Pedram Shojai's Blog, page 5

Your life is the workshop – Making it real…Keeping it real.

A little while ago, I found myself sitting next to an Orthodox Christian priest at a luncheon. He had a serious beard and the garb to match it. He wasn't the jolliest of fellows and seemed a bit out of place in a crowd. I was busy conversing with some people across the table and then my wife egged him on by telling him about my background and that the two of us should talk…oh boy…here we go!

His immediate question to me was whether I believed in God because it was his understanding that Taoism was a "godless" religion. My answer- "Of course I believe in God and I don't consider myself a religious Taoist". That immediately got him to relax and put away the broad sword…ok…let's talk dude.

What's the difference? Well, my stance is that life is the workshop and that I needn't believe in things that I can test in my daily life. I explained that this was the essence of Buddhism. When the Buddha was asked whether there was a God or not, his answer was that he'd show you a technique to observe your own consciousness and you be the judge. The Buddha felt that it was extremely dangerous to tell people what that "State" was like or what "a Supreme Being" was like because they'd take that as an adequate answer and pull off the highway of Self-inquiry. We see this all the time in Asia- statues of the Buddha are worshiped everywhere. The philosophy of introspection and self examination has been turned by many into a religion with idol worship and distorted comprehension of the message…the Buddha would roll over in his grave.

I explained to the priest that Taoism is very similar in that it teaches us to observe our internal nature and discover who we are by waking up to our essential being. It teaches us to look within and find that source of power and vitality inside ourselves. In essence, it teaches us to discover God within each of us…WHOA! God? Ok…Tao, essential nature, enlightened Self…sorry to use the "G word" man…(swords redrawn).

We had to dance around the semantics of the word "God" for some time before he could relax into an intelligent conversation again…so touchy…

The conversation got a bit better and we delved into the mystical stance that experience is far deeper than belief in that our personal connection with Source (we picked a neutral word we could both use) really brings all of the philosophy and teachings home. I explained that in the traditions I studied, the great masters would cultivate their Qi (essential energy) in order to refine their Shen (consciousness) so their vision of Reality would be cleared of obstructions and distorted beliefs…they'd open a clear channel with Source. I said that I was very lucky to have studied with a number of living masters who embodied this energy and had really reaped the benefits of such a connection. This is where things turned…

The look on his face changed and he looked perplexed and kind of confused. I asked him about his experience and training and about the masters he'd studied with. Again..confusion and silence…WAIT A SECOND…are you meaning to tell me that you have not really hung with ANY enlightened people within your order? Well….no…not really…DO YOU KNOW OF ANY? Well…it is said that there is a guy in Antioch who's pretty enlightened and carries the light…

"It is said that there's a guy?" SO…you mean to tell me that there MAY be an enlightened guy that some people speak of in your whole church network and you didn't drop everything to go meet him and SEE for yourself? Well no….

This guy was very intelligent. He spent his entire adult life devoted to his church and biblical studies and yet he'd never met a person who actually embodied the lessons he was reading about. That blew my mind. How can a person devote his whole life to studying something based on stories without demanding some form of tangible proof? I wasn't asking anyone to walk on water or raise the dead here…but come on- you can see a holy person or an enlightened person from MILES AWAY. My meditation teacher glows like a saint and has the face of a baby. Even the densest students I take to him notice "something" about the guy and are changed by his presence.

I've met some incredibly bright and awakened people within the Christian systems so, please, don't read this the wrong way- nobody's hating here. The point is: unless you can take the philosophy, scripture, dharma, or whatever and actually apply it to your life and use it to wake up and be a brighter person, then you are deluding yourself.

Your life is the workshop and an unexamined life is not worth living. Life is precious- please don't waste the greatest gift you've ever been given!

Wisdom from: Taoist Path

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Rise and Shine- the book is almost here and we're taking pre-orders now

The long-awaited release of Pedram Shojai's book is finally here.  We have arranged to receive 500 copies before they hit the book stores.  The books are in press now and we should be receiving them between mid-April and early May.

We are going to open these first 500 copies to a Pre-Sale and Pedram Shojai is going to personally sign every pre-sale copy that goes out through this website.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR COPY OF RISE AND SHINE TODAY

Here are just a few of the early endorsements of the book by authors and thought leaders in the self help, wellness, and spirituality field:

"A brilliant book on the alchemy of the Spirit. Revealing the secrets of health and even immortality, Pedram Shojai takes us through an inner journey into the secret teachings of the Taoist Masters. A must-read for any serious student of the healing arts and the alchemy of life."

