konchog uma

i did a search for this and nobody really had a thread although Trunk talks about it in his personal practice thread. So i thought i would start a thread, since i ordered the DVD and have been practicing this qigong. Does anyone else practice this qigong? I found the teaching style to be really too loose for me, but after watching it 2 or 3 times and asking LaoXie a couple questions, i was able to take some notes which i have been working from. Just going from the dvd, I missed the fact that the heels are supposed to be off the floor for the duration of the practice, which he said in email is crucial to grounding the head energy. And he doesn't really say which way to rotate, but he stresses intuition and developing a whole-brained awareness which just knows, and so i followed my instincts and rotate clockwise to ground the head energy downward. Any comments? The whole practice is about developing whole brain awareness, which is good. Long time meditators have been observed to have a sort of "fused" R and L hemispheres brain, with neural activity across the corpus collosum increasing dramatically. Google "MRI meditators" to find some of the results of the studies, theres a lot of different things happening in the brain when we meditate. I think in 2007 or so, some monks from Tibet with over 10,000 hours logged were studied, and it was reading about that where i heard that the activity across the corpus callosum was increased. Can't find the link to that particular article, so appologies. Anyway, this qigong sort of works in a direct way to synchronize the hemispheres and cause the brainwaves of the two sides to phase-lock. Its really a great feeling when you get it to work! Well, i just wanted to start a thread for people who have this dvd or know this practice to share info, cause the DGS vid is a little loose and hard to follow. has anyone who has done this practice for a while noticed anything profound? I am especially curious about the cultivation of the one sense (of great bandwidth, as opposed to five or six senses of lesser bandwidth each).

I have been experimenting with kundalini yoga via a friend's teachings and took a class last sunday at a local yoga studio. I had a lot of energy movements, some of them really awesome, and it helped me break through some deep blockages, so in that regard i can see it is obviously effective. I like it too, so i am going to stick with it. But i am having a hard time getting over Yogi Bhajan.. sikhs don't seem to accept him as a sikh, and yogi's don't seem to like him as a yogi, and it seems like he ostracized himself from everyone and only his american neo-sikh followers really love him. I am not passing judgement but it seems kind of suspect. He claims that kundalini yoga was secretly kept in india and not taught to the public, so why would he come to america and teach it to the people there? I am reading Sivananda's 1935 book "kundalini yoga" which in itself is proof that something by that name did exist before YB popularized it, but if it was so secret and special, 1. is it safe for beginners to practice? and 2. why teach it to americans, who, as a group, have a history of polluting everything they touch? the 2nd question doesn't really matter, and since he's dead, "why" he did anything is pure conjecture, but i am still curious as to the opinions of others regarding that aspect of KY In short, i like the practice, but am a little at odds with the philosophy and the founder of the system... I guess my question is for people with experience with Kundalini Yoga.. what is that experience? not in years practiced, but in opinions about its worth and effectiveness. And anything else you'd like to add thanks

Hi bums, I would like to share this file, which I happened across in my wanderings through soulseek users files. It is not copyrighted or a matter of protected rights in any way, and seems to be an essay written by Michael Winn about Daoist Internal Alchemy. I hope that you enjoy it and that it brings benefit to your practices! The following is a quote from the beginning of the file.

so i am in a really happy mood and just wanted to share something i am learning yi jin jing from books and vids. I am reading yang jwing-ming's "qigong, the secret of youth" about tendon/muscle change and brain/bone marrow washing (xi sui jing). I am watching shifu yan lei's videos and some other vids on youtube, and i am getting the picture that there are different sets that go by the name yi jin jing. so, is there a definitive set that other sets are based on? or are there just multiple interpretations of the writings attributed to da mo? i woke up at 5 this morning and watched yan lei demonstrate the first section of his set. then i went in the living room and did it. I got so charged, i forwent coffee for tea, did the dishes, and did pushups/crunches with the extra energy! And thats just the first section... so, is there any feedback from bums on this one? I do not necessarily want to start building up a lot of internal power just watching vids and reading books. Although i study under a student of dr yang's, we do not study yi jin jing in class. This practice seems like it carries some serious sizzle. Although my teacher can (and does) guide my energetic progress in a general way, i am wondering is there anything i need to know about this, and doing it right or wrong, that knowledgable bums can explain here?

