silent thunder

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Everything posted by silent thunder

  1. Connection between tao and christianity

    silent thunder replied to chaugnar's topic in The Rabbit Hole

    I experience life from the center of my awareness. Life is experienced through my awareness of it. I live in the same world as all of you, yet we do not experience life the same. We are all part of this fluid process, yet we have our unique perspective and experience of it. I live in the same world as earthworms, yet we do not experience the same world, in the same manner. This is a wonderous benefit, not a detraction to me. I am no longer diminished when others share how differently they experience life. I'm usually grateful. So long as no violence is perpetrated. To me, awareness is akin to a massive gem, with as many facets as there are individual experiences of it. Each facet representing each awareness. Indra's Net in a Some facets are nigh on identical to my own and kinship is instant and effortless... while others are anti-podal, diametrically opposed... yet they are no less 'real' than my own. Should someone find Christ represented in a Tree, or a poem by Rumi, or some aspect of the Taoist Canon, is up to them to explore this reality through their awareness. I'm confused when folks can't allow others to describe their experience of life as their awareness filters it. I appreciate everyone in this thread for spending some of their precious time here. The older I manage to become, the more precious I realize my connections are... for each day, I have (seemingly) less energy to spend, so each bit that is offered becomes more treasured. Agreement is something I no longer have inertia for. If I agree with an opinion, or take on life, great. If I do not... well, reality and awareness are gratefully vast enough to encompass all, with room to spare. Thanks for sharing your passions everyone. I'll pass on the more virulent, and violent aspects though and so, will take my leave for now.

  2. Jim (Marblehead) crossed over the line on 8 December...

    silent thunder replied to Limahong's topic in Daoist Discussion

    Anand/Lima sent me an email a couple hours ago, that I just now read, saying he'd been banned...
  3. well... at least we're not bitter about it.

  4. Let things be

    silent thunder replied to Apech's topic in General Discussion

    inhale... exhale. abide in presence. raw simplicity. the distillation of my former practices. no storyteller, no pursuits. presence
  5. https://www.vat19.com/item/mister-rogers-dress-up-magnets I'm considering getting this for our fridge...

  6. The scandal of me sitting in full lotus padmasana

    silent thunder replied to voidisyinyang's topic in General Discussion

    This thread and Drew's offer, reminds me of an old saying from my neighborhood. "if you give someone 20 bucks and never see them again... it was probably money well spent."

  7. What are you listening to?

    silent thunder replied to sean's topic in The Rabbit Hole

    this is just my temperature right now... so grateful for those inclined to express themselves musically. One year after the release of Melodies Of Forest and Springs (2013), the Chinese Folk/Worldmusic project Raflum present their brand new album 歸棹/Guī Zhào. After the participation of new members and the deeper reflections of themselves, their music has been mixed with more traditional Chinese Folk and Zen, and still the nostalgia and loneliness are thick. This album will also be their very last performance.

  8. President Trump

    silent thunder replied to Jim D.'s topic in The Rabbit Hole

    goodbye Jim

  9. Appeal to Forum Community to Ban Member “Everything”

    silent thunder replied to Earl Grey's topic in General Discussion

    I'm very grateful for the lack of moderation and the current atmosphere. It is indescribably better to me, than the bias of recent years. As for spamming troll-like behavior... Stop feeding a thing and it whithers. Arguments are transactional and require two participants to manifest. When I want to diminish a behavior in myself, I first have to identify it, then I have to stop feeding into it. After this, it begins to whither. This applies to plants, puppies, children, teen and adult attention seekers and my own undesirable behaviors/tendencies. Report what breaks the rules to sean. But really... rule thy self. Moderate thy self. Stop validating and condoning by responding, but if one feels compelled to respond, for the sake of peace, stop escalating. It's unbecoming of the effort our teachers have imbued in our development, stunts the heart and spreads misery which is life blood of troll like pursuers. Spamming off topic is against the rules. Report it. Starting threads calling out members is also a suspension worthy offense. As is Ad-hominem. Moderate thy self. We have a plethora of skills we've developed... practice them here and now... bring it off the mat. Life is life and we're all here by choice. Self moderation for the win. I only read E-things responses on occasion and then, only when they are concise. I skim passed them otherwise, as I've no interest in stream of consciousness responses to what are otherwise thoughtful conversations. But to rise up and assault him verbally, lends him a validation he has not earned in my perspective. No one is capable of ruining my experience here but me. Spamming is a minor annoyance, easily remedied by scrolling past responses, or using the ignore function. Lately I impose media limits and engage in regular media fasting when I start becoming off balanced by participation in social media, news, or entertainment. Maybe some self imposed time away would benefit. and on that note: I'm going for another walk. It's feeling like a two walk day.

