Songtsan

The Dao Bums
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Content count

    3,246

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    12

Posts posted by Songtsan

  1. Posted

    I think with the toothpaste, there's such a minimal amount that it doesn't really matter. And if we brush lightly so as to not agitate the gums, and spit all the foam out completely and rinse, then we're hardly getting any exposure to it.

     

    I noticed a decrease in effectiveness of fluoride free toothpastes...my teeth started hurting. Had to switch back to fluoridated varieties.

     

    People who are trying to go fluoride free should probably consider a few other things: the water source for your shower or bath having a fluoride filter so it isn't absorbed through the skin or inhaled as droplets or vapors. Not cooking (rice for instance, or soup) with tap water, not eating at places that cook with tap water...and of course not drinking it ever (considering being out at public places where there are water fountains and you might be thirsty...having a coffee from the store, etc). I suspect all of those things are more hazardous than toothpaste. The toothpaste is only potentially bad for kids, who swallow a lot of it.

     

    fluoride can get absorbed directly into the mucosa of the gums, also into the veins under the tongue....I'm sure I get enough in the foods I eat, and occasional tap water drinking, and there is small amounts in just about any brand of spring water...

  2. Posted

    You can get fluoride-free toothpaste. ;)

     

    I make my own out of coconut oil, clove, and baking soda...never buy toothpaste again...I might also add calcium magnesium powder...and I dont spit it out, I swallow it...everything in it good for the system

  3. Posted

    According to many Eastern traditions, our root existence is simply awareness. Awareness uncoupled with any particular thing....going from round to round in states of coupling with various things, such as bodies...who knows though....do you know what lies beyond?

  4. Posted · Edited by Songtsan

    Why is compassion a feeling? Who taught you that?

     

    com-
     
    1.
    a prefix meaning “with,” “together,” “in association,” and (with intensive force) “completely,” occurring in loanwords from Latin ( commit): used in the formation of compound words before b, p, m: combine; compare; commingle.
     
    -----------------------------------------------------------
    passion
     
    [pash-uh n]
     

    1.
    any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate.
    2.
    strong amorous feeling or desire; love; ardor.
    3.
    strong sexual desire; lust.
    4.
    an instance or experience of strong love or sexual desire.
    5.
    a person toward whom one feels strong love or sexual desire.
    6.
    a strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, or desire for anything:
    a passion for music.
    7.
    the object of such a fondness or desire:
    Accuracy became a passion with him.
     
    Origin of passion
     

    1125-75; Middle English (< Old French) < Medieval Latin passiōn- (stem of passiō) Christ's sufferings on the cross, any of the Biblical accounts of these (> late Old English passiōn), special use of Late Latin passiō suffering, submission, derivative of Latin passus, past participle of patī to suffer, submit; see

     

    -------------------------------------------------

     

    compassion
     
    [kuh m-pash-uh n]
     

     

     
    noun
    1.
    a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.
    verb (used with object)
    2.
    Archaic. to compassionate.
     
    -------------------------------------
     
    Anyways, feelings are things that bodies have, which register to the senses, which also are things that bodies have.
     
    In the end, we don't take this body with us....so where is compassion then?
     
    who knows?

  5. Posted

    @Marblehead -> How can one be compassion, when compassion is a feeling and feelings require a body to produce said feeling? Even if it's a light body.

     

    Awareness can have many bodies, even if they are 'light bodies,' but what, if nothing else, is left if the bodies keep being shed?

     

    Egos are also programs kept in the body...ask me to describe and I will...

  6. Posted

    so we can't describe what it is in the definition?

     

    'Cause I was gonna say that it's areas of low energy density...basically it doesn't exist in actuality, we only perceive it exists. Space is a myth....there is stuff everywhere, just more or less stuff in places, so what you are talking about is Yin...however Yang is within Yin...so this is a relative view. What is Yin to one area can be Yang to another. So 'space' is relative to something else and is not a concrete variable.

    • Like 1

  7. Posted

    A nice knife, worn on the hip if it's OK...one of those little water purifier kits...perhaps some meds to cover diarhhea/dysentary (or whatever diseases might be present that locals are immune to but you aren't). Some say don't eat raw vegetables (diseases again), eat everything cooked as often as possible. Maybe don't shave - it makes you look tougher, and people less likely to mess with you. Don't really know actually...sunblock? It's equatorial, right? I had a bad experience in HI once (coming from NM, so thought I was used to it) where I got severely sunburned in a short time.

  8. Posted

     

    I was just joking...I try to avoid fluoride whenever possible. Don't even use toothpaste anymore....

    • Like 1

  12. Posted

    One step is to keep in mind that anger, the perception of, is the description given the awareness of an emotion. Emotions are electrochemical responses to stimuli which can be long lasting, like an adrenalin rush, for example. So knowing that the anger response will last a bit after the initial stimuli has passed, and can cloud awareness for some time, as it is based on the release of certain chemicals (catecholamines, adrenalin, noradrenalin), the activation of certain brain regions (amygdala, prefrontal cortex), as well as phsyiological effects such as increased heart rate/blood pressure, immediately tells you that its not a fight against the anger-inducing stimuli, but your own phsyiology.

