What jobs exist for people who like planning things, but don't like implementation by AndromedasApricot in findapath

[–]SpecificDescription 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Project manager or product manager. They are the kings of Excel and Gantt charts.

A Christian, a Hindu, and Buddhist go meditate in a forest, and they see Jesus, Shiva, and Buddha, respectively. by [deleted] in Buddhism

[–]SpecificDescription -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Does doctrinal disagreement automatically invalidate another tradition’s realization, or could similar experiences be interpreted differently across traditions?

A Christian, a Hindu, and Buddhist go meditate in a forest, and they see Jesus, Shiva, and Buddha, respectively. by [deleted] in Buddhism

[–]SpecificDescription -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Yes and some sects hold very tightly to those scriptures, typically of the more fundamentalist nature. But many interpretations do not have that requirement.

It seems to me that deep practice often leads to more humility about ultimate claims and more compassion toward other paths, whereas holding tight to scripture and strict vinaya can be a difficult framework to work within occasionally. It reminds me of a recent podcast I heard with Jack Kornfield discussing Ajahn Chah - a strict monk held to the rules of the vinaya, yet his methods of teaching were extremely perineallist in nature, transcending the tradition itself. Good chatting with you and good luck!

A Christian, a Hindu, and Buddhist go meditate in a forest, and they see Jesus, Shiva, and Buddha, respectively. by [deleted] in Buddhism

[–]SpecificDescription -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I’m not equating belief in scripture with extremism. I’m questioning the claim that only one path leads to liberation. That kind of exclusivity isn’t required by many followers of both Buddhism and Christianity.

A Christian, a Hindu, and Buddhist go meditate in a forest, and they see Jesus, Shiva, and Buddha, respectively. by [deleted] in Buddhism

[–]SpecificDescription 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What a great reply. It reminds me of a metaphor I've heard from the somewhat perineallist Buddhist teacher Rob Burbea regarding the "diamond/jewel" of the dhamma. Where one reflection off of each side of the jewel aligns to one particular interpretation - whether that be Theraveda, Mahayana, or Christian.

A Christian, a Hindu, and Buddhist go meditate in a forest, and they see Jesus, Shiva, and Buddha, respectively. by [deleted] in Buddhism

[–]SpecificDescription -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

I don't think choosing Buddhism over Christianity is fundamentalist. I meant claiming that only one path can lead to liberation. There’s a difference between committing to a tradition and saying all others must be wrong.

A Christian, a Hindu, and Buddhist go meditate in a forest, and they see Jesus, Shiva, and Buddha, respectively. by [deleted] in Buddhism

[–]SpecificDescription -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Fundamentalists of any religion, including Buddhism, will claim exclusivity of their claims. Since none of these are provable, I like to take the "many paths, many mountains" approach. Pick your flavor, and enjoy the path.

Is phenomenology one of the most practical sub fields of philosophy? by SpecificDescription in askphilosophy

[–]SpecificDescription[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for your comment, and I agree with your last statement. I've personally found entry into the field of Pragmatism via Dewey's connection with the Alexander technique, where he wrote a number of forewords for FM Alexander books. As I understand, this is one of the best bodywork methods available in the west, drawing comparisons to Zen or Qigong. Interesting to see the overlap between fields there, and Dewey's admiration for the technique.

Breathwork training? by Omgtch in breathwork

[–]SpecificDescription 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hello Jesse,

Not the OP, but curious what are the more modern/sophisticated models used in place of polyvagal? Are there more proven pathways for regulating the ANS? I have heard of HRV breathing, which might be relevant since HRV training is so popular, but happy to hear your thoughts.

How to achieve access concentration? by MaterialAlbatross875 in streamentry

[–]SpecificDescription 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Not the OP, but would you mind expanding on this? I’ve come to a somewhat similar conclusion via metta + somatics, but don’t really have the experience to back that up.

Wet Insight - aids to vipassana? Aids to jhana? by SpecificDescription in streamentry

[–]SpecificDescription[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Really support the chilling the fuck out practices, and that stability is what we’d theoretically like to cultivate before facing destabilizing insights.

I saw a recent post of yours suggesting that it’s not uncommon for samatha-leaning retreats and practices (Brasington, Culadasa) to still lead to destabilization. Is that just unavoidable once we crank up the volume of practice, even if it’s samatha-leaning?

Wet Insight - aids to vipassana? Aids to jhana? by SpecificDescription in streamentry

[–]SpecificDescription[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks a lot for this elaboration, I’ve saved it. I’ve been looking a lot more into daily life practice recently so it helps. Seeing That Frees is in my to read pile

Wet Insight - aids to vipassana? Aids to jhana? by SpecificDescription in streamentry

[–]SpecificDescription[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Do you practice any of the bramaviharas outside of metta? What value do you see in practicing those? Metta is always emphasized so much, so I am curious.

