de_paradise

Interesting concern. I am constantly making mudras and changing them as I move through people and situations. I try not to think about it and just let whatever subconscious or energy body decide. I give a little smile to myself if someone notices, because I have found almost noone notices, and certainly noone asks. I think your story about the lady is just your mind and ego fucking with you. As an aside, the current Scotty profile pic is similar to the mudra I do most when I walk out of the house (fingers pointed down, the pinky is out by itself and the other fingers are scrunched together in various ways.) I had read somewhere it is for grounding energy, but perhaps Scotty has some information to add.

Energy tends to run itself, just like blood. When you relax it runs smoother and takes out blockages. (ya, the old Nan and Bodri line) Im not sure where attentiveness plays a part, unless you mean focus, because one-pointed focus of your conscious mind allows the energy to not get distracted in its flow, so to speak. Visualization is also a form of one-pointed focus, but here it is a subset of intent, so finding where pure intent makes the energy flow the strongest is a higher level than finding which visualization makes energy flow the strongest. I would like to contribute an example of strong intent that I recently found, and perhaps you can use the feeling/state and apply it to increasing your energy flow. It sounds a bit corny, but you know in grade school, you have those kids at their desk, and the teacher asks a question, and this one kid really REALLY wants to answer, he's pretty much hopping on his seat, with his hand up, and making little "uh uh uh" noises, so the teacher chooses him. Well, thats the kind of feeling state that really moves energy as well. There's a kind of childish inner gleefulness and wanting to contribute that drives this state, and makes it superior and closer to the Tao.

Theres a few levels of understanding here. Like energetic experiences that are unexpected, unintended, and not much to do with a major result like "astral travel" For examples, kriyas, where your muscle suddenly palpitates or skin and flesh jumps in a very unnatural way. Not fun if you are trying to write a math exam. Theres the level of some people expecting a result and then hallucinating it or creating it with self suggestion that it is perceived as "real". Example: The new agers who interpret everything as a major spiritual event. I notice there is always an element of this even among the skeptic type or sincere cultivators because when you have an open mind and also no way to validate the event, there is always a margin for this kind of error. But another level is that intent is indeed needed to activate certain effects, such as projecting qi. The higer level a cultivator you are, the more your expectations can create events. Another level of understanding is that we are merely some kind of holographic projections, congealed thought, we are mind. The interactions in the realm of form, which we typically call reality, is merely thought, even though its very rare to find someone who can perceive that its just a big illusion of energy interplay. So no matter how confused we are about what is merely "illusion" or "reality" created by expectations, we are still not scratching the surface.

Has anyone tested whether adding energy to water circulating in a vortex (is that the same effect as spiral?) holds the energy better/longer?

The transformation of jing-qi-shen, the spiritual path, takes care of petty desires. Slow steady, requires focus, leads to enlightenment and immortality. Tame your intense egotism by doing good works (karma yoga) and more of the spiritual path will reveal itself to you, that which you are now blind to. Then you will stop posting jibberish about meditation and just meditate, for example. If you are looking for a more temporal immediate kind of solution, lets see. You didnt get the girl, now you feel like a loser because alot of your self-esteem is based on ability to get a girl you want. Stop basing your self esteem on the one girl, how about that? Just because you post this in a spiritual forum and say its about overwhelming emotions, doesnt camoflage your hurt pride because you cant get the girl. If you were a well rounded person with high self esteem not based on getting the girl, then you wouldnt give a toss about this one, it wouldnt be an issue.

Well, Im of the opinion that the stuff he teaches is stuff he probably got from something like a Barbara Brennan book, and using his reputation as a healer to get people into his workshops. Make some quick $$$'s. Doesnt he charge $200 a healing session? Greed, man. Except he doesnt know how his siddha was activated, except to say angels or whatever did it, so what he is teaching is nothing to do with his power that he manifests. He likely doesnt mention that if an ascended being doesnt come round to fix your tubes and give empowerment, give you a etheric surgical operation so to speak, then you will have about zip chance of becoming as powerful a healer as he is, just by doing the practises you mentioned. The old manifest a siddhi and sell them something trick.

