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I prefer her over Lord Byron. (Just kidding. I haven´t read Lord Byron.)

This bunch of bums is not representative and on top of that the ratio male female is heavily skewed. Too much women meekly do as the church tells them, thereby betraying their sisters.

I find this one a fun informative documentary. Be patient because he'll only find what he's looking for in the second part of the documentary.

Mhe ...... your poem was better .

The answer is Nungali - I’m not kissing him!

I miss a lot of the old school here.

no, but i see several movements of fanatics, when those grow we will soon have a problem. Roughly a third identifies themselves as Christians Good to hear, I guess in places were most people are going to church the fanatics are a minority, i fear the new movements wich find their existence in fanatics and do not have the buffer of a large group of people with more moderate ideas In this case I do not mind much the rational view, i get enraged. its Christians that drove out the old ways, Christians that reduced women to a lesser sort of human christian who deny women to decide about their pregnancies, who chucked gynecological care into the hands of men. really Apech, I get a red haze before my eyes when I think about it, thats a deeprooted anger in me. and whichever group of christians did it is not of much interest for me, the thoughts and idea of the witch-hammer still do the rounds in all the misogyny I've seen and endured in my life. as I said, they killed and tortured my tribe

What is up with this semen obsession? lol Also (and I could be wrong, but I'm not) I think, thinking and seeking literal super powers is more of a young man fantasy.

I was just contemplating this yesterday. Why are there so many more men on here than women? But in TCM its just the opposite.

It took me a long time to get into this book - about a year and 150 pages. I am so glad I persisted as I am finding it magical and full of creativity and life! Just finished it with tears in my eyes and gratitude in my heart. Highly recommended!

I have never heard the vatican condemning surgery on little innocent intersex babies. These kids are assigned a gender without having a say in it. Mystics of any religion are much more interesting then the official dogma's for the peepul

Both of my lineage teachers repeatedly emphasize the same. There is no need to chase or try and manufacture the MCO. It is a natural process native to us that will be revealed without any need to chase or manufacture. Indeed chasing and trying for force, are impediments.. The emphasis seems to be about embodying pure raw beingness whether in movement or stillness, on the cusion (or doing the laundry eventually), unlayered, unfettered quiet being and then the natural process once hindered by all the layers is revealed and experienced within settled awareness and being. The further i walk the path of motion and stillness, the more unshakable the experience of stillness inheirent in all movement. The more they merge into liquid reflections of each other... it seems there abides a point of stillness out of which, and to which all movement arises from and returns to...

\ I had kept this thread but admit I never read it ( or have forgotten about)

Do as "the way" is quite common in all the Zen literature. But usually doesnt refer to Dao as understood in Daoism but as the way meanig the Zen way or the buddhist way. For example: “From thought-instant to thought-instant, no FORM; from thought-instant to thought-instant, no ACTIVITY—that is to be a Buddha! If you students of the Way wish to become Buddhas, you need study no doctrines whatever, but learn only how to avoid seeking for and attaching yourselves to anything.”― Huang Po, The Zen Teachings of Huang Po: On the Transmission of Mind

Thanks for the book and and for providing LDT meditation technique 🙏

Neidan is a made-up western word which means 1) the teaching of alchemy, 2) the practice of alchemy 3) the product of alchemy (the elixir). These are 3 different things yet the westerners lump all 3 of them into one fake term The westerners made up this fake term in order to delude themselves that they can A) understand the alchemy, B ) practice the alchemy C) teach the alchemy - without ever D) producing the elixir. To answer your question: NO. For normal people, with or without a teacher, it is not possible. YES . For a particularly gifted, 1-in-a-billion person, it is possible . This exceptional book explains " LDT meditation technique" for virtue, health, power and wisdom in complete detail. Who could get these results from this book will be able to advance to neidan.

sorry I’m still not kissing you

I don´t think we´ve seen a genuine picture of him yet but he has a certain rough bad boy charm, no? Oh well, no accounting for taste I guess.

I went through all the Harry Potters and some Twilight too. Was going to take a picture of my bookshelf for show and tell but ran into technical difficulties. That´s probably just as well; this is a hard audience.

bad person, worse author

Currently reading Narcissus and Goldmund, by Herman Hesse. A good novel definitely.

