LUNG CHI KUNG

Here are a few sounds you can use to increase the health of your lungs. According to the five elements theory, the lungs are strengthened in the fall. This helps to balance us from any excess fire energy we may have from the hot summer, and helps protect us through the seasonal change by increasing our immunity to colds and flu.
Here are the sounds; sssssssss make this sound barely audible while imagining the color white in the area of your lungs. While doing this you can also smile down to your lungs in your mind and thank them for doing there work and keeping you healthy. This is part of the Taoist meditations called The inner smile and The Six Healing Sounds popularized by
Mantak Chia.
The next sound is yam (rhyme's with Tom). Yam is a bija mantra for the chakra located in the heart center. You can say this one out loud or silently, but you can feel your chest vibrating while saying it out loud which may help you focus your attention on the lungs. Say it fast or continuously at a medium pace. Yamyamyamyam. You can use the inner smile with this sound also.
The last sound comes from a great book called Power Healing by Dr. Sha.
The sound is san (rhyme's with John). This sound is actually the number 3 in mandarin chinese, and is a part of Zhi Neng medicine which utilizes number sounds to produce a healing effect on various body parts. Hand and body positions, visualization, and talking to your body parts, as well as giving thanks are also included in the Zhi Neng system. I highly recommend the book. Try repeating this sound very fast to build up the energy in your lungs.

JAPA YOGA

I will be adding to this post now and then, so, check back from time to time for additional postings. Japa yoga is the foundation of my spiritual practice. The most meaningful, life changing experiences I have had, occured while performing Japa. The Divine is there, all around you, waiting to answer your call. I first learned about japa from reading Mother Meera's book Answers, so for those of you not familiar with the practice of japa yoga, here is how she describes it; "Japa is the repetition of the name of that in which we believe. Japa is essential. Japa is not simple words - each divine name is full of divine vibrations. These surround us and protect us and penetrate both our bodies and our whole inner being. Remembrance of the divine name gives immediate peace and happiness and turns us from the wordly to the Divine. There is no special and limited time for japa. It is very good to do japa all day. If this is not possible then remember whenever it is possible. We can practice japa during all activities. It is easier to remember when we do physical work without mental work. This japa helps us to purify our consciousness and make our sadhana easy."

IT'S HERE NOW

If you haven't yet read It's Here Now (Are You?) by Bhagavan Das you're missing out on a good read about one young man's spiritual odyssey throughout India beginning in the 60's. Bhagavan Das was the young guy Ram Dass met in India, and he became well known from the book, Be Here Now. The ups and downs of his spiritual journey take the reader all over the place. From great disipline and devotion, to trying to get laid in Sri Lanka; from living with Neem Karoli Baba, to hashish milkshakes; from meeting Anandamayi Ma, to getting kicked out of India; from coming home to fame and adoration, to being kicked out of a Christian church for fornicating. He receives darshan from Sweet Mother of Pondichery too!It's all here and so many more stories of struggle and bliss, there is something for everyone here and maybe you'll learn something along the way.

New Thought Books

For some reason I couldn't get this link to work on the first new thought post. New Thought Related On-Line Books. I know many people like these new thought books and some of the more popular ones are really good, like, The Master Key, As A Man Thinketh, and The Science of Getting Rich to name a few. For some reason, though, I find many of them to be a difficult read. Maybe they're wordy? Or maybe it's the heavy Christian slant. I don't know, but if you like them, there are enough books here to keep you busy for a good long time. Enjoy!

Maharaji

Maharaji This is an excellent blog about the great spiritual master Neem Karoli Baba. Maharaji, as he was called, became well known in the west after the publication of the book Be Here Now by Ram Dass. I believe this blog contains excerpts from another great book called Miracle of Love, also by Ram Dass, although it is a compilation of stories from some of the many devotees of Maharaji. It is very moving to read how Maharaji interacted with his devotees, how he loved them and helped them so often and so unconditionally, not to mention the endless miracles that occured around him. Miracle of Love is one of my favorite books, so take a look at this blog and, if you like it, buy the book!

Advaita Vedanta

Advaita Vedanta This article, at the Myswizard blog, is a pretty good overview of advaita vedanta. Be sure to click on the A-Z index to find articles on Nisargadatta, Ramana Maharshi, Sri Aurobindo, Shankara, Patanjali, and a whole lot more.

