liminal_luke

I´ve been thinking lately about how to maintain mental equilibrium in an uncertain world. Will the coronavirus become a pandemic that personally touches me and the people I love? Will someone I don´t admire win the next US presidential election? What about global warming, the threat of nuclear war, global economic collapse? Maybe the only true refuge is in spirituality. From an awakened perspective, I´m told that there´s an essence that remains untouched in every political, economic, environmental condition. If anything can motivate me to let go into reality, it´s the coronavirus -- perhaps the spiritual warrior´s most perfect weapon .

This is what I´ve always thought. I haven´t gotten deeply into Bon, but the TWR practices I have done have proved especially potent in this regard.

How about happiness? I get that spiritual practice is hard, that it requires facing our shadow selves (never pleasant), that there´s such a thing as the "dark night of the soul." But I´ve always thought that all these difficulties are in service of long-term happiness down the line. True?

If spiritual development leads to a place where all feeling is either non-existent or blunted to the point where it´s a "subtle state" what´s the point? What is "spiritual" about such a state? Why would someone want that? Equanimity is great but when it slides into simply not caring, I´m not so sure. I wouldn´t my loved ones to become enlightened if that would mean they´d lose the ability to take an interest in me and my activities. I´ve always thought that spirituality should make a person care more, not less. Have I got it wrong all these years?

That video of Lord Josh Allen is hilarious. The outfit and persona is absurdly ideal for a Daoist master who wishes to remain incognito. It´s so flamboyant and "out there" -- so contrary to commonly held notions of how a Daoist master should behave -- that it´s the perfect disguise. No serious person would ever suspect LJA´s spiritual mastery. They´d take one look at the glamour and the glitz and keep right on going. Meanwhile, LJA is free to work his wizardry in blessed peace and isolation.

And how did you answer the question?

I used to work as a massage therapist. Not presently though I´m still very interested in bodywork, especially energetic modalities, and might get back into that someday. I´ve also got some (mostly not very helpful) psychological training. These days I try to be a healing presence in the world in terms of my interactions but, alas, nobody pays me for this activity. May I ask what prompts the question?

When considering intent, it might be helpful to clarify the part of the body that´s doing the intending. Many people experience themselves as existing in their heads, so when they say they "intend" something what they mean is that their head intends it. It´s possible to experience the self from the point of view of the lower dan tien or the feet or the liver. It´s possible to experience the self from the point of view of the body as an integrated whole. This issue of what part of us does the intending is crucial because it has everything to do with how the intention plays out. Or so I secretly think.

Really? Because this doesn´t sound remotely positive. I know I don´t need to worry about this now -- and likely never -- but if this is where the bus is heading, let me off now.

This is my understanding. No worries about missing out @Rara, I don´t think anybody belongs to a club here.

I noticed your conoravirus thread disappeared. (Or am I just missing it somewhere?) Cassandra´s role is not an easy one and I figured perhaps you were taking a well-deserved break.

Those looking for in-depth theoretical understanding are unlikely to feel satisfied with 12-step slogans but I´ll share one anyway: It works if you work it.

Good reasons not to disclose "secrets" fall into two categories: (1) revealing the secret would hurt the person disclosing the information, and (2) revealing the secret would hurt the person the information is disclosed to. Corporations often have trade secrets that they keep for the purpose of making money. Money making isn´t the most altruistic of goals, but spiritual masters need to eat too -- well, at least some of them need to anyway. If you have knowledge that people will pay for (and your goal is to make money) it might not be good business to give that knowledge away. Some people keep secrets because the information would be harmful if revealed. Not everyone needs to know how to make a nuclear bomb. If people would be likely to misuse secret information in a way that harms themselves or others, it´s reasonable to be careful about disclosure. In my view, the idea that someone is not "deserving" of information is not a good reason for keeping a secret, if that information would be likely to improve that person´s life. Spiritual masters ought not to sit in judgment of others deciding who is worthy of which spiritual goodies. (Unless giving information to someone prematurely would be harmful to that person.) Many secrets are self-protecting: they can be shared freely because the people who aren´t ready to hear them will ignore the information or believe it´s false.

Some people like vaginas more than others. If you´re not a fan, I can´t say I blame you. Still, genitally speaking, I think Earl Grey would be more accurately described as "cocky." But that´s neither here nor there. I´d prefer it if we not use anatomical parts, however beloved or villified, as catch-all negative adjectives for undesirable qualities and behavior. This being a spiritual forum and all...