-Alberto Villoldo PhD, Bestselling author of Shaman, Healer, Sage, and Power Up Your Brain.

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"As Pedram so eloquently exhorts, it's time for us each to let go and open up to our own true potential, and to come home to ourselves. In these stressful, unpredictable times, he provides an inspiring, user-friendly guide for this essential journey. In this fascinating read, Pedram's brilliant mind and open heart lead you inevitably to your true being, where you will find peace, love and joy– and the inspiration to create planetary change in the process."

-Hyla Cass M.D., author, 8 Weeks to Vibrant Health

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"We all know instinctively that harmony at all levels—Mind, Body, and Spirit—is necessary for health and happiness. But this seems impossible in our demanding, chaotic, modern Western world. Thank you for showing us the way, Pedram. Finally a book that makes sense AND is doable. I found especially inspiring the many personal and patient stories."

-Joseph Pizzorno, ND

Editor-in-Chief, Integrative Medicine, A Clinician's Journal

Co-author, Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine

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"Pedram Shojai is the master teacher and guide for movement, awareness and exploration of the harmony of energy."

-Don Campbell, author- The Roar of Silence and The Mozart Effect

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As a clinical psychiatrist and a giver of advice, the number one problem that I deal with is depression. Dr. Shojai blends the wisdom of the ancient eastern philosophies/teachings in his new book Rise and Shine into an easy to read work explaining why so many of us feel disconnected, alienated and unhappy with our work, friends, family, relationships and life. He then explains succinctly, exactly what to do about that. My advice? READ THIS BOOK!

-Dr Dale Archer, MD - Clinical Psychiatrist

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"Every once in a while you run across a literary gem that is so purely poetic, so lovingly and perfectly crafted, that each word is a tracing at the edges of transcendence.  A doorway opens. A new life beckons. Then your soul knows it has come to the source of all longing…a longing so ancient it springs from before time, before memory.

In that moment you know you have been given a gift beyond measure and you recognize the clear voice. Rise and Shine is that gift. Pedram Shoai is that voice."

-Paul Rademacher, Executive Director of The Monroe Institute and author of A Spiritual Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe: Travel Tips for the Spiritually Perplexed.

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Wisdom from: Taoist Path

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Barefoot Running Brings us Back to Evolutionary Circuitry

I've been hearing a lot about barefoot running and Vibram "five finger" shoes in my clinic. All sorts of people are eating Paleo diets and going retro with barefoot running. I usually wait for fads to pass and see what remains after the dust settles. This time, an elite athlete friend of mine with many similar orthopedic issues to my own was raving about how his back pain had gone away since he started using these shoes. That got my attention. I started asking around and several of my doctors and physical therapists were also raving about them…I decided to give them a try.

I've had issues with my right hip for a decade ever since I used to train in the Korean martial arts- lots of high kicks and aggressive stretching. I've managed it over the years giving myself acupuncture and doing yoga and Qi Gong. That being said, running has always sucked for me- hip pain, back pain and stiffness that works its way up until I feel like an old man. I've tried all kinds of shoes and had basically given up on running. After all, there are lots of ways to get exercise.

I broke in the shoes for a few days around the house (recommended for your feet to adjust) and then went on a hike…no problems…sore feet.  Two days ago I took the dog on a walk and and decided to open it up a bit. I ran like a champ- hadn't felt like that in ten years! No pain, no stiffness, actually felt all the acupoints on my feet activated. I felt invigorated. The next day?  Yeah the soles of my feet were sore but that was it.

Today I decided to leave the slow dog behind and see what would happen if I let loose. I'm very impressed so far. I ran on very rocky terrain (West Texas) for four miles straight and got faster and lighter into the run. Feet are still sore but much less after this run. I can see my arches rising and feet getting stronger. There is definitely something to this and I'll keep playing with it.  Give me a few months to really put in some miles and I'll report back but, so far….two thumbs up for the caveman theory!

Wisdom from: Taoist Path

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Understanding why we practice Yoga, Tai Chi, or Qi Gong

The why of what we do is critical. Over the years, I've met with thousands of people who practice yoga, tai chi, and qi gong. These are people who are dedicated to their personal growth in some capacity and are doing a mind-body practice to fulfill their goals. Some do quite well, and others…well, frankly, others are lost and bored.

Lots of people get into the esoteric arts for good reasons but, sadly, they fail to learn the essence of the teachings and fall into rote practice. This can be the fault of many teachers out there. There's tremendous downward-bearing force out there as yoga classes tend to fill up with people who keep it "fun" or play great music. In general, there's usually a stampede of unaware people coming into the arts who are only comfortable with a certain degree of transformation and teachers who make a living at this end up playing to the masses.

