The Standing Post

posted on 24.03.12

The Hundred Character Stele of the Immortal Dao Master Lu DongBin - Complete Cultivation teachings.

posted on 24.03.12

(via DSZ: The Zen Miracle Cure for Anxiety & PTSD)

“It’s not for nothing that in old Japan — where life was often nasty, brutish and cut short — Zen was the “religion” of warriors.

Doing Zen in the samurai way can resolve your anxious mental turmoil and keep you from being “stressed out” by anything at all.

The basic idea is to start with some attention to breathing and body posture. Learning to sit in Seiza, that’s an excellent start (see the diagram above).

Assume the Seiza posture and rather than either thinking or imagining anything or directly trying to stop thinking or imagining anything, keep bringing your attention back to your breathing.

Now, for some people “breathing” is too diffuse and it’s impossible to really concentrate on that, so in Koichi Tohei’s “Ki training” we’re taught to focus on a small area just about two fingers below your navel and about one inch inside it.

Note that the reason this kind of “one point” mind training in meditation works is that it brings the awareness, energy and attention down from your upper body where it’s getting knotted up as “thoughts” and very uncomfortable emotions (in the neck, jaw, head, and shoulders especially) and constricting the circulation of Ki.

Each time the attention wavers, which it will, you gently bring it back to the “one point.” …

Seiza is by itself a powerful and stable posture, and even more so if you completely relax into it by dropping your energy downward — always downward to the Hara, to the lower body, the knees, the feet, the hands (assuming they’re resting on your knees or making a mudra).

Always drop Ki downward, because in anxiety attacks the body’s energy rushes upward and overloads your head (or, even worse perhaps, gets choked and knotted up very painfully in the chest and/or throat).

By using Seiza along with “one pointed” concentration you can overcome any anxious thought/feeling.

Better still, you will soon directly realize that the nature of the mind is infinite space.” - DSZ

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posted on 24.03.12

(via Notes from a Chinese Cave: Qigong’s Quiet Return by Ian Johnson)

Inhale, pull the room into you
Exhale, push out the walls of this room
Inhale, contract the room
Exhale, expand it
Inhale
Exhale
Now you are entering a half-sleep state of consciousness
Clear your mind

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posted on 21.12.11

Circulation of the Light: Essential metaphor of global sustainability?

This article examines the Daoist meditational metaphor of inner light circulation to understand the topology of global economics. Intriguing stuff.

“As one of the people upheld as having the most insight into the global financial system, George Soros has made use of alchemy as a metaphor in a widely commented study (The Alchemy of Finance: reading the mind of the market, 1988). This metaphor is central to the Taoist meditation practices of China as described, for example, by Lu K’uan Yü (Taoist Yoga: alchemy and immortality, 1970). The key process is described in terms of the metaphor “circulation of the light”. This has notably been highlighted by Carl Jung and Richard Wilhelm with respect to a Chinese classic, The Secret of the Golden Flower (Tai Yi Jin Hua Zong Zhi). The Wilhelm translation is accompanied by a translation of another classic, the Book of Consciousness and Life (Hui Ming Ching) containing images indicative of the toroidal channel within which the “circulation of the light” takes place in that process.
Attention has previously been drawn to the correspondence between the preoccupation of the current global civilization with “sustainability” and that of the preoccupation with “immortality” of past civilizations lasting centuries (Identity in Time: sustainability and immortality, 2010). The question explored here is the extent to which the metaphor of the “circulation of the light” is indeed an essential metaphor for comprehension of global sustainability at this time.”

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posted on 16.12.11

Techniques for Consciousness Change by Robert Anton Wilson.

If you aren’t having some playtime with your nervous system, then you aren’t being fully human.

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posted on 02.07.10 Magus of Java author says “Snap out of it!”

I thought coming from this guy’s experience this is a valid call to self reliance and resilient community building as well as not getting bogged down in new age fantasy games. Extraordinary human development is real, but what do you do when society crashes?

“Please Stop Hitting the Snooze Button” by Kostas Dervenis (via)

Despite my best efforts, I keep getting letters inquiring about John Djiang’s contact details. The usual request is for me to make arrangements for the petitioner to become an immortal in his/her (usually his) spare time, via a web-based video correspondence course posted on Youtube following the individual’s initial visit to Indonesia (a trip which is only necessary so that he can take photos with Master Djiang to post on Facebook, and videos to post on youtube). Given that this website is dedicated to Pammachon, not the Magus of Java, it would appear that few people are reading my posts and directions very carefully (perhaps the youth of today has lost the capacity to read after all), so let me summarize my standpoint and reiterate my position for one final time:

The Magus of Java is, as Bruno would say, sooooooo 1999. It is outdated. It was a plan that did not work. You’re too late – all the immortals have already made the cut, graduated, and taken the last plane out. You missed out. Sorry about that.

