shunka

This is probably what they call a "pivotal moment" for you. I highly suspect the true identity of the thing that has been talking to you , leading you, giving your "insight". do not let your ego and that thing destroy you. it's in your court bub. walk in beauty shunka

My Dear Welkin.... there you went again. anger management is a real good idea. I know because I was like that too many lustrum ago. We can recognize each other from far off. here is some free advice. it's worth every penny paid :-) ( see, that's a joke son! a joke! ... foghorn leghorn, ca 1963 ) step back for a bit. do whatever you do to get grounded and calm. Then read this , calmly , and think about it. I suspect Nungali is like the Hopi Mudhead - a Sacred Clown that mirrors but amplifies your behaviour back at you. Some people find it funny. Some people don't like it at all, often because that tiny little zit under your chin that nobody else notices suddenly looks huge and disgusting. Here's the kicker - it only looks that way to you. You feel offended, but nobody else does... That's how you know it's the sacred mirror. Here's the problem - the Sacred Mirror deals out seemingly harsh lessons indiscriminantly. And in order to benefit, at this point, one has to work really F*****G hard to separate the message from the messenger. anger management work with Sensei and George (a Brown Belt) in the Dojo helped me a lot. I would come in there all full of anger and righteousness and "how dare they" and "I didn't do anything". Sensei would laugh and say "I don't care, come at me with the tanto!" and after about a half hour of taking real hard breakfall (we called it splat-waza) and a lot of hard take-downs I got the anger knocked out of me then I could practice properly, and after practice I'ld go over to George;s house ( the Brown Belt) and we would sit and smoke and drink seltzer and have 3 hours of "chat" that I later discovered was actually legitamit "talk therapy"... Crazy damn Nordic Buddhists are like that :-) ( that's another joke, son!) So, whether its a Sacred Mirror or a CrAZY Damn Nordic Buddhist, ya get the flaws pointed out right off. Not always real pleasant, until you learn to laugh them off and deal with them. And then if you're lucky you get some help to work on that flaw . Oh, and guess what? You are not alone. We ALL got flaws. But it's ok, becasue this place can be like an AA meeting to help you if you let us. Another problem with the Sacred Mirror? It doesn't go away. Oh, it's not like Nungali is gonna hunt you down or anything stupid... It's YOU. You have reached a point in your training where the lessons you need will pop up and follow you whether you like it or not. I am sure you know that old one "when the student is ready the teacher will come" . Well, this a little variation on that - when some of us reach a certian point, the lesson won't leave us alone. And this is where that little monkey on your shoulder is saying in your ear "WTF, how does he know, who the F does he think he is? why is he screwing with me?" Easy. I was you. Been there, done that, read the book , wrote the screenplay, skipped the t-shirt ( a joke son! a .... ) When It's lessons you need, so whether it's karma or The Universe or The Force, it's stuff you will have to adress one way or another. If you are here, Nungali may pop up. It will look like he is dogging you - but only to you. If not, you will get what seems like the same grief from elsewhere. Try not to blame Nungali. It is his geas, his calling, his curse... It like blaming a leopard for his spots. Now breath. Breath In slooooooow Breath out sloooooooow Round breath. let ALL EMOTION drain out with each exhale. repeat. GET CALM LET GO OF THAT ANGER IT"S ONLY GOING TO EAT YOU UP. We're here for you, when you are ready. shunka wow lookit that Nunglai beat me...

