Balder's Intro

Balder

I've been enjoying reading posts on this site, and have just started contributing a few of my own. I was invited to this forum by Wickwoman, an old friend from a Christian forum where I also spend a little time every day.

Federica asked me to come over here and introduce myself. I live in the SF Bay Area of California, where I recently graduated from a graduate program in Integral Psychology. I was attracted to the program because of its unique integration of Western and Eastern psychology.

I've been studying religion, philosophy, and mystical teachings for about 20 years, when I had a mystical experience up in the mountains on a short retreat from a very difficult year in high school. Before becoming a Buddhist, I studied widely in the world religions, and was a student of J. Krishnamurti for a number of years. I had the good fortune to be offered a job in Korea, which first brought me overseas, and I ended up living and studying in Asia for a number of years -- visiting monasteries (and ashrams) in Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, India, and Nepal.

It was while I was living for a year at a Buddhist center on the island of Java that I first took the refuge vows. My first practice tradition was vipassana, in the Theravadin (Burmese) school, particularly in the lineage of U Sayadaw. I did several retreats in this style, as well as Goenka's style (while in Nepal). In Nepal, I also met several Dzogchen teachers, in Buddhist and Bonpo traditions, and Dzogchen has been my primary tradition since about 1997.

I am a father now, and my practice is more mindful parenting than sitting on a cushion! My regular meditation routine has not returned to normal since I became a dad, but there are plenty of opportunities for growth and learning in the householder life...

Best wishes,

Balder

Knitwitch

Hi Balder - nice to meet you.

Jason

Balder,

Ditto.



Jason

Frizzer

Hi there Balder, nice to meet you.
Keep posting those stories of yours !

Cheers,
Adrian

federica

Well, Balder, you lost me at "integral psychology" - but the rest is wonderful!
Thank you for that snippet.....
parenthood is quite a learning curve all of its own isn't it....?

I notice however, on all your travels, we didn't get a postcard.... *sniff*..!

Nice intro!

Balder

Thanks, everyone, for the welcome. Federica, I didn't mean to "lose" you with the Integral Psychology reference, or to leave you out of my (shame shame!) sporadic postcard mailing...

I started out getting my degree in Transpersonal counseling psychology, which uses conventional counseling methods but involves a spiritual dimension -- incorporating mindfulness, somatic/breath work, and other meditative approaches as well. But I later switched to Integral Psychology. Ken Wilber is a well-known philosopher in U.S. who has created a model that integrates many different philosophical, religious, scientific, and other paradigms. Integral psychology is grounded in this model, and integrates Western and Eastern approaches to healing in a more comprehensive way than Transpersonal Psychology does.

harlan

I have only just read Wilbur's 'No Boundaries'. While I find it interesting, his current activities make me wonder. The Integral Naked site...for instance...I guess I'm a prude.

YogaMama

Welcome to our site! It's great to have you here!

Kim

Balder

Harlan, I think I'm kind of prudish too, because I don't appreciate everything Wilber gets up to and have sometimes voiced my opinion that some language or jokes are over the top, if Integral Institute is interested in widespread interest and academic respectability. But I respect many of the people associated with IN/II/IU overall, including a number of my professors, and I agree with a number of (though not all of) the key ideas of integral theory.

Some Dzogchen teachers (such as Elias Capriles) point out some areas where Wilber's approach differs from Dzogchen, even though Wilber touts Dzogchen as one of the highest vehicles and uses its language on occasion.

Brigid

Wlcome, Balder.

Happy to see you. Ditto to what Frizzer said.

I'm reading a compilation of Ken Wilber's works and he's one of my favourite writers at the moment. I don't know much about him but his writings have had a large influence on me. I was going to ask about the Integral Naked site, (which I'm assuming is a website?), but I can do the research myself. Gotta learn to do things first before asking for help.

Love, Brigid

Balder

Hi, Brigid, Wilber's writings have had a big influence on me too.

If you're interested, I started a thread on the old Integral Naked forum to honor all the teachers and presences that inspire us (an Integral "refuge tree"), and lots of people joined in. Some wonderful photos: Altar of Thanks.

The new Integral Naked website is here.

Best wishes,

Balder

federica

Now I know what you look like....

federica

Some inclusions I don't entirely "agree" with or feel the same about... But that's normal....
Marylin Monroe's picture (page 8 - there are no 'post' numbers...) is such a tragedy. Both sentiments unfulfilled... she did die young.... and she did have plastic surgery.....
She nearly broke her ankle with the heel of her shoe going down the grille she's standing on.... had two weeks off work....

But a fantastic thread, putting faces to wonderful names....! Thanks for the 'gallery' - !!

Balder

federica wrote:

Now I know what you look like....

How? :hair: Did you see my IN profile?

federica

I believe someone has posted a photo of you as being a person whom (to them) has "made a difference".... you have a beard...do you not? (page 4, two-thirds of the way down... damnation the posts aren't numbered - !)

Or maybe that's Robert Bruce Altman, and you're just taking all the credit....

Simonthepilgrim

Hiya Balder! What a lovely thread, even if there are quite a fw pics there which caused my eyebrows to rise: Churchill and Gandhi? Perhaps we should repeat the thread here, too.