I noticed that there is a "what are you watching on youtube" and a "what are you listening to" thread, but i hadn't notice a "what are you reading' thread, so i thought i would start one! today i finished Swami Satyananda Saraswati's Kundalini Tantra. It was completely great, one of the best books on kundalini i have read yet. The latter 1/3 of it is dedicated to scientific approach to bioenergy and kundalini, citing the pioneering work of some scientists and inventors i had never heard of before, like Dr Motoyama, who invented a phonebooth looking thing that is leaded and lightproof with electro-sensitive plates and photo-sensitive plates to measure people inside while they meditate on their chakras! in experienced meditators (5 years) he observed the generation of light from the heart center when it was meditated on. Neat stuff. Also in there is great exposition of the chakras, and a pretty good bit of kundalini yoga that i like better than Yogi Bhajan's approach by 100x, not so action oriented, although some of it looks challenging, but more sitting and leading prana with the intention and mind. So now i am reading the Bardo Thodol again. I am also picking my way through Mind At Ease: Self Liberation Through Mahamudra Meditation by Traleg Kyabgon, and Mahamudra: The Moonlight by Dakpo Tashi Namgyal, about Buddhist meditation in the tradition of the Tibetan Kagyu lineage.

I would like to start stance holding, and I have been reading and taking notes from Miller and Cartmell's Xing Yi Nei Kung. I was wondering if anyone who has experience with zhan zhuang recommends any other books? I have copies of Lam Kam Chuen's Way of Energy and Way of Power but haven't really gotten far into WOE, being more interested in the first book I mentioned. So any books I should definitely read? Anything I should definitely know? I am thinking that starting to hold San Ti for a few minutes each day and taking it from there is good, and I also feel really comfortable in Embracing the Tree pose. Thanks in advance

when i was 18 i read Daniel Reid's "Tao of Health, Sex, and Longevity" and let it change my life http://www.amazon.com/Tao-Health-Sex-Longevity-Practical/dp/067164811X has anyone else read this book? it focuses on food combination, living foods, fruit/veggie juices, fasting, colon cleansing, herbs, and also covers a host of other topics from qigong to philosophy, but i wanted to start a thread for people to talk about their experiences with daoist diet and different diets they have tried. i haven't combined complex animal proteins with carbs for 15 years. i gave up drinking milk and eating wheat. i juice carrots lemons apples whatever every day. i try to keep 50% of my diet raw living foods (enzymatically active) or at least eat a huge salad every day. i drink kombucha (but not too much, i read it hurts the kidneys in quantities above 2 bottles a day). i keep it organic and local about 90%. now i am 33 and people tell me i look way younger all the time. however i am still looking to improve so i would like to hear from others who have comments on daoist dietary practices, on my practices, on daniel reid's book, on other literature that would benefit those on the path of respecting their spirit's temple, or on anything you might think is related and beneficial. thank you!

I just found this site for herbs and it is the best quality/price ratio i have found. http://mountainroseherbs.com i just ordered 8 ounces organic Fo Ti for $6.25 (its 25.50 per lb at the co-op) and 8 ounces of pau d'arco for $3.00. Thats nutty, again its more than twice that price at the co-op. also got some reishi slices.. good price too although the co-op doesn't carry those all organic/wild sourced, nice clean site, it made me really happy to discover so i thought i would pass it on. check it out!

I am happy to report that I have ordered Sifu Jenny Lamb's DVD "Qigong for Self-Healing". What little of Max's kunlun I have been taught is very effective, and I think that the bad publicity and pseudo scandal that surround him are interesting. I think he's got that "crazy wisdom" that lends itself to wild shamanic energies really well but doesn't "play well with others". So having a flashy website, he's going to attract the kind of beginners with big eyes that are going to cause his reputation problems when they make mistakes or get in over their head. That being said, those practices by any name are extraordinarily healing! Like wow man! So I want to learn from Jenny Lamb (Yigong), and also from Chris Matsuo's DVD (Kuan Yin Magnetic Qigong). Is DGS out of stock of that DVD right now?? All I see is 3for1 haha $300 indeed Aside from Easterninternalarts.com's info page, are there any resources besides seminar with Jenny herself for learning her yigong? I have googled such things, but you resourceful type bums might know of something that I didn't find, because basically all I found was the Q&A page on her site. Also, why all the hype about Max Christensen, and almost none about his teacher?? I have read he didn't even credit her in his book, and made up a bs history of Kunlun to sell that book! Is that true? Why don't people put Sifu Jenny up on the same sort of pedestal? I would be curious to hear from people who have interacted with both of them. I mean his website is nice and so are his eyes but is he That amazing? I think its a good mark of Sifu Jenny that she hasn't attracted negative attention.

