Encephalon

You might want to consider doing a little research on your own before soliciting the help of others. The available info on line is too vast to measure.

Just about anything by David Loy is essential reading, IMHO, but his "Nonduality: A Study in Comparative Philosophy" is extraordinary. http://www.amazon.com/David-Loy/e/B001HP5E...t_athr_dp_pel_1 For a brief intro to his ideas, check out "Money, Sex, War, Karma."

Why, of course it exists. They pour it into the municipal water supply.

I recently came across some info that corroborated my perceptions that the MO really gets bogged down in the upper cycle between your cervical spine and your tongue. I may have had a breakthrough, but it's v e r y slow and the sensation of feeling your chi pass from the roof of your mouth and down into the tongue was almost like a slow numbing, 9 volt battery kind of charge. It then creeps down through the throat - sternum and finally back to the dan tien. I'm going to have to thank Gary Clyman for this. The instruction accelerated everything. Anyone care to corroborate or not?

On a more technical note: I remember Clyman had said that the conventional method of using the microcosmic orbit was not the best method of practice and that he recommended going up the spine, to the crown, and then back down again through the inside of the spine (I think), rather than to the tongue and down the conception vessel. He said (and demonstrated) the results of such a practice as manifesting through an intense, visible quaking of the entire body from the qi. You are absolutely right. I missed Clyman's point on this. This is the hazard of exposing yourself to multiple sources of information. Surveying what's out there is important, but you can't make a soup of the teachings. I was reading M. Chia's material on the MO and unwittingly held on to this technique when I started Cylman's instructions. I definitely think DVDs play and important role, but I think it prudent, personally, to be aware of inadvertant chi problems. I read about them in the literature; people who acquire a significant level of chi flow and end up sending it in the wrong directions, in the absence of competent guidance. I suppose excessive solar plexus work is quite common amongst men and may erupt in a lot of misplaced heat. Have you heard of any physical symptoms associated with errant/mishandled chi?

Gary Clyman's reputation is well-earned, I understand; abrasive, egotistical, unrefined. Maybe my age is permitting me to put things in perspective (I'm almost 50), but I don't seem to be bothered by that as much as unabashed, mindless violence. Clyman doesn't go there. I've met people all over the world who, because of different patterns of environmental conditioning and genetic predisposition, come off loud and boisterous, but when I've been around them long enough, I can appreciate qualities of exuberance that were not visible before, i.e., having to share barracks with people from New York! I am also painfully aware of how much of an ass I have been over the years, and yet I still manage to have friends and family who love me. It seems to me that beneath every good man is a scoundrel who finally got it and evolved. I only have the advantage of Clyman's books and dvds, and they have simplified so much technique with regard to breathing and Microcosmic Orbit material that I was able to have a dramatic MO experience with relatively little time. I was practicing Master Chu's Nei Kung regularly for two years before I started with Clyman, and I'm in awfully good shape as a personal trainer. I have met people who are extraordinarily proficient at what they do and they often have little time for people who make light of subject matter. "Short Jewish kid from Chicago" with an attitude; somehow that just doesn't astonish me that much, and I can detect his sense of humor beneath all the attitude. My guess is, the sum total of what he contributes to the world in terms of easily understood, efficacious, demystified chi harnessing is vastly greater than the negativity that he ultimately brings with his ego. So I don't hold it against him that some think he's a dick. Because I've been one too, big time. I am grateful that his info enabled me to sense the upward flow of the MO and the challenges of completing the circuit. If I win MegaMillions Lottery tomorrow, I'm booking a flight for Chicago on Wednesday. Regards to you all. Your posts and career achievements are thoughtful and seasoned. I can offer no real impressions that would contribute to your understanding of Mr. Clyman. I would be grateful if you hear of any teaching gigs in a semi-rural area, however! Geography's my game.