Ah, hope you managed to make it! Sorry, I should have posted it on here earlier

JK Rowling is an anti trans TERF and a pretty cringe person all around. On the other hand Harry Potter is a wonderful piece of literature that I will always love. I just separate the art from the artist.

Do people still go to church where you are? On a personal note I moved to a majority Catholic country and a small rural village ( full of old ladies in black) - but I was amazed how relaxed and open minded they are about the few LGBT+ people who either live here or are related to those who do. Also historically most witch trials and the like were 16/17th century puritans and not the inquisition.

If this forum is representative of the larger society (and it may not be), their work is far from over.

they've killed off my tribe with their witch hammer and I have not forgotten, nor forgiven. its one of the things that can enrage me, apart from the horrid torture, they've efficiently bred out the voice of smart loudmouthed women, or so they like to think.

True but I think officially what the Pope says is how it is, at least officially. Aside from that I have listened to Catholics that represent the entire spectrum of views.

My impression from reading Catholic stuff is that there´s lots of room for dissenting opinions in Catholicism, that each person has to consult her own conscience about matters. So perhaps the Catholic mystics you find interesting aren´t always in agreement with the official Vatican statements?

The Vatican just published an official statement a couple weeks ago calling gender affirming surgery a disgrace to one's humanity or something like that. It's complicated because stuff like that causes me to roll my eyes, but I find the Catholic mystics to be very interesting.

I may bring my son if we don't head up into the cliffs overlooking Southbay. Haven't been to Santa Monica for a few years now.

The Catholic stories in particular always take a steep nose dive into darkness for me whenever the battles against witchcraft get mentioned... Anyone a bit different than 'the norm'... any women using the old pagan folk remedies to cure the same whooping cough... anyone who didn't 'act right'. Kind of like the heavier and more virulent reactions by many to trans folks and the new awakening in society right now.

yes particularly the ‘abstruce mystery school’ - xuanxue… the last step In the process involved a classically trained Daoist or Confucian scholar reframing the translation into ‘correct’ Chinese - if they hadn’t done this the sutras wouldn’t have been taken seriously by the intelligencia .

The way in either Daoism or Buddhism refer to the "path" and practices, yes. While the highlighted qualia and terminology might be more specific in Buddhism, being in "alignment", or "wu wei" in Daoism, are no different than "Beginner's Mind", or non-doership in Advaita Vedanta for example. Enlightenment is enlightenment. The depth of that enlightenment depends on the degree to which dualities have been seen through and are no longer identified with. Edited to add: Those dualities INCLUDE attachment to specific practices and rites, which Stream Entry (Sotapanna) greatly reduces and arhatship dissolves entirely: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_stages_of_awakening#Path_and_fruit

CELEBRATE WORLD TAI CHI QIGONG DAY with SIFU TERRY DUNN in Santa Monica, April 27, 11am-1pm PST (Zoomable) To All My Tai Chi and Qigong students and friends — especially those in SoCal: This is a last-minute notice that for World Tai Chi Qigong Day this Saturday, I will be giving a free two-hour Tai Chi and Qigong celebratory class at this spot pictured below in Palisades Park in Santa Monica from 11am to 1pm. This is my “usual” spot where I taught Tai Chi Form and Push-hands classes every Saturday from 1992 to 2017!: https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fedefed9f-5c8d-4615-8e85-fcf2e005540e.heic?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email Location: This spot between these threes in Palisades Park — along Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica, 30 yards north of the round rose garden (with the Mrs. Bandini statue) at Montana Avenue “T” intersection. Free ZOOM Participation: World Tai Chi Qigong Day Celebration with Sifu Terry Dunn Time: Apr 27, 2024 11:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87914345494?pwd=Wkk3anUvYTcwQzNwZjZSWFhHSmFpdz09 Meeting ID: 879 1434 5494 Passcode: 185755 Be there this Saturday or be square! Sifu Terry

There’s a very good book called ‘ how Buddhism found its way to China and squired a soul’ by Park which explains in some detail how the Chinese approached translating the sutras.

