Michael Sternbach

Squaring the circle

Interesting work indeed you guys did! But the results are splattered all over the thread and couched in mathematical terms. Could you try and summarize them please?

Truth is relative. What is true in one frame of reference, may no longer hold true once that frame of reference is being expanded. Then it may one day become true again on a higher winding of the spiral. Remaining open is key. Only Fundamentalists claim to have it all cut and dried. All we need is functional 'working hypotheses' in order to keep going.

Let me put it this way: So you shared what acceptance (the way you understand it) DOES NOT imply. Yet your statements suggest its universal applicability, independently from the course of action subsequently chosen. So what DOES it imply?

"And add what is uniquely your own."

As much as I appreciate your view, I'm asking Ilumairen for hers.

How would you define it?

Don't tell me the result is hexagram 42...

Kenpo Karate moves can be done empty-handed, with a club, as well as with a knife. Similarly, the techniques of Okinawan Kobudo (a martial art that employs a number of different weapons) are often just slight variations of empty-handed (i.e. Karate) movements. - As Nungali's post already indicated. Filipino arts are unique in that training generally starts with armed techniques, and only after a certain degree of mastery has been achieved, application of the same moves and maneuvres without weapons is being taught. All these styles are examples of using virtually the same techniques with various weapons as well as without weapons. Slight adjustments according to the particular characteristics of the weapon being employed, distance, etc. are the only adaptations that are required. That way, you have fighting methods readily available based on what you already know, as opposed to having to learn a new system for each weapon. The samurai figured this out too, BTW. If you ever wondered what's the historical background to Aikido techniques being done with a sword or with a staff - here's your answer. What all this boils down to is the universality of motion as applied in a martial context. Have fun. And stay safe.

I am an astrologer. I constantly observe how any individual's philosophy reflects their natal chart, which represents the structure of their personality, but also their potential. It is the process of bringing to fruition this initial blue-print of what we can be, of letting that seed flourish, that Jung called individuation. This is the goal of any spiritual way. It is a way to ourselves, which we each need to go in our very own way, after all. And that's why Lao Tzu said that The Way cannot be shown (once and for all).

That's an interesting definition. Look at the astrological symbol of Mars, the planet that stands for aggression. The circle symbolizes "what is" - the arrow breaks through and goes beyond this. In keeping with that, Seth said that the birth of a child is an act of aggression. (Think of all the blood! ) Of course, sometimes accepting what is, is the better course of action (or non-action). And sometimes it's not.

That's true. And I applaud you and Lost in Translation for having the openness to conduct that Yijing experiment in the other thread. There is only so much we can do from day to day. Fortunately, Daoism allows, nay, encourages us to take one step at a time...

I never said that 'purely' philosophical Daoism should be disqualified. And I agree with you on making sure that whatever you would accept as part of your philosophy holds up to scrutiny. However, at some stage you may have to look beyond your current framework and into aspects that you rejected previously in order to expand your understanding. And while I agree that metaphysical systems are subject to evolutionary progress too, every so often, things of value have been neglected or dumped already at an early stage, and the original system was watered down in order to make it more accessible to 'the ordinary Joe'.

Me too. That's what is suggested in the Wilhelm edition anyway. However, I once read somewhere that it wouldn't really matter what convention you use, as long as you are consistent with it. The Chinese holed coins that were originally used look different anyway. My three cents.

My advice: Simply take those weapons that you want to practice with into your hand and do the moves of your martial art with them. I was able even to optimize some of my (usually) empty-handed Kenpo moves by performing them with a club on my BOB. It became much more obvious how to get the most amount of power out of them that way. As far as the knife is concerned, you should obviously be using a wood or rubber one for this kind of practice (no good cutting up your BOB). Moreover, consider that for self-defence, the reverse grip is much more practical, because that way, in case of a serious threat, you can hold the knife with the blade down your forearm (cutting edge on the pinkie side) and obscured by it. Thus you would not be seen holding out your knife at the attacker, which is advisable both for legal as well as tactical reasons.

Sure enough. That seems like a fair assessment to me.

From my view, it's more a question of whether you desire the whole cake or are content with just a piece of it.

Yes. It happens so easily that we project our dreams and nightmares on another individual. Losing touch with the entirety of their being in the process. But taking those projections back will enable us to appreciate them the way they really are. Expanding our understanding of their nature - as well as our own. When Jesus taught: 'Love your neighbor as yourself', that was another way of saying: 'Take back your projections.'

There is a similar distinction made by some scholars who wrote on the history of Hermeticism (which I already described as an 'Occidental' equivalent of Daoism) and wished to separate "lofty" philosophical Hermeticism from "superstitious" magical Hermeticism (including Alchemy and Astrology). When in fact, the former is using the symbolism of the latter all the time, and the latter is taking the former for granted as its underpinning natural philosophy. It is highly doubtful that the ancient proponents of Hermeticism would have thought of such a distinction as meaningful. For to them, all those fields were holistically interwoven. And the same most likely applies to the Daoists of ancient times as well. Talking about our modern time, while I can accept that different people have different preferences in their pursuit of Daoism, I always feel that any division they make of the aforesaid kind is telling more about themselves than about the Dao.

I like that metaphor. I agree, and strongly implied in my post, that this categorisation draws dividing lines where, in truth, there are none.

While calisthenics and martial arts training are generally good for you, they don't all build up chi to an appreciable degree. The types that have a pronounced effect in that area are characterized by things like relaxed and natural movement involving the whole body, breathing techniques, and visualization. Which includes (for example) yoga. Sometimes it's possible to take a more external method of exercise and turn it into more of a chi practice.

Trisexual

I haven't. Your experiment sounds interesting, but you will still have to subjectively link the predominant reply to the question asked, so probably there will be no hard evidence there. At best, this may turn out to be just another method of consulting the oracle, made possible by the use of computer technology. Not sure if this would be an improvement, though. True, if with each question,there was a particular hexagram showing up way beyond what is probable, that would be an indication that something remarkable is going on. But is that really how it works? What if Yijing divination, in order to create meaning, is using what we think of as "chance", rather than defying it? The "hidden order" concept of quantum mechanics comes to mind. But I am just thinking aloud and do not mean to discourage you in any way. And I will continue watching this with curiosity.

Tri before you bi

No offence meant, Stosh. Just thought that if you guys want to have that kind of discussion in a public thread anyway, why not take it up a notch and do it in a way that is potentially both more constructive and more fun? As I said before... It's all in the game. Guess it has something to do with how I look at life, though. Me, a cheerleader? C'mon, you gotta be kidding me!