a tool, with no respect for the people they use it on. I've always felt people like him were highly unethical and their actions border on criminality. Aaron

I was taught hypnosis by a psychologist who trained under Milton H. Erickson in the 60's. My teacher rarely used hypnosis in therapy and only for certain conditions. I haven't been keeping up with a lot of the modern studies, but I can say Hilgard influenced my perception of hypnosis greatly, in particular his view of the hidden observer, a phenomena that seems to go against what most Buddhists will lead you to believe. I had my doubts about the necessity of suggestion years ago. There was a girl at a party that was very susceptible to hypnosis, the most susceptible I've ever met in fact. I used to choose her a lot at parties for past life regressions (before I quit doing that), because I knew she would be an easy subject. One day I ran across her at the store and realized that she was in a hypnotic state. I thought that I had done something wrong during our last regression and started to get worried. I actually brought her out of the trance, then I called my teacher and he informed me that if she was as easily hypnotized as I had stated, that she was most likely entering the state on her own without any notice of it and that I should leave her alone... too late for that. Anyways everything ended up fine. As far as I know that girl still spontaneously enters trance states. She's gone to doctors who've diagnosed her as having a dissociative disorder, but I've always been convinced there was nothing wrong with her, it's just the way she is. I've been practicing hypnosis for over twenty years in a private manner. I haven't actually hypnotized anyone in years, the last time was at a meditation group, when I hypnotized the group using very standard inductions in order to show them how it could aid in meditation and help with relaxation. It was a great success. There are certain things I refuse to do these days, past life regression is one of them, simply because I feel they are unethical. Using hypnosis to trick people is a big no-no in my book and I believe it ultimately causes more harm than good. I think most people are missing my point in regards to this topic, which is that hypnosis and meditation, as well as the types of experiences achieved in both states are similar and perhaps the state of mind that one enters isn't different at all, but rather the degree one has entered the state has changed. In other words meditation may be nothing more than a mild hypnotic state. If so then how do we address the phenomena experienced during this state? Is it real, as we've grown to believe, or rather the product of the mind and imagination? Just some thoughts. Aaron

Have you noticed I haven't responded to your remarks? It's not because I agree with you, it's because I don't see the point. Please leave me out of this conversation. Aaron

Sigh... no point in continuing. You don't get it. Maybe some day you'll understand, but right now you're still too conditioned to let go and live. Aaron

First, if you think acceptance is passive, then you're sorely mistaken (literally it seems). Acceptance takes practice and work and it isn't achieved overnight. Second, I can't even count the number of philosophers and messiahs that have said what you've said, so it's not original, nor was it a great insight into self awareness, it's something you were taught about yourself that's not true. You are everything in existence. There is really no separation between you and me, except for our concept of "I", which we've been taught. You are not the passenger of a vehicle, you are are your body, just as your body is the universe. If there is a God or solution, then you are it my friend, regardless of what you want to think. You are seeking a solution to a problem that doesn't exist, only in your imagination. You've listened long enough that you believe you're on the path to some great revelation, but I've been to that revelation, dwelt there with bliss and happiness and realized it was all for naught. The truth is that the meaning that I found wasn't the meaning at all, because in the end there is no meaning to life. We think we can find solace by coming up with a definition, but very few people are capable of finding a definition to satisfy their needs. The question is whether or not we can stop seeking to define life and instead just live it. If you can live life and accept the things that happen in your life, without believing that the universe is out to get you, or that they have happened for some greater purpose, then you can get a parking ticket and say, "I parked in the wrong spot", rather than believe that karma has caught up with you. When someone you love dies you can mourn their loss, rather than wonder why "God" has taken them from you. You don't have to explain things as having some greater purpose than they do, you can accept the universe on its own terms, realizing you are the universe. Death is not to be feared, because you will live on so long as reality exists, maybe not as "I" that you believe you are, but as the ultimate reality you actually are. This is not an easy or passive task, in fact it's much easier to place the onus on the supernatural, god, or some divine retribution, than it is to accept that things just happen. It's much easier to say, "If I'm a good boy, nothing bad will happen" or "Bad things happened because I was a bad boy." That's how children think and they believe this crap because they're taught it. Be done with knowledge, wipe your slate clean, and start anew and see what happens. Stop searching and let the universe come to you, then the mysteries will be revealed and you will no longer feel the need to find some higher purpose, because you will realize that every breath you breath is that purpose, every drop of water that falls is that purpose, just as every word I type is that purpose. The meaning of life is simply to live it, not find a purpose for it. Aaron

