Michael Sternbach

An Anarchistic ex-seargant who found the Dao (or was it the De?) - that's poetic enough.

About wu wei... http://www.thedaobums.com/topic/34844-thoughts-on-wu-wei/page-4#entry572364

Nah... Daoist.

At first I was inclined to agree, but thinking about it more leads me back to my position that these are generalizations that are just not suitable to determine the stage of an individual's spiritual evolution. What if the liberal in question is an intellectual who denies anything spiritual? Maybe he is a supporter of abortions which to me suggests a pretty unspiritual lack of reverence for life. And Edgar Cayce could be thought of as "Bible preaching" (in fact, he was a Sunday school teacher) - but does this mean that he wasn't spiritual?

Oh boy, not even my internet connection is completely reliable. I appreciate your concern, Karl. But actually, if you were to put me into the company of certain blue eyed New Agers, I would appear to be a sceptic. Now, there are reasons for blue eyed New Agers to exist, and there are reasons for sceptics and non-believers to exist. I am content to find my own position somewhere in-between. Is it the right position? Well, all I can say is that it's the right position for me.

What I am talking about is similar, except that the magician, instead of relying on the internet, knows how to employ Indra's net.

Yes, this kind of practice is done on a level of brain activity where alpha or theta waves (7 to 14 hertz and 4 to 7 Hertz, respectively) prevail, whereas waking activity (especially in untrained individuals) is usually connected to higher brain wave frequencies. In deep relaxation a state of unity is being approached (alpha = aloha; ). Nicely said. It is good that our thoughts in the non-dual mode have much greater power for manifestation. Yes, we are all unconscious magicians. A true magician is somebody who can manifest their thoughts consciously, in accordance with their will. On the advanced levels, more unlikely things (like the healing of an advanced "incurable" illness) can be achieved. Not so much flout them as circumvent them.

I don't believe in that. But I do believe that more is possible than what is acknowledged by academic science. Considerably more. Right, visualization will facilitate the occurrence of the closest analogy to its subject that is accessible. As you have explained well, some manifestations are much more unlikely than others. However, the more skilled a "magician", the more improbable the events that they are able to draw into manifestation. Another thing where you and I probably won't agree with each other is that, due to the interconnectedness of everything, a magician can influence things and events that are seemingly separate from them.

I have a practice of visualizing my wishes and goals in a relaxed state of mind. This helped me to bring them into manifestation many, many times, and sometimes quite against the odds. Is this the definition of a miracle - something desired happening against the odds? Or how would you define it? How unlikely does it have to be in order to count as a miracle? Anyway, I found that key for this to happen is my strong intention. But also, the right moment will facilitate the manifestation (sometimes miracles take a little longer. LOL!)

That's really funny. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deism

Yes, if it's too much of a stretch for him. Yes, I'm with you here. I think that, while they shouldn't be mistaken for full awakening, they are a natural part of the journey that leads to it. Well, I have been called a liberal on this forum, so I guess I can live with Wilber's view on this. But I am not sure what such a designation includes, exactly; all I am sure about is that you can't really characterize somebody by such simplistic generalizations. And there are usually only children taking part in political elections, probably because the few adults around wouldn't stand much of a chance anyway.

So there is relative truth, no absolute truth. The Dao De Ching (among others) speaks to that. Gotcha. In the "formal operations" state, the questions are intuitive, in "vision-logic" the answers. Interesting.

Faith

It is expressing negative thoughts and beliefs about yourself which you harbour in your subconscious mind, such as: "I never do things right", "I'm inadequate" etc. A good way would be just listening to the chatter for awhile rather than trying to get rid of it, so you will know what you need to work on. Then start feeding yourself with positive thoughts: "It's alright that I learn at my pace", "I am allowed to relax", "the effort matters, not the perfect result", "everything I have inside me is worth looking at" etc. Good luck.

