thelerner

Do we need suffering to bring on happiness? Seems to me if we can appreciate 'better than normal' we're in a happier state. It's not remembering terrible times and comparing them to now that brings me happiness, except for when I'm in a bitching mood. It's appreciating the little things, sun, walk, people I'm with.. appreciating them and then forgetting them and being in the somewhat normal experience.

Karma yoga. Being a volunteer and helping others. Getting involved in a charity that requires weekly presence, could be food pantry, building houses, lawn work for the elderly, delivering food to shut ins etc.. There might be some sacred spot, temple church graveyard etc., that might need volunteers. In a world of me me me, committing to helping others can get you out of that mindset. In the world of meditation there's Buddhist Metta meditations on accepting and sending love and acceptance. On the extreme of that is a Tibetan form like Chod - https://www.lionsroar.com/how-to-practice-feeding-your-demons/ In youtube you can find a guided meditation for the unusual practice.

Cross legged, when I'm good I sit in half lotus. On a zafu (cushion) and these days its nice to have a folded blanket under me for my knees. After 15, 20 minutes my lower back will sag an inch or so, almost imperceptibly but it shows a lack of awareness and energetically might be poor. I did 13 years of shin shin toitsu Ki Aikido and we'd have hourly Ki classes that included breathing and meditation. It'd be that sensei who'd often correct my posture over the years. As well as try to push me over while meditating but that's an Aikido thing. I'm also influenced by zen sitting. Got much out of Stillness Movement qigong, they allow a slight rocking motion from the waist that allows for longer more comfortable sitting. They also have the hands resting on the body at the dan-tien, which I like. These days I keep my hands cradled under my shirt. I assume lay people like myself have quite a bit more slack when it comes to proper monastery rules. The rules for guys doing 4 to 8 hours of meditation a day, every day are going to be different then the householder.

Never heard that. In the traditions I've been involved with beginners can use back support but as you progress, sitting without back support is encouraged. Sitting for longer periods my sensei would often correct me for 'slouching' my lower back. Something I often auto-correct these days. I've found when I take my blood pressure sitting w/ a slight crouch raises my numbers a bit, where staying relaxed but straighter gives me lower blood pressure.

I'd be interested in an extrapolation of size of craft. If it showed up on the plane's radar you'd have distance and should be able to put together an educated guess on how large and some more details.

What is your favorite fairy tale, and why? Tell me about a memorable time at a restaurant. Which place and why? What scares you? What do you think I have in my left pocket? What's the difference between angels and aliens? If you were a movie star, which movie would you want to be in? What is your favorite ride in the playground? Tell me about a time you stupidly hurt yourself. What is an underrated sexual move?

Thing is, with extraordinary claims one needs extraordinary proof. So, while these could be true, until I see extraordinary proof, I don't invest much time or thought into these.

kayak

Crazy begets crazy. It's an infection easy to catch especially when things get hot. The worst symptoms are mouth flappin and fingers twitching foolishly, nastily; trying to win a prize that doesn't exist. Time, tolerance and forgiveness are cures, as is planting and replanting the simple seeds of friendship. The site is too big and too good for 'isms.

In the deepest arts the written instructions are incomplete, that's the way they are meant to be. To go deeper requires instruction from a living legacy teacher. (Looking at you, Golden Flower) Enlightenment is more about subtraction then addition. Your way is not the best way, get over it. Infatuation and obsession are obnoxious but necessary steps (to take and leave behind) to achieve greatness in a field. Consistent super powers are for comic books.

I'm reminded of quote from a Cher movie called Moonstruck. It was something like.. the man is the head but the woman is the neck. Or in this case, the emperor makes the decision but his advisors feed and spin information he gets. Sometimes the war is fought because that's the way the advisor turned the king's head. In all things we should ask, where is the bias, what is the most useful perspective?