The essence of yoga, tai chi, and qi gong is the practice of transformation. These systems require us to face ourselves and wake up to our aberrant behavior and mindless tendencies. This, by definition is difficult- often agonizing. However, this is the only real game in town and personal transformation is predicated on facing one's self.

The nature of Alchemy is the transmutation of lead to gold. Facing ourselves and waking up to our unhealthy behavior isn't comfortable but this is the lead that needs to be transmuted. Going to yoga because it makes you "feel good" is how we in the West can take a yoga pill instead of a Xanax and feel like we're into wellness. If you use tai chi as a band aid, you're taking an ancient spiritual technology and limiting it to the broken Western pharmacological model of thinking. If you're doing qi gong for a quick energy boost, stick to your coffee.

The point is- it is critical to wake up from delusion. These systems are designed for us to attain ultimate enlightenment. Anything less is harmful, in my opinion because I routinely meet narcissistic people who go about being selfish in their daily encounters but somehow feel vindicated because they "do yoga". Let's not delude ourselves.

These esoteric systems are designed to lessen the ego's grasp on us and make us more tolerant and awakened people. Unless you are seing these results in your life, maybe you need to delve deeper into the tradition you're involved in. There are plenty of excellent teachers and books out there- seek out the real deal; not the silly sizzle.

Wisdom from: Taoist Path

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Voting with your dollars- How to take the world back

 

The world we live in is filled with massive corporations that have huge departments dedicated to studying one thing: your behavior.  Yes, they want to know exactly how you think, what you like, what drives you to purchase, and where/when you like to spend your money.  Why?  Because they want it! They want to position themselves between you and your perceived needs so that when time comes to swipe that card or ring that till, its their product you go home with that day. It boils down to animal survival. Corporations take on the life of their own (and have legal rights like people do), and their nature is to grow and thrive. There's nothing implicitly wrong with that.

Sadly, in many cases this has gone too far with the neglect of our society, environment, morals, and virtues. They have worked diligently at providing us with goods and services we say we need and its an all-out war to rise to the top. Let someone else worry about the environment…our duty is to our shareholders…Many people get depressed over the state of the world but I think this very phenomenon gives the people leverage.

Think about it. They are dying to know what you want and how you want to spend your money right? Great.  Demand organic produce free of pesticides and additives. Demand food from farms that don't deplete our topsoil. Demand grass-fed animals and demand fair and humane practices.  Ask for fair trade, zero emissions, corporate transparency.

You can say- "Sure I want those things but these guys won't change".  Great! Then let them die on the vine…go the way of the dinosaur. There is no shortage of genius or innovation in our world. There is no shortage of good people who agree with you and want to help make a difference. Support them.  Buy THEIR products. Give the money to the good guys and squeeze the vampires out of business.

We vote every day with our money. Every purchase you make can change the world. Don't blindly spend your hard-earned cash. Money is like energy- it is a currency. Who'd you rather give energy to? Who do you choose to support? Start there and see how quickly corporate giants will change their tune. Personally, I'd like to see the next wave of billionaires on this planet by eco-green tycoons who do the right thing and are rewarded by an enlightened citizenry for it.

"Be the change you want to see in the world." Mahatma Gandhi

Wisdom from: Taoist Path

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Tantra – The Spirituality of Sexuality

In the West, we have had so many waves of puritanical restriction put on our notion of sexuality that we are a culture of confused and repressed people. Look at what sells on TV….its all working with a sexual undertone because so many of us have unfulfilled sexual energies and we have cordoned that power off to the realm of fantasy and pornography. There can be nothing more perverse than the distortion of our understanding of Who we really are and how our sexual energy relates to that. In Tantra, the ancient Eastern art of sacred sexuality, there is no distinction between the different aspects of ourselves. Everything is God, everything is Tao. Our sexual drive is the essence of our life force and it is the power we use to transmute into deep spiritual understanding.

Tantra is practiced in the Hindu Yogic tradition as well as the Chinese Taoist tradition. The essence is the same- refine the sexual energy, work to cultivate the forces of Yin and Yang as a pair, and raise the vital qi or kundalini energy up the spine to activate and enliven each of the chakras (Hindu) or danitens (Taoist). The essence of this practice is a celebration of Who we are and an act of worship and collaboration between lovers- recreating and participating in the ritual which creates all of life. It is an act of Creation in which we participate.

