thelerner

1)Try sitting half lotus (w/ zafu) w/ your back against a wall. Should be easier, as your sitting improves, slowly move away. No rush. 2)Have someone experienced observe your sitting posture, there are tweaks that might solve the problem. Michael

Insightful stuff. When I do ZZ I dissolve tension in my body by listening to a 15 minute guided meditation called the Archaeous. Its from Rawn Clark, it has an interesting take on element theory by having you imagine the feet to the hips as earth. Waist & stomach region as water, chest as air, etc. Listening to it takes me through 15 minutes effortlessly, feeling strong. Its a free download, just google it if interested. Rawn has many fascinating indepth meditation available for free mp3 download on his site. Michael Michael

I'm on the fence with this. I tend to believe UFOs are mostly projections of the mind. Angels are out, unhip and religious, Aliens are in, sexy and scientific. I have friends who are true believers. Some have communicated with aliens, albeit in a mental realm rather then in the car in driveway one. It seems most esoteric meditation teachers believe (heck Glenn Morris engaged some in mental combat(!)). So maybe I'm siding a little more in the belief direction myself. Still until they land in my neighborhood or start taking over the world there existence or not has no effect on me. Here is a link a respected meditation teacher sent me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrK2YgfjnHo Michael

Meditation- the human reset button. Michael

It seems the posts in the Introduction still go back to the originals but the Discussion starts in 2010. Are all the old posts gone for good or is there a back up somewhere? If so what loss of history. Guess I'm asking this a couple months too late. But now that they're gone I wish I'd saved some of the deeper, more poignant and crazy threads. Michael

I'm waiting for the third edition, when it will be down to 10 Lessons and the chick on the cover will be a little older

Here is one Golden Bell/Shield group. Interesting stuff. Too bad they don't have more classes around. http://www.goldenshield.org/levels.html Michael

For some reason your post made me think of this one: By Dao Zhen I think for serious students, this is a big hurdle to overcome. It is best to not get into the habit of gaining depression when an emission happens in sleep. It is natural, and go slow and do not force anything, nor become obsessed with "saving" jing. Keep practice, follow solid methods and guidelines. With time, all will become secure quite naturally. I have found the following to be a help for me in my practice. Yet this is by no means advise from an expert, as I have very little experience. In the tradition I am learning, it is generally accepted that a serious student is celibate. 1. Change conditioned habits and patterns in regards to viewing and interacting with women - on the street, and in the manner we speak and deal with them in public situations - If we flirt, and have playful interaction with women, it may stir things up quite a bit, and cause trouble during sleep. Honor and respect women as your sisters in Tao, yet do not view them as sexual objects, nor project sexual fantasy on women. 1-a. Do not view pornography video, magazine, or sexual movies. 2. Diet. Do not over eat, and do not go to bed while full. I have found it best to eat the last meal of the day around 5pm or so. Also in the tradition I am learning, it is thought best to follow a simple vegetarian diet, with no spice, garlic, onion, scallion, chives, and cilantro. 3. Do not have very heavy blankets on the body that will create too much heat when sleeping. 4. Do not sleep on the stomach. Sleep on the back with one leg crossed over the other – hands resting below the navel, or on the right side with one leg tucked behind the bottom leg at the knee level – right palm cupping the ear – left palm below navel area. 5. The most important point I have found that helps is to sit for 1 - 2.5 hours or so in proper seated meditation practice before sleep. This is perhaps the most important point, and will yield the most results. In this tradition, we have a method to transfer Jing to Qi that is taught. It is termed - "Lighting a Fire", or "Burning a Soft Fire". It is very effective, and yields the effect of the Jing being transformed to Qi, and really is like something burns away and evaporates. There is great warmth generated in the Lower Dantian area that moves, and steams upward during the process in a manner that is very pleasurable and uplifting. One is left with a feeling of great expansion, and the sign that the Jing has been completely transformed, and it is safe to sleep is one has a feeling like a vast, expansive, clear blue sky. The sign that one has made some gain in transformation of Jing over a period of time, is generally one will stop to have dream activity. There is a great stillness in the sleep state, and no real strong dream activity. This is also related to the pattern of the Metal conquering Wood; Or the Po suppressing the Hun during the night. When the Hun is suppressed by the Po, it wanders away from the sphere of the liver, and the resulting experience is dreams. As Jing is transformed into Qi, and the Hun is strengthened, there is less and less dream activity during the sleep state. One sign I have also come to notice is that if I was lazy and just lie down for sleep without practice, there will be a feeling of something stirring in the lower Dantian, like a movement, or maybe even a worm or something is really moving and stirring. This is a sign that one will experience an emission during sleep, and it is important to have a strong will power, and sit up and cross the legs and sit to Burn the Soft Fire. It is also a good idea to get into the habit of getting up from sleep at any time in the night when you awake and there is a stirring in the sexual organ, or a strong erection. Just sit up, cross the legs, and lightly gaze over the Lower Dantian area and sit in stillness. In this system, they also teach a standing method of body movement, contraction and breathe retention in the first stages to strengthen the lower gate, to help prevent the emission during sleep. This stage does not last forever. It is as if the body and being is at first in a habit to let the liquid flow out, and loose the essence. Yet with slow and steady practice, the body and being learns another way. It becomes the natural state to preserve the essence, and no loss is experienced. It is an investment of time. So it takes a strong and steady will power. Constant and steady daily practice over a period of time. Persevere. Dao Zhen