EVENING TALKS

EVENING TALKS This is an interesting book containing conversations that took place between Sri Aurobindo and some of his disciples. Because the conversation is casual for the most part, you get a feel for Sri Aurobindo's personality in a different way than you can from his writings. While there is plenty of material to read about spiritual practice and experiences, there is also a fair amount about Indian and WW II politics.

INSPIRATION FROM SRI AUROBINDO

The following quotes by Sri Aurobindo have been among my favorites for many years.

"I become what I see in myself. All that thought suggests to me, I can do; All that thought reveals in me, I can become. This should be man's unshakable faith in himself, because God dwells in him."
*
"Aspire, concentrate in the right spirit and, whatever the difficulties, you are sure to attain the aim you have put before you."
*
"Persevere and what is still crooked will be made straight and you will know and feel constantly the truth of the Divine presence and your faith will be justified by direct experience."
*
"There is nothing the mind can do that cannot be better done in the mind's immobility and thought -free stillness."

Fresh Bread

Fresh BreadSomething to Ponder
Watch your thoughts,
they become your words.
Watch your words,
they become your actions.
Watch your actions,
they become your habits.
Watch your habits,
they become your character.
Watch your character,
it becomes your destiny.
As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. Proverbs 23.7


# posted by Clint McDowell @ 7:41 PM

MEDITATION AND BREATH

I received this e-mail today from meditationexpert.com “When you watch your breath, you will reach cessation naturally. When
your
breathing stops, your mind will stop.”

That's the basis of meditation methods based on breathing...


There are over 300 different breathing practices you can use in
cultivation,
called 'pranayama' or 'anapana' exercises. However, the basic principle
behind
all these techniques is that you calm your breath through meditation to
the point
where it seems as if your external breathing has ceased altogether.

That stage is called “kumbhaka” in yoga, and people first practice to
attain it
using forceful techniques, doing alternate nostril breathing and
retention
exercises, so that they can more easily later reach this state
naturally without
force.

As the Indian yoga master Patanjali said, 'The cessation between the
in-breath
and out-breath is [true] pranayama.' The Hindu Hatha Yoga Pradipika
also says,
'When the breath is irregular, then the mind will be unsteady, but when
the
breath is controlled, then the mind will also be controlled, calm and
one-pointed.'

Hence in the world's various breathing practices, focus on the
ESSENTIAL. You
must reach a stage of cultivation where your chi becomes so full,
because your
mind is empty and because of sexual restraint, that your breathing can
cease
naturally. Then you'll reach the state of cessation naturally.

BINGO! All the meditation methods of the world try to get you to
achieve the same
stages of kung-fu (gong-fu).

You must meditate by letting go of thoughts and giving your mind a rest
and reach
a state of relaxation wherein your coarse inhalations and exhalations
have also
ceased while you remain perfectly relaxed and totally aware. If you can
reach
this state, your true inner breath will ignite, thus initiating the
state of
'hsi' which signals the beginning of real chi, shakti or kundalini
cultivation.
That's when your body will really start to transform for the spiritual
path.

Why is it possible to use breathing as a means of cultivation?

Because the thoughts and breath are related; consciousness (mind) and
chi (the
body's wind element) are linked. Since chi and thoughts are linked, you
can
calm/purify one to calm/purify the other. That's why you can attack
meditation
through the angle of breathing!

There are other ways to get to mental “no--thought” as well.

Specifically, mind rides on the breath just as a rider is carried by a
horse, so
if the breath ceases moving, then extraneous thoughts will die down.
Just as salt
dissolves in water and becomes one with it, so also there occurs the
union of
mind with the breath when the breath subsides and the mind becomes
still; mind
dissolves in breath and the two become one during 'cessation'.

This then, using the calming of the breath as a form of approach, is
the basis
behind many cultivation methods. They use the approach of cultivating
the
breathing, which cultivates your chi, to cultivate your mind because
chi and
consciousness are linked. Why start with breath, the wind element of
the body?
Because it's the easiest element to transform, that's all!

In normal activities, most people never realize they are breathing. If
their
breath and thought can combine, however, not only will individuals
become clear
about their breath, but they will also become extremely mindful of
their other
body sensations as well. The thoughts and breathing (Chi) can combine
by letting
go of the body and thoughts and just concentrating on the breath, and
becoming
one with it, without force. That's what we're doing here.