To my surprise, several people who wish to portray themselves as scientists have stated on various fora that, were the theories presented in the Magus of Java found to be true, physics would be revolutionized. In fact, this is an erroneous statement, as there is nothing in the book that is not old hat. There are innovative viewpoints in the book, but nothing in there is really “mine” – all I did was connect the dots and draw pretty pictures.

Herbert Benson (et al) proved in 1981 that the use of tantric yoga techniques by advanced practitioners could circumvent the biophysical model as we know it; the publication of same was made in Nature, a prestigious peer-reviewed scientific journal, and has never been disproven. gTummo yoga is considered by the Tibetans as a path to Enlightenment and its practitioners as well on their way to becoming Buddhas (immortals). We already know that human beings can generate incredible amounts of energy through these practices – so go bother the Tibetan Buddhists, they are is set up to deal with you, I am not.

The binary nature of the Universe was theorized by Einstein back in the day, and by the ancients way back in the day; that the speed of gravity is equal to the speed of light, as Einstein predicted, was finally experimentally proven a few years ago, confirming once and for all that weird hair styles have something going for them. Many cosmologists are now saying that the amount of dark matter in the universe must be equal to the amount of “light” matter so dear to us – gee, what a surprise. The Mass Unconscious was first postulated by Carl Gustav Jung, not Kostas Danaos – I just used his model. So go bother a Jungian – he will charge you for your trouble. I am not the first to comment on the similarity of ancient thought with modern physics; there are many other authors who have stated the same, and who routinely attend their own book signings – Fritjof Capra is still active, for example. And no – I am not interested in anyone’s chi machine.

I understand there are so-called teachers out there charging 5 to 6 thousand dollars a pop for teaching basic Mo Pai meditation - I am not one of them. Good luck with that, and feel free to consider yourself an idiot if you coughed up such funds. Did you really think that a life-altering journey could be initiated because of an advertisement posted through a medium such as the Internet? Christ on a Harley! I have never charged a student of mine one penny, not for martial arts training nor for meditation, nor do I have any plans to do so, though it would appear I could have made a fortune if I had. But making money was never the point behind the project.

I’ve had people call my book “life altering” and “groundbreaking” and all sorts of good stuff, and for that I must thank them (there were a bunch of others who thought it was crap, too, and I’ll have to thank them as well). I am very happy that the Magus of Java affected your life the way that it did, and I hope you can pass the same positive feeling onto others in the future. But let me make this clear: your choices in life are your responsibility, not mine.

All of you have to understand the following: The Magus of Java was essentially an Enacted Plan with a specific implementation timeframe, and nothing more. I was seeking a fulcrum to stave off the inevitable, but it would seem that the Universe cannot be dissuaded once it makes up its Mind. I pretty much stated my purpose behind writing the book in its final chapter, the chapter that few people liked and most people skimmed through, and dropped references to same throughout the text. I guess no one was paying attention. No one cared what I personally thought back then; it would appear that this has changed these days.

I have felt the Decline breathing down our necks for a long period of time, since the early 80s to be precise, and it has come to stay. The Decline is as unavoidable as a steamroller, and for some reason there is no slowing it down either. The times that are coming will not be particularly pleasant, but they will not be the End that some people envision. Nope, no end of the world folks, you will have to continue dealing with reality on a daily basis, but things will be much, much harder. Nevertheless, when I wrote the Magus of Java, I was orchestrating a sequence of actions whose purpose was to stave off an inevitable turn of events; I am actually fairly good at that and have been trained to do so. But the Universe did not want this, and no man can stop a hurricane: death, disease, insurrection, religious fanaticism, stupidity and terrorism all stood in my way, and the plans I made failed spectacularly. The desperate shot that I took with the Magus of Java did not reach its mark. So I gave up; every man only gets so many chances to do the right thing in his life.

9/11 and the events that followed the publication of the Magus of Java, and other events that will follow in the future, have changed and will change the world for the worse, now and forever. No one can move back in time: if a domino fails to tumble, then the stack it lies in is forfeit; if it does tumble, it initiates a chain of events. So forget about John Djiang – concentrate on preparing for your future. Forget about 1999 – concentrate on 2010 and beyond.

