Age Sage

lol, BKA! Busted.

Stress from TTB? Time to flow with the Tao. And don't forget to post photos from the camping adventures!

BKA, Yeah. Ew. A toxic waste dump. lol

Internal martial arts would be an appropriate forum addition, given the relevance of Tao to internal training and martial strategies. I would keep it limited to such practices (such as mindfulness training, intent, non-resistance, etc.), though, and not get into the common-place stuff like comparing martial arts shoes and whatnot.

But if you do it as academic research, at a bastion of higher learning, you get more grant money. And you get to publish it in an academic journal and go to luncheons and stuff.

For anyone interested in training for internal power, GM Sam F.S. Chin (lineage holder of I Liq Chuan internal martial art) will be teaching a seminar in Boston, Mass. on March 29 and 30, 2014. The 2-day workshop will be an overview and intro to the critical elements for developing and applying internal power and connectivity. His focus on mindfulness, awareness, and taiji and Chan (Zen) principles as the training approach, might be of interest to some folks here. You can check out seminar details, as well as background info on Master Chin, his art, and philosophy, on the ILC website at iliqchuan.com

Given that cultures reflect a lot of the religious values and beliefs, how can we really keep religious influences out of our public schools and other institutions? Even just deciding on what is relevant for curriculum is problematic with schools. Even though it's not too difficult to keep out stuff like prayer and references to a deity in school (it was abolished in the state where I live, when I was in the 2nd grade), it's more complicated when religionists want creationism taught in place of or as counterpoint to evolution. That kind of pressure will not go away, although some regions of the US are less bothered by it than others.

Since talking about the Tao is not the Tao, and being aware of Tao is not the Tao, this thread and entire discussion board are... not the Tao. So, we may as well just have fun.

Thanks for the ideas, Eric23. I may try wrapping plastic or maybe a strip of thin rubber on the striker.

Years ago, I found my singing bowl in Nepal - bought it directly from its maker near Swayambunath stupa, who had bowls stacked high. I bought a striker from him too, but he was reluctant to sell it, as he didn't have that many available. So, I had to make do with what he had and was willing to sell. The bowl has a rich tone, but the striker I have is smooth wood and it's hard to get the right friction going sometimes to get the bowl to resonate. Don't know why I haven't tried sanding the striker a little to rough it up; I should try it. A particularly cool and meditative effect is to fill the bowl partway with water and watch how the vibrations create fascinating ripples in the surface as you play the bowl. Another meditative thing I like is simply to place the bowl on a hard surface and give it a tap, and focus on the ring until it totally fades out, It works best when the bowl is on a surface area that's smaller than the bottom of the bowl itself, such as a block, to minimize the contact of metal with surface... so the bowl resonates longer. When I am not using the striker effectively and can't get a good resonance to play the bowl, this is my "Plan B."

Seminar is coming up this Saturday! Anyone interested in internal training is welcome. For info, go to iliqchuan.com

The human body is evolved to extract sustenance from a wide variety of foods, and that's what has allowed us to colonize and inhabit diverse environments on most of the planet. If we live in the Arctic where there's little plant material to eat, we can eat meat and fish. If we're in the tropics or First World culture where there are numerous options, we can choose to eat mainly plant materials. However, we are evolved to require vitamin B12, which is only available in animal products - meat, eggs, milk, fish and shellfish, insects and insect larvae, earthworms, etc.... which indicates that we really are meant to eat at least some animal-derived food). Medical evidence has borne out that eating too much meat in anywhere but sub-freezing environment (where fats and proteins are quickly utilized to maintain body warmth) is not healthy and will lead to blood lipid issues and the health problems related to that. My personal opinion is "a little bit goes a long way." Some people eat a piece of meat, poultry or fish the size of a deck of cards maybe once a week, or a couple times a month. As cognitive animals, we don't need to justify anything that is wired into our evolutionary natures. Rather than fight any urge to eat meat, if someone has a personal belief about avoiding it, then simply acknowledge any cravings and then pop a B12...

