adept

It has always been the natural way to breathe for me, the only way I have breathed as long as I can remember. When I came into contact with qigong, and the teachers that helped me along the way, it only confirmed what I already knew. So, I didn't need any further instruction on the breathing part of qigong, and as a consequence, had a head start. After that, everything fell into place.

I'm not sure how to distinguish between yang, yin and yuan chi, but to me it feels like the force of life itself is running through me. A pleasant, warm, constant river of life-force.

I think Drew used to post some really good stuff, BUT you had to search for it in amongst his crazy repetitive ramblings.

Probably because qigong practitioners are taught to be aware of the full scope of deep, slow, abdominal breathing as they are practicing. Ordinary people who don't practice qigong just breathe, normally without giving it a second thought as to how they do it.

Hi CT I just found this : http://www.dharmawheel.net/viewtopic.php?f=77&t=6616 which ties in with my recent suggestion I had for a mantra practice, even though I wasn't looking for a Buddhist mantra. More synchronicity !

I have witnessed it time and time again. The majority of people are out to get whatever they can get, whether that be wealth, possessions, power, sex, and don't care what they do, or who they harm to get it. The intent behind such people is sinister and cold. I see, hear, smell, feel and sense it everywhere. It seems to be more common now than it was 20-30 years ago.

I would but I lack compassion. It's one of my faults. If there was such a way, I would definitely give it a try. I'm open to any suggestions. Thanks

Merry Christmas everyone !

I was just reading about him earlier. Talk about synchronicity.

Thanks for all the replies so far. All of them have been worth reading. I used to have a daily sitting meditation practice in which I rose at 5 AM, did my 30 minutes meditation, then had breakfast and set off for work. It fitted in well around my busy life. However, in the last two years I've been made redundant three times but have had the good fortune to find jobs after each. This totally messed up my cultivation schedule and the adjustments that I made just never felt right. Now I have a job where I work some day shift and some night shift. To try and fit a daily sitting meditation practice around these is not a viable option. Either the house is too busy, with the kids and my wife going to school and work etc, or I would have to get up at 4 AM, which I don't really want to do when I've got 12 hours of work to follow. So, I'm thinking of maybe a silent mantra japa practice that I can do in the times I can sit to meditate, and which I could also do whilst working, out walking, travelling, and other everyday tasks. Something to focus my mind and get me into a meditative state. Now, as to which mantra I choose. The Vedic mantras are probably going to be my choice. No offense to the Buddhist ones but they don't seem to resonate with me. After a little bit of poking around the internet a couple have caught my attention: 1.The Pancaksara Mantra - Om Namah Shivaya 2. Krishna Mantra (not the modern Caitanya/Prabhupada Hare Krishna mantra !) - Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya Both of these don't require any special preliminaries or association with a Guru to practice. Only wholehearted concentration, diligent practice and devotion. I've had a quick practice and I really like them both. The rhythm, pronunciation and concentrative qualities definitely resonate with me. Would there be any value of using both mantras, obviously at different times ? If anyone with experience of mantra could advise me I would much appreciate it. Thanks.

It would be like searching for the gold at the end of a rainbow. Throughout history, all forms have been altered to suit the needs of the practitioner. Also there will be variations based on locality, family, tribe etc. Just find a style which is health orientated and has a long history. Baduanjin, or 8 Brocades as it is also known, would be a good style to immerse yourself in. Best wishes

Thanks for the advice. I've already abandoned that particular path. I think it only intensified the problems I was having.

Thanks for the responses so far. Good stuff. I'd like to think that deep down we are a decent bunch, trying to encourage each other in our spiritual pursuits, without discrimination, whatever they may be.

Well, that's not the problem. I'm happy enough where I live. It's my internal life that needs a good sort out. The same problems would only follow me anyway.

Thanks guys so far. Then I guess it's not the lineage that counts, but whether the practices are of benefit.

Interesting. Would you like to elaborate on this ?

Nice to see that Malcolm is sorry for his past behaviour. I remember him all too well, ruling E-Sangha with an iron fist. To apologize like that means he deserves respect. Maybe there's a lesson there for all of us.

This thread has turned into a complete circus.

I've noticed in the IMA community his material is not well thought of. Check out Rum Soaked Fist forums.

Yes, that is correct. There is only one God/Creator. The same God of Islam, Judaism, Christianity. The religious trappings of the various sects have nothing to do with belief/knowledge in a supreme God/Creator. We should more than tolerate. We should accept and embrace people of all religions, and of none, as they are, without question. Unfortunately, governments and the powers that be, have manipulated religion, belief and ancient culture, over thousands of years in order to create conflict and exercise control over the population.

All the more reason not to believe a god damn word they say ! Politicians and judges ??? What has this got to do with the supposed debunk of a Creator ? Your arguments are becoming all the more questionable as you desperately cling to dubious resources for your flawed reasoning.

Who cares if some 'suits' passed their judgement on the creation/ID argument. Does that make them correct ? That's hardly credible evidence for a debunk. Just more opinion.

Haha what a load of rubbish ! Have these scientists nothing better to do than make up ridiculous theories. How could the universe and everything contained within it create itself ? How preposterous !

There is a huge difference between traditional religious sectarian Islam and Qur'anic only monotheism.

That is because the authors of these hadith's wanted to control the masses by creating religious sects and dividing Islam into sunni, Shi'a, Sufi etc etc. This is why today you have crazy stuff like muslim beards, hijab, burkha, stoning, religious intolerance, touching the kaba etc etc. The Qur'an continuously warns against such corruption and deceit.