     

    That's key. The prefrontal cortex is the area of the brain responsible for handling judgements, and is pivotal in suppressing the natural urge to destroy people, places, and things.

     

    Most people can handle not doing things that put them in jail, yet the uncomfortable results of the physiological stress responses can linger for days.

     

    This is where relaxation techniques and more advanced practices come in.

     

    So study relaxation techniques (e.g. progressive neuromuscular relaxation), perhaps biofeedback techniques, and especially learn how not to reify the scene that initially caused you to get angry. The rehashing of the event will contribute the most to carrying the undesirable effects forward. That's why tranquil abiding practices, one-pointed focus exercises, and emptiness meditation are pivotal in changing the physiological responses.

     

    I personally rate the difficulty of those practices in that exact order, from easiest to most difficult: relaxation techniques, biofeedback, calm abiding, one-pointed focus, and emptiness meditation.

     

    The three latter practices should work relatively equally as far as effectiveness in anger management IMO.

    • Like 1

  13. Posted

    There are also women who aren't so interested in having regular sex, who have and have always had a limited libido. Some even feel that they are asexual, yet they still might desire a life partner. These types of women won't care about your (perceived) lack. I also suggest that you search within a 'spiritual' community, meditation practitioners, etc. as these types are more often likely to be free of such 'needs.'

    • Like 1

  18. Posted

    Dont take as many showers, buy a shower filter. Brush teeth with baking soda and coconut oil. spring water or reverse osmosis + mineral supplemntation. Drink only 'good' water, dont drink store-bought drinks. Cant think of anything else at the moment....

    • Like 1

  22. Posted

    I think what real bigu is, and what people in the west are doing are oceans apart. A man not eating for a year is not practicing with a master in a cave in china. 

     

    Many people have never met a true master, and I can understand how they assume what we see out in the west is the full extent of what eastern practices are capable of, but this just isn't the case. 

     

    Anyone who has practiced with a real lineage can attest to the huge difference in effect compared to the stuff circulating in the west.

     

    I have no doubt that this( Living off of qi) is in fact possible, but finding a true master to teach you would be key. Reading about what herbs to take and what to do, is not practicing real bigu. 

     

    I know there is the odd exception to this, I am not painting everyone with the same brush as far as teachers in the west go. 

     

    Thanks for your input though. 

     

    I hear you.

     

    I never really researched it and it seems that one's condition should improve from bigu, and one shouldnt feel hungry....

     

    this following quote is from this website:http://www.healingtaousa.com/bigu.html

     

     

    What is Bigu?

    The term bigu denotes an advanced qigong state during which the practitioner is able to maintain his or her normal activities without eating or drinking (and sometimes sleeping) for long periods, in some cases for several months and years at a time. A characteristic of the bigu state is that one's overall condition improves rather than weakens, contrary to ordinary techniques of prolonged fasting. In addition , bigu encompasses other elements which exceed or transcend the beneficial effects of therapeutic fasting. These extraordinary aspects of the bigu state have been occasionally observed by medical and scientific practitioners; for example, archeological evidence includes an oracle -bone scripture found in a 1000 year old tomb in Hunan, China, which contains a detailed written account with pictures denoting the bigu phenomenon.

    Yan Xin stresses that bigu should be seen as a "signpost" or an adjunct to one's practice, but not as an ultimate goal. He once said "The bigu state should not be advocated or overemphasized." The potential of qi gong far surpasses these phenomena. (3)

    My first real exposure to the bigu concept was while studying with Dr. Yan Xin and his organization. In some of his books (see footnotes), bigu is mentioned and scientific studies done in China are cited. In one of his speeches he talks about a Chinese woman in bigu, living in the US that gave birth to a healthy baby subsisting on just water.

    What I am doing would be called "non-standard bigu" i.e. drinking liquids and occasionally eating small amounts of fruit or vegetables as opposed to "standard bigu" which involves no eating or drinking, except for water. It's hard for me to know for sure what is happening physiologically. It feels as though most of my nourishment is being absorbed directly from the surrounding chi through the breath with more intense absorption taking place during practice.

    Scientific research studies in China have shown that practicing qigong can improve absorption of nutrients from food. I believe that the small amount of food and liquids I am ingesting is being utilized to the maximum. I have no doubt that the mystery of bigu is something that will eventually be understood through scientific research and monitoring.

    THE GOLDEN RULE OF BIGU

    This is a good place to emphasize some things I've learned from my friends at Yan Xin Qigong. Bigu is an effect or gift of advanced and/or prolonged qi gong practice. IF YOU'RE HUNGRY YOU'RE NOT IN BIGU. As we all know, if you're not in bigu, going without food can be hazardous to your health.

    If you want to become breatharian I believe that it's essential to develop a very close rapport with your body and be able to distinguish between physical hunger and mental cravings. Eating disorders are rampant in our culture. Be careful. If you're hungry, eat, in a healthy and balanced way. Keep practicing. Do good deeds. This will bring you closer.

    My understanding of bigu is that it is not "not eating". It is practicing to a level where all your meridians merge and you and feel the chi continuously buoying you up. Your hunger dissapears. You feel full, bright and mildly ecstatic.

     

     

    --------------

     

    Sounds very interesting. Wish I had a master to train with.

    • Like 2