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This sounds like a self-perpetuating feedback loop, which is common in my experience in unhealthy mental states (anxiety, addiction, etc.). In other words, the mind (the habitual, egoic mind) says X and we believe it because the mind says so. Spiritual practice, in my experience, involves disempowering and becoming free from these loops with external feedback from realized teachers and the teachings that contain the experiences of many practitioners.

Qi gong, Taichi, develops a unique kind of power and human potential. This power itself does not discriminate. It can be used to heal, or can be used to harm. The more power one has, the more potential harm they can bring onto others and themselves. Buddhsim helps develop clarity and insight, wisdom on what is skillful and unskillful. Understand the consequences of decisions. Discern what is virtue and what is non virtue. So such power can be developed to bring benefits the practitioner and not harm. Casualties of spiritual practices are no joke. The caution and safety mechanisms, virtues within the daoist arts are unclear, different from school to school, teacher to teacher, abstract, inconsistent. Unless it is supported by a more refined spiritual foundation like buddhism, you are an infant playing with fire.

Huang Yuanji, from Taoist Internal Alchemy, trans Mattias Daly, p.35 Fabrizio Pregadio, Introduction to Awakening to Reality, p.6 Wang Mu, foundations of Internal Alchemy, trans. Fabrizio Pregadio, p.45-46 This last one is interesting because it distinguishes the term as used in medical texts, such as saliva.

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Hmmmm ... after a converse with AI .... and numerous corrections to it and continually trying to make things clear and circumventing its circular arguments .... it seems to be suggesting that when water hits the puffballs and pools around them ( but NOT over the holes ) the agitation releases spores out of the holes into the air and the watering traps them and takes them into the pooled water , where they expand ( or something, this part was unclear ) as a ( gas? ) cloud , and form a bubble. The process can be so volatile that it appears the water is bubbling or boiling . It seems to be suggesting that the spores themselves carry some sport of super dispersal mechanism and it isn't just the puff ball contracting and squirting them out physically ??? YET , when I search '' do puffball spores have a special dispersal mechanism AFTER they ejected from the puffball ? '' the answer is no, its mechanical release and wind dispersal . Thats the thing about a garden or nature ..... 60 years on , still observing 'new' phenomena