Great idea. If the weather is okay and its not going to rain, try a night bivouac style; sleeping outside. There's some extra magic in it- warm bag and insect repellent may be required. Michael Winn of the healing tao us site had a good article on living in a taoist cave. He took it to an extreme level ..ie piss drinking. I'd suggest work on long sitting. When in nature the real magic happens when you sit somewhere beautiful, stay there beyond mind chatter, boredom, stiffness, sitting til you forget everything. Michael

Yup, you gotta turn off the soap operas and live life the best you can.

The Wudang Meditation CD's Master Chen has a gentle type of reverse breath. You simply clench your buttocks a little when you breath in, relax them as you breath out. You don't tighten your stomach which is how I've seen it done in some chi gung. It feels like it 'concentrates' the chi inside a bit, and makes for a more expansive breath out. Is the SFQ style of reverse breath similar? Thanks Michael

For those of you who said Shaolin's cut and paste comments on the Talmud sound like propaganda and something written by Hitler, you're right. Its a lie. Shaolin, I don't know you, but before you regurgitate hateful lies, you should check them out. No Jew I know of believes or was taught the things you mention. In the name of what is right, find out facts before spreading hatred. Take a look at these sites, do fact checking beyond rascist oness. Education ends prejudice. I like the Mideastweb.org because there are good people there on both sides who work for peace. There are many people working for peace and justice, unfortunately its those who spread hate that get all the press. One of the problems is that in some ways the Talmud was the internet of its day, with conversations and commentaries running through generations. Some of it religious, other pieces are legalistic (often in excruciating detail, which causes problems), it also contains stories, legends and hundreds of subjects from astrology to zoology. Its huge, written over centuries with the opinions and thoughts of 100's. The garbage on antisemitic sites has quotes taken out of context or purposely mistranslated. They quote books that don't exist etc. In many cases its one bigot quoting another mindlessly. Taken in total the Talmud is actually a pretty tolerant book (!) considering the time it was written. There is some solid wisdom in it. If you have a chance to study it with an experienced Rabbi, you'd be impressed. You'll find racism in there, but you'll find more calls for tolerance and justice. For every writer who look down on gentiles you'll find many more who preach the oneness of mankind, even using non Jews as examples of what good people should be. http://www.angelfire.com/mt/talmud/ http://www.sinaicentral.com/jewhaters/defending_the_talmud.htm http://www.mideastweb.org/jewreligion.htm If you have the patience to read a short 14 page pdf http://www.chabadtalk.com/forum/attachment.php3?attachmentid=1424&d=1265588916 Every religion faces the kind of smear Shaolin cut and pasted. I was disgusted by the writings Goldisheavy posted about Islam and Moslems, but it inspired me to learn more, look deeper. I studied and gained new respect for Islam. Shaolin wrote "keep an open mind and check both sides to a story and verify everything. Its not about blame, its about finding the truth." Good advice, I hope he takes it himself. Michael Let me add, its best to get beyond sound bites on both sides of an argument. If you want to get a feeling for the Ethics in the Talmud, read the ethics section (duh!!). Google Ethics of Our Fathers (or Perkei Avot) go beyond sound bite clippings. I'd also suggest reading up on the giants of the Talmud: Hillel(30bc to 10ad)- who when asked if he could explain Judiasm while standing on one foot said: "What you yourself hate, don't do to your neighbor. This is the whole law; the rest is commentary. Go and study." as well as: "If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am not for others, what am I? And if not now, when?" Rabbi Akiva (50-132ad) was a similar man of genius of piety. Seminal in the Judaic learning of the time. To study him is to get a feeling for the ideals of Jewish thinking of the time. If you're Christian, the ethics of Jesus were grounded in the Judiasm of his time. He didn't preach against Jews having sex w/ 3 year olds (or the other charges) because they didn't. He may have been moving away from a strict codifications of Judiasm, but not its ethical system which informed his teachings.