from Daoist Nei Gong by Damo Mitchell p.66, 67 "Many practitioners operate on the idea that we are tring to "store" qi within the lower dan tien when we practise internal arts. This actually goes against the teachings of daoism, which state that we should breathe in and out qi in the same way that we breathe in and out air. Qi that is created within the lower dan tien is stored within the congential meridians as part of a natural process over which we do not need conscious control. Attempting to "pack" qi into the lower abdomen will eventually just contribute to stagnation taking place which in turn slows the movement of the dan tien and causes the belly to swell. If you get the chance to visit one of the few daoist monasteries in china or taiwan that have not been repainted in recent years you will see that many of the statues have taiji symbols on their lower abdomen. This is demonstration of their attainment of a rotating lower energy centre." that last part refers to the rotation of the dan tian on a horizontal axis, in line with the microcosmic orbit. Damo writes that the dan tians turn naturally, but that it is good to practice turning them, but like i said in the thread about the book itself, i don't want to get into explaining things im just learning... i posted this because 1. its the first i've ever seen this (maybe i've been reading the wrong books and studying under the wrong teachers but...) and 2. it rings REALLY true to me, like on a gut level, i really feel this is correct. I feel like this is a pretty crucial part of "the puzzle"... anyone have any comments?

I was checking out the books on amazon.com and came across this book. I went to the Lotus Nei Gong School of Taoist Arts website, which seemed nice, but didn't really give me any idea if the book is worth buying or not. Sometimes its hard to tell anything from a website. Anyway the book is here http://www.amazon.com/Daoist-Nei-Gong-Philosophical-Change/dp/1848190654/ref=sr_1_32?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319203442&sr=1-32 I was wondering if there is any feedback on it from knowledgeable bums. Thank you!

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jhqCQWLvaxFps1-1BuPh6cYoC8Lw?docId=37b7f5631fc64519b1633bbc258f418b

Tibetans who refuse to fly the Chinese flag above their homes risk being beaten or shot in the latest attempt to break their spirits. But now is the best moment in ages to bring hope to Tibet's proud, but desperate people. Chinas leaders are mounting an intense campaign to draw a veil over their rights abuses and persuade governments to vote them onto the UN Human Rights Council. So if enough of us shine a light on whats going on in Tibet -- squashing an ancient religion, banning journalists, dawn arrests -- we can get China to back away from its hard-line policy to be sure of getting the 97 votes it needs. Lets show the Tibetan people that the world hasnt forgotten them. China is feeling the heat as 13 governments just called them out on human rights in Tibet. Sign to stand with Tibet, then share this with everyone. When one million have signed well deliver it to critical UN delegations, and make it massive in the media: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_tibet_loc/?toFOQdb Pressure on China is mounting. In an unprecedentedly strong show of support, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Poland, US, UK, Switzerland, Sweden, Iceland and Austria just called on China to protect freedom of assembly, religion and association in Tibet. This request arrives just days after a Spanish court indicted China's former President for genocide in Tibet! The situation is really dire. More than 120 people have taken their own lives by setting themselves on fire to protest the suffocation of the Chinese occupation and hundreds of thousands of Tibetans have been wiped out. China's ongoing policies systematically suppress the Tibetan language, force people from their homes, and strictly control the Tibetans' movement and religion. Chinas failed policies hurt China too, but having dug themselves in this deep, they need pressure to change course. This is the week that change can start. If enough of us speak up while China is under the global microscope, we can make sure our governments know we havent forgotten Tibet. Sign now and tell everyone -- let's build the biggest petition ever for Tibet and demand they hold China to account: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_tibet_loc/?toFOQdb Proud Tibetans are struggling against China's brutal rule and long for change, but they cant do it alone. No one can create changes that big alone. Thats why we've come together for Tibet before. Let's make this the moment where the whole world commits to the survival of the Tibetan people. With hope, Ben, Alice, Patricia, Alex, Ricken, Emily, Sayeeda and the whole Avaaz team SOURCES UN criticises China's rights record at Geneva meeting (BBC) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-24611657 Dalai Lama Says China Has Turned Tibet Into a Hell on Earth (New York Times) http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/11/world/asia/11tibet.html Spain probes Hu Jintao 'genocide' in Tibet court case (BBC) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24490004 Four Tibetans Shot Dead as Protests Spread in Driru County (Radio Free Asia) http://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/shoot-10112013200735.html China denounces Spanish court's Tibet case against ex-president (Reuters) http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/14/us-china-spain-tibet-idUSBRE99D09120131014

