Pu-erh

Hello, I was a long-time lurker on this forum in years past, but I am back with a question. I have been suffering from acid reflux for about 1.5 years now. It originally arose in the context of a high-stress job, which I have now left. I am doing the best I can to experiment with diet, supplements and so on and have seen both a medical doctor and an acupuncturist, but so far, I have not found much relief. I'm specifically writing to ask about what qigong forms (and/or taiji forms) might be most beneficial for acid reflux. If anyone has had personal experience treating this condition, I'd especially welcome that feedback. Thank you, Chris

That all makes sense, @Gerard. I will try easing into undistracted meals and give myself some grace around it. My tendency is to want to find an herb or supplement that will 'fix' this issue for me, but I realize that mindset is part of the problem. I have to change my lifestyle, including my relationship with food and eating, but that's the hardest thing. BTW do you have a reading recommendation related to the knowledge you're sharing? Like something that might help with understanding the underlying 5 energetic/elemental theory, how mental activity affects the organs and so on? BTW, although I'm not as flexible as I was 10 years ago, I can still Asian squat pretty easily! Will check out the 5 stances training.

Thank you for your reply, @Gerard! I am not that well-versed in 5 Element theory, but what you say about grounding makes sense. I feel that one of the things that may have contributed, or still be contributing to my problem is a habit of watching YouTube videos while eating. I started doing this at my old job, where I was often taking lunch while busy and stressed out. I know I should cut the distractions and eat mindfully, but it's a hard habit to break. It's like I crave the distraction, now. I will work on it. Chris

I was doing a lot of crazy mnemonic stuff last year when I was trying to learn kanji (TextFugu is a good program). I had to quit studying Japanese (for the time being) since I am in graduate school, though, and already spending hours each day studying. I have been thinking about building a memory palace to help me pass my Oral Exams this spring--one of the final requirements for my M.A. in Counseling Psychology.

You sound like a good guy, BlueMonk. I suggest you try psychotherapy. It helped me a lot when I was your age (I'm 28 now), and I was also (verbally) bullied in high school. See if you can find a good therapist in your area. You may be able to get free counseling through your university. The only other advice I can give you is to think about what you could do that would make you feel more self-confident. For example, maybe you would feel more self-confident if you started lifting weights or learned a martial arts. Being at university, you probably have classes available in your physical education department. At my school there was karate, aikido, tai chi, and yoga all available for free. If I were you I would take advantage of those resources. Also, just as an afterthought, you might find it liberating to open up to your housemates about the fact that you are a virgin. Lying (or concealing the truth) probably just makes you feel worse about it.

Since you are likely to get a lot of conflicting suggestions regarding nutrition and exercise, I wanted to second (or third, or whatever) the notion of reducing carbohydrates, and especially sugar. If you really want to understand this issue, read Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes. A couple of other points: --A few people have mentioned lean proteins. Your proteins don't have to be lean (low-fat), because eating fat won't make you fat. I realize you are a vegetarian, though, so you are not going to be eating meat anyway unless you decide to change your stripes. --Exercise. There are studies showing that exercise doesn't always help people lose weight. Why? Because exercise increases your appetite. That's why exercise alone might not be the best answer to your question; you need to change your diet, too, if you want to see results.

Nice! Thank you.

Well you can probably guess which kind of tea is my favorite This fall I have been drinking Imperial Pu-erh every morning while I study Japanese. It is a high grade of loose-leaf pu-erh with a silky mouth feel and rich, smooth flavor, but not as earthy, smoky, or fishy as many other pu-erhs. I used to work at a tea shop so I have some familiarity with different types of tea. Each one really is different in terms of the best tea ware to use, water temperature, brewing time, quantity of leaf per cup, etc. And there is a difference between gongfu cha and the way one would normally prepare the tea at home. Some of my favorite teas are: Black River Mountain (pu-erh), Imperial Pu-erh, Lu Shan Clouds & Mist (green), Bai Hao Yinzhen (Silver Needle, the highest grade of white tea), Baochong (a light, floral oolong), and Uji Gyokuro (highest grade of Japanese green). The benefits of tea really are profound. L-theanine reduces cortisol in the blood stream and even produces alpha waves in the brain, as well as being a powerful antiviral. And that amino acid is only one constituent in tea's amazing chemistry

Indeed, the paragraph I quoted from Ken Cohen is very hardcore... but then, later in the chapter, he totally handwaves the issue and says it's fine to eat grains (though he recommends limiting carbohydrates to something like 40% of the diet, which I have to give him some credit for. But the gist of the chapter is that he says, "all the old Taoist texts say don't eat grains at all, but I actually think it's okay in moderation." Personally, I don't have any particular agenda in sharing this information, although I have been reading up on the issue lately. Mark Sisson's work (The Primal Blueprint, marksdailyapple.com) is very interesting, and I have to give Gary Taubes (Good Calories, Bad Calories and Why We Get Fat) the big ups for saying what no one else seems to want to. Based on what I've read so far, I am experimenting with gradually reducing my sugar and grain intake. We'll see if it has any positive effects. I don't have any fat to lose but like most of us, I'm going for optimum health!

