Hello - Just Joined

[ljazztrumpet]

Hello there everyone. New user here. I live in Queens, NY and have studied various forms of spiritual healing, meditation, and nondual type teachings for a number of years. My main interest is healing, both physically and emotionally, through the power of love. I currently am practicing Pangu Qigong and John Sherman's 'Self-Directed Attention' exercise (justonelook.org). I also like to practice the very basic posture of zhuan zhang at times. After studying many different types of spiritual healing practices and different advaitic philosophies and meditation teachings, I have come to realize that the only practices that make any difference to me are the ones that open my heart and increase my ability to feel love. I'm no longer interested in any type of 'Awakening'/'Enlightenment', etc. Just into making my practical life better and for those I come into contact with. I really resonate with the Pangu practice because the challenge is to try and stay in a loving type of mentality all the time. John Sherman's SDA exercise helps me with this because it is about developing focused concentration on what you want to give your attention to. Ok, well I guess that's it for now. Wishing everyone all the best! Lex 

www.LexSamu.com

[Marblehead]

Hello Ijazztrumpet, and welcome.

 

Your membership is approved and we're happy you found your way to us. We look forward to accompanying you on some of the way that you still have to go.

 

Please take the time to read the post pinned at the top of this Welcome page and take a look at the forum Terms and Rules.   This covers all you need to know when getting started.

 

For the first week you will be restricted to ten posts per day but after that you can post as much as you like. Also, until you’ve posted fifteen times in the forums, you’ll be a “Junior Bum” with somewhat restricted access and will be allowed only two private messages per day.

 

Good luck in your pursuits and best wishes to you,

 

Marblehead and the TDB team

 

 

Hi Lex,

 

I had to go to your web site to see if you talked about playing trumpet.  You did.  You should now be able to do that editing you were trying to do earlier.  You will find many members here with interests common to yours.

 

You are welcome to jump right in ongoing discussions, revive an older thread, start a new thread of your own, or start a discussion in the "Newcomer Corner" sub-forms to expand on your introduction or ask general questions to help you get started.

 

May you enjoy your time here.

 

Marblehead

[ljazztrumpet]

Hey Marblehead, thanks very much man! Appreciate it.. Yes, I had better talk about playing trumpet on my website, since that's what I do for a living Look forward to participating in some of the great discussions I've been reading here. Best, Lex

[cold]

Welcome!

[ljazztrumpet]

Thanks cold!:-)

 

[Limahong]

4 hours ago, ljazztrumpet said:

I'm no longer interested in any type of 'Awakening'/'Enlightenment', etc. Just into making my practical life better and for those I come into contact with.

 

Hi ljazztrumpet,

 

I am tickled when I read the above. I share your sentiments.

 

"I'm no longer interested in any type of 'Awakening'/'Enlightenment', etc". Why? Because you are already awakened and enlightened? When you have already cultivated good fruitful apple trees, do you need to (a) plant more trees or (b) buy apples?

 

"Just into making my practical life better and for those I come into contact with".

 

 

 

4 hours ago, ljazztrumpet said:

I have come to realize that the only practices that make any difference to me are the ones that open my heart and increase my ability to feel love

 

But of course.

 

If you keep your heart open through everything, your pain can become your greatest ally in your life's search for love and wisdom.

 

No pain, no gain? Not moved, not loved? ...

 

Welcome aboard.

 

- LimA

[ljazztrumpet]

Haha..thanks LimA! Thanks for those great sayings. Yes, I am already totally Awakened and Enlightened.. I spent the $25,000 at the latest Awakening course offered in NYC..Got the 'Ultimate Oneness Transmission' and can impart it to you for a (fairly) low cost. In a few months you will be able to read about me here: guruphiliac.org And, btw, I would like to be referred to as Master Lex-ji on this group from now on

 

I am on a mental diet these days. Not just the obvious stuff like avoiding media and negative people. But, also, from words like 'Awakening/Enlightenment/Transmission/Stages after Awakening, Master, Grand Master, Super-Duper Grand Master, etc.;-)

 

I am trying to focus on words like love, compassion, kindness, benevolence, friendliness, honesty, empathy, gratitiude, appreciation. It's a work in progress of course...