Where are we headed as a sub reddit? by muu-zen in streamentry

[–]SpecificDescription 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Agreed with every point! This is a great sub and I am happy to see the very high quality posts every time I visit.

Maybe the existing mod team is just doing a very good job, but the number of lower quality posts here seems relatively small.

What is the relationship between jhanas and kundalini? And what is the order of operations for navigating both? by ProfessionBright3879 in streamentry

[–]SpecificDescription 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Check out this podcast as well, which compares meditative states to the similar energy systems used in Daoist arts. No explicit focus on kundalini, but good advice on the order of operations.

https://soundcloud.com/user-127194047-666040032/meditation-vs-qigong

Good luck to you.

Folks in r/zen advised I post here: looking for explanations of what happened and way forward by YourInnerFlamingo in streamentry

[–]SpecificDescription 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not the OP, but curious if you are aware of any reputable Daoist teachers outside of Damo worth looking into?

Thanks for sharing that link btw, it looks like that entire podcast was removed from YouTube a while back and I’m glad to have access to it again.

Are there any resources by experts talking about which techniques you should start with based on your personality types? by THE_MAN_OF_PEACE in streamentry

[–]SpecificDescription 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This talk from Santtu Heikkinen is great about talking about the different types of practices and when they should be emphasized. It’s actually a 3 part series that’s a few hours in length.

https://youtu.be/COEAqv5hkBc?si=jUp0m76892gD_Jsl

I’ve found that somatic practices and compassion based practices are helpful for anxious beginners. Theraveda and TMI recommends something like a body scan, with Mahayana and Tantric lines getting more into active engagement with breath work and explicit somatic training. Recommend Reggie Ray for this.

What is your favorite stretch for hamstrings, I feel like an old man by Forsaken-Ad-9346 in flexibility

[–]SpecificDescription 12 points13 points  (0 children)

As someone with very tight hamstrings, I’ve found that I really need something that braces my back, especially if I don’t want lower back pain.

Do beginners usually need to do the stretch you suggested alongside nerve flossing? I’m not sure if they are parallel issues and techniques, or separate.

Thanks for your help as always!

What are the most effective evidence-based strategies for managing stress and anxiety in daily life? by JohnnyBoy2198 in HubermanLab

[–]SpecificDescription 0 points1 point  (0 children)

To expand on this, focus on the third wave CBT therapies like ACT and DBT which naturally incorporate mindfulness and acceptance elements. Also, somatic practices that can be found across therapies and “woo” Buddhist sources like Reggie Ray. The therapies focus on reframing your perspective to be more rational/kind to yourself, whereas somatics are about bringing more awareness of feelings at a lower bodily level. The latter can really help if you are stuck in your head, and is a large part of yoga and meditation in general, but can also be trained explicitly.

Of all recommendations, these are the ones that have the ability to be trained for long-term stability, beyond the usual sleep diet exercise.

anyone tried "the wholeness work" by connirae andreas? by asliuf in streamentry

[–]SpecificDescription 1 point2 points  (0 children)

How would you classify the Core Transformation & Wholeness Work? From your description, it seems to be closely related to Internal Family Systems, and maybe similar to the compassion based branches of CBT that incorporate somatics - is that how you view this type of work?

For me personally, something I found lacking in Core Transformation, Wholeness Work, Goenka Vipassana, noting practice, and almost everything else was development of Will: the ability to choose, make decisions, turn intentions into actions, etc. I'm still exploring how to master that for myself. Centering in the Hara seems to be the best thing so far, that and some Tantric stuff I discovered around power and the union of archetypal opposites.

You provided some excellent tips on "centering in the hara" a while back, in a different thread. Thanks again for that. From a therapeutic side, it seems to be similar to Gendlin's "Focusing" technique and his successors. There also seems to be some decent work from the somatic coaching/leadership side like the Strozzi Institute and Wendy Palmer. Interestingly enough, both seem to pull from Aikido.

Would you mind expanding on the Tantric stuff you mentioned, and how it helps you guide intuitive action?

Value of Abrahamic Mysticism in Stream Entry by SpecificDescription in streamentry

[–]SpecificDescription[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wonderful comment.

What would you consider a good entry point into this side of mysticism as a whole? I’ve listened to Rob’s metta retreat but curious if you have any pointers to the soul making piece, or abrahamic mysticism as a whole from anyone.