Limahong

Hi dawei, Non-doing (natural) => wuwei? Hi Creighton, Require no effort => wuwei? Hi Gerard, Wuwei. Hi idquest, Wuwei. Hi Kar3n, With no urges, the need to cling to some thought passes with it - en-route to Wuwei 無爲? - LimA

Hi Creighton, A profound thought. I exist in this world, but the world does not exist because of me? I am conceived through sexual energy, but I am not sexual energy? Chi aroused my parents' urge to procreate, but I am not made of chi (but an egg and a sperm)? So what when I abstain from sex? I protect my chi from what (when I am not it and it is not mine)? More likely chi protects me (through jing => chi => shen)? So chi is only a bridge for my well-being? .....? .....? - Anand

Hi Hannes, I wandered here too and I was greeted by The Wondering Taoist (aka Marblehead). Guess if I had not wandered, I would have missed out meeting some very wonderful people at TDB. Welcome. - LimA

Hi Creighton, I seek, seek and seek. I got completely bleak. To hell with everything. Then there was a ring. An apple tree is not forced to give apples - just say no or yes? It just gives when apples are in season - and there is no pest. As vapor forms and here comes the rain, I'm not forced to do things with my brain. - Anand

But of course.

Good morning Dada-da, Hard-headed as in hard-boiled eggs or stone eggs? - LimA

Hi BeadDroplet, Can I assume that you are a droplet of water? If so, water flows, vaporizes, sways... 'Externalities' - as a liquid, solid and gas (depending on conditions)? 'Purposeful' - correspondingly as water, ice and vapor (each has/serves different purposes)? Why 'begrudgingly' when your 'only purpose is to be purposeful at what I do...!'? Whatever 'Thought', you are always H2O? EYE of the beholder - Different 'EYEs of the beholders' = different perspectives? But of course - to each his/her own. Apology - I cannot follow. Little drops of water make a mighty ocean. Welcome. - LimA

Hi steve, Non-doing = wuwei? - LimA

Hi dawei, The following on the above tasters came from - http://www.edepot.com/taoism_3-vinegar-tasters.html: "The Vinegar Tasters painting is the most popular painting related to taoism. It was made even more famous when the book "Tao of Pooh" mentioned this piece of art. The following is a summary of the passages from the book... Three men are standing around a vat of vinegar. Each one has dipped his finger into the vinegar and has tasted it. The expression on each man's face shows his individual reaction. Since the painting is allegorical, we are to understand that these are no ordinary vinegar tasters, but are instead representatives of the "Three Teachings" of China, and that the vinegar they are sampling represents the Essence of Life. The three masters are Confucius, Buddha, and Lao Zi, author of the oldest existing book of Taoism. The first has a sour look on his face, the second wears a bitter expression, but the third man is smiling. To Confucius, life seemed rather sour. He believed that the present was out step with the past, and that the government of man on earth was out of harmony with the Way of Heaven, the government of, the universe. Therefore, he emphasized reverence for the Ancestors, as well as for the ancient rituals and ceremonies in which the emperor, as the Son of Heaven, acted as intermediary between limitless heaven and limited earth. Under Confucianism, the use of precisely measured court music, prescribed steps, actions, and phrases all added up to an extremely complex system of rituals, each used for a particular purpose at a particular time. A saying was recorded about Confucius: "If the mat was not straight, the Master would not sit." This ought to give an indication of the extent to which things were carried out under Confucianism. To Buddha, the second figure in the painting, life on earth was bitter, filled with attachments and desires that led to suffering. The world was seen as a setter of traps, a generator of illusions, a revolving wheel of pain for all creatures. In order to find peace, the Buddhist considered it necessary to transcend "the world of dust" and reach Nirvana, literally a state of "no wind." Although the essentially optimistic attitude of the Chinese altered Buddhism considerably after it was brought in from its native India, the devout Buddhist often saw the way to Nirvana interrupted all the same by the bitter wind of everyday existence. To Lao Zi, the harmony that naturally existed between heaven and earth from the very beginning could be found by anyone at any time, but not by following the rules of the Confucianists. As he stated in his Tao Te Ching, the "Tao Virtue Book," earth was in essence a reflection of heaven, run by the same laws - not by the laws of men. These laws affected not only the spinning of distant planets, but the activities of the birds in the forest and the fish in the sea. According to Lao Zi, the more man interfered with the natural balance produced and governed by the universal laws, the further away the harmony retreated into the distance. The more forcing, the more trouble. Whether heavy or light, wet or dry, fast or slow, everything had its own nature already within it, which could not be violated without causing difficulties. When abstract and arbitrary rules were imposed from the outside, struggle was inevitable. Only then did life become sour. To Lao Zi, the world was not a setter of traps but a teacher of valuable lessons. Its lessons needed to be learned, just as its laws needed to be followed; then all would go well. Rather than turn away from "the world of dust," Lao Zi advised others to "join the dust of the world." What he saw operating behind everything in heaven and earth he called Tao (DAO), "the Way." A basic principle of Lao Zi's teaching was that this Way of the Universe could not be adequately described in words, and that it would be insulting both to its unlimited power and to the intelligent human mind to attempt to do so. Still, its nature could be understood, and those who cared the most about it, and the life from which it was inseparable, understood it best. Over the centuries Lao Zi's classic teachings were developed and divided into philosophical, monastic, and folk religious forms. All of these could be included under the general heading of Taoism. But the basic Taoism that we are concerned with here is simply a particular way of appreciating, learning from, and working with whatever happens in everyday life. From the Taoist point of view, the natural result of this harmonious way of living is happiness. You might say that happy serenity is the most noticeable characteristic of the Taoist personality, and a subtle sense of humor is apparent even in the most profound Taoist writings, such as the twenty-five-hundred-year-old Tao Te Ching. In the writings of Taoism's second major writer, Zhuang Zi, quiet laughter seems to bubble up like water from a fountain. In the painting, why is Lao Zi smiling? After all, that vinegar that represents life must certainly have an unpleasant taste, as the expressions on the faces of the other two men indicate. But, through working in harmony with life's circumstances, Taoist understanding changes what others may perceive as negative into something positive. From the Taoist point of view, sourness and bitterness come from the interfering and unappreciative mind. Life itself, when understood and utilized for what it is, is sweet. That is the message of The Vinegar Tasters". - LimA