 

I would plant more apple trees because I'm sure there are others who would like to share in good, fruitful apples.. And that's what the people that have inspired me have done. I mean not literally...plant..more..well..you get the idea

 

BTW, I dig these expressive smiley-faces you guys got on here.. 

 

 

[Limahong]

27 minutes ago, ljazztrumpet said:

I dig these expressive smiley-faces you guys got on here.. 

 

 

Hi Master Lex-ji,

 

You got the wrong guy. I never smile. Life is too painful - I open my heart too much.

 

What smiley-faces? I thought they are useless bitcoins. 

 

The two bitcoins in the above quote look odd. The one on the left appears to be in urgent need for a visit to the ladies/gents. And the right one did something wrong; it got such a tight slap on the left cheek that its mouth is skewed right which is wrong.

 

It is now 4 am at my end. Will communicate another time.

 

Good night.

 

- LimA

Edited September 9, 2017 by Limahong
Enhancement of sentence.

[ljazztrumpet]

Chaaa!! I just think it speaks highly of my own mastery that this is only my 9th post, and I am already the 'Grand Master Guru' of this place. Today, The Dao Bums. Tomorrow, Guruphiliac!

 

I see that I am going to have to mentally and emotionally prepare myself if I am going to spend any time here with you guys. I can already tell things get pretty squanchy around here! 

 

[roger]

Hi Lex.

 

I've enjoyed reading your posts.

 

I share your emphasis on love. It's the bottom line.

 

REALLY wild some of the artists you've worked with!

[ljazztrumpet]

Yeah man. Currently, what I think happened is that, before I incarnated, I was a 'puffed-up'/arrogant soul. So I set up the challenge for myself to learn that love was the most powerful force no matter what the situation. Either I learn this, or suffer terribly. Oh what a fool was I!;-) 

 

Several months ago, one of the most loving beings I think that has ever been on the earth told me (through a very gifted animal communicator) that I need to learn to be grateful for everything that happens and see it as a lesson for my growth. That she would come back into my life as I healed myself through these types of realizations. And, just recently, I found this confirmed to me by a lady who I feel has the greatest understanding of the type of qigong I am studying. Her story is quite remarkable: http://www.pangu.org/testimonials/practicing/my-healing-journey-susan-winters/ I believe she was able to heal herself so quickly because she understood very strongly about the power of love.

 

I've been, and continue to be, very fortunate to work with some really wonderful people and musicians in my career. I learn a lot about love just from hanging out and working with some of these wonderful people.

 

Here is the former principle trumpet player of the Metropolitan Opera in NYC waxing eloquently on the value of compassion and generosity:

 

 

And please remember folks, if nothing else, "The Lordy doesn't only love the poooooooor....Yeeee-haaaa!!" 

[roger]

I can definitely relate to what you're saying.

 

The thing about being 'puffed up' is that it's very painful. It's not 'bad', it's not immoral or mean. It just robs us of peace.

 

Pride can seem to feel so good. The truth is it's a living hell.

 

The peace and serenity of innocence and humility are far more joyful than pride and egocentricity.

[ljazztrumpet]

Yeah Roger, great insights. I definitely agree. I liken things like pride, or acquiring any type of power that 'rules' through fear, to be very similar to a drug high. There's usually a short term benefit to it - of course, or else why would people do it? It's a 'high'. Eventually, it leads to a big downfall though if you stay in that mindset. Just like getting addicted to drugs. 

 

It's just that, typically, it is so much easier to go the route of pride/big ego/drug highs, etc. I can't really figure out why the avenue of humility and all-encompassing love seems to be so much more 'hidden' in this life. Like, usually, most of us have to go through a lot of various types of suffering (and, imo, lifetimes) to get to the place where we see that cultivating the qualities of love/compassion/kindness/humility/service/etc. is where the true joy and real power is. 

 

Personally, I feel like I'm right in the middle of transitioning from one to the other..And I seem to attract a lot of people into my life who are doing the same.. Maybe that's why I was 'led' to this board! 

[roger]

I admire your openness. It takes humility and courage to reveal things about oneself as honestly as you are.

