Tokoyo Tama

I haven't gone through the thread as a whole much, but this statement seems pretty far off the line. Mostly wished to voice my opinion, and not start a debate within this thread, but to dismiss the influence of Shinto in the rape of Nanking is HUUGELY oversimplifying and is indicative of possibly grossly misunderstanding the causation of such an event. Just to put one fact out there to connect the two, Shinto and the belief that the emperor descended from amaterasu was a major factor in causing much of the unparalleled actions of the Japanese in WWII. Don't know if that was the best fact linking shinto to the war, but it's the one I'll post. Tried to write a response to the 'good Buddhists' thought you had, but I cannot find a sufficiently distinct point for me to hang on to. I'll say this instead:I've always thought the problem with organized religion was the (almost always eventually corrupt) organization. This is a function of their influence, and thus power, which naturally lends itself to abuse. If any ethos has sufficient sway, there will be horrors done ostensibly in its name. A brief personal opinion on the thread topic: I suspect if one of two paths is ever better, it is likely that only one who has walked far on each, or walks neither, would be able to say which leads where. If we believed ourselves to be on an inferior path, would we walk it?

Dogma is dogma no matter what form it takes, although everyone subscribing to a dogma wishes to believe that their rules hold the true truths and so are outside of the realm of dogma.

apparently geomagnetic storms are considered highly significant in Russia, so this sort of warning is highly unlikely to be replicated in any other countries. Might be just a random quirk of culture, though it could also be that Russians have focused on the effects of radiation more and for longer than western (is that the correct word here?) researchers. I know that Beckers research in 'the Body Electric' was inspired by some obscure Russian research on electricity and biological functions (well, something vaguely like that). edit:figured I'd note that the only refs I found to the original article was repostings of the original article, so it is very dubious considering the quantity of junk reports coming out of Russia. That being said, there could still be general smatterings of truth within it even if it is essentially a false report. on the videos:multitasking listening to this, but why is he calling the sun a black hole?!?!?! Like above, might be some truth, but that's some very weak information

I thought the main distinction that 'high' imparts upon magic (just feels right to me ) is ritual. So it is my impression that the practitioner chooses the goal, and that 'realizing' God would only be the goal of those who chose for it to be, not of all 'high magick' practitioners. One book, tome really, that has been of great interest to me is "Mysticism" by Evelyn Underhill, a victorian who had the perspective of Theosophy, the Golden Dawn and eventually went the vanilla Christian route. She discusses some of the distinction between mysticism and magic (maybe magic is the wrong word here). Very dry reading, but some of the best insight density I've seen around related to western spiritual practices. Probably a free download from somewhere. I mention it because it phrased very eloquently the merging with _____ through mysticism, and contrasts that with the willful means of ritual magic. In fortune cookie form -> "Balance is of utmost importance" Sidenote: Never have and probably never will read the writings of Crowley directly, but I get the impression that he has a veery developed third eye (upper dan tien? dunno if they're synonymous) but doesn't have any 7th chakra opening or activity. Do you know if he did much to open the 7th chakra/merge with God/Kether (not 'gods', I know he was down with that) or something similar?

If anyone looks into this and finds good quality links with some details (like which of the existant millions of Russians is being referred to) that'd be... nifty

Tumeric is a great rhizome. I can believe that it would be useful for clearing meridians (though I suspect it would focus on some) and can be taken by anyone w/o allergy with no concern of imbalance unlike with formulas. Tasty too if used in cooking

I've heard that the radiation does travel up the wire, though a bluetooth earbud doesn't have this issue (it has it's very own special set of issues )

is this a drew hempel ref? saw him on another message board before I made my way here. Had lots of character. edit:guess I could throw in my 1 cent. Though I don't utilize any lotus like sitting, they seem to create a circuit with the lower legs that might have some kind of 'energy' effect. I'm a big fan of bodies as circuits

I wonder if this is truly the best way to deal with the strange parts of practice or if there is another way that neither rejects nor strives for these occurrences. I haven't thought of many alternative views, but have been playing with fully allowing for all options at once: both being delusional and 110 % correct. Helps me not take either side too seriously. I'm still working through being a generally critical person, so apologies for the phrasing having an air of critique...

