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	<title>The Dao of Dragon Ball Blog &#187; ascension</title>
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		<title>Super Saiyans are Real</title>
		<link>http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/fans/super-saiyans-are-real/</link>
		<comments>http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/fans/super-saiyans-are-real/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 16 Feb 2012 07:40:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Derek Padula</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/?p=1651</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On Feb 14, 2012 a young boy named Jalen tried to turn into a Super Saiyan on film and then posted it on YouTube. The video instantly went viral! <a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/super-saiyans-are-real/" title="Continue reading &#171;Super Saiyans are Real&#187;" class="more-link">Continue reading</a><p>Post from: <a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog">The Dao of Dragonball Blog</a><br/><br/><a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/fans/super-saiyans-are-real/">Super Saiyans are Real</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>On Feb 14, 2012 a young boy named Jalen tried to turn into a Super Saiyan on film and then posted it on YouTube. The video instantly went viral!</p>
<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYxCrugJj_o&#038;fmt=18">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYxCrugJj_o</a></p>
<p>The video was so popular that &#8220;Super Saiyan&#8221; trended worldwide on Twitter.</p>
<p><a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/jalen-kid-goes-super-saiyan-trends-on-twitter.png"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-1652" title="jalen-kid-goes-super-saiyan-trends-on-twitter" src="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/jalen-kid-goes-super-saiyan-trends-on-twitter.png" alt="super saiyans are real jalen youtube twitter" width="500" height="242" /></a></p>
<p>People everywhere were talking about Super Saiyan’s and Dragon Ball. Retweeting how they loved the show when they were a kid, or laughing in response to his video.</p>
<p>Jalen&#8217;s YouTube name is KillerKarisma, and on the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/KillaKarisma" target="_blank">KillerKarisma YouTube</a> page Jalen has the following description. &#8220;im a very strange character, i like performing social experiments, its hard to put me in one category and im random but i always do things for a reason you never know what to expect from me&#8230;&#8230;..&#8221;</p>
<p>This makes me wonder if the whole thing was one big social experiment. I contacted him for an interview and am waiting to hear back.</p>
<p>The next day on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/KillaKarisma/348037011897333" target="_blank">Jalen&#8217;s Facebook page</a> he said this:</p>
<p>&#8220;alot of ppl ask me if i was faking or sincere&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;.its kind of hard to explain&#8230;.i have multiple personalities, so the one in that video believed what he was saying, but a part of me did it as a social experiment just to see how ppl would react, all in all, i believe there are powers that we can achieve if we stop limiting our thinking, i believe u can achieve anything with the power of your mind, and that goes for ANYTHING, not just being a super saiyan. if not in the literal sense, we have super saiyans among us everyday, army troops that fight and die for us everyday are super saiyans, single moms struggling to raise kids on their own are super saiyan? know what im saiyan??&#8221;</p>
<p>I guess this means he really does have multiple personality disorder.</p>
<p>In any case, in the video, Jalen gives a speech about how he believes people can go Super Saiyan in real life. It is very obvious that Dragon Ball strongly influenced his life.</p>
<h2>Jalen&#8217;s Super Saiyan Speech</h2>
<p><a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/jalen-super-saiyans-are-real-youtube-goku-ssj.jpg"><img src="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/jalen-super-saiyans-are-real-youtube-goku-ssj.jpg" alt="super saiyans are real jalen goku ssj" title="jalen-super-saiyans-are-real-youtube-goku-ssj" width="500" height="337" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-1658" /></a>Here&#8217;s his speech, transcribed from the video.</p>
<p>“What’s up YouTube. This is something that’s been on my heart for a long time. All I ever wanted to be in life was a Super Saiyan. Ever since I was a kid I used to always look up to Goku and Vegeta, Gohan. I used to look at them and wonder, “How come I’m just a human being? I’m so worthless. Oh, what can I do? I can run, I can jump, I can flip.” And we are just so limited as human beings. And I feel like, when I see superheroes, why can’t life be that exciting and that awesome? Why can’t I wake up, and if I’m late for school, just teleport there and just be on time?</p>
<p>But I feel like, during that time of meditation and just thinking about it, I realized something. All of that is possible and more. It’s in here [points to his head], it’s all in your mind. Think about anything that you ever tried to do. You thought to yourself, “Man, I could never do that.” But then when you practiced it, guess what? You got better at it and you actually achieved it, didn’t you? It’s the same thing when you look at super powers. Of course it sounds absurd when you first look at it. But if you try it! If you actually set your mind to it and believe, you can achieve it.</p>
<p>I saw a Chinese man set a piece of paper on fire with just the power of his hands! Now you gonna tell me that that was fake? No it wasn’t fake! He channeled that energy from within, and he believed, he channeled that energy through the creation of his mind, what his mind believed and what he spoke into existence, of the power that he had! You understand what I’m saying?</p>
<p>I feel like anything that you set your mind to, your mind can create that force, because your mind is just this powerful machine, and whatever you set it to, and you believe, and you work towards achieving it, you can do it! You can do it. </p>
<p>And I believe I can be a Super Saiyan.</p>
<p>So this is my first time exposing this side of me to the world. And I know a lot of you are laughing, but the people who really, who are on my level of intellect, they understand what I am saying. And thank you all for understanding.</p>