 

I deal with pride and being 'puffed up' also, and it's actually been an extreme problem for me all my life.

 

I'm conscious that my problem (I've also had a huge anger problem all my life) comes largely from an avoidance of and a fear of my divine Self and nature.

 

It may be that ego avoids one's divine nature because it sees it as its demise.

 

Pride is of ego, and may be its way of defending and maintaining its existence.

 

A way to see the nature of a thing is to imagine its absence.

 

What if we were to abandon the thoughts and emotions that arise out of pride/ego?

 

When I imagine that, I see what appears to me as loss. Loss of ego, loss of illusions, of that which I identify with.

 

It's possible that there's a misunderstanding underneath the ego and the fear of losing it. Perhaps we fear a 'loss' that wouldn't actually be - an illusion of loss, an apparent, but not actual, loss. Maybe the threat of loss of ego is an empty threat.

 

And after the healing and letting go, we'd see that there was never anything to fear in the first place.

[ljazztrumpet]

Hey Roger, thanks man.. A little while back I realized that the people I most admire are the ones that are completely honest with their shortcomings -  perhaps shortcomings isn’t the right term - Maybe it’s being completely honest about things that cause ourselves, and others, to suffer. 

 

I had a chance to study with, through a friend with very strong mystical gifts, the most prolific spiritual healer in recorded history, at least that I know of. He healed tens of thousands of people in Germany right after WWII.. For several years, I facilitated a group in NYC based on his teachings. I consider him to be the biggest spiritual master that’s incarnated. Point is, even he had things he still had to learn..even he had shortcomings. He really helped to realize we are all on an equal playing field here..and there are no ‘spiritual masters’ out there..there are no ‘gurus’.. I believe what it comes down to is just people sharing their own unique gifts with each other and learning. It’s very funny to me when I see all these people out there that are put up as so-called ‘enlightened/awakened teachers’.. 

 

Great insights..I feel similarly about a lot of the things you’re saying. I believe we can engage in practices, like you say, where we can ‘abandon the thoughts and emotions that arise out of pride/ego’.

 

I think any practice that gets us to open our hearts and spread love out as much as possible can do this. 

 

With all this stuff you are saying about the fear, you may dig John Sherman (justonelook.org). He talks about all suffering coming from the ‘fear of life’ and, when that goes, no matter what happens, there will be no suffering attached to anything that occurs. It doesn’t mean we won’t experience pain, grief, etc.. but there will be no mental/emotional suffering attached to it. 

 

What's left when all the fear is gone? I would like to think it's the qualities many of us use when we use terms like love, compassion, and kindness. My own current experiences are that, as I focus on 'projecting' love outward/all around..fear starts to diminish and I feel better, as well as being able to interact in better ways that bring me more happiness and seem to make others feel better as well. 

 

BTW - that healer cat I mentioned up above is Bruno Groening..there’s some fun stuff with him up on youtube.. I don’t know if I’m in any of the clips..but I’m easy to spot because I’ll be the guy with the aloha shirt.. been collecting them for a number of years..I even wear them in the middle of winter in NYC;-)

[roger]

Lex, in A Course in Miracles it says that what we're really afraid of is life/truth/love/God/Self, as you said John Sherman teaches. I recognize that fear in myself. ACIM also says that what seems to be the fear of death, is really the attraction to it. By 'death', it means the apparent, but not actual, loss of one's divine Self and nature. I'll use my own experience to express how I interpret this.

 

I have this problem with staying up very late. I usually stay up till at least 5 or 6 in the morning, and often go out for breakfast before going to bed. I don't currently have a job btw.

 

I said in the previous post that a way to see the nature of a thing is to imagine its absence.

 

When I imagine going to bed, I see emptiness, loss, what might be called 'death'. I see loss of ego, even loss of self.

 

What I SEEM to be fearing is 'death' - loss of self.

 

But when I look very deeply, I see something else. I see that going to bed DOESN'T mean 'death' to me, but LIFE. I see that going to bed means having my divine nature, it means love, life, truth, and my true, divine Self.

 

STAYING UP, on the other hand, means AVOIDING my divine nature.