So where has the West gone wrong? We've pulled the spirituality out of the sexuality. We have judged our sexual nature as evil. Ejected from the Garden, we are left with feelings of sexuality which we repress and misunderstand. This repressed energy leads to unfulfilled fantasies and stagnant libidinal drive. Instead of pure cultivation and expression of this force, we block it off and choke it out- only to see it rear up in an unhealthy fashion as we see with all of the infidelity and sex crimes today. Proper cultivation of the sexual energy opens up the spiritual centers and wakes up our inner power. Think of it this way: our mortal link to immortality is through the sexual drive; essentially passing our DNA on into future generations which somehow makes us feel better about our impermanence here on earth. Wouldn't it make sense to then study this phenomenon and trace the roots of its power back to the Source from which it comes?

The spiritual understanding of sexuality is a critical aspect of our personal healing. Waking up to this enormous storehouse of power enlivens our chakras and helps us come whole again. Tantra is a tried and true practice that can help you with this.

Wisdom from: Taoist Path

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Zen Master Yo Hoon speaks about Freedom and the Nature of Suffering

Tune your ears a bit and his English will start making sense. Here, Master Yo Hoon talks about meditation and how it is an understanding of the mechanism of the universe more so than any technique. From his zen perspective, Yo Hoon discusses how the mind works and how we cannot have more than one thought at one time. Essentially, time and emotions/thoughts are bound and our understanding of the changing nature of this phenomena can set us free. He claims that there is no reason to fret about changing anything because the universe is constantly changing in perpetuity. Heaven and Hell are right here and now based on our perception of the present moment and our ultimate freedom is derived from our understanding of the mechanism of the universe.

Meditation is, therefore, an understanding of who we are and how we function in the grand scheme of things- not a practice where we count our breath or visualize colors all day. Yo Hoon gives us a fresh zen perspective through his discourse. I've chopped these up into small pieces. Again, the English is a bit rough but it is well worth it to watch him.

Wisdom from: Taoist Path

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The Hanged Man- Where Western Alchemy and Taoist Philosophy Meet

The Hanged Man is one of my favorite Tarot cards from the Western Hermetic Tradition. It is a simple picture which coveys a great deal of meaning- especially when looking at the cards from a Taoist perspective. First of all, this man seems to be in a relatively dubious position but, looking at his face, he doesn't seem too upset about it. In fact, there seems to be a smirk on his face as he crosses his left leg under his right- showing the ancient symbol for Mercury- the agent of Alchemical transformation.

To quote from the BOTA Tarot lineage about the Law of Reversal: "To reverse to conditions of misery, disease and failure, and substitute for them their opposites of health, happiness and success, it is necessary to think, speak and act in ways which are the reverse to those in which most persons think, speak, and act."

This key, via the Hebrew letter Mem represents the occult water which is the astral fluid that fills the universe. It is the electromagnetic energy which is the basis of all things. Water mirrors and that is the lesson here. It teaches us to reverse our mental attitude toward the conditions of our environment and free our minds from the trap of appearances that keep us bound. The gallows from which he hangs is in the form of the Hebrew letter Tav which corresponds to Tarot Key 21- The World. To quote BOTA of the Western Hermetic Tradition again: "He who succeeds in reversing his conception of personality realizes that the real world is, so to say, the body of God. He knows himself to be a member of that body…The average human being is dominated by his imagination and his images are false…"

To reverse one's mental attitude is to have a new world-view which sees the universe as a dance of life, full of joy and freedom. What seems like bondage here turns out to be surrender to the Universal Will which is the true basis of our personality. The take home message here is that: 1- The is only One Power, 2- This One Power is centered everywhere, 3- the One Power is the central fact behind every mask of personality, and 4- our accomplishments happen through us by the One Power- the sum total of all cosmic forces operating through our personalities. This is the essence of the teaching of the Hanged Man. How does this relate to Taoist thinking?

Taoist philosophy is centered around the idea that all phenomena emanate from the Tao- the One Power which IS everything and creates and sustains everything all at once. The Tao cannot be spoken of because our conventions are too limiting. It is called the "Mystery of Mysteries" which Ancentor Lu says"…is nonexistent, yet exists; it is empty yet substantial. It is not more in sages, not less in the ignorant. Heaven is within it, yet heaven does not know it; earth receives its current, yet even earth does not recognize it. It penetrates the depths of all things, yet they go on unawares."

The Great Tao is what drives us- it feeds us and nourishes us. It is the basis of our personalities because it is the basis of all the stars and planets around us. It is the One Power which the Western Tradition speaks of. It has to be. If we're talking about One Power- then Chinese, Greek, or English, we have to be talking about the same thing. There is only One.

