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“Someone once said that learning Chinese is "a five-year lesson in humility". I used to think this meant that at the end of five years you will have mastered Chinese and learned humility along the way. However, now having studied Chinese for over six years, I have concluded that actually the phrase means that after five years your Chinese will still be abysmal, but at least you will have thoroughly learned humility.” (https://pinyin.info/readings/texts/moser.html) As for me, 7 years, cracked my brains, little result. lol, cry emoji here.

I am never separate from God, it’s always together. It’s not “merges”, it’s ‘together’, we’re friends.

Oh. If that was the question, what nibbana is. Then to simply put it, it is the end of suffering. It is the end of birth, aging, sickness and death. It is the abandonment of this world. The question surrounding "where" you go after final nibbana, do you exist, not exist, etc, an unanswerable question. It is not something you can intellectually or verbally explain while in the world. It is only to be experienced. But where you do NOT end up is clear. You cannot be found in the world anymore upon final nibbana. There seems to be a lot of misunderstandings around Buddhism. This is not a criticism. This is normal and requires more clarification, even for myself before learning about what it really is. There is no live forever, meditating 24/7. The Buddha did not live forever, and often spent time spreading the dhamma. Not just meditate. And yes. The Buddha did explain devas do get restless. Suffer in various ways. For what do buddhist practice? Because even if most of us cannot recall our past lives, the fact is we have been in this same old washing machine called samsara for a very very long time. All the suffering, and sense pleasures we make great efforts to avoid, or seek, we been through it countless amounts of times. The same stories continue to unfold, the same questions we continue to ask. The same answers we get. If you understand the dhamma, you will see clear signs of this exhausting never ending vicious cycle called existence. If you start to develop the right kind of dispassion towards the world, the kind of relief from laying down the burden of craving is unlike anything else. We do not realise the kind of trap, drug of self, sense pleasure we are on, and how that craving slaves us through every decision in our lives. To start existing and acting in ways that are not out of craving, is like existing in a totally different reality. Suffering is not good. When you suffer, you cause suffering too. And I don't think people understand how much suffering we are each responsible for, in this life, and previous lives. We can "try" to convince ourselves that suffering is okay. But our every behaviour and mental afflictions is screaming the fact that it is NOT okay, not good to suffer. As I continue on the path of buddhism, I start to see my past actions, harm I caused others and myself, and actually be able to get to the root of it and stop that harm, reduce suffering. I don't think you can call that meaningless. Buddhism is not for everyone. And there is quite some work involved to understand it. And that work involves alot of adjustment in behavior and lifestyle to uncover hidden defilements, resolve it, to be able to understand these things at a personal level. Best I can do is answer questions about it, clear up and misunderstandings about it. Take it as you see fit. 👍.

Too much Qi lingering in the head Too much thinking Liver Yang rising Heat Dampness/imbalance If you have (like most people do) any of the above or all of them (very common) anything you mentioned is going to cause you what is called kundalini syndrome, seeing ghosts, communicating with spirits and bizarre stuff which fall under the umbrella of the "ungrounded syndrome." To prevent that, do the following: 1. Leg work. Foundation exercises like low basin walking, kung fu leg conditioning work (five stances), Asian squat, closed legs squat. 2. Walking meditation with bare feet for many hours a day when seated meditation practice is heavily emphasised. 3. Hiking for many hours in the natural environment. If the practitioner suffers from being very ungrounded stop any seated meditation and work heavily on the above until the problem is corrected. This could mean months or even years depending on the length of the ungrounded state; eg. University student, academic, white-collar professional, etc. People born in Fire years or under a Fire sign like the Horse are particularly most at risk.

Long ago after a few years of meditation I was pleased with how harmonious I felt - 95% of the time. Then my meditation shifted to a deeper level and emotional trauma showed itself. I had suppressed that most of this life. Largely it was past life trauma including attention from the Holy Inquisition.