Magick often doesn't go very far in the letting go of ego sense. Magick is very 'will' based, Taoist as well as many other systems aim to transcend the ego (or however it is phrased within their system). I would term this as a shortcoming in the relatively young system of modern magick, but with the proper motivation and understanding on the part of the practitioner this is a non-issue. Not sure this is the most appropriate place to post this analogy, but too late. So, it's great to spread seeds all around, but isn't it silly to throw seeds on barren land? First work the land, then plant the seed, water, etc etc. So all these people who are trying to do what they have intellectually rationalized as the 'best' path might be selling themselves short by not enabling a truly sustainable or fully transformative practice. Surely could be more elegantly phrased, but the gist should be pretty clear from that. ps:after using a 'k' with magic 3 times, I'm pretty sure I can't personally handle that spelling... Random moments of personal insight.

The above cited fybromyalgia study, and why westerners studying eastern medicine can be hilarious... http://www.annals.org/cgi/reprint/143/1/10.pdf generally seems like a valid study, but the limitations are significant. I'm also pointing this out as I wonder how significant anyone who knows more about acupuncture than myself considers this limitation. "Limitations: A prescription of acupuncture at fixed points may differ from acupuncture administered in clinical settings, in which therapy is individualized and often combined with herbal supplementation and other adjunctive measures. A usual-care comparison group was not studied." Didn't read all the cited studies, so maybe other cited studies did not have this limitation. Seemed philosophically interesting as on of the most cited differences between western and eastern medical practices is the west treats diseases, the east treats patients.

Much appreciated words. Going to let that absorb for a bit, we'll see what sort of vital nutrients are contained within it.

Too true.

Had a thought that could eventually lead to a reduction in flatulence, though it will take a long time. You mention you are into very hot food, something that modern brits are apparently notorious for going well above and beyond on. The appeal of hot foods physiologically is the endorphins (I believe, might be a different pain-killer) that your body produces in reaction to it. Maybe try adding other endorphin producing activities such as high intensity jogs or exercise into your lifestyle. Could eventually lead to a natural reduction in your desire for the super hot fart inducing stuff. On a side note, if you do decide to let go, maybe stand in back row. At least then people will know you are being considerate while offending them...

Never heard of a spiritual system that condoned suicide, don't expect to. If one wishes to gain insight from death there are ample Tibetan Buddhist methods for gaining deaths knowledge without suicide. Have not read this thread, so apologies if this is post is redundant. If you know someone who is, or personally are considering suicide please please please consult a professional or simply call the suicide hotline. The reason (to my obviously limited understanding) that suicide is avoided at all costs in every spiritual system I am aware of is that it is in no way way a path to insight, it only gives up the insights that could have been gained in life. There's plenty of time to be dead once your life is over, and I mean this quite seriously. Suicide as a "reset button" doesn't work either within the context of reincarnation. If one has spent 100 lives working to become human, only to gain flawed karma through committing suicide and lose all of that progress is not a clean slate, it's karmic suicide. Buddha said all life is suffering, his conclusion was that one should LIVE a full life to work through our desires for comfort. In the first couple of posts I noticed Japan as being cited as a counterpoint to suicide being shunned. First of all, this supports the fact that the initial post is very very problematic as suicide in Japan is the ULTIMATE form of shame. It is almost improper to consider suicide to be the name for the traditional practice in Japan as it was more of an execution by ones own hand. So any justification on suicide based off of Japanese tradition is absolutely FALSE. This isn't a full description of why it is false, but it should make one appreciate that superficially judging other cultures can lead to some very flawed conclusions. (edit:see Zhuo Ming-Dao post above)

so far all the answers seem to be on how to reduce the likelihood of needing to fart, useful but doesn't seem to be answering the question. If one is in a situation where gas wishes to be passed, but it would bring disharmony to do so, how can one best prevent this 'disharmony' from occurring? edit:btw, I fully agree with letting it go whenever possible, much to the chagrin of my ex... However there are times when even my infamous self will choose not to let it loose, so the above question is still of interest. Interesting factoid on the brain effects Song