The Decline that is coming will be a time of Enclaves and Inequality, a time when the Fire of Prometheus will burn low in humanity or not at all. There have been many such periods in human history; sadly, one lies ahead. Science will advance, indeed, but it will not be available to everyone. The citizen’s rights you grew up with and have come to take for granted will simply cease to exist; millions of people will die of starvation and thirst. You should do your best to prepare for the coming times, and forget about Youtube videos. Concentrate on day-to-day necessities and empower yourself to be a strong and vital member of an independent community. Each one of you is a link in the chain – each one of you can become an asset or a liability. So become strong in your heart and mind and become an asset to civilization and to your loved ones. Let honor and virtue rule your hearts, and strength and integrity rule your mind. Do not be afraid of expressing defiance to corrupt authority and understand that this is not a time to avoid confrontation. Do not be afraid to tell an idiot that he is an idiot, assuming that you can prove he is. Become independent – stand on your own two feet, so that you can help others stand on theirs. If you do not understand these words, then you have no business at my doorstep in any case, so go complain elsewhere.

In any case, now you know what to do. Interested parties with half a brain, please purchase and read The Limits to Growth to better understand what is ahead…

Individuals interested in immortality, please change radio stations. The immortals have all gone back to Mount Olympus.

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posted on 13.05.10

(BIGU is a form of fast wherein the adept subsists solely on the energy created by intense meditation and spiritual work. Of course people are hoping for military applications with this phenomena but I don’t see how that will work as warfare is something diametrically opposed to the lifestyle required of the cultivator. Nevertheless, an interesting man and study. I hope results of the testing will somehow become public.)

Starving Yogi Astounds Indian Scientists

By Rajesh Joshi (AFP)

AHMEDABAD, India — An 83-year-old Indian holy man who says he has spent seven decades without food or water has astounded a team of military doctors who studied him during a two-week observation period.

Prahlad Jani spent a fortnight in a hospital in the western India state of Gujarat under constant surveillance from a team of 30 medics equipped with cameras and closed circuit television.

During the period, he neither ate nor drank and did not go to the toilet.

“We still do not know how he survives,” neurologist Sudhir Shah told reporters after the end of the experiment. “It is still a mystery what kind of phenomenon this is.”

The long-haired and bearded yogi was sealed in a hospital in the city of Ahmedabad in a study initiated by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the state defence and military research institute.

The DRDO hopes that the findings, set to be released in greater detail in several months, could help soldiers survive without food and drink, assist astronauts or even save the lives of people trapped in natural disasters.

“(Jani’s) only contact with any kind of fluid was during gargling and bathing periodically during the period,” G. Ilavazahagan, director of India’s Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences (DIPAS), said in a statement.

Jani has since returned to his village near Ambaji in northern Gujarat where he will resume his routine of yoga and meditation. He says that he was blessed by a goddess at a young age, which gave him special powers.

During the 15-day observation, which ended on Thursday, the doctors took scans of Jani’s organs, brain, and blood vessels, as well as doing tests on his heart, lungs and memory capacity.

“The reports were all in the pre-determined safety range through the observation period,” Shah told reporters at a press conference last week.

Other results from DNA analysis, molecular biological studies and tests on his hormones, enzymes, energy metabolism and genes will take months to come through.

“If Jani does not derive energy from food and water, he must be doing that from energy sources around him, sunlight being one,” said Shah.

“As medical practitioners we cannot shut our eyes to possibilities, to a source of energy other than calories.”

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Michael Echanis: America’s First Ninja

A Toast to Jim Channon in 2010

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posted on 07.04.10 Ervin Laszlo: Quantum Consciousness: Our Evolution, Our Salvation

reclusland:ledgergermane:americansatori:

Here I call “quantum consciousness” the consciousness we access when we use the potentials of our quantum-computer brain. Our brain is a macroscopic quantum system, yet we use it as if it were exclusively a classical biochemical system. With its quantum-system functions, our brain can receive information not only from our eyes and ears, but directly from the wider world with which we are “entangled” — nonlocally connected. Insightful people throughout history, whether shamans or scientists, poets or prophets, have extensively used this capacity, innate to all human beings. Today it is widely neglected. This impoverishes our world picture and causes a nagging sense that we are separate from the world around us.

I believe that quantum consciousness could be the next stage in the evolution of our consciousness — and that this evolution could be our salvation. Let me explain.

The first thing I ask you to note is that human consciousness is not static, fixed once and for all. It’s the product of a long evolutionary development and is capable of further development. In the thirty- or fifty-thousand-year history of the species we proudly call Homo sapiens, the human body didn’t change significantly, but human consciousness did. And it can change again.

In a variety of “alternative cultures” a new consciousness is already emerging. The members of these cultures — the green movement, the peace movement, the sustainable living movement, the movement of cultural creatives, and others — share similar social values and are open and interactive with the larger society; they don’t seek isolation or indulge in promiscuous sex. They aim to rethink accepted beliefs and values and adopt a more responsible style of living. They shift from matter- and energy-wasteful ostentation toward voluntary simplicity and the search for sustainability and harmony with nature.

