Limahong

Hi windwalker, You are one up on me. Why? Now you walk with the wind and I crawl with the catepillars. But you watch out. Soon I will be a butterfly and I will fly with the wind. Good day. - LimA

Hi dawei, Thank you for thinking thus. I started Buddhist chanting only recently and I have difficulties reading the sutras in Mandarin. I 'woo-woo arh-arh' along. I believe that I am in the right grove as at the nascent stages I was overhelmed with emotions and tears flowed. Of late I tried the Heart Sutra in which the word 'emptiness' (kong) appears quite prominently. I chant it now more respectfully with 'OM'. But I am told in no uncertain terms that I must follow the words of the Heart Sutra (at least in hanyu pingin). As the person was so certain with his/her dictation to me, smilingly I responded thus: (i) The Heart Sutra is much about emptiness. (ii) Yet you used so many words to chant. (iv) But I used only 'OM'. (v) Who is more empty? (vi) Who is chanting the Heart Sutra more correctly? The person murdered me with the eyes. Henceforth I am left alone in peace. - LimA

Hi WayofChi, Yes and yes. I can figure out what you are saying. Hi Jeff, Good to be mindful? Look into the mind? - LimA

Hi Dada-da, I accept the generality of the statement. But I do not want to be fixated with 'chaos'. Did Lao Tzu knew what 'chaos' was. Ask him to spell 'chaos'. Spontaneity comes with responsibility. Spontaneity in relation to 'no patterns, oftentimes no definable process' - sounds nice, But don't forget the learning and knowledge that comes with it. To me living is largely learning and knowing en-route to nothing in the Void. Kids don't like spontaneous love from parents/grandparents? Is it more likely that they do not like them when told by them to do maths and spelling? - LimA

Hi Dada-da, I have not done any research on Chaos at all. I shared this as an example of the myriad works on Chaos I chanced upon on the Internet - The Tao of Chaos (Paul Schumann). I am not so much into a research on Chaos; it is personal. Just like you, i am more into 'letting my mind do it's thing'. Why? My inclination is seeded in these from Wikiquote/Wikipedia: "Chaos theory is the study of dynamical systems that are heavily influenced by initial conditions decision making'. "Chaos theory is a branch of mathematics focused on the behavior of dynamical systems that are highly sensitive to initial conditions. 'Chaos' is an interdisciplinary theory stating that within the apparent randomness of chaotic complex systems, there are underlying patterns, constant feedback loops, repetition, self-similarity, fractals, self-organization, and reliance on programming at the initial point known as sensitive dependence on initial conditions. The butterfly effect describes how a small change in one state of a deterministic nonlinear system can result in large differences in a later state, e.g. a butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil can cause a tornado in Texas". "Decision-making is regarded as the cognitive process resulting in the selection of a belief or a course of action among several alternative possibilities. Every decision-making process produces a final choice, which may or may not prompt action. Decision-making is the process of identifying and choosing alternatives based on the values, preferences and beliefs of the decision-maker". When it comes to Chaos Theory, I am not comfortable with "sensitive dependence on initial conditions" and "the values, preferences and beliefs of the decision-maker". Your view is respected. But I will not use the word 'superstition'. I prefer 'belief'. I accept that Chaos is part of Taoism. I accept - (i) 'processes of Nature' (ii) 'order within the chaos' (iii) 'identify these processes' and (iv) 'they apply to our life'. - LimA

Hi sagebrush, No problem. Take your pick. What are you favourite colours? Matte or gloss? Textured? ... But I think this is better - next time you see a rainbow, tell yourself these: (i) Now I am part of the rainbow and vice versa. (ii) Henceforth when I meditate, I am experiencing the sublimation of the seven colours thus: (iii) These seven colours are now aligned with my seven chakras - order-wise, one-to-one correspondence (RGYGBIV) ... (iv) When I am blessed with the rainbow, my love for mankind and others becomes animated and is delivered from me on the wings of the white dove ... (v) And I will help others to paint a colourful world using the brushes of a sage. Yes/no? - LimA

