thelerner

The Rookie said what I was gonna. But I'll add, ofcourse we'd better take advice here with a grain of salt, we're strangers with various degrees of experience and hubris . There are some great people here and I think 98% mean well. I'm sure the people you accuse of Knowing it all would readily admit they don't. I read a report on media bias. Those who saw the most media bias were those at the spectrume extremes. There is an aspect of taoism where you relax smile and let the crazy world go on around you. Michael

Hurray, the 3 hours have ended and my money and property are still good Michael

Hua Na Da is right, snagging a teacher or at least an advance student is the way to improve. That said, and this being the bums, let me give you some unqualified advice . Dance it. Face each other, connect. First person strong yan movement, hips move forward, relaxed arms follow using the hips momentum. Second person absorb, rolling hips back, arms in, turning it into a circle, then they make strong yan movement, hips out followed by arms and the first person absorbs and circles it. As a warm up don't fight, but work on connection and power of the movement. The hips should move forcefully but stay within the stance. With practice you can start circling quite a bit of force and get a feel for the outer bounds of where others force becomes imbalance. Michael

Eyes to the skies. For me proof of innocence is in the first post. Look at all the chemtrails, now there's more. Well either that day most every airline is contaminated and/or in on it. Or The conditions are right to make wide spreading contrails, ie temperature and moisture. Seems to me the latter is true. Michael

I'd recommend going to one of Max's seminars and giving Kunlun a try to anyone. I find it to be a simple and powerful practice that complements the other thing I do. If it resonates great, if not, its still a trip worth being exposed to. Max has real juice and experience, not just because what I've seen, but also from what more experienced people have related from his presence. I also think he exagerates, any deep search for mysterious Kunlun monasteries, lineages and hard evidence of such is going to come up empty IMHO. I might be wrong about that, its a big world; but Kunlun practice stands on its own. Its a system of spontaneous Chi gung where You get out of the way and it does its thing or maybe allows you do your own thing at a deeper level. Michael

Was it written on paper ?

I've been diving a bit deeper into Buddhism philosophy lately. White Tiger said 'This tells you so much, if you can choose to be free from desire and Do onto others as you would have them do to you. You will pretty much (if i'm not missing anything) be treated the way you want to be treated.' I'm not sure that neccessarily follows, ie if you do good to others you will be treated nicely. Not neccessarily, no guarantees. Matter of fact there are probably examples in all of our lives where good deeds were indeed punished. That gets to the heart of virtue. Its lesser if its done for rewards. Being good may not have a reward, but be good anyway. (I have the book 'Anyway', a poem often attributed to Mother Teresa was a work by an American Author who expanded it into a book). Michael

LOL

Well, if its any consolation the rich are getting poorer too

Philosophy Shmosophy, having children (as I do) tends to, almost forces you to have hope for the future. In energetic practices (MCO) being positive is very important, without it the body tightens, energy doesn't flow well, paranoic symptoms are more likely. Still, hope is just a feeling, a nice one. I can allow it to settle on my shoulder. I have a story about a great Avurvedic physician named Govinda who claimed he would never be enlightened because as a doctor he couldn't give up hope for his patients. The thought always saddened him, but he accepted it. On his death bed, his friend and disciple Aaron whispered to him he could finally give up hope. Govinda nodded, smiled and died. Michael

Studying at the Great Wizard's Shrine ? 'Tome about Esoteric Wisdom'

Actually I often do it on the john, thats right, a toilet. Its a good height and I'm assured privacy I'll close down cross legged on a zafu pillow, sometimes a few minutes closing, then red phoenix, then back to closing. Michael

A person far wiser then me explained their vegetarianism this way. If you don't have to hurt things then don't. Thats why they were veggie. They didn't need to kill animals to live, so they didn't. I have great respect to that argument and can find no flaw in it. It rings simple and true to me. Course I'm a weak willed culturally conditioned insipid individual who eats meat cause its cheap, plentiful and fulfills carnal transient desires. Probably at the expense of my future health and spiritual level. Michael member of WWCCII since '64

Yoga and meditation can build peace and awareness, but it might be on sandy ground. Doing martial arts can help you turn the sand to stone. Giving your practice a foundation that can withstand the trepidations of every day life. You say you work to cultivate pure awareness and attention, wait til you get on the mat and face a serious punch. Better yet a serious choke. Instead of the ideas of awareness you're faced with reality of pain if you don't move correctly. The mats lesson may go deeper then the zafu's I feel the opposite is true too, the well rounded martial artist would do well to have a strong base in meditation. my two bits Michael (nidan aikido)

Happy Birthday Often when people want advice, I'll think about it then send them to your site. Michael

