Rocky Lionmouth

I thought Team Iron Crotch was a Shaolin thing?

I loves me a loop! I keep referring to feelings and thoughts as tools for the study of oneself and each opportunity to do, if taken, is going to be rewarding in the long run. Even when it comes to anger and hatred. Especially in something as cyclic as anger, hatred or dissapointment. Yeah it sucks but festering corners need to be cleaned, and if the cleaning doesnt stick then its time to see where the rubbish comes from, why it comes back. Hammers and saws might come in handy with that Tied it back to the start at least, the logic is probably flawed but so am i

Please do, what you said is in fact my long term investment-plan. Practice is what i do any number of times a week, Path is life every second. The former supports and develops the latter.

I'd be similarly inclined, regardless of what the person calls themselves. But when you say nature, would it matter to the definition wether it was a subjective or objective nature the person was trying to live in accordance with? I'd say it wouldnt matter as long as the person i call a taoist is honest in regard to themselves, nature (widest definition) and what they can observe about it.

Bling is always correct for street credibility but the question ensues: are hats no longer a viable mean of asserting ones genuinity and realness? If that is the case i want out immediately.

Glad you sorted that out, thanks for the input.

And what if i had?

Oh i totally walked into that one didnt i? No, i would not like to expel anything out of my system unless its supposed to leave, i dont slim my toolbox just because hammers and saws seem agressive or have destructive purposes. I believe destructivity can be constructive or at least useful if not necessary. Look at famine, racism and misogyny to name three things, i'd like them utterly destroyed asap, its necessary and constructive for humanity imho. Also i dont subcribe to thinking anything is permanent except maybe death, wich i know very little about. I dont think its wrong to hate, nor do i think its right. I'll refer it to the "useful/useless" paradigm and use my anger and hatred to better understand my position, situation and current state of being. For me anger comes and goes, hatred has come and gone (less smoothly but still) and i dont intend to nurture or prioritize any of them any more than any other emotion unless i need to.

Wheres the point in that? If true i must immediately stop cultivating.

Hatred needs nurturing i think, or at least some form of active conditioning. Intense dislike of someone might be prejudice, interpersonal chemistry or in some cases experience. Might be something else of course. I think also hatred needs studying, both to build it and to dismantle it.

I think taoists get upset and angry, feel dissapointment and loss, no matter how much they've practiced. What they act like and how they see the emotions, what inspired them, what makes them linger etc is more relevant. As a taoist, its interesting to study the play between inside and outside, between one person and others and it might make one realize more quickly what situation that emotion is trying to inform one about. Since i started to study taoism i went through a period of "never angry" but it was repression, then "always angry" butt hat was frustrtion and dissapointment, now "sometimes angry" but i see what happened more quickly from my perspective and i know my perspective is just one of them so the question is always "what do we do now?" at his point. I try not to let anger control me, merely inform. Usually the message is "does not compute, i dont understand why, this is irrational to me". Its a wip Sometimes i get upset and rant but thats a whole different story.

I think thelerner has a very good point. Both from a practical standpoint and a taoist one: if you're going to spend your energy on something, then invest your energy in it. Enjoy the benefits of your situation where possible, balance stoic and epicurean together. If you thrive and feel stimulated from the work and in the environment then you're probably not opposing your nature or the energy you gain and generate in your daily endevours, i'd carry on and up at least for another year. Careful with influencing stuff, it seems most people with influence cannot help but disrupt balance these days But maybe thats a good thing? I have a hard time thinking that a person conscious of the principles of the way would not help harmonize his or her community, whatever the size of it. Privilege is like the lottery in my book, your situation allows you the chance to take the path you think will help make you the happiest, if youre happy maybe its your nature to help others be happy? Some opportunities come with money or access, but not all. If you're lucky, smile. If you're unlucky take heart and relax, hopefully there are plenty of smiles to be had ahead.

In fear that we hoard lies the obstacle itself: hesitance won't stand.

Edit: took out the rabid ranting and condensed. I think the premise is a misconception. Faster than who? Men? Why do some men progress faster than others? Why do some men progress faster than some women? I'd say practice is the obvious answer, but the progess is all personal and percieved individually by everyone involved. Because of female and male metaphorical imagery used in many texts and concepts i believe this "women are born closer to the way" to be a too literal interpretation. Its like saying all women are the same and all men are the same. We all know its not true. Not in the details, not in broader strokes either. We might be all similarly connected or subjective manifestations of thoughts within a single universal entity, but for all practical purposes of our lives, we're not all the same or all in the same situation. I think that would negate the concept of yin and yang if drawn far enough. Just because some things are similar in comparison doesnt say they are exactly the same, especially considering many texts are ripe with hinting, layering, allegory and downright omission and obfuscation, both by cautious authors and paranoid authorities. I still think a claim like "females progress faster along the way than men" needs first a half-decent scale and system to measure progress and then, a quantitative study with a very large pool of data. Problem is, how exactly would you measure progress along the way? What is progress? Does it entail a destination? Are progress and destination comparable between two people, let alone between groups? I'd say no, but hey, maybe that is just me.

