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Hi everyone, I'm Kati – based in Germany – and happy to have found this forum full of people who seem to be just the right mix of wise, weird, and wonderfully devoted. 🙃 I'm drawn to Daoist approaches to healing and inner transformation, especially where they touch karma, spirit, body, and everyday life. My own practice is mostly shaped by Qigong (Spring Forest Qigong), which I’ve been exploring in a more intuitive and energetic way over the past year or so. Recently, I’ve become more curious about what’s really going on under the hood of these methods: Is there Neidan in SFQ? How deeply does it relate to classical Daoist alchemy, Zuo Chan, or Shengong? Where’s the line between simplified healing systems and full-on inner cultivation? I’ve had meaningful energetic experiences in Qigong — including heart opening, subtle shifts in inner dialogue, and meditative states that feel both nourishing and revealing — but I sometimes miss the deeper contextual roots or philosophical clarity behind it all. That’s what led me here. I’m hoping to connect with others who have gone deeper into the classical teachings, and maybe also bridge the gap between modern Qigong systems and ancient Daoist traditions. Oh — and I’ll probably post some nerdy questions soon about karma, Kung Fu, and why Chunyi Lin seems to have skipped Tai Chi 😅 Looking forward to learning from you all. Warm regards Kati Tools ChatGPT kann Fehler machen. Überprüfe wichtige Informationen. Siehe Cookie-Voreinstellungen.

Truly amazing ... but .... you cant go against nature

This

To be a bit more precise I had two mantra extensions before the Siddhi program was established. I can't recall the details of the process for extension but the original mantra was given during a ritual that involved invoking each of the line of Masters. At one stage, as a meditation checker, I dealt with several people that had been initiated into TM by a group of teachers in London that had left the TM organization. The people came to me because their meditation was not working properly. I suspected that, their teachers having left the organization, the line of Masters no longer energized their initiations

Welcome!

The DDJ defines ‘virtue’ e.g. in ch. 51 (Henricks): … 7. 生 而 弗 有 也 (sheng1 er2 fu2 you3 ye3) It gives birth to them but doesn't try to own them; 8. 為 而 弗 志 也 (wei4 zhi4) It acts on their behalf but doesn't make them dependent; 9. 長 而 勿 宰 也 (zhang3 wu4 zai3) It matures them but doesn't rule them. 10. 此 之 謂 玄 德 (ci3 zhi1 wei4 xuan2 de2) This we call Profound Virtue.

I also want to clarify the “electric qi emission in just 3 months” so no one gets the wrong impression. It doesn’t mean that after 3 months you will be able to go around zapping people at will like Pak John Chang, Master Zhou Gan Sheng or Master Jiang Feng. You first need an activated dantian, which usually takes 18 months in a healthy person, or you can get a master to activate it instantly like Stephen in the video did. Then you need to have channels opened (amongst other things) which takes a lot of time from practice, or can be temporarily opened instantly by a master. Then you need a lot of qi, and the right type of qi. Again, this takes a lot of time to accumulate from your own practice, or a master can inject some of his own qi for you to use for faqi. So after 3 months even if you have help from a master, you will either emit the tiny amount of qi that you have accumulated and you will only be able to emit it once, or the qi that he has given you. Once you leave won’t be able to faqi by yourself as you need to replenish the amount of qi needed to do it, which will take a long time at a beginner level. This is a long journey, so enjoy the ride.

Can robots take martial artists jobs?

