Old Man Contradiction

I think I get more qi through the IMA. If qi goes with yi, than zhan zhuang is where I get most qi out of my training. I exercise and heighten my Yi most easily in and after standing. So, how do you get more qi?

Why do you dismiss the entheogenic experiences caused by psychotropic substances? I don't understand why spiritualists warn against the use of these plants and substances. Is it bad for energy, psychology, karma? Are the experiences invalid/valid? How and why?

Don't waste time on qigong or the five tibetan rites or whatever. Go straight to pushups and pullups. For army prep, anything that lacks muscular intensity will just waste your valuable time.

There is nothing wrong with money, and nothing wrong with wanting money. Fundamentalism is anti-taoist. I believe strict adherence to preset principals is truly anti-taoist. This, I believe, is ass-backwards and the total opposite of what the old masters were trying to teach. Yet, it is commonly found here on this forum.

I do not know. Maybe someday I will be at the center of it experiencing itself directly. Whether it's deep in the mind, or something other than this.

I am the direct source of experience. The perceivable universe is the secondary source. The universe's history is the tertiary source.

It's sad that good people get duped by people like "Mak Tin Si".

I am afraid that the best possible solution is to travel outside of your area in order to find the best chinese medical doctor you can find. I would start sending out emails because by word of mouth will probably be your best bet, as the best around might not have a website.

Yeah massage hurts.

detox = good assuming you know other people = bad

Blasto, you win. It'd be hella interesting to talk about topics you present, but I think your post says it all. AKA too lazy. But maybe you'd like to start a new topic about it?

Experiencing death is arguably the most challenging thing in life to do. Spritual plants kill you, and than let you come back. The hardship of being buddhist does not hold a candle to the struggle of death IMO. It is naive to think that these plants are just a joy ride. Once again, read this. It is an account of an older gentleman, I believe in his late 60's now. This is a great representation of the value that can be found via symbiosis with plants. His eloquent language transmits a real sense of heart about this issue. Every quality you listed can be the product of an intelligent person experiencing ego-death through entheogenic plants. Also, these qualities can be retained impermanently, depending on the individual. My only knowledge of buddhism comes from one of Chogyal Namkhai Norbu's books. I don't see any contradiction. Fizix and Gold, I believe both of your points are very valid.

You bring up good points. But I have some questions about them. 1. It's true they can cause attachment, but meditation and qigong are not exempt from this either. Isn't it fair to say it depends on the character of the individual whether they let the ego attach itself to any of these methods? 2. True, the experience doesn't last long. But many people that haven't experienced psychedelics since the 70's report that the change that occurred during even just ONE singular experience, still affects them today. Refer to my previous link to "ChinaCat72" and his post. Also note that the change occurred at a deeper level than beliefs and the ego. 3. Please define your term "more spiritual". I also do not know very much about alchemy. 4. Arguably entheogens can help an individual access wisdom. Refer to Hippie3 or ChinaCat's experiences. 5. Not so arguably testing done on UDV members that have had long term exposure to ayahuasca vs. matched subjects without any experience with ayahuasca tested higher for levels of concentration. The test can be seen in Bill Eagle's Psychedelic Science, and more information can be found here. Interestingly the ayahuasca subjects found to have higher concentration of 5-HT sites without resistance to serotonin. This has amazingly optimistic implications. Living through heavy entheogenic experiences has never been reported as fun or easy. This is an important point, because this distinguishes between thrill-seekers and seekers of truth. Losing your ego is difficult and painful, but it builds character. Same thing with eastern methods, but again, it all depends on the subtleties of the individual. Many eastern practitioners subversively use their methods to strengthen the ego, just as do entheogen enthusiasts. I believe both can be used to help one person, and that is my argument.

"THINK[ing] you're deep and creative" is definitely a pitfall of many of newcomers to not only (but maybe especially) psychedelic enthusiasts, but of many "spiritual" philosophies. The really deep psychedelic experiences (that I have only knocked on the door of, never entered though) are of the such that there is no "you" to think anything. Here is a great post by an old-timer named ChinaCat, who was part of the dead family. This post includes his, and one other person's account of taking a "thumbprint" of LSD, which is the mass (and effect) equivalent of several hundreds of hits, or multiple sheets, or multiple vials. We're talking 100s of 100ug hits. The Thumbprint Here is a post by the late great "Hippie3", who recently passed away. This is his detail of one of his Psilocybin experiences. Note: From what I could tell, his spiritual philosophy was of a Jungian nature. Post #7: Hip3's Psilly Trip I think it's good reference to see the anecdote of unprofessional authorship. Very interesting reads. What is the best of Terence Mckenna's books that hone in on his theories of the entheogenic experience? Also, nature's hallucinogens are not anymore addictive than leaf lettuce. Fizix: I am willing to believe that the third eye exists. But I am wondering as to why it would be harmful to open it? What do you mean by "prematurely" in context of opening the third eye?