Watching out for bogus studies should be a mantra of the modern age. Pharma companies regularly employ methods such as simply not publishing unsuccessful studies and giving dosages based upon the most favorable (ie profitable) results as opposed to the most relevant ones. Think taking rats instead of rabbits as the model upon which to base dosages, even if rats are shown to be the more relevant test animal. Alternative medicine studies are often not properly double blinded or have such a small pool of participants that the results are not statistically significant. Generically I agree with your statement, but you seem to be insinuating the study 11:33 is probably bogus without stating it. Are you simply expecting it to be bogus? I have been meaning to bring up William Tiller as a western researcher into what he labels 'subtle energy' systems, but the work is dense and it's been a while since I looked at it in detail. His early work has included some tests involving Qi Gong masters (or teachers at least) and measuring their biophoton emission and I believe emf emission. These are both naturally produced, he just measured the difference in emission from normal during Qi Gong exercises (if memory serves). I believe this was published in Science and Human Transformation, if only because his later books focus on his own lab experiments. videos, because I'm not up to task to describe his work long summary of his experiments, not directly on Chi Gong or presented by Tiller himself http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5...p;client=safari Tiller presenting a section of his work and theory at 6:30 he specifically describes his model within which the acupuncture meridian system works, though it is in physics terminology that is awkward for the layman (myself included)

wonderful piece of experiential insight there. Reminds me of and inspires me to deepen a photographic concept of the subject dictating the photograph. Probably couldn't explain it more poorly than that Just thought I'd give a shout out that it resonated with me on a broad level. Maybe I see both experiences as relating to giving up the false perception of separation of observer and observed, or that's what I imagine a wiser person might say. Regardless, your sharing is appreciated

Any area where a partner simply does not, and will not, understand their mate can cause significant friction. This can arise with sports fanaticism or spiritual devotion. There would be limitations in sexual practices if ones partner is not on the daoist path, but I imagine this would not be a significant obstacle so long as it is genuinely and deeply healthful. Outside of this partner dependent aspect of the Taoist path, I doubt there would be significant issues due to their lack or dissimilarity of practice. From personal experience I know that wanting a partner to increase or start a practice can really just indicate you wish for them to change. In short, this is not likely a good sign. If someone were to never once practice any sort of intentional 'spiritual' cultivation, but were a genuinely virtuous and loving human being, it would seem expecting them to take a spiritual path would be far outside of the advice of the Tao [insert tao te ching quote here]. A real issue, however, is that often times people are not particularly compassionate or virtuous, and only through conscious spiritual training do they begin to foster such traits. Often may be an overstatement, seems to hold up from my life experience. Last point is if they simply have no regard or a lack of willingness to discuss or otherwise facilitate your "fitness, meditation, and personal evolution", then there's an issue. Facilitate doesn't mean being enamored with, however. People love dearly others whose day jobs couldn't interest them less but will regularly engage and discuss the job just because it is a part of their loved ones life. In short, anybody who is not engaged in "personal evolution" of what I would phrase the positive sort is a pretty dubious choice for a partner. -> ->

The scientific method is mostly good for helping to consistently move forward in spite of appealing or glamourous charlatans. This does not mean that it gets from point A to point B the fastest, it's probably the slowest method, just contains few errors of including false material. There seems to be a general rule that art precedes science, because it is not trying to be entirely correct while still holding enough truth to harmonize with us. Eventually science tends to catch on, but as with any bottom up approach, it takes a while, and it can be very frustrating to watch it lumber along (in certain broader aspects) when the truth is so glaringly obvious. An amusing example I was reminded of in the current edition of New Scientist is female ejaculation, something science is only beginning to broadly accept, and as recently as the 80s was widely regarded as made up... We can dissect things into little pieces, but when there is a harmonious convergence between processes science is a bit more likely to lose its bearings.