The reviews are just wonderful ! Very happy 'customers' "Visiting Palm Jumeirah with family was an unforgettable experience. The stunning views, luxury ambiance, and diverse attractions catered to all ages. From relaxing beach time to world-class dining and thrilling waterparks, there’s something for everyone "

This is his teacher if you want to learn too: https://authenticneigong.com/

2025 / Palm Island in Dubai Trip Advisor reviews, 2025 for Palm Jumeirah in Dubai: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g295424-d660445-Reviews-Palm_Jumeirah-Dubai_Emirate_of_Dubai.html

They may be referring to Psalm 82:6 (not part of the New Testament). The Hebrew for Psalms 82:6 is: (the Psalms were written in Hebrew) אֲנִי-אָמַרְתִּי, אֱלֹהִים אַתֶּם; וּבְנֵי עֶלְיוֹן כֻּלְּכֶם.‏ The word אֱלֹהִים (elohim) can mean "God". It can also mean: "judge," little g "gods," "judge," "power," or "important person. " Note that there is a difference between big "G" God and little "g" gods. Some translations of Psalms 82:6 show elohim as "godlike beings" or "angels" or "angelic creatures." The context of Psalms 82 is that it is a rebuke directed at corrupt judges and magistrates, they are important people with power. There is a section in the New Testament, where Jesus quotes that line from Psalms 82:6.

a. discuss the topic, not the individuals posting b. the behavior of trying to bully, bait, goad, badger others into response is not conducive to discussion

I suspect the Ark held genetic material only. Saves having to stop the various species eating the other species to stay alive

One more question . When someone is conversing with you and asks simple polite questions .... why don't you ever answer them but continually divert to some 'cosmo-spiritual' , self-centered narration ?

-- Fr Martin Laird, OSA, Into the Silent Land

I would be grateful for the direct quote and citation.

Type ; 'The Line' , Saudi Arabia into Google maps ( terrain view ) and follow it along Now that is something one CAN see from space , even at this early stage . The end vision ?

No. Deception is not merit. so·cial en·gi·neer·ing noun (in the context of information security) the use of deception to manipulate individuals into divulging confidential or personal information that may be used for fraudulent purposes.

Mhm, well, I don’t know. When it comes to leadership and social organization troughout history, I think there is an enourmous amount of variety from culture to culture, and that these stick quite a bit deeper than many a comfortable admiting. But I lack in depth knowledge, talking mostly from hunch here. I am also not entirely convinced that constructing a sort of facade is necessarily rooted in us, but I think it very much might be a result of social media and a society that has become insanely materalistic. A society where what you do is valued more than who you are. I mean, think about the people you hold dear in life: you do not like them because they pretend to be something they are not, because of their salary or that they are one dimensional, do you? On the last paragraph, what do you mean by merit? Praiseworthy? Not in my opinion. I don’t doubt that it requires skills of some sort of another, but when the result is a society where half the population has some sort of illness, people literally kill themself, lonleyness is rampant, the food and ocean poisoned and cows get fed on skittles so that McDonald’s can sell cheaper hamburgers… not very praiseworthy in my eyes. Birth rates are plummeting. Even an unborn baby in the womb gets exposed to all sort of toxic shit. It seems like we are constructing humans for society instead of society for humans, which is backwards. To me it feels like the worst people imaginable are in power, but what do I know, perhaps there is a greater plan that I do not see. Also, the magic part is interesting. Do you think there is a sort of… i don’t know, religious quality to this whole money thing?