 

So basically, it's not the FEAR of 'death' that keeps me from going to bed, but the ATTRACTION to it, and the fear of life/truth/love/Self.

 

I'll tell you what I think the solution to all this is. This could also be the solution to yours and my own problem with ego.

 

Non-physical, channeled entities have said, 'The way to overcome your defenses is by forgiving yourself for them,' and also, 'You can change when you no longer see any need to change.'

 

You know, these problems are completely OKAY and understandable. We are innocent, we're guilty of nothing, as everyone is.

 

If we could just say to ourselves that 'this is just where I am right now, and that's okay, that's GOOD ENOUGH', and let healing happen naturally and joyfully, without forcing it.......that may be the key.

 

What do we do? Have fun and enjoy our lives. Accept ourselves as we are. Let healing happen naturally, through total self-acceptance.

[nyerstudent]

ljazztrumpet, 

 

Welcome! Awesome that you're practicing Pangu Shengong. I've also been practicing it for just over a year, having first heard of it on this forum. There are a few others here who also practice it. 

 

Would love to hear more about your experiences with it. Earlier this summer I finally received the in-person training from Master Ou, which was an interesting experience to say the least  

 

Cheers,

 

Edited September 13, 2017 by nyerstudent

[ljazztrumpet]

8 hours ago, roger said:

Lex, in A Course in Miracles it says that what we're really afraid of is life/truth/love/God/Self, as you said John Sherman teaches. I recognize that fear in myself. ACIM also says that what seems to be the fear of death, is really the attraction to it. By 'death', it means the apparent, but not actual, loss of one's divine Self and nature. I'll use my own experience to express how I interpret this.

 

I have this problem with staying up very late. I usually stay up till at least 5 or 6 in the morning, and often go out for breakfast before going to bed. I don't currently have a job btw.

 

I said in the previous post that a way to see the nature of a thing is to imagine its absence.

 

When I imagine going to bed, I see emptiness, loss, what might be called 'death'. I see loss of ego, even loss of self.

 

What I SEEM to be fearing is 'death' - loss of self.

 

But when I look very deeply, I see something else. I see that going to bed DOESN'T mean 'death' to me, but LIFE. I see that going to bed means having my divine nature, it means love, life, truth, and my true, divine Self.

 

STAYING UP, on the other hand, means AVOIDING my divine nature.

 

So basically, it's not the FEAR of 'death' that keeps me from going to bed, but the ATTRACTION to it, and the fear of life/truth/love/Self.

 

I'll tell you what I think the solution to all this is. This could also be the solution to yours and my own problem with ego.

 

Non-physical, channeled entities have said, 'The way to overcome your defenses is by forgiving yourself for them,' and also, 'You can change when you no longer see any need to change.'

 

You know, these problems are completely OKAY and understandable. We are innocent, we're guilty of nothing, as everyone is.

 

If we could just say to ourselves that 'this is just where I am right now, and that's okay, that's GOOD ENOUGH', and let healing happen naturally and joyfully, without forcing it.......that may be the key.

 

What do we do? Have fun and enjoy our lives. Accept ourselves as we are. Let healing happen naturally, through total self-acceptance.

Yeah Roger, this is just what John Sherman and other, both physical and non-physical teachers that I really resonate with, talk about as well. It makes a lot of sense to me. One thing that really fascinates me about John Sherman is his talk of how much he loves life. In my experience, except people who are afraid of death, most people I come across usually don't have such a passionate love for life. And I do think that's because of fear. In asking John about it, he pretty much is saying what you are.. When we lose the fear of life, then everything we do can be done naturally and joyfully..not out of fear..and that would make the actions we decide to take even more effective I would think. 

 

So I think the less fear we have, the more we are able to do what you are espousing here.. In my life experiences it seems that the most effective way to dispel fear is through cultivating love, so that's why I emphasize it so much in my own life. One thing John (and his wife) helped me realize is that I was doing certain 'spiritual-type' practices too much out of fear..and it was making them less effective. When I had this realization it definitely made the practices I was doing much more effective and I am doing them now more out of a sense of joy and relaxation - at least relative to the way I was doing them!

