Birch

"How simple it is, hey?" Simple to say. Hey. FFFFFFFFFFFFFFF-ing hard to do. My apologies for the F-word. I couldn't find another one to explain it. --mutters about Tao that can be spoken, blah-de-blah.

Why are the zen masters always seeming to be doing awful things to their students? I don't see how pulling on people's noses helps anyone wake up. I guess it's a koan that's supposed to make no sense (scents) as usual. Besides, who gives a duck?

Excellent article! Thanks.

"just be careful who you lecture to." Thanks. I should have asked you directly "It seems like you have contempt for the victims, do you?" I'm not sure what you meant by the rest of your post regarding my stance or comparing me/putting me in the same category with anyone else. You can explain if you want, you don't have to. My apologies for any offense caused. I'm just really really angry when I hear of people being abused by "authorities" whoever they are and I guess I showed that here.

"Monkey Magic. Has anyone seen it?" One of my favourites as a kid! I always wondered why the monk seemed so wimpy. Haven't seen it since however. I wonder if seeing it again would change anything now --tries to recall Piggy move----

Hello Nina! Sending all healing energy to your husband. From experience, the body has great capacity to restore itself. It does that stuff all the time. I'd go read up some of the crazy recovery stories. All the things that we can do to support it while it does so are valid IMO. Taking stress away (especially if one is under pressure to heal) is a very good idea. The more "pro-active" approaches use the "healing" emotions and energies of smile, warmth, love, laughter to work their magic (and it is!) Santi is a sunny guy with juice. If he's sending then you can bet it's there to pick up The TCM people can tell you which channels and organs to support with what foods etc. I'd rent some funny movies and make sure the person knows I appreciate them. I think men get more upset when immobile (they also make awful patients )

"Ever thought that some people can be emotionally instable or crippled or wounded or not as developed and it is not to be overlooked ,just becouse it is not such visable problem as for example a limb missing." Exactly. May I also suggest that the poster who seems to hold contempt for the victims of sexual abuse might want to do a 180 and look at where that comes from? If you bother to read up on what actually happens to people when they are abused or violently attacked or even during an accident you may find out that the option to defend themselves doesn't necessarily exist. Of course, the ego may tell us otherwise. One of the simpler explanations for "bad things" happening is that one must be "bad" otherwise it wouldn't have happened. If abuse is going on in any organisation, it needs to be routed out and stopped. Doesn't matter how valuable the teachings are.

"When we will ever learn?" We don't need to learn, we need to stop doing things that are anti-human/life to begin with. Then we wouldn't have to spend all this time undoing the effects of it and trying to get back to the "unconditioned" state. But until we stop doing it then every single human will have to go through the same damn process for themselves, so perhaps all we can do is learn practices and share them with people so that they can use them when they need to (which I unfortunately suspect is going to be the case for a very long time.)

I guess I've felt something similar but my take on "repentence" is actually that it's a tool to show compassion for oneself first. The sadness is from the realization that one has been one's own instrument of torture of self and others. It's a sort of a reaction to realizing the paradox that we are asked (ne'er I say "conditioned") to seek non-suffering, freedom, happiness, joy and liberation from oppressiveness outside ourselves when the truth is that it can't be found anywhere else than inside ourselves. This is IMO and IME why "connecting with the Source" is such an important practice. Just my opinion.

I guess that having worked out what I happen to be then there's all the MORE need for positivity and good vibes to be explicitly shared. Cow Tao nailed it earlier today. I think the suggestion of "group psychosis" by Hundun is a good one and I tend to agree but hell, I'd rather be involved from time to time in a positive group psychosis than immersed in dread and hate and fear. It's not good for the system (body/mind) Stress kills. Beliefs drive action. If you've ever hit a dark night or even a slightly grey lunchtime then you may be aware of what I am referring to. Susan and Santi remind me that I CAN generate positive feeling in myself and they have no fear of being ridiculed for doing so. All power to them and everyone who is transmitting the "good stuff."

"Don't hump it or anything!" Man you're funny Actually, I heard stories of guys who actually did exactly that. I'm guessing the "symptoms" are just good ole detox from the system. It's interesting to see how the various systems work it up, but they do all seem to result in some housecleaning. Cool!

And as would have. I give my personal opinion (cough cough "philosophy") in answer to the "what we are" question on an entirely different thread. So I guess I've caused a space/time issue as well However, to sum it up. We're not what we think we are to begin with. The "what we are" question isn't one I can answer for the moment due to present phase of progress but I guess that's the point of practice?

