Things you would do given the opportunity

Lord Ba'al

Lord Ba'al

Well-known member
Looks interesting. We watched Murder on the Orient Express today and I was thinking I would love to take that train ride like that.
 
YJ02

YJ02

Well-known member
Lord Ba'al said:
Looks interesting. We watched Murder on the Orient Express today and I was thinking I would love to take that train ride like that.
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most certainly a trip for summer months

otherwise just cold and white, white,white, from Germany to Siberia
 
YJ02

YJ02

Well-known member
would have to allow for side trips as well

i would love to see lake baikal. it is either the 1st or 2nd deepest lake in the world and is held by many cultures as the origin point of their ethnic groups---koreans, yakuts, buryats, most mongolian and turkic tribes have some tradition involving origins at the lake

would like to see it in person to see why it inspired so much lore
 
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Overmind One

Overmind One

Administrator
Staff member
I would like to take one whole month living with some primitive tribe somewhere which is healthy and has clean resources like healthy game, clean rivers and fish in them, and shelter (even huts would do). It would have to be a place where there are no deadly insects which can kill me. :) I would like to go through one of their spiritual rituals (hopefully with some strange hallucinogenic drug made from roots and shit), and be guided by a shaman/priest/witch doctor in my experience. I know, sounds strange, but this sort of thing is still done by people in the US on many Native American reservations across the country.

Experiencing that then coming back to city life would be fascinating and ground me in a way that would last a lifetime.
 
YJ02

YJ02

Well-known member
Overmind One said:
I would like to take one whole month living with some primitive tribe somewhere which is healthy and has clean resources like healthy game, clean rivers and fish in them, and shelter (even huts would do). It would have to be a place where there are no deadly insects which can kill me. :) I would like to go through one of their spiritual rituals (hopefully with some strange hallucinogenic drug made from roots and shit), and be guided by a shaman/priest/witch doctor in my experience. I know, sounds strange, but this sort of thing is still done by people in the US on many Native American reservations across the country.

Experiencing that then coming back to city life would be fascinating and ground me in a way that would last a lifetime.
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cannibals or non-cannibals? hey, you need to know when considering your dietary requirements!
:)
 
YJ02

YJ02

Well-known member
Overmind One said:
I would like to go through one of their spiritual rituals (hopefully with some strange hallucinogenic drug made from roots and shit), and be guided by a shaman/priest/witch doctor in my experience.
Click to expand...

this isn't primitive, though they use primitive compounds. i am sure one could find soem tribe in the mtns or jungle to do it in a setting as you describe

i know i say 'i read somewhere...' and then can't find the damn place i read it! :sheppardanime46: however :) I read somewhere that ayahuasca has been found to 'cure' ppl of a lot of addictions. from sugar and caffeine to Rx's and street drugs

some ppl have reported recovery after one session but most requiring more then one.

buy anyone can use it, you are guided the entire time and never left alone

check this out. the pre req's and the schedule of events are interesting

imagine contemplating some elongated skulls while on this herb? you are early in the same spot as they are kept so what the hell?

http://www.etnikas.com/ayahuasca-retreat-3-days.php
 
Overmind One

Overmind One

Administrator
Staff member
yongjin02 said:
this isn't primitive, though they use primitive compounds. i am sure one could find soem tribe in the mtns or jungle to do it in a setting as you describe

i know i say 'i read somewhere...' and then can't find the damn place i read it! :sheppardanime46: however :) I read somewhere that ayahuasca has been found to 'cure' ppl of a lot of addictions. from sugar and caffeine to Rx's and street drugs

some ppl have reported recovery after one session but most requiring more then one.

buy anyone can use it, you are guided the entire time and never left alone

check this out. the pre req's and the schedule of events are interesting

imagine contemplating some elongated skulls while on this herb? you are early in the same spot as they are kept so what the hell?

http://www.etnikas.com/ayahuasca-retreat-3-days.php
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Yes, that. I know others who have done the peyote and smoke tipi ritual with the Navajo, and I have considered taking that one in Arizona.
 
YJ02

YJ02

Well-known member
It sounds cliche I know, but I would like to go to Britain. not the tourist areas but the more out of the way places of history

if they are not paved over by now

would like to see what's left of Hadrian's Wall and the Isle of Apples also known as Glastonberry Tor among other places
 
YJ02

YJ02

Well-known member
Bhutan, Nepal--the small places. NOT mountain climbing..my god how cliche has that become?!

start in Kathmandu and work your way through the small towns and villages

 
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PussyGalore

Meow
Lord Ba'al said:
Looks interesting. We watched Murder on the Orient Express today and I was thinking I would love to take that train ride like that.
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You would like to take a train ride where you solve a murder, or would it be to commit one? :daniel_new004:

BTW, Poirot is Belgian, not Dutch. I'm sure you could pull it off though. I have faith in you. :icon_razz:
 
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PussyGalore

Meow
Overmind One said:
I would like to take one whole month living with some primitive tribe somewhere which is healthy and has clean resources like healthy game, clean rivers and fish in them, and shelter (even huts would do). It would have to be a place where there are no deadly insects which can kill me. :) I would like to go through one of their spiritual rituals (hopefully with some strange hallucinogenic drug made from roots and shit), and be guided by a shaman/priest/witch doctor in my experience. I know, sounds strange, but this sort of thing is still done by people in the US on many Native American reservations across the country.

