why are there so many techniques ?

mike 134 · October 6, 2013

Hi all,

After spending some time reading about spiritual techniques I got the feeling that there must be hundreds, if not thousands of different methods, moves, and positions that are taught by thousands of different schools and teachers, and certainly many are redundant. I'm sure it must be intimidating to beginners who have no clue where to begin or even what their goals are. What is the reason for this ? Is it because everyone's body is different, so that some techniques that work on certain people simply do not work on others ? Are some techniques arbitrarily invented so their originators can cash in by selling seminars and videos? Or is it just sheer incompetence?

The only move that I do is concentrating on my testicles which drastically increases by sexual skills. It takes only seconds to perform and I can do it while walking, driving, eating, etc. I don't need to go to some 1 week seminar that costs $3000 to learn how to do that, nor do I need their 400 page book. I also enter into random "spiritual" states of consciousness which I do not know how to deliberately trigger. Nevertheless, I'm sure it is something easy and simple that I must have done prior to those experiences, like briefly turning my neck a certain way or bumping my head somewhere. It's definitely nothing like fasting, whipping myself, or spending hours twisting the body into grotesque shapes that certain over-enthused practitioners like to do.

So why so many different (and probably extraneous) techniques ???

BaguaKicksAss · October 6, 2013

My friends who have been teaching martial arts for over 40 years or more tell me that there are not actually a huge pile of techniques, that it all boils down to a bunch of very similar ones.

Also, techniques are irrelevant, it is the principals behind them. A teacher will look at a student or class and then figure out which techniques they will cover to get the principals across.

On the more purely energetic practices side of things, each student has a different set of skills, and needs different things than each others, or so I have found. This is when teaching one on one anyways. When it is a group class the same principals are taught during the beginning stages.

voidisyinyang · October 6, 2013

yin-yang dynamics.

upper body, right hand yang.

lower body, left hand yin.

after that it continues eternally.

all of modern thought is based on symmetrical geometric logic which goes against yin-yang dynamics.

emptiness is beyond yin-yang but u get to it through yin-yang,

so emptiness itself is beyond the dichotomy of symmetric geometric logic vs. yin-yang dynamics.

Edited October 6, 2013 by pythagoreanfulllotus

Brian · October 6, 2013

Greed, glory-seeking, ego, and a desire for complexity, among other factors.

doc benway · October 6, 2013

So why so many different (and probably extraneous) techniques ???

There are potentially as many methods as there are human perspectives...

One reason is that we are all unique and so no two paths will ever be the same.

Thunder_Gooch · October 6, 2013

Hi all,

After spending some time reading about spiritual techniques I got the feeling that there must be hundreds, if not thousands of different methods, moves, and positions that are taught by thousands of different schools and teachers, and certainly many are redundant. I'm sure it must be intimidating to beginners who have no clue where to begin or even what their goals are. What is the reason for this ? Is it because everyone's body is different, so that some techniques that work on certain people simply do not work on others ? Are some techniques arbitrarily invented so their originators can cash in by selling seminars and videos? Or is it just sheer incompetence?

The only move that I do is concentrating on my testicles which drastically increases by sexual skills. It takes only seconds to perform and I can do it while walking, driving, eating, etc. I don't need to go to some 1 week seminar that costs $3000 to learn how to do that, nor do I need their 400 page book. I also enter into random "spiritual" states of consciousness which I do not know how to deliberately trigger. Nevertheless, I'm sure it is something easy and simple that I must have done prior to those experiences, like briefly turning my neck a certain way or bumping my head somewhere. It's definitely nothing like fasting, whipping myself, or spending hours twisting the body into grotesque shapes that certain over-enthused practitioners like to do.

So why so many different (and probably extraneous) techniques ???

One thing you should be aware of is that while there are literally thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands or millions of meditations, few actually do anything at all.

Most of this stuff is just made up nonsense that doesn't lead anywhere.

Demand to see hard evidence that teachers have accomplished something meaningful, via scientific documentation.

Otherwise don't waste your time with it.

soaring crane · October 6, 2013

Demand to see hard evidence that teachers have accomplished something meaningful, via scientific documentation.

Scientific documentation? Teachers should be able to present documentation -- what? Peer-reviewed studies? Doctoral theses? -- before teaching a qigong class? I don't follow that at all, sorry.

I think there are a lot of systems precicely because there is no hard science going on here. And I like it that way.

Jetsun · October 6, 2013

Maybe people need to keep inventing techniques in order to keep themselves asleep and prevent their spiritual awakening

"Any technique or system keeps the person in the vicious circle, because it is trying to heal what is fundamentally an illusion."

- Jean Klein

Thunder_Gooch · October 6, 2013

Scientific documentation? Teachers should be able to present documentation -- what? Peer-reviewed studies?

Yes absolutely they should.

I don't follow that at all, sorry.

Don't be sorry. I wouldn't expect 99% of the people on this forum to care about their practice actually doing something other than placebo.

I think there are a lot of systems precicely because there is no hard science going on here.

99% of systems have no objective evidence behind them.

And I like it that way.

Don't pray in my school, and I won't think in your church

-unknown

Friend · October 6, 2013

This different techniques is the individual result

of the research of the groups, schools.

Since there where so many you expect so many.

While there many techniques arise many also are lost.

Specific techniques are done receive a specific result.

The one who invent or found it may saw a specific

energy flow and intepretate it into the motion.

Each of the techniques is not perfected

as well does not suit all people.

At times techniques were invented to sort out a problem.

This result into another problem required another technique.

I tell you one go to a seminar to learn Art.

Someone who spend there whole live on an Art

become experts because of their time and effort.

With their time and effort they come to certain conclusion.

Everyone can write a story, how many write things like Shakespear?

Everyone can sing, so why there are not so many like Elvis Presley?

Everyone can talk, why was the court silent when Karl Liebknecht talk?

They are to serve as inspiration and source one can learn from.

To go to an expert is to see what this person do with the art.

In a monastry there are beside the abbot, people who only swept the

floor.

In a puplic school one has A to F grades.

I am not sure one want to get a sugery if one know the

medical doctor get a F.

The things in the media, the things in the forum are the exploit, leaks

and stolen from books, videos, dvd in the remarkable time

in this information era.

Something like this is not thinkable 20 years ago.

People see that what they know are granted in that form.

In older generation the traditional way was to find only the name

of a school and one undertake hardships of travel and begging

at the door of the school to learn about concentration on the testicles

after 20 years of serving the master as slave, getting beatings

and doing humilating tasks one get shown a bit for the loyality.

You dont know how dangerous it was for a foreigner

to go to another country, suffering disgusting looks

being a long nose, with having to rent a human translator

and may run into their millitant police and the strong

aversion of the civilian for westerners making you finding

a teacher as a westerner difficult.

I think all people above 40 years old are biting their lips

for all the stuff open puplic today.

I give my thanks for all the hardships they had to endure

and all the others who serve as pioneers who despite

the money, effort, time and endure give their information

for free.

Writing was so difficult in the past.

There was no forum.

Also happy that the witch hunts are on a break.

The occult books, the qigong books in the seperate room

handled like blackmarket stuff in limited print

which I remember ordering one book took 1 to 2 month

are gone, saving up half years of allowance.

You have now ebay and amazon and even

pirate digital download and scribd, filestube.

It is to remember only because one see a lot doesnt