xenolith

I see that no value can come from further commentary. I'll now recuse myself from said.

I don't respond to posts about me. Technical/spiritual matters only do I respond to. Fool is a technical term in Taoist tradition. In my opinion, Buddy is one. Therefore I've said so. I'm sorry if that description offends anyone. It was offered in the best interest of those who would read it. I should point out that his 4:10 p.m. statement of today indicates a much less foolish position than his prior ones...quite similar to what I've offered in fact. I therefore am encouraged that my opinion of him will change. Occasionally a led horse does drink. I certainly hope he is one .

Buddy is a fool. Leave him alone. To Karma.

matt quoted: A commendable person who studies Tao is pure and empty so that he can embrace the oppositions, save others from dangers, relieve others from sufferings, be kind to everything, and eliminate all venomous and vicious thoughts. He regards all living beings as his own relatives, so that he always wishes to give foods and clothes to those suffering from hunger and cold, wishes to give treatments and medicines to those suffering from diseases, and wishes to reconcile those who have hatred and enmity towards each others. Stream of Love. Highest regards tathigata matt.

I trust that you'll recognize that this is a matter of perception. You would be well served to ask more substantive questions. No it wasn't and no chakra reference was made. Duh, is there a point there? "I do however find it disconcerting that you think that that's all there is to us. In my experience I certainly have this limited, conditioned part of me... but I also have a part of me that's infinite, unlimited, beyond conditioning, just containing everything..." I didn't say that. Who did? You'd be well advised to provide an attribution to quotes that you use in your posts.

OkeeDokee. Just checkin'. Nice edit to make the target of your posit clear. How'd you do it without "This post has been edited by..." showing up at the bottom of the post?

Are you talkin' 'ta me?

Therein lies your confusion. Self and ego are different. Self is eternal. ego is born. And for most, grows unchecked during Life such that the Self is overtaken by ego. Thus the value of the crown center activation...bye bye ego, hello self, a-ha enlightenment

Very good question. They are different. But related. They may occur very closely in time, with the former* leading the latter ever so slightly...as I've experienced several times through crown center activation (a thing of the highest profundity (un)imaginable...no one here cares though...silly people). They may also occur more disparate in time. Which I've experienced many times through selfless acts which, unsurprisingly, if one considers the lessons of the Buddha, manifest themselves as the latter which then lead to the former*...a far more conventional path...which requires far more perceptivity (read: contemplation) to achieve the same awareness of the former* as the, uh, former

...I've used the same analogy...to describe the same thing. Hang on dear Meow! A loose grip is best

Crown Center Activation removes neural connectivity to the ego center...leaving only the self and Tao to inform awareness. edit: IOW enlightenment.

By means of breathing in and out while contemplating impermanence the mind reveals the meaning of being. Within cultivation of this space is the mindfulness of being.

This is an extraordinarily important point. Tres profound indeed. Also, I should have included in my definition of 'positive' the nuance that often the improvements manifest in those around a taoist master occur without the one so affected understanding how that change happened. It way in fact be some time after 'contact' that the so affected one becomes aware of the change.

An even more interesting answer Miss Meow. Thank you. I meant 'positive' in the sense of improvement being manifest in those around them. I humbly submit to you that both of the teachers that you've described are taoist masters by my definition.

Agree with Little 1. Have yet not. 10 years to pass the ming-men = foundation well laid = abundant positive manifestations = ... Be humble and don't stumble. - Justin Wilson

Welcome amansaari. I've practiced internal alchemy in accordance with Mantak Chia's teachings for nearly 25 years (Zoiks! that's a long time!) and have experienced all sorts of positive manifestations as a result. In my experience it's not dangerous. There are lots of warnings out there about Chia's practices, but I've yet to hear/read exactly what the danger is. Let me know if you find out would 'ya? Be mindful and you'll be fine. Again, welcome.

Miss Meow, your reply to post #57 is solicited. And would be very much appreciated.

Interesting how this thread has turned. True. One of my favorite aspects of the Tao is that experience teaches best. A distant second are the actions of others. Further distant in third are the utterances of others. Utility drops off dramatically beyond these. This medium of an internet forum presents significant difficulties for purposes of teaching about the Tao. Nonetheless, I sincerely hope that you'll continue to risk failure in pursuit of said here anyway. You never know what'll stick! And heck, failure's good for subjugation of ego, which is simply good! Positive results occur somewhere in the Tao either way. Also interesting. I wonder whether you'd think that the following description applies to both: Positively yours. xeno

They are positive beyond reason.

Jing distillation -> Taoist Secrets of Love - Cultivating Male Sexual Energy. Chi manipulation -> Secret of the Golden Flower. Body control -> yoga, tai chi or martial art...whatever suits you best. Spiritual evolutionary guidance -> Tibetan Book of the Dead. Nutrition -> just be smart. General advice to a young person: Learn how to Die early in Life in order to know also how to Live early in Life...you WILL learn them both eventually, so much better to do so now and avoid the unfortunate consequences of the temporal confluence of their occurrences. Your tools to do so are humility, compassion and empathy. Peace young one, may your enthusiasm be exceeded only by your restraint.

MASTERforge, I'm very positively impressed with your recent contributions to the Forum. Thank you. Perhaps I've not been paying attention. I certainly look forward to your further contributions.

Thanks Oolong. I look forward to giving those a read.

Of course you are. Allow me to be more clear...you made reference to the "sacred mushroom Gnostic people"...what would you like to know about this subject?

Please elaborate about your neurochemistry hobby.

I'm glad that this question has been posed. IMO, every human being should read The Tibetan Book of the Dead by W.Y. Evans-Wentz. Were it only that every human being knew of its existence...alas. For those that do, the wise will immediately make it a high priority to read it at the earliest opportunity. Again, IMO. Much subconscious and intuitive knowledge is articulated therein. Including the answer to the posed question.