I am all for being nice and doing good deeds; even if it's superficial, even if done just to make myself feel good**. Cause I like feeling good and there's so much need in the world. A little kindness goes a long way. Screw philosophy, cause a person in need was helped; they might smile, be relieved. They might pass it on. Beware of making promises you can't keep but if you can help someone, without too much inconvenience, do it. Do it selflessly or selfishly. Give others a hand when you can. Know your neighbors, share with them. Respect others unless and until they give you cause not to. Meditation is important, so are physical practices yet a third leg of practice is listening to Dharma talks. Learning wisdom from your tradition. Human issues really don't change, they're just covered up and justified by new types of crap. ** In college I joined Alpha Phi Omega, a co-ed service fraternity, inspired by the boy scouts. 30 hours of service was required each semester. Isn't that superficial, requiring good deeds. Yet we did them, cleaned parks, shoveling lawns.. projects that helped the community or needy individuals. And we partied, it was good.

I think it's a mistake to put all drugs in the same category, especially when it comes to addiction. They differ. Alcohol, heroine, tobacco are all very physically addictive. MJ can be psychologically addictive, but not so much physically. Drugs being used honestly in a religious ritual should be judged differently than a casual user looking for a high. When something is held as sacred with a long tradition of use, it's much less likely to be abused. A Western problem is we throw away the tradition and discipline and tend to use and abuse the drug. Good example is tobacco, sacred to many Indian tribes. We get addicted, they used it for ceremonies. The naga sadhus are an amazing group. They link marijuana to Shiva and from my limited research may smoke it daily. Yet their extreme asceticism puts them in a category imo, beyond 'dopers'. To my Western eyes they are a mix of holy and crazy. (I expect in their eyes I'd merely be crazy) It'd be fascinating to study their beliefs in depth. Long ago I read a book, I believe about this group. It didn't mention drugs but talked about a practice some of them had about pointing straight up. 24/7/365 an arm and it's finger pointed straight up, awake and asleep. The straighter the more holy. A bizarre, debilitating practice. To achieve it points to a will and persistence that's nearly superhuman. Powered by unwavering faith yet in my eyes pointless. I intuit describing my day and actions to one of them, would elicit a similar feeling of Why and Pointlessness. Which makes them valuable as a prism into human and my own life.

Look around, use the Search function. There are many good threads comparing and contrasting meditation techniques. Like a few here, I started out simple, got into increasingly esoteric energy systems and returned back to simple sitting.

Worth goals, welcome.

Welcome aboard, read, question and post

Michael Pollan's book, How to Change your Mind, has a chapter or two on the widespread practice (on the US West Coast) of psychedelic sitters (way cheaper than 60K & caveat emptor) as well as advice on how to do sit with someone. Set and setting is very important. Your odds of having a good trip are much greater if you begin with equanimity and in a safe spot. Unfortunately people take such drugs without that prerequisite. Worse they have the notion more is better. I've found psyllium mushrooms, like LSD to be powerful hypnotics. You flow strongly towards what captures your mind- conscious or unconscious. They can be powerful tools for good counselors. As Pollan says, part of their magic is they wake up the mundane. So a commonsense concept like Alcohol is bad for me, hits harder. Plus all the love and peace stuff. In the 1950s before it was closed down, mushrooms (along w/ counseling) were noted to be way more effective than other means of quitting. There were similar benefits to other shroom driven therapies. They shut down by early 60s and are now being re-discovered. But there is definitely a darkside to it. While tedious and multi-step such things can grown for $50 or so bucks. So far, they're still on the fringe. I kinda wish they were more available with counseling. Or in safe places.

I'd add aids are nice but to grow we have to get rid of them. I collect guided meditations, yoga nidras, bi-aural sounds, new age music and meditation apps. They're nice, but also crutches. They occupy the mind, give it a little something to follow. Just sitting, You vs Mind, you learn more. Facing the physical and mental itches, you can choose big or small. I used to go small. Quieting the thoughts, seeking peace. Nowadays I'm going big. I itch, I think, but I'm also above it; they run and quiet of their own accord. Instead of shutting down my senses, I honor and listen them with bright awareness.