 

I hope you can come onto a conference call he has on Wed + Saturdays sometime (https://www.justonelook.org/events/talk-with-john.html) as I think you'd probably really dig it. Everything there is non-profit....I mean they accept donations...but the energy is very pure there because there are no ulterior motives to make $$ going on.

 

Hey, have you ever read 'Love Can Open Prison Doors'? https://www.twolisteners.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/LoveCanOpenPrisonDoors.pdf It was written in the 1920's and is in a christian belief paradigm..but I just take all that as a metaphor - Really it is about the power of true love to create enormous shifts... If you dig it, I have the longer version called 'Release'' that I can email you:-)

 

 

[ljazztrumpet]

2 hours ago, nyerstudent said:

ljazztrumpet, 

 

Welcome! Awesome that you're practicing Pangu Shengong. I've also been practicing it for just over a year, having first heard of it on this forum. There are a few others here who also practice it. 

 

Would love to hear more about your experiences with it. Earlier this summer I finally received the in-person training from Master Ou, which was an interesting experience to say the least  

 

Cheers,

 

Hey cool deal man! I learned it from a friend about a year and a half ago. I only started practicing it regularly close to two months ago as I've had other revelations about the power of love to heal and realized the Pangu vehicle really resonates with me. I mentioned that Bruno Groening healing group I was in and I feel that the Pangu is kind of an evolution of that teaching. I will probably take the moving form when Master Ou comes back to NYC next year just to experience his energy. As I think I mentioned in one of my posts above, doing John Sherman's Self-Directed Attention exercise is really now helping me focus on staying in the password much more as I go throughout my day - oh wait..ok, I talk about it on the other thread, 'What Does Everyone Practice?' in the General Discussion forum..or is it in The Rabbit Hole? I'm still getting used to the 'nooks and crannies' around here;-)

 

I posted a link to the healing story of a lady in FLA who really helped me with the Pangu in that thread.. She was able to heal herself of some major, major stuff.. in just a couple of sessions of moving form...because she already understood that it's all about the love and maintaining that consciousness throughout the day.. That's what really heals us.. The movements and visualizations are a nice 'vehicle' for a lot of us..but, really, it's staying in that love consciousness imo. 

 

I also took the non-moving form and healing skill by correspondence course. I have one very good friend who has a lot of mystical gifts and she can usually feel when I'm doing the healing skill on her.. Like she'll call me up and ask, 'Were you doing the healing skill on me at such and such a time?' Pretty neat

[ljazztrumpet]

Here's that thread - it was in 'General Discussion' 

 

[roger]

12 hours ago, ljazztrumpet said:

Yeah Roger, this is just what John Sherman and other, both physical and non-physical teachers that I really resonate with, talk about as well. It makes a lot of sense to me. One thing that really fascinates me about John Sherman is his talk of how much he loves life. In my experience, except people who are afraid of death, most people I come across usually don't have such a passionate love for life. And I do think that's because of fear. In asking John about it, he pretty much is saying what you are.. When we lose the fear of life, then everything we do can be done naturally and joyfully..not out of fear..and that would make the actions we decide to take even more effective I would think. 

 

So I think the less fear we have, the more we are able to do what you are espousing here.. In my life experiences it seems that the most effective way to dispel fear is through cultivating love, so that's why I emphasize it so much in my own life. One thing John (and his wife) helped me realize is that I was doing certain 'spiritual-type' practices too much out of fear..and it was making them less effective. When I had this realization it definitely made the practices I was doing much more effective and I am doing them now more out of a sense of joy and relaxation - at least relative to the way I was doing them!

 

I hope you can come onto a conference call he has on Wed + Saturdays sometime (https://www.justonelook.org/events/talk-with-john.html) as I think you'd probably really dig it. Everything there is non-profit....I mean they accept donations...but the energy is very pure there because there are no ulterior motives to make $$ going on.

 

Hey, have you ever read 'Love Can Open Prison Doors'? https://www.twolisteners.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/LoveCanOpenPrisonDoors.pdf It was written in the 1920's and is in a christian belief paradigm..but I just take all that as a metaphor - Really it is about the power of true love to create enormous shifts... If you dig it, I have the longer version called 'Release'' that I can email you:-)

 

 

 

Thanks for sharing these links!