WORK IN PROGRESS, under edit Intro Alright, so I think I have a little thesis going. Ill start by arguing that in the state of nature, human beings are primarily egaliterian and reciprocial. Leaders are chosen by pro-social traits and expertice. Antisocial behavior, greed obviously being one of them, is likewise punished. Then Ill go over to a theory where I have only very superificial knowledge, but Ill try to argue that greed has been dispised even in many agricultural societies for millenia. Then ill try to argue that this mentality gradually changed as a result of industrilisation. Reason being that industrilisation allowed for mass production and explotation of workers. The so called neoclassical theorists, made up a bunch of (in my not so humble opinion) bs rationalisations, economic models and theories in order to justify this model and feed their greed, however. These theories, are however built on extremly dubious assumptions. Sadly, we much of our economic policies are still built upon them, even tho they are obviously faulty. So what do you (the economic elite) do when they have an abundance of goods, but the demand is lacking? They manufacture demand. That is the very point of marketing: manipulating you into believing you want something that you do not. These techniques has also been used for social engineering. Alright, lets go. Leadership - from prehistory till today @Nungali Feel free to come with input here, as this is something you are more knowledgeable of than me. In the study ‘Leadership in Prehistory’ (Pierce and Lewis-Williams, 2019), the authors investigated which characteristics correlated with leadership in prehistoric times. The findings suggest that leaders were chosen on the basis of pro-social behaviour, high expertise and respect within the group. Furthermore, they only had the power they were given. Once the problem was solved, the leader stepped down. In the book ‘Hierarchy of the Forest’ (1999), Christoffer Boehm characterises traditional tribal societies as egalitarian. He describes how dominant and selfish behaviour is collectively counteracted through, among other things, ridicule and ostracism. In more extreme cases, the situation can escalate to violence or expulsion. A sense of justice, the spread of rumours and long-term ‘tracking’ of behaviour and character help to maintain an egalitarian structure and social harmony. Today, the situation is somewhat more complex. In the 1990s, British anthropologist Robin Dunbar conducted a study comparing the size of the neocortex and the social group of 38 different species of primates. Based on this relationship, he found that humans are capable of relating to around 150 individuals. This is known as Dunbar's number, and has been shown to explain the size of organisations, the number of friends on social media and more. As society grew in size and complexity, it became possible for individuals who traditionally had not been suitable or chosen as leaders to use language and other forms of manipulation to ‘hijack’ the leadership role. In a review of leadership literature, the authors take a rather harsh stance: ‘The increase in social complexity of societies that took place after the agricultural revolution produced the need for more powerful and formal leaders to manage complex intra- and intergroup relations — the chiefs, kings, presidents, and CEOs — who at best provide important public services and at worst abuse their position of power to dominate and exploit followers [60].’ Agrarian societies attitude to greed The Midas touch Epictetus on greed: General roman attitude: Verses from Havamal (somewhat related to greed): I was planning on writing on medival christendom as well, but this is getting to long. I guess most here is familiar with it anyway. The Marginal Revolution and Neoclassical Theory The Marginal Revolution, spearheaded by William Jevons, paved the way for neoclassical theory towards the end of the 19th century. Economics took on a more mathematical character, with the relationship between consumption and demand becoming central. They rejected the idea of objective value, instead viewing utility as a personal assessment, and humans as perfectly rational, utility-maximizing machines. Alfred Marshall and his demand curve are among several key contributors. Smith and Ricardo defined three factors of production: labor, capital, and land (Sandmo, 2006, p. 70). However, only one of them, the amount of labor input, determined the price of a good (the labor theory of value). Furthermore, Say's Law states that supply creates its own demand. Consumption is a consequence of production, and overproduction is an impossibility. For the neoclassicists, the distinction between supply and demand made no sense. Price was a result of the interaction between utility-maximizing consumers and suppliers. William Jevons introduced the concept of marginal utility. Marginal utility was diminishing: the more you have of a good, the less utility an additional unit provides. The rational, utility-maximizing individual will consume as long as the perceived utility is greater than or equal to the price of the good. Similarly, firms would produce as long as marginal revenue is greater than or equal to marginal cost. Alfred Marshall further described how the interplay between the consumer and the producer—supply and demand—determined the price of a good. If the quantity demanded is greater than the quantity supplied, the highest bidder will get the good, and the price will be pushed up. A high price makes production profitable, and supply will increase. Similarly, a higher supply than demand will cause the price to fall. Only the point where demand meets supply is stable. The market