Does anybody ever wonder is the whole god idea is something that's been handed down generation after generation, and it's all just one big fantasy? That it was originally set up, as someone said before, to control? How wonderfully controlling it is to engender fear in people in order for them to stay on the straight and narrow? That we are intended to grow up with the same attitudes and beliefs as our parents? It seems that the god concept is a very comforting one, and I understand people wanting to believe that there's something out there (apart from us) that watches and cares what we do. Something to turn to in times of sorrow. But I propose something else; that God is none other than the wizard in the Wizard of Oz. When Dorothy and friends went behind the big scary wizard, they were confronted with nothing more than a plain human being! I think this story about the Wizard is a crucial acceptance of that which we don't want to believe: that there's nothing out there going to save our asses. There's nothing to pray 'to'. But this is not to say there's no god at all! I've come to the realization that the intelligence of god is our very DNA! That is god, to me. The incredible intelligence involved in a fetus growing into a child. When I found out that there is no difference between cells when they're first produced, that the only thing that differentiates a hair cell from a skin cell or a bone cell or a heart cell, is how they line up next to each other! Such intelligence! And how does the fetus know how far out finger cells should go before they turn around and come back down the other side? I think there's a sort of DNA in everything, including minerals. It's the intelligence of the universe, as I see it. and when we do pray, we are praying to nothing more than our higher selves, and our higher selves, communally, are God. I say communally because I think that we all share the same higher self. The things that differentiate us are our separate conditionings. But it occurred to me one day that the reason I see the soul-sharing among all of us, is because when you see something sad, you get tears in your eye. And so do I! This is a crossover from a physical observation to an internal expression of sadness, and we all share the same configuration. This communal god I speak of is found by self-knowledge, not be anything that any preacher or guru can tell you. If you can peel off the layers of your conditioning, you will get down to that which is true. Your true identity, and we all share it. We are God.

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I was reading on https://www.andrewholecek.com about the practice of illusory form... and it's pointing to a very harsh truth that I've been seeking to disbelieve or find a more suitable alternative... that even the most sacred of all human activities and connections ---Friendship/Relationships ---- are illusory, ephemeral and that we are grasping at phantoms. This is deeply distressing to me and becoming seemingly simultaneously apparent. Is there really a true serenity, happiness, and gratitiude to be found transcending samsara, severing or detaching from all attachments? In transcending samsara/birth and death is there still true unity (or an even greater unity?) Is there really Nothing to hold on to... even our family/friends/hopes? It just all seems so tragic. But according to this quote... it seems so: "In the pattern that the world and life's appearances weave Visions of parents, relatives and friends are like illusions and dreams LIke morning mist, they are fleeting, and at the time they dissolve That's the time to search for unborn confused mind's basic reality" -Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche For the concerned I finally connected with a like-minded societal exile, scarred by life's wounds and that has tremendous healing potential i think. But it is so haaard traversing the realm of spiritual seeking and lay life, seeking truth and wisdom while hoping to deeply and fully connect and serve. Feedback appreciated .

Was Sean's directive ever about eliminating politics from spirituality and not allowing its discussion on his site OR Was it about not allowing a specific touting of 'non - spiritual' , materialist based , anti environmental , right wing ,obviously negative ( and should be self-evident ) prejudicial, bull shit ? It seems a case of ; the Captain has retired to his cabin and won't come out , he already pointed the direction . Now a bunch of 'mods', which changes and recycles through the 'ordinary sailors ' ( but not the mutinous ones .... some got a go for a while but, Cap came out and invited them to go overboard , then went back in the cabin ) who together grasp the handle of that big sluggish rudder and try to do their best to hold the ship on course , through all sorts of different conditions and other sailors yelling advice and abuse .... and the storms and reefs that assail it .

Why are you wanting to add other practices? Why not just do more of the water method stuff?

...right so I harken back to my previous claim. "Nibbana" is a state of mind, or being. What you are describing as the cessation of attitudes and habits is all it is... which is fine. Actually is very good. It makes sense literally, as the word "nibbana" means the extinguishment of something... Trust me, I've developed plenty of dispassion for the world and for striving towards ends. Thank you for the post. But, has God ever reached out to you? Thats what this thread was about.

ok, that's the dualistic take,

I'd say what differentiates us is our individual and unique souls, but when soul merges with God then that unique soul (of woven light) no longer exists, for then there is only "God"... same as when a unique drop water merges into the ocean then there is only the ocean...anybody ready to give up being a super duper and still individual soul identity?

