de_paradise

Yoga is great. Its easy to find a "set" whether in Hatha or Vinyasa/Ashtanga that you can practise every day. Most people like to go to courses and do the group thing. I just have a memorized routine that I do in the park by myself. I have also a learned set of Tibetan yoga, similar to yantra, that is called "yoga of joy" by Yuen Miao who has a powerful lineage. The tibetan stuff is more subtle, less satisfying physical streching than hatha or ashtanga type sets. I also agree with Scott Sonnon routines, cannot go wrong.

Both (good/evil) are true, it comes down to what you are emphasizing in your mind when you think about the problem--our samsaric (mundane, worldy, animal) human selves, or our enlightened higher selves. We have the capability to run selfish (evil) until extinction, or run selfless cooperative (good) to reach an equalibrium where everyone is better off. I'd argue the good is the stronger nature since we are given towards spiritual evolution, but perhaps in Confucius' age it was obscured too much. Our age is running more and more evil, insituted selfishness, but has acheived a false sense of security.

One easy practise is Guanyin mantra, of universal compassion: Om mani padme hum. You don't mindlessly repeat the mantra, but distract your conscious mind with the mantra repetition, while your consciousness plumbs your emotions and heart, and you attempt to generate/isolate/sustain feelings of compassion, love, gratitute. You can point the feelings toward Guanyin, or you can point the feelings toward the whole world, or you can imagine yourself as a monk within an assembly of other monks all chanting "Om mani padme hum", or imagine yourself as Guanyin, or some form of energetic emination of Guanyin, who feels compassion, love, healing towards others. This is one of my main practices. As you keep going along generating these emotional states, they naturally become evolved (not just mundane emotional states),become more energetic or spirit related, kind of a doorway into a relatively enlightened state. From that vista, it becomes apparent that what stops one from reaching a longer lasting enlightened state is the relative impurity of the body. So that's where these other energetic practises can take a supporting role, (qigong, yoga, neigong) because they help open the body's channels up. But already the path has been set by this physical emotional type of evolution previously. There are other Tantric deities and beings and Buddhas etc. with different attributes, and I would use more or less the same basic formula, with slightly different thoughts and emotions. You could think of it as emotional retraining. Eventually though different, it all kind of converges. There is alot of room to play around, get distracted, and re-center. This is working through your "stuff" in a positive pro-active way.

I'd agree, but not with East-West since Chinese Korean Japanese are fast paced minded people, dissimilar to Tibetans or the relatively less industrialized countries. I have notice Africans have way better energy bodies, so they could be similar perhaps to the Tibetans. But the general idea that we should let go of our head based practices and embrace a more intuitive, heart approach would is something I would bet help many on this forum make better progress. It is hard for a head-based person to grasp quite what is meant by this heart "wounded love" type of stuff, so as a default they turn to what makes sense: some kind of logic based system of qigong or neigong that promises x result from y practise, level 1 to 5.

My understanding is that there's many ancient spiritual lineages, perhaps from pre-human days, extra-terrestrial, or from higher level beings interacting with humans, and somehow getting associated with some form. Think of Max's snakes and all the snake related schools for example. Eagles, phoenixes, garudas too. I guess it could be said a lot of of the ancient and powerful "stuff" remains hidden or apart from the mainstream schools. And nowadays we don't feel the need to turn every higher being into compartment of an established religion, like a Buddha or emination of Tara, etc. You get to hear lots of strange stories just listening to people, but you need a good background in this stuff to avoid misinterpretation.

Ya Mu, the model that you are talking about exists presently here in Taiwan. There is medical qigong office inside the public "Western Medicine" hospital, and the TCM guys tend to have private practises around, but not in the hospital, but also covered as part of the country health insurance. People choose, it seems based on their experience and value systems. People who are desperate tend to be more motivated to look at all the options in a less biased way. TCM doesn't always work though, and herbal formals often don't "wow' their patients like a strong pharmaceutical can do, or lasik eye surgery, or high level surgery. I think "wow" factor (results) is important, because it creates the trust, that if they can do x, then they can do y and z. People use western medicine with their common cold, because of that trust, even though the treatment is often abysmally wrong headed (removing the symptoms of natural healing process) One would think that if the treatment results of medical qigong were very high, then it would become more popular due to word of mouth. If thats not happening, then you may be able to fill in the blanks why not, since this is your field.

Ultimately, often not just a step towards someone else but also deepening sprituality, via opening of heart. There's no point in getting too cerebral about it or trying to guess several moves in advance though. Even posting here makes me suspicious of what's really cooking, not just for the OP, but for anyone who got attracted enough to participate in this conversation.

