silent thunder

In my work we are regularly on location in rattler country and always have snake handlers on the crew and on site to aid in properly dealing with them. Mostly to prevent us from harming them and to ensure they're restored to their territory and home when we leave. Whenever I'm on standby, I'm usually hanging out with the handlers. I've seen the lengths handlers have to go to, in order to coax them out of their spots and never once has one become aggressive with them. They want to be left to themselves. They instinctively want solitude and to not engage, hence the warning sound. Polite is the word for it. It is a courtesy indeed. Amazing beings. Thanks for sharing.

these are playing concurrently, on loop.

That is a stunning piece @dino! Thank you for sharing. I've long been drawn to sacred geometry... pun intended It always elicits strong resonance in awareness and i used to adore spending long hours, days n nights losing my self in the sketching, arranging and discovering of patterns within patterns. Reminiscent of Indra's Net and the Druidic concept of "the All in All". Resonant visual homage of the inherent and utter interconnectedness underlying all that is (and is not). That piece is wonderful, ambitious and very impressive. Curious if have you displayed any more of your work where we might see it?

"How could anyone want this? Nobody would want this..." "It's like a death experience, but the body continues..." "Everything was dead and alive at the same time..." "There's nothing special about this body versus the sidewalk or the trees..." "That death is looking through these eyes..." "It was beyond enjoyable, it was beyond human experience." Some of his descriptions reflect succinctly the last 3 years of awareness as experienced here where the illusion of I am resides.

Gentle stretching and breathing, morning and evening is my process. Took a while to open up and loosen my ankles and hips but it worked well to open slowly and gently. No injuries or strain. Flowers open tzujan, of themselves, without effort or strain. This was my approach with the body when developing the ability to sit lotus. These stretches are wonderful. growing a lotus

Well said. It puts me in mind of the meaning behind the saying that "A Sage is in the world, but not of it." We can participate in the aspects of the world, without identifying with, or being ensnared by them.

Well said. Thanks for sharing.

This resonates with my experience. yinyang are not seperate. yinyang reveals itself lately as the varying expression of one fluid process. akin to the concept of the co-arising aggregates. One process, perpetually co=unfolding and interrelating, uninterruptible and effortlessly expressing the myriad.

Well, whoever this is, it clear is not Flowing Hands...

oi vey

Hey there WT, welcome to the Bums. There was a fair amount of discussion on it over the years, though it's been a while since then; if you don't get any bites with this thread, you could try searching the older threads for the content. Several members had strong interest as I recall.

weak

+1 with Nun.

Professor I worked with at University lived with and was formally adopted into a PNG tribe... whom he lived with for 15 years before returning home to teach anthropology. Fascinating culture.

Humans may disrespect anything but this human doubts the i ching is bothered or concerned in the least by the intentions and respect or not of human intent. Straw Dogs n all... Same goes for Gods being offended by what we say. The squeakings of ants do not carry significance enough to merit offense.

Individual humans do not have power. Power is exhibited in force through natural processes. Lightning, Rivers, Oceanic motion, Wind, Tornadoes, Hurricanes are powerful. Humans are not. The Human race exhibits some degree of power, but individual humans are fragile in comparison to nature. They do not wield power.

Assumption is the ground work of self deception and illusory living. Utilize Doubt for benefit.

Mahalo

Hey Chaos Goddess. I second zerostao and would recommend sticking with one form for at least 90 days to see how you adjust to it before adding or changing. Ba Duan Jin and the 8 brocades in my opinion are a really great recommendation by your friend, having a long lineage of wide spread use and many benefits have been recorded with it. Given your active K energy and the big loss of weight recently, your body is processing quite a bit, so if it were me, I wouldn't swap from one to another style right now. I'd pick one style and then commit to 90 days of practice everyday, don't miss a day, and play at the same time each day if feasible. Hope you build relief soon and are feeling better. Welcome to The Bums!

It's something of a marvel to me when people think that the words that they utter aloud, or think, could ever carry enough merit and presence to even be noticed by, let alone being capable to offending a being, or beings that abide magnitudes of order beyond them in dimensionality and awareness, (if they exist at all). To play like we possess sufficient inherent presence to offend such beings is a sign of our hubris and egomania... sure does seem to demonstrate that we, as a species, are not suffering from lack of self esteem . People, if they register on the scale of notice at all among such beings, are likely little more than what a human might do if they noticed a colony of ants happening to walk in a patter that spelled out an 'offensive phrase' while in their column of walking. "oh that's cute, they're spelling, how 'clever' of them" *steps over and walks away*

It can take on more significance depending what stage of practice you are at... and in which lineage you are progressing.

As often occurs your sharing is very resonant with my realization on contentment versus happiness/bliss of recent years. Some time ago I realized a truth in my path and left off seeking happiness or craving bliss entirely. They are untenable states in my experience. Happiness and bliss are manic in nature and the manner in which they burn energy is very obviously unsustainable. To maintain them they require upkeep and they continually siphon energy from the well. Inevitably when the well runs low, the manic happy state drops off and reveals its duality in the inevitable let down to misery or apathy. I don't shun them when they arrive, but do nothing to maintain them. They seem to do less 'damage' to raw presence and simplicity. When I used to leap whole heartedly into them, they seemed to fuel a bi-polar like cycle that would feed greater extremes of both aspects of their nature. Contentment requires no maintenance, no upkeep, it is not fueled by forms or objects. Contentment is not only sustainable, but sustaining in my experience. Contentment is abiding, unintrusive, undemanding and seems to be foundational, like awareness. To sit as one is, where one is... to be in raw presence and content... what more powerful practice is there? Happiness rings as hollow as Fear in the long run, and reveals itself as equally unsustainable. Again, my experience, not touting this for any others, or selling it as the one way, but sharing a bit of what is revealed on my way.

I could see cobie's bent within a week of his arrival here. He's been on ignore ever since. Life is too short and the day is too long for such folks in my experience.

Jambalaya