The above quote is from Sufi mystic Mansur al-Hallaj, born in Shiraz, Persia year 858 CE. Sufi is the mystical element of Islam. "We own a lot of what is known about al-Hallaj to a French Catholic scholar of Islam, Louis Massignon (1883-1962). Massignon became so passionate about the mystic’s life that he made him the subject of his doctoral dissertation, travelled to Irak in pursuit of of his life and work, and finally produced a four-volume study: ‘The Passion of al-Hallaj’, which became one of the major works on Islamic mysticism. On his fifty-year journey of research and writing, Massignon met al-Hallaj in such a profound way that it led him to embrace the Roman Catholic Church. A conversion experience which he describes here so beautifully: “There is no question here of claiming that the study of this life full and hard, and rising, and given, has delivered to me the secret of his heart. Rather, it is he who has searched mine, and is searching it again.” source https://thedawnwithin.com/the-carder-of-innermost-souls/#:~:text=His absolute fervour and his,self shared by all beings.

i remember attending a writing retreat that was on a peninsula so there were tides and much opportunity to sit on the high bluffs and listen to the water and the waves. Talking to one of the guys from class on break he mentioned that he had lived for a time in Hawaii and so there was the constant sound of the ocean waves. I commented how wonderful that must have been to always have that sound present. He shrugged and said, "Not really. It actually sounds like traffic." He wrote wonderful poetry. His poems are still among my favorites.

@Nungali the belief in “nibbana”, is this “white school” or “black school”. Or can these terms not be used for other traditions?

It is part of the board where moderators can discuss things. You have to be a moderator to access it. It dates back to a stage when different parts of the board had ‘stewards’ who had semi- moderation role. I can’t remember when this was as the role was abandoned while the name of the section remained. I posted there so that confidential information like TMs email could be shared without divulging it to the whole of the board. So in effect you were right.

Saint Gregory Palamas. Hesychasm.

in my view, it is more than "just all of us" though. The whole (God) is greater than the sum of its parts (all the people). i don't think we do figure it out on our own. I think we tap into God which is more vast than just a bunch of people put all together. God is not limited. We as humans are limited. That is the difference. We can tap into the greater wisdom that is God. All the human brains working together do not have that wisdom. So yes God is within us. But i would not say God is us because God is more than us. sort of like a sunbeam is not the sun. it is an emanation of the sun, but the sun is far greater and far more vast in scope and intensity than a sunbeam is.

The buddha mentioned many blissful and peaceful experiences in his past experiences in his past lives, as well as his life as an ascetic before he became a buddha. He talked about the various blissful meditation "jhana" states he achieved/ experienced, but had enough wisdom to realize it was not the end suffering, there was still "liability" for suffering that existed, which was suffering. Those attainments were not small feats, because if sustained, it would have led him to heavenly realms for a long time. But when he became the Buddha, he explained there are two types of Jhana. Worldy jhanas, and the jhanas with the dhamma as a basis. And the jhana of the noble ones that the buddha recommends, leads to nibbana. It has a different flavour. That difference is subtle experientially for many, that is why many ascetics and monks mistaken their meditative achievements as the end of the path. Because it is so sublime and blissful. Similar to how many devas live in conditions with very little suffering, so most do not have any interest in continuing to deepen their progress. This is true. Devas when coming to the end of their lives, start to experience signs of their luster depreciate, as they get close to exhaustion of their merits, leading some of them to lower realms. And lower devas also go to war with asuras. So devas are in many ways like humans in various experiences. Let me just list out some points that are relevant to your assumptions, which should help clarify them. There are four levels/stages of enlightenment. Sotapanna, anagami, Sakadegami, Arahant. Sotapanna (stream enterer): Someone who has right view. And their conduct, understanding on the dhamma reflects as such. They will have 7 more lifetimes maximum before full enlightenment. 7 more meaning it could be less than 7, and could be human realm rebirth, or a mixture with heavenly realms. It depends on the individual’s kamma, how far along they are on he path etc. From this point, the noble ones (Those within the 4 levels of enlightenment) will never be reborn into the lower realms. Because they will not be inclined to commit kamma heavy enough for that. Sakadagami (Once returner): For a sakadagami, as the name states, they return to the human realm one last time to become arahants. Anagami (Non returner): The Anagami does not return. To the sensual realms. Upon death, they are reborn in the pure abode heavens, and transition to final nibbana from there. The Mahayana’s idea of “pure lands”, its conditions, are NOT the same as the early buddhist/ theravada idea of the “pure abodes”. The same terms might be similarly adopted, but it is defined by basically different religions. Good to keep them separate. Arahant: This being is fully enlightened, and upon the breaking up of their body in this life, they will reach final nibbana, never to be reborn again. The Buddha is actually quite clear about how heavenly realms are still part of samsara, the “world”. He uses the realms to convey “direction”. Which direction good deeds incline a person towards, and where bad deeds incline to. Using these things as a reference point to set up the practitioner’s chance of success. Because practically speaking, in the woeful realms (Hell, animal, ghost), the dhamma cannot be seen or practiced. There is too much confusion and suffering there, and it is just a place to exhaust bad kamma. It is only in the human realm and heavenly realms that the dhamma can be found and learned. And it is actually in the human realm where MOST of the work is actually done on the path. The human realm is special that way. This is why a buddha always appears in the human realm. Because the body of spiritual work is here. The woeful realms, and heavenly realms, are often a place to exhaust kamma. It is not a proclamation he made for any “Strategic” reasons. He realized he was the only one in the universe while he was alive that had this knowledge of the dhamma. From recollection, he realized that every buddha before him, held this same dhamma knowledge. And when there are no buddhas in the world, he explains there were pachekka buddhas, who were beings who discovered the dhamma on their own, but remained in solitude. He knows all this, explained it. So when he declared he was the one who re-discovered the dhamma in the world, it was more a matter of fact. A fact people could verify themselves by learning about it, and comparing it with other kinds of doctrines in the world, and see if they share the same flavour. The dhamma that is re-discovered by a buddha is unique. People may not agree with the dhamma the buddha taught, but they can agree that the essence and it's end goal, is unlike any other teachings. So from these points, you can see that knowledge is used to orient “direction”. And that direction eventually leads to dispassion of the entire world itself. After all, you cannot put down what you don’t know you’re holding onto. So understanding phenomena completely, seeing the root of suffering properly, you can finally abandon the right things, uproot craving.