this is just more excuses. I'm not rich, but I can go out and not spend a lot of money and still meet people. what you have to decide is what you really want in your life. if you are feeling lonely then you should go out and meet people. if you think that sitting at home alone is going to help you do that, then I think you are mistaken. here's what I would suggest, go to a coffee shop and sit down and talk to people. if you are feeling shy, then what you need to do is force yourself to talk to people. when I was in the same situation as you I forced myself to go out and do karaoke. the reason I did this was because standing up in front of people forced me to address my shyness. at first my knees shook and I could barely stand up, but eventually I got used to standing in front of people and from that experience I found I was eventually able to talk to people. what you need to do is find a solution. karaoke might not be your solution but I'm sure if you think about it you can come up with one. regardless of whatever anybody else here says there is no necessity for you being lonely and you certainly don't need to justify a reason to be lonely since there is no reason for being lonely. I wish you the best. Aaron Edit- sorry for the lack of proper punctuation, but I am using my speech app on my android phone to type this. actually I should say speak this.

Here's my advice, get off your ass, get out, and meet people. Quit complaining about being alone when there's no reason to be alone. Unless you have some glaring personality defect I can't see, I don't see any reason why you wouldn't be able to make friends. More often than not, we're alone because we want to be, not because we need to be. Aaron

I'm sure that's what they believe, but they never seem shy about showing off their abilities for the camera, do they? As far as the need for moderation goes, it would seem to me that mods would be unnecessary if people could refrain from attacking others character, ideas, and beliefs in a juvenile way. Aaron

Anyone who would claim Marquis de Sade as a friend, needs more help than anyone on this board could give. As far as wenches goes, de Sade will be remembered most for his perversions, among them pedophilia and sado-masochism, two peccadilloes that kept him from achieving much success with grown women. I 'm sure you believe yourself quite clever, but your lack of knowledge in your purported friend merely shows your ignorance concerning such matters. Pray tell, might you begin to slip back into reality, so we could discuss this fantasy you've been living in? Anyways, I'd rather not participate in your desire for attention, so I'll leave it at that. Per chance, might you endeavor to learn a bit about Taoism before you become embroiled in a discussion about the topic? Marblehead was referring to Chapter 6 of the Tao Te Ching. Mightn't you go and read it yourself? And for God's sake, quit reading de Sade. There's a reason he was locked up in institutions for most of his life, he was sick and a danger to society. Aaron

Well that's simply because you've fallen into the trap that believes that you have a void to be filled in the first place. The void doesn't exist, it's only there because you've convinced yourself you're missing something. Stop believing there is something more and accept what is and you wont want to look for something more, you'll be content with what you have. This is the truth of the matter, you can't seek happiness, only satisfaction. Happiness, like suffering, is fleeting, because it lies at the extreme of the spectrum, what we should be seeking is contentment (not even peace so much) and if we can learn to be content, then happiness and sadness won't matter so much. You're fooling yourself into believing you need something else to bring you meaning and happiness, when in fact both of these things are ghosts, we can see them, but never keep them, because they are ephemeral and fleeting. Again, the key is being aware of your needs and wants, diminishing your desires, and in so doing finding acceptance with what is happening in your life. Acceptance will lead to contentment and within that contentment you wont want to feel happy anymore, because you'll have something that lasts and satisfies you. Remember you don't need Buddha, Lao Tzu, Jesus, a qigong master, or anyone else to bring you satisfaction in your life. That is something you already have the capacity for, you need only understand how to achieve it. Aaron

God could you be more obnoxious? I mean do you even have to try or does this come naturally? I'm actually pretty certain if you hypnotized someone for a prolonged period of time with an induction focused on the visualization of raising their bodies temperature to combat the cold, they'd be able to do it, probably in less time than it took the Tummo monks, the only difference is that most people wouldn't see the point of the experiment. The majority of rational people find it easier to put a jacket on than to walk out in the snow in their underwear, just saying. Which makes me wonder, what the hell was the point anyways, except to show off? Seems quite un-Buddhist to me. Aaron

I rarely say this, but you have absolutely no idea about what you're talking about. This is such a crock, I won't even bother refuting it. Aaron

I wouldn't say that's necessarily true. Hypnosis is about achieving an altered state of consciousness. Aaron