What a great subject. I haven't been in here in a while but this is too good to pass up. I finally finished my master's thesis this week. It may help. It's a social science degree, sought after when the prospect of making a living teaching was still viable. I'm deleriously happy that college is over for me, even though I loved most of it and always had terrific classmates. However... As you may know already, consumer culture is over. Most of us don't know it yet, but the smart Taoists in here are probably up to speed. The economy will only continue to contract, unemployment will continue to go up, and the public treasury will continue to be looted. The wealth of the nation will continue to be harvested from the American working class until the harvesters move on, or collapse like everyone else. It is the Post-Oil scenario; I encourage you to bone up on that instead of taking my word for it. The survivors will join Transition Towns. http://transitionculture.org/ Scan yourself deeply and honestly for your own attributes that would be of service in a post-oil environment. Isolate your gifts and work like hell to turn those gifts into skills. Taoists were natural survivalists (without all the weird baggage of contemporary survivalists). Food production will be the single most important industry probably by 2020, but if you can do anything that doesn't require a working electrical socket, by all means, learn it well. Animal husbandry, medical skills, appropriate technology, small scale electricity generation, alternative architecture/construction. The key theme: become as useful as you can to yourself and others, and your life will be vastly more meaningful than "getting a job after college" (if you can find one). With a master's in geography, I can pretty much tell you what the BIG themes are with my home planet, and I could possibly even tell you what chi is and what the story is with human beings. But, I'm going back to my medical stuff. The nei kung and pranic healing is just too friggin' awesome. If things work out I may go to nursing school, or opt for Chinese Medicine, But enough about me. Stay in college if your soul knows that you must at acquire the basic Taoist virtue of delaying gratification and bringing big personal achievements to fruition. If you're looking for an excuse to bail, then first consider your subject matter with an eye for amending it. At least learn how to speak, write, read, and compute well. But if you're already literate and numerate with half a brain, read The Long Emergency, by James Kunstler and ask yourself how you would navigate through such a future. Transition Towns are springing up all over the world, mostly in the UK, and if you acquire the means to be a productive member of one of them, you will be the 21st century Taoist, rooted in your community, the scholar/warrior. Anything you can learn NOW to improve your chances, in leiu of college, would be worth it. I attempted to draw important parallels between traditional Taoist communities and contemporary ecologically-based, off-the-grid type intentional communities, but the subject didn't resonate here very well. I would like to think that contemporary Buddhists and Taoists will be the vanguard into a new era of sustainability, but it just could be my imagination amusing itself. Hope this helps.

I would generally seek out the advice of a physician of TCM but as I am not drawing a paycheck at this time, I thought of ya'll. My hands started vibrating a great deal yesterday, and out of curiosity I held my palms to my face and experienced a lot of heat. My girlfriend felt the same thing, without betraying any info to her. It is now fairly steady in my torso and face, and is available in my palms with only a slight preparation and a few breaths. I suppose this is excessive yang energy. In lieu of treatment, do I begin consuming yin foods to correct the imbalance, or do I just go with it? Any personal experience, advice? Thanks in advance. PS - two years of Chu Nei Kung practice

You might want to evaluate your reasons for meditating in the first place. The fact that the benefits have been known to millions for thousands of years does not necessarily mean that it's right for you at this time. The long list of things it is not doing for you may be a sign that you are placing too many specific expectations on the process, which could leave you wide open to disappointment and frustration when your desired results do not come to fruition. Picking a more physically-based practice is probably the best advice given in here. Using your mind to change your mind calls for super-human feats of concentration and discipline. Using your body to change your mind is the advice given by yogis and tai chi adepts for thousands of years because it works. If your spirit is still too restless to find the patience with either of these modalities, then take the rest of 2009 and work out three days a week. Seek out the best strength training regimen you can (I'm a trainer - I can offer some advice in that area). Strength is the father of all other fitness criteria, but most importantly, when you are strong, your body can experience a deeply relaxed state, and soon your mind will too. Good luck.

Yes they are. Do you have personal experience with this routine? I'd still like to know the story behind the names.

How much time and $$ are you budgeting for classes/instruction? Classes average anywhere from 10-15 dollars in LA, so you're looking at $200/mo, conceivably. I found it practical to use dvds at home until I was ready to pay for personal instruction in the intermediate classes. Rodney Yee, Baron Baptiste, there's a bunch of good beginning ones. If you're in decent shape already and can handle a lot of upper body work, check out "Inhale" every morning at 6am PST on the Oxygen network. The music is kind of a drag, but it's a fun routine, and free. If you're already doing any kind of energy work, then Kundalini yoga can expedite the process. The "Kundalini Yoga with Gurmukh" dvd feels awesome. "I would recommend getting some teaching from a live teacher. You can then practice on your own at home, but you will do so with a correct foundation." This is really good advice too, at least a couple of times in the beginning. A good teacher can adjust your posture ever so slightly and your body/mind will just blossom.

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Well said. My writings are bleeding all over the place these days. My apologies to the Forum.

I can't wait for it to all come crashing down. Marijuana is too expensive now and there are no good shows on television. It's hopeless. It's mighty cool that we have an umimpeachable news source within the Kremlin. We should let Langley know ASAP.

