Taomeow

Tangential to Brian's thoughts: One of the sings of mental/spiritual/physical health in TCM (yep, it does not conceive of one without the other without the other) is the ability to understand and be understood (sic!) by others. I am pretty sure that any truth can be expressed in words to the same extent it can be expressed via any other medium -- provided both parties to the exchange are mentally/spiritually/physically healthy. This, however, is hardly ever the case. In a famous Russian novel, the famous exchange between Pontius Pilate and Jesus goes like this: P: What is truth? J: Truth is first and foremost that you have a very bad headache... which indeed is the case, and the primary truth of the moment for Pontius Pilate, overshadowing and dwarfing all others. Then Jesus proceeds to remove it, and Pilate starts thinking clearly and grokking what he was unable to get before. Wittgenstein was of the opinion, later in life, that all philosophy is ultimately an attempt at healing -- a futile one. Once he realized its futility he dropped it and took up gardening instead, the wise man that he was.

Is that how you read Grigoriy's contribution? Well, maybe it was the correct way to read it that I wasn't aware of. His was a short post open to interpretations, which may excuse my error if I didn't get it right. I thought he pointed out the pointlessness of introducing the incident, compared to larger, more burning issues at stake that I should have addressed but failed to, swayed by the cheap sensationalism of the media, that kind of a deal. While in fact I introduced it as an aside to years of philosophical debate at TTB and other spiritually/philosophically inclined forums, chiefly aiming it at those who were part of it. And I'm sure they got a good chuckle out of it.

What exactly do you propose? How about a war on cars -- every day the same number of Americans die in car accidents as did on 9/11. You want to point out that where the media points mass awareness ain't where it's at -- I agree, but why do this in my thread? Start your own, the world is your oyster.

Good suggestions, Friend. I always thought that the character for qi is in reference to what makes the lid rattle on a pot of steaming rice. Do you mean breathing in the vapor of cooking rice or actually holding rice (cooked or raw?) in your mouth? A Russian remedy for dry cough is breathing in the steam of cooked potatoes -- it actually makes one cough more at first but the cough becomes "productive." I have a special Water practice (meditation, chant, qigong) for the whole duration of Winter -- 72 days. (Sorry can't share, got it from someone who asked me not to.) Oh, and where I come from, if you come in from the cold chilled to the bone, the remedy is a shot of vodka. I hate vodka, and live in a pretty warm climate now, but it's worth knowing. Hot dry red wine with sugar and spices, Glühwein, is another option. This can prevent an impending cold or reverse it if you catch it early, take Glühwein before bedtime, and sleep under some extra blankets. The spices vary from region to region -- I use cloves, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon and a slice of lemon.

I would follow the traditional advice (thanks, Lin Aiwei!). Certain groups of tourists are notorious globally for wanton disregard of any and all local customs and a propensity to impose their own familiar way of doing things on the locals. Tourists is no big deal, armed forces is worse, and one is somehow linked to the other in my mind, a disrespectful tourist who feels that his disrespect is backed up by his country's military might chooses this behavior accordingly, albeit perhaps unconsciously. Even though the temple is on the American soil, it can be seen as an embassy of sorts of a different tradition. Following it can't hurt even if it is "unnecessary." Oh, and the deities will notice the attitude... and their memory is infinitely long.

Welcome back!

And a cake for you I summon Midas to bake. Die of hunger rich.

Like a bird I fly, but first I swim like a fish, brachiate like apes.

Winter practices, internal and external alike, mind the Kidneys. This is the season when Water is born, and like any newborn, it is both at its strongest (all the potentials are there, ready to start unfolding, nothing has been used up yet) and its most vulnerable. One of the things to be mindful of at this time is that it is the season of many "pernicious influences," and protect the Kidneys with utmost care. Cold penetrates and moves down in the body, accumulating in the kidneys, lower back, abdomen, legs. Don't let it accumulate. Protect your lower body and especially the kidneys area with adequate clothing, don't get chilled there. Don't eat or drink anything cold, and make a habit (if you haven't already) of eating soups throughout the season, preferably every day. This is more important than herbal elixirs and tonics, but if you want to use these, the warming, yang formulas are best taken during this period, plus those that replenish Protective qi. Make a habit of massaging your kidneys for a minute or two every time you feel cold or low on energy. Do not indulge in any excessive activities, but do not give in to lethargy -- "slow and steady" is the spirit of the season, "even and persevering without exertion" is the mood to cultivate to match its energies.