Since mindfulness is a cultivation method in itself, the principle of
keeping the
mind in tune with the breath while remaining relaxed, detached and
aware, is
found in many cultivation schools and techniques. But in this
technique, you must
not fall into sleepiness or torpor, and your thoughts mustn't remained
scattered
as in everyday activities. Remember, wandering thoughts are
discriminative
thinking, and you don't push them away or suppress them but pay them no
heed and
they'll die down.

Normally we're always in either of these two states--torpor or
drowsiness, or the
excitedness and restlessness of mental involvement. You try to abandon
these two
states when you're practicing the process of observing the breath.
Remember,
always cultivate clear AWARENESS. Torpor is not a state of clear
awareness!

At the beginning of genuine anapana breathing exercises, one just
watches their
breath. After a very short while, the breath will calm down to become
long and
soft. As this external breathing dies down to a point of near
cessation, the chi
of your inner body will start to become activated.

However, this internal chi is not the same as the external wind used in
respiration. Rather, it's the real chi of the body which has tremendous
transformative power. This is the chi that will open up your chi
channels.

When the expiration ceases and the mind quiets down, we arrive at
shamatha. This
is the state of 'stopping' or 'halting' but we got there by following
the breath
rather than thoughts. Same end target, different method to get there!
We get
there and then the real chi of the body, when the external respiration
ceases,
gets kick-started and ignited to start arising and circulating through
the body's
meridians.

If you continue relaxing the body and mind, and don't become frightened
or tense
up during this period of cessation, this inner breath will really come
to life.
Taoists call this the 'internal embryo breathing', and it has a
tremendous power
to transform the physical body. So if you can stay in this state of
internal
breathing without worrying about the fact that external respiration has
ceased,
then you can transform the body quickly and enter into deep samadhi.

That's what you want.

We can therefore summarize this process as: calming the body and the
breath until
respiration ceases--perhaps from the process of counting the
breaths--and then
letting this cessation conjoin with mental emptiness (absence of
discriminative
thought). At this point the real chi of the body will arise, which is
the
precursor of kundalini, and one can enter into samadhi.

At the point you have reached cessation or shamatha or halting or
stopping, you
must begin to concentrate on cultivating the mind rather than the body.
This is
the stage of vipashyana, which means contemplating or letting prajna
transcendental wisdom function.

In the Tien-tai school, these two stages of shamatha and vipashyana are
called
cessation and observation (contemplation), samadhi and wisdom, or chih
and guan.
In this initial stage, the workings of the mind slow down and seem to
stop, like
a glass filled with dirty water whose dirtiness settles; if you put the
glass
down, slowly the dirt and dust inside will sink and settle, and you'll
get the
clarity of samadhi. This is the Mahayana samadhi.

The stages of the four dhyana (Samadhi) of Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism,
Tantra and
yoga are all included in this practice, but in progressing further you
don't pay
attention to these as they occur and you don't even think of stages of
meditation
but just let them be. Let the mind rest and it will naturally clean
itself and
become pure and clear.

This cessation is the correct cessation.

The Zen school describes this state as, 'Everything is crystal clear,
there are
no wandering thoughts, no scattered thoughts; it's like 10,000 miles of
clear sky
empty of clouds.' This is samadhi.

What is samadhi? It is that state which is not sunk in drowsiness,
sleepiness,
forgetfulness, lethargy or torpor such as when we're sleeping or
'blanked out'.
It is also not restless or scattered, which is the state of excitedness
or
movement. The state of observation is very clear, crisp and aware and
if you can
maintain this state of open observation, then prajna wisdom will arise.

After you arrive at this stage of mental stability, or cessation, what
do you
observe? And at this stage of cessation, what is it that has stopped or
ceased?

We can say you reach a realm at the edge of mind and matter because
breathing and
thoughts have both stopped, and you're moving into a stage of peace and
quiet.
The state of cessation, however, is still just another phenomena--it's
just the
result of being able to stop, but it is not that thing which enables
you to stop.

It's a phenomenal state of emptiness and clarity, so it's still a
phenomenon
which exists in opposition to mental business.

That thing which CAN stop is the substance of mind, whereas this stage
is just a
function of the mind. It's not the mind itself, just one of its
activities or
projections. So at this point, you are still within the phenomena
arising out of
the mind.