Thanks for the reply Taomeow. I'm well acquainted with Terence McKenna. He is really really smart. I don't know if my beliefs reside in the same pocket as his all of the time, but none the less he is someone that I love hearing talk, and someone I respect. I am more interested right now in why people warn AGAINST entheogens. I've seen on multiple occasions people on this forum say that it messes up your energy, it's a fake spiritual experience, or it crystallizes and cracks your energetic body. I want to see people actually explain these warnings because they do not make any sense to me.

This whole jing alchemy thing is terribly misleading IMO. KISS. Just pay attention to your body, that's all. If ejaculating makes you lose energy, than moderate it. If you get older and feel that is would benefit you to keep that energy, than reserve it. If you just do these things, have or had a good teacher, and train a lot. You'll be fine.

I don't see any conflict in overcoming social barriers to gain social fluency (while sober), and having ended up with someone that is right for you. About learning to handle immediate society, meeting someone sober is a challenge IME. I don't really know whether learning the skill drunk will be retained while sober. I tend to think not because alcohol directly alleviates us of one main trap of social failure: lack of confidence. Without alcohol, this trait is dominant, although slowly subsiding as I grow older and have more experiences. Still, out of all the times I've been drunk and kosher with people, that skill has never remained when I'm sober.

"Drunk On Emptiness" a term by Adyashanti. I love the social atmosphere of being drunk with people. But the alcohol drowns the hardship of sober social life. I believe the hardship is the preamble to naturally owning the experience. So I try to be sober for the vast majority of my social life.

Neither up nor down, just open.

I do not agree with stealing any opportunity from anybody, given exceptions of murder etc... Polyglotism, books, dog training, etc... would all contribute to future life without oil. McDonalds and Wal-Mart, a little less so. What I want is information. If an oil crisis occurs, I will have been extremely satisfied that I learned everything I could. I would teach what I could. On the global scale, that will have been the contribution of the Information Age.

Wait, no, I need oil. Just give me a few more years. I have so many books I want to collect, dog training tools I want to buy, languages I want to learn, and places I want to travel. All of which require oil to take part in my life. Also, I really like citrus and tropical fruits, which we can't get here in the northwest without the use of oil. But once I have and have done all of these things, and have a decent yet modest sized property, I will be willing to give up all oil...

What is indicated above, is very different than my original intention when writing "the six directions". Zheng Li, opposing force, is like an isometric force going in opposite directions that you create within your body, and than also eventually connected to outside of your body. Starting with muscle work, goal being to be work of the tendons. When you are adept at this, every time you issue power, your body explodes into every direction from your core. Every time you just move, your body expands in every direction. And every time you are still, your body still is expanding in every direction. This is stillness in movement. This is internal. It is impossible to achieve this if you are relaxed (aka inactive) and it is impossible if you are creating tension. Xingyi's Six Harmonies are inherently essential in getting Zheng Li to work properly. This is just from my limited training and my interpretation. I have not achieved this goal yet.

First I have to say that trying to do this without a teacher will likely result in just creating a lot of tension instead of gaining the benefit of the practice. But for information purposes is rather interesting IMO. The 6 directions is a different way of talking about the channels. It's a more pragmatic use of language IMO. You want the body to be working in a minimum of six directions at once. In the basic pile standing posture, you could for each direction be doing the follow: Up/Down: Attempting to jump, but a heavy backpack keeps your body in one place. Also your head is lifting up and stretching your spine. Left/Right: Ripping apart the bark on a tree, but it is too strong and you can't do it, Simultaneously trying to compress the tree with your elbows. Forward/Back: You are trying to pull the tree down backwards, while you are resisting a very strong elastic band that is pulling you backwards (meaning you are pushing yourself forward). Any one of these actions can recruit a large mass of your body. But doing all of them, and using your mind to create the activities as real as the real thing, your entire body should be engaged and expanding in every direction. Also, I believe this is the real meaning of the body becoming one. This plays a big role in opening the entire body. According to classical text, this is opening the meridians. In I-Chuan, you use Zhan Zhuang to learn the six directions (among other things), and then keep them activated as you start moving into test of power and health dance. Test of Sound is a measurement of progress, a way of training the dantian, and the central channel. I am not achieved in the martial arts, but this is my interpretation of what my teacher has taught me thus far, and is one of my goals. I hope this has helped, I am open for any questions.

I too share that belief. Also, I think the best neikung masters you will find are not famous. The process is very painful and very difficult, thus masters tend not to be very popular with students. That said, I've never seen yang jwing-ming in a way that would indicate mastery to me.

What does this mean if Jing, Qi, and Shen are not energies?