[Tease T Tickle]

Originally Posted by Bloodybirds

...claim to be Chan Buddhists, and then marry and have a good drink after training...

There's nothing wrong with Ch'an Buddhists marrying or having a drink. There's actually a fairly large attempt worldwide for consensus among Buddhist spiritual leaders and organizations to allow marriage for monks. The idea is that contemporary Buddhism wants to focus on compassion and lovingkindness, and how can one expect to love the world if we don't even know the love of one person?

The original inclination against marriage for Buddhist monks and clergy was so that the person would have no distractions in their spiritual journey or further attachments to this world, but people are beginning to understand that they can make spiritual journeys together and (especially in Mahayana sects like Ch'an) escaping attachment to samsara is not nearly as important as aiding others in their enlightenment.

I'd be very happy for a faux-Shaolin monk if he could balance his body on spear tips and then go home to a wife.

[Bloodybirds]

Well, if you put it that way....

[Bloodybirds]

But I find most if not all current "worldly" monks to not have the true Shaolin skill but rather the Shaolin wushu propagated outside the temple gates as a tourist attraction in the village. Most, not all, the so called monks in the states these days are this type, not the true monks. As far as marriage, the belief has always been propagated in traditional Chinese studies that expulsion during sex is also expulsion of valuable sexual chi and one who does that will not be able to build the requisite nei gong or qi gong required for the extensive body training required. Personally, I think they just find women a distraction.....

[Gazelle]

Glad to hear it, so i guess that means i can rest assured that i'm not being a pain in the neck, as i know some people might find. Always a good thing to know.

I'm quite aware the amount you can learn with 'small chats'...it's a shame the courses aren't structured so...give me the notes, perhaps a few timetabled bits and pieces to make sure i'm on track, then just have someone who's willing to discuss bits and pieces with me...suits me 100 times better, infact, after goin through some of the printed notes to my linear algebra course, i'm seriously considering not turning up to the lectures.

[Tease T Tickle]

Originally Posted by Bloodybirds

As far as marriage, the belief has always been propagated in traditional Chinese studies that expulsion during sex is also expulsion of valuable sexual chi and one who does that will not be able to build the requisite nei gong or qi gong required for the extensive body training required. Personally, I think they just find women a distraction.....

Certain other groups see the "expulsion during sex" as an incredibly empowering event and thus try to make it happen as often as possible. The Western Esoteric Tradition is so odd sometimes.

[Bloodybirds]

I have trained in Shaolin but, as my esteemed colleague has mentioned, the Western philosophy of expulsion of chi is one that I will have to live with....no dragging a 300 lb rock by my gonads for me!!! Will have to accomplish other internal training!!

[Gazelle]

Originally Posted by Bloodybirds

Personally, I think they just find women a distraction.....

Indeed, experience has taught me that we can be rather distracting...i think that's part of our job

I think i only managed to follow half of what was mentioned in the past two posts...that is not a hint...for once, i think i rather like it that waylol

[Bloodybirds]

I am sorry, Gazelle, what were you saying....LOL...another bad male trait....incredible listening skills and easily distracted....that is why my contention is that the best assassins would probably be women!! See Kill Bill!

[Haas]

theres a guy assassin in kill bill ^_^

[Bloodybirds]

Yes, but the backstory of Lucy Liu's character is the most fascinating to me. Nothing worse than a cold hearted b.... on a mission!!