<p>I’m going to attempt to go Super Saiyan on film, and I’m gonna upload it to YouTube. This is my first attempt. Now I’m believing. And I’m going to create that energy and channel it through my mind.</p>
<p>Now I might not turn full Super Saiyan, I might turn full Super Saiyan, or you might just see a glimpse of it, of that power. But this is my first attempt, I’m going to turn the music on. Super Saiyan 3 Goku theme.</p>
<p>This is it. Alright.”</p>
<p>Jalen turns on the Super Saiyan 3 Goku Theme music, by Faulconer Productions, featured on the American Dragon Ball Z, and starts to power up!</p>
<p><span id="more-1651"></span></p>
<h2>Transforming into a Super Saiyan</h2>
<p><a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/jalen-super-saiyans-are-real-youtube-goku-ssj-no-shirt.jpg"><img src="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/jalen-super-saiyans-are-real-youtube-goku-ssj-no-shirt.jpg" alt="super saiyans are real jalen youtube goku ssj" title="jalen-super-saiyans-are-real-youtube-goku-ssj-no-shirt" width="500" height="316" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-1659" /></a>Jalen centers himself.</p>
<p>The power surges through his body. He starts snapping his head back like Goku when he first turned Super Saiyan while battling Freeza.</p>
<p>Then he SCREAMS!</p>
<p>And he screams louder!</p>
<p>He crosses his arms and separates them, while powering up and screaming like crazy.</p>
<p>Jalen stands up, takes his shirt off, stares into the camera and starts screaming even louder!!</p>
<p>“AAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!</p>
<p>AAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”</p>
<p>He plays the part exactly like Goku when he transforms into Super Saiyan 3.</p>
<p>And then all of a sudden he stops…</p>
<p>The music stops.</p>
<p>His eyes roll into the back of his head for a moment and then he stares at the camera.</p>
<p>“My name is Jalen,” he says. “And I am a Super Saiyan.”</p>
<p>The video immediately ends.</p>
<p>AWESOME.</p>
<h2>The Reaction</h2>
<p>What type of reactions did people have to Super Saiyans are Real?</p>
<p>Most of the comments and reactions were laughter and jokes, making fun of Jalen and calling him names.</p>
<p>Jalen said on his Facebook page, &#8220;when these ppl insult me i wonder if they think they&#8217;re actually effecting me or hurting my feelings. LOL i was brave enough to put myself out there for everyone to see, you honestly think your little snide remarks is gonna make me cry or commit suicide? LOLOLOL BITCH im a super saiyan u cant harm me!! NOPE!!&#8221;</p>
<p>But some people really understood what he was trying to say and do.</p>
<p>For example, “I take this video as a form of inspiration. i don&#8217;t think you&#8217;re being serious while doing this, but i do believe you are being serious on trying to make a point.﻿ that us as human beings limit ourselves to so many things. but you my friend, will open many peoples eyes into seeing they can achieve what they want. at least i know i can now.”</p>
<p>There were also several video reactions.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNzYsjd-UVg&#038;fmt=18">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNzYsjd-UVg</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxtQeKtMuyo&#038;fmt=18">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxtQeKtMuyo</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2JlQ0s4k9E&#038;fmt=18">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2JlQ0s4k9E</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mBqZX5Fox8&#038;fmt=18">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mBqZX5Fox8</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhFpBrG_K3g&#038;fmt=18">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhFpBrG_K3g</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXQLrcPIlTw&#038;fmt=18">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXQLrcPIlTw</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUng_9Chfaw&#038;fmt=18">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUng_9Chfaw</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uyf0CAvuYeE&#038;fmt=18">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uyf0CAvuYeE</a></p>
<p>People on Twitter continued to talk about it for the next 48 hours, continuously retweeting the video and laughing like crazy about Dragon Ball Z. On Feb 17, 2012, Super Saiyan was still trending.</p>
<p>At 8 pm PST, the rapper Teboe sent me a new song about Jalen via <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Dao-of-Dragon-Ball/291746590854799" target"_blank">The Dao of Dragon Ball Facebook page</a>. He wrote and mixed a custom track called <a href="http://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/song_12209392" target="_blank">Super Saiyan</a>, featuring Jalen&#8217;s voice, the Super Saiyan 3 music, and audio samples from the American Dragon Ball Z. Listen to it now because it&#8217;s awesome.</p>
<h2>Human Dynamo Jack Chang</h2>
<p>In case you&#8217;re curious, this is the video that Jalen referred to when he said, &#8220;I saw a Chinese man set a piece of paper on fire with just the power of his hands!&#8221;</p>
<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gid-Ag082lo&#038;fmt=18">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gid-Ag082lo</a></p>
<p>It’s from the History Channel’s special on Spontaneous Human Combustion. There are longer videos available online.</p>
<p>This is a video that inspired his belief in Ki / Chi and Super Saiyan powers.</p>
<h2>Still Going Viral</h2>
<p><a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/jalen-super-saiyans-are-real-youtube-goku-ssj-no-shirt-eyes-rolled.jpg"><img src="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/jalen-super-saiyans-are-real-youtube-goku-ssj-no-shirt-eyes-rolled.jpg" alt="jalen super saiyans are real youtube goku i am a super saiyan" title="jalen-super-saiyans-are-real-youtube-goku-ssj-no-shirt-eyes-rolled" width="500" height="323" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-1682" /></a>It’s too early to say what the results of this will be. Although over 323,328 views in 3 days and dozens of video responses is already pretty big!</p>
<p>And it’s too early for any analysis. </p>
<p>But I can&#8217;t help but ask, why did this video go viral? Why was it so popular across the world?</p>
<p>It&#8217;s because Dragon Ball is a global phenomenon and because everybody, across the world, WANTS to go Super Saiyan!</p>
<p>The amazing thing about Jalen is that he had the guts to explain his beliefs, film his attempt, and then actually put it on YouTube after failing!</p>
<p>Also because of his amazing performance, the fact that he rips his shirt off half way through, and acts just like a screaming Saiyan the entire time. Perfect!</p>
