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Back in the beginnings of TDBs, @Stigweard did a tremendous amount of work with foundational organization. He has recently been producing some insightful, wise, hilariously dark art, "Stuart Shaw Creations". on facebook https://www.facebook.com/stuartshawcreations and his own website https://stuartshawcreations.com/

I have had what I call luminous dreams (which is just a name I give them not a significant claim) where the dreams are especially bright and also stay with you - you don't forget them like ordinary dreams. They are always very significant and meaningful. But most of my dreams are just rather confused and full of my own metal stresses and concerns. The luminous dreams seem to contain messages which last and are guidance for long periods of time. I've had quite a few pre-cognition dreams where I dream about things which later come true (sometimes many years later). This proves to me that time is not linear and that all that happens to us is interconnected. I think that to rest one's consciousness in the pristine consciousness itself is quite an achievement in itself. But as a goal it is limited as it presents as a separate state - so it is prone to abstraction and negation of life and the world. But it is part of something more complete. That more complete thing engages both the subtle and physical body - and this is where the 'work' is. Whether you work through dreams or not, or through meditation and other processes, there is a task to be undertaken. I think mahamudra and dzogchen do have a fault in that this task is disguised in a lot of talk of resting in the natural state etc. which is very misleading if not fully understood. I am big fan of Karma Pakshi's three kaya model where you engage with consciousness itself, the subtle body and the physical body to form the svabhaivika kaya - but that's a whole other story.

Grandmaster Wong Kiew Kit passed away on March 1, 2026 in Malaysia. I had the opportunity to study with him in Miami (2005) and Orlando (2008) when he visited the U.S. These were good experiences for me, and I continue to study his methods to this day with one of his former students. I'm also grateful to him for his books. One of them mentioned and showed an illustration of Shibashi (not one of the forms he taught), which I became interested in and subsequently became a big part of my practice.

Welcome to the Indigenous Traditions sub forum. This is a space for discussing traditional beliefs and practices from old cultures around the world, so we can share and learn from ancient wisdom, myth and method. As ever on this forum please commit to remaining respectful to those cultures and each other - and enjoy the conversation.

I've noticed almost all the fire horse images this year are limiting or eliminating excess fire overtones, which makes sense given the times (that said I love the fiery vitality of Kakapo's horse). But I've seen some interesting brush art that could be a alternative (note: someone should check the characters if we go this route as I just pulled this off the net): Has that vitality / free spirited horse energy without the war undertones. There are a lot of good looking similar ones out there if a more horizontal one would fit better.

I've practiced qigong for about 20 years. One thing I've learned is that my expectations need to be realistic. Certainly there are benefits from the forms I practice but qigong has not proven to be a comprehensive and complete system for me. I practice both Shiba Luohangong and Ba Duan Jin and derive valuable and different benefits from each. I have also continued to practice internal Chinese martial arts over that period of time - taijiquan, xingyiquan, and baguazhang. While I no longer compete or train martially with others, these have found a valuable role in my physical, energetic, and mental health. Finally, perhaps most important to me is my meditation practice from a Tibetan tradition. While I do think it's important to stick with a practice for a long time to really probe its depth and potential, I don't know that each one of us can expect to find a single practice or system that does everything we are looking for. Some do and that is wonderful but it hasn't been that way for me. I also think that we need to listen to our body and mind and maintain some openness and flexibility as our needs can change over time.

I dreamed you were going to delete that.

Whatdaya think?

Perhaps what we need is a water horse to balance and calm things down a bit.