Experiencing that then coming back to city life would be fascinating and ground me in a way that would last a lifetime.
Click to expand...

I've been thinking about going to a 10-day meditation retreat (Goenka retreat). They're free and you don't have to pay for anything. If you want to donate to the retreat you can do so only after you have finished the course. There's no pressure and no obligation. The retreats are available all around the world.

From what I understand it can be pretty intense and some people drop out before the 10 days is up. Doing meditation all day, everyday can be challenging. But I guess if you make it through to the end you will discover all sorts of shit about yourself.

I think the meals lean towards vegetarian but some might have meat. It all depends on what the retreat locations can afford and/or have donated to them. And each location is different so the sleeping and bathroom accommodations might be a bit "dorm-like". But it's free so one can't really complain.
 
Lord Ba'al

Lord Ba'al

Well-known member
PussyGalore said:
I've been thinking about going to a 10-day meditation retreat (Goenka retreat). They're free and you don't have to pay for anything. If you want to donate to the retreat you can do so only after you have finished the course. There's no pressure and no obligation. The retreats are available all around the world.

From what I understand it can be pretty intense and some people drop out before the 10 days is up. Doing meditation all day, everyday can be challenging. But I guess if you make it through to the end you will discover all sorts of shit about yourself.

I think the meals lean towards vegetarian but some might have meat. It all depends on what the retreat locations can afford and/or have donated to them. And each location is different so the sleeping and bathroom accommodations might be a bit "dorm-like". But it's free so one can't really complain.
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Sounds a bit like a sect attempting to attract new drones.
 
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PussyGalore

Meow
Lord Ba'al said:
Sounds a bit like a sect attempting to attract new drones.
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Definitely not a cult. I've looked into it and the set up lacks the infrastructure to be a cult. They don't harangue you to give them money or to believe a certain scripture, etc. They also screen people out who would normally be the type that cults would find easy to subjugate, like those with mental problems. If you're being treated for anxiety and depression or substance abuse for instance, they weed you out in the application process. They aren't equipped to deal with such issues and are pretty serious about rejecting such candidates. Cults on the other hand love to pounce on people like this because they are usually in a weak and impressionable state.

It simply is a retreat focused on meditation taught by this guy Goenka (via video tapes) who believed it takes 10 days to really learn and advance in meditation. After you've "sat" for a 10 day retreat you can come back for 3-4 day (or less) meditation sessions. And from what I understand it's a lot of sitting around meditating. No talking, no socializing, no field trips, just waking up and sitting in a hall mediating. If instruction is needed you either glean it from the video lectures or you can ask one of the volunteer directors during a meeting with them. (And from what I understand the people who volunteer to put on the retreats are average Joes who have real jobs in the real world, something cults generally don't allow.)

From what I understand there's a belief in the (Buddhist?) meditation community that meditation should be taught for free. Of course here in the West it's being monetized and you can pay thousands of dollars to attend a tony retreat in a lush environment taught by people who count Oprah as a personal friend. Then there is the Transcendental Meditation (TM) crowd which have been charging to teach their version of mantra meditation for decades now. (If any meditation sect comes close to being a cult it's TM. Supposedly they have gotten better in recent years but they have a very wacky and dubious history.)

So basically the Goenka folks believe that (Vipassana) meditation instruction should be available to everyone for free. It's a core tenet of their beliefs hence the fact that the retreats aren't glamorous or spa-like. They're for people serious about learning to meditate with no frills or BS.

Personally I think 10 days is a long haul and I'm not sure how I would do should I attempt it. Some people drop out because they can't take the schedule of sitting and meditating for such a long period of time. And many of the people who make it through to the end state that it was one of the hardest things they've ever done. But it's also one of the best things they've ever done. It's definitely a marathon-like experience that will show you what you're made of.

*BTW, some famous celebrities into Transcendental Mediation are Jerry Seinfeld, Ellen Degeneres and David Lynch. (Lynch is a HUGE advocate of TM and has been for years. He is also very weird and bizarre and overrated as a film maker.) Ellen doesn't talk much about it but Seinfeld has done a fair amount of interviews about his daily TM practice. He seems like a pretty good guy and I'm sure that meditation "works" for him. But what is often missing in the interviews he gives is the fact that getting instruction in TM costs money, like $1500 - $3000 to start. That's a lot of money for the average person to cough up. And "advancing" in TM instruction can cost thousands more over the years. When you're a rich celebrity you can easily afford it but when you're an average Jane it's much, much harder. To me that's a dubious practice but to each his own.
 
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