doc benway

Some simple suggestions that may help if you are interested in getting a sense of the mind’s nature. Rest more and do less - body, speech, and mind. Instead of reaching for the phone or keyboard, take a few minutes to simply be. See what you see, hear what you hear, but just let it be as it is. Less analysis, planning, and reflecting, and more spending time in the present moment with your senses fully open, no matter what you are doing (provided it’s safe, of course). Whenever you notice yourself narrating your experience or engaging with thoughts, plans, or memories, simply notice that tendency and let all effort at participation or suppression dissolve. Feel and connect with the stillness that is always there, behind the movement of the body. Connect with silence, rather than sound and stories. Feel and connect with the openness and spaciousness of the heart and mind, rather than engaging with the contents, emotion and thought. This is the direction to go in to get a taste of the mind’s essence.

“this whole thing about losing the ego. About losing the self. It’s not about losing anything really. it just comes in totally free. It’s a blank canvas that you can paint anyway you want.” ~ Bill Kreutzmann

I'm not completely clear on what you're trying to say. When you refer to "fully embracing this very personal and limited experience," are you referring to our mundane life experience in general, to the experiences of awakening in and beyond meditation, or to all of the above, or to something else? When you say "instead of trying to escape" do you mean that spiritual practice is an escape from mundane life experience or am I misinterpreting you? I would like to respond but I want to be accurate. Thanks

My answer would be yes and no. Yes because, if we assume the objective of spiritual traditions is to guide people to explore their own nature and the nature of reality, this seems to be a common objective. Presumably they are encouraging us to explore the same territory, ultimate reality. But... No because no tradition, no concept, no paradigm can capture the essence of what we are, the "truth." So when spiritual traditions give answers and explanations about "truth" they are necessarily always missing the mark; perhaps some get closer than others but none can fully capture or explain reality, only offer descriptions and approximations of varying accuracy. Each tradition is different insofar as they re using different languages and practices because that is all they are, that is all they have to offer. The "truth" you are looking for, that which traditions are attempting to indicate, is not the map, not the menu, and there is no tangible or formulable construct that is "it." Furthermore, when we have deeper experiences and understandings of "truth," what we are experiencing is unique to us as individuals insofar as our experience is that of loosening and releasing boundaries and obstacles to a fuller and deeper experience of "truth." As long as we are alive and inhabiting our particular set of sensory organs and human vehicle, we will always experience the "truth" through our particular individual lens, even when we get a glimpse of something far more pervasive and profound than this limited body, mind, and spirit. So it's not quite accurate to say it is the same among traditions or individuals. In the tradition I follow, "it" or "absolute truth" is un-imputable, unbounded, not subject to categorization or definition of any kind. The closest we can come to an "understanding" is the very personal and individual experience of the unfabricated nature of our own being but as soon as we think we get it, categorize, or name it, we've already deviated and fabricated something that is artificial. In the deepest, purest experience of the nature or essence of truth, we are still present to some degree, whether it is the sensation of the cushion, the breath, the visual field, there is always at least an atom of something personal and human present. If you think otherwise, that is just another thought, in my opinion. It is a really interesting area of discovery during meditation. Oneness would not be an acceptable answer for truth because, at least according to Advaita Vedanta, Bön and Buddhist praxis and theory, it can be relatively easily disproven as the absolute mode of being. If oneness was the true mode of existence, once one person became enlightened everyone else would be instantaneously enlightened as well. At least that's one of the arguments against oneness as the ultimate "truth." If we are "one" then having an experience of that would give me access to the thoughts and feelings of everyone else who had made similar contact. Clearly that is not the case. This is one reason why the word non-dual is often used in place of oneness. The other reason is that the concept of oneness has a degree of inherent limitation and that which is "truth" is generally considered to be without any limitation whatsoever. The experiences that give rise to the sense of oneness or nonduality as the abiding mode of being feel the way they do because we, as limited beings, are experiencing a release of some aspect of that very limitation, a transcendence of that particular obstacle to a fuller and more pervasive sense of our selves. This can be very profound, ecstatic, even destabilizing or deeply disturbing for some. Different individuals experience such transcendence in different ways because what we are experiencing is not "it" but simply the release of our unique and personal obstacles, our boundaries, that prevent us from being closer and closer to "it." Not sure if any of that makes sense but it's fun to chat about "it" once in a while.

I was not aware there have been so many deaths linked to Hof's teachings. Also had no idea about his personal demons. When I learned tummo, it was taught in a very cautious manner with all participants being closely monitored by several monks throughout the retreat. I always felt Hof was a bit careless with the way he presented these teachings to the general public. They can have profound physiological effects and not everyone is suited to the practice.

I have a close friend in Asheville. He and his family are OK. They have shelter but no power or water. The area is devastated.

