ilumairen

I'm not recommending slap therapy.

What do you call the process that enabled/caused/expressed with the bang?

Hi dirtydiesel. I went the same route of studying myself into an inability to believe what I had been taught. I tripped over some strange occurances, but I've settled into thinking 'that was interesting' and shrugging. There is great diversity here, a wealth of information, and some great people. They will not define your path for you (your friend had it right - only you can do that), but they will say 'look at this' and 'that brings this to mind'. They will help you find the words to explain your experience, and some times they will help you better understand a specific experience. Oh, and we can talk about tv shows and birds too. All in all, it's a nice place to visit. Welcome (from a fellow newbie here).

Once upon a time a fellow poster on a message board accused me of being 'some new age Taoist.' I had to look it up before I could respond that maybe I was. I then aquired many Taoist texts, and started hanging out at Taoist message boards. I discovered I'm much more practical philosopher than practioner. I found contentment in being a straw dog. At some point all the squiggly lines in the books, and even more so the forums, just got to be more time consuming than I would have liked, and I wandered away for a decade. I have forgotten many of the words, but recently had cause to search them out for a friend. My favorite haunt has gone largely quiet, save for one individual who posts angry self righteous squiggly lines that confuse me, and another who posts esoteric stuff that seems to just muddy the waters. I'm looking for straightforward applicable simplicity, and hoping I can find some of that here. I'm also looking for answers to some strange questions regarding attachment to unattachment, and perceptions and applications of wu wei. Warning, I am a middle aged gardener with a penchant for using gardening metaphors. If that is tolerable to you I'd like to hang out and wander your gardens for a bit. Thanks for your time.

Thank you dawei. I've been enjoying wandering about here.

My shadow has always been there, acknowledged, but generally left alone. I am a descendant of warriors, conquerors, people who vied for power, and people who used religion to manipulate and control others, how could that not have left some sort of genetic footprint? I have inherited their force of will and charisma. There have always been people willing to follow, even without me expressing a desire to lead. I could use this darkness to manipulate the world around me. I'd rather just grow flowers (yes, a lesser manipulation). Sincerity dictates I be honest about my darkness and the fact that it does manifest lest my sharing of only the good leads others to believe I am other than I am. Hell, lest I somehow convince myself that I am other than I am. Thank you for the thought provoking post Yueya. It is greatly appreciated.

:big smile: Thank you my friend.

Ach. I like the quotes of other people's notes.

She has had no introduction to 'this'. So, for the moment I'm waiting on some indication as to how to proceed. Thank you Steve, Marblehead, Gerard, and dawei.

Be present. Be open. Be honest. Be sincere. Don't hold to strongly to words and ideas. They are only descriptions. They are not experience. Don't look outside yourself for a this or a that to make you happy. Find your center, that place of inner peace and contentment, and hold to that. If you stray too far from center and find yourself off balance, be kind and forgiving with yourself. Return to center. And return to center again. Let go of ideas of what should be, and embrace what is.

Some time ago I settled into, wouldn't it be nice if this moment were enough. And it became so.

They also merge images taken in different spectrums - which I think is kinda neat.

A bright sparkly gem! Thanks Steve.

Come on over to the oneness vs individuality thread. There's some neat stuff there, and Steve dropped a gem that has 'for you' sparkling all over it.

I downloaded Luhmann Explained. 'Explained' seemed a good starting point. I have a deep affinity with the straw dogs passage, and by your description I'll most likely find the same affinity for Luhmann. I'll let you know. Thank you again.

My dad did not tolerate the phrase, 'I'm bored.' His intolerance manifested itself gently but firmly. The only time I remember saying those words I ended up studying and writing a report on the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. His lesson stuck. I suppose this won't help much, but I chose boredom, and was empowered to choose other than boredom.

Have you read any of Tom Robbins' fiction? This post brought him to mind. He created full novels out of ideas like what you shared here.

I just like the shared notes. Some of the words are useful, some are not. Looking at how others see things is enjoyable, and useful, sometimes. When it is neither I walk away. Thank you for your concern.

In the Red Pine translation there are bits of commentary to aide understanding. YEN FU is quoted, "Because it is empty, we call it 'valley.' Because there is no limit to its responsiveness, we call it 'spirit.' Because it is inexhaustible, we say, 'it doesn't die.' These three are the virtues of Tao."

"The I Ching says, "tranquil and unperturbed, yet sensitive and effective." -The Book of Balance and Harmony (Cleary) Some moments the need is a hug. Some moments a look and a shared deep breath. Still others laughter. And sometimes it is an ear. Responding to my friend's cues I help without helping. And food is normally an easy one; the body needs nourishment.

Yes.

Everything, That's all.

Thank you Rene. She is embracing the everflowing present...

Thank you for the recommendation Yueya. (I've already downloaded it to my kindle.)

You think alot Everything. I think you've chosen a good name.