HACKING YOUR MIND - basically we already know that "marketeers" mess with one and target ads to sell stuff This is about how far they have taken it using YOUR surfing, clicking and etc data gleaned off the interweb . The "Dark Part" second half shows how the politicians hired the marketeers and Russkies messed with faceyspace and flooded folks with specifically targeted propoganda https://www.pbs.org/video/weapons-of-influence-gpuj68/ HACKING YOUR MIND Weapons of Influence 09/16/2020 | 55m 56s The advent of big data has given corporate marketers, social media companies and politicians the ability to hack your autopilot system in shocking new ways. Learn why the survival of democracy itself is at stake and how you can protect it. ----- and Carl Sagan's "BS Detector" an article from his book The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark In a chapter titled “The Fine Art of Baloney Detection,” Sagan reflects on the many types of deception to which we’re susceptible — from psychics to religious zealotry to paid product endorsements by scientists, which he held in especially low regard, noting that they “betray contempt for the intelligence of their customers” and “introduce an insidious corruption of popular attitudes about scientific objectivity.” (Cue in PBS’s Joe Hanson on how to read science news.) https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-baloney-detection-kit-carl-sagan-s-rules-for-bullshit-busting-and-critical-thinking walk safely shunka

Welkin, nobody is trying to work the crowd except you. Just about everyone on Dao Bums has been trying to help you - until your responses degrade the thread. I have sat on the side and observed that you are continually sabotaging yourself, your reputation here, your spirit, and any self-improvement gains you have been making. That's not healthy old son. You seem to see attacks and insults everywhere, even where none have been offered, and then you retort with the "oh poor me" defense. What I have seen (especially in this thread) is an unfortunate combination of confusion ( on several sides) and misunderstandings, neither of which constitute attacks nor require any defense ... until you lose your temper. Please try to get grounded, and seek outside help for some anger management and what appears to be a self-destructive tendency. Seriously, with love in my heart, I am not here to destroy you, nor is anyone else on Dao Bums walk in beauty shunka

"altho the moon is twice the size of the earth it is further away"

perhaps the "enemy of my enemy" - really has no friends? re: snakes... long story ... short version: huge flood, a compassionate feller is convinced by a rattlesnake to carry said snake across the flood to safety, snake promises not to bite the feller. on the other side snake bites the feller. feller cries out " omg, i am poisoned! why did you bite me? you promised!" snake said " i'm a snake" and slithers off. walk in beauty shunka

I think, but cannot prove, that the needed amount of meat in ones diet depends on a number of factors, such as -climate -- one generally needs more fuel in the Siberian Winter than in Hawaii -genetic makeup - Northern Europeans and Siberians seem to have a genetic inclination adapted to dark cold winters, and their diet follows accordingly. -amount of physical exertion - an intuitively obvious issue - and yet, high exertion is often better fueled by more carbohydrates ( ie bread, pasta, potatoes, rice) rather than protein. -age - not necessarily obvious. some elders do better on more meat, possibly due to metabolic changes -individual metabolism - our bodies are not all the same and do not all work identically, and further our metabolism changes with age and climate. - Medical Conditions - these are numerous, including Diabetes and Celiac. as well as allergies/intolerance to any given food or food group - the availabilty of "complete proteins" - it is possible to have a completely balance vegetarian diet if the foods complement each other to form "a complete protein" such as the famous "Three Sisters" of Corn, Squash, and Beans of the American "Native Americans". When properly prepared and consumed "correctly" they provide almost all nutrition required, especially forming complete complex proteins. Unfortunately some folks don't do well on such a diet. Those with allergies to any one of the foods are.... boned. I am intrigued that the Dalai Lama ( who I admire greatly) alternates between "vegan" and "meat". To these old eyes, that looks like "balance". I personally feel that an individual's diet should be determined by that individual, after due consideration, rather than some Dogma. But that is my own opinion, and I don't expect anyone else to follow it. walk in beauty shunka

Excellent advice. If I may add a bit more - I have been taught repeatedly from different teachers: - one must be grounded, centered. stay grounded, centered - when practicing one must protect oneself not just from distractions and temptations, but also from "attacks" whether direct or incidious - question, validate, and confirm the source ( spirit, self, or whatever). - then question the relevance of said "insight" . walk in beauty shunka