I recommend self-hypnosis in conjunction with an actual hypno-therapist. This may be more expensive, but will ultimately have the greatest results. I've practiced hypnosis for decades now, but never did it for money. At parties I used to do past life regressions, but some of the people involved had bad experiences, so I stopped, feeling that it was unethical to place people in a traumatic situation for the amusement of others. I have also helped people quit smoking using hypnosis. I'm not a therapist or counselor, nor am I practicing therapy or counseling, rather I am offering them a homeopathic method of treatment for an ailment. I always recommend that people seek medical advice from a doctor, prior to pursuing any alternative treatment regiment. I have never tried to do things like hypnotize someone without them knowing or make people believe they are a chicken, because I think that those kinds of things are unethical and a misuse of hypnosis. Many of the so called experts have little to no ethics, viewing hypnosis, not as a tool, but as a means to control others. Again, I don't recommend audio tapes for those wishing to learn about hypnosis, rather I suggest that you study self-hypnosis and seek out a licensed hypno-therapist who can help you learn more about the topic. In fact it's the same as learning a qigong technique from a tape or from an actual teacher in person. You may get the gist of it from the tape, but may miss out on important things, without knowing it. A teacher will recognize what you're missing and help you to recognize that. So, audio-tapes bad, real life instruction good. I hope that clears things up a bit. Aaron

When I say real, I mean what you can experience through your senses, not necessarily imagine. I make this distinction, not because your thoughts aren't real, but rather because one can be experienced by everyone, the other simply by us. Aaron

Hi Kate, Good to hear from you, I haven't seen you in awhile. I'm sorry it took so long to respond to you, but I thought you brought up some important points, so I wanted to make sure I addressed them with the degree of effort they deserved. The first point you made that I think needs to be clarified, is the idea that hypnosis can make people do things they don't want to, you actually said, "give up voluntary control", but most people don't see the difference. In fact you hit it right on the nail, because what you learn practicing hypnosis on others and yourself is that you can't make anyone do anything they don't want to do. [edit- However it's important to remember, that if one is put in an altered state and repeatedly exposed to the same information, that the subject will be more suggestible to the idea or notion being suggested, even if they may not have been open to it before.] My point is that, if you teach someone long enough that if they meditate on the great Panda Kabu, that eventually he will appear to them as a great ball of light and they will reach inner contentment, nine times out of ten, they will achieve just that. Others may laugh or think that they're faking the experience, but in fact, they aren't. They really have had the experience. This either means that the great Panda Kabu actually exists (which is highly unlikely since I just made him up) or that during meditation the mind can create things that have been suggested to exist, in other words, the mind fills in the blanks. This is an important idea to address, because it may explain a great deal about metaphysical experiences that people have during trance and meditative states. The notion of sidhis and such are also important to address, because almost all of the metaphysical abilities that are being presented by gurus and masters can be duplicated by illusionists like David Blaine. In fact David Blaine practices meditation and yoga as part of his regiment of training as an illusionist. The thing we've learned about many of these abilities is that they us the power of the mind (our mind) to distract us from what is really happening, so the man's hand goes left, we follow and miss that he's pulled a rabbit out of his right hand sleeve. My point is that much of what we may consider to be sidhis are not sidhis at all. The ability to withstand cold, the ability to hold our breath for extreme periods of time, and even the ability to recall whatever we want to using such techniques as the palace of the mind, are not supernatural or signs of enlightenment, but rather the results of practice and suggestion. If you put someone under hypnosis and tell them they are holding a hot water bottle, but instead they're holding an ice cube, nine times out of ten they experience no actual physical discomfort or damage from holding the ice cube, the same goes for Tummo meditation. Now the difference is that meditation can take years to accomplish this feat, while hypnosis can do it almost immediately. Anyways I'm going to stop there, I think people get my point. Aaron

Oh to be young again. I envy you in some ways, because you have the rest of your life to make mistakes and regrets. My father never called me stupid, but he often asked if I was an idiot when I did something he thought was dumb. I think you're still a bit too young to be so caught up in the future. You want to be a qigong healer, well that's a start, but where do you go from there? Do you have to become a nurse to become a qigong healer, from what I understand the vast majority have little to no medical health background whatsoever, so if you really don't want to go to university for a nursing career, don't. I personally would advocate doing what you want to do, but understand there are consequences involved. In the end a wasted youth is better by far than a wise and productive old age. I regret very little about my youth, because I enjoyed it. There are things I wish I had done, but hell, what's life without a lesson or two along the way. Aaron edit- I enjoyed university (college over here in the states) more than any other time in my life. I took classes I knew I'd like every semester to even out the ones that bored the hell out of me. Of course I didn't start until I was twenty-two and I did so because i wanted to, which can really make all the difference. If it helps, I started out taking psychology, but switched to English later on, so in that regard I really wasn't sure what I wanted to do either.

well I hope you have a good time. Make sure and keep in touch with your parents while you're gone, I'm sure they'll be worried about you. if you have an Android phone remember you can still get online and keep in touch with us as well. good luck.