free will and chi
ok instead of putting it all on the blog, here's a link to an essay explaining why free will and determinism are not incompatible.
http://www3.sympatico.ca/saburns/pg0208.htm
and to completely change the subject, rot 13 said a few days a go that he/she (don't wanna presume!) didn't think that 'chi' was real. well luckily for me i happen to live 5 mins away from one of two of the only shaolin temples outside china and i saw a monk break a real (honestly it was real) metal bar over his head without leaving so much as a mark. another monk was lifted up into the air on 4 spears (sharp enough to split blocks of wood) and he was completely unscathed. another monk pole vaulted with a pole 3 times his size and while in mid pole vault ran up the pole and stood on the top of it.
this one's not from personal experience but:
my friend's dad works for the UN and while in Tibet he was shown a monk levitating (!).
so i believe that chi's real. therefore i believe that correct posture is important in every action that you perform. if your back's not straight and unsupported when you're doin zazen then it's not being done correctly.
also, always bend your knees and keep your back straight when lifting heavy objects (like monks lying on spears).
posted by Anonymous @ Wednesday, March 01, 2006
3 comments
3 Comments:
Again with the "Yeah, what cromanyak said." No apologies necessary.
I just read a book about alternative medicines, specifically what kind of stuff actually has scientific evidence backing it up, and what doesn't. Acupuncure apparently has quite a few studies backing it up, and the author (a practical, scientifically-minded MD) personally witnessed someone receiving open-heart surgery with no anesthetic other than acupunture, while the patient was still awake! I think if everything that hasn't been explained yet is hoo-hah, there's a whole world of hoo-hah out there. :-)
Except that nobody is always asleep... we're all enlightened some of the time, we just don't usually recognize it. Right?
Jules Said: Acupuncure apparently has quite a few studies backing it up, and the author (a practical, scientifically-minded MD) personally witnessed someone receiving open-heart surgery with no anesthetic other than acupunture, while the patient was still awake! I think if everything that hasn't been explained yet is hoo-hah, there's a whole world of hoo-hah out there. :-)
This is evidence only for the anaesthetic properties of acupuncture - for which I agree the evidence is good - not for other claimed medicinal benefits nor for chi nor for mysterious powers or energies. Let's not get carried away.
Chi:
I've done some kung-fu myself including a Shaolin style and I've seen Shaolin monks performing. Chi can be a euphemism for 'force', although some of its powers seem to be fictional. I don't think there are any powers demonstrated by Shaolin monks which aren't explained by skill, conditioning and and understanding of physics. I've seen most of these sorts of feats explained on TV. I'd be very surprised if anyone can really levitate - there were some famous photos of Transcendental Meditators supposedly levitating but it was later admitted that they were bouncing up and down in a lotus position.
Freewill:
The notions of freewill and determinism are philosophical errors based on understanding the intuitive sense of self as a real, metaphysical entity. Without that, the question is meaningless.
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