Mahberry

I do as well. 走(Run) almost always imply running away from unless you stick it next to 入(Enter/Go Into) which then means Running Into (走入). All Chinese metaphors are purposely abbreviated to give off a poetic quality. So, they would have used 进(Move Towards) instead of 走(Run) in that case. Not sure if still relevant: 入魔(Enter Demon) would literally mean 'entering into a demon' but in context of 走火入魔 it instead means the 'demon enters you'. In fact, the phrase 入魔 is commonly used to mean 'possessed'. Still, some Chinese metaphors are jumbled up in a playful way like 亲朋戚友(friends and relatives) which is actually made of 亲戚(Relatives) and 朋友(Friends). Take note of how they're spliced together, chen peng chi you constructed from chen chi and peng you. Applied to 走火入魔, this becomes 走入 火魔 (running into the fire demon) but 走火入魔 is not one of the jumbled ones. 走火入魔 is one of the more loaded Chinese metaphors that isn't obvious from the outset and requires some prior knowledge of how it came into being. The metaphor itself originates from cultivation practices literature but most Chinese exposure to to it is from wuxia movies.

Yea, it's a very common metaphor Chinese use to describe someone who's dysfunctionally obsessed or passionately absorbed with something. (i.e. He's in front of the TV playing on his playstation for 6 hours now, it's like he's 走火入魔) I think it's popularized by wuxia novels depicting heroes practicing secret techniques accidently overstirred their energy system and become crazy as a result. Which fits perfectly into the description of young men taking aphrodisiacs (overstirred) and turning into sex maniacs (crazy). Fire(火) might just simply be a metaphor for our energetic body. So, run fire(走火) might just mean our energetic body is out of whack. Useless trivia ensues: 走火 is commonly used to mean a firearm discharging accidently (also humorously means ejaculating when you don't intend to). But when used in 走火入魔 it means you lost control of your fire (I guess?). Now... this might or might not be connected, it's an old Chinese belief that we have 3 fires on us, one on each shoulder and one on top of our head. When all 3 goes off, you'll open your 'yin yang eyes' (our two eyes, not the third eye) and start seeing ghosts and spirits around you. That's why there's this taboo of not looking back if someone calls you by your name at night when you're in some desolated places, for fear of extinguishing the fire on your shoulders when you turn your head to the side.

You mean 走火入魔? Transliteration: Run Fire Enter Demon I think it means your fire went out of control and the demon enters you. Widely used terms among Chinese even without knowledge of Taoism. Tibetan Buddhism seems to have a lot of secret practices that causes that if done incorrectly like the tsa lung practices. I guess it's analogous to breath practices in other traditions. All Buddhist practices like shamatha and vipassana is safe. Not sure about pure qigong practices but there's a lot of accounts people packing too much chi in their bodies and harming their organs in the process (I read all about this from Bruce Frantzis's works). Still, Enter Demon means you went funny in the head so I guess it takes a pretty high level of practice to actually be that dangerous.

Perhaps manifesting because of the realization that there's no self behind desires and intentions that is truly directing this life, just an interplay of causes and conditions? I haven't realize no self yet, I wouldn't know but it feels good to post this and have people think I'm smart when they agree with me.

Yea, it's powerful how a concept and an unwavering belief can give people such tenacity. Someone smart please deconstruct their belief systems as to why they can take so much abuse and keep going. It'd make a very fascinating read.

Let's say someone approaches you for your expertise in energetic work and would like you to structure a program so they can experience their energetic body as fast and as safe as possible, what would you recommend them to do? Is it possible to do this without very difficult postures or complicated movements (absolutely learnable without a teacher)? Said person also willing to put in enormous amount of time and go celibate as long as required. I think this is basically a think of what you would have done if you weren't so uninformed when you first started question. So, PLEASE, HELP ME OUT HERE!

Damn, I feel very welcomed now. Thank you.

Oh oh, my original post. I thought I'd get a less heated and targeted response if I ask that way. Haha. People get slightly more confrontational if I go 'I I me myself my' for an open ended general question. That's what I thought, based on the many forums and the expected elitism that's part and parcel of asking for help.

What are you refering to?

I've been doing vipassana for a year now, there's some weird runaway energy that I feel originating from the sole of my left foot and rushes up to midway to my spine if I tilt my pelvis when it happens. It happens very very infrequently, like once every 2 weeks. It doesn't seem like it can be controlled and I don't see it affecting any places that Taoist or Hindu practices would mention like the perineum, lower dantien, tip of the tailbone, etc. And still I'm a skeptic to this entire energetic body thing, so I thought I'll throw in an enormous amount of time practicing it for good measure just to prove if it's real. All these trust issues about energetic practices comes from years of hanging out in Buddhist forums reading people debating and intellectualizing about no self, non duality and the whole shebang, posing as very enlightened people. It's scary knowing how much people can convince themselves about how much they know about something they don't. I've been a shut in for quite some time before this, so impressing/helping people isn't really part of my agenda. It's mostly me me me me me now.

Not quick as in overnight success, just something that wouldn't take an entire year before the first sign of progress. I'm looking for something safe and sure because I've read from excerpts here and there about people damaging themselves overpacking chi into their bodies. Since hindsight is always perfect, it's only common sense to ask people who've already done it, right? Thanks for the replies. All advices taken to heart.

A fresh perspective for Buddhists on the internet who are tired of being an armchair philosopher and posting profound horseshit with their newfound Buddhist wise man identity. Oh, Ingram you so fly.

I understand the Siths better now.

Buddha refused to teach at first, he thought people were too stupid to understand.

It's 2 different studies and they really mean fluctuation when they say fluctuation. But still, your paper is GOOD NEWS. Full papers: http://www.zju.edu.cn/jzus/2003/0302/030219.pdf http://www.hawaii.edu/hivandaids/Endocrine_Response_to_Masturbation-Induced_Orgasm_in_Healthy_Men_Following_a_3-Week_Sexual_Abstinence.pdf

How bad is it? The breast tissue resulting from gyno is irreversible. Check your testosterone level with your doctor first. Might be hormonal imbalance. If it is, then halting the gyno would be faster with hormonal replacement therapy/lifestyle changes than qigong. Heavy squats or deadlifts would up your baseline testosterone level over time.

Yea, it's a surge of testosterone for a short amount of time. Base level of testosterone remains the same all the time. The peak only signifies the highest recorded serum testosterone for the day compared to the baseline. The study says there's a significant fluctuation of serum testosterone on the 7th day then none thereafter.

The only kind of qigong demo I find believable (though I'm still a bit skeptical). He even demonstrated it with his petite wife at the end of the video. Goes way back, I think it was 12 years ago when I first read about him. I just found out about this video last month that he was sending to people back then to prove his ability. You can also read his posts on rec.martial.arts with the alias Barbara Parker/Ryan Parker. He welcomed anyone to pay him a visit and strike him at full force anywhere below the neck.

It says a clear peak, not plateau. The peak is a fluctuation, it returns back to baseline.

Been lurking here for a few months and I noticed how a lot of members speak in profound words. So, which one of you are just parroting the texts to come across like you're enlightened?

It went back to baseline after the 7th day and stays that way. I tried going for more than 6 months, it just occurred to me one day I don't get morning wood anymore. So out of fear I rubbed one out. Wasn't doing any energy practices yet then and I don't feel especially alert or anything, just a lot of agitation during the afternoon.

I'll just post these videos to my Malaysian friends so they can laugh at it.

What is it like right now that you've opened up your kundalini?

Is it really qi that people are attracted to or how qi facilitates your personality?

So, who's the fake self?