too funnny !!!!

Thanks Nungali. Yes, I agree. I like how you nicely paraphrased the subject both ways... god reaching out to us, and us reaching out to god. Honestly, isn't it strange that people even pre-suppose that they came from somewhere "else"... I mean... here we are. Lay people believe in the afterlife, etc. but they don't know it. Seems rather foolish to embrace your defined "black school", when it only makes life harder to bear than it already is... perpetual angst on top of survival? No thanks. I'll take the white school, accept, learn, & rise.

I saw Bill Oddie in a hotel near Newcastle - he had a big backpack and was waiting for the lift. Nothing really happened but given the dullness of my existence it was a bit of a high point to see someone famous. I can’t remember what year it was. I have also seen Morrisey of the Smiths and the lead singer of New Order in a theater. I saw the Queen once but she didn’t know who I was I guess or she would have said something.

Sifu Terry has said FP is NOT a martial art energy. He said FP could not be used for martial arts. The Doo Wai forms that Garry Hearfield teaches in Australia are for kung fu. It's a different energy. FP is an energy for health.

Yeah but you already had fame as a well known TV personality !

Strange, the attraction this thread has for me. Me, the most popular person on Dao Bums!

Why are the Chinese Internal Martial Arts preferred? As opposed to say, Internal Alchemy, Spiritual Qi Gong, etc

But what is a BKF? It reminds me of KFC and now I'm hungry

As long as we're in the unpopular opinions thread, yes, I am so nice!

I have thought about this. It is very interesting. I sometimes go to this Lutheran church by me. I don't understand much, since its in a language I only pretend to understand, but I love the organ music and the rituals they conduct are absolutely breathtaking. They sing these magical chants, and then, if you want you can go up and drink the blood of their guru and a baked cracker. I sometimes sneak up there and have some. I might go to hell. Its funny, though, the blood tastes a little like wine. It is really a magnificent experience, a magical ceremony of purification, which if delivered by any other means, or understood as magic, might be highly objectionable to those participating. They also wear magical sigils on their cloaks. The sigils and rituals change from season to season. I don't know why , nor the spells that they use when the adorn them, but I am sure there are some and that they are quite elaborate. And the building is covered in symbols and has a massive picture of their guru, lying naked, save a conveniently dangling loose towel, dying on a cross ominously overseeing the dias, and constantly reminding of the pain and suffering in life, but also the resurrection and redemption from that pain and suffering that can be achieved by accepting his blessing. It is really cool, but the point is that, until recently, I never really understood it as a magical ceremony. Most people involved in it would probably not understand it as such, but it is. And I say this as one who does not really practice magic, or really practice anything at all for that matter, excepting laughter.