The way I understand it is that Zev was given the power or siddhi as per his story, and learned how to activate it by accident. So likely the similarities to any qigong was stuff he learned after the fact, in order to augment the efficacity he probably brushed up on known qigong healing techniques. Can I ask what your interest in learning the healing stuff is Enouch? Apparently some immortals can activate healing juice on a person saving having to go through all the standard cultivation steps to reach such a high level.

I recently got hooked on Taiwan's Oolong tea, the gaoshan, or the high-mountain variety. I researched it and its lower caffeine than even green tea, and most of that can be taken out on the first brewing for 5 minutes. I tell people its the secret to my youthful looks.

Just indicates some kind of progress as opposed to nothing. Some minor stage. This kind of thing can happen a hundred times, but by the 3rd or 4rth time you get the point that its no biggee. Still nice though.

Other people are teachers, but in my experience with breath watching and mantras is this. For me the importance is to get to a deep state as quickly as I can so the qi cycles better and the kundalini cleans more quickly, also to experience unusual energy states. What happens sometimes is that breath watching can hit a wall in terms of going down, and I can switch to mantra, get down a notch, then go back to breath watching since its quieter. Its an interesting case, and vice versa can occur. Of course I feel my energy cycling and note its progress or lack thereof, so I prove this on a daily basis.

I can recommend going to Hualien, Taiwan where there is a Tzu Ji Buddhist university that has a Chinese language study course. The place is very nice, fresh air (oh so rare in Chinese places) quite cheap even compared to mainland China, and Taiwanese are just amazingly nice and pleasant to live among. Dunno about Taoist teachers though.

Can someone give me the way to say Kundalini, Kundalini awakening in Chinese characters and the pinyin?

Most Bali surf isnt good until April, but after that, go for it. I was just checking tonight online. Im sure you could find a retreat there too, spiritual place. Im thinking about San Fernando la Union in Phillipines, hopefully cheap and cheerful. Smaller and medium waves. No retreats, but thats why I want a quiet room. Was looking at Sri Lanka too...

Well, in awakenings the first while, its pretty destabilizing. The strong energy flows and hormonal changes and kriyas and muscle palpitations, changes in mood, etc etc. can very easily lead a person to negative thinking. "im gonna die. im gonna die." for example. My friend thought this repetitively for a year. Serious depression. My thing was, "noone understands this?" Poor me. Then theres too much energy, too vibrating. Its actually indicative of progress, but the question is how much can you take while still trying to lead a normal life? Theres little things to do for grounding, but I found its more mental than a matter of hugging a tree or whatever remedy. I think its about outlook and control of what is deemed positive or negative. You just have to be mentally prepared like a friggen marine landing on pandora, and that is by being open minded about all the weird shit you never thought could be true about your body. And if an alien comes down and farts in your face, you just roll over and go to sleep:) You dont go into eplectic shock and lose all your friends because you now know a whole lot of shit they dont believe.

To: Drew: RE: information gathering for O at D's I think you could carry a clip board around, with a pre-prepared questionaire to do with "energy" fluctuations of people, chakras, ley lines, full moons, etc. But the real motive of the questions is to know if she felt recently strong energy, bliss or orgasmic feelings. With this you could have a easier non-intrusive or embarrassing way to get some "data". Everyone here would be interested in your results I'm sure.

Nice intention. I'd add that if a person is already athletic and sporty, the missing key is likely to be stilling the mind and sitting meditation. I think what would be more useful is a kind of wiki of various methods, where a person can pick and choose and integrate with their prefernces and lifestyle. Probably like what Yoda said with Trunks site. I would suggest add the stories and methods used by successful practitioners so that the newb can get some real references.

Dear Mr. Obama, It has come to our attention that certain booksellers, notably Amazon are selling spiritual lessons in written form. There are also many teachers around the world who charge directly or indirectly for esoteric teachings. There is also a little group in Florida called KAP who charge for online Skype lessons, and these people post in Taobums. Please divert the ground troops from Iraq to take care of these issue wherever in the world these would be sacred-ists pop up. We insist everything spiritual should be as free as Gideon bibles in American hotels, and even though someone (the Gideons) paid for them, money should not come into the picture of our unblemished evolved state. Yours truly, "I ate too much fruitcake"

This wandering meditator wishes you all a happy happy season and may Santa bring you spiritual vibey gifts. When you look at the tree may you see your etheric body and its many branches.

