silent thunder

I have a tendency to get very wordy, which can be counter-productive to good concise communication of a simple idea; so I often strive to use as few words as possible to explain an idea. My comment that duality involves loss and gain and that the Tao is neutral was meant to convey that there is no need for guilt in this situation (from my perspective reading it here and not knowing you). As we live in this world, the natural conditions form situations where by our perception, we will experience gain and loss according to our actions and reactions and the conditions of life. It is an entirely natural process and whether or not we feel we have gained or lost something is usually created within ourselves and not imposed upon us externally. You experiencing a gain (in buying a house that was foreclosed) is not claiming responsibility for another person's loss. You are experiencing conditions in your life where you have an opportunity that you feel drawn to act upon. The Tao being neutral, treats all as straw dogs (not to say treats them with contempt). The sun shines on the sinner and the saint equally and the rain falls on the murderer and the healer without considering their motives or the results of their actions. When I am blessed enough to be conscious of my intentions and find conditions in life supporting my intention, I am encouraged to pursue that action. In times like these, life often seems effortless as I am moving with the natural flow. Our perception of gain and loss is personally manufactured (barring the intrusive conditioning of parents and society which seems inescapable), but ultimately has little to do with the conditions of life. I would follow my instincts and if I found a great opportunity that fit my intentions, I would express gratitude for the opportunity by taking action and let the guilt drop like a heavy bag of garbage. On a personal note, I've decided to not purchase a house so far in this life, as I enjoy the freedom of renting and having no obligations for upkeep and less drama involved in being attached to a house that I need to improve or protect. That kind of attachment to me, feels more like a prison and stifles me in my daily thought-life. I know many friends who have the opposite experience and find a mortgage and home to give them a sense of freedom through a sense of security. Basically, find where you are comfortable and then occupy that place fully with no guilt, whichever way you go. Life is short. Worry less. Live now.

Duality involves loss and gain. The Tao is entirely neutral.

If Jesus was... He was brown.

sometimes know myself better, by finding out what I am not...

as I lay down to sleep to ponder that the forces that twist the stars and shift the galaxies will be quietly pumping my heart and growing my hair while I sleep

I'm a woodworker by trade... this just started me drooling... Wow, what an image!

not a cat problem... a litter box problem.

humor is such great medicine... thank you I needed that!

the victor writes the history...

I contend our current system is a corpocracy.

I played Saxophone for many years... the woodwinds are great practice for belly breathing and diaphragm control.

Seems to me all kung fu originated in the supernova responsible for our solar system...

*deep bow* well said.

Where it is not permissible to laugh, there is your work...

the smoother the talk, the greasier the process.

truth

balance full feminine full masculine meeting in divine proportion everything else is out of balance

agreed...

The high price of low cost.

When I first saw the woman who was to become my life mate, it was like my entire being had been asleep and suddenly woke up. She had the exact same experience. In memory it recalls like a flash, a gong and a deep whoofing thud simultaneously. Sympathetic resonance, much like two tuning forks in a room, strike one and the other responds to the resonance. For us it was instantaneous and vibrates on to this moment as she lays snoozing in the next room. There was no choice, it was energy pure and simple.

wait... that's not paper...

use it or lose it... get up outta that chair!

I strike a match...

Not conspiracy, but since anybody can edit wikipedia... it is not a very reliable source. For anything you care about deeply... find multiple sources and then bet the common ground might have something resembling truth. Better yet... practice and use your own experience.