is in equilibrium. It is this point that determines the price of a good. Here's the English translation of your text, maintaining the academic tone and content: Assumptions for Perfect Competition In the previous assignment, we looked at the neoclassical idea of pricing. Alfred Marshall described how markets tend to move towards equilibrium, the point where supply meets demand (Kishtainy, 2017, p. 64). At this point, marginal revenue will equal marginal cost, and marginal utility will equal marginal price. If the market is in perfect competition, the price of the good will be the same everywhere, and this is thus the equilibrium point. Important assumptions for perfect competition are: All goods are normal. This means that demand changes in line with income. Goods are homogeneous. Large number of producers and consumers. No one has market power (no one can influence the market price). Rational actors. Producers aim to maximize profit, consumers utility. Perfect information. All actors have equal and necessary knowledge about the goods and the market. No entry barriers. (Snl, perfect competition) (Riis and Moen, 2016, p. 204) A market in perfect competition will be Pareto optimal. This implies that it will not be possible to improve one actor's situation without negatively affecting another (Kishtainy, 2017, p. 149). This entails equilibrium, efficiency, and maximum social surplus. Criticism Thorstein Veblen is the man behind the theory of conspicuous consumption. Here, he points out people's tendency to buy expensive goods. He believes this happens because people try to buy their way to status. This is relevant considering the assumptions about normal goods and rational actors. He believed these assumptions were based on an unrealistic view of human nature. Humans are largely driven by habits and instincts, and the desire for recognition, belonging, and status (PowerPoint from a lecture by Geir Knutsen). The Veblen effect refers to how demand for certain goods increases with price. These are thus not normal goods, nor do they indicate particularly rational behavior. For Joan Robinson, the presentation of a market as either a monopoly or perfect competition was, at best, overly simplistic. More often, it was an intermediate state, which she described as imperfect competition. This is a market consisting of a few large players all offering close substitutes. An important distinguishing factor for products is, among other things, the brand (PowerPoint from a lecture by Geir Knutsen). And since actors can have market power and the model is therefore flawed, regulations would also be necessary to avoid crises (Rethinking Economics Norge, 2019, Joan Violet Robinson – an economist for the 20th century). Finally, I want to look at Akerlof's "lemon theory," which concerns the assumption of perfect information. In Cassidy (2009), the used car market is used to illustrate the problem. Why do people generally prefer new cars when there can be a lot to save by buying used? This stems at least partly from imperfect and asymmetric information. The risk of buying a "lemon" increases if you buy used. This, in turn, will cause more serious actors to withdraw, and the efficiency of the industry to fall. Incomplete information is a pervasive problem in many markets and can, for example, lead to overpricing of stocks or the best candidate being overlooked. Industralisation, marketing and consumerism - industralisation and greed made production far exceed demand - Marketing was used as a tool to manufacture demand. This has also been used for social engineering. There are countless examples, but let me start with one of the more infamous: Edward Bernays: The "Torches of Freedom" Campaign Edward Bernays, often considered the "father of public relations," was Sigmund Freud's nephew (Freud's sister Anna was Bernays' mother, and Bernays' father was the brother of Freud's wife Martha). Bernays famously applied psychological principles, inspired in part by his uncle's theories, to manipulate public opinion for commercial gain. In the late 1920s, the American Tobacco Company hired Bernays to overcome the social taboo against women smoking in public. At the time, smoking by women was largely considered unladylike, even a sign of "loose morals." Bernays saw an opportunity to associate smoking with the burgeoning women's rights movement. He consulted with a psychoanalyst, A. A. Brill (a former student of Freud's), who suggested that cigarettes could symbolize male power and independence. Brill's reasoning was that the emancipation of women had led many to suppress "feminine desires," and that cigarettes, equated with men, could become "torches of freedom." Bernays seized on this idea. In 1929, he orchestrated a publicity stunt during New York's Easter Parade. He hired a group of young women, including debutantes, to light up cigarettes openly as they walked, portraying it as an act of feminist defiance. This event, widely covered by the press, became known as the "Torches of Freedom" campaign. The campaign successfully reframed smoking for women from a vulgar habit to a symbol of emancipation, rebellion, and equality. It capitalized on the aspirations of first-wave feminism, linking a consumer product to a powerful social movement. This initiative dramatically increased smoking rates among women in the subsequent decades, with significant long-term public health consequences. Paul Lafargue The Right To Be Lazy Let us be lazy in everything, except in loving and drinking, except in being lazy. – Lessing Chapter I A Disastrous Dogma

Post above fails to differentiate between God (big G) and gods (little g). The Psalm is rebuking judges and magistrates who were important people.