You can cultivate more, and also focus on the no-self idea. The universe responds more and more, like whoa, when did the universe start responding to my thoughts. I have the idea that I can feel my ego: its a relative thing, tight or loose. Just as when you get angry or frustrated at somebody who cuts you off on the freeway, that tightening anger in stomach feeling. All sense data and interations with the outside world serve to tighten the ego in a similar way, thereby trapping you. The opposite way is to realize, hey, I'm not in a hurry, in fact, if I press on the accelerator I have not lost any time, its funny that I was angry--anger unclenches to loose. So in the same way you can process any interaction or piece of sense data as non-self. The response of the universe is bliss or a kind of contentment, and loads of prana flowing through me. Not a zero sum game.

I'm with Scereneblue and Drew in suggesting other ways. For energetic reasons I could not do the breath observing meditation for a year and a half. I got into mantras (silent in head ).Vajrayogini practise, is where you have a pretty long mantra and you can (try) also visualize a very interesting red naked woman as per the photos. Theres more instructions out there in google-land, although its supposed to be secret high tantra. A very interesting thing happened this morning, is I became lucid in a dream and decided to do this practise, like the monks do. My mantra voice changed to a kind of female echoey radio voice, and I became aware of my body, which was kind of a gelatinous snakey thingy in space, meanwhile I was trying to change myself into Vajrayogini, with little dream partial images , sort of like a crappy reception on sattelite tv, trying to get there. But I just ended up tying myself into a knot of sorts, like a kind of retarded eel. Ha ha. What Im saying is, it can be more fun than video games. Well, if you've meditated yourself into a lucid dream then you should stick with whatever you were doing to see if it can happen again. BIG LESSON there, do what works, man, not necessarily what they tell you. Like the Woody Allen movie, "whatever works". Its the way your body teaches you, more efficient than having an external teacher. If your mind is too active, well, what I do is switch temporarily to one pointed focus (like the big toe example or 3rd eye), or mantra (my failsafe) I dont hear people talk about switching, but if somethings not getting me down there fast enough because Im thinking about stuff, why not switch. If you have nothing to switch to because you suck, then you had better get good at a few other kinds:)

Can I ask what is the purpose of the posture (arms bent position overhead)? Is that Tibetan?

My impression of people working in gardens is that they are glowing and radiating health--that is, if the work isnt too backbreaking, like farming. I was just noticing a woman who was selling seedlings the other day, and she looked so strong, like from another world. Of course its more spiritually beneficial than sitting in front of a computer ya idjits. But as mentioned, there are so many other variables in your cost/benefit equation that you have to plug in yourself. And maybe there is no cost/benefit equation at all, because anything you do will lead to dissatisfaction or dukkha. Thats a bit of a bind, isnt it? How to become enlightened so you can see there is no bind? Personally, I would choose the route by which you can make the most spiritual progress, but that is much a function of how much meditation you do on your free time, and other stuff, not just how you earn money.

Kundalini:

I see hope in the gaining strength of the movement towards low emissions and less waste, which seems to be taking place. The mindset is conducive to a higher level of being, lower selfishness, that, in my opinion, would eventually pervade other facets of living, such as human and global relations. As far as Taoism or cultivators go, spreading calm and daily happiness, which so many people long for, is the carrot, not the stick, we can use. The KAP people, or Max, or whoever puts themselves out to spread awakening, the real stuff, are top in my book. If one day, strong cultivators can go viral, and infect by way of qi, larger portions of the population, then perhaps a quickening may occur for global changes in values. Of course its pretty vague on how or why that can occur. Not to be explained in your general sociology textbook. Nevertheless this is what I believe.

The back row, under the 2 of 2009, and the driver is the big guy next to you because WLP wanted to make a chauffeur that could handle any trouble. But my second guess is the second row left end.