<p>That is the confidence and absolute belief of a young man. Even in the face of potentially millions of people, he wasn&#8217;t afraid to say what he believed and then LIVE it.</p>
<p>The very shonen spirit that Dragon Ball represents&#8230; Jalen represents in real life.</p>
<p>In the description of the video Jalen says, &#8220;add me on facebook, good luck becoming a super saiyan as i did!&#8221;</p>
<p>Indeed, good luck in becoming a Super Saiyan!</p>
<p>Are Super Saiyans real?</p>
<p>On rapper <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LILBTHEBASEDGOD/posts/385109548172899" target="_blank">Lil B &#8220;The Based God&#8221;&#8216;s Facebook page</a>, Jalen wrote, &#8220;THANK U BASED GOD IM A MEME ON THE INTERNET NOW SUPER SAIYAN BASED KID!! OMG!!&#8221;</p>
<p>Jalen may not have succeeded at becoming a Super Saiyan, but his video did go Super VIRAL, and that&#8217;s a real accomplishment all its own!</p>
<p>Post from: <a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog">The Dao of Dragonball Blog</a><br/><br/><a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/fans/super-saiyans-are-real/">Super Saiyans are Real</a></p>
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		<title>Anger and Focus in Dragon Ball</title>
		<link>http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/philosophy/anger-and-focus-in-dragon-ball/</link>
		<comments>http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/philosophy/anger-and-focus-in-dragon-ball/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 27 Jun 2011 07:36:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Derek Padula</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[philosophy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ascension]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cultivation]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[deity]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[goku]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/?p=714</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pain sharpens focus. Comfort dulls it. Anger and pain narrow the mind. Compassion and tolerance broaden the mind. In Dragon Ball, villainous forces run amok.<a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/anger-and-focus-in-dragon-ball/" title="Continue reading &#171;Anger and Focus in Dragon Ball&#187;" class="more-link">Continue reading</a><p>Post from: <a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog">The Dao of Dragonball Blog</a><br/><br/><a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/philosophy/anger-and-focus-in-dragon-ball/">Anger and Focus in Dragon Ball</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/goku-child-rage.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-715" title="goku-child-rage" src="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/goku-child-rage.jpg" alt="goku child rage" width="500" height="393" /></a>Pain sharpens focus. Comfort dulls it.</p>
<p>Anger and pain narrow the mind. Compassion and tolerance broaden the mind.</p>
<p>Pain and anger drive one to take immediate actions. Comfort and pleasure pacify the mind to linger in non-action.</p>
<p>In Dragon Ball, villainous forces run amok. Different beings vie for power and control of planets.</p>
<p>Both the Guardian named Kami and North Kaio are passive deities, wrapped in idyllic comfort. They are supposed to protect the people within their domain, but most of the time they don’t do anything.</p>
<p>Placed above the living world in stations of authority, they look out with a broad view at the sentient beings below. Yet they are more dedicated to watching events unfold then changing them. They pass time with voyeurism.</p>
<p>They do not use their vast powers and supernormal abilities. Laws are in place that state how they can interact with the lesser beings. Thus, with restraint in their heart and a broad long term perspective that things will work out on their own, they do not act. They only lament the current state of affairs. The beings below are left to fend for themselves.</p>
<p>Goku’s life is uncomfortable. Whether under attack or in training, Goku is forced to become angry in order to ascend. Goku is a genuinely nice person, but when he is pushed to the limit he becomes filled with rage. He is a true spiritual warrior who directs short term anger in explosive waves.</p>
<p><a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/goku-rage-waves.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-719" title="goku-rage-waves" src="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/goku-rage-waves.jpg" alt="Goku rage waves" width="500" height="281" /></a>There were only a couple cases in Dragon Ball when Kami became angry enough to act.</p>
<p><span id="more-714"></span></p>
<p>The first was when he descended to earth to fight Piccolo Daimao in the Tenkaichi Budokai martial arts tournament. Filled with rage against his spiritual lesser half, and frustrated with himself for his lack of previous actions to solve the problem, Kami sought to kill his other self.</p>
<p>But even while taking action it was through indirect means, as Kami possessed a pure spirited human’s body to enter the tournament.</p>
<p>In the end, he wasn’t strong enough to win the battle, and Goku had to finish the job.</p>
<p>The second was in the Dragon Ball Z movie called Dead Zone. Kami fought against Garlic Jr., a being who sought to usurp the throne of Guardian. Kami became angry, gained focus, and descended to the earth once again.</p>
<p>But even with his holy powers, Kami was too weak of a fighter to offer a serious challenge.</p>
<p>If Goku and his son Gohan weren’t around to defeat this villain, then Kami’s old age and lack of battle power would have meant the destruction of the world.</p>
<p>The responsibility is repeatedly left to Goku to fight, sacrifice, and endure in order to overcome increasingly greater challenges. As a result, Goku grows in power exponentially and surpasses all the gods, including his martial arts masters.</p>
<h2>Burst Through Limits</h2>
<p><a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/super-saiyan-goku-attack.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-716" title="super-saiyan-goku-attack" src="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/super-saiyan-goku-attack.jpg" alt="super saiyan goku attacks" width="500" height="383" /></a>Goku’s masters do not help him ascend. They only provide the environment and means to do so.</p>