Thank you for your insights. The Essence of Qi: A Control System from Cells to Neural Networks Cells are the matrix of the body and the material foundation for all life activities. Personally, I believe cells are equally fundamental in cultivating Dan Dao (Elixir Taoism) — without healthy, active cells, there is no basis for cultivation. While cells are the foundation, they are not the key to cultivation. The true key lies in: how to mobilize cells. The method to mobilize cells is "Qi". Traditional Chinese medicine and Taoism divide "Qi" into innate Qi and acquired Qi. From a material perspective, acquired Qi can indeed be understood as the energy metabolism system in modern physiology: oxygen and glucose produce ATP through cellular respiration to provide energy for the body. This is the material/energy dimension of "Qi", the "fuel" for bodily functions. But "Qi" is more than that. If "Qi" were merely ATP energy, then everyone should be able to "abound with Qi sensation" and "circulate Qi freely" as long as they eat and drink their fill. However, this is not the case. The difference between cultivators and ordinary people does not lie in who has more ATP, but in who can actively mobilize this energy. This is the second dimension of "Qi": the information/control level. More precisely, Qi is a broad concept — it includes both energy (ATP, blood, nutrients) and the mechanism to mobilize this energy. This mobilization mechanism is essentially the neural network system. When we say "circulate Qi to the Dantian", the actual process is: 1. Consciousness issues instructions (intentional layer) 2. The nervous system responds and transmits signals (control layer) 3. Blood vessels dilate, blood flows, and cells become active (material layer) The "Qi sensation" we feel is not the flow of ATP molecules, but the real-time feedback of the nervous system on changes in bodily states. What we call "circulating Qi" is essentially actively regulating the nervous system, which in turn regulates blood circulation, energy distribution, and cellular activity. Therefore, Qi is more closely aligned with the neural network. My practical cultivation experience confirms this. When practicing Baduanjin (Eight-Section Brocade): - Practicing on an empty stomach: Insufficient energy (ATP) reserves, but the nervous system is clear and undisturbed, resulting in "smooth Qi sensation but insufficient sustained power" - Practicing immediately after eating: Energy is being replenished, but the digestive system occupies a lot of blood and neural resources, leading to "unstable Qi sensation" - Practicing after promoting digestion: Energy is quickly available, digestive burden is reduced, and the nervous system focuses on cultivation, resulting in "smooth Qi sensation and sufficient sustained power" This shows that the key to cultivation lies not only in "having energy" (eating one's fill) but also in "being able to control the distribution and flow of energy" (neural regulation). Thus, the essence of cultivating both life (Xing) and nature (Ming) lies in the synchronous improvement of these three levels: - Ming (material layer): Nurture the body, maintain cellular health, and ensure sufficient energy supply - Xing (control layer): Train the sensitivity and control of the nervous system, and learn to actively mobilize Qi and blood - Shen (consciousness layer): Enhance the concentration and guiding power of consciousness to achieve "where the intention goes, Qi follows" Cells are the foundation, energy is the fuel, the nervous system is the steering wheel, and consciousness is the navigation. None of the four is dispensable, but in cultivation, learning to harness the neural network and actively control the flow of Qi is the true key. This is the complete understanding of "Qi": it is not mere energy, but a multi-layered system encompassing matter, information, control, and consciousness. Understanding this explains why cultivation requires "practical practice" rather than just "theory" — because the control ability of the neural network can only be developed through practice, establishing a precise connection between consciousness and the body through continuous training. Would you say my ideas are workable? I appreciate it." If my machine translation is not very understandable, I’ve attached the Chinese version. I’m really sorry, but my English isn’t very good in this regard. 【气的本质：从细胞到神经网络的控制系统】 细胞是身体的基质，是一切生命活动的物质基础。我个人认为在修炼丹道中，细胞同样是根本——没有健康、活跃的细胞，就没有修炼的基础。细胞虽是基础，却不是修炼的关键。真正的关键在于：如何调动细胞。 调动细胞的方法，就是"气"。 传统中医和道教将"气"分为先天之气和后天之气。后天之气，从物质层面来看，确实可以理解为现代生理学中的能量代谢系统：氧气与葡萄糖通过细胞呼吸产生ATP，为身体提供能量。这是"气"的物质/能量层面，是身体运作的"燃料"。 但"气"不止于此。 如果"气"仅仅是ATP能量，那么每个人只要吃饱喝足，就应该都能"气感充盈"，都能运气自如。然而事实并非如此。修炼者和普通人的区别，不在于谁的ATP更多,而在于谁能**主动调动**这些能量。 这就是"气"的第二个层面：信息/控制层面。 气，更准确地说，是一个大范围的概念——它既包括能量（ATP、血液、营养物质），也包括**调动这些能量的机制**。这个调动机制，本质上就是神经网络系统。 当我们说"运气到丹田"，实际发生的过程是： 1. 意识发出指令（意图层） 2. 神经系统响应并传导（控制层） 3. 血管扩张、血液流动、细胞活跃（物质层） 我们感受到的"气感"，不是ATP分子在流动的感觉，而是神经系统对身体状态变化的实时反馈。我们所谓的"运气"，本质上是在主动调节神经系统，而神经系统再进一步调节血液循环、能量分配、细胞活性。 因此，气更偏向于神经网络。 我的实修经验的验证。在练习八段锦时： - 空腹练功：能量（ATP）储备不足,但神经系统清晰不受干扰，因此"气感顺畅"但"后续力不足" - 刚进食后练功：能量正在补充，但消化系统占用了大量血液和神经资源，导致"气感不稳定" - 促进消化后练功：能量快速可用，消化负担减轻，神经系统专注于练功，因此"气感顺畅且后续力充足" 这说明，修炼的关键不仅在于"有能量"（吃饱饭），更在于"能控制能量的分配和流动"（神经调节）。 所以，性命双修的本质，就是在这三个层面上的同步提升： - **命**（物质层）：保养身体，维持细胞健康，确保能量供应充足 - **性**（控制层）：锻炼神经系统的敏感度和控制力，学会主动调动气血 - **神**（意识层）：提升意识的专注度和引导力，做到"意到气到" 细胞是基础，能量是燃料，神经是方向盘，意识是导航。四者缺一不可，但在修炼中，**学会驾驭神经网络、主动控制气的流动**，才是真正的关键所在。 这就是我目前对"气"的理解：它不是单纯的能量，而是一个包含了物质、信息、控制、意识的多层次系统。因为神经网络的控制能力，只能通过实践来培养，通过持续的练习让意识与身体建立起精确的连接。 I didn’t see any language tips, so if I broke any rules, just let me know — I’ll fix it right away!

cute little cato

Party pooper...

Definitely. A mature person knows it’s unknowable and takes responsibility - chooses what to belief in.

In Buddhism, lack of desire is the essential ingredient of attainment, as here in connection with the concentrations, or "meditations": … a good (person] reflects thus: “Lack of desire even for the attainment of the first meditation has been spoken of by [me]; for whatever (one) imagines it to be, it is otherwise” [Similarly for the second, third, and fourth initial meditative states, and for the attainments of the first four further meditative states]. (MN 113, © Pali Text Society vol III pp 92-94) There is "right intention", or right purpose, but it's complicated: As to this… right view comes first. And how… does right view come first? If one comprehends that wrong purpose is wrong purpose and comprehends that right purpose is right purpose, that is… right view. And what… is wrong purpose? Purpose for sense-pleasures, purpose for ill-will, purpose for harming. This… is wrong purpose. And what… is right purpose? Now I… say that right purpose is twofold. There is… the right purpose that has cankers, is on the side of merit, and ripens unto cleaving (to new birth). There is… the right purpose which is [noble], cankerless, supermundane, a factor of the Way. And what… is the purpose which is on the side of merit, and ripens unto cleaving? Purpose for renunciation, purpose for non-ill-will, purpose for non-harming. This… is right purpose that… ripens unto cleaving. And what… is the right purpose that is [noble], cankerless, supermundane, a component of the Way? Whatever… is reasoning, initial thought, purpose, an activity of speech through the complete focusing and application of the mind in one who, by developing the [noble] Way, is of [noble] thought, of cankerless thought, and is conversant with the [noble] Way–this… is right purpose that is [noble], cankerless, supermundane, a component of the Way. (MN 117, tr. Pali Text Society vol III p 115) You can't get there from here, as far as intending not to be reborn, at least not in the teachings of Gautama the Shakyan.