He needs a wad of tape on the bridge of his glasses to complete his image. What a dork.

Icedude, Rock and gravel are the heart of the garden, but in nature, unless it's in the most extreme climate zone, life will find a way to creep in. Lichens and mosses are "pioneer" plants that are the first to colonize a barren rockscape because they don't need soil to make their food or to extract water and nutrients, and they don't have roots. Grasses and small herbaceous plants will take root in gravel and sand, catching nutrients from dust and debris that is blown in on winds or which has adhered to raindrops or snowflakes. Leaves and other organic debris will also get into the gravel, and if it's left untended will revert to what nature meant that place to be. So, keeping a barren, pristine rock and gravel bed is artifice that requires a lot of hard work and maintenance. Zen temples have monks to do the work.

I love Japanese-style gardens and have experimented with Zen-style for years, and trained for a bit with a Japanese gardener who taught me the basics on the technical end. If you don't have the skills and knowhow for design, installation, maintenance and an understanding of how plants, soil and water work in Nature, then the Zen part won't ever work. I speak from first-hand experience in the "Bigtime Fail" department. lol When I get some time this spring, once things are looking less winter-bedraggled, I'll take some photos and post them. Would love to see other people's work too if any of you have been doing this kind of gardening.

Aaagh! I don't consider plummeting to my possible doom to be a shortcut! lol

Lol! I learned that too, that there's really no such thing as a "short cut," especially on a mountain.

BKA, I may take you up on that!

Wow, nice hike at Mt. Whitney. Would love that trail. The trails I've hiked in New Hampshire's White Mountains are much harsher, steeper and rockier. More of a slog and crawl than a hike!

I already lived my dream hike, which was to take several days' walk in the foothills of the Himalayas, in Nepal. I did one loop around Kathmandu Valley, and then the following year I walked around the Pokhara region. We only got up around 9,000 feet, but the scenery was jaw-dropping since the huge peaks loom over you. My hiking buddy and I hired a guide, porter and cook (you had to have at least a guide as foreigners weren't allowed to go outside the settled areas alone) and we had an amazing time. Back home in the States, I did some hiking in Maine and in New Hampshire's White Mountains over the years, but would like to get to BC and the PNW in general.

I've met Dasha once. She is not only a first-rate ILC practitioner and martial artist, but a really wonderful human being as well. She did a seminar in, I think, Portland OR after the AZ intensive. It looks like I can't post a direct link here (maybe I haven't posted enough on Tao Bums to be trusted as a non-spammer?) If you look up I Liq Chuan - The Martial Art of Awareness on Facebook it will give you the page. There's a really good clip of Sifu Chin teaching structure that was posted on Feb. 26 (at the retreat), and also a bunch of other clips including master classes at his home in NY. Kelley Graham occasionally streams his classes live on one of the dedicated internal arts FB pages, and I have greatly enjoyed watching them. It's not like training hands on with a partner, but there is a lot of stuff that can be done solo to work the structure and self-unification.

In my experience, mindfulness is focused intent, in the moment. It encompasses conscious awareness of your surroundings and the situation as it is, without the distraction of thoughts of the past and future. Being in that state allows you to perceive change and to change with that change as needed. Mushin may translate directly as "no mind," but it is essentially focused intent, being fully present in the moment. So, the interrelationship is that they're the same thing, just different terminology.

Prince, a lot of video from the Western Retreat was posted on the I Liq Chuan Facebook page and some of the ILC pages set up by individual members. It looks like everyone had an amazing time, and the teaching and training was what you'd expect! If you have FB access and haven't seen the clips, let me know and I'll post links for you.

Mindfulness is intentional awareness without any mental clutter (verbal thinking) to obstruct the clear path of intent to action. Mushin ("no mind") is likewise intentional awareness - the opposite of "mindlessness." Japanese warriors trained themselves for mushin, as do contemporary martial artists.

He definitely is all that. And a wonderful person, too. He lives what he teaches, and is kind and compassionate.