Limahong

Why?

Hi Stosh, Can we push back not to be otherwise? - LimA

Hi Brian, You lucky fella. You are smack in the midst of Nature. You are in your element with Nature's elements. Through Taoism? You are poetic and romantic. Your better half appreciates this? - LimA

Hi Roger, I like your lines of thoughts. Light and airy - opening up new avenues. Not condescending. Pardon me - I do not like to use the word 'definition' in my thinking unless I am writing a report. 'Definition' is good for report writing - to establish my scope. So I replace 'definition' with 'dimension' when reading your posting. A third dimension to Taoism besides religious and philosophical? Sure. Why not? Who says Taoism has only two dimensions? Precise approach = scientific? Practice = pragmatic? - LimA

Hi Sub, It is your own calling; you figure out yourself. You are uniquely you. For a start, maybe you can make a call to yourself. I am not joking. If you don't know who you are yourself, who knows? Stosh and Brian have engaged you well and quite wisely; perhaps you can read their postings again. You asked - But what am I supposed to do on this day in your opinion? A fair question. After figuring out what you are supposed to do yourself, wait for the full moon to raise and experience the peace you truly deserve. On that day, I will be watching the same moon as your eyes are seeing - but at a different time-frame in Singapore. But it will be just as bright and round. Expected to be so - unless you see an UFO. Maybe we can invite Stosh and Brian to do the same on 10 May 2017 - moon-watching (not moonlighting). - LimA

Hi Sub, Please also check out on Vesak Day which is just two days away on 10 May 2017. On that day we will have a full moon based on the lunar calendar. Hope it will not rain at your end then. Friend - you sure impress me with your deep discourses with Stosh and Brian. Perhaps you think too deep. Go and look at apple/orange trees. If you can, eat their fruits straight off the trees and thank them for being part of our Nature. Keep it up. You sure can! - LimA

Hi Ming Jen, Thank you for the posting. Beautiful name. Ming = Clear/Bright? Jen = Person? Appreciate the length you went through to share. Will read your posting a few more times to have a better feel. Actually I respect both 'religion' and 'philosophy' of Taoism. But I am trained in the sciences so I am more comfortable with the latter. I am also comfortable with anyone's preferred path, so long as (s)he doesn't impress/press me with it. So far my simple embrace of Taoism, in relation to Nature, has brought me peace and happiness in the context of: (i) a family in search of Truths (ii) the good company of a few close friends I can't ask for more; I don't need more. I thank The Divine for blessing me with my chosen embrace of Taoism. - LimA

My apology for kicking off the 'philosophy vs religion' ball again.

Hi All, I was full of expectation that there would be a good debate between philosophical vs religious Taoism, but not as yet. I wonder why. I am not looking for a high brow debate or any debate at all. I am more keen to know each and every perception per a road less traveled. I identify Taoism with Nature as I am part of it. But an apple tree is also part of Nature. So do I embrace Taoism the way an apple tree does? To me an apple tree embraces Taoism statistically, and I dynamically. Why the difference? I also embrace Buddhist impermanence. Tomorrow I may look at an orange tree.and forget about the apple tree. But the latter will still be fruitful with apples. - LimA

Hi Sagebrush, In my waking hours, I am far from lucid. So how to have lucid dreams? You had? Please share. Thank you. Mostly we cannot control our dreams. Chances they are incoherent, confusing, delirious, dull … (I am still visiting Thesaurus). And some dreams can, naturally and deliciously, be wet. - LimA

Hi Silent Thunder, Apparently you are paradoxical. Are you preceded by invisible lightning? Taoist Bummies are a weird bunch - they can get on sane peoples' bloody nerves. I find your myriad interests most interesting - rain, sacred geometry, lucid dreaming ... Rain - as in water droplets from the sky? If yes, why? Sacred geometry - how many dimensions? Lucid dreaming - appears to be crude. - LimA

Hi Sub, You are a fighter – a good one. Please be very aware of and attentive to every step you are taking at present; retrace your step if you need to for reinforcement – and then forward again. You are your own man (or woman), own therapist, own best friend, own life story … Please come out of your depression soon (when you are ready) so that you can help someone else. You will be of real support and comfort to that someone because you had been there. Hi Stosh and Brian, Please accept my salute and respect. Both of you are very nurturing. All men are brothers. Yes/no? - LimA

Hi Sub, This is the weekend and I want to write something light to you - now that you are opening up. I borrow Brian's posting to start the ball rolling as I can feel his thoughts in his trying to engage you. I read each of his line a couple of time as a happy Sub before I tap the keyboard. I am not trying to make fun of you Sub; but to be a softer 'you' on the path to a more beautiful life. Here goes: "...life is suffering..." - That is the first Noble Truth. Now I know there are three other Noble Truths. There are ways to end suffering. "Of course I fear the process of death..." - Actually I am on the process of death since birth. So what’s new? Will ask someone to kick me, but not too hard. “I don't value life really much" - Since I joined TDB, the exchange rate is different. Now I am worth more. I will take a venture on myself. Please buy my stock (i.e. follow my postings). "..we have to suffer under circumstances that systems like f.i. capitalism lets us bear -" - LimA tells me that circumstances (like situations) are ever changing, so don’t stay put. I will consider that. "Life could be a lot more" - Fun "...we have to force ourselves to think positive everyday ..." - I have just turned the corner. Please give me a little more time. "I don't think life is for everyone." - To make a mess. "Existence is pain." - No pain no gain. Really? This is really your perspective? - Reality = perception. I will be ever changing my perceptions through lifelong learning. Why the colours? They have different wavelengths and are thus of different energy levels. Thank you Brian for putting your thoughts digitally to Sub and by extension to us. - LimA

Hi Stosh, The footprints are still with you. And life is still beautiful. Why? The footprints are captured as good memories on your mind. Bad memories were washed away by the waves. Nature has provided us with the waves for mental cleansing, and yet we miss them as such. (Sub - please go to the seaside and let the waves caress your mind). Stosh - thank you for tossing up the waves in my mind, just woke up. - LimA

Anyone who have read - Secret of the Golden Flower?