What is your lineage, exactly? Yes. My dust allergy awakens only when there is too much dust in relation to fresh air, that is when people keep putting what master X once said on a pedestal while discouraging new and creative thought from entering the discussion. Oh, I do read and value classical texts. In the area of Daoism, this includes the DDJ and Chuang Tzu, among others. While there are things that defy verbal expression, to me, language is a powerful tool which, used skillfully, can indeed express subtle insights and internal experiences in a way that others can relate to them. Well, how could I know what the Zen master meant, when he couldn't possibly have known it himself? For if he would have known it already, there would have been no need for him to learn it, right? In other words, dear OD: You never know what you don't know! That said, it would likely have to do with original spontaneity. A lot of both Daoism and Zen is about deconditioning the mind back to its "child like" innocent and intuitive grasp of things. Yes, the principles remain always the same, but the ways they play out are so manifold and varied that the truth of the Dao cannot be recorded once and for all. Studying the Yijing helps one become aware of Dao's constantly changing manifestation. Lao Tzu therefore did something very astute: He provided a short text that treats the principles in almost pure form, allowing a wide scope of interpretations and applications, in many different contexts, on many levels. That's what is making the book so universal and timeless. So,however right your interpretation may be, it doesn't make a different interpretation wrong. (Hint, hint! ) What is crucial to understand, the DDJ's ambiguity is not due to a shortcoming of the text or of the reader, but is purposefully built into it by design. It is in fact a trait inherent to the Chinese language that Lao Tzu brings to the boil. True. However, words can reflect and accentuate inner knowledge in their receiver that quite transcends them. Therein lies the value of a text like the DDJ.

Sad to hear that he commented so negatively on a beautiful movie that inspired so many. More and more I tend to think of him as a top heavy meddler, all in all - besides some valid insights he undoubtedly has. I quite enjoyed his commentary on the Matrix movies though, included on a special edition of the trilogy in my possession. Perhaps I should watch those DVDs again. Well, I am aware that Zen Buddhism, for instance, look at this differently, but to me, siddhis are not problems but natural abilities that can be of great value, even though they are undeveloped or suppressed in most. I am not really aware of Wilber's political views, other than that "everybody is correct in some regard." His reputation in the academic establishment is certainly not very good, that's mostly because they consider him a "New Age philosopher" - but their evaluation by itself doesn't speak against him, from my perspective.

Hi Nikolai, I find your post informative and thought provoking. It does lead me to certain questions. How are the two different from each other then? I would agree that thinking ideally progresses from being analytical to being more synthetical and intuitive, yet thinking it remains. Ime, it would be more accurate to say that the answers come to us intuitively. Not sure what you are trying to say here. Intuition is based on "parallel computing" of information stored in our mind (which the linear conscious mind can't follow), and (usually unconscious) psychic perceptions.

Zen body

Suppression will not lead to the inner peace that is the aim of meditation. There are some observations regarding a connection between rigidly conducted Zen meditation and the development of cancer (which is generally the physical expression of psychological content suppressed by the mind). Suppression can also lead to neurotic and psychotic states. There are better ways to calm and relax your mind. Some of them are working with affirmations and visualizations. Among many similar methods, I recommend the one that I have personal experience with, a basic exercise from the Silva Mind Control course.

It was you who asked a question, and I gave you an answer. Did I miss something? Do you ask this question to yourself sometimes? (Let me guess: Books?) Yes. And who said that I didn't read the books carefully? If they could really answer, they would not know (Chuang Tzu). Ask the Zen master. No, he meant that Dao cannot be fully known because it changes from moment to moment. Well, what can you say when words are not enough?

"The Tibetan" is how Alice A, Bailey occasionally referred to Djwal Khul (a couple of variant spellings there), a fairly elusive adept said to be living in the Himalayas. Supposedly, he telepathically transmitted his teachings to both HPB and AAB who wrote them down and published them in their books.

Vibrator

Hi Karen, Here is your reading. As we had no particular query, the answer potentially applies to various areas of your life. So I will simply outline what the spread is talking of in more general terms; it is up to you to fill in the pertinent specifics. I did the same spread for you like for Brian. 1 2 3 4 1 = Topic = Princess of Pentacles 2 = What you are attracting = XIII (Death) 3 = What you are sending out = XIV (Art) 4 = Conclusion, key = 2 of Cups (Love) Summary card: XI (Lust) Shadow card: 2 of Pentacles (Change) The Princess of Pentacles shows us that this is about you being "pregnant" with a plan or vision, bringing it into manifestation at the right time (occasionally, the card can mean physical pregnancy too). What you are attracting to yourself is the end of something (Death) - a situation, a state - which in this case may be welcomed as the new that is to follow it is already in the making. After this card follows both in the order of the Major Arcana and in your spread the one called Art, which I read as the unwinding and intertwining of various strands with great care, in order for the new to emerge. This has got to do with your love for a person, or perhaps a group of people, which is/are involved with whatever is underway. The effort is being undertaken with their loving support and/or leads to a strengthening of that loving relationship. Lust as the summary underlines the generally joyful and invigorating character of this whole endeavour, which will help you move former obstructions. The change that the Two of Pentacles as the shadow card pronounces is generally a change for the better, although some instabilities should not be surprising initially.

Same here. I like to think of my weight training as a kind of Hard Qigong (quite in keeping with J.M. Yang's definition of the latter).