doesn't look likely that the user who posted that will respond as he's been inactive for almost a year, just a heads up if you didn't notice

also, what is it that you are looking to know about them? Considering taking them on as a teacher and simply wondering how they are developed might take two very different approaches. If looking for a possible mentor or simply someone to share information with it is essential that those aspects that are underdeveloped or overdeveloped balance and harmonize with your character. I tend to over think things if I let myself, so for me I try to take measures to insure that I am not merely rationalizing someone into glory or shame. Simply noting how you feel when you are giving them your attention as opposed to when you bring yourself elsewhere could help. So, if you're listening to a lecture, think about something that you are well familiar with, or maybe do a short energy exercise that you are familiar with and you generally know how you feel (refreshed, tired, etc) and see if you feel a little different. Basically give yourself some foundation to see if you feel great around this person because you're having a great day or because their influence on you is beneficial. Just kind of making this up, but something along these lines could be useful. Could also try utilizing dreams to gain insight into their nature. I can't say I'm much developed in this area, but to give a quick common sense concept just connect with their energy while laying in bed and see how your dreams compare to normal. Of course, if you've spent all day with your new love it may be difficult to ascertain what is different from having connected with the master, but if it isn't a very out of the ordinary day you might be surprised at the insights that can be gained while contemplating the content of the dream. There are some good threads on Taoist dream methods, forget the name for it. Trust yourself, and learn from the Tao through the master

didn't know much about Wang Liping before this post, don't know much about him now. I'm assuming that means either what's so special is so very hard to describe that people here haven't been able to go into it much, or that he's not so very special for men of his ilk. Maybe it's just that the thread was highjacked by someone who seems have some strong impetuous to...can't even say. I suppose some ppl (probably myself included) just like to talk ad nauseam, very ego gratifying I find

I believe you're referring to Fritz-Albert Popp from the field. He had a pleasant run in with Randi, btw... as does everyone who runs into the chi master Randi. I've seen a lot of discussions of Randi and the show he puts on, always proves a mostly divisive topic from my experience, so I'll just say that I personally don't particularly appreciate the cynicism that he represents and hope such views are replaced by genuinely open minded skepticism. On the original post on chi and biology, I've been highly intrigued by the bong han duct theory. Not widely known from what I can tell, based upon research on prisoners in communist Korea decades ago. Injected radiation into the meridian points and found they travelled down the meridians significantly more than it did into the surrounding area due to diffusion. These studies aren't being replicated per se (thankfully), but the Seoul National University (dept of physics and astronomy it seems) has been conducting what they deem to be successful studies on the matter. If you have access to the right peer review journals they can be downloaded, the main issue is I am unaware of any responses, though I haven't checked much or recently. There at least used to be a part of the SNU website that listed all their published papers, though I can't find it atm. In rabbits I believe the size of one such tubule was thought to be 1 micron, and images have been taken of the tubules inflated to 10 microns so as to be visible to the instrument. I don't know much about medicine, so I have no way of knowing that it's not just some tendon or whatever. Another notable western science style researcher into the meridians is Becker. A bit controversial, did much pioneering research into the non-thermal effects of Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs) on living systems. Was hired by the military who, according to him, had seen proof of the efficacy of acu-pressure or puncture (forget which) in mitigating pain. His studies showed a significant correlation between many meridian points and electro-something readings as compared to the surrounding area. This is from the book 'Body Electric', don't know what journals it was published in. If the bong han duct theory holds, and there is a physical component to the meridian system, it would certainly be a fascinating alteration of the chi system theory. I am convinced that there is an electromagnetic or similar component to the system, though wonder whether this is a lesser or greater percent/portion of the system. I personally consider it feasible that there is an entirely non physical (ie outside of the standard model/4 dimensional realm of physics) component to the meridian system. Presumably this aspect would function more as the guiding aspect for other less discreet parts. Haven't spent much time looking into the meridian systems in detail, so this is on a pretty big limb, based on some personal suspicions that I don't presume all others to share (such as the standard model of physics to be significantly incomplete)

less leaky maybe? pretty much lifting that from the buddhist concept of a "leaky vessel", so I'm just the one who's mis-applying it, not the one who thought it up