Respectfully, I understand where you're coming from but I think one should remain centered, but not neutral. One should have some level of emotional control, but not be a robot. Lastly I hate the Karma of the dog argument. IMO many horrors done in Buddhists countries have been swept under the rug because of the 'its just their karma' reasoning.. Impermanace..just because we're all dead in the long run doesn't mean we should turn a deaf ear about those killing others. It feels like there's nothing we can do. Matter of fact its human nature to get angry, unleash pent up anger, hatred, prejudice. Or it can remind us to Do something.. pet a dog, smile at a child, every kindness we do is a bit of positive energy that moves on..maybe..

Marbleheads advice is good, but if you've been going that route and still feel frustrated then I'd recommend taking a break. Accept your situation, accept that it might go on for a long time and have strategies to master it, not over come it. Become excellent at being frugality. Maximize each dollar, become an expert in finding inexpensive ways of enjoying yourself. With acceptance comes peace, and when its time to hit the next level you'll have fresh perspectives, energy and hope. my 2 cents Michael

there's always faking it.

I don't like the use of biblical 'proofs'. That said, I like to see the parable of Adam & Eve as the movement from happy go lucky animals to the drudgery and anxiety of civilized people. I've always thought that on the continuum from ordinary people to the Enlightened, the Enlightened see no evil because they don't judge and live in the Now. Being miles away from that state, ordinary people see evil everywhere, from the asshole who cuts them off at rush hour, to the rapists murderers. Michael

I will also throw Songs of Distant Earth's cat into the garbage bin if that guy has a 92% cure rate!!! No 5 year or 10 year survival rates or percentages? Simply totally cured. And 35,000 people, wow. If he's been practicing for 10 years thats curing about 10 people a day, every day of cancer. With so many people is it possible to have later checkups? (& thats not including the 2,450 dead) Mark me down as skeptical. I suspect he's on the right track nutritionally, but by inflating his numbers he's throwing himself in with a large group of charlatans. On the other hand I'm regularly doing avocado, banana spinach milk shakes. Maybe I'll start adding some avocado pit to it. Others have echoed good things about it. Michael

I like your comment. Because the sort of active evil of 'I hate cats' but I'll bend down grab one and toss it cheerfully into the garbage is the kind I can see spreading to all aspects of the woman's life. Feeling that way, its human to blame larger groups, such as humanity sucks or smaller such as people like that woman suck. Or relish revenge fantasies, shoot her in the butt, stuff her in the can. When we indulge in that we're moving away from our peace. Often revenge taints us. Worse because its on the internet and we only know 2 pieces of the story we might be being manipulated. The truth is way more involved then 20 seconds of video. The right solution is more involved then hurting the cat hater. Still, its an imperfect world and do what we can.

I've definitely been there. In college I got what I call 'top heavy' way too into philosophy. Martial arts helped me. Physical activity helps keep you grounded. Not getting obsessed with any single view point. I particularly enjoyed Aikido. Not that its the most realistic martial art, but it was physical and hands on. Michael

For what its worth, here is the latest newsletter from amazing green tea. They make the case that location, altitude and part harvest trump the organic label. Here it is: AMAZING-GREEN-TEA NEWSLETTER: Solving Problems Every Tea Drinker Faces 24 August 2010 Issue #36: IN THIS ISSUE: >> Organic Green Tea versus Location - Which Is More Important? =============================================== In the July newsletter, we discussed five important things to know when buying authentic green tea. You can access the newsletter here: Buy Green Tea - Five Important Things to Know A newsletter reader asked: What about the so-called organic certified green tea? This newsletter will explain organic certification mean, and why they often fall short of quality. ==================== What does ORGANIC mean? ==================== In the United States, any organic certified food must meet the National Organic Program (NOP) standards set by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). Here is what they define as organic: - The farm emphasizes the use of renewable resources. - It does not use most conventional pesticides. - It does not use fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge. =============== A guarantee of quality? =============== Organic green tea does not always provide greater experience and health benefits. They can comply to the USDA rules and be low grade. In the July newsletter, I noted that the quality of tea leaves depend on three factors: - Location: (Higher mountain better) - Timing of harvests (Early spring the best) - Plant parts (tea buds rather than leaves) The USDA rules do not cover any of the above. To quote from USDA themselves: "A NOP certified tea is not necessarily higher quality or more nutritious. It simply differs from the conventionally produced food in the way it is grown, handled and processed." ============================== Location is more important than certification? ============================== Although organic certified farms do not use pesticides, they can contain contaminants. This is because the USDA doesn't include chemical testing of environmental pollutants. This is an important issue to consider. Personally, I regard the risk of heavy metals contaminations to be far more significant than pesticides. I wouldn't want to drink from tea plants growing in the roadside. They may be polluted by leads spewed out by cars and trucks. As you see later, if I have to choose between an organic certified tea leaves and another uncertified tea buds grown in the high altitude, I will happily go for the latter. ================================ Three ways tea buds offer automatic protections. ================================ When you buy green tea buds harvested early spring, plucked from prime locations in high mountain, you are protected in three ways: 1. The highest grade tea buds (especially AAA grades) are harvested the first 5 days of the season. Mother nature is still waking up to spring. Pesticides are not needed because few pests exist in the first crack of spring. 2. These tea buds are so fresh and young. Only a few days old, they have little time to absorb contaminants from the environments. (Also, it is well established that these young tea buds contain the greatest concentrations of goodness. The rich cocktails of compounds (such as theanine, antioxidants and caffeine) translate to maximum health benefits and taste.) 3. In the foggy high mountain, tea plants grow slowly. In China, they are only harvested once a year. The combination of rich soil and low yield means that fertilizers are often not needed. ============= Pre-industrial magic ============= When you buy an organic green tea, you are buying a peace of mind, and a minimum standard of farming. This is fine, and I will probably do the same in the absence of anything better. However, what many people miss is that the highest grade tea from China is the culmination of 1,200 years of imperial luxury. Tea is a special beverage. You can't really cut corners without ruining the taste and experience. In the best tea gardens. tea plants are harvested for only 6 weeks a year. Hands are still preferable to machines for harvesting and roasting. We thought the organic label gives us a superior product, but forget that the traditional ways are still alive and breathing. Natural, and better than organic. ============= Taste and nutrition ============= The only way to understand this is to taste a cup of real tea - one that looks good, tastes good and feels good. Take time to learn to appreciate it. Tea nutrition such as theanine, antioxidants and caffeine not only contain health benefits, they also contribute to the tastes and flavors. Theanine is sweet and fresh. Antioxidants are astringent. Caffeine is bitter. This is why rich-tasting teas contain the most health benefits. In the last newsletter, I recommend beginners starting out "at the bottom of the ladder" with the Maofeng green tea (at $6) or Silver Needle white tea (at $14). Coincidently, these two teas have been certified organic. I hope this helps? Any thoughts on this matter? Reply to this email! Until next time. --- Julian Tai