"..subtly being taught that their life is only really worthwhile if they are doing things for other people to "make" them happy and thus adopt a subconscious mentality of toxic self-shame." You're spot on! The big lie is that nothing you can do will "make" anyone happy and nothing anyone can do will "make" you happy. If you just adopt "happy" as an initial condition then it becomes pretty obvious. The secret smile is IMO a great example of this in action. Variants of the control technique are "God requires it of you" and any other appeals to authority. It's done to effect control (also called "socialization") of the human animal. But by the time you've figured it out and are really suffering it might be too late. The only way out IMO is unfortunately through the pain (i.e. the detox) and through our own fear of feeling our own power. The side-roads of "Love" and "positive thinking" are fine, but IMO (and short experience) there's no point building over a toxic foundation. So the ego needs to be shed because it's not "yours" to begin with. Obviously, this is just my opinion...

"It is like a feedback loop: through cultivation you loosen your attachments to buying things you don't need, and since you don't spend as much money," Heartily agree! The other neat thing about being a "taoist" is you get to wear black - always in fashion Joking aside, why do many people buy all that stuff? An attempt to feel better IMO (and IME). Being a consumer wage-slave and producing more of them isn't what I'd suggest for myself as the best use of my life yet I have nothing against the people who decide to do that unless they get uber-critical with me for not doing it too. This IMO is where practice comes in handy as you can sure feel like an outcast when you don't do what is expected of ya I found the above stories tragic and I hope they might be an extreme example In the motorbike story I also found the language skewed towards reductive terms (the "sluts" the "thug") saying everyone else apart from the "hero/victim" was the problem. I wonder why he didn't stand up for himself?

"It is better to walk a long ways down one path than a short ways down many paths." Why do you think he said that? I guess for me it gets back to what each path inherently offers and whether that lines up with one's own aims. Notwithstanding the aim of each path itself. We rarely discuss what those might be. From what I understand, in "Taoism" (seems bizarre to use such a broad term, but the Tao that can be named ain't etc ) there are so many alternatives on offer (i.e. longevity, health, martial prowess, healing etc to name but a few).

"Many of my friends don't participate on this forum due to its abrasive nature" Oh. Now I feel extra-ordinarily awesome for confronting myself with the terrors of the TTB on a regula basis, as well as finding Scott 10x awesome for affronting the terrors of the TTB, as well as finding Cat extraordinarily awesome (I don't use figures fr her because, being a gal, by def, she'll get the adjective without) for daring to confront the terrors of the TTB, as well as finding Mal x 100 awesome for doing this TTB terror moderating--thing. I suppose this might categorize as cheerleading. Huzzah!

Ok, then I won't

"I was just feeling spunky." - Awesome!

"Go ahead. Undress. We won't mind. Ooops. My mistake. Sorry. Peace & Love!" Hello Mr MH! What do you mean by "undress" ? Take my mask off, myself off, my clothes off, my ego off, my persona off? I'm giving you some excellent hints (I reckon) and I'm struggling to figure what you mean really. Could you explain? Thank you!

I'd say that I'm training combat styles in slowmo because it's more effective in terms of helping the body assimilate. But then again I wouldn't want anyone to fight me right there and then, so maybe I'd invent something else as an excuse. Whatever works?

"This is what even some great philosophers do. They state their very personal experiences as true/valid and that then becomes their philosophy. (In some cases of use of the word "philosophy", it is little more than opinion in a fancy dress.)" - THIS! In addition, "what you are" is something incredible, amazing even. But I digress.

"every yogi goes through the period of spiritual pride," I have to concede! Do you know what comes after that?

"At some point I started to feel that was part of a divisive tendency I had that was hindering my relationships at large and I made a point of shifting away from it, and what I found was that so many people I never considered are at least struggling to take the journey." This is a neat insight.

"I keep myself very open and vulnerable to be able to assist people better. It's a two edged sword." Does it have to be? I agree with the sensitivity thing and find I need to spend time "housecleaning" after being in certain company. I can only shudder when I imagine a weekend seminar I came across a neat "cord-cutting" exercise. It's interesting to see "who" shows up when you call them in to cut them off. Sometimes I will even physically clean my house after a visit or an event I feel is encroaching.I suspect all it does is make me feel back in control of my space. Good enough Would having the requisite boundaries in place really reduce your capacity to help?

I suppose it depends, as Cat says, on whatever the label means to the person posting it as well as what it means to the person it's directed at. Ways to criticize a position rather than a person take some learning. Worth doing IMO. I did detect contempt from RW but then I detect contempt from lots of posters on here and they don't all, nor always get banned. IMO the moderators are doing a pretty thankless job (for which I thank them ) and doing it to the best of their sensitivity and ability. Yes I do think there are things that the guys may not see as insulting, but that the women will, definitely. May help to shed some light on the mysterious female I wonder what I would do if I felt insulted. Maybe I would just call it out as a question? "What did you mean by saying I'm a "cheerleader?"" Then the other person would have to put up or shut up (or maybe just explain their reasoning).