Spotless

Please keep it coming - this has been great!

The majority of my practice is in everyday walking around now. I am doing Qi Gong almost exclusively as "formal practice", the practice helps me to maintain a level of energy in my surrounding space that aids me in self awareness throughout the day. It makes the integration of one day into the connected next day nearly seamless sometimes for several days. The most subtle and intense activity is mindfulness for me. I do not have many thoughts floating through my space now, I choose where I am, where I am centered, and I am separating from this "buzz" of life, it has fallen away. Several years ago whole chunks of me fell away, it was at a time I was doing lots of meditation (occasioned by the fact that I was putting my young son to bed by making up stories in a chair by his bed and then sat and meditated for much of the night, never less than a hour but during the time mentioned it was generally 3-4 hours) The energy changes were incredible and the results were profound but not at all what I had considered, though I learned long ago that none of the accounts for what happens within the body seem to, in any real way, transmit the reality. (I am excited that much of the track being laid down for all of us now and for the future is not something translated for us, but something awakened beings from the west can put into western words and from the perspective of western bodies and the unique traits of our various cultures) At a certain point the profound quiet in my space needed the cultivation of accepting it and integrating "no thought". Qi Gong was helping to heal my body but it was also bringing immense power into it and a distribution of energies at a gross level that was so grounding. I had spent most of my life in my heady head and that coupled with a third eye experience that had not left me since my early 20s made Qi Gong a real discovery. How I was able to completely miss the entire group of practices that involved the lower, middle and upper dan tian is somewhat beyond me given the amount of material I devoured but I did. (my world was chakras, nadis ....) And so, moving my center of awareness to my LDT had a massive impact and I had the incredible fortune to have what has been for me the perfect teacher. He is a very highly accomplished 6th generation Shaolin Temple Grand Master who speaks almost no English and for the first two years we covered about ten paragraphs with interpreters. I did not need to speak to him much, I could see the energy and if I needed a tweak he would come over and tweak me. I did 4 classes a week of Qi Gong and two classes of Tai Chi - very little meditation. I now do 5 classes of Qi Gong. All of the work is now centered around being in the present during all activities and staying in the quiet and accepting the buzz around me. I also have this life with my wife and a puppy and a 6.9 year old and a business. This posting is very near and dear to me - it is about exactly where I am and it is obvious that it is a very fine note in most of us here. I have been finding that I alternate from being deeply within this beautiful texture of the day and night, and then needing to attend to focus on some new product or business dealings, or the pressing needs of my little guy or a scheduled event where I have to function at some event at school that seems about a million miles from me but it is at the same time strangely no problem and of no weight. It is an all new pervading integration along with allowing it all to happen and remembering to be in a thankful place because it all fits together like gold knit lace.

Could you expand on that?

I tend to love this kind of discussion - it is splitting hair in many ways but certainly clarifying important practice definitions. The language we have is very difficult and inadequate for what we are talking about so much of the time. It is one of the reasons I tend to "side" on the "meditation is meditation when you are meditating" and not cooking or working because it feels like yet another term is becoming thinned out to near meaninglessness. When I hear of maintaining an aware state while cooking, not thinking and being very present, I like a number of wordings that I find very good and easily understood - and they do not invoke argument and angst from anyone. Walking mindfulness - I like that but Walking Meditation - a part of me asks why elicit conflict and confusion? Frequently I listen to some talk in a podcast or on YouTube and for no reason the word "god" is used and you can feel half the audience leave their bodies when they hear that word. (I am certainly not saying the use of the word god is in any way something to run from) I know of many relatively wise monks coming from other countries and they feel it is necessary to dumb down practice for westerners. One has his students teaching that we should not meditate for more than 10 minutes at a time. (Specifically the Western students whereas in his own land of Tailand 8 hour meditations in his tradition and teaching are not exceptional at all) It is pretty obvious that those that want to use the term "meditation" with regard to cooking and walking and general living activities are using a different definition of meditation which is why this conversation is taking place. I don't think you have to be a purist to find this an unnecessary erosion of a term that has heretofore been relatively unscathed in its common use and clarity. Mindfulness is a much looser but very effective term and I think it works for almost everything mentioned above outside of the traditional usage of the word "meditation". Mindfulness Everyday activities in a mindfulness space It is awareness in ones action and speech - it is not "meditation" but is bringing "present time awareness practice" into our daily waking state to the extent we are able to do it. I find it very clear with little or no confusion from a multitude of traditions. When you hear it, it seems to define itself. On the other hand the use of the idea of "meditating while cooking" reminds me of students saying things like "I meditate all the time" (this is fantasy unless you want to put the word "meditate" in a blender and accept what comes out) I do not think anyone in this discussion disagrees with the very clear wish to have awareness practice brought into all aspect of our life and not "reserve it to a lotus pose". But bringing the word "meditation" to include practically anything we do with mindfulness does in my opinion dilute yet another term that at least at the present time is a word that most practices across the board at this time understand (with the only confusion typically around the interpretation of the meaning of "trance" which for some in the minority is for them practically synonomous with "meditation"). By the way, I have no particular investment in the use of the term "mindfulness" and in fact it is somewhat new to me - it just seems to feel very good for exactly what we are discussing. Another term could be offered and I would be completely open to that. I simply offered it here as what I think is an example that does seems to serve the purpose without diluting itself in the process. I like the word practice as well. Such as: I like to practice while I cook If someone here said that, I would completely get the gist of the meaning/use and then I might ask "what sort of practice do you find effective while cooking" If you replace the word practice in the above scenario with "meditation" it is simply confusing or odd and requires a sort of explanation of the use of the word and then the idea behind your use of it. In any case - bringing awareness to our everyday activities is a great way to have the day.