<p>Goku learns by doing. Because Goku is a self-enlightening student, his teachers cannot help him enlighten through lecturing. Rather, they passively provide him with difficult external situations. The training consists of physical suffering amidst external stimuli.</p>
<p>His masters only take direct action after Goku passes one of their challenges and are therefore forced to set up another. Eventually they have no more to offer and he moves onward.</p>
<p>The few martial arts techniques they do teach are ultimately self-taught anyway. Goku’s painful martial arts training forces him to focus on the higher states of mind required to perfect each technique.</p>
<p>His masters are ensconced in comfort, have no focus, and do not grow. They do not cultivate themselves. For ages they stay in their positions and fulfill their roles. Yet as time cycles onward, their lives come to an end. Soon they are replaced by another, who again maintains the status quo.</p>
<p>Goku’s continual progress is the combined result of deadly external circumstances and an internal drive to burst through limits. Even when external scenarios do not provide a barrier to overcome, he finds one within.</p>
<p>This is why Goku is #1.</p>
<p>Post from: <a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog">The Dao of Dragonball Blog</a><br/><br/><a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/philosophy/anger-and-focus-in-dragon-ball/">Anger and Focus in Dragon Ball</a></p>
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		<title>Suffering Succotash</title>
		<link>http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/philosophy/suffering-succotash/</link>
		<comments>http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/philosophy/suffering-succotash/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 13 May 2011 22:29:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Derek Padula</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[philosophy]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[culture]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[salvation]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[A poem about the cause and solution of suffering. By Derek Padula<a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/suffering-succotash/" title="Continue reading &#171;Suffering Succotash&#187;" class="more-link">Continue reading</a><p>Post from: <a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog">The Dao of Dragonball Blog</a><br/><br/><a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/philosophy/suffering-succotash/">Suffering Succotash</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Ignorance is suffering.<br />
To remedy ignorance one desires knowledge.<br />
One suffers to achieve knowledge.<br />
Yet knowledge is complex and burdensome.<br />
Truth without attachment is ease.<br />
One lets go of the attachment to knowledge.<br />
Free of suffering.<br />
Filled with emptiness.</p>
<p>Post from: <a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog">The Dao of Dragonball Blog</a><br/><br/><a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/philosophy/suffering-succotash/">Suffering Succotash</a></p>
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		<title>Divine Combat &#8211; Zenkai Power</title>
		<link>http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/excerpts/zenkai-power/</link>
		<comments>http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/excerpts/zenkai-power/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 01 Nov 2010 05:32:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Derek Padula</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[excerpts]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/?p=609</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Dragon World is one in which fighting and martial arts are the primary form of cultivation recognized and supported by the gods. The Saiyans are primed for development in the Closed Fist style of cultivation. They learn by fighting and mature through physical conflict. They do not study a set of teachings, nor do they specifically try to improve their character through looking inward and letting go of attachments. They increase their power as they train with intensity and fight against increasingly difficult external opponents. Yet they sometimes experience mortal blows; the type that would kill a normal man. Upon recovering from these grievous wounds the Saiyan is instilled with even more power, so that they can then defeat their opponent the next time they do battle. It is an accelerated form of evolutionary adaptation, and a large part of what makes them such formidable opponents.<a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/zenkai-power/" title="Continue reading &#171;Divine Combat - Zenkai Power&#187;" class="more-link">Continue reading</a><p>Post from: <a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog">The Dao of Dragonball Blog</a><br/><br/><a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/excerpts/zenkai-power/">Divine Combat &#8211; Zenkai Power</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_612" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 260px"><a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/super-saiyan-goku-stands-alone-destroyed-namek.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-612" title="super-saiyan-goku-stands-alone-destroyed-namek" src="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/super-saiyan-goku-stands-alone-destroyed-namek-250x187.jpg" alt="Super Saiyan Goku" width="250" height="187" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Super Saiyan Goku</p></div>
<p>In this excerpt from The Dao of Dragon Ball we will learn more about the martial arts as depicted in Dragon Ball.</p>
<p>There are many concepts that are disclosed in this chapter, such as Qi (Ki), Gong, Divine Powers, and how the popular conception of Qi in the martial arts were employed by Akira Toriyama and mixed with traditional Buddhist and Daoist spiritual views.</p>
<p>This particular section of the Divine Combat chapter explains the concept of Zenkai Power, and what it means both within Dragon Ball and traditional cultivation practices of East Asia.</p>
<h2>Zenkai Power</h2>
<div id="attachment_621" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 260px"><a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/goku-kamehameha.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-621" title="goku-kamehameha" src="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/goku-kamehameha-250x187.jpg" alt="Goku Fires the Kamehameha with Kaio Ken" width="250" height="187" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Goku Fires the Kamehameha</p></div>