This first step of cessation or shamatha is just the phenomenon of
stopping
miscellaneous thoughts which are like bubbles that arise and then
burst, or
disappear. So at this stage you stop blowing the bubbles any more--and
at this
stage you can see this process of creation and destruction all very
clearly.

All your thoughts were originally empty, so they arise and then they're
gone,
returning to their original state. Hence after this first stage you'll
finally
know emptiness, so you start observing emptiness. You know the original
nature of
these thoughts is empty, and so you observe the state of thoughtless
calm which
we call 'observing emptiness'.

I hope this all makes more sense than just saying 'breathing practice
to reach
emptiness.'

Within this emptiness, there is still something that can be aware and
know, and
this is what gives rise to thoughts. Hence from within this clean
purity you can
produce all sorts of illusory things. They seem to exist but their
existence is
very illusory, so at this point we can know and clearly see emptiness,
phenomena,
and the emptiness of both of them.

At this point we know that all phenomena are false and yet in some
sense they're
also true. But in terms of cultivation, the big breakthrough is that we
see their
falsity, or emptiness. This is why the Hinayana Arhats, when they see
that all
phenomena are illusory, want nothing to do with them. They think, ' I'd
rather be
in emptiness' and they don't want to help others in the world of
phenomena, but
just stay clean themselves.

In the Mahayana school, however, you know that things are illusory but
they also
exist, and yet their existence is subtle and illusory. Thus we say the
world is a
case of 'false existence' because you know conventional reality isn't
true, and
at the same time we call it 'miraculous existence' because its
interlinked nature
that is absent of reality somehow has some reality to it.

So during cessation you observe emptiness and existence--a set of
dialectic
opposites we call the real and non-real, reality and non-reality, truth
and
falsity, existence and non-existence, emptiness and phenomena.

That's what you observe. Before we said your thoughts, or breath, but
later you
observe anything and everything since all experiential realms are
interdependent
origination, without a self.

The final state of observation approaches the actual substance of mind
where you
observe that both existence and non-existence are not true, and yet
both
existence and non-existence are true. Emptiness (samadhi) and phenomena
are both
false, and emptiness and phenomena are also both valid.

This is Madhyamika, or the Middle Way, where you can say that emptiness
and
phenomena co-exist but you don't abide in either: you perceive both
realms, but
fall into neither.

Naturally, this is a stage of enlightenment, and I hope through these
lessons
(and my books and free articles on the website) to give you enough
instructions
for you to get there. But you need to know the way and the path, and
this is it.

Yes, you rest your mental realm in the quiet of samadhi, and yes you
allow the
phenomenal world (including the physical body) to continually transform
about you
without your falling into clinging, but THAT which knows is freely born
and
doesn't abide in either of these states.

There's no affirmation or negation or arguing in this state, there's
just the
middle way. This is the true path of observation--observing emptiness
and
phenomena-- the middle way of prajna. And this is also philosophy,
science,
psychology, and the study of essence. But in our explanation, it's just
the step
of observation.

After you understand this, you proceed to another step called
'returning', which
means returning to one's original nature, or 'original face'. What are
you
returning to?

That return is the whole purpose of meditation. Sure you'll become
prettier, get
healthier, live longer, change your fortune for the better and so forth
from
meditation, but this is what we are ultimately after. I sell books on
all those
topics,
and meditation is a component of those protocols but this is the REAL
END RESULT
I want you to achieve. Everything else is just temporary.

So there's still more lessons to come. For now, practice meditating by
watching
your breath as instructed.

Bill

MeditationExpert.com
Top Shape Publishing, LLC
1135 Terminal Way Suite 209
Reno, Nevada 89502

EGO

"I suppose the ego came there first as a means of the outer consciousness individualizing itself in the flux of Nature and, secondly, as an incentive for tamasic animal man to act and get something done. Otherwise he might merely have contented himself with food and sleep and done nothing else. With the incentive of ego (possession, vanity, ambition, eagerness for power etc. etc.)he began doing all sorts of things he might never otherwise have done. But now that he has to go higher, this ego comes badly in the way."
Sri Aurobindo The Integral Yoga p.286
*
"The right attitude is to see that as a seperate being, as an ego, one has no importance whatever and the insistence on one's own desires, pride, position etc. is an ignorance, but one matters only as a spirit, as a portion of the Divine, not more than others but as all souls matter to the Soul of all."
Sri Aurobindo The Integral Yoga p.289

