The opposite of "I don't want you to make the same mistakes I did." xD

Reminds me of the story my first Taiji teacher told me about Chen Ziqiang. His father started teaching him as soon as he could stand, so the reward if he managed to finish standing meditation was that he got to watch Mickey Mouse xD edit: for context, these are maces that used to be used on horseback. Over 5lbs and weighted by the business end. *Way* heavier than he makes them look

Sadhguru refers to karma in English as "memory." Attachment is attachment, regardless of flavor... I love the way Adam puts it, tho. Once you realize you're *made of joy* you don't need to find it out there. You still participate in life, but you no longer relate in terms of possession or aggression, but compassion. That's contagious, too. We've all met someone who radiates positivity (and we've probably all met someone who projects it but feels hollow) and we've all met people who just bring the whole room down. When you start to "succeed," whether that's in traditional terms (getting a promotion, starting a diet, studying something new) people will reflexively cut you down. They're used to you being who you are now. If you change, you might leave them... or make them feel bad for not changing. The part about "reaching enlightenment" and finding peace that never gets discussed is that it's not permanent. You have to practice (like an "athlete" ;) The hard part is maintaining that awareness of the source without extracting from society... Thankfully we have groups like this one =]

I think that's part of his point. The "problem" with karma isn't necessarily that it exists, but that we allow it to hold us back. He would say "this chair has memory, your dna is a kind of memory, etc." The chair doesn't identify as such, but it's only "useful" so long as it maintains that shape. Same with the body: our dna tells the cells what they should be to be useful while we inhabit this form, but we shouldn't identify as and get attached to "this body." 100% agree on the unknown being scary. That's why it's so hard to let go in the first place. We've gathered this group of experiences and reactions and we've lived up to this point. If we let go of them... will we be safe? That's the next paradox, right? The usual advice is to surround yourself with people who have the experience you want. Worst case you absorb knowledge indirectly, best case you get mentorship and/or support. Only, people on "the path" tend to be solitary unless we're teaching or seeking a guide... May be why they say it's as hard to find a good teacher as it is to find a good student!

@Ope Dreville It's full of quantum particles that just need to be reminded that they *could* be water

You know better than I do: "hurry up and wait." This is what "non-doing" actually means to me. The "doing" practices are preparation and maintenance. If we could simply meditate and be ready for anything that comes up, we would have no need for qigong, yoga, etc. "And once you've done it... The time for planning has usually passed." Gong fu (kung fu) is written like this: 功夫 . The first character means "skill gained over time" and the second is "husband." A skill that you've trained until it has become a part of you (second nature). This is also the warning and the work with karma. Unravelling the attachments and gong fu we've built up which are actually causing suffering. Confucianism has ebbed and flowed in popularity in China because it is a system of prescriptions for how to live in society. The Tao Te Ching is similar, even if it's written mystically (meant to show a path, not give you answers). It doesn't tell you how to "reach enlightenment" or "return to the source," it discusses the qualities of someone who is on that path and how to function in society without losing your way. My wife and I are a perfect example of how this works in practice: she plans and worries, I adapt. As my grandpa used to say "no plan survives contact with reality," but "failing to plan is planning to fail!"

I definitely see what you mean by "not doing," and that's a funny distinction. Depending on who you ask, thinking is "doing," but observing is usually classified as "non-doing." The way I usually teach the distinction is with the wuji or "preparation" posture and the first movement of the Taiji form, appropriately called "Begin Taiji." In preparation you are still and the goal is to allow the mind and body to settle. In the first movement, you "separate" right from left and up from down. All of this is "doing" while you're learning, but over time wuji become automatic and moving becomes moving your attention and observing the body as it follows. To quote your original post again: "planning is more like building a dam than riding a wave." I think of planning more as charting a course. The waves will come, and the actual path will never be a straight line, but if we have a heading we can adjust the course as we go. To quote your reply: "That assumes there is such a thing as "failure". It assumes you know where you want to go..." Fair. If you don't have a plan, the plan can't fail. We don't always have to be productive. This is why I brought up the guidelines for functioning in society while on "the path." Unfortunately, it can be difficult to 100% "go with the flow" and still pay all of your bills. It's even more difficult to leave the rat race and just live in the moment. Even sequestered "monks/sages" need sustenance and movement until they're ready to "pass on." Compromise is a necessary part of the path!