My Good Mig- here at last I can offer something. Whilst I cannot speak for Daoism, I can offer a bit of what I have learned from a very few of the many variations of Buddhism. (sorry for the wall of text) As is the case in so many complex things "It Depends" quoted from https://www.quora.com/If-eating-meat-is-so-cruel-why-does-the-Dalai-Lama-eat-meat snip---------------------------------------------- Q: If eating meat is so cruel, why does the Dalai Lama eat meat? Tom Kent Studied Eighty+ World's Greatest Teachers for 53yr (1968-2019) Updated February 5, 2020 · Author has 1.1K answers and 288K answer views This question of whether Buddhists should be vegetarians is a very contentious one, and has at times led to a lot of rifts and disunity among Buddhists. So the very first thing we should realise is that, in Buddhism, causing a rift or disunity among Buddhists is one of the worst and heaviest bad karmas you can possibly get. The Dalai Lama is a very highly realised being, a great practitioner and bodhisattva and someone who saved the lives of at least tens of thousands of people, who has always acted with the greatest ethics, and who has inspired the whole world. For humble practitioners like us to try to run him down or hurt people’s faith in him, would also be a very heavy negative karma. Reputable scientific studies show that more animals die harvesting cereals than killing meat. For every acre that is harvested, thousands of mice are killed. When we are killing a cow, one cow feeds six people for two weeks. Mice are at least as intelligent as cows. They sing love songs to one another. So the lamas who have taught me say that vegetarians are fooling themselves. To be a human being is to acknowledge that for us to live requires the death of other beings. If we want to be like a strict Jain and to wear no clothes and to eat only fruit and nuts that have dropped from naturally-growing trees, then we won’t harm anything. But we will also be in bad health all of the time, and live short lives, wasting this human birth in which we have the opportunity to gain true spiritual understanding to benefit beings. If we eat our meat mindfully, wishing well to that animal, and we have spiritual development, it is possible for us to create a connection with that animal which will help it. What is truly terrible is for us to have farms that treat animals as machines, and working places that treat humans as machines. It is terrible for us to have abattoirs that are killing factories where animals die in indignity and pain, in which animals that are not fit for human consumption come into the food chain, and in which the workers are forced to work at speeds that create severe injury to them, and which degrade and dehumanise those workers. It is terrible for us to be destroying dozens of species of animals forever every single day to create food and clothing land. It is terrible for us to be supporting working places in the third world in which human beings have shortened lives in which there is no time or space for them to do spiritual practice. It is terrible that we are within twenty years of making this planet uninhabitable for human and most animal life and producing the greatest extinction in Earth’s history. The Dalai Lama tried to be vegetarian but found after a while that he became ill. His doctors told him that he had to eat meat. There are some people who can cope well on a vegetarian diet, but I think the majority must eat some meat. Humans are designed to be omnivores. I think a more powerful argument is that cattle farms are very bad for the environment. I’d like us to use different animals, and ones that were free and happy for most of their lives and killed ethically. I’d like us to eat less meat, so that we don’t have to farm intensively. I’d like us to choose a different method of farming and to use different crops as well. The lamas having been telling me for thirty years that things are very urgent. We don’t have much time. Tenzin Chogyal Answered August 28, 2020 · Author has 131 answers and 9.2K answer views I answered similar questions on this plate form but this question contains Dalai Lama’s name. Let’s dissect this question. Cruel? Most meat eaters don’t think themselves being cruel to the animals because they never witness animals being slaughtered. Most vegetarians or vegans do not think themselves being cruel to anyone because