First time at the gym since my fast, and my deep shouder joint pain has gone away which had been slammed by a truck and then the pavement earlier this year, and even though did yoga all summer, I still couldn't do certain exercises like lat pulldowns without pain. Now I can do them without pain, and I can feel the muscles all working together nice, with no pull or strainy feeling here and there. Its interesting to hear the stories, but you need to do it yourself to believe it. Now I wish I'd known about fasting earlier on in my 20's, perhaps I'd have been still doing long distance run races, that I had to stop due to chronic knee pain. Another thing, usually dropping alot of weight makes my face kind of sunken, like vegan face, but this time its maintained without the jowl lines deepening.

Interesting bit on the Kahuna view of fasting: "In fasting one must begin to operate on energy reserves. These are usually thought of in terms of fast and protein, but energy is also stored in the form of chronic muscular tension. During fasting this tension energy is called upon for the operation as well. Since the tension areas are intimately connected to belief conflicts, they will surface as the energy is utilized, and the tension is relieved. This is often accompanied by a cathartic emotional release and dramatic elimination of symptoms of illness. Fasting, when used as a tool, is not done for "purification" of the body, but as a means of exposing and draining of energy from deep seated complexes. Even then it is only a step in the treatment process, for without a change in thinking, these benefits in fasting will only be temporary" Serge Kahali King In my own post fast observations, there definitely is a feeling of "reboot", and the body and mind has just gotten used to the doing nothing, I don't feel the same habitual triggers of motivation. Yet clearer thinking has made me notice and approach my life in other ways, kind of like cleaning the lense of a magnifying glass and pulling it back a bit. But at the same time, just sitting and waiting, not compelled to act. Most modern people actually fear losing their current ambition and drive, which is why they cant make spiritual progress, but fasting can "help" that.

@White Wolf. I'm off to the beach. Ish, I just googled it, http://curezone.com/forums/am.asp?i=1300624 I think there are more than one reasons why a person could be skinny like you, for example having to do with the helpful bacteria colonies in your digestive system, impared or some kind of problem of that system, or "fast metabolism", etc I think fasting might be beneficial because it would help your food absorbtion and would allow you to gain weight. But you cant know if you are too scared to try, which is where alot of people are. I'm sure you could research your particular question.

OK. good.. Next time around I will do a salt water flush maybe on the 2nd day. It also helps to clear some crap out of your intestines, and that would bring around ketosis more quickly. This is my first strict water fast.

If you are talking about intestinal parasites like round worm, you starve them, but I hear it takes 14-30 days. I bought some chinese medicine to do after the fast, because I dont plan on taking it that long, and hopefully it will knock them out. You cant know until you start producing stool. If you are talking about the 3 worms of Taoism, they feed off of grain, so just stop eating the 5 grains. If its the etheric worms, if they exist, then you starve them like normal parasites, or perhaps the body is able to mobilze defences against them. Im not sure if I believe in etheric worms though.

Normal water. I've never heard of salt water in the fast. I think this Taoist quote says what I've been feeling, essentially you have to have detoxed enough so your mind is clear and you don't meditate properly or try to communicate with divines while feeling all wrapped up in your ego, and its tough because you feel like crap, and mind tends to want to whine like a self-absorbed kid--and that creates the emotional physical state in your body and effects qi an chakras etc. So to reach that stage either by mental perserverance or perhaps getting past the detox effects, then you can really make huge progress. "Fasting has two functions. Firstly, it is a step to cultivate the Tao. Taoist scriptures state: "Fasting is necessary for a Taoist to cultivate Perfection in a Taoist temple. Be careful about what you say and be prudent so as not to make mistakes. Then you may approach Tao." Taoism believes that fasting is the root of Tao and the bridge of skills. If one is to cultivate Tao, he must fast and obey the commandments, keep the perfect Tao in one's mind, and then one's evil desires disappear automatically." Secondly, it is a method of communicating with divines. When it comes to fasting and reciting scriptures, Zhang Yuchu wrote in the Ten Daoist Commandments: "Anyone cultivating Tao must fast for a clean body as well as a pure heart, and he must visualize the divines and read Taoist scriptures silently in his mind. It is as if facing the Higher Emperor, communicating with him with the heart. Once concentrating on it with a pure heart, he will understand the perfect meaning of the Tao. If one reads aloud the scriptures in a clear and melodious sound, the Vital Breath will rise and harmonize smoothly, so one can accumulate merits quicklyhh

Ok, I am on day 6 of a water fast. I was going to break it today but maybe hold out a bit longer, because now that my digestiion system is completely shut down, its very detoxing, and gain the most benefit. Nothing but water. There are other types of fasting, but for rapid deep cleansing you shouldnt eat anything, its a completely different ball game to take even juice. Its not so much fun, thats the drawback. Plus no energy to do much. Meditation is challenging, I suppose because of the thoughts and stuff coming up, plus, difficult to put your heart into it when you feel like a selfish whiner. I expected to do some yoga and energy practises to pass all the time but feel too exhausted to do them, and also dizzying. I think when you can fast and meditate properly that would be what would be a breakthough. Water fasting is pretty common, up to 40 days. Please search "Alan Goldhamer" on youtube on safe waterfasting, as he runs a clinic an has tons of good info. Other good stuff on youtube, just have to search water fasting. The biggest reason people dont fast is fear, or just lack of serious information. The sufis practised a kind of fasting where they took a bit of food every other day, and I think that sounds like my next foray, as I'd rather have the strength to meditate and do yoga. So far, no speaking with God or Tao, but lost most of my stomach fat.