  10. What made YOU laugh today/tonight ?

    silent thunder replied to zerostao's topic in The Rabbit Hole

    Thanks for the belly laugh mate.... it's been too long since I laughed out of shear horror!

  11. Everyone post some favorite quotes!

    silent thunder replied to GrandTrinity's topic in General Discussion

    This thought rang through mind like a bell, upon waking this morning. "It doesn't matter how sensitive your nose is... if you only breath through your mouth."

  12. What are you listening to?

    silent thunder replied to sean's topic in The Rabbit Hole

    Raflum, a solo project from Sichuan, which means "melancholic autumn enchained by rain",was founded in late autumn in the year of 98th,ROC(autumn in 2009 A.D.) by Han. The music of Raflum conveys the yearning of solitude seclusion, highly influenced by these Neo-folk bands, like Vàli.

  13. Sumer: the "black-headed" vs. the "red-faced"

    silent thunder replied to Taomeow's topic in General Discussion

    Wow... what a dream indeed! The implications of this machine... utterly stunning! Particularly when seen as a metaphor for human assumptions, dogma and systemic thinking divorced from presence, attentive interactive awareness and intuition. I can't seem to escape the 'truth by consensus' dogma which to me is little more than 'mental mob violence' that litters our mental landscape and disquises itself and is presented as 'unquestionable truths' due to the shear number of folks repeating it, no matter how mindlessly... the rule of truth by repitition and consensus is mental violence to me, and no matter where I turn it seems lately... I encounter it. And the process of attempting to weed it out or induce malleability of it in my own mental process has been decidedly unpleasant, almost unchangeable in some aspects, (like that final gear) yet I am compelled to press on, for the other option is untenable. The implications of that final gear, the horrifying and clearly exemplified notion of 'all this business of work work work and what does it accomplish? Work for the sake of work work work, because that's the consensus reinforced in nearly every aspect of human 'civilized' dogmatic thinking. Concrete or no concrete, that final gear represents a manner of interacting with the world through senses and mentation that is beyond change... horrifying stuff to this intrepid explorer... demoralizing to think this is the progression and structure of our collective minds. And it poignantly re-minds me of one of my biggest fears over what assumptions lie beneath the threshold of my awareness... these are the most terrifying for me lately. These are the implication of the final gear, connected to the rest of life, connected to the bustle and ceaseless pursuits and business of life, yet effectively utterly unmoved by any practical application. Stunning and horrifying. Thanks for sharing Taomeow... this one really rang the bell.

  14. Daoist Dieta

    silent thunder replied to OverseerFeatheredImmortal's topic in Newcomer Corner

    I'm compelled to chime in on the blood type diet. My wife picked up a book about it years and years ago. I was highly skeptical when she described it to me. I read the book in spite of my skepticism, was subsequently impressed by what I read and tried it out. Turns out it was very beneficial to me and I incorporated it into my regular diet. Now I highly recommend it. Love how that works out sometimes.

  15. How to be on topic?

    silent thunder replied to Everything's topic in General Discussion

    Must have been thinking about this in sleep. Woke @ 3am with this thought ringing in mind: It doesn't matter how sensitive your nose is... if you only breath through your mouth.
  16. “Love is like infinity: You can't have more or less infinity, and you can't compare two things to see if they're "equally infinite." Infinity just is, and that's the way I think love is, too.” ― Fred Rogers “A young apprentice applied to a master carpenter for a job. The older man asked him, "Do you know your trade?" "Yes, sir!" the young man replied proudly. "Have you ever made a mistake?" the older man inquired. "No, sir!" the young man answered, feeling certain he would get the job. "Then there's no way I'm going to hire you," said the master carpenter, "because when you make one, you won't know how to fix it.” Fred Rogers “Most of us, I believe, admire strength. It's something we tend to respect in others, desire for ourselves, and wish for our children. Sometimes, though, I wonder if we confuse strength with other words—like 'aggression' and even 'violence'. Real strength is neither male nor female; but it is, quite simply, one of the finest characteristics that a human being can possess.” Fred Rogers "When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.' To this day, especially in times of 'disaster,' I remember my mother's words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers--so many caring people in this world." "A high school student wrote to ask, 'What was the greatest event in American history?' I can't say. However, I suspect that like so many 'great' events, it was something very simple and very quiet with little or no fanfare (such as someone forgiving someone else for a deep hurt that eventually changed the course of history). The really important 'great' things are never center stage of life's dramas; they're always 'in the wings.' That's why it's so essential for us to be mindful of the humble and the deep rather than the flashy and the superficial."
  17. ok
  18. His show went National in 1968, but it debuted in Pittsburgh in 1962. He was envisioning it and working on it before that time. He personally recruited the cast and crew and sought out guests himself. It ran daily and new episodes were filmed until 2001. It continued to be shown daily until 2008. In several markets it ran twice a day.