they never witness growing process of food they eat. All we know is meat come from animals and grains come from seed. Let’s assume rice and apples are not living things but in the process of growing them we end up killing countless insects. Isn’t this cruel? Every time we dig in the ground number of life has been lost. Honest arguments should be life vs life not small animals vs big animals. If the cruel is defined as harming animals or living beings, vegetarians or vegans are nothing less of a cruel. Meat eaters harm larger animals and vegetarian or vegans harm smaller animals. Cruelty happens with living things. We can never do cruel to the rocks. So we need to define what is living and what is not. We need to define who feels pain and who is not. We need to define who wants to live and who does not care. After such understanding we can talk about cruelty with real sense. Having said that we always should live with consideration, respect, compassion to others. Never cause harm to anyone for no reasons or just for fun. endsnip---------------------------------------------- Now, alternatively, from actual practioners, please go here ( much to long to snip) and read both the translated statements and the interpretations. "Udamwara: Statements from Sutra" http://teachingsfromtibet.com/2017/06/01/udamwara-statements-from-sutra/ if you read the text you will see that even in the Sutras "It Depends". snip----------------- This text Geshe Thubten Soepa presents a detailed discussion in support of vegetarianism and animal welfare. Geshe Soepa composed the first of these two texts on animal rights, The Udamwara Lotus Flower in 1995, and the second, Compassion is the Root of the Teachings in 2005. They were published together in a book in 2007 by Sera Je Monastery in India. This publication is available in ebook formatOpens in a new window from the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive and can be freely downloaded as a pdf file. endsnip------------------ then this at the end of a transcript of an interview with the Dalai Lama http://www.phayul.com/2010/07/07/27688/ snip----------------- (a prior question involved watches) The Dalai Lama: No, this watch came recntly in a parcel from America. Then about taking meat, there are some contardictions but in vinaya no prohibition in eating meat, so monks in Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka, they take both veg and non veg food. One time I asked, discussed this subject with a monk from Sri Lanka about 40 years ago, he said Buddhist monks are neither veg nor non veg… he should accept whatever he gets, so that’s the principle. But vinaya clearly mentions that meat which was purposely killed for you was not to be eaten but in general was not prohibited, some books like langaavatarasutra prohibited any kind of meat, including fish etc but some other texts not prohibiting, so different case, I think practically in northern part of Tibet, no vegetables. Very difficult. So that’s practical reason. However, my age, about 13, 14, all Tibetan official festival, offered a lot of meat – I changed all to vegetarian food. Then, in 59 come to India. Around 65, I became a vegetarian. NDTV: Why? The Dalai Lama: Better. Philosophical reason. 20 months I remained strict vegetarian. At that time I took advice from some of my Indian friends about the substitutes of meat. Lot of milk, cream and …then in 67 I developed gall bladder, hepatitis. So my wole body became yellow. So at that time I become like living Buddha. Whole body yellow. Nails also yellow. It remained I think for about 3 weeks. So Tibetan physician, as well as alopathic physician advised me to take meat. So back to origianl diet. Meantime, all our monasteries in south India, also Namying monastery, common kitchen, serve only vegetarian food. In south India monasteris, population 300-400, all vegetarian food. Also in foreign countries when I visit Buddhist centers I always ask them. Now it is up to the individual. But as a society, as a institution, when they give some sort of a festival,it must be vegetarian. That business started the gall bladder trouble. Finally, surgery. So that’s the background. So my own case, meat once or twice a week, otherwise vegeteranian. So I tried to become a vegetarian but still difficult. I think it’s useful to know the whole background. end snip------------------------------ walk in beauty shunka