I know very little about your Grandmaster and his teachings but I know you are a very dedicated practitioner Dainin. I am confident that you will be a vehicle through which his legacy will live on and benefit others. My condolences on your loss _/\_

Friends, After 7 long years, I have finally completed the 2nd book of my trilogy. Please read and support. Best, Dwai https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GLT43ZF8

Don't allow the energy flow to your head - brain, as that has severe risks of making one smarter, making one realize their destiny and spiritual path, leading them away from scamgong teachings and worthless practices. You don't want that. Stay grounded.

worse still is when some individual sets themselves up as such an adviser ... a sort of 'judgmental guru ' and also individuals adopting it to project out onto others ; 'would be Louise Hay's' ; to some unfortunate ; ''Oh, you stubbed your toe ? Why are you afraid of moving forward ? '' I want to shove their judgmental little faces in it ! I remember once , being in our amenities block , we were flooded in , I had a double middle ear infection - terrible and no medication . This New Age bitch walks in and asks what is wrong with me ( as I am obviously in a great deal of pain and hanging on to a sink to even be able to stand up ) I tell her , does she offer assistance , pain relief she might have at home ... any thing even remotely kind ? NO ; '' OH really ( and even in a smarmy , I am smart , look what I know about , voice ) ... what is it you dont want to hear then ?'' Me '' I will tell you what I dont want to hear , some inconsiderate new age, self appointed 'guru' scoring points on my pain and suffering so they can appear clever .' I read once where someone asked their Rabbi about this ; if an accident or sickness might carry a special message for you . The Rabbi said , of course it can , God works in all sorts of ways . The person protested a bit and explained some things , like I mentioned above . The Rabbi was ; '' Wait a minute , I didnt understand you , what I said was true but are you saying some people are interpreting the meaning and significance of these for others ? What ! That's outrageous ! How dare anyone try to interpret or give the meaning to someone else about God's particular and private dealings with them ! ' That is between you and God ! That isnt even the job of a Rabbi ! ''

Happy New Year Sifu Terry and all the Flying Phoenix Practitioners! Or as we say in Singapore, gong xi fa cai!! Huat ah!!! Looking forward to reading both the FP book and the TTP book!

• HAPPY NEW YEAR OF THE FIRE HORSE !!! • May New Year's blessings and good karma come to you with freedom, speed, high intensity, and great and blissful duration!

Agreed. Especially since we had a gallop poll and everything!

Are you saying you wish people would stop horsing around?

They fear this Animal. Well for starters: "Quod es fui quod sum eris" That is "what you are, I was; what I am, you will be." So nothing to fear because WE ALL BECOME A FIRE HORSE starting on 17 February this year and ending on 5 February 2027. Likewise on 2020 and the fear the Metal Rat brought along (pandemic). Humanity lived in fear that year. Rat = Water = Kidney and associated emotion Fear. The Horse is Fire = Heart = Wisdom = Joy Time to look within your Heart and resolve blockages in the organ and associated meridian of energy (unresolved chronic anger, resentment, hatred, restlessness, palpitations, insomnia...) The Horse is the only Animal that entails complete change and transformation, which is a wonderful thing. There will be a new YOU emerging after the Year is over. Enjoy the Fire Horse.

I practice because I can, and it helps keep the mirror of my mind clean from the proverbial red dust of this world.

Your method for dream work is very similar to the method in my tradition for working with any experience, including dreams. Just as you recreate and embody the dream in your mind and feelings, we do the same with any experience or person that generates reactivity. These can be very recent experiences, alive in us at this very moment. They can be remote memories, dreams, people who generate reactivity, future worries, any life experience. We turn to the experience if it is active in the moment, or recreate whatever it is we want to work with as vividly as possible in body, speech, and mind. We sit with that for as long as it is fresh and alive. While we don't engage with it intellectually, we are often taken to earlier times and other experiences that may have some connection, often a connection we were not aware of. The one thing that may be a bit different is that we are working with the sense of a "me" who is being affected by the experience rather than hosting the experience itself. It's a very subtle but important difference in our paradigm. And we rest in the stillness, silence, and spaciousness. This is referred to as hosting pain identities. . It's a wonderful and powerful practice and one way we avoid the bypassing that can so easily happen to practitioners.

