silent thunder

...

The black dot within the white yang, represents the balancing principle to me. As a wave crests higher and higher, its perceived yang state eventually cannot maintain its inertia and it settles into balance by the influence of what we perceive as yin. The action of Tao is like a drawn bow, settles in balance. Go far enough into one extreme and you will encounter the opposite extreme. Sometimes we know what we are more effectively through being aware of what we are not...

Awesome quote! That really rung my bell. *deep bow* Thanks mate!

I love Dildo Baggins! The oft forgotten and maligned cousin of Bilbo, who made a decent living dancing in Inns of ill repute. When confronted as to why he would take such a job, he replied... 'hey, I'm just working my way through gardening school'

It seems often to hinge on definitions of words and mental platforms... semantics, fundamental differences of perspective related to interpretations of some heavy, complex concepts... I always expected this was less common in Buddhism, but as my exposure to it grows, I'm sensing it's pretty common for most any religious conversations. Perspective is relative reality. I recall a five year study that found there were 30,000 distinct versions of Christianity in the world. this was some years ago... In my experience, I thought immediately upon reading it, is that there are as many versions of each religion as there are people claiming to follow them. Each experience is unique, even if there is commonality on some level. We are using words, symbols and though-forms to describe events and conditions that are beyond the scope and ability of words to convey... Difficult ground indeed. I thankfully keep returning to the spot where I remember, eventually, that in this magnificent and hugomonstrously massive mental landscape we share, that we are all, mercifully different. I just try to not take things personally and honor people's authenticity. If you're not hurting anyone, do what you want...

I get a lot of mileage from... don't take the world personally

Opposite of substance... emptiness? clarity?

This is on my mind quite frequently in the last year at least... Lately I view any impulse, any condition, external or internal as a drug really. Everything has a capacity to affect me. How is that different than what we call drugs? Solid question mate... I've been chewing this bone to a stalemate for a while and loving it. Cultivation is a drug indeed, in my experience.

I'm voluntarily bald... some skulls should not be covered up. Hair is filthy, except my wife's... it's not hair, it's silk and it never, ever smells bad... wtf is up with that... When she drags it down my naked form, I cease to exist except for sensation.

I'd say there is appears to be form, but no substance. just energy in patterns really

well, at least you're committed to your amero-centrism... yikes mate.... lighten up, they're all just thought/symbols. all words fail to convey deep meaning and real experience, hence the daily news.

in order to view something as yin or yang, you must have a position relative to both that you hold... this predetermines which you will view as + and which - perspective determines yin and yang, at least for me, at this point in my path. yin and yang are perspective dependent observations. for me, tao is the perpetual underlying premise... possibly.

It's all one world, all mixed up already...

yin yang seem to me the same thing interchangeable in that they are perspective dependent without perspective what is what

I was once chased by a pack of five feral dogs in Brooklyn, while biking back home from my bar at 4am. There are whole sections of the old Navy yards that are just abandoned and all the locals know to stay away as there are many feral and fully wild dog packs living in the area... There was only one dog able to keep up with me, a Sheperd. S-he got kicked several times in the face and dropped pursuit. In the midst of the melee, while peddling my ass off and repeatedly kicking out with my right foot, I thought... "I am in the middle of one of the biggest cities on the planet, in the modern world and fighting for my life with a pack of dogs... what are the odds?" life is weird.

well said. the game, as we all know, is fixed to the degree it can be.

It seems to run in cycles.

This definition of pain really resonates for me: Pain is a level of sensation, deemed to be unacceptable.

Do you have any of these giant moths in your area? https://www.google.com/search?q=giant+moth&client=firefox-a&hs=kKk&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=sb&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=Pv3rU4juG8mrigKlx4GICQ&ved=0CB4QsAQ&biw=981&bih=663

so many great lines.... the very first one... "Now in a desperate attempt to fill 24 hours of programming..."

this little clip of one of my favorite films popped in my head seemingly randomly...

zombie brian blood cult for the win!

what a gift laughter is... Robin and Carlin and Monty Python were main influences in me becoming a comedian and performer. So thankful for their gifts.

what good is it to eat and drink, asleep? I rather, fast on the feast, awake. _/|\_

*deep bow* thank you. rang my bell deeply this one has.