A new consciousness is now struggling to be born. Does this mean that the consciousness of humanity itself is evolving? Some famous thinkers have said so. The Indian sage Sri Aurobindo spoke of the emergence of superconsciousness in ever more people, and this, he said, is the harbinger of the next evolution of human consciousness. In a similar vein the Swiss philosopher Jean Gebser spoke of the coming of four-dimensional integral consciousness, rising from the prior stages of archaic, magical, and mythical consciousness. The American mystic Richard Bucke called the new consciousness “cosmic,” and in the colorful spiral dynamics developed by Chris Cowan and Don Beck, it’s the turquoise stage of collective individualism, cosmic spirituality, and Earth changes. For philosopher Ken Wilber these developments signify an evolutionary transition from the mental consciousness characteristic of both animals and humans, to subtle consciousness, which is archetypal, transindividual, and intuitive, to causal consciousness, and then ultimately to “consciousness as such.” Psychiatrist Stanislav Grof summed up the characteristics of the emerging consciousness as “transpersonal.”

There is remarkable agreement among these visionary concepts. Superconsciousness, integral consciousness, cosmic consciousness, turquoise-stage consciousness, and consciousness as such are all forms of consciousness that transcend the divide between you and me, the individual and the world, the human being and nature. If these thinkers are right, this kind of consciousness will be the next stage in the evolution of the consciousness of our species.

Quantum consciousness — QC — could perhaps be the next stage in the evolution of the mind of humanity, but why would it be our salvation?

The answer is simple commonsense: because QC is a consciousness of directly intuited, felt connection to the world. It inspires empathy with people and with nature; it brings an experience of oneness and belonging. Quantum consciousness makes us realize that, being one with others and with nature, what we do to them we do to ourselves.

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posted on 26.03.10 “I Lost Too Much Jing” - MeditationExpert

People often write me saying they are old and weak and lost too much jing .. what should they do?
taosim says to practice emptiness meditation and because one thereby cultivates shen (awareness without clinging), this will in time give rise to jing and chi. Why? Jing transforms into chi and chi into shen and vica versa.
For older people my teacher often recommended the Chinese medicine Liu Wei Di Huang Wang, which costs about $4 in any Chinese pharmacy, to help restore the debilitating effects from such loss in conjunction with old age.
Anything else? Some schools say to eat sesame seeds, which Chinese make into a tasty black soup. A Delicious desert we’d eat in Hong Kong all the time though I like Almond soup a little better.
The Indians say to eat pistachios and also the marrow from lamb bones.
Whatever you do, don’t eat the stimulating herbs with ginseng, oysters, etc. that stimulate but do not help renew the body.

The jing-chi-shen phenomena is very profound and hard to realize if you only think of all three as physical phenomena. Anyone into internal arts will wax poetic about the Three Treasures but not many will do much to experience them. Unfortunate too, is the simplistic formula “first jing, then chi and finally shen”. If you have a lot of rice, the pot still won’t cook itself, and if you don’t know what you are doing, you still won’t get a good pot of rice! I prefer the following formulation that I came up with: If you don’t lose your jing (all the forms of it), chi MIGHT manifest (providing you are authentically cultivating) then it is possible to get shen. This is a realistic way to look at it.

Related:

Ritual Purification & Popular Culture

Boosting Kidney Qi

On Breathing and Dantien Cultivation

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posted on 28.02.10 Ritual purification & Popular Culture

Ritual purification is a feature of many religions. The aim of these rituals is to remove specifically defined uncleanliness prior to a particular type of activity, and especially prior to the worship of a deity. This ritual uncleanliness is not however identical with ordinary physical impurity, such as dirt stains; nevertheless, all body fluids are generally considered ritually unclean, and some religions have special treatment of semen and menses, which are viewed as particularly unclean.
Most of these rituals existed long before the germ theory of disease, and figure prominently from the earliest known religious systems of the Ancient Near East. Some writers remark that similarities between cleansing actions, engaged in by obsessive compulsive disorder sufferers and those of religious purification rites, point to an ultimate origin of the rituals in the personal grooming behaviour of the primates, but others connect the rituals to primitive taboos.

Currently I am viewing detoxification’s re-emergence in popular culture as the reintroduction of the Ritual Purification to a secular audience. Unfortunately, the reintroduction is wholly devoid of the next required step of spiritual engagement and work. Why the ‘next step’ is not considered in media as a necessary option can lead to various conclusions, some conspiratorial, while others speak to the general ignorance of human development’s possibilities.

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