Part of my method for dream work is to “feel the feeling” after the dream has been interpreted to the best of one’s ability, which I did by recreating the dream in my mind and allowing myself as much as possible to re-enter the feeling created by the dream image. Doing this for decades, slowly getting better at it, allows the full force of a feeling to be experienced over time, and really this is what a fully open emotional channel is. Rumi’s poem captures the work perfectly - The Guest House Rumi Translated by Coleman Barks This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still, treat each guest honorably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight. The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in. Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.

This probably belongs here for reference ; https://www.boandbon.com/

Come to think of it, most words that refer to ideas, concepts, mental constructs, interpretations, all that "vaporware" of human cognition, are similarly problematic. We use them as though they are qualitative and quantitative, whereas they are semantic conventions born of contentions. Often they define what is really indefinite, what barely exist, or does't exist at all. With tangible material things the grey zone is a lot smaller, but still... I sit in an office chair. I bought it as an "office chair," but if I put a dining-room chair in my office instead, in that same spot in front of the computer, will it become an office chair? Will it lose its dining-room chair citizenship? Will it become a naturalized citizen of the office? Will it surrender its dining-room allegiances and swear to fight all enemies of the office, foreign and domestic? And will the indigenous residents of the office -- computer, printer, filing cabinet -- see it as an office chair, as "one of us?" And will it forget all those family dinners it was part of in its native dining-room, all its dining-room mates from the same set still gathered around the dining-room table, still indigenous?..

Thought I’d share this on the Babaylan indigenous culture of the Philippines. I have participated in some of these rituals and found them both powerful and fascinating particularly seeing the connections to Indian and Chinese language, physical and spiritual cultivation and healing cultures that are part of it. My wife’s grandmother was a traditional practitioner of this and the capabilities of her lineage appear to have been passed on to the women in my immediate family. The video talks about the indigenous experience in confronting Christianity and Islam as well as the role of gender including transgender there. My guess is that many indigenous practices in other parts of the world went through similar processes where they interacted with/were changed by outside cultures trying to control them. In the modern era the Babaylan culture mostly manifests as indigenous healing practices like manghihilot which are still widespread in the Philippines but there also still exists behind this those currently following the culture and practices of the Babaylan. My understanding this tradition was not only affected by Catholicism and Islam but also more recently by American Protestant missionaries who carved up the Philippines in the 20th century into areas of authority to proselytize and before Catholicism and Islam by Buddhist and Hindu influences. These earlier Indian influences can be seen in the language, traditional scripts, as well as in the healing practices. https:// 1 justjoseph responded to this Quote Edit

This is typical Chūnibyō syndrome stuff. Many of the threads where this is mentioned were moved to the staff eyes only section, and can no longer be found via google. Here are a few examples, but these are pretty tame comparatively. https://www.thedaobums.com/topic/50649-brain-cleansing-in-the-internal-arts/?do=findComment&comment=922530 "Thats why for example, I could watch 20k+ 1000hz high quality movies, or remember past lives, or visualize a whole city projection." https://www.thedaobums.com/topic/50381-levitation-and-possibly-flight/?do=findComment&comment=922713 Question: As far as delusions go, you claim to have a harem of goddesses, shoot eye lasers, travel faster than the speed of light, open portals to other worlds to fight ancient 100,000 Naga demons, etc. Answer: "Those aint delusions, these are tiny percentage of extracts from things I have personally encountered on other planes. I have met and seen things you cannot even phantom." https://www.thedaobums.com/topic/50710-questions-to-master/?do=findComment&comment=924660 "I had brain implants and other stuff." https://www.thedaobums.com/topic/50755-divine-truths-from-master/?do=findComment&comment=926199 "I can easily capture your soul after it leaves the body, and put it inside the stone in my magic underground basement lab. You will be my guest for next 1000 years, and mb you will also learn something, but I will never let you back into "free" life. I might allow you to reincarnate in some of my lab rats." https://www.thedaobums.com/topic/50720-what-is-taoism/?do=findComment&comment=926138 "Having third Eye open I can see things that normal humans never can imagine, like a tentacle larvae crawling over an energy egg shaped field which is human. https://www.thedaobums.com/topic/49762-request-access-to-private-gender-subforums/?tab=comments#comment-926426 I am sitting in mountains and meditating while having multiple clones, and one of the clones is dreaming, and he goes internet from dreamworld without any "new age" devices like computer or phone. Old school is best school. " https://www.thedaobums.com/topic/50781-western-mopai-censorship-for-sean/?do=findComment&comment=926903 "I have passed through several galaxies in the matter of seconds, so yeah, I was travelling at a much higher speed than Light." https://www.thedaobums.com/topic/50720-what-is-taoism/?do=findComment&comment=926577 "Because to go through 1 million years of my own memories of past lives it is quite a work to do unlike googling baidu to find divine truths. When I will be 2000 times stronger than I am now, I may commit myself to this research." https://www.thedaobums.com/topic/50781-western-mopai-censorship-for-sean/?do=findComment&comment=926930 "I was never hurt by people making fun of my levitation ... or portal opening ability. I have had too much of these experiences to be able to doubt it or care about someone else opinion on the topic."