That's me, alright I'm also an INFP and a 4 on the Enneagram.

This is from The Way of Qigong by Kenneth Cohen:

There is a pretty good Wikipedia article on this subject: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebirth_%28Buddhism%29 I think the main point is that the you that you think you are is not what reincarnates. That sense of self is an aggregate which is impermanent and falls apart at death. The skandhas dissolve and the mindstream becomes one of the causes for the arising of a new aggregate. One rather advanced (female) lama I knew put it this way: "I'm definitely not the same guy I was last time."

Cool thread! In no particular order, these have been the greatest influences on me this year (counting only public figures). Sifu Jesse Tsao. My teacher. This year I became an Associate Instructor in his organization and he gave me a referral that led to my first class (I am now teaching Yang style to senior citizens!) Ken Cohen. I just met him the other day; he gave a talk on the Yi Jing here in San Diego. His knowledge of all things Chinese is very impressive, and he is a good storyteller. I especially enjoyed his introduction to Plum Blossom Numerology and his stories about training with various indigenous and Taoist teachers. Lama Lena Yeshe Kaytup. Long-time disciple and translator of Wangdor Rinpoche. I received pointing-out instructions from her this year. She is amazing and if she lived locally, I would take refuge in a heartbeat. Currently I have an open invitation to visit the caves at Tso Pema and I hope to make it there someday. Adyashanti. I like his YouTube videos and I have his book/cd combo True Meditation. I have been sitting zazen every day, that's pretty much my main practice, but I have noticed more ease and peace since absorbing some of his teachings on meditation. Leo Babauta. His work on habit change has actually been extremely helpful to me in establishing a consistent practice. If you have trouble creating or maintaining a regular practice schedule, I recommend checking out his blog, Zen Habits. However, the one thing I really disagree with him about is his stance on diet (he advocates veganism).

Lineage is important. In Buddhism, legitimacy in this sense comes from being given permission to teach by one's own teacher, in a *theoretically* unbroken line from the historical Buddha to the present. I don't know as much about Korean Zen (Son), but this looks legit. The only thing I would add is... as you probably know... just because someone has a legitimate lineage doesn't mean that they're enlightened or that they're a good teacher (separate things) or that you'll personally resonate with the teacher or the sangha.

Well, you could just as easily ask if there is any proof that Julius Caesar or Genghis Khan really existed and said and did the things they are supposed to have done. All we have are oral histories, written histories, various textual and archaeological evidence... in short, there is a ton of historical evidence that Caesar, Buddha, and Genghis Khan existed and generally did what they did, and I don't think anyone is really disputing that in the fields of history or religious studies. 500 BC isn't all that long ago, really. It's when you get into pre-history that things get murkier. Whatever the "earliest religion" is, it would have originated so far back in time that no, there would by definition be no historical evidence about it. Once you get past 2600 BC there are no texts, so we have to rely on interpreting artifacts and old carvings on buildings and things like that. I agree with all of the above except for "None of the belief systems woudl be classified as 'Religion' as that term is used to understand the institutions usually referred to with that term." That is implying a fairly narrow definition of religion. Religion doesn't necessarily refer to institutions. See, for example, Clifford Geertz's definition of religion as a "cultural system" Maybe a better question to ask than "what was the earliest religion" would be "What were the earliest religions like?" And that's where you start looking at things like animism.

Without going into details or citing sources, shamanism, but only if you count it as a religion. When I was a Religious Studies major we had a long argument in our shamanism course about whether it was in fact a religion, owing to the fact that even RS scholars can't agree on a definition of religion. If not shamanism, then probably Hinduism. The Vedas are pretty old, and there seem to be elements of Hinduism that predate the Vedas, so...

As I remember it from the biography, Crowley and his group *tried* to get a goat to have sex with Crowley's mistress of the time, but the goat wasn't really into it. No one died as a result. People repeat too much stuff about Aleister Crowley without citing sources and it all gets blown out of proportion. Don't lump him in with those Church of Satan and Temple of Set guys. His philosophy is much more interesting.