With the right hand build alliances, with the left, quietly assassinate (or discredit) the top players on the other side. In some ways Kissinger's greatest powers grew from hosting social dinners and having an extensive Christmas card list. He was incharge of foreign students at Harvard. He was exceptional at it, gave young promising students great support, hosted them for dinners. Never forgot them. Thus his rolodex of future top business and government leaders was unparalleled. Similarly he started a self published magazine at Harvard and solicited top decision makers to write articles for it, often not knowing how small it was. Thus his correspondence and connections, 'soft power grew. Soft power.. personal connections.. little gifts and little debts.. by such things empires tilt toward rise or fall.

To conquer without fighting. In Risk, the common(sense) strategy is to defend one's borders, which necessitates dividing ones troops. instead one can hold all your troops amassed in one section. That's half the strategy. The other half is letting your opponents know that if they attack your border you'll answer with your full force against them. Cutting through them like a knife. This works particularly well in games with multiple players. Twice, Russia was successful in taking bites out of Ukraine. They had a large standing army, world leader in tanks and nuclear weapons. There threat was enough to allow walking in and taking. There's a saying though, nothing works 3 times in a row. You see it in competitive video games often; a strategy works twice, but the third, the enemy knows, is waiting and counters. Warfare is horrible and murderous, but like a bad writer, Russia forgot the rule of 3. Assumed they could win easy; practically without fighting due to overwhelming force. There bluff was called, countered. NATO and much of the world stood against them, even after threats of nuclear war. This isn't about the Russian/Ukraine conflict, as much as how we see the dynamics of Sun Tzu play out in real life.

I understand the arguments above. If everyone is clear on where the other party is at, Why we pull the thread back to the OP? The Reality Behind Cultivation/Foundation. To Tie Everything Together Is the OP our goal? To see the Oneness in all things. Isn't that the Satori experience? Our quest is to experience and stabilize it, without going too crazy according to societal standards. <it occurs to me, is and isn't are strangely interchangeable. isn't it.>

I can't tie everything together but lately I'm getting a better inkling on why so many masters have said the ordinary mind is enlightened. We're all There but don't recognize it. We see and sense the big, out there but we are attached to the small and personal. There's nothing wrong with the small intimate personal tik-tok perspective but when it's your whole world, it's limiting. Painful; little me against all, including myself.

I've heard earthquakes are even more dangerous Down Under. Greater chance of getting dislodged and falling down into the sky. Up North in the States the smoke from Canadian wild fires is pretty bad. When we go outside we carry fly swatters. A good swat and we can look forward for a bit til the smoke fills the space back up.

Find a vastness, smile and relax into it. A vastness so large the mind may still chatter but in the vastness it's small and quiet. The body can itch and belch but in the vastness it's inconsequential, fine; one re-positions or scratches. No rules, the mind thinks, the body twitches, awareness returns to the vastness. What is the vastness? It's your body and thoughts, its the noise you hear, that comes and goes. All that tweaks the senses. What your awareness is aware of. It's also the world beyond you. Resting in bright awareness you don't need to discriminate, follow or focus. Your thoughts are fine and in the vastness they'll natural lessen, you don't have to do anything. Same with the body. Except maybe keep the awareness bright, not dull, open.

Breath is foundational. Not a bad practice to work on while looking for a lineage you fit into. One of my favorites practices is from a youtube called Breathing Mantra. Dozens of 30 minute, timed breathing exercises ie breath to the sound rhythm. They have even in out, 3 way, and 4 way/box breathing. Find a style you want to work with and once it comfortable, move up. Example 5in-5hold-5 out to 7-7-7 to 9-9-9.. Breath is the connection between physical and spiritual, it certainly calms the body and mind. Here's a link, there's are places you can turn it into straight mp3s. https://www.youtube.com/@BreathingMantra