Let's embrace nonsense! Tree huggers, stop hugging trees, start hugging poets.

I beg to differ. It's true that they used to offer to the public The Incredible Bearded Woman at every circus, but I don't think she was there to set an example.

Why not just test it: Do you have superpowers? If yes, raise my hand!

_/\_ a fix to the extra syllable in the second line is humbly suggested -- e.g., "anyone? no one? time, tell!" Dream of a dark well, with dark fish on the bottom, means you are pregnant.

Folks, it's one day before the moon holiday of taoism, aka Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival. The moon is at its brightest and prettiest at this time. If you have an Asian grocery nearby, get some moon cakes in celebration.

English, Anglish, Angelish, angelic, is the language of angels. The letter E stands for the serpent/dragon (as still written in script), the letter A, for the pyramid. Means a hierarchy (pyramid) of angels (flying dragons). The original grahpeme to express this genesis was Æ

I'm over yonder where Issa wrote Dewdrop World haiku to live for

Fodder for practice: a demon with a weapon. Exorcist's gourd burps...

Now I have nothing, and then I had everything. Too much, not enough.

Trying real hard, Master. The term may be throwing you off, so let me clarify: "electrochemical" stands for "electrical plus chemical." It does not stand for "different from electrical." That thingie on a chemical neuron where the second arrow on the left is pointing, that's a voltage gated Ca++ channel. "Voltage gated" means the chemical reaction will occur when the voltage changes, that's what the "firing" of a neuron physically means. What it will fire -- a neurotransmitter across the synaptic cleft -- is the chemical bullet, what it will fire it from is the electric gun.

The thyroid itself is regulated by the pituitary gland. In turn, the pituitary is regulated in part by thyroid hormone that is circulating in the blood (a feedback effect) and in part by the hypothalamus, also a part of the brain. The hypothalamus releases a hormone called thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH), which sends a signal to the pituitary to release thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). In turn, TSH sends a signal to the thyroid to release thyroid hormones. Hypothalamus - TRH Pituitary- TSH Thyroid- T4 and T3 which partially overlaps with the TCM concept of the Triple Burner -- and yes, the heater in the human body is electrically operated, because the brain both dispenses and receives metabolic commands electrochemically. On a more esoteric note, can someone figure out why a medical qigong master highly recommended by a friend of mine asserts that if you click your teeth together while urinating, this will strengthen the kidneys? I've heard about the 32 dental clicks as part of qigong practice before (Stephen Chang), and it made sense because mild shocks to bones do produce piezoelectric discharges that cause calcium ions to flow and get deposited at the site and gradually strengthen the bone by increasing its density... but the idea of doing this while urinating and affecting the kidneys seems somehow further related to things electrical, to urine's conductivity (it IS an electrolyte after all)... also it's probably not just kidneys the organ but Kidneys the organ-system-function that actually includes the hypothalamic-pitutary-reproductive axis... anyone?..

To see a flat wheel evolve into a blowfish, God kicks Darwin's ass.

And the soybean blushed. "My name is Edamame. I hate Monsanto."

Unbelievable! English grammar kills the rhymes! "Ears hear," while "ear hears?.."

I'm assuming by "others" you mean medical professionals trained in electrocardiograms and MRI diagnostics. I guess the inventors of these devices too? They based them on the idea that the human body generates electricity and magnetic fields. Too bad you weren't there to tell them they're wrong, the whole field of electronic medicine would have seen the light right away. No wait, the light... bioluminecsence... another thing the human body does not generate I assume? No? Not even the DNA?.. How about plain old infrared radiation? -- say when you got a fever, it is reported to intensify?.. also made up? How about piezoelectric impulses that signal the bone tissue to grow? No? Fairy tales? OK... how about synapses in the brain, do they fire electrochemically or don't they? They don't?.. Well, mine do. About yours, I'm not so sure...

@ zerostao: Indeed I was, and I thank you humbly. @ steve: re-read your Zhuangzi on the subject of shit.