I had a wonderful experience with mushrooms up in the Yosemite area. Someone told me of a Secret Campground area - they said know one would be there at that time of the year (early spring). It was out a way and hidden under the canopy of thick trees was a whole creek area. I set up camp and at about 6 am I woke up and took the mushrooms and went back to sleep. About 45 minutes later I awoke in an exceptionally calm and aware state. While it was hot outside the canopy, it was very comfortable inside and the stream made a pleasant sound that filled the space. The water was ice cold. I spent the day naked sitting on a rock that was smooth and in the fashion of a sofa. I had my guitar handy if the desire came to play and the water was there for me whenever I wanted to sit in it and wake up and refresh myself. I spent the day just witnessing the activities of nature. I watched one tree branch way up in the canopy move over and take an open spot of sun, then I watched another branch from another tree comedown on top of the other branch and move it out of the way and take the sun spot for itself. I watched a spider start from scratch on what became a large web, and rodents moving all about uninterrupted by my presence. I was not use to spending so much waking time with myself having no inertia but to simply be. The exquisite feelings, the powerful yet force less emanations welling up and through oneself, the sounds of music tapping and glinting the air, each breath breathed through both nostrils like I was drinking in the air, my thick hands and feet that were like hands everything so much more muscular and earthy and intense but with no weight. Eating was a pleasure and playing around in my mouth with these wonderful tastes and textures was this tongue of mine and all the things it is able to do and feel and taste. My chubby face and the incredible water of the electric stream - the water did not feel cold, it felt blue inside me and went up into my head. Rays of sun fell like showers all through the cathedral of the canopy. It was a very nice way to wake up into the day.

I am extremely glad you asked for clarification as it is something too rarely done, but I am afraid that my definition in this case is probably the one you would disagree with. I will probably not choose to defend the position but just to clarify a bit, it would be the definition that views manipulation as either a very bad thing or an activity that easily slides into bad activity by sheer habit. Magic / manipulation without consent, covertly, for personal gain, altering futures, impedance of others for gain or "acting like god". General bending of the natural currents of others. This would fall under my definition from a negative standpoint. I understand that every one of these skill sets can be used in a positive manner but the odds of a bottom up use not stepping in the wrong direction is very rare. By bottom up I mean knowing of and widely practicing these tools without already being practically enlightened or in fact enlightened. Obviously you can use the tools for growing food and weather changes and a whole host of things that are fine and create no problems but in most cases this goes hand in hand with a pile of mis- behaviors that are typically taken for granted in a flippant way. I would like to hear what you have to say - I have some very good witch friends with whom I have never had this discussion nor have I shared much with them along these lines.