<p>Zenkai is a term used by fans to refer to the sudden power up that occurs to a Saiyan after they recover from a near death experience. Saiyans are the only ones with the genetic potential for Zenkai, but anyone with Saiyan cells in their body is able to experience a Zenkai.</p>
<p>The Dragon World is one in which fighting and martial arts are the primary form of cultivation recognized and supported by the gods.</p>
<p>The Saiyans are primed for development in the Closed Fist style of cultivation. They learn by fighting and mature through physical conflict. They do not study a set of teachings, nor do they specifically try to improve their character through looking inward and letting go of attachments. They increase their power as they train with intensity and fight against increasingly difficult external opponents. Yet they sometimes experience mortal blows; the type that would kill a normal man. Upon recovering from these grievous wounds the Saiyan is instilled with even more power, so that they can then defeat their opponent the next time they do battle. It is an accelerated form of evolutionary adaptation, and a large part of what makes them such formidable opponents.</p>
<p><em>Dragon Ball</em> fans translated Zenkai as “Complete Recovery.” But this translation is incorrect, and there are further meanings to this term within Asian culture, Buddhism and the martial arts.</p>
<p><span id="more-609"></span>Ancient legends about the history of acupuncture state that it was discovered in India by warriors on the battlefield. The wounds and aches they experienced before or during the battle were remedied by the accidental puncture of certain spots on their body. After the battle was complete their original ailments were gone, although they may have had new problems to deal with. From the revelation that adjustments in one part of the body can affect another came the physical science of massage, acupuncture, bone adjustments, tendon manipulation, and energy theories. Combined with Indian Ayurvedic (“Longevity Science”) principles and passed along to China these theories and teachings (that are rooted in the Five Elements) became the ground work for Shaolin School and Dao School internal energy treatments and Traditional Chinese Medicine.</p>
<p>In a medical practice the manipulation of passes and acupuncture points would be a gradual process of opening and flushing out stagnant Chi. Martial arts focused stories have to be more viscerally entertaining. In these stories the practitioner gains new powers when someone else suddenly strikes an acupuncture point and unwittingly unlocks the energy from within. Presuming they survive.</p>
<p>In <em>Dragon Ball</em> this concept is taken to an extreme. With each successive near death experience another portion of the previously untapped energy becomes accessible. After they have recovered from their wounds the energy bursts forth in a wave of incredible might in their next battle.</p>
<p>Vegeta first discovered this ability after his defeat against Goku. He fought Goku with a battle power of 18,000, returned home, recovered from his wounds, and shot up to approximately 24,000 for his battle on Planet Namek. He powered up again after his defeat by Zarbon and once again by Recoome. Vegeta then purposefully manipulated this ability in order to have enough power to defeat Lord Freeza. He ordered Krillin to blast a hole through his body with an energy beam so that he could be healed by Dende, a Namek healer, and receive yet another boost.</p>
<p>Goku had experienced this transformation process throughout his life, as at the end of each near death defeat he would recover and become stronger than he was before; although this was also due to training and further insights gained by experience. Goku used this inborn ability while training in the Space Capsule on his way to Planet Namek. He physically pushed himself to the point of breaking and then ate a Senzu bean and completely recovered. He repeated this cycle twice. Once he completed his training and arrived on Namek he had unlocked many profound supernormal abilities, including the ability to read other people’s minds and scan a person’s history through post-cognition.</p>
<div id="attachment_614" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 213px"><a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/bardock-dragon-ball.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-614" title="bardock-dragon-ball" src="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/bardock-dragon-ball-203x250.jpg" alt="Bardock Father of Goku" width="203" height="250" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Bardock - Father of Goku</p></div>
<p>As mentioned earlier, it is also possible that a strike to an acupuncture point could be used to unlock a dormant supernormal ability. This occurred to Goku’s true father, Bardock, while he fought on Planet Kanassa.</p>
<p>A Kanassan warrior purposefully finger strikes Bardock in the acupuncture point at the base of the skull where the spinal column meets the head, in the back of the neck. Traditional Chinese Medicine refers to this acupuncture point as Governing Vessel 15, (<em>Chines</em><em>e</em>: ??, Ya Men). Ya Men translates as “Mute Gate” and is associated with the occipital lobe and visual cortex. Deep penetration of this area is usually prohibited in medical practice. The intense martial strike unlocked Bardock’s supernormal ability of pre-cognition.</p>
<div id="attachment_615" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 223px"><a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/kanassan.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-615" title="kanassan" src="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/kanassan-213x250.jpg" alt="A Kanassan Warrior" width="213" height="250" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">A Kanassan Warrior</p></div>
<p>The Kanassan’s were renowned for their psychic abilities, and the warriors final words were, “I have given it to you as a gift, Bardock, so that you can see.” Bardock replies, “See what?” “See the horror of your end, just as we had to.” Through his pre-cognitive visions Bardock was shown the genocide of the Saiyan people and images of his own demise. In a confused and altered state he was also able to see the future of his son Kakarot’s rise to power and eventual conflict with Lord Freeza.</p>
<p>In an attempt to rewrite the future Bardock single handedly opposed Lord Freeza and his men. He attempted to explain to his Saiyan brothers of their impending doom, but they would not listen. Meanwhile, his son had just been launched into outer space. With the thoughts of his own people on his mind, he fought against Freeza. But at the final moment of his death he realized that his visions were all too true, including the path of redemption he just chose to follow. Even his attempt to change the future was pre-written.</p>