I'd have to say that any written matter positively associated with Uri Geller doesn't serve the purpose of clear thinking, much less enlightened reasoning. His foolishness and deceipt were laid bare decades ago. Mishlove's tv show "Thinking Allowed" had some pretty interesting episodes - his time with Huston Smith was terrific, but he's no critical thinker, and regularly fails to demonstrate the capacity to recognize where verifiability and falsifiability begin and end. I believe it was the American Heretic's Dictionary that said "metaphysics is for people too lazy to study physics." There is so much to learn about the sensate world, including our inner world, that we are obliged to ask ourselves why we entertain so much that lies beyond the realm of the knowable. In my case it was because it was fun. But it was also easy. Sorry to be a wet blanket.

My, my, my... The Buddha was badgered with questions on this subject. "Is there life after death? Can we acquire paranormal abilities? Do you have magic powers?" His response was always and unequivocally the same - "It's not important." It had nothing to do with the far more important task at hand, which was working out your own salvation. I've been a student of Buddhism for over thirty years. I've been a louzy Buddhist for the same time, but I definitely define myself as leaning toward Taoism. It would be fun to go back to college and get a BA in Chinese religions. Taoism definitely seems to avail itself to folks who are in search of the miraculous, since so much of the teachings are shrouded in mystery and occult-like phenomena. THIS IS NOT THE POINT! Author Meng Deng-Dao "Warrior/Scholar" and "365 Tao" says that the union of body and mind is as important to a spiritual life as the redemption of the soul is for Christians. If you did nothing more than go on that advice you'd have enough to keep you busy for the rest of your life, wihtout diverting yourself with chi tricks. Once the ego gets invested in the process, you've failed yourself, disparaged the teachings, and missed the point entirely. Get strong. Get healthy. Be peaceful. Help others.

My neighbor gave me his inversion table when he moved. I love it, but would any of you advanced chi-flow folks consider specific usage, i.e., before nei kung, after, am or pm, east or west? Another technique that Frantzis recommends is flushing out stagnant chi by rising up on the balls of your feet and coming down onto your heels with a thud, three times. Seems to feel good, at least.

Different needs call for different meditation styles/techniques. Zazen, vipassana, Taoist... they all serve vital functions. If you've come from a typically dysfunctional American family (as I did) you may have all kinds of self worth and shaming issues to work on. It took me half a lifetime to realize just how deep my shamed-based inner scripts were. So if you've got a boatload of emotional baggage, an appropriate meditation for a year or so would be reciting chakra affirmations in sync with your breath. A 30 minute meditation, seven chakras, ten repititions each, adds up to thousands of positive reinforcements a week. This cannot help but have a positive, demonstrable effect. There are models on line, and you can fine tune them as they start to work. There are a lot of chakra affirmations related to the specific issues of relaxation and concentration that you listed. Relaxation is an absolute must before the rest of the work can take effect. Perhaps this isn't the advice you're soliciting, but there are millions who skip this essential step, and go straight to the "spiritual" stuff, without healing deep wounds. Chi kung, tai chi, nei kung, etc. will eventually soak your bloodstream in hormones that create positive mental states, but some of us need all the help we can get. If you've got any issues at all with addictions, affirmation/breath work is a must. Hope this helps.

I was a critical thinking junkie as an undergrad years ago up at Sonoma State University - http://www.criticalthinking.org/ I volunteered at these conferences every summer in order to get in for free. One particularly informative session was "Does critical thinking presuppose a political viewpoint?" If you laid out the political spectrum from end to end, could you plot critical thinking on one spot or another, on many spots...? The most approximate conclusion we could make is that critical thinking is inherently subversive to hierarchical, authoritarian power systems. This did not fly well among those who were inclined to sit on "the right side of the aisle," or subscribe to a top-down moral order. I have inadvertantly raised this potentially ugly subject by posting a link that impugns those who are politically or socially opposed to a single-payer health care system in America, modelled on those that exist throughout Europe and other industrial countries. A good question to ask is "Why did I post this in a forum for Taoism?" But since my interests in Taoism include health care, I thought nothing of it. Most of my understanding of Taoist philosphy comes from the writings of of deng MIng-Dao, especially "Scholar/Warrior" and "365 Tao." Taoism resonates with me because I recognize critical thinking and anti-authoritarianism within Taoism. But my degree is in geography, not Chinese philosophy. What'ya think?