Its fantastic, but I wonder if its a little starry eyed. Sounds like you can learn a lot from it, but it probably won't be a balanced view. The great is trancendental, the Good is great, the so so is glossed over and any dark sides are omitted. I like a seeing all sides or maybe I just like reading the gossip. Michael

I just downloaded a free ebook (340 pages) that looks like an interesting Spiritual adventure. I found it yesterday on a site Mat Black posted. Its http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma9/merit.html , on the bottom is the ebook. Its 1977 a couple of American Buddhists are following there teacher on a northward pilgrimage up California to a monastery. They're doing it the old fashion way, begging for food and bowing deeply on hands and knees very frequently, like every few feet!! I looked through the first couple pages and found it to be pretty interesting. I got 'The Gods drink Whiskey' out of the new book section of my library last week. Great book. A Chicago area professor gets a chance to teach Buddhism in Cambodia. He's been a scholar of it for 20 years, and wants to get his hands dirty, as he says he gets them filthy. Its refreshing to see someone quoting the Buddha and saying which sutra its coming from. He knows his Buddhism, but its the conversations with drug dealers, in massage parlors, bars, his students, monks and masters.. that the writing shines, critiquing there society and ours through western eyes and from a Buddhist viewpoint. First thing he makes clear is there is no Buddhism. Its old and its schismed into many Buddhisms, many far apart from each other. He dislikes Christian missionaries and greatly dislikes magic Buddhism which he finds corrupts the authentic and at its worst leaves people superstitious and leads to death. His writing brought to my mind Mak Ti Sin's work, how MTS lives in a world of luck, spirits and spells. Michael

Thanks for the link Mat. Great ebook there (free, 340 pages). It involves a Buddhists American and old country on an 800 mile pilgrimage where you walk a little then bow deep. At times they're managing only 10 blocks a day moving slowly through California. I like the mind vs practice, philosophy vs real world problems that must be overcome. Lately I'm finding the best philsophy books aren't straight dharma discussions, but spiritual adventure tales. Currently reading 'The Gods drink Whisky', its excellent. Michael

Gabriel Roth has a Sweat Your Prayers practice of dance as sacred release. I'm sure she's on utube somewhere. I really like her Wave DVD's. Enlightened or not, don't we want to fill our lives with song and dance? Michael

An aspiring monk wanted to find a Guru. He went to a monastery and his preceptor told him: "You can stay here but we have one important rule - all students observe the vow of silence. You will be allowed to speak to me once every 12 years". After practicing silence and meditation for 12 long years, finally the student could say his one thing, and : "The bed is too hard." After another 12 years of hard silent meditation, he had the opportunity to speak again. He said: "The food is not good." Twelve more years of hard work passed. His words after 36 years of practice: "I quit." His Guru quickly answered: "Good, all you have been doing anyway is complaining."

I'm generally cautious and sceptical around those who preach and teach about virtue. Too often the word is like a long tonqued lash used to beat other people with. Maybe I see it as the answer to an old fashion riddle. Those who have it hold it as a hidden treasure. Those who don't display it as a garment and club. Stig says ' personally believe that Virtue is the rightful cornerstone of the world and that our only hope for true and lasting world peace and fortuity is a concerted effort toward virtuous livelihood.' I have trouble with the word hope too. For years I wrestled with a koan that said,"Above the doorway to enlightenment there is a sign that says 'Abandon All Hope, Ye who enter here'". So I've come to see hope as something of a two edged sword. Abandon hope, roll up your sleeves, do the work, let the universe decide. I suppose the Golden rule comes closest in Western terms to describing virtue; Do onto others as you would have them do to you. A good recipie for staying on the straight and narrow. But its been pointed out we'd like a stranger to stop and give us $100, but I don't think it would be wise to pass them out at random. Maimonides version of the rule goes like this: Do not do to others that which you would not want them to do to you. Hmnn, that solves the $100 paradox, but feels colder, civilized, but not as warming. Its late, hope I can fall asleep. whoops Michael

Hi Boaz, The man you might want read is Trunk; who posts here. He's been tackling your question for years. He has a blog AlchemicalTaoism.com (and a personnal discussion section here), that has insights into your questions. Michael

The disappearing in front of the mirror (in dim light) trick is cool. I read about it in Glenn Morris's book and was able to do it. It helps to unfocus the eyes and relax the mind. Like so many things, if you 'think' about what you're doing you come back into focus. Michael

Some times you know things by there opposite. So one question might be, 'What takes you off the path?' How far should a man go to be virtuous? How does virtue navigate us when we are faced with decisions between two wrongs? Michael

Yup.