Good morning Wells, Wuwei. - LimA

Hi dwai, Atman is a Sanskrit word that means inner self or soul. In Hindu philosophy, especially in the Vedanta school of Hinduism, Atman is the first principle (Wikipedia). I am making the above citation as I am completely new to Atman. At this moment, citing from Wikipedia is a reasonable platform as everyone can have access to it. Its contents needs verification though. This is a very strong statement. Can you please advise on a reference so that I can read further on the this - 'bone of contention'... Bauddha (Buddha?) dharma. There is a lot to digest here and I am not going to pretend that I understand this part of your post. I like to be clear on my stand as I respect non-English words which I am not able to perceive. Also your post is on Atman - which in really new to me. I have noted the word 'Jiva' too because: Here Atman is differentiated from Jiva. It is a relief to me that Atman is just condensed to six pointers. But as a researcher, I am scratching my head thus - are the six pointers derived from Aparoksha Anubhuti? When I clicked on 'Aparoksha Anubhuti', I found these: (A) 'APAROKSHANUBHUTI' or 'SELF-REALIZATION' of 'SRI SANKARACHARYA' (B) 'Text with Word-for-word Translation. English Rendering and Comments' by 'SWAMI VIMUKTANANDA' (C) 'Aparoksha Anubhuti' is a 88-page document. (D) There are non-English text in the document. As I scratched my head, these questions appeared: a. Who is Sri Sankaracharya? b. Word-for-word translation? c. Who is Swami Vimuktananda? d. What has happened to the non-English text? e. 88 pages reduced to 6 pointers? f. Who had done the reduction? g. ... Will read this after I have better clarity on Atman. How does this part gel with your non-duality thread? A good weekend. - LimA

Welcome Ben... - LimA

Hi dawei, But it is more important for me to search for myself as the 'inner man' - to know him, to understand him, to feel him...? However not with words? But wuwei-lessly in The Void? - LimA

Hi All, The progression is multi... Do you know your (a) own path, (b) path to be or (c) still exploring? - LimA

Some more... =========================================================================== =========================================================================== OINK OINK... ========================================================================== ========================================================================== A great weekend. - LimA

Hi dawei, There is better clarity now. Linearity - more in the physical sense? I accept this - chi is beyond our perception of it . Chi is only a subset of its universal possibilities? Power thus - maybe. Is it because the 2nd through to the 7th chakras have yet (a) to buzz and (b) in tandem? I associate the incessant buzzing of my root chakras as a return to my original self as a boy. As a child I knew no power; but I can link the buzzing with the sexual sensation when my Dad raised me speedily above his head. Sorry I cannot follow. Please elaborate. With the heart language of SILENCE ~ as expressed in another thread (Heart Language - started by neti neti, July 12 2017}? The heart language is 'military' in its command? A good weekend. - LimA

Hi Gerard + dawei + adamw, Less societal involvements + more emptying of the mind => some purification of the body? - LimA

Hi Gerard, Move more away from society...? - LimA

Hi dawei, A healthy mind is a mind that knows it is empty. Why? The more I know, the more I realize how little I know. Confucianism => Society, Daoism => Nature? - LimA

Hi dawei, I have bore in mind that the above progression may not be linearly manifested. But based on the images copied, is it possible to suggest: (1) 'Chi' is more in the domains of these chakras - 1st, 2nd, 3rd and (4th)? (2) 'Chi power' pertains more to these chakras - (4th), 5th, 6th and 7th? (3) Both (1) and (2) are facilitated by a 'body-mind' union? (4) The crossover from 'chi' to 'chi power' is more with the 4th chakras acting as a causeway? - LimA

Money

Dracula

Hi Revshifu, A very long overdue welcome (11 Oct 2013 => now). - LimA

Hi steve, From dwai ('Heart Language' thread - 24 July 2017): "When you think with words, you can express what you think with those words only. To think with ideas is to be able to put the same idea in many kinds of words. The words can also be of different languages, if you happen to know more than one language. This is the first, the most elementary thing about thinking with ideas. When you think with experience, you go much deeper and you can express the same experience with many kinds of ideas. Then thought can take this form or that form in any language and through all of them the essential realisation will remain unchanged. To be convincing when you speak, think not in ideas but in experiences." (The Mother, On Education: Teaching) - LimA

Hi All, SILENCE is the Heart Language? - LimA