 

I read about the 'Just One Look Method' and I'm excited about experimenting with it. It's really incredible that you shared that with me, because it may be the key for me to overcome my problem of the 'fear of life'.

 

I haven't read 'Love Can Open Prison Doors' but I enjoyed reading some just now and I plan on reading more.

 

Peace and joy to you.

[ljazztrumpet]

Sure thing Roger:-) I'm sure you'll dig justonelook and LCOPD.. If you get into the 'Self-Directed Attention' exercise, you might find this clip very informative where John explains the difference between mindfulness meditation and the SDA exercise:

 

 

[emptycup]

Hi Lex! :-) I resonate with your focus on love and going beyond fear. Thank you for sharing!

I for one, am quite an anxious person. I realize, this comes from not having a completely safe childhood, which I am still healing from. I personally believe, fear has it's own gift. And courage -with "cour" meaning heart in French - is something I want to embody, which I feel is fear with Love. 

 

Thank you for sharing your links! It's interesting to read your conversations with Roger. I'm fairly new here and I haven't really participated much. Have you heard of shengzhen qigong? It's qigong of unconditional love by Master Li (https://shengzhen.org/). I think it's something that you might also find interesting. 

 

cheers!

 

[ljazztrumpet]

Thanks for sharing your insights ec:-) I'm also new here as well! I found this site by accident about a month ago..I started reading these posts from this one poster who I resonated with and then saw cats talking about Pangu and other things I dig..So I joined!

Yes, I have heard of shengzhen qigong. I never studied it, just read about it and it sounds really good. Personally, I don't think it matters what qigong, or whatever practice, a person does. I think it is the intention to open one's heart to love (I agree - takes courage!) that heals and what makes life better for people. The very few effective spiritual healers I am aware of have always stressed this as the main key for healing and happiness.

 

I particularly like Pangu because I resonate with practices that speak of developing the qualities of love/compassion/kindness/etc. as being the key for healing and happiness, combined with a lot of testimonials of physical and emotional healing. So Pangu really resonated with me - I see it as an evolution of other healing modalities I've studied. When I started to combine the idea of staying in that 'love mindset' with John Sherman's SDA practice, I really have started noticing the effects of this more than ever before. I always felt the key for me was to stay in a 'love mindset/consciousness' as much as possible throughout each day - but all different events of life would throw me off and I would forget. Now, from strengthening my attention, it is getting easier to stay in that mindset more and more.. and it's only been a few weeks since I had the realization to combine the two ideas of focused attention and love consciousness.

 

Now John Sherman is saying that the fear of life can totally fall away and, no matter what happens to us, there will be no suffering attached to it - Not that we won't feel pain, grief, etc.. but no suffering to go along with that. It is quite a claim, but I know he is sincere about it and lives 'in' that experience. That seems like an incredible amount of freedom to me - to live in that experience without any fear. 

[nyerstudent]

Hi ljazztrumpet, 

 

Thanks so much for the wonderful insights. Like you, the password of Pangu Shengong has really resonated with me. Loved your translations of the password. My personal / latest interpretation is something along the lines of:

 

Kindness and benevolence as basis = treat everything, including yourself, with unconditional love

Frankness and friendliness to heart = maintain a genuine childlike wonder and innocence as you go through life 

--- in practice ---

Speak with reason = stay calm (this is the starting point towards proper conduct)

Treat with courtesy = think of others 

Act with emotion = be true to yourself 

Accomplish results = put this all into action 

 

I'm finding that staying calm and peaceful is the first step for me in terms of staying "in the password". A little game I play is to try and still my mind -- i.e. silence the inner dialogue -- 24/7. Easier said than done though 

 

I think you'll really enjoy meeting Master Ou. The energy in the class is very strong -- sort of reminded me of the big qigong lectures in China in the 90s you might've read about -- and he's a very kind and gentle man. Totally epitomizes the password. I find myself thinking a lot about and gleaning new insights from the lectures. 

 

Cheers,