I think ignorance on these subjects is arguably a great strength! There is nothing that detracts from and obstructs experiential practice like intellectual labeling and analysis. Feel what you feel, pay close attention to that, and trust in it! Connecting to our Mother Earth has great potential for developing qualities of many kinds. Label them this or that if you must, it helps communication, but keep practicing, be fully open to your authentic experience, and trust in it.

I'll offer an alternative perspective. I think there can be great value in commentary, particularly when someone is reading a translation of an ancient work coming from an unfamiliar culture and society. While the core text of the DDJ certainly is approachable and can potentially speak to anyone at any given time, I also think it is deeper than what any one of us can fathom. Some of the depth and breadth of the text can be limited by not having a clear or even rudimentary understanding of the cultural and societal context. I am currently involved in a group, slow read of a long, classic historical novel reading one chapter a day. There is public discussion and commentary going on for each chapter. While this is a historical novel and not the Dao De Jing, it certainly is pervaded by philosophical and spiritual ideas. In fact, the author was involved in translating the Dao De Jing into his native language and it shows throughout the writing. I find that I am getting a far deeper and broader appreciation and understanding of the story and the author as a result of seeing how others interpret the readings. Many things come up that I would never have considered myself. People from the author's country of origin and those more familiar with the historical context have revealed a different view of actions and characters. So while I think there is great value in studying the ancient classics on our own and interpreting the original, if we speak the language, or our preferred translation, I would not personally disregard commentaries out of hand. I do think it is important not to attach too much importance or authority to a commentary but I also feel it is equally important to not attach too much importance and authority to any writings, even the core classics. Each of us needs different and unique things at different times along our paths. It can be an obstacle to get too hung up on any particular writing, even something as amazing as the DDJ, if it is not speaking clearly to us. At times I find it important to simply. step away and remain open to the possibility that the work will make more sense when I am ready to see the meaning and revisit it in the future.

It's a small world. Gamel and I trained together in Shorinjiryu karate under Kaicho Watanabe Shunji in the 1990's. This was before he discovered Wing Chun and after I'd left Wing Chun so we never crossed paths in the Wing Chun kwoon. He was a state trooper at the time and a powerful dude and knocked me on my ass and halfway across the dojo on more than one occasion! His timing was impeccable and he had a long range. I was only able to score on him by getting in close but it was hazardous! I'm also from Grandmaster Cheung's lineage. My teacher was John Clayton. When I was in his school I was one of very few people who had a car, so I was recruited to pick up Grandmaster Cheung from the train station or airport when he'd visit for seminars. I had the good fortune to get to know him a bit and train with him - what a powerful martial artist he was! He loved ribs and greens and sweet potato pie and we'd have to take him to one particular barbecue joint in North Ave in Baltimore. It was one of the few times I felt safe hanging out on North Ave - it was a rough area in those days. Doing chi sao with GM Cheung was a revelation and listening to his stories about training with Yip Man and Bruce Lee was really inspiring, I was totally star struck. I still have the mook jong I bought from him in the 1980's though I don't train with it lately. ... Now I'm feeling inspired to set it up again! This post is bringing back some wonderful memories, thank you! I'd be interested too if anyone comes across these. I have GM Cheung's book and my notes from training with Master Clayton but never heard of this teaching. I haven't trained with my teacher for over 30 years but I still practice Sil Lim Tao regularly

Is this beautiful to you? If not, what is?

Sure, what makes you think “all the systems do Fajin the same way?” In my experience, while there are definitely important similarities, different systems emphasize different training methods and techniques which lead to different expressions of fajin.

I guess you are not very familiar with xingyiquan. Each technique has a name and an association with one of the five elements or twelve animals…

I guess all of the punches in the solo forms and 2 person sets are simply training tools and we’re not allowed to use those in a fight. Interesting point of view.

This means it is not unique to taijiquan.. at least that is how I use the word unique.

Agreed, we just need to practice really, not worry so much about the theory, whether it be ATP or force vectors. But in some sense we do need to understand how it is acquired (eg how to practice properly) and how to explain it (the practice). This is why I don't think it's necessary to worry about magic. We do the practice, we see the effects. It does not violate any laws of physics although sometimes it can be shockingly effective. More often than not that is a consequence of the perfection of timing, targeting, and taking advantage of the opponent's vulnerability. I once had a student ask me to demonstrate fajin after class. I did ji at maybe 25% of what I thought would be full power and knocked him back about six feet onto his back. I hit him harder than I expected although he was fine and really appreciated the experience. Part of it was that I was on the spot in front of a class - that gets the juices flowing... Feeling it is critical to learning what it's really all about and what direction to take your training. One method my teacher recommended is to line the walls of a small room with mattresses and practice on each other.