On a quick note: I don't think the Tibetian's were hoarding spiritual knowledge. I have been there and it is isolated, also hoarding spiritual knowledge is something intrinsically somewhat impossible to do. Regarding the broader theme, this is a very interesting subject and one which crosses several lines, one of which I have never seen discussed here before: the issue of magic. It is one reason very fine teachers would certainly hesitate to speak here at the TTBs. BaguakicksAss said in her response to the above quote: "Hmmm, I personally hold back a lot of teachings (not Chinese), so people won't go around harming innocents, or (more often) themselves. Also I really don't care to have a handed down tradition mass market produced in paperbacks. Some things just aren't meant for the entire population, and are more meant for people that we get to know quite well over several years. People tend to change when they get some power (or perceived power), and can go some very bad directions, as I have found. I see no reason to make certain things public. Even in my martial arts and neigong stuff, it isn't just handed out, it is taught to serious students, after a time. Someone asked me to teach them iron vest during their second class... uhm no. (and not like they couldn't handle it)." I agree with her The deep stuff cannot be taught without readiness and it might possibly be either dangerous in the hands of those not ready, or it will float completely past them and register only in an odd and contorted way with all sorts of assumptions distorting any results that might take place. Personally I have a whole closet of stuff that will not be coming out of me during this life because it is not helpful for people to know and if they needed to know it they would fined it without problem because all the pieces are just sitting out in the open. The issue of magic is a serious one and the intermixing here of students of magic and also those actively edging around what are typically the leanings of the black "arts" pretty much excludes the type of teaching that might otherwise spring here. In the end, the black arts and magic are low beyond compare to what one can do with relative ease in the higher realms, and by higher realms I mean ones right here on earth in our bodies and in teachings that flourish all over this world. The higher realms are in our backyards, pitched on our shoulders and running under our feet. Socrates gave a peek into the highest teaching when he said "I know nothing" But people do not want to hear this. People do not want to hear "practice these simple techniques and from them all will be revealed to you" They want MCO and retention and hair shirts and handstands. All the little tiny stuff. A though Z and a definition of every step upon the way. It usually takes years to get past the small mindedness, and just when you think a student has promise they think they know something and die before you eyes - where they will resurface is anyone's guess. It takes a great deal of time for a teacher to understand that looking for "real" students is an unproductive effort - you teach and learn teaching but it is your center that will attract a real student and they will recognize you even if they don't have a clue. And what is a real student? There is no such thing as one who is not. You would not have a body if you were not a student. The basics do not require a great master and the only thing a great master has to offer is you to yourself.

Additional confusion is created at the outset of the Erickson quote: "'Erickson maintained that trance is a common, everyday occurrence. For example, when waiting for buses and trains, reading or listening, or even being involved in strenuous physical exercise, it's quite normal to become immersed in the activity and go into a trance state, removed from any other irrelevant stimuli. These states are so common and familiar that most people do not consciously recognise them as hypnotic phenomena." The following is simply very poor writing: " For example, when waiting for buses and trains, reading or listening, or even being involved in strenuous physical exercise, it's quite normal to become immersed in the activity and go into a trance state, removed from any other irrelevant stimuli." It is simply not "quite normal to become immersed in the activity", in fact it is quite normal to float off out of our bodies in the tedium of it all. We are so un- immersed in the activity that we " leave the building" so to speak. I would say from the perspective of a true seeker that we aspire to be actually immersed in such present moments as "waiting for a bus" because it is precisely at that moment nearly impossible to be immersed in them or present to them - it is so very easy to be waiting for a bus and be off arranging what we will be doing later when the day has ended or the weekend has begun. I am not arguing in any way that this is not what he is trying to say, only that if it is, it is an odd way to state it. And if it is not what he is trying to say then I would say it is the view point of one looking from an uncommon dimension. A view that is misleading for most humans. I am being picky here because the word trance, the concept of trance is a slippery thing and we can easily find ourselves missing the boat while its right there in front of us. Be in your body, do your practice from there and you will find yourself falling less into trance and more into awareness. The platform will increasingly settle under your feet and the outlines of a boat however fleeting will come in and out of view with grater frequency.

The quotes from Miltom Erikson are misleading, easily misunderstood or incorrect from the standpoint of common use of terms (on relatively uncommon levels - language is a problem). So, without further ado: Do locate where you are, typically if you are in your body you are not in trance. If you are aware you are in say the center of your head, you are in a space of awareness, however it may be cluttered with static and detours. As you go and come back you may indeed be in and out of trance but in the coming back to the center of your head and awareness you are bobbling back into consciousness however glazed over and veiled it may be. This is real progress, and it does not matter if your center is found in your belly or your heart - these aspects tell more of who you are and the great cosmic vibrations that favor you. Trance is something we do often find ourselves floating off into, but in the quote among other things said, it states: "The same situation is in evidence in everyday life, however, whenever attention is fixated with a question or an experience of the amazing, the unusual, or anything that holds a person's interest. At such moments people experience the common everyday trance; they tend to gaze off to the right or left, depending upon which cerebral hemisphere is most dominant (Baleen, 1969) and get that faraway or blank look." This is confusing as it was presented in the short cut and paste. It may not be in the book or from what ever it was taken from and I am not familiar with the author so I cannot vouch for his overall clarity. As it appears above it is "off" a bit. When someone is fixated with a question or an experience of the amazing, the unusual, or anything that holds a persons interest, few people go off into a trance and take up "that far away look", in fact such interesting things that hold a persons interest tend to bring one into ones body and out of trance if that is/was where they were. It is extremely interesting to note that if someone is typically out of their body or of a teaching that is in trance and practicing trance states, then as they become a teacher / writer, they may understand this phenomenon from the viewpoint as expressed by Mr Erikson and for them it would seem to be the case - though from the viewpoint of a more clarified general view they would be mistaken. From their case and those of similar bent, they are in a sense correct but confusing to many of us. This can also be the case when scientific studies are done wherein the scientist study electrochemical activity but do not have the gift of clairvoyance and come to conclusions that are quite neat and tidy and have nothing to do with reality.