Hi Dada-da, The Tao of Chaos Paul Schumann “Tao is a concept found in Taoism, Confucianism, and more generally in ancient Chinese philosophy...., it is used philosophically to signify the fundamental or true nature of the world. The concept of Tao differs from Western ontology, however; it is an active and holistic conception of the world, rather than a static, atomistic one.” - Wikipedia Katya Walter has written an interesting and insightful book linking the concepts of chaos to the double helix of genetics to the I Ching of ancient Chinese culture. Along the way she provides some of the best explanations of chaos and fractals I've read. She begins her journey with a section called Beyond Linear Limits that I'm going to quote from extensively: “Late one Saturday afternoon in Austin, Texas, I faced a showdown between my left and right brains. Shoot-out time. It was June 8, 1985, and it happened at the East-West Center when Diana Latham urged me to try the I Ching, just once. So reluctantly, I did ... with a lackadaisical and dubious query. But the response bowled me over! It was devastatingly appropriate - and poetic. Sheer chance, of course. But when I tried it again later out of curiosity, it worked again. Moreover, the old Chinese oracle's answer again touched some deep chord in me that logic alone didn't reach. A response to wisdom, a welcoming hosanna of "Yes, that's it!" I was confronted with the notion that this absurd old oracle might actually work, odd as that seemed to my logical mind. Irrational. So strange in fact that I ignored it for awhile. I could not admit the possibility ... so it chewed just underneath. After all, I was modern savvy, educated past superstition. A Ph.D. teaching at the University of Texas. Wasn't I? Logic shot the I Ching..down. Didn't it? But I couldn't quite dismiss it. How in heaven's name could that abstract and ancient oracle mesh in such an amazing way with the events in my own modern day life? Rationality said, "Impossible Chance! Gullibility!" But the simple fact remained: it had told me apt wisdom, pointed and calm, like a grandparent whispering in my ear. So I decided to explore in rational terms if such a thing might possibly be. Later in that section, she goes on to explain the I Ching: But I have slowly learned that the I Ching reveals the pattern. Not the specifics of an event, but its underlying pattern. It works through the dynamics of chaos theory, which can predict a trend without specifying its exact details. Discovering this huge hidden intelligence that rests deep inthe weave of nature, even learning to communicate with it, can be disconcerting, frightening .. , until it becomes wonderful. The discovery reveals a deeper truth beyond the limits of what we call normal reality. It exhibits an underlying coherent pattern in the dynamic chaos of nature itself. More eerily, it exhibits a tappable caring that's nestled in the very fabric of spacetine-mattergy. This huge pattern knits the Cosmos together in physics and metaphysics. It unites the objective and the subjective, the quantitative and qualitative, the alpha and omega. Its vast dynamic shapes us, body and soul ... - LimA

Hi sagebrush, I 'copycated'. Never mind - let Ricky be slick. I also not sure. Why? I am colour blind. My favourite colour is black, especially at night. - LimA

Hi Dada-da, But of course. Please be on course. Don't be chaotic. - LimA

Good morning Dada-da, It's a 'she'. Waiting for you? You mean you had waited for such females? I don't know. So please tell quick. I don't like to wait - be it for humans or coyotes. - LimA

Hi LousyLao Tzu, At this very moment I am a witless nit-wit. Need to sleep. ZZZzzzz .... - LimA

Howdy dawei, So he must be avoided? Is he declared - null and void? I am scared - devoid of a fighting spirit. - LimA

Hi Somnus, How about the pathless living wu-wei-lessly in the Void? - LimA

Hi WayofChi, Whenever the pressure of our complex city life thins my blood and numbs my brain, I seek relief in the trail; and when I hear the coyote wailing to the yellow dawn, my cares fall from me - I am happy. - Hamlin Garland (Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/h/hamlingarl127667.html?src=t_coyote) A peaceful weekend. - LimA

Hi LousyLao Tzu, I'm now sweepiing the floor to clear the cookie crumbs to pre-empt your dust. Let me be very clear with you that I am neither specky nor dusty - it is a must. By thinking of 'macroism' - you are not within the macrocosm of the universe. You are more 'micro' and 'macro' - with your universal viewpoints in reverse. Good night - my dear dusty god. Praise to my one and only Lord - LimA

Hi LousyLao Tzu, 1 hour ago, I was eating my cookies. I did not say anything. It is now very clear - YOU are god. - LimA

Hi Mike, My friend at Thesaurus has advised thus: Exalted = high, lofty, glorious, dignified, illustrious, noble, grand, high-ranking … Take your pick. Of course Marblehead understands chaos. He is chaotic ... - LimA

Hi sagebrush, Please share. Thank you. - LimA

Hi Lost in Translation, But of course. The fruits of Wu Wei are called Wu Wei-ji aka - Fructus Schisandrae / 五味子 / Chinese Magnoliavine Fruit. It is used as a Chinese herb for cough, sweating, spermatorrhea, vaginal discharge, diabetes and palpitations (www.americandragon.com/Individualherbsupdate/WuWeiZi.html). Wu Wei (無爲) Wu Wei-ji (五味子) - - LimA

Hi Lost in Translation, But do you know Wu Wei bears fruits? If not, do you like to know more? - LimA

Hi Lost in Translation, Now I know who stole my cheese. Damn it! - LimA

Hi Lost in Translation, The early bird catches the worm, ya? - LimA

Hi sagebrush, I googled and found no relation between Ricky and Snaky. You know something? - LimA