Do not bring external feuds into this website or you may be banned. I’m locking this thread - no more discussion on this please.

Ok Just expressing how I feel about it. No worries (as I said before) I will be fine with whatever the admods decide.

Hi everyone, I’ve been practicing Spring Forest Qigong for over two years now, and overall it has helped me a lot., I feel calmer, more regulated, and in many ways it has really supported my healing process. So I’m genuinely grateful for that. At the same time, there’s this question that keeps coming up for me: Is this really the Qigong form that fits me best? What has been bothering me is that in the courses I attended, certain topics were never really addressed — especially things like Qi deviation or how to deal with intense or unusual experiences (including what some people might call “paranormal” phenomena). I’ve had some experiences during practice — seeing or feeling things that were quite strong — and I honestly felt a bit scared at times because I didn’t have any framework for understanding them. I had to research everything on my own. There was nothing in the books or teachings I received that openly talked about potential side effects, energetic imbalances, or how to handle them. That felt too superficial for me. Almost like only the positive, healing aspects were emphasized, but not the possible challenges. I also want to say that I find Chunyi Lin, the founder of Spring Forest Qigong, very inspiring. His story, his presence, and what he has built are impressive to me. I genuinely respect him and what he represents. So this is not about criticizing him as a person or teacher. But even with that respect and inspiration, I still notice that the form itself — the way Spring Forest Qigong is structured and taught — doesn’t fully give me the feeling that this is 100% what I need. Something in me still feels uncertain or not completely aligned. Recently, I’ve looked into other forms like Zhineng Qigong, and there it seems that these kinds of intense or unusual experiences are at least acknowledged and sometimes even described as part of the path that can be integrated consciously. That made me reflect even more on what I’m actually looking for in a practice. So now I’m really asking myself: What are the markers that tell you a Qigong form truly fits you? Is it about physical results? Emotional stability? Feeling grounded and safe? ( maybe the most important?) How transparent the teachers are about risks and intense experiences? An inner sense of alignment? And in what way could my own viewpoint be the problem? What can i expect from a good qigong form? I’m considering committing to one form for 100 days straight to really test it — and then honestly evaluate how my nervous system feels, whether I feel more stable and clear, or whether something feels off. I’d really appreciate hearing from long-term practitioners: How did you know your form was right for you? What are healthy signs — and what are red flags? Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences.

