Limahong

Hi Brain ( for a change) You are a very wise naughty boy! Are you Swedish (bright blue + yellow)? - LimA

To me tears are the outflow of one’s internal expressions of yin-yang emotions. They are deeply rooted in one’s own psyche. I need to touch teary base within myself by myself to understand myself. Nobody can do it for me. Thus I googled and found this article from John Piper stirring in my touching base with myself. John Piper is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. To make the length of the article relevant to a posting, I have it truncated; I also leave out religiously delicate sentences (if any). Trust this is alright with Mr Piper. Talking to Your Tears May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy! He that goes forth weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him. There is nothing sad about sowing seed … There can be great hope of harvest. Yet the psalm speaks of “sowing in tears.” It says that someone “goes forth weeping, bearing the seed for sowing.” So why are they weeping? I think the reason is not that sowing is sad, or that sowing is hard ... Sowing is simply the work that has to be done even when there are things in life that make us cry. The crops won’t wait while we finish our grief or solve all our problems. If we are going to eat next winter we must get out in the field and sow the seed whether we are crying or not. This psalm teaches the tough truth that there is work to be done whether I am emotionally up for it or not; and it is good for me to do it … I cry for no reason at all. But the field needs to be sowed. That is the way life is. I do not feel like it, but I will take my bag of seeds and go out in the fields and do my crying while I do my duty. I will sow in tears. If you do that, the promise of the psalm is that “you will reap with shouts of joy” … Not because the tears of sowing produce the joy of reaping, but because the sheer sowing produces the reaping, and you need to remember this even when your tears tempt you to give up sowing. When there are simple, straightforward jobs to be done, and you are full of sadness, and tears are flowing easily, go ahead and do the jobs with tears. Be realistic. Say to your tears: “Tears, I feel you. You make me want to quit life. But there is a field to be sown (dishes to be washed, car to be fixed …). I know you will wet my face several times today, but I have work to do and you will just have to go with me. I intend to take the bag of seeds and sow. If you come along then you will just have to wet the rows.” Then say, on the basis of God’s words –“Tears, I know that you will not stay forever. The very fact that I just do my work (tears and all) will in the end bring a harvest of blessing. So go ahead and flow if you must”. But I believe (I do not yet see it or feel it fully)—“That the simple work of my sowing will bring sheaves of harvest. And your tears will be turned to joy.” - LimA

Hi thelerner, "The two sexes do have different inherent strengths and weaknesses that they can play to". Yes, I experienced this spectrum in my Mom and Dad. And played it to my own advantage as a kid growing up. But when it was time for me to take care of them, they turned the table on me. It is alright with me - they can do that to me anytime. But they are no more ... - LimA

Hi Sub, You started this thread on 26 April 2017 and tomorrow it will be a month old. In some cultures, including mine, observatory celebrations are in order especially when it comes to new babies. Are you a new reborn baby in some sense? If so, congratulations! - LimA

Excuse me gals and guys. I am leaving the house now for a temple to pray for luck. In this temple is found Buddha and The Goddess of Mercy (Lady Luck?). Catch up another time. Good Day! - LimA

Hi Marblehead, What is the plate number of Dr Hook's car? With your digital inputs, I can buy lotteries. That's where the gold is. Yes/no? - LimA

Hi qicat, What a way to start a day - chasing colours. It is 8am at my end and the sun is shining softly bright. Must the chase be ordered as in the rainbow? All seven simultaneously? Or any number <7? With eyes closed? ... It has just dawned on me that colours of the seven chakras may have a coloured order correspondence with the rainbow sequentially thus - R O Y G B V I. Yes /no? Today I am not going to wear anything black. - LimA

Hi qicat, The 14 ALPHABETS (in between Cat and Rat): Cat - D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q - Rat You a simple and plain cat? Come on - the damn rat is turtle dead before your very eyes. The yang of ‘simple’ (if it is yin): pretentious, affected, conceited, pompous … The yin of ‘plain’ (if it is yang): ambiguous, obscured, evasive, confusing … Now I will keep these alphabets between YOU and my precious Rat: Latin, Cyrillic, Arabic, Asian, Meso-Americans, Egyptian, Runic .... I cannot live without my Rat. So don't pull anything out of your Hat on my Rat. - LimA

Hi Starjumper, Thank you. You have my green light to charge for learning; nothing is free. No pain, no gain. Will write another time. It is past midnight in Singapore. Goodnight. - LimA

Hi qicat, This topic is now genderless by request (i.e. yin-yang together). The cat-rat are also together; but kept safely apart by 14 alphabets. The Rat is someone very close to me. Moo - LimA

Hi Kar3n, Thank you. - LimA

Hi Starjumper, Your posting is interesting. Before I can comment on it, I need to know the meaning of these: BS = ? IS = ? I have clicked on this: Tien Shan Taoist Hermitage - Southern Ecuador Paradise In the Andes Mountains. Just BEAUTIFUL. And reasonable in affordability to an average Joe/Josephine. - LimA

Hi Kar3n, This will be my last posting on this thread – with a clarification + some disquiet on the abrupt allocation to General Discussion (GD). I was attracted to the original topic because of the label ‘women’. The attraction was far from constructive. I am uncomfortable with labels of any kind put in dubious contexts. I tried and hoped to steer clear off labelling by moving thus: ‘women’ => ‘ladies’ => human beings + tears. In my mind ‘ladies’ is softer and easier for disentanglement. But midway I was trimmed in my efforts and now I found myself as the embarrassed originator of this topic in GD: “Ladies cultivate better human relationships with God through tears“. Can I be spared of this embarrassment by having the above GD topic be re-titled thus: “Human relationships with God flow with tears”? I like to be freed from this label - ‘ladies’. We are all just human beings without labels. - LimA

