BaguaKicksAss

I have performed workings which terrified me so much I was frozen in fear, to get powers. Nothing like sitting on a moving dead body, but for me just as terrifying. I was told after I was done that with the one working (which lasted a few months) that the spirits of that working do their best to try to throw you off the path so you won't finish the working. (though maybe they are nice and just push you to your near breaking point). I'm sure there are non-terrifying ways to gain powers too... but now that I think about it, another working I did which was supposed to be non-terrifying was just as scary, because I had to confront complete obliteration of my ego, self, and etc. for a time., as well as overcome my fears in a very real way. The whole bliss thing fortunately took over the whole being terrified thing. Funny what we are afraid of. I'm betting insanity is also a very real danger. The part which impressed me, was the willingness to give up everything (including comfy clothing) and live in the cremation grounds for 12 years, to become closer to their deities! I have a student who left to, for the second time, spend the rest of his life in a monastery in prayer non-stop. While I couldn't do either of these things, I have much respect for such devotion, in whichever way it is practiced. Honestly though, I'd be the one with the REI sleeping bag if my teacher told me to go to charnel grounds... . The Chod workings definitely sound intense. Always smarter to go slow I figure anyways. Good point about entering properly . Fortunately I was taught the proper methods (for my tradition) to enter, talk, work, and leave any cemetery, before I ever did anything more than walk through, or enjoy the scenery (trees and nice old tombstones) in a cemetery. I definitely worry for the folks who just randomly walk in loudly, talk loudly "wake" everyone up, and practice random magic or so forth, in such places. I know it seems small, but during a group meditation practice in a cemetery everyone was fine after as we did everything properly, accept the one person who started talking on her cel phone partway through a sacred ceremony. Not that walking through during the day and chatting on one's cel phone would be bad, but the time really wasn't right. Well somehow the person tripped and fell and started bleeding on the way out. Needless to say this person was messed with for quite some time afterwards.

Wow, reading this thread, and watching the videos has really helped explain and put into context some of the long term rituals I have been given over the years. Thank you. Nothing like 12 years of living in a cremation grounds, but the explanations really help some things .

How does the average person there react to and/or interact with cemeteries? Here most folks think they are pretty spooky and tend to avoid them. Though there are a few here in Canada which are quite parklike, and people will come and have a picnic lunch there and walk or bicycle through. I have found the deep woods (especially at dusk or at night) to have some of the oddest experiences. However the couple of times I have gotten that really strong do not enter feeling, I turned around . Much respect for them.

I'll pm my sword pics . Hmmm, can one pm pics? I'll figure out a way... For fun . A friend of mine used to run a martial arts store. These weapons are mostly for wushu forms, but still pretty neat as most are based on older actual weapons. This guy, was by far my favorite at the event where everyone was doing the various martial arts demos. There is a local school which focuses on teaching the traditional farming implements, as weapons, as were used in that way in China. I'll stop now before I dig out my museum photos of ancient weapons from Albania .

I'll admit it, the second the body started moving (unless maybe the person had been a good friend I knew for awhile), that would be the point I run screaming out of the cemetery . I have seen and heard some very uhm interesting things during cemetery visits and did pretty well, but that.... I'll just file that under "I'm not ready yet" :>.

A few martial arts have machete forms . I looked it up after I saw nearly everyone in haiti walking around with a machete on their belt! I have a couple of crescent "deer hook" bagua "knives" that I like quite a bit. Well that and my giant sword :>. Now just to learn how to use them. I also have an antique chinese sword that I bought about 20 years ago at the flea market, beautiful scabbard made out of silver and agates. Some hand forged daggers and a small sword too. My love of weapons doesn't go that deep though, just sums up to they are awesome, and make martial arts that much more awesome and interesting .

I have to wait at least a month for iching stuff though, in the middle of a few classes right now .

So physical immortality? Spirit body immortality? (I've seen both theories about this group of immortals) I'm guessing not fused with Dao completely immortality since you showed some folks with personalities (at least somewhat), shape and so forth.

Soooo what definition of immortality are we using?

Which tradition/path does this come from Isimsiz?

Bluetooth when actively being used really messes me up! I had a student walk into my temple once when he was on the phone, I nearly fell over. Being as I was in the temple, I was obviously VERY psychically open, but still, damn.

Would one want the personality or ego past death? Awareness perhaps, but taking the ego with you doesn't lead to very good things IMO.

Oh sure opinions are fine, but how many people do you know who actually talk that way in real life? Not many actually. A better approach might be "your experiences don't line up with what I have experienced or been taught". See how that conveys the same idea but isn't being nasty about it? Also seriously who would read or post on forums where people are being constantly put down? Not many. Oh sure there are forums like this around the net, however they aren't (accept for one major exception lolol) Taoist nor cultivation forums. Well there is also the issue of you being a previously banned member that needs to be taken care of.

OK good point . I was more thinking the mixing of opposites.... I still vote both though.

Bagua in the deep forest, far enough in my cel phone doesn't work, is the most amazing experience ever! :) I have noticed a difference in the past 25 years, but that could just be me getting older and more cynical, so less openness to stuff. Not sure.

Can't do alchemy with only half .

You've changed your pw 888 times so far? Kidding.

OOps, thank you for letting me know. I'm guessing that when they are put to sleep, the permissions are changed. That is the first PFF that I had woken up, so didn't realize. Thanks for being the guinea pig lol. And no problem, you aren't bothering us. and I thought it was a sticky *grumble*, I could swear one of us stickied that info about a month back, hmmmm

Tyler, it is NOT OK to call someone's personal experience bullshit, or trash on a fellow member. That is not how we do things around here. Remember those forum rules you read each time you joined the TTBs?

Best quote ever!

*Looks at her energy bodies* *looks at the nearby spirit* Satisfied .

I *hope* you are kidding . Though some people do use that one. Actually I tried to use that one on some non-important online software thing, and it refused to let me choose that as a pw LOL.

Would be just fine for TTBs . Though SwAtsD33 would be better for say your bank, a shopping site and so forth!

I have to call BS on this one (so those newer to stuff don't actually think this is how stuff works). There is another awesome post or 2 on Chod in this thread . Do you think such things work just as well in Western cemeteries (standard ones), compared to ones found in say India, Tibet and so forth? May I ask what you mean exactly by demons in this case? The reason I ask is that you said they could have been our mothers in a previous life. This is a very interesting perspective for me, since walking by cemeteries I'm sometimes thinking "hey I'm not free lunch guys". Hmmmm. Contemplations needed. I'm wondering about something which confuses me a bit, if they are suffering and need it the most, wouldn't they need the good stuff too? How come only the Bodhisattvas and Buddhas get the good stuff? Also, is offering our crap a good thing for them? I can see why I might want to offer my good stuff only to beings which seem more positive , however this is all about helping those which we might normally neglect or avoid (I think anyways, from what I understand of this small bit I read). Or perhaps I'm just overthinking stuff . I have performed previous rites offering up my entire self/body, but under a much different tradition/method. Definitely scary/interesting/enlightening :>.

Hmmm, I wonder if it is only certain cultures which feel graveyards in a negative connotation? I remember when I was over in Haiti, the folks there felt the graveyards were very spiritual places, and would do much meditation and so forth there. Actually the graveyards always had many people in them. That is one extreme example, but it makes me wonder about other countries. We have such a negative view of death in the west. Forests and mountains are by far my favorite places to meditate, and practice Bagua for that matter . Definitely a lot of interesting entities one can run into out there as well.