From the Title of the OP, I think you have some idea about the Neidan already. LDT meditation is the key to reach the realm of Neidan. If you know how to do that, then, no teacher is required.

trees

One might argue: Isn't it about saving all sentient beings, not a personal, transactional relationship? How could someone who possess such art have any need for goodwill? And imagine how one could destroy all the fake, seminar-selling pseudo-Daoists by exposing the actual information? And if it's truly self-secret, then what harm can come? Although, most people probably won't go for it if they have to give up wine, sex, and meat.

In my mind, the knowing should be direct. We do have conceptions, but these are little swirls in the pool of mind-stuff. A good concept is one that leads one toward the non-conceptual absolute. For instance, Ramana proposes one examine the I-thought or aham vritti. It is still a vritti, an object, but ii is a better object than others because it is "closer" to the absolute than other objects. Still, it is like trying to build a physical scale model of absolute space, or an ice sculpture of the ocean, or using words to describe the background screen on which they appear. Focus on the words and one may miss the lighted background. It is better to find out for oneself rather than fill the mind full of thoughts about it. However, some personal observations follow: Initially, these seem like opposing tendencies in my experience. Also initially, the more one focuses on and interacts with objects, the more the objectless background tends appear to fade and tends to be hidden in alignment with the "perceptions are mental" points. Objects become more and more pronounced, solidified, and feel more "real." However, a shift "toward" the background (or inherent nature) has the opposite effect. Now the background is clear and objects less so, thoughts tend to fade and dissolve, emotions stabilize, and objects might even drop away altogether. But this is a false duality. The presence of the words doesn't hide or impact the background, and the lighted background is needed for the words to appear. Nor does one need to eliminate or make the words go away. The words depend on the background, but the background transcends any and all words.

Was feeling the need of getting some islamic culture specially due to the times we're living. Fortunately the universe was good to me once again and gave the opportunity of traveling to beautiful Tunisia. Will definately leave a piece of my heart here.

Righto which I was trying to get at, and I'd add that that knowing is not of mind knowing or knowledge, but of Spirit knowing which sees right through mental constructs.

Thodgal practice in dzogchen lineages works in a similar way. Seeing and hearing what appear to be external visions but knowing they are arising internally breaks down the inner-outer boundary.

That's a fantastic analogy! Very similar to how I gather koan training works too. The koan is held deep in the hara and becomes the object of one-pointed attention for days or weeks or even longer. Then, a sudden shattering of samadhi, and glimpse into one's nature.

I've been working my way through a course by Daizan, and have arrived at meditation called 'soft ointment' or 'Nanso no ho'. This is from Hakuin's Yasen Kanna: Now this type of meditation is completely new to me. But I'm guessing the benefits of it come less from the visualised 'ointment' but rather from the 'sung' releasing or letting go that arises as a result. Is this an early step in the neigong process too - releasing downwards in sitting meditation?

I heard that proper sitting in zazen induces the microcosmic orbit automatically. From my personal experience, I can say that, many moons ago, when I started practising zazen, I experienced strong and exhilarating energetic effects that I didn't expect. As the few books on Zen I had read at the time emphasized sobriety and basically a 'common state of mind'. Rarely are altered states of consciousness during meditation discussed as such in Zen. But that doesn't mean they don't (or should not) occur. I found learning about them from non-related sources... enlightening. Concepts and emphasis may differ from one system to another. The psycho-physical system that individual practitioners are working with ever stays the same regardless. It took me some time to piece together a picture that would explain my internal experience more in depth. Today alchemy is definitely an important part of it, however. Some may object that concepts are not important in cultivation, that only experience matters. But we can't help reflecting on our experiences, and the conclusions we draw will colour our further experiences inevitably. So we better choose our concepts wisely. Zen practice and alchemy... Yes, they are clearly connected to each other in my book - as well as to many other things. And that's cool with me.

I would call it the opposite, they both bread in new blood to avoid inbreeding. As always when one mix stuff, the result varies.

I'm also re-minded of this quote, shared by John Blofeld, regarding his take on what was revealed to him in his meeting with revered Taoist Sage Tseng Lao-weng. I recall the first time i read Sage Tseng's words, @rene shared it here on the Bums. It struck me like a bolt of lightning on a clear day... The sense of the words settling in awareness was akin to stumbling upon a previously unknown meadow in the valley of my innermost self and finding, that although I'd never been there before, it was my original home... utterly familiar and reflective of the most core aspects of my path and its subsequent affect on process, sense of self, reality... all of it.