I was a speaker at one of Richard Bandler's seminars - as a psychic. Apparently later he was surprised to find out I was not a "professional psychic". Additionally I met with him at his house and we played some music - he had quite a few instruments and we had a good time. I assembled several other friends with various psychic abilities to also speak at this event. It went very well in the climate of receptivity that was present. I do not know much about NLP but any work in which you might expose your habituations to an openness for creative change can act upon ones daily sleeping walking state. At times my exposure to NLP brought a hint of manipulation to my awareness but it was never of a bothersome type and nothing more than relatively naked experimentation.

Excerpt: " Now, at this moment, I have to let go of this belief, as I let go of those former Christian beliefs. Its time to adopt another, to test it and see if it proves True." Pretty near the start you make the above statement. It is not necessary to adopt a position or a belief - in fact this is the problem/ play - it creates the whole set design. Belief is also not necessary - you can know - but in that knowing it is not necessary to grasp and wrap that knowing and limit it's expansion. Believe in nothing. When looking into the sky you will not "see god" - you will see the sky part of yourself while you are breathing in the air part of yourself while you are standing in the earth part of yourself and you will see the hands of the body you are in and the tree you are in and the bird you are in and the sky you are in and the stars. At night the sun will drench you with moonlight and in the day everything is thick with life and lightness. You pad along with the bottom of your feet no different than your palms but they are not you they are these fleshy pads you inhabit - nothing is yours - everything is - and all the creatures peer out and peer in - there is no need for anything. And then of course we come to language and the need to say something and be intelligible and so it goes we do our best.

Quite the opposite - I do not usually use the word god for the very reason you came to ask the question - it has so much energy on it - in its place put Buddha nature or ? I would leave out nearly all of the large religions but none of what I consider the Great Teachings. Let's just say many of them do not share the idea of Awakening or they need a teacher from something such as a Buddhist tradition to point out how far off the original track they have wandered. They are mummified versions of original content cut and pasted so often that a real mystic from a real teaching is needed to decider their quotes because their own hierarchy is completely bewildered by its own arrogance.

I will try - thanks for the idea!

These are byproducts and they have been used as byproducts meaning that they were acquired in pursuit of awakening though in some cases they were exercised quite a bit. I cover some of what I see on the first few pages though your question has more the feel of a test. What I see with my clairvoyance is not something like what I see with my eyes, though sometimes I see clairvoyantly through my open waking eyes very clearly such things as an aura or a chi puff... What I see is always expanding but not in some grandiose way - little things here and there - like a shimmer when someone is lying. Distance seeing when I know of someone about to pass that I have never met. The picture of a possible future and the opportunity to dissipate it in some way / alter course. Everything moving and alive. The color above a number at a roulette table. A large dog floating in someone's space. Seeing inside someone - inside blood - inside the chemical composition of blood - inside the lenses of the eye - the filters above the head. All the little chakrams between each joint, layers of them on each eye, layers in the large chakras, thought forms floating about a persons space, pictures of histories, relatives, pets. Speaking with my son before he was born, knowing my wife was pregnant before she did and telling her with certainty then getting tested and jumping up and down. Seeing beings that are not of this dimension - ondine's, elementals, ... Seeing beings that are not actually real beings but large mass thought forms from group beliefs and traditions of suffering or lore. Seeing big powerful beings that I am able to communicate well with - ones not normally conversant with humans. Energy spots Ovarian cysts that can be dissolved and preventing a radical hysterectomy in a 19yr old girl that was to be operated on 2 days later and insisting on adding a couple of days before having surgery and so she went in on a Wednesday instead of Monday and the surgeon noticed a radical size reduction, and then receiving a picture from her about 9 months later with her and her new born child. Seeing a fear picture stuck in a young boys head who had climbed way up in a tree and froze and blowing it for him so he could climb down. Posting some very powerful beings here and there when it is helpful to do so. Talking with guides - watching guides Clearing a path for a parking space Making something invisible to certain elements The beautiful golden orbs like miniature suns - great beings And a great deal not mentioned because it is of little practical value to discuss. Typically with clairvoyance I associate Knowing - knowing is a far greater gift than clairvoyance.