OM LINKS

Many people know about the chinese herbal formula Yin Chiao for colds and flu, but Gan Mao Ling might be better! Yin Chiao or Gan Mao Ling?
*
Releasing your core desires and need to control can help you develop the all important witness consciousness . Release Technique
*
Balancing your "inner life" with your "outer life" isn't easy to do. Learn how to infuse your life with spiritual energy and create pathways of prosperity at the Spirit Center.
*
Relax and get your chi moving with Yogi Ramacharaka and The Complete Breath
*
Learn about qigong and some excellent qigong exercises with these excerpts from the book Qigong Empowerment. Scroll down the page, under "classes".

NEW THOUGHT

AS A MAN THINKETH by James Allen is a "new thought" classic from the early 1900's. If you haven't read it do yourself a favor and read it free online, As A Man Thinketh
*
NEVILLE is another popular new thought author. To read some of his work go to Neville Goddard Text Archive. Or, you can listen to his lectures at Neville Audio Archives

MEDITATION AND MORE!

SWAMIJ.COM If you haven't visited swamij.com, you're missing out! This website is so big and full of wisdom, you can stay busy reading it for a very long time. There is so much great information there I won't even begin to review it, but if topics like methods of yoga, meditation, breathing, mantra, japa, and self realization appeal to you, be sure to visit SwamiJ.
*
MEDITATIONEXPERT.COM
Another interesting site with lots of free articles is meditationexpert.com. Topics include; nutritional supplements, Buddhist sutras, Christian meditation, kundalini, mantra, chi, Zen, karma, and much more. There are also several interesting e- books for sale. I bought the White Skeleton Meditation which involves a way of dissolving your body during meditation. I haven't used this method consistently enough to yield any benefits, but if you learn the method the value is obvious. This site is run by William Bodri who has two books that received excellent reviews at Amazon.

EQUALITY

The following quotes are from Sri Aurobindo's book THE INTEGRAL YOGA Sri Aurobindo's Teaching and Method of Practice pages 124-127

"Not to be disturbed by either joy or grief, pleasure or displeasure by what people say or do or by any outward things is called in yoga a state of samata, equality to all things. It is of immense importance in sadhana(spiritual practice) to be able to reach this state. It helps the mental quietude and silence as well as the vital to come. It means indeed that the vital itself and the vital mind are already falling silent and becoming quiet. The thinking mind is sure to follow."
*
Equality is to remain unmoved within in all conditions.
*
Equality means a quiet and unmoved mind and vital, it means not to be touched or disturbed by things that happen or things said or done to you, but to look at them with a straight look, free from the distortions created by personal feeling, and to try to understand what is behind them, why they happen, what is to be learnt from them, what is it in oneself which they are cast against and what inner profit or progress one can make out of them; it means self mastery over the vital movements,- anger and sensitiveness and pride as well as desire and the rest,- not to let them get hold of the emotional being and disturb the inner peace, not to speak and act in the rush and impulsion of these things, always to act and speak out of a calm inner poise of the spirit.
*
The inner spiritual progress does not depend on outer conditions so much as in the way we react to them from within - that has always been the ultimate verdict of spiritual experience.
*
There can be no firm foundation in sadhana without equality, samata. Whatever the unpleasantness of circumstances, however disagreeable the conduct of others, you must learn to receive them with a perfect calm and without any disturbing reaction. These things are the test of equality. It is easy to be calm and equal when things go well and people and circumstances are pleasant; it is when they are the opposite that the completeness of the calm, peace, equality can be tested, reinforced, made perfect.

LETTING GO

"To really let go means that there can be no ME at the center of my own universe" Guy Finley
The above Guy Finley quote is from his lecture A LESSON IN ADVANCED LETTING GO. You can listen to it here Guy Finley Lecture. Here are some quotes from Guy's book THE SECRET OF LETTING GO

Letting go of yourself is letting go of your problems, for they are one and the same.
*
Letting go is the natural release which always follows the realization that holding on hurts.
*
Unhappiness does not come at you, it comes from you.
*
Suffering now so that you can be happy in the future makes as much sense as throwing yourself overboard so that later you can feel relief about being rescued.
*
What you really want is to stop thinking about yourself
Guy Finley

