Apech

Ah thanks - might buy it - looks good.

I've been doing these ... soon I will have a body like hers ... well not exactly ...

Thanks - those lunges will be the death of me!

No, which book is that (I should probably know but I'll ask anyway). I think my right hip is probably an old old problem. When I was 11 I broke my thigh bone and was in traction for 6-8 weeks. I don't think it was set with proper alignment and so I have had knee and hip probs on that side since. Also I used to do Aikido and I had a tendency to stress the right side too much which ended up in a bad knee problem which has not gone away.

Well been doing stretches for a few days now and my posture is improving but have realised that my problem is not so much my dodgy knee or my fused L5 but my right hip which lacks flexibility. It feels oddly like its too strong if you see what I mean. Any good stretches for hips? Nowhere near full lotus BTW can't get my right knee on the floor but its not brushing against my ear any more (ha ha). The year long gong continues!!!

Clearly I don't know you or your circumstances but these things are like a feedback loop. Its all about feeling ... if you feel good about yourself then people will tend to feel good about you ... ( I know this sounds like a cliche but its true).

If enlightenment = realizing the true nature of reality ... then how can there be more than one form of enlightenment? This is just a question BTW

hello I just go to the etymology of these words ... consciousness = 'with' 'knowing' ... that which allows knowing to occur ... maybe? awareness = similar to consciousness but with the sense of alertness for danger ... think of the word 'wary' which has the same root. universe = Lat. 'one' 'turn' meaning everything within the cycle of existence. so universal consciousness would mean something like that which is everywhere and allows everything to be known. If you were religious you would mean the omniscience of God ... I think this may be Tao as mother of the ten thousand things - better ask a proper Tao scholar.

If you look at male and female as pure polarities (like + and - electric charge) as distinct to human genders, then we are all a ratio or proportion male and female. If you crave a feminine presence then your body is telling you that it wants to balance. Because you are slightly out of balance - especially if you feel unhappy. The best thing, since bodies are very wise, is to give it what it feels it needs. It would be theoretically possible to achieve this balance with inner alchemy but quite difficult. I think you need to go and be in the presence of women that you like. I don't mean sex - I mean genuine warmth, conversation and so on. If you want kundalini arousal and so on - then the world can be a great teacher. If you interact with it with the right heart + spirit then it can provide a kind of wholeness in practice that is difficult in isolation. These are my thoughts on reading your posts. Do with them as you see fit.

congratulations

Depends what you mean by eternal ... there's two versions. Eternal as in a infinitely long period of time ... or eternity as in stepping out of time in an instant ... to quote William Blake: If immortal means a physical body that never dies - I don't believe in that because all physical things are subject to entropy ... eventually they decompose ... its natural and in accordance with Tao.

I know a few so I'll put in a word for you. I'm not telling what I'll say though.

That's not really immortality unless the minds in which they live go on forever. But it is a common belief - indeed there is an Ancient Egyptian story called "The Shipwrecked Sailor" where the hero of the story who has been marooned on an island and is saved by a god in the form of a huge serpent, asks the serpent what he can do for him .... the god says "make my name remembered" ... so even the gods care about this... being remembered for ever. And since people still read and study the story I suppose it has worked. To me immortality is about relating to that which is eternal. In any non-dualist system there is the individual and the infinite, like the atman and the brahman - if you realise that these two are not different then in a sense you become as immortal as the absolute ...

Developing faith is a long term thing - you can't just do it if you don't currently have faith. Just think about balance and well being. Tonics? etc. why not go back to the 'good Chinese doctor'? Should see a western doctor if worried about health. Focus on low weight may be wrong - different people have different optimum weight/metabolism. Moderate exercise always a good idea - for everyone. Wuji or sitting formless meditation sounds good (cos it is for everyone). Is it too late? No don't be silly. You are just compounding your worries. I wouldn't even worry that much about nocturnal emission (at 30) ... its not great and shows an imbalance but you are not alone - most people are in some kind of bad way these days (or a lot anyway). You have a son and therefore plenty to live for. I think you should give yourself some treats - things you like - reward yourself a little. Also talk to someone. Cheers John

That makes you flawless!

It's chapter 71 of TTC.

Hi Mibale, Thanks for that incredibly helpful reply. The source of the metu info comes from two papyri - the Ebers Papyrus dated to 1534 BC and Edwin Smith Papyrus 1550 BC - there are also some older ones going back to about 1800 BC. However it is fairly certain that this knowledge is copied from older complete works which have been lost in antiquity. I would say from the knowledge of Egyptian Religion that the main period of formulation would have been in the Old Kingdom (2686 - 2181 BC). Also the Egyptologists say that many parts of the Edwin Smith were first written in this period - also at least half of the known doctors that have been named are from this period ... this is the pyramid building age. This is also the time that the Egyptians started to write down what they knew. The actual knowledge is probably far older of course. Because we do not have the main books of the Egyptians there are no maps or diagrams of the metu. I am sure they existed but they have been lost for centuries - prob since the burning the library at Alexandria. My approach in studying all this is to take what is known factually as a base and then use intuition/insight or comparison to other systems to make predictions which can be verified in some way. The problem for most main stream Egyptologists is that they probably don't know about the meridians and also probably wouldn't find them credible if they did because they do not practice cultivation. As regards the 'ending' of the metu in the anus - I am wondering about the muladhara chakra ... or perhaps the perineum is meant. Maybe when they say 'end' - and I'll have to check the actual word but maybe this is seen as a nexus point like the heart. Anyway - any more thoughts would be great. Cheers John

Hi and welcome.

Hi and welcome.

I don't think we should focus on the 'pain' and the dark nights - but I think they are not only inevitable but necessary. A lot of what we do is about crossing boundaries and thresholds - liminal spaces as they are sometimes called. Crossing these is difficult because a) there is a natural boundary set up by energy and b ) you have to learn a whole new skill/way of perceiving or being each time. The natural boundary is set up to make the world a stable experience. That is energy which is naturally wholly creative and fluid allows stable conditions when it precipitates bodies. Otherwise we would have to deal with a chaotic world and also our minds would be dazzled. So the boundaries are protective. But when they are reinforced by habit and conditioning they become inert and difficult to cross. There are lots of images for this depending on the system - but fog, dangerous water and deserts come to mind. But if we do the work ... work through the physical and emotionally painful times we can cross the boundaries and begin to see new vistas and we become wiser and wiser.

A warm welcome to you!

Yes, so life is the inter-function of yin and yang, while death is separation. (?)

Yes I said I took your point.

Hi

There's a nuance between being powerful and describing your self/system as powerful for marketing purposes (but I take your point). "Then, all of a sudden (perhaps 40 year period?)" This I like! sudden=40years ... a good perspective. In the old days people would train for a lifetime giving up everything (including family fortunes) for teachings - nowadays people want instant results for a cheap cut down price.