Hello everyone, my name is Jesse Howard and I’ve been practicing Qigong for some time now, mainly focused on breathing, body awareness, and cultivating calm and stability in daily life. I come from a background of personal discipline, physical training, and meditation, and over the years I’ve grown increasingly interested in the internal aspects of practice rather than external performance or theory alone. My current interest is to deepen my understanding of internal cultivation, especially how different traditions approach energy, mind, and body integration, especially in Tibetan Buddhism. While Qigong has been my main entry point, I’m very open to learning about Daoist practices, Nei Gong, meditation methods, and internal alchemy, always with a grounded and practical perspective. I value experiences shared by long-term practitioners and enjoy reading thoughtful discussions rather than quick answers. I’m interested in joining this community because it seems to be a place where people take practice seriously, question deeply, and share knowledge with honesty. I’m here mainly to learn, listen, and gradually participate in discussions when I feel I can contribute in a meaningful way. Thank you for having me, and I’m looking forward to learning from the collective experience here. Thanks!

There is that saying that if there is something you don't like then its a reflection of what's in you, or a problem of yours. Well I don't quite buy that huge generalization, granted it may be true in some cases but not in others... hells bells does your introspective head hurt ?

I totally agree. And I think these “reflection” ideas are meant to be used to improve yourself; not to shut up other people.

I consider it an invitation and an opportunity. I do buy it in that sense because over time it has proven itself to be true... for me. If it doesn't seem to be true in a particular instance, rather than write if off as wrong, I allow the possibility that maybe I just didn't discover the connection... yet. The way I approach it is this - When something elicits reactivity in me, I turn not toward the thing that I "don't like" so much but toward what I am feeling - in my body, in the inner and outer words and stories, the feelings, memories, expectations, and so forth. Almost invariably, I make discoveries that show me something about myself. I find a lot of value in that process. YMMV

Hi DanC, Sorry to take so long to reply. I've been traveling a lot between CT and MA since I got back from Hong Kong (and my family's ancestral village of Ping Shan) in mid-December. I'll be posting some Youtube videos of some martial form demonstrations that I had videotaped at the Tang Family Ancestral temple (Yang Tai Chi, Chen Tai Chi, and Liu He Ba Fa). Answer: Yes, I have a book on both Flying Phoenix and I have a book on the TTP-31 Basic Meditations, which is the onlly level that can be safely. I have been working off and on for years on the FP Qigong book, and hope to have it done sometime late this year. The TTP-31 Book is actually much easier to write because (A) the instructions are very straight forward and can be easily illustrated and (B) I've been doing Tao Tan Pai the longest of all the arts that I preserve--since 1974. Thank you and all fellow FP practitioners for your patience. Happy New Year of the Fire Horse!! --and may it speed me to complete these worthy book projects! Sifu Terry https://taichimania.com/chikung_catalog.html https://terencedunn.substack.com/

In the interest of rolling out the banner image as expeditiously as possible, the poll is now closed. Horse number Two pulled ahead and is the winner. Thanks to every one who suggested possible images and gave their opinion along the way. Forward!

Someone asked me this question about a year ago and, without thinking much about it, what came out was... I am practicing for my death. It sort of surprised me, and them as well. My practice has become mostly informal, meaning not just on the cushion but in my day to day life, as often and consistently as possible. It's wonderful to sit in a quite, comfortable room and practice but if my practice is not there for me when I am challenged and stressed, when I am suffering; if it is not enriching my life, and the lives of those around me in the moment, making me more kind, flexible, resilient, resourceful, creative... what is the point? (that is a rhetorical question, I am only speaking for myself - everyone has their own path and objectives). So my point is that I continue to practice so that I can be supported to show up fully in my life and to be able to access and bring all available resources to any and every given situation to the best of my ability. Death is likely to present the biggest challenge in my life. How to let go of everything I have, everything and everyone I've known, and everything that I am? And how to do it without too much suffering for myself and for those around me? Of course, it's nice to say things like - I am God, I am the universe, I am the non-local awareness, Buddha, the Nature of Mind. I am birthless, deathless... I have no fear of death. But they are all words... the test comes when there is extreme pain, illness, when the body and mind are close to the end and loved ones are waiting and suffering. What will it be like then? I watched my father die not too long ago and there was so much pain, so much fear. It was excruciating for him and those around him in the last few days. Wouldn't it be interesting to navigate that with some peace, some confidence, some equanimity and directly experience that transition and what lies beyond with as much clarity as possible? Rather than be heavily drugged and hooked up to all sorts of high tech garbage? I think so... at the moment. And of course, circumstances may change my mind when it's my turn. Time will tell! In the tradition I follow, it's said that we should be able to bring all life's experiences onto the path. Life itself becomes the practice. So for me, at this moment, practice really has no endpoint, I guess I can say I am practicing to live and to die.