Hi Sub, You write beautifully and with depth. Noticed that from the start. Keep on being beautiful thus and ... It is 4am here. Time for bed. - LimA

Nothing is permanent. Marblehead says - "I reserve the right to change my mind". I say - I preserve that right. - LimA

Wit = witless, wittiness = blandness, funny = boring, intelligence = stupidity, humour = dourness, smart = foolish, pointed = pointless, mindful = mindless, sharp = clueless …? I just arrived at Thesaurus. Will spend the weekend here. Weather? Some rain expected, temperature – good for love. YIN = YANG - LimA

Hi Sandokhan, Thank you for your very timely responses. They are getting complex and entangled for me. I am not going to pretend that I can follow you after your initial posting. You have indicated this: " It is an awakening which comes from above, a gift from divinity, and not something one brings about using one's own forces". My own thoughts are these - (i) if THE divine wants to blessed me with the gift, will SHE not be testing me on what's in "one's heart according to one's virtues” (ii) there is no one size that fits all. (iii) each one will be tested on his/her own virtues. (iv) each individual testing pertains to a road less traveled. Is it not possible that I may not ask for the gift. But it is predestined that I am chosen to be a recipient and the tests will descend on me like a tonne of bricks? - LimA mm

Hi Sandokhan, (Let me press the right button first. OK. Done.). Thank you for the detailed discourse. Will take some time for me to chew and digest the details. For this instance, I would like to ask about this from you: "The force of Self-realization is far more powerful than the use of all other powers". Self-realisation will start with knowledge gained such as those shared by you. But this knowledge has to be internalized through learning, practice, ... as a process. To me processual learning is rooted in action and will-power; how will you link knowledge, action and will-power together as an ever evolving and revolving cycle? Thank you. - LimA

Honestly, as a probable blue-blooded Taoist in the bud, I don't want to split hair between 'dead serious' and 'seriously dead' Taoists. To me they are all DEAD. They RIP. I rest my case. Goodbye to all - dead and alive (half dead also included). - LimA

Dimwit?

To what?

Hi cohomology. You are too well-behaved. Nothing heard from you. Why? Your silence is deafening. Try and 'misbehave'. If you get attacked, just defend yourself philosophically. That's what philosophies are for. Can I suggest something? Hit Marblehead with these: 1. What the hell do you mean by this - "Sounds like you have a fairly solid background"? 2. I did not say anything, I just wrote. So what "sounds"? The word "appears" will be better - you stone head! 3. "Solid"? You hit your head against the wall and tell me what "sounds" I can expect to hear. "cohomology" - the humor in your introduction is infectious. Please share more of yourself with us. Likewise to other witty Bummies - please share your wit (not sure about your wisdom). I think Lao Tzu was a joker and Taoism breeds jokers. To all dead serious Taoists - no offence intended. A 1000 apologies. So don't throw stones at me. - LimA 1. Wthe hell do you mean by this - "Sounds like you have a fairly solid background"?

Hi Sub, Glad to note that you are communicating and ventilating in black and white (it is a kind of breathing – yes/no?). Feeling a bit better now? Perhaps 1.8% better? Good. I would like to make you smile with this conversation; and perhaps your ‘better quotient’ can improve to 1.9%. Let me try. I will do so contextually - but how? I will do so by responding (tongue-in- cheek) to this conversation from Stosh - “Committing to a religion … As serious and committed as you might be to the noble truths or the like, if ultimately you can’t really adopt certain traditional ideas I think you're out of luck unless you find another basis which still supports traditional ways”. (Stosh - trust it is alright with you. My intention is to make Sub better percentage wise.) Here goes: Please allow me to defend myself philosophically. The word “religion” is not to be found anywhere in my posting to Sub and by extension to hopefully like-minded Bummies. I respect all major religions as they touch on the goodness of what it is to be human and humane. I will stop here religiously. No more mention of the ‘r’ word henceforth in this posting. Anyone who wants to take me on will be wasting her/his time. I will react with wuwei. I am not a Buddhist; I am just an Oriental Average Joe. But I believe in The Divine. What/who is The Divine? To me The Divine = Unseen Goodness. I do not have to explain more than this to anyone, except to my children. I do not believe in magic or demons. To me demons are man-made. I did not make them and I don’t know what they. Perhaps I can ask those who make demons but I am not interested because they are not real to me. But I know really evil people. But I don’t want to waste my life thinking or talking about them. They don’t deserve a second of my time. But I like to think/talk about angels. Why? Three of my good friends are named – Angela, Angeline and Michael-Angelo. MA is a real scream (of delight not horror). Reincarnation? Has anyone experienced it first-hand? I don’t want to ask more