I think some of the reasons for teachers of schools staying close to the cuff so to speak is not one so much of survival or self centeredness as one might suppose - it's not the " AhHa - you guys are out for yourself" moment. I have had the great good fortune to be involved with the International interfaith Counsel and some of the larger gatherings. The sharing is considerable and quite a number of teachers are from a swath of teachings. This is even more true now as we are seeing a very sharp rise in Awakening. I think one of the very good reasons teachers are "plugging" their own teaching (an many don't, but their students do) is that at some some point Seekers need to land somewhere and sort things out, receive clarity and acclimate. Most teachings take about 2 or more years to settle into and understand the language of the teaching let alone some of the higher aspects. Even the "all American esoteric schools" have a pile of specific language peculiarities, even if they don't include Indian, Chinese and other non-native terms. On another note - if you follow any of the "great teachings" to awakening it is hard not to notice they are almost identical on many fronts. Perhaps not so much on the outside but the inside work plays out nearly the same. The great teachers will still look you personally in the eye and say "you have the answer". They will all look at you and laugh - knowing that your persona is certainly not the god they are talking to and they will try to coax that god in you to awakening.

Thank you! Thank you mom! Thank you ted! Thank you wolves!

Telepathy is a part of Clairaudience though I have not really had it in the same category in my mind until tonight - they feel different but it would be hard to put it in its own category because it is very much "clear hearing" - anyway: If and when it occurs for you, you who'll hear the person with exquisite clarity in the middle of your head. Cats communicate well and in full English - though not in long discussions. I have heard that horses are also very good with telepathy. The first time it happened with a human I had simply asked them a question and I heard them think the answer - I responded to their answer before they were able to verbalized it and this went on for several Q & A's until the person became uncomfortable and wanted to validate exactly what I thought he had said - which he did and I was still reeling from the excitement of a whole bunch of stuff flooding in. Anyway - his thoughts were identical to verbalizing but more immediate and clear sounding. If you have heard music in silent air it is beautiful and for me it was very " otherworldly" very much like some clean uncluttered pulsing pings in various sprinkling tones. This has rarely occurred for me and I did not go after it then when it happened unexpectedly. ( I am talking of experiences with my eyes wide open and when I was fully awake - not meditation experiences or out of body experiences).

I just thought I would add some information about some other abilities besides clairvoyance. Clairaudience is something not frequently talked about. If you have any examples please share them here. At one point my Clairaudience turned way up for about 3 days. I was able to hear what a man sounds like and what a woman sounds like. I could hear the sound given off by the different races of Man. I realized that I had deep instinctive reactions to these sounds of the different races - some in affinity and some very spontaneously negative! This was a big surprise - luckily at the time I had a whole storehouse of skills for becoming neutral and directly going after the sources of reactionary inclinations. I had also been working on myself in this regard for many years. Instinctive - Deep DNA programming is much more real than I had given it to be. Each of us has a tonal aspect that is very much like the different dog breeds. Some are strung like a tight wire and some have a deep slow beat. One race sounds like those hollow wooden things you hold and run a stick over to make a sort of dashed line of sound - I had a big negative reaction to this one and the deep slow beat.

Look at what ever exercises those aspects you deem "no good" It is usually diet related: A diet of Hate Radio and Politics is not good for judgment and neutrality. A diet of processed garbage and booze or weed fosters depression. A diet of remorse and living in the past dissipates all the rungs up on the ladder. A diet of imagined dirty dishes piling up in the future makes headway overly burdensome A diet of looking in the mirror and naming what you see rather than seeing what you might be

I found fasting to be one of the most profound and quick ways to recalibrate and get a real glimpse of what ones has built up. It brings the momentum to a trickle and brings with it space and calm and quite a bit of time.

A sculptor made a marble sculpt of a turtle moving toward a hole - the turtle would not be able to continue unless he gave up his shell.

The first person in this video is the teacher up in Vancouver - everyone I know talks very highly of him and his students here are extraordinary. He is a monk from Shaolin Temple. He came over here with two of my teachers - all from Shaolin. Master Yan is the youngest of the 3 and is not a monk - he comes on at the end of this video. He is also a very good teacher and a pleasure to work with. I have taken Tai Chi from him. He was considered among the very best in all of China.

I am very interested in any particulars you can state here or send me regarding "The major area of application is in reversing cancer". I have a good friend who was recently diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer. Thank you in advance!

A good teacher is in search of good questions and it does not matter from what package.

By the way - thank you for sharing that with us!