  19. What are you listening to?

    silent thunder replied to sean's topic in The Rabbit Hole

    More by Kikagaku Moyo... current flavor of the month.

  20. Jesus from Siberia

    silent thunder replied to Lois's topic in The Rabbit Hole

    Samaritan: "I'm Brian!" Other Samaritan: "I'm Brian!" Yet another Samaritan: "NO I'M BRIAN!!! AND SO'S MY WIFE!"
  21. @Jim D. The 20 Million was not granted to Fred Rogers. It was the funding required to keep PBS going nationwide. Fred appeared before Senators defending the entire PBS system not his own personal show, in six minutes he secured funding for the entire National Program which was targeted by Nixon for budget cuts and dismantling.

  22. How do I get rid of these sensations?

    silent thunder replied to Tryingtodobetter's topic in General Discussion

    I have zero issues with anyone ending their life in the manner and time of their choosing. It's their life. Their option. My dear friend and boss recently revealed he was suicidal. My wife hovered in and out of suicidal tendencies for three years, quite recently. It will very likely be the manner of my own passing when I follow the tide I sense will eventually rise. Yet to assume anyone ever possesses the inside route into another's mind's motives and can know utterly and truly the manner in which to assuage, or lessen another's suffering, or can cause or prevent right action, or even can know what right action is... is a mighty mantle to pick up. Too mighty for me any way. The best I have been able to manage is to try and foster a connection. It is of course an absolute self governing right to voluntarily end one's own life. But in my own experience what moved my hand and the blade away from ending my life on three occasions was connection. That revealed an insight, that I was about to take a permanent action, in the midst of a temporary feeling. Love can sometimes express itself as care, nurturing and penetrating kindness, while it's flip side can express as rage, jealousy and extreme possessiveness. Love is at times, too much to bear in the fragility of suicidal tendencies... it was love and the pain I felt from that love, that caused me to reach for the knife on those three occasions. Connection is simpler and at times, more powerful and impacting than love even, for me. Simple wordless presence can speak volumes beyond any lecture, cajoling, assuaging, massaging or soothing. All depends on the conditions and the conditions it seems, are always moving. Nouns no longer exist for me. All of life is flowing, moving. We are all of us, verbs.
  23. I find it interesting to learn Fred was an ordained minister. I never once have heard him reference a God of any kind in his show. From the little I've read and heard, he studied early childhood development and music theory in college. Forseeing the inevitable impact television would have on the minds of the very young, he was very motivated to create something on television for the minds of the very young. A place of acceptance, imagination and particularly a place to think and talk about feelings. I no longer think children have it easier than adults. They experience all the emotions adults do, with little to no context, often no explanation and with less control over their daily lives. This drove him to conceive of a show and enlist the aid of a small crew. Fred conceived the characters, wrote the scripts, the music and the lyrics and performed the voices of the puppets. He created a television Neighborhood, that all children watching could belong to and could feel safe in and have fun exploring in... to me, it was and is an endearing, dedicated study and gift of attention, care and loving kindness in a sea of sensationalism, sexual enticement and violent threat. for @Everything

  24. The Soft Power of Totoro

    silent thunder replied to silent thunder's topic in The Rabbit Hole

  25. The connection made with Mr. Clemens displayed @ 5:00 in this video interview is further demonstration of Fred's presence and heart resonant ability to create a space safe for connection and opening the heart with others. "love is at the root of everything. all learning. all parenting. all relationships. love, or the lack of it." ~Fred Rogers