Knitwitch

Nice link to the Altar of Thanks - oh goodie, is this a game - guess who Balder is? Well then in that case Balder you are Priestess Luisah Teisch and I claim my £5. Did I win?

Balder

federica wrote:

I believe someone has posted a photo of you as being a person whom (to them) has "made a difference".... you have a beard...do you not? (page 4, two-thirds of the way down... damnation the posts aren't numbered - !)

Or maybe that's Robert Bruce Altman, and you're just taking all the credit....

Oh, yes, I forgot that Davidu had posted my picture there too! My profile pic reveals my inner hippy.

Simonthepilgrim wrote:

Hiya Balder! What a lovely thread, even if there are quite a fw pics there which caused my eyebrows to rise: Churchill and Gandhi? Perhaps we should repeat the thread here, too.

Yes, some of the pictures are rather incongruent, aren't they!? But as an "integral" refuge tree, I suppose there's room for many different leaves on those branches.

Knitwitch wrote:

Nice link to the Altar of Thanks - oh goodie, is this a game - guess who Balder is? Well then in that case Balder you are Priestess Luisah Teisch and I claim my £5. Did I win?

Sorry, nope, but it would probably be pretty cool to be her for a day!

Peace,

Balder

Brigid

Thank you. Balder. I'm checking it out right now.


Brigid

angulimala

Balder wrote:

.

It was while I was living for a year at a Buddhist center on the island of Java that I first took the refuge vows.

welcome aboard balder,may i ask you,which part of java?cause i live in bandung west java

Balder

angulimala wrote:

welcome aboard balder,may i ask you,which part of java?cause i live in bandung west java

Hi, angulimala, thanks for the welcome. The Buddhist center I mentioned was in Surakarta (Solo), in Central Java. But I also stayed for awhile in Bandung. I had gone there to study music with Nano S., a well-known degung musician, but I got quite sick and missed the lessons I had set up with him. So I kept on traveling, and ended up living in Surakarta.

How about you? Is Bandung your home, or are you visiting there?

Best wishes,

B.

Brigid

And can someone give a brief description of Java? I have romantic ideas regarding it and would like a more balanced view. I've never been there.

Brigid

Balder

Java has its magic. It doesn't strike you as immediately as it does in Bali, where incense perfumes the air and flowers are in abundance, but it's there. Java is more developed than Bali, and some of its cities are quite sizeable. I didn't stay long in Jakarta; it's your typical Southeast Asian city, with loud trucks and vehicles, sticky air, rickshaws and animals and people all criss-crossing in the streets. But Solo or Yogya, while definitely developed, still have a quieter feel, and you find a different rhythm there than you do in big, noisy towns. In Solo (Surakarta), I stayed at a Buddhist center, as I mentioned, but there were two palaces nearby, and I would often bike over to them to lounge on the pendopo (sort of a big gazebo) and watch the dancers practice to gamelan music. It is not far from these cities to large rice paddies, volcanos, temples, quiet villages, a misty plateau scattered with stone carvings and graced by a three-colored lake, etc. I went once with a friend out to the home of a classical Javanese dancer, whose father was a healer. A humble house at the edge of the jungle, which was always raucous with animals and birds and insects. The father often lived and slept outside, and sometimes would bury himself up to his neck in the earth, or stand neck-deep in a river, for days at a time, gathering energy and healing power. His daughter would bring his food out to him on a banana leaf plate...

Oh, don't get me started!

It's an interesting place, for sure.

Best wishes,

Balder

Xrayman

Brigid wrote:

Wlcome, Balder.

Happy to see you. Ditto to what Frizzer said.

I'm reading a compilation of Ken Wilber's works and he's one of my favourite writers at the moment. I don't know much about him but his writings have had a large influence on me. I was going to ask about the Integral Naked site, (which I'm assuming is a website?), but I can do the research myself. Gotta learn to do things first before asking for help.

Love, Brigid

hi Balder,
Yes being a parent is difficult, It was very hard for me to be Mindful about changing nappies(diapers) on Dairy Intolerant babies...

YUK

Anyway-I prescribe to Integral Nakedness-but the Mrs. can't understand just how walking around completely naked relates to psychology, but she'll come around soon I hope.

regards,
X

Brian

Welcome to the site

Brigid

Thanks for the wonderful description of Java, Balder. Exactly what I wanted.

Brigid

angulimala

Balder wrote:

Hi, angulimala, thanks for the welcome. The Buddhist center I mentioned was in Surakarta (Solo), in Central Java. But I also stayed for awhile in Bandung. I had gone there to study music with Nano S., a well-known degung musician, but I got quite sick and missed the lessons I had set up with him. So I kept on traveling, and ended up living in Surakarta.

How about you? Is Bandung your home, or are you visiting there?

Best wishes,

B.

hi balder,bandung is my hometown, i grow up here.i think i've heard nano s before.i'm not a real traditional sundanese music fan so i dont remember them well.and adding more information about java or indonesia,first about my hometown bandung,it's more or less like jakarta,maybe because bandung is close enough to jakarta.we have several buddhist temples here,and fyi if you visit bandung maybe you could spend the night in the thai syle temple here,which name is vipassana graha,but you must inform them in advance.
if you want some romantic adventerous experience you should visit remote places in indonesia like kalimantan(borneo),sulawesi,papua or sumatra.java is too modern compare to those places