Bump

Here? -- Scarecrows, crooked! Covered in flocks of blackbirds, Resigned to dismay.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xehca_cky-skeletor-vs-beastman_music the highest wisdom of skeletor

thats one of the most helpful things Malcolm has said if you ask me i have been studying Tibetan with my lama for the last 3 months, its an awesome language, and i look forward to understanding Tibetan terminology and reading texts. I'm sure some people are convinced that they can learn from books, and english books, without transmission or really understanding Tibetan, but what I have learned about Tibetan > English translation already has convinced me that its hard enough to grok in a dharma language like Tibetan, and the translations, even cross comparing different translations to try to get a more developed idea about what is being talked about, is next to hopeless, and won't lead to accurate understanding in almost all instances of important concepts. Most people don't really understand rigpa and sems as I have heard and read rinpoches talk about them in english, and the rest of it is even more obscure and generally mangled. Thanks for quoting that, I was going to do it, but I didn't want to jump in to this thread (or really any other about dzogchen, the natural state, mahamudra, etc) I really appreciate it.

Just finished Dakini's Warm Breath - The Feminine Principle in Tibetan Buddhism and wish there was more to read, even though now i can read the other few books i am working on. DWB is scholarly without being overly erudite, in other words, remaining warm and accessible at the same time as it is based mostly on classic resources, and Judith Simmer-Brown's interviews with lama's, monks, nuns, etc. Some books i have seen on Tibetan Buddhism and feminism are overly erudite, and some are by feminists with a victim complex, which, while it may be justified from a certain POV, is not the approach that Judith Simmer-Brown takes with this book. She writes about the issue honestly and openly but ultimately from an empowered perspective, citing both the positive and negative aspects of femininity within Tibetan Buddhism with equal clarity. great book, highly recommend, inserted some very healthy energy into my view and practice

they don't go to war my heart and mind, fast allies laugh until i cry

to aid digestion some birds eat bits of gravel i like ginger though

I've heard 14 wives, but even that is about a new wife every 15 years. My gf thinks he was stealing their energy if that info is correct, and that the spirits wouldn't let him live til 500+ cause he was an incubus. Either that or he had a thing for 65 year olds (bucking the immortal trend of having a thing for 16 year olds). btw my girlfriends opinion is completely tongue in cheek and i am only repeating it here cause i think its funny and maybe even possible, but not to garner any kind of commentary in response. glad you noticed Brian, that detail has always stood out of his story for me. I found (on microfiche) a copy of the NYT article from the early 1900s in which that photo appears, and it says he came down to celebrate his 255th birthday. It said that nobody believed him until he started to ask their names, and then tell them stories about their ancestors who he knew 255 years ago, to their universal amazement. I think that version is the one that said he had 14 wives. Of course, we'll never know the details of his life, and masters like that often conceal the truth if they reveal anything at all about themselves, but personally i believe such longevity is quite possible for someone who dedicates their life to it.

Just wanted to take a moment to second everything that hagar said here, especially that it sounds really normal. Since he said it all so well, I will not add much except to say thank you h for the great advice. Everyone who starts meditating enough to effect these sorts of changes should read this thread. Also just to mention that some sort of "dark night of the soul" is a phenomenon that most serious meditators have to go through at some point, its healing, and its better on the other side of it.

i snatch out the flame as noble Prometheus once did long ago

lots more at the mall than at the monastery to use as practice

now we cast a spell to fasten our hearts themselves to the light we seek