CHINESE TONIC HERBS

I have been using chinese tonic herbs for twenty years. For deep, tonifying energy I could always count on two brands to keep me balanced,; Dragon Eggs and Jade Herbals. Well, Jade was sold and discontinued and Dragon Eggs are not available at this time. So, I've had to look elsewhere, and in addition to Long Hay Flat from eastearthherb.com, I recommend you check out Dragon Herbs
This company is run by Ron Teeguarden who wrote the classic book, Chinese Tonic Herbs. This is the book that got me hooked on chinese herbs so long ago. If you have an interest in learning about these herbs, or just want to purchase some top of the line products, visit his information packed site. While you're there,take a look at Tao In A Bottle. I thought this was the greatest herbal product ever made when I first took it! The profound relaxation, without drowsiness, was the perfect supplement to take before work to stay calm, centered, and stress free. I had just as much energy as usual, and no feelings of laziness or tiredness, just a great feeling of centeredness. Things that normally would get on my nerves no longer bothered me in the least! With daily use the effects become integrated in to your being and you may not feel such a difference because it becomes more permanent. The main ingredient is an amino acid called theanine, which Ron calls ALPHATHEAN. I've tried other theanine products but never received the same great benefits that I got from Tao in a Bottle. Also try Spring Dragon Longevity Tea!

A ZEN POEM

AFTER ZAZEN

Each morning
we swat flies
and mosquitos
with clear minds

THE PROCESS OF YOGA

Sri Aurobindo THE SYNTHESIS OF YOGA pg.51-52

"The process of yoga is a turning of the human soul from the egoistic state of consciousness absorbed in the outward appearances and attraction of things to a higher state in which the Transcendent and Universal can pour itself into the individual mould and transform it."

TUNG SHUEH

Tung Shueh is a great chinese herbal product that relieves the energy blockages that cause pain and discomfort. If you're looking for a natural anti-inflammatory, this is the product to try. I've used this product several times for a strained back and it has been very helpful in relieving the pain. A friend of mine used it for hand and wrist pain that kept her awake at night and in two days the pain was gone and hasn't returned since she took the herbs two months ago. Chronic ailments may take longer to resolve. Tung Shueh is available from eastearthtrade.com. Tung Shueh

AWAKENED MIND

I recently stumbled upon a great meditation CD called AWAKENED MIND SYSTEM 2.0 by DR. JEFFREY THOMPSON. I bought the single CD version, but there is also a double CD set. It cost only $12 at Borders where you'll find other titles by Dr. Thompson, like THETA MEDITATION SYSTEM 2.0 which is also very good. All of his CD's utilize the latest technology to induce brainwave entrainment. At his website Dr. Thompson explains more; "Brainwave entrainment uses sound vibrations pulsing at known brainwave speeds, which cause brainwaves to lock onto and follow these sound pulses. This leads to changed states of consciousness for deep stress reduction, relaxation, meditation, etc. Since brainwave patterns are closely associated with specific states of consciousness, these brainwave entraining sound pulses can bring the mind into deep states of consciousness very quickly, which traditionally have taken years of work and study to achieve". I can't tell you how much I enjoy listening to his CD's, especially AWAKENED MIND SYSTEM 2.0. To hear samples, go to the sound store at his website. There you will find other CD's that may take you to very deep levels of meditation, like Epsilon, Hypergamma, and Lamda Meditation, as well as Sonic Labyrinth.

I AM THAT

A passage from the book I AM THAT by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj Pg.316

"If you seek reality you must set yourself free of all backgrounds, of all cultures, of all patterns of thinking and feeling. Even the idea of being man or woman, or even human, should be discarded. The ocean of life contains all, not only humans. So, first of all, abandon all self-identification, stop thinking of yourself as such-and-such, so-and-so, this or that. Abandon all self-concern, worry not about your welfare, material or spiritual, abandon every desire, gross or subtle, stop thinking of achievement of any kind. You are complete here and now, you need absolutely nothing."

About Self Empire

Self empire is about self realization. In this blog I will talk about the teachings of the greatest spiritual teachers like Sri Aurobindo, Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, Ramana Maharshi, Neem Karoli Baba, and others. Also, I will share reviews and resources of books, services, and products I have used over the past twenty years in my quest for radiant health, a silent mind, and ever growing spiritual awareness. Topics may include; Taoism, Zen, Hinduism, chinese herbs, meditation, mantra, chi kung, breath, and various related topics.