Power is finding and synchronizing with qi and higher level of consciousness, not much to do with physical movements which are only the base.

On a day to day level, its not difficult to navigate. You understand other people have slightly different morality and work with it in your model of behavior of "right action". Humble and retiring of complicated situations goes a long way. Social frictions will always be there, and debates always continue, but morally lording over people in a gratuitous was is spending time in that endless debate. There is a time and place for it. Note that I cant solve the problem of moral relativity, just present a workable model in order to acheive spiritual progress. Staying connected to that feeling level right and wrong is a good guide.

I think its just playing word games to differentiate moral, ethical, virtuous and de, etc, because they have this common denominator of being "right activity". When I was in college I pondered about cultural relativism as is relates to morals, so it was always on the back of my mind when I read these Taoists and Buddhists. It seem that they could not accurate. Now as a practitioner, not just somebody who churns their logic, I have found that the answer is pretty simple, and something along the lines of Hume, except expanded to how energies interact. Hume talked about feelings, you know something is right if it feels right, and there are obviously cases that are hard to judge and need wisdom. But as a practioner, the only thing you need to worry about is if it feels right, and to follow that feeling, making it second nature to act out of goodness, or right activity. The splicing and dicing and extreme cases don't matter as much as your habits, that become your traits. What I am saying is that your energies interact with the universe mostly by dint of how you yourself feel about your actions.

Dont read so much into Lobby posts, they are literally obligatory posts signifying nothing, people respond generally out of having a bit of time on their hands. I've read about Yinfu bagua, looks cool.

Probably you feel some bliss when you focus on your 3rd eye, then allow that to spread out, and loosen up into a more kunlun style feeling. I just tried it out, so it might be that. I think in general people tend to get focused on some physical component when the real action is taking place on a subtler level more spread out in the body, which you can feel but its hard to pinpoint or describe, so they talk about the physical component.

You sound like you are tripping out. I checked out the deck, it looks cool, but complicated since it also involves astrology. Its nice to see a tarot deck that isnt all full of fluffiness like the Doreen Virtue ones, that almost make you want to hurl.

I bought the books a long time ago. I only recall thinking that the guy could have edited the entire book down to one page, and the spinal breathing a bit pedestrian compared to other types of meditation. Safety may be a big concern for you, but if you try to make it to California from the East Coast in a wheel chair it will take a long time.

I think the pair of running shoes I could call soul mates would be my Asics Gel. They were so comfy and balanced, eventually got a bit smelly due to running in wet grass and had to toss them. But Asics are still my favorite brand, even though I dont run much anymore. As far as soul mates, I think you have many soul mates, and they are people that come into your life to help you grow and evolve.

I suddenly came to this theory that there are people who are some kind of self-sacrificing yin, dark, depressed train wreck people, perhaps (unbeknownst to all) so that others can become more bright. In society we view the energy going from the positive trying to fix the negative, but what if on a more subtle level, the roles are reversed, meaning the yin trainwreck negative person is drawing the other out of an entropy of just a mundane, regular amount of light. And this takes place according to some universal plan. So perhaps a karmic debt, if that exists, is owed to the person who I describe as the yin black trainwreck, who was the sacrifice. Not a sure a if I make a the sense. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pz5H3iVjAlw To: any mod or Sean. Is it only me, or do others have probems loading topics, I get errors and stuff? DId you go budget on your hosting?

Thats exactly what i mean, except you expanded it more for me. Thanks. I was thinking about my own personal journey, of the people who gave me the most propulsion or fuel somehow to further myself along and it wasnt the positive types, really more like the modern sin eater shadow absorber type. A really weird twist is the people who I know and have in mind have first names that are mythically representative of that role.

http://www.youtube.com/user/tccii Ok, I just skimmed it. It possibly has some interesting facts for you, such as qigong accelerates the decompostition of hydrogen peroxide. It's written as if its a scientific paper yet selling something, with more footnotes than you would believe, mostly of other studies that claim to have some result for some disease. The "book" is 15 pages, reads like a grocery list, plus a big section for ads and footnotes. Alot is on tai chi, which i skipped. The entire thing is set up like a business, down to the monetization of the the youtube videos. Looks authentic enough, if thats your thing.