Bifurcations, horns Fingers, fish, leaves, rains, gravel star dust: straw dogs all

Why not? I think the methods famously practiced in various tai chi styles would be perfect to employ for invisible kicks and other moves where apparent stillness is decietful. Edit: to keep an art alive its necessary to study its core techniques, wich i believe are roughly "whats this you're doing with your body here?" It all comes down to what it is in fact your teacher is showing you and even more importantly what you're teaching yourself in the process. If you think a method will fit a technique or tactic, try it out, the parameters are all there, you have the teaching, explore it according to the rules and guidelines of it.

That is very cool! Never pushed any Chen people, sadly, only Yangists, some folks who studied at XuanWu WuDang and a handful of others. I knew i shouldnt have edited the thing about invisibility out of my post! Gah! What i said was in relation to ChiDragon mentioning that if one moves then everything moves, i mentioned that in some cases its the other way around, like when you do an "invisible kick" your upper body shouldnt move at all or else the kick isnt invisible, especially if you're bridged to a good listnener. Concealing the yi to an opponent mus mean that the bridge is silent while the body moves. Its very hard to conceal intent while double weighted is my point.

"Or", it goes away Never to return again Becoming "this that".

Agreed, good rooting means staying put. I think our usage of the word root might be not exactly the same ChiDragon. But yes, if the upper body is off balance or out of alignment the footwork might not matter. I think the power comes from the ground as well as from within the body. And absorbed power should either be immediately returned or lead to the ground by structure, the root. If you shove a practicioner who has adopted a suitable stance most of your impulse power will struggle against the power return from the root, right? What im getting at is that there is always an opposite example because a martial art needs to cover, at least in principle, every possible situation in relation to training and fighting and energy work.

Here go 0.02 I think the pyramid in the video is misleading just like the skeleton, you cant rely on that type of vector resultants just because you stand low, you have to factor in moving and generating power and stability in the whole of your body also. If you want to move then you cant be both very low and double weighted, thats like gluing your feet to the floor imo. If i jnderstand PBL correctly he means the cone of power is pointing down because everything grows from the root, the balance and stability live there and incoming force ends up there as well as the cone representing the power and structure that can be weilded up and out from that point on the ground. I like that idea, did i get it right PBL? Any step from a low horse stance will take more energy to even start off, and will be felt if a good listener has bridged you and it'll be easy to tip you over or pin you in place and push you shoulderst first into the ground. For rooting height ans kwa factor in, as well as knowing wich of your legs is the longer one (im thinking hip alignment), how you use your knee joints and ankles. Also the feet and the belly/ldt expanding or contracting helps footwork and thereby rooting. You can build a pyramid of resultant forces with your body and this might be an example for teaching purposes, but after that enoiugh, If we talk triangular structure seen from thef ront of the body i could agree about a pyramidal shape, but i want the bottom corners started at the width of the feet and ended at the head. Fighting low is good at times but only when combined with fighting high also. Entering a low horse stance can give you 10 cm face saving distance from a high punch depending in wich direction you step or if you just sink squarely on the spot. Oh but then with the exposed groin and your melon at chest height to your assailant, so its really not a place of great defense advantage but good targets might be open wide. Edit: format and paragraphs domt register the first time on ipad.

I wish more text got represented as dustybeijing did it! Its has a very nice lateral-ness to it. Edit: spelled dustys name wrong.

I'm not sure its an entirely good combo for the long haul since energy drinks have a reputation for not being good for the heart. Hey, this is a sideline but almost on topic: I have quite a few friends (most are grownups over 30) who have adhd or add and their medication is a small dose of an amphetamine analogue, they go from "all over the place" to much more "normal" and their self insights and spiritual development have increased tenfold since they got "sorted out" and helped, both in therapy and by meds, most of them credit the meds for getting int gear and learning relaxed focus, not needing to force their fledgling awareness into submission. Some of them have described similar issues that you hear from beginners in meditation, but in relation to everyday life situations. I wonder about stimulants and neurology in relation to meditation and the like. I've read a lot of the effects of meditation on the brain and body and psyche, but what about the neurological predispositions? Some of us maybe have a different hard wiring when it comes to awareness, meaning slightly more different than the larger majority, that has got to have at least some play in on meditation and such. I dont want to make assumptions about that field, simply musing... I think i might have adhd but gimme two cups of coffe in a row and i get blurry in photos, energy drinks have the same result.

Love his apparent casualness, cool to see someone with that level of fluidity and speed combined!

I'm immoral, does it count?

To me, i my own head its as follows: Sagehood, immortality, enlightenment, i think its either hyperbole or bells and whistles and spinning rims. They're absolutely worth practicing without all that stuff in mind, as research methods and longevity skills. There is no Superman in the end. The spiritual realm is a personal one, how do you measure and explain it? Even the alchemy bit for me, you can gain wisdom of self and others from it and learn to experience and use energies (broad definition) in many different ways, but im not sure it'll grant you a get out of death free discount, or amazing magic powers. I dont believe in achievement ladders and plateaus outside of social contexts. Anyone can learn and hone skills that have applications to unusual and remarkable effects, but i think some of the symbolic jargon turned into religious belief or packaging and salesmanship over time. Theres been a lot of snakeoil going around all along the history of mankind, a lot of promises being made, a lot of external ideas of how to validate ones own efforts and achievements have been set up for many reasons, good and bad, noble and nefarious. But, in the end, im biased and arrogant and know very little about anything so its just opinions from my windbag self, i mean no harm or disrespect in saying this.