Sorry for reviving an old thread, but I have to ask... tenkan? kaiten ? walk in beauty shunka

Congrats! folks, in these trying times let us accentuate such positives! Give your energy to the candle flame in the darkness, instead of the wolf in the shadows! walk in beauty shunka

boo (now ducking and hiding from the disney copyright lawyers)

I apparently missed all the drama while I was gone. As a moderator myself on another forum, I can relate having to deal with "normal crap" but after the crisis , the purge, and etc, I cannot imagine ... I find it incredibly sad that a forum that is supposed to devoted to positive spiritual practices and enlightenment is not more supportive of those who labor at keeping the forum floors and plumbing clean! You sir, and the others on the team have at least my support. That's a very good reason that many forums ban political topics. It is often safer and saner. Please feel free to PM walk in beauty shunka

Thanks very much for your replies, I do appreciate them! Oddly, my training for the last several years included, especially, de-escalation and "blending" . Instead my "inner berserker" tried to sort of take over - but fortunately not completely. I am reminded of the story of a 3rd dan black belt who was "encumbered" by her purse and umbrella, and was mugged. She reacted instinctivley and ... beat her attacker into unconscousness with the umbrella. walk in beauty shunka

My Dear Thunder if we have no other purpose, we are all here for each other! you and your wife have made it this far. follow your heart and you will make it to the end walk in beauty shunka

Greetings My Dear Bums - I am Back from a long hiatus to check in on how folks are doing as the world goes through more dramatic change than most of us ever thought. Reviewing old threads it is interesting to see how little has changed, except for the worse... Sorry to resurrect a 5 1/2 year old thread... but this jumped out at me. This struck a chord with me, because about 2 years ago. My wife was in the hospital and I was meditating, and praying for her very life. I was literally sleeping in her hospital room to protect her from harm (long story) . I stepped out to get a thick foam camping sleeping pad from W-mart ( old bones you know) and just as I locked the car door in the parking lot I heard "help help he stole my purse!" and I saw a young man charging up the parking lot aisle with the purse towards me yelling "oughta my way!" several adult males just complied. I did not even think, I just reacted ( probably not good, definitely not mindful ) I charged toward him. He yelled "I got a gun man!" I bellowed back ( mindless reaction) "SO DO I" ( but I didn't) He turned tail back to the store. and then I mindlessly kept bellowing "STOP THIEF" (as if he would) Adult males from all over the parking lot heard and responded, and converged on him. (now I know why we yell this) Ultimately he was surrounded except for one space at his back. He threw the purse to the ground and "the crowd" let him run away. Several adult males showed up with weapons and asked "the crowd" "should we get him?" I said "We are not the police. He left the purse. Let it go". The woman got her purse back intact. It held all her ID and "stuff" but more importantly ALL HER Household CASH as she was going into W-mart to shop for family food. She was unhurt. SO. What was I seeking? Justice? Retribution? Revenge? I don't think so - otherwise I would not have said "let it go" I was instrumental in stopping a robery that would have caused great harm to the woman and family. I was instrumental in stopping a revenge beating. I witnessed (and participated) in a community coming together spontaneously and positively in a crisis. "We" may have taught the perp that his actions were not going to be tolerated. It is possible that the event might have planted a seed of change in the perp's mind. Or not. However, the outcome was clear and quite simple: We stopped harm in progress. We "did no harm". I am not "proud of myself", rather I am now questioning myself. I have meditated and prayed about this event quite a bit. did I risk my life over a purse and some cash? ... quite possibly . My GungFu is not as good as it was. was it a very smart thing to do on my part? .... probably not did I even think about it? ... no. I "reacted mindlessly" . While my wife was in the hospital depending on me would I do it again? ... I must suspect almost certainly. It seems to be part of my core being. Sooo.... At the level of the terrorist attacks? How would I react? I honestly will not know unless it happens and I really do not want to put it to the test. (Be wary of asking a question, lest the answer come in ways unexpected ) One can discuss at a very high level, motives, justice, cycles of revenge, governments, agendas, ulterior motives, manipulations, on and on ad infinitum. But at the most simplistic daily level it comes down to this. John Stuart Mill, said in 1867: “Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” ( in support of JoeBlast' quote) But at the same time, this, from Dust: Therefore when Tao is lost, there is goodness When goodness is lost, there is kindness When kindness is lost, there is justice When justice is lost, there is ritual Now ritual is the husk of faith and loyalty, the beginning of confusion. yhs shunka

THIS:

Different folks can have completely different experiences with regard to learning languages. For some unknown reason, Languages are difficult for me. I speak and read fluent German and still get into trouble with idioms, nuances and slang. I have a tiny little bit of tourist spanish and french , but intend to learn more. My Russian consists of emergency phrases and dirty jokes. My ability to read Cyrillic consists of "PECTOPAH" . It is pronounced Res-To -Ran and means Restuarant. I have a grasp of dojo japanese, and can follow simple japanese children's cartoons; but complex conversation eludes me. Both Chinese and Japanese "Kanji" made my brain explode. I have tried valiently to learn basic Mandarin, and continue to fail. Due to the intonation and inflection, not to mention the number of tones ( 4-5 tones vs 6-9 tones, depending on whom you ask ) my attempts at Chinese spoken language have evoked actually laughter. At one point I decided the solution was to memorize Chinese phrases literally like they were opera ( I used to sing classical italian, german and french operas as a somewhat proficient amatuer) . The result produced even more comedy. On the other Hand, My lovely spousal unit learnt spanish, french and Mandarin, still can understand the Mandarin Kung Fu movies, and still speaks fluent Mandarin with merchants. Once, we were fortunate enough to be able to travel to Germany for business, and via shear immersion for 5 weeks my wife picked up more useful daily conversational German than I can command . My point being - try to learn some Mandarin and some Cantonese before you leave, if only in order to see where your abilities lie. yhs shunka

I suppose I must ask the obvious question, without intending any offense: If you are adamant about such an independant "discrete lifestyle" why do you feel the need to post on the web announcing it and apparently seeking external affirmation ?

He who chooses the quick and easy path swiftly becomes an agent of evil.

Welcome Xing I pray you find what you are seeking. yhs shunka

Perhaps you could explain a little about your problem. Think of it rather like going in to a Doctor and saying "help me I'm sick". His first response might be "tell about your problem; tell me where it hurts" . If you are overwhelmed, pick one thing that is troubling you most, and post about it. hth shunka

dare I ask? Instant Tao? yhs shunka

re: self-study I have found over time that some of the disadvantages of self-study are the quality of the material at hand, the validity of the material at hand, and lack of safeguards often/usually provided by a qualified teacher. That said, after practicing a variety of martial arts and yoga with qualified, carefully vetted teachers, I went on to "beginning" self-study of Baduanjin QiGong ( Eight Pieces of Brocade ) using several well-thought of books and videos. In order to safely advance beyond a certain stage I sought out a qualified instructor. re: self-teaching I have found that for the average student, at worst the pitfalls of self-teaching are incredibly numerous (simply due to ignorance) and that at best the self-taught student is far more likely to waste much of their efforts in re-inventing the wheel . for example, best case scenario: self-taught practioner: "look everyone, I am a genius, I invented this rock to hit things with!" public: "that's nice jimmy - the rest of us have been using a variety of specialized hammers for well over 3000 years...." for example, worst case scenario: this self-taught 'Sweat lodge' guru charged in deaths http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/02/03/arizona.sweat.lodge.charges/index.html?hpt=T2 Now, having said that both O-Sensei and Siddartha were self-taught. your milage may vary shunka

And yet, you are doing meditation and breathing exercises .... Some of The previous posters, (who are far more schooled than I ) did point out the problems with "scientific" explanations. I can tho, offer this - is it perhaps pragmatic enough ? :-) Decades ago I was a know-it-all engineer who (whilst fascinated with the complexities of the universe) did not beleive anything I could not measure with an oscilliscope ( or some other such scientific equipment ) . Then at an Aikido seminar, Tohei Sensei picked me (who was trying to "not be seen") out of literally over a hundred people to demonstrate Shomenuchi Iriminage with Jo staff. First, he "disappeared" and I found myself on the mat whilst he had the stick. 8 Times . Then he threw me to the mat multiple times without ever touching me, in front of a dozen different witnesses, as a Ki demonstration . His hands never got any closer than 2 feet to me. That experience opened my eyes and changed my path. Perhaps this little story may help you change your outlook. yhs shunka