<p>The Kanassan warrior’s method of imparting the truth to Bardock was not through words, because he knew that words would not be accepted by such a person. Instead he unlocked his mind through a silent strike to the Mute Gate. The prophetic visions taught Bardock the ramifications of cause and effect, and that one’s life is already written. These visions shook him to the core, but at the moment of his death brought him peace, for he saw the balancing of debts enacted through his own son.</p>
<p>Truly, when a practitioner lives the present moment of their own future it can hit their heart like a dagger in the mind. They awaken to a reality they never knew. It brings both shock and calm, and the revelation that it is okay to let go, for we are not in control.</p>
<h2>Fire Through a Pass</h2>
<div id="attachment_613" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 260px"><a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/vegeta-turns-super-saiyan-3.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-613" title="vegeta-turns-super-saiyan-3" src="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/vegeta-turns-super-saiyan-3-250x186.jpg" alt="Vegeta's Energy Erupts from his Passages" width="250" height="186" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Vegeta&#39;s Energy Erupts</p></div>
<p>The common literal translation of the word Zen Kai (<em>Japanese</em>: ??, <em>Chinese</em>: Chuan Guan) is “Complete Open,” with looser translations meaning, “Perfectly Opened,” “Full Throttle,” and more-or-less, “To the Limit.” But this common translation ignores the cultural heritage of the Chinese characters.</p>
<p>The etymology of the Zen (?) ideogram shows the character for “earth” (?) with the character for “one” or “finger” (?) connected above it. Together this character represents a “king,” or more literally a person with their “finger above the earth.” Above this combined character is the character for [a man] “enters” or “receives” (?). Altogether Zen can mean “The one who receives and resides over the earth.”</p>
<p>Kai (?) displays a “fire that can be handled” (?) passing through a “gate” or “pass” (?). Zen Kai thus means “a fire that moves through a pass.”</p>
<div id="attachment_611" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 260px"><a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/vegeta-turns-super-saiyan-2.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-611" title="vegeta-turns-super-saiyan-2" src="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/vegeta-turns-super-saiyan-2-250x186.jpg" alt="Vegeta Turns Super Saiyan" width="250" height="186" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Vegeta Unlocks His Potential</p></div>
<p>When the term is used in Zen (?) Buddhism it refers to the concept of enlightenment: The complete opening of one’s mind to wisdom. Zen Buddhism is a wordless practice and is often associated with the martial arts because of the Closed Fist teachings of Buddha Shakyamuni. In this sense Zen Kai (??) refers to a wordless opening derived through experiential practice via the path of the fist. Because Zen focuses on Sudden Enlightenment this further implies that the Zen Kai will occur suddenly and be gained without studying words. It is a wordless form of opening the gates. The gates are not opened through a cerebral key. They are opened through a physical key.</p>
<p>The Dao School considers the human body to be a small universe, with many important energy channels and points, which they refer to as “apertures.” The human body has many layers. The layer we can see with our flesh eyes is composed of cells, and these cells are composed of molecules and further composed of atoms. Each is a layer of dimension. Teacher Li Hongzhi of the Falun Dafa practice says in <em>Zhuan Falun</em> (1999) that “There is a gate placed at each layer of atoms, protons, electrons, the very microscopic particles, the infinitesimal microscopic particles, and from the infinitely microscopic particles down to the extremely infinite microscopic particles. Therefore, there are numerous supernormal abilities and many special capabilities locked up inside the gates of different layers.”</p>
<p>When a practitioner is about to attain enlightenment at their cultivated level, the energy they have developed will suddenly arise. The gates at each level will open up with a bang, from the smallest to the largest, and the energy will flow through. All of the supernormal abilities will be unlocked and what they have developed will come to fruition.</p>
<p>At the moment of enlightenment the energy in the microcosm will appear to surge through the layers of the body like a rising fire. Contrarily it can also be likened to waves of pressurized water flowing through flood gates at a rapid pace. Beginning at the utmost microcosm of the practitioner’s fundamental being the energy will begin to rise, from the smallest particles to the largest, each particle will be tapped into and the energy inside will add more fuel to the fire. The energy will pass through the gates and reach the surface where it will explode outward in all directions like the radiating light of a star or a raging fireball.</p>
<div id="attachment_616" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 182px"><a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/vajrapani-aura.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-616" title="vajrapani-aura" src="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/vajrapani-aura-172x250.jpg" alt="Tibetan Vajrapani Aura" width="172" height="250" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Tibetan Vajrapani Aura</p></div>
<p>Artwork that depicts the gods will often show their central figure surrounded by light, flames, or a heavenly aura. Western art and literature refers to this as a nimbus. The character will be larger than life and surrounded by this fully realized energy. They will stand or sit inside a circle, a door or gate, amidst a courtyard of their paradise or a heavenly scene, amidst all of the people within their paradise or heavenly kingdom.</p>