I am no longer practicing, but actualizing enlightenment. One can actualize enlightenment by dropping all contrived thoughts, ideas, and practices. From the viewpoint of awareness it can be seen that all appearances in consciousness, including the "self", thoughts, and other worldly phenomena arise and When you practice in this way even the walled-in concept of enlightenment drops away.

Nungali can’t reply because he is currently manifesting in my living room.

To find some balance and sanity in this crazy world we live in.

If I have an emotional reaction to someone or something and it’s a painful emotion or just something I’d prefer not to feel, I will catch myself tightening against it and remind myself to allow myself to fully feel it, so I agree there’s more than just dreams to do this with. The thing about dreams is I see them as a programme that a governing part of myself, some very broad knowledge part of myself, an overarching consciousness, is running over time, designed to undo reactive history at the root, both the historical emotions and stories that have conditioned us. I did identify with the feelings, I did see them as me, but there came a time when I started to shift my primary identification from being my thoughts and emotions to different aspects of myself. From all the information I’ve gathered the thought/emotion level is the paired side channels, the emotional channel going up and the mental channel coming down, creating a circuit. I see it as my consciousness travelling up the emotional channel (which took thirty years or so) and down the mental channel (which took a couple of months), removing all blocks as I went. Completing one circuit of the side channels allowed the consciousness’s of the central channel to activate, and my identification as being my emotional/mental level is diminishing. But in my paradigm though emotions and thoughts dont not drive me like they did, they remain as valid informants giving my whole organism important information. Energy still flows through them, they’re part of my subtle body, but they’re not the governor.

Your meaning about grounding seems of out of sync with the true definition. The true meaning of grounding to be keep your body in a stable condition to maintain balance. The most effective grounding position is the keep both feet flat on the floor or ground. Nowadays, any exercise with the knee passed the toes is considered to be a bad practice. It is because it puts lots of stresses on the knee cap that might cause problems. As far as I know, there were many Taiji practitioners had made this mistake and caused permanent damage at the knee joint. The correct movement is always to point the knee at the same direction of the toes and do not go beyond the toes. If the knee was not properly align with the toes will cause permanent damage to the knee joint.

if you’re told that spaciousness and stillness is what we should be looking for, and you find spaciousness and stillness, then you can think you have arrived at what you believe to be the destination. But what if this as a destination is more like a model of consciousness, and as with all models they fray at the edges, and new comprehension of consciousness dawns. You believe your achievement is absolute, but it might be as primitive one day as the belief that rain gods needed to be sacrificed to to cause rain. You are working within the model you believe in, but in the future that model might have advanced significantly. From my perspective your model is incomplete because it doesn’t create flow in the subtle nadi’s, ie. the side channels and the central channel, it doesn’t activate chakras, it doesn’t build dantians, it seems mind based as opposed to subtle body based. My end point is direct seeing, resting upon one’s subtle body reality, of measurable, ascertainable things, within all levels of the body.

The problem is Lairg, you expect others have the same capabilities as you. You ask things of others like "see where the white light goes" or "go back on the timeline" not realising that just because you can do these meta-physical experiments doesn't mean everyone else can, so your method becomes less like a helpful person saying things and more like a guy just saying odd things.