Its a tonic in my book. Tastes damn good too. I'll throw some vanilla ice cream on top of it to add a little protein!! Here's an article on health benefits- Vitamins, Minerals and More Contribute to the Health Benefits A friend of mine from Ireland told me that when he donated blood in Dublin, they actually gave him a glass of Guiness stout afterwards. It turns out that Guiness has a high level of iron. Nice excuse to go have a pint o'Guiness, right? "Beer has similar health benefits to wine. It helps to promote blood vessel dilation, sleep, and urination (no kidding). It contains a similar amount of 'polyphenols' (antioxidants) to red wine and four to five times as many polyphenols as white wine."1 "For men, up to two beers a day will lower chances of stroke, heart and vascular disease. For women, although older studies show that one glass of alcohol per day is beneficial, a more liver-friendly choice is one drink every other day. Stroke is the leading cause of serious, long-term disabilities and the third leading cause of death in the U.S."2 "Many nutrients and vitamins in beer survive the fermentation and filtering process. Beer contains fair amounts of Vitamin B, B2 and B6. B6 prevents the build-up of homocysteine, an amino acid that has been linked to heart disease. It also contains good amounts of silicon, magnesium, selenium, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and trace elements."3 Unfiltered beer (like Magic Hat Circus) has been to shown to have even higher amounts of nutrients. Beer contains hops. "Clinical use of the alcoholic hop extracts in different dosage forms has also been used by doctors in the People's Republic of China in treating different forms of diseases such as leprosy, as well as problems like pulmonary tuberculosis and acute bacterial dysentery with varying results. The presence of a couple of anti-bacterial bitter acids, called lupulon and humulon in the herb are known to kill certain strains of Gram positive and acid-fast bacteria, like the staphylococcus strain. The infections from staphylococcus is evident in cases of suppurating wounds, runny sores, abscesses, and some types of boils as well as osteomyelitis - which is the presence of inflammation in the bone marrow of people."

I've had wasp's nest problems. Both times the nests was small and I didn't see many wasps so I was able to wait til winter to remove them. I protected myself w/ goggles and gloves, but none came out. Put'em in a plastic bag and then the garbage. Hmnn, maybe a Perfecter Being would capture it in winter and put in a secluded forest spot for the spring; I am not that man. Seriously- If its a large nest and they're active it can get serious. Step or swat one and they may release an attack pheromone, very bad news. You may want to call in a professional. Or..(*note- taking advice from internet personages may cause irrevocable damage and pain) I've heard you can buy sprays for taking them out. Shoot it at the nest during the night, preferably a cool one when they're relatively inactive. Have protection on and run inside immediately, without delay. Observe and repeat 15 minutes later, again spray & run. Goggles, gloves thick clothing are good to wear. Be aware falling wasps will sting on the way down so stay clear. What am I writing?? Buy the spray follow the directions. BE CAREFUL GOOD LUCK

U the man, Sean.