<p>Qi Gong teachings state that everyday people have a feint electrical circuit and a small aura, but that it is weak. A practitioner’s aura is strong and refined, and its color represents the practitioner’s level at different dimensions. Some are red, yellow, orange, green, blue, gold, purple, white, colored, or even colorless. The stronger a practitioner’s energy, the greater the influence of an aura and the wider its area of effect. A righteous practice will be aligned with the characteristics of the universe and a practitioner of a righteous way will bring an honest, kind and patient energy with them wherever they go. An evil practice aligned with an inverse of universal characteristics will likewise bring with it such energy.</p>
<p>There is also the concept of Genkai (<em>Japanese</em>: ??). Genkai means a “limit.” And to “break the limit” means to go beyond ones current restraints. The first character gen (?) implies a limit, while the second character kai (?) shows a field, and often means “boundary”, “domain” or “world.” Together, Genkai refers to a limit within a particular field. A field means a constraint of time and space. In cultivation a practitioner attempts to continually break their own limits. Once that constraint of time and space has been broken the practitioner will enter a new field. They then go even further beyond what was previously considered further beyond.</p>
<div id="attachment_619" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 260px"><a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/vegeta-power-up-super-saiyan-face.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-619" title="vegeta-power-up-super-saiyan-face" src="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/vegeta-power-up-super-saiyan-face-250x187.jpg" alt="Vegeta Unleashes his Full Power" width="250" height="187" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Vegeta Unleashes his Full Power</p></div>
<p>With great effort a practitioner of martial arts cultivation or internal cultivation can bring the energy (so far attained) up to the surface during their cultivation process. They can temporarily open the gates and summon the energy from their bodies in every dimension at every level (molecular, atomic, sub-atomic, all the way down and all the way up). The energy will reach the surface of this body and surround them with a material substance that radiates light. Internal practices such as Aikido or TaiJi use this field of energy to sense the subtle movements of opponents within their field, or to attack and defend with supernormal abilities unseen by the naked eye.</p>
<p>In <em>Dragon Ball</em> the aura’s of the characters flare like fireballs that cycle according to the internal frequency of the rotating energy within the practitioner’s channels. There are layers of aura within the layers, and each moves according to its own frequency. Their fiery visage appears exactly like the Vajrapani Warrior Guardians of the Buddha, surrounded by flaming aura’s who wield the Vajra lightning bolts and fight using divine martial arts.</p>
<p>Post from: <a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog">The Dao of Dragonball Blog</a><br/><br/><a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/excerpts/zenkai-power/">Divine Combat &#8211; Zenkai Power</a></p>
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		<title>Stop Feeding the Beast – A Lesson on Forbearance</title>
		<link>http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/philosophy/stop-feeding-the-beast-a-lesson-on-forbearance/</link>
		<comments>http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/philosophy/stop-feeding-the-beast-a-lesson-on-forbearance/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 26 Apr 2009 04:17:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Derek Padula</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[philosophy]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[I’m going to give you a hint that you may not like to hear. During your training, as you cultivate your physical body, you’re going to simultaneously increase your power and self awareness. In addition, this body will swell up with energy and drive, along with desires. The desires will seemingly come out of nowhere <a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/stop-feeding-the-beast-a-lesson-on-forbearance/" title="Continue reading &#171;Stop Feeding the Beast – A Lesson on Forbearance&#187;" class="more-link">Continue reading</a></p><p>Post from: <a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog">The Dao of Dragonball Blog</a><br/><br/><a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/philosophy/stop-feeding-the-beast-a-lesson-on-forbearance/">Stop Feeding the Beast – A Lesson on Forbearance</a></p>
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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><!--[endif]--></p>
<div id="attachment_82" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 210px"><a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/ssj1-goku-battle-frieza-wounded.gif"><img class="size-medium wp-image-82" title="ssj1-goku-battle-frieza-wounded" src="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/ssj1-goku-battle-frieza-wounded.gif" alt="Endurance" width="200" height="283" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Forbearance</p></div>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’m going to give you a hint that you may not like to hear.<span> </span>During your training, as you cultivate your physical body, you’re going to simultaneously increase your power and self awareness.<span> </span>In addition, this body will swell up with energy and drive, along with desires.<span> </span>The desires will seemingly come out of nowhere and you’ll want to satiate them.<span> </span>But I assure you that if you do satiate these desires that your improvement will be drastically hindered.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">To ultimately ascend to your highest level, you must let go of these desires.<span id="more-46"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The truth of the matter is that these desires are not you.<span> </span>They may have been created by you at some point, or handed down to you by your ancestors, but they are not the true, original you.<span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Think about it:<span> </span>Where do your desires come from?<span> </span>One moment you are living life as you normally do, when all of a sudden this desire springs forth like an itch that you want to scratch.<span> </span>If you scratch the itch it will go away, you’ll feel relief, and come back to normalcy, but you’re not guaranteed that you won’t have another.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It is like a dog that comes to your house barking and clawing at the door for food.<span> </span>That dog puts up quite a racket, and it wants you to feed it.