The Tao emanates and creates all things around us, yet, one must not be deluded into thinking these phenomena are independent and separate from the One Power. This is where semantics come in. In the West, we have gotten confused because we say "There is thunder" whereas in Chinese Taoism, a verb-based language, we say, "The Tao is thundering". It's all Tao- it's all the One Power showing itself in myriad forms. This is what the Hanged Man knows- hence the smile on his face. He doesn't fret over worldly abstractions but rests peacefully in his trust of the One Power. He sees the world for what it is and is no longer slave to the trance of aversions and cravings that plague humanity. He is free because he realizes the truth.

For more information on Western Alchemy, I highly recommend the Builders of the Adytum (www.bota.org) – good people teaching powerful stuff.

Wisdom from: Taoist Path

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The Transformative Experience – Where True Medicine Comes From

The experiences of Divinity, Infinity, and Awakening are the oldest and truest form of medicine known to man. In Qi Gong and Chinese medicine, we have the Three Treasures- Jing (Essence), Qi (Vital Energy), and Shen (Spirit). All three have to work together in harmony in order for the body to function correctly. The problem with most people in modernity is that they attempt to resolve physical issues in the name of health but they neglect the importance of Spirit in their lives. Life without meaning is not life. There are millions of people walking around this world like zombies, stuck in a rut and stumbling from one day into the next. They have no power, no light in their eyes, and nothing they stand for. Let me take that back…they may really be into their football team, some sitcom, or maybe even their social circle. I would argue that without anchoring life with spiritual experiences, these pastimes are superficial at best. People get tired, bored, and dull in their meaningless lives and it drives them to participate in unhealthy behavior. Why not have those fries? A few drinks can't hurt…

The essence of Alchemy is the understanding of our Infinite nature. We are individual flames of the Limitless Light which eternally creates and sustains the Universe in every second. All the power that ever was or will be is Here and Now. Anything less than a profound understanding of these principles at the depth of our consciousness leads us to boredom and stagnation. You see, our Spirits understand our Infinite nature and they patiently wait for us to come around and get involved in the only game in town- awakening to our infinite potential. When we neglect to do this, our senses get dulled and our bodies begin to sink into decline. Yin and Yang begin to separate and our Qi flow stagnates.

A healthy Shen (Spirit) is essential for maintaining good health. This requires us to ask the big questions and challenge who and what we really are. Falling asleep to the dull "reality" of the zombies is a sure-fired way to perish into oblivion. Wake up and smell your potential!

Wisdom from: Taoist Path

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Stress – the Modern day Killer. Why Anxiety and Depression are so Common.

If we could all live on a dream beach somewhere in the tropics, would we still have stress? Most people believe that the answer to this is "No", but I would have to disagree. Sure, we'd be pretty good for a couple of weeks- maybe even a month bu then what? We'll have dragged our busy minds along with us and, after a short amount of time, will be loading old thoughts, emotions, and memories that have been plaguing us for years.

How does this stress get booted in so easily?  Think of a computer. We have our operating system and then we have applications. If we get a good night's sleep, we generally tend to wake up with a free desktop. What happens then? We start opening windows. We click application after application, trying to load everything at once. Within the first hour or two, we have too many windows open and things are starting to hang up. Our system slows down and we are diverting valuable resources to the multiple open windows and have precious little left for our immunity.

This speaks volumes to why the CDC states that 90% of illnesses are caused by stress. We overburden our systems with too many open applications and our systems can't handle the load for basic biological functions anymore. Think of it like cash flow. We spend all our money on going out, shoes, clothes, cars, etc. and then don't have enough to make mortgage or groceries. So what do we do? We borrow.

Stress, anxiety, and depression are often results of poor ENERGY ECONOMICS. We borrow from tomorrow's energy today because we are running our systems in an unbalanced way. How do we resolve this?

1- Learn to Meditate - learn to stop opening multiple applications and shut down the ones that are running unnecessarily.

2- Optimize your operating system- increase the efficiency of your body by eating frequently and in smaller portions.

3- Don't overburden your system- don't poison yourself with drugs, alcohol, processed foods, and synthetic chemical additives.

4- Get organized – learn to manage your time and energy with daily goals and make sure you stay on track.

These are just a few suggestions. Simplifying life can really help alleviate stress, anxiety, and depression if you go about it the right way. You can download free meditation tracks at:  http://taoistpath.com/online-tools/

Start optimizing your life today!

Wisdom from: Taoist Path

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