Okay, well specifically, for one thing, I don't understand why Taiji practice would have to be at the highest level to be considered qigong. After all, anyone with no experience at all can practice a qigong form like the 5 Animal Frolics or 8 Pieces of Brocade and that is qigong, right? So why would a Taiji practitioner have to have reached the highest level for his practice to be considered qigong? That doesn't make sense to me. Also, I have never heard the terms Tai Chi Kung or Taiji Qigong before and I was wondering where you were getting them, and if there was a book or something I could look it up in to get more information. The Yin stage/Yang stage thing makes sense to me although I've never heard it explained in exactly those terms. Also, I'm not sure about your statement that one needs to be at the Yang Stage and have "jin" to do pushing hands. I practice pushing hands, and I do not think I am at the stage you are talking about. I can barely touch some of the students in my class, while others I can beat easily. I think jin may be relative, not like you either have it or you don't. Also, there's not only one jin, there are many. For example in pushing hands I use ting jin, listening power, which I have developed at least to some extent, and that is a big part of what allows me to beat newer students.

ChiDragon, it sounds like you might know more about Taijiquan than I do... can you cite a source for the information in your last post, like what teacher or book you learned it from?

Double post, please delete

I have this mantra tattooed on my left arm

I believe that is the short form he created for the movie The Fountain, based on Chen style cannon fist (laojia erlu, or old frame routine two). I have learned only about 1/3 of the original form but I like Master Ren's adaptation, and his demonstration is beautiful. I have never heard this type of practice referred to as Tai Ji Qigong before, that is interesting. There is quite a bit of fa jin built into the cannon fist form. Also, there are students in my class who use fa jin and I'm not sure I would say they are at "the highest level" of Taiji practice. They are pretty good, though. I mean, actually we all do fa jin but some just have more jin than others. Mine is pretty weak. With regard to practicing several hours a day, my teacher told me not to go for more than two hours per day, in general, saying that you should use Taiji to benefit your health, not sacrifice your health to further Taiji through overtraining. He actually pointed to Yang Chengfu as an example of what happens when you overdo it (Yang Chengfu died at 53, IIRC). Anyway, just my two cents... awesome Taiji demonstration.

This isn't strictly relevant to the OP, but FWIW: With salvia, specifically, I didn't mean it was physically dangerous. You're right; if you have someone watching you while you take it there is little to no physical danger. I meant that it, and the other drugs mentioned, could be psychologically dangerous for a severely depressed person to take. A lot of these drugs will amplify whatever experience you are currently having. I know this from personal experience. You know, if you are in a bad place when you take something, you are much more likely to have a bad trip. And that bad trip can have echoes throughout life long after the trip is over. Even one bad trip can mess you up for years. Heads don't like to admit that's true, but it is. Not only that, but all of these drugs will alter your brain chemistry, especially levels of serotonin and so on, which are already volatile in a depressed person. I am not trying to give advice here based on medical studies, of which, as you mentioned, there probably aren't any that actually compare effects of psychedelic drugs in depressed versus non-depressed groups. But I have been depressed and not depressed, taken all kinds of drugs in both states, and been around, even supervised other people in various states (sets, settings, whatever) using these drugs as well and I have had the opportunity to observe the results. I have had all kinds of great, spiritual experiences on mushrooms and I've also had to talk a guy down from cutting himself open with a knife on mushrooms. In other words, I am qualified to speak on this subject, not based on studies (as if that were the only possible qualification?) but based on my own personal experience. Anyway, to say there is no danger if you have a sitter is just wrong, for any of these drugs. The *only* one I might recommend for a depressed person is ayahuasca, and then only in a traditional ceremony with a *real* initiated shaman (not just some idiot who calls himself a shaman). I have done that and I still had a bad trip, fortunately the shaman I sat with had the skills to bring me down. Remember, with ayahuasca (even with mushrooms) you are dealing with *spirits* and spirits can F you up. In conclusion, psychedelic drugs are extremely powerful. They affect body, mind (brain chemistry, hormones) and spirit in sometimes violent ways. I think people treat them way too casually.

FWIW, I was really depressed for a while from age 15-16, and seriously contemplated suicide. I think the main thing that kept me going was the hope that I would someday get laid. Laugh if you will, but sexual desire can be a strong chain to bind us to this life. A little later, I read Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse and became interested in Eastern thought, especially Zen, and then after seeing Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon I rediscovered my childhood love of martial arts. In other words, I found other things that I loved and no longer had any desire to die. So, what do you want? What do you love? What do you authentically care about? I think making a list is a great idea. Also, Kate Bornstein has a book called Hello Cruel World: 101 Alternatives to Suicide for Teens, Freaks, and Other Outlaws. I have not read it, this recommendation is from my sister who has gone through some serious depression in her life and is still kicking. Personally, I also recommend seeing a psychotherapist if you are really that depressed. I did 3 years of therapy when I was in college and it helped me a lot. Cheers. PS: I have a lot of experience with drugs and I DO NOT recommend taking MDMA, LSD, mushrooms, salvia OR ayahuasca (yes I have done all of them) when you are depressed. That is just dangerous. This is coming from my personal experience as both a former drug user and as a graduate student/trainee in psychotherapy.