<span> </span>It knows you very well, and will use whatever means it has at its disposal to get you to open the door and feed it.<span> </span>But I’m telling you, and you know from personal experience, that when you feed that dog you may feel better in the short term, but not the long.<span> </span>After a certain amount of time that dog will come back and bark for more food.<span> </span>What will you do?<span> </span>Will you feed it again, and continuously do so for the rest of your life?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The more you feed the dog the bigger it gets and the more food it needs next time to be full.<span> </span>This food is meant for you, not the dog, and it’s a drain on your physical and mental well being.<span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The only solution is to starve the dog.<span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">No matter how much it barks, claws, or cries, you cannot feed it.<span> </span>The dog will become angry, and you’ll have to endure the pain of its yelps, but all the while the dog will become weaker and smaller.<span> </span>As it fears for its life it will come up with crafty and subtle ways to trick you into opening the door.<span> </span>You have to resist.<span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If you can do so completely, then the dog will vanish and you will be liberated.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The reality is that this beast is not your responsibility, and it never was.<span> </span>You did not come here to feed it and make it happy.<span> </span>It came to you to make its self happy.<span> </span>You came here to return to your original, true self, and attain complete liberation.<span> </span>Where you’re going you cannot take that beast with you.<span> </span>It’s only a matter of when, not if, so you might as well forbear and speed up the process.<span> </span>Just like putting down a large weight that you’ve been carrying for too long, you’ll feel relief in the lightness of your mind and body.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;">So stop feeding the beast.<span> </span>Stop scratching that itch.<span> </span>Forbear!</span></p>
<p>Post from: <a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog">The Dao of Dragonball Blog</a><br/><br/><a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/philosophy/stop-feeding-the-beast-a-lesson-on-forbearance/">Stop Feeding the Beast – A Lesson on Forbearance</a></p>
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		<title>“I Do Not Know” and Ascension</title>
		<link>http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/philosophy/i-do-not-know-and-ascension/</link>
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		<pubDate>Sun, 02 Nov 2008 13:22:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Derek Padula</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[To drop our preconceived notions and continue stepping back is to open our mind to greater wisdom, to enlighten to principles and standards that are above our current position.  If a person can truly do this then he has the potential to ascend.<a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/i-do-not-know-and-ascension/" title="Continue reading &#171;“I Do Not Know” and Ascension&#187;" class="more-link">Continue reading</a><p>Post from: <a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog">The Dao of Dragonball Blog</a><br/><br/><a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/philosophy/i-do-not-know-and-ascension/">“I Do Not Know” and Ascension</a></p>
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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_87" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/goku-smile.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-87" title="goku-smile" src="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/goku-smile-300x268.jpg" alt="Goku Smiles" width="300" height="268" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Goku Smiles</p></div>
<p>How do you know what you know is the truth?  Because you believe it to be.</p>
<p>Those who cannot enlighten to higher truths believe that the truth at their level is the highest, and they believe in all that they can see at their level and below them, with the presumption, based on observable information and incite, that their current level is the highest.</p>
<p>If you don&#8217;t believe that there may be a higher truth than the one you currently know then you will forever be positioned at that level.</p>
<p>Saying &#8220;I do not know&#8221; opens the door for potential improvement.<span id="more-42"></span></p>
<p>It does not necessarily mean that one will improve, rather, it implies that the walls built up around a person&#8217;s current understanding of truth are not insurmountable.  The easier it is for a person to let go of their preconceptions the easier it is for them to understand that their may be higher truths.</p>
<p>In other words, the more doggedly a human being clings to their notions the more difficulty they have in breaking into new grounds and achieving higher levels.  The more attachments weigh them down, the heavier their minds and bodies, and the more difficult it is to rise up.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s not wrong for a human being to have notions.  It is one of many things that make us human.  But if a person can take one step back they will see a boundless new perspective.  Continue stepping back and at each level they will witness an even grander truth.</p>
<p>At this point one may think &#8220;That previous truth may be true at that particular level, but not entirely so at this level.  What I now see is the truth.&#8221;</p>
<p>They may have a faint glimpse that there is something beyond even this, but they will not fully understand it.  Just as man gazes into the endless starry night&#8211;the swirling galaxies and universe&#8211;and ponders the heavens, his realm of thought is still stuck within the terrestrial&#8230; Within this little box.</p>
<p>To drop our preconceived notions and continue stepping back is to open our mind to greater wisdom, to enlighten to principles and standards that are above our current position.  If a person can truly do this then he has the potential to ascend.</p>
<p>A person who does not come with preconceived notions has the potential to enlighten quickly.</p>
<p>Post from: <a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog">The Dao of Dragonball Blog</a><br/><br/><a href="http://thedaoofdragonball.com/blog/philosophy/i-do-not-know-and-ascension/">“I Do Not Know” and Ascension</a></p>
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