Here´s my (nonexpert) take -- Energy follows body movement. Movement is a language we can use to communicte with our energy body. Perhaps this is true of all movement -- not sure -- but it seems to work best when the movement is done relatively slowly, in a relaxed state, with awareness. Raise your outstretched arms slowly up to shoulder level, the chi goes up. Lower your outstretched hands back to the level of your waist, the chi goes down. Hold your palms over your lower belly, the chi gathers in the lower dan tien. It might help to know this theory, but detailed theoretical knowledge is not strictly necessary. All that´s necessary is to do the movements -- the body will take it from there. If the movements tell the body to move the chi in a way that´s conducive to health, health will result.

Don´t feel bad ReturnDragon: I have no idea what I mean either.

This whole discussion is above my paygrade but...can we agree that the journey does not end with non-dual awareness, even if such awareness is stable and ongoing? I like what Freeform has to say about transforming the body. Maybe transform is the wrong word as it implies a change that doesn´t necessarily occur. Maybe it´s more accurate to say that the body is perceived through the lens of this non-dual awareness. Is Dwai´s position really different from Freeform´s? Or does it just seem different because the emphasis is different, the words are different? I think that what happens sometimes is that a person can get a taste of the really real and think that they´ve arrived. Like having the first bite of an appetizer and imagining that the 7 course meal has concluded. Nondual awareness needs to suffuse through all the layers of reality from subtle to gross before the banquet is over.

That´s beautiful. To my mind, your story with Marblehead exactly parallels the teaching parable Earl Grey presented: you responded to seeming conflict with crazy wisdom positivity, totally upsetting the usual pattern of escalating blah blah blah hostility. I could make the point that there´s lots of conflict here by assembling a book of war quotes, but it´s also true that the conflict is in my own mind. So much of how we react to things is us -- not the external world. There´s lots of beautiful interaction here and whether or not I focus on the beauty or the beastliness is up to me.

The goal is effortlessness but for most people reaching the goal requires a lot of preliminary effort.

For years now, I´ve been questioning my participation in this forum. It often seemed to me that there was more conflict here than comaraderie -- and that always bothered me. What kind of spiritual forum is this with so little kindness? Little did I realize that being insulted is actually a precursor to being accepted into a genuine "mystery school." Turns out I´ve been in the right place all along.

There´s gold and then there´s fools gold. The tai chi that Taomeow and Dwai have learned is not the same as the tai chi offered at my local gym. Taco Bell does not compare with my mother-in-laws mole coloradito. Lipton tea and the finest oolong ostensibly come from the same plant, but the same person is unlikely to be a regular drinker of both. Oddly perhaps, I find myself wanting to stick up for Lord Josh Allen, even if some consider him the Lipton Tea of the Daoist world. (Sorry Josh!) I´m not too concerned that innocent bystanders are going to mistake good tai chi for bad, good mexican food for processed faux-Mexican glop. I believe, perhaps naively, that life works out. Do people get messed up practicing fake Daoism? I´m sure. But I´m OK with that. It´s not that I don´t have compassion -- I do -- it´s just that I think mess ups are part of the path sometime. I can´t protect people from themselves. In all my years of spiritual seeking, I´ve never once hurt myself with any practices. Not with SunDo, Healing Dao, Sheng Zhen, tai chi, ayurveda, sufism, Kunlun. Heck, I was no worse for wear after disrobing at a penis weight lifting workshop. Do I just have stupid good luck? An eye for quality teachers? I´ve always steered clear of spirit possession and fancy cars, but that´s just me. If these things are part of someone else´s path, more power to them. Alas, my powers of discernment haven´t offered near the same protective power in the kitchen or bedroom.

My partner was shocked to learn this wasn´t the original version.(Selena brings a certain Latin flair, but non-Spanish speakers aren´t missing out lyrically: this version lacks the philosophical depth of the Pretenders.)

@Walker You mentioned that it expels pathogenic cold. Does it also work for excess heat? If you know something similarly effective and simple for heat, and feel like sharing, I´d be interested.

Thanks Walker! Saves me buying one of those expensive rebounders. This sounds very much like a warm-up I used to do in tai chi class. Robert Peng also uses it as a warm-up for Yi Jin Jing. I´ve done something similar as well when I received some Zapchen coaching only they called it "jiggling." Didn´t know it was specifically for the immune system, though. Very cool.

When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.” “The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.” “The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master – – that’s all.” - Lewis Carroll