Hi All. Reality - yours or mine? "We need realism to deal with reality" - Slick Rick. Better Smart Than Sorry: Be A Realist, Not A Hopeless Romantic Realists view love and the world differently, and here are a few reasons why: We catch the bullsh*t After you “forget to call” or have suspicious text messages on your phone, we don't listen to the bullish*t excuses as to why your co-worker Susie is asking for work-related help at 1 am. When things don't add up, we are the first to question it and the last to put up with it. We don't expect you to be Prince Charming because we sure aren't Cinderella Listen, you don't need to fly us to Paris for a date or buy us expensive jewellery to show your affection. We just want you to watch a movie with us, buy us some food, sit in the silence with us or simply be there when nobody else is. The smallest things mean the world to a “realist.” We want easy, not hard Despite what movies portray, we don't want a challenging, painful relationship that is apparently supposed to transfer over into “passion.” Unfortunately, life doesn't work that way. Fighting and bickering isn't beautiful, passionate or romantic. It's a pain in the ass. We don't want a relationship where constant fighting is the ultimate sign of romance. We want a relationship as simple as eating pizza in our pyjamas and telling each other our deepest, darkest secrets. This isn't a Hollywood movie set. Rain won't magically come pouring down when I run up to you after three days of not speaking to each other due to a horrid dispute. When things fail, it's not the end of the world When Mr. Perfect turns out to be the exact opposite of perfection, we don't feel as though the world is crashing down. Most likely, we already saw it coming. We know the end of something before it happens because we can read the signs. We are aware of failures and setbacks, and we don't focus on the negatives in the situation. Clearly, if your relationship isn't working out, then that person was not meant for you. We're already too in love with ourselves to need anybody else Isn't the saying you have to love yourself before you love somebody else? These words could not be any truer. How can you expect to fall in love with another human being without knowing your own self-worth first? It is impossible. In love, you do not need another human being to complete you. You are already complete on your own. Like I said earlier, it's not that we hate, despise or degrade others who adore love. We're just smart about it. We don't easily put our hearts on the line, and we continue keeping it in one piece, not a million broken ones. (Elite Daily's official newsletter, The Edge) - LimA

Hi Guys, On 16 July 2017, I had indicated this - "To each his/her own? I will not join in at this point in time and spoil the colourful developmental flow. Will do so at an appropriate time later as a budding critical realist. In another thread, I have introduced a little on critical realism and Roy Bhaskar". Apology for the long delay. The 'appropriate time' is now on this thread. This is a short simplified discourse on critical realism. What is critical realism? Critical realism is based on a philosophy of science most closely associated with the works of Roy Bhaskar. It regards “the objects of knowledge as the structures and mechanisms that generate phenomena; and the knowledge as produced in the social activity of science” (Bhaskar, 1978:25). To the critical realists, objects of knowledge are real; they are neither phenomena nor human constructs imposed upon the phenomena, but “real structures which endure and operate independently of our knowledge, our experience and the conditions which allow us access to them” (ibid.). Critical realism differentiates not only between the world and our experience of it, but between the real, the actual and the empirical, defining these in a special way. The real, the actual and the empirical are the domains of reality as argued by Bhaskar (1978:56). From his arguments - structures/mechanisms, events and experiences constitute the domains of the real, the actual and the empirical of the world respectively as shown in the following table: Three layered domains of the world Constituents Domains of the … Real Actual Empirical Structures/mechanisms √ - - Events √ √ - Experiences √ √ √ When critical realists refer to the real domain, they are of the belief that we do not have privileged knowledge of it but these two aspects are to be noted – (a) the real pertains to whatever exists, natural and social, regardless of our knowledge and understanding of its nature and (b) the real is the realm of objects and their structures and powers. In the social world, the real has also been referred to as the domain of the deep where social structures like mechanisms, institutions, rules, powers and so on are found to exist as independent causal phenomena. The actual domain refers to what happens if and when the causal phenomena in the real are triggered. What happen in the actual (normally) are regular events assumed in closed systems. To the critical realists, such event regularities are extremely unlikely in the social world that is open. The empirical domain is defined as “the domain of experience, and insofar as it refers successfully, it can do so with respect to either the real or the actual though it is contingent (neither necessary nor impossible) whether we know the real or the actual” (Sayer, 2000:12). The encounters in the empirical are recognised through perception or measurement. The above is not easy to digest. It took me quite a while to understand the philosophy of critical realism. Then why am I introducing it at TDB? Because reality is - to each his/her own. Thus - mutual respect at TDB? Each of our life is a road less travelled. A good weekend. - LimA