Hi Kar3n, You are very kind to push me off my 'Welcome' nest as any mother bird would. But didn't you know that there was a 'qicat' waiting for me below the tree as easy meat? This 'cat' likes fish atypical of 'all' feline creatures. But he also has an eye for young birds (which male in his right frame of doesn't - including tomcats?) Just to update you - I am alive at my new destination as my Taoist destiny would have it. But Tommy 'qc' is there trying to trap me with '4 pillars'. If '3=e', your maternal instincts are intact as a natural Taoist yin game changer. - LimA

Good morning qicat. Please advise on - "on all 4 pillars". Something new to me. - LimA

Hi cold, I have indicated before that you are cool. Now you are also hot and warm. You are gifted and capable. Why? You span this whole spectrum: cold => cool => warm => hot Can you be all four at one time, situational-wise? - LimA

Hi qicat, Thank you for your viewpoint. The word 'all' is not in the picture. These statements are 'general' in their inferred context: - Ladies cultivate better human relationships with God through tears. - Ladies are more in touch with their feelings than guys. The context is – ‘tears’. Your Sifu is correct in telling you not to make sweeping statements. My Sifu says the same to me. “ALL” Sifu’s are wise? Yes/no? This is not a general question, but an open one. Are you setting up a mousetrap with – “insert your own”? I am not biting. Why? My Sifu told me – curiosity kills a cat (qicats included). Also your intended trap is too small for me. Why? I am not a Rat; I am an Ox. Please send my best regards to your Sifu. Meow (sorry Moo) - LimA

Hi qicat, Ladies are more in touch with their feelings than guys. Yes/no? It is a more common sight to see girls in tears than guys, at least in my social domain. When I was sick as a child, my Mom prayed to The Divine. I could not remember my Dad doing so. If he had, it was not visible to me. I follow my Dad's footsteps. - LimA (a simple plain man)

Sub - you sure are OK. Why? SUCH A PROMPT RESPONSE. Time for me to sleep. It is now 3+am in Singapore. - LimA

Hi Sub, It sure is nice to read these in your post: (i) Going to concert with Dad (ii) Tears, tears, tears … I am somewhat unaccustomed to tears too. I am socially conditioned that guys don’t cry in public. But this seems to have changed after walking out of my depression. I cry more in private and I find emotional release. I have started to chant Buddhist sutras since February this year (e.g. The Great Compassion and Heart sutras). I am OK when I sounded loud and macho; but I break down when my chanting turns soft and I cannot carry on. But lately I seem to have touched base positively with the yin (feminine) aspects of myself when I cried openly whilst chanting alone. Now I can chant softer in groups with dry eyes. Have noted your tears at the concert – an association of tears with music? A pull at the heart strings? Actually I am not too hung up with tears. Why? I had 21/2 years of military life as a National Serviceman. Then this was drilled into me - “it is not for me to ask why but to do and die” when charging with a rifle. I bite that drill ‘hook, line and sinker’. Why? How can I defend my family/country in tears but blood? Ladies please try and understand why some guys are such bloody fools. Sub – I have never doubted the silence from you as something less than positive. Why? Because you had experienced momentarily the marriage of peace and silence on 10 May 2017 whilst looking at the moon. Please do not neglect your medication for the time being. Be patient. But develop the sensitivity to address/arrest depression when you start to feel under the weather. How? Very easy. Count your blessings e.g. you have Dad to go to concerts with (I do have this blessing any more). Brother – I believe in you. - LimA

Hi Ender, I am moved by the experiential dimensions in your introduction and your honesty. I can identify with your experiences but perhaps not with the same words. Nonetheless a rose by any other name is still a rose. It appears that you are on the path to rescue yourself to claim your original self. Take heart – a voyage on your path is strewn with hardship and pain; but you are a toughie. “You've had quite the path so far. Congratulations on your victories” – OldSaint. It is good that you are comfortable being alone – “being alone gives us the opportunity to see our true nature” (Marblehead). March on Ender - you will be home soon to your rightful nest as a freed bird. - LimA

It may sound odd - we realize that we have certain gifts only through suffering first. We use these gifts to help ourselves from the suffering. Without our own suffering, the gifts will lie dormant.

A CALLING A calling is the inner urge to give our gifts away. We heed that call when we offer our gifts in service to something we are passionate about in an environment that is consistent with our core values. (From book – “Whistle while you work: Heeding your life’s calling” – by Richard J. Leider and David A. Shapiro)

Hi Sub, Trust you are doing just fine. No news good news. For a person of your calibre, please go from strength to strength. Then help others along the way - as a calling? A great weekend. - LiimA

I grew up in a "religious" Taoist family and I was (and still is) very comfortable with that. It is part of my everyday life even though I am a more "philosophically" inclined Tao Bum. But what was "religious" then is not the same now. My parents had passed on and some of the Taoist "religious" traditions departed with them. Present associations with "religious" Taoism are many traditions that are lost, modified, debated, judged ... The Taoist traditions were/are fun and colorful when it came/come to festivities. There were/are a lot of sight, sounds, observances, cuisines … I like the food best and some of them cannot be easily found today. When I included the past tense in the above, I am sad because part of my earlier years had died and will continue to die for generations to come – one generation after another. So what is “religious” Taoism to me? It is family-centric and is embraced through familial and communal living, passed down generationally. I am aware of the many modes of “religious” translation and transmission of Taoism. But the prosperity and posterity of Taoism thus are dependent on the wisdom of the receivers and practitioners. The same wisdom applies to “philosophical” Taoism; but here I trust it is more of an individual choice. - LimA