Down here in Oz we have certain unique dynamics that can assure 'indigenous ' , like, it is pretty certain now and backed up by a lot of research that the indigenous Australian Aboriginal can be certainly termed indigenous as they were the first people here . That's a rare (supported ) claim . The confusion rises with the idea of modern indigenous ; what is accepted as indigenous here : It relies on 3 things ; Proved descent, self identification and community recognition . problematic ; due to lost and stolen generations , some may look obviously Aboriginal but not know ancestry . There is also the issue of % of ancestry ... it doesnt apply ! One ancestor ( going back to whenever ) is sufficient to claim indigeneity. Self identification ... curious , I just need to declare I think I am . It also means no one can say you are , if you dont agree . And community battles or fights or rival claims can make the leaders of a community 'not recognize' (or not issue a certificate of recognition ) to others . So, with myself as an example ; I cant prove descent * , I did not in the past, but am moving towards identifying as indigenous ( due to above * and also the following ) many times Indigenous community have insisted I am Aboriginal , BUT they were not the people that I might have descended from and with the other group, that generation of elders has gone now ( that insisted I was Aboriginal ) and the new people cant seem to recognize it or even are aware of my past work with the old elders . * as far as I can track ; paternal Grandfather came out from England expecting promised land of milk and honey ... not so . Ended up as a cane cutter in Queensland , then went out west to do remote mining . Somehow ended up with some woman and 3 kids ( not sure if they all had the same mother ) . Looking at history .... what were women doing out there ? A great shortage of women for the miners . Chances are she was indigenous . But that was all covered up . Grandfather came to Sydney with three kids and a relative of his had an in law that felt sorry fo them and stepped in to help . This was the woman I thought was my paternal grandmother (until I was in my 30s ! ) It would be funny if it turned out she came from .... https://www.victoriadaly.nt.gov.au/timber-creek/#:~:text=The first inhabitants were the Ngaliwurra and,of whom still live in Timber Creek. [ I did not know of these people when I chose this name ,,,, its a pun in local language about a goanna lizard (gungali ) and the main myth of this valley (Nungli ) ] I still have trouble with it as I still 'visually identify ' people ... nowadays this is a big no-no ; In Australia , there is no "blood quantum" or minimum percentage required to be recognized as Indigenous. The legal and community standard does not measure "how much" descent you have (e.g., 1/4 or 1/16); rather, it focuses on the fact of descent from the inhabitants of Australia prior to European settlement Which means some dude white as snow might be considered , but some guy 'black as' that could not get the records or community acceptance might not be One reason I dont pursue the claim ; all sorts of people are doing it to get special benefits reserved for the indigenous . I have never had to suffer any thing or need that as the system never assumed I was indigenous . The other reason is .... 'special' types of Aboriginals instantly recognize me as 'one' . The ones that do not .... seem to have lost something ( by that I mean they seem more 'westernized' and less 'magical' ) .

My comment was about your comment about dreams not about absolute truth. Dreams are a good tool for self-development because they mirror a deeper truth than the bs we tell ourselves. Regarding absolute truth I just don't believe in that anymore or concern about it. It is my experience that what we believe to be true rooted in deep material or spiritual experience can vanish in a moment. Truth doesn't settle anywhere, ever.

Hi Tommy, I would say whatever "knowledge" I might have, is built with bricks of silence. So, empty space indeed. Some basic intellectual understanding of core teachings of the Buddha has been helpful. But, in the end, our karma is unwound through silent practice, in my case, looking at the question "What am I?" You have described a very pernicious trick the ego does. The idea of a self, the ego, has only two jobs. 1. To try and be happy in a world where lasting happiness is impossible. 2. To not die. In order to accomplish 2, it will stop at nothing. That's why we have to let go of absolutely everything. Nothing remains, our true nature shines brightly. Or something like that. I don't know. Practice and see what happens. And, when something unshakeable appears, help others to see that too. We all "know" more than we think. Every human being on this planet has innate Buddha Nature. Yet, most of us, including me, are trapped in mind prison created by thoughts. Thanks for your kind reply. _/|\_

Indigenous traditions.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Some of my rambling thoughts on the matter, fwiw. Our minds come up with all sorts of things, some of little consequence and some very consequential, some weird and wonderful. Personally, I don't spend too much time trying to find explanations for these things, rational or otherwise. Do we sometimes meet with our minds from the past or future? Why not? Time is not as fixed or linear as once believed. Is it just content being created by the monkey mind based on all of the input over a lifetime and more? Why not? That does not mean that it is not very significant and meaningful. Fortune telling and astrology are not set in stone and are not death or illness sentences, they are simply constellations of external conditions and how they relate to our own constellations of internal conditions. I was in a similar state as you coming into my 60th year - warnings from Tibetan and Chinese friends and so forth. Fortunately, nothing particularly bad occurred for me. I don't brush off my weird little mind and I don't take it too seriously either. I don't brush of horoscopes and warnings and strange experiences, like meeting with a past or future self, or having visions, and I don't take them too seriously either. I do recommend attending to healthy choices as best you can determine them. Your body is aging and needs attention and care. It's the only one you get. Much of life in our technological age is unhealthy for the body and mind. If it means listening to an inner voice or a voice from the future or past, that is fine. No need to analyze or judge its veracity, it's still just another voice. The important thing, IMO, is trying to recognize the source of that voice. Does it feel authentic or is it based in emotional reactivity or psychological baggage? Does it come from the source or from pain and ignorance. Is it the Dao speaking and flowing through you or rumblings from an unhealthy or overly indulgent meal? Is it a future self or an ancestral trauma? Does it matter? I think it is most healthy to find something to trust, something that is not dependent on the monkey mind and labile emotions. Something not rooted in conditioned patterns coming from ancestral, social, and cultural trauma and dysfunction. For me that is one major benefit of my meditation practice. I think it could be helpful to sit quietly and be very open and still for a time. Once the mind and heart are somewhat settled and open, drop a question in like dropping a pebble in a calm pond. A question like, can I trust this inner voice, is it authentic? Or, shall I engage in this new qigong? Or, do I realy need these supplements? Just one at a time. See how it feels, not thinking about it, just allowing the ripples to arise and spread for a time. Leave them be after asking the question, don't engage, just remain open and present. Then continue to sit in that stillness and openness that returns once the mind has once again settled. I find that whatever comes from that quiet and still place is authentic, it is something I can trust. Maybe more precise to say it is something I have chosen to trust. I find that what comes from that place tends to be more accurate and dependable than decisions made from thinking or emotionally charged responses. The key is that one must be able to truly rest and be open to the stillness, silence, and spaciousness of body, speech, and mind. Whatever happens, whatever comes for you in this year of the Fire Horse, you will be OK. Situations and circumstances change. Our capacity for being open and present and responsive to the situation is always there. If we can trust in that, we can be OK even when we're not OK. I may sound overly confident and certain and I am not. I also worry and get distracted by thoughts and feelings all the time. Health, family, work, politics, finances - all sorts of worries and challenges. What I am saying to you is an externalization of what I tell myself and try to practice. I'm reminded in this moment of the Theravadan monks currently walking from Texas to Washington, DC - 2,300 miles. Simple human beings without any particular physical training walking everyday through the harshest of conditions, -15℃ with windchill much lower, through ice and snowstorms... all to raise awareness of the potential for peace in our country and in our lives. WOW, what power! What courage! What resilience! It boggles my weird, little mind. They are OK, I am OK, you are OK, even the poor monk who lost his leg to an impatient driver is OK, and yet... it's OK to not always be OK. Sending you warmth and good wishes

“This world is full of conflicts and full of things that cannot be reconciled. But there are moments when we can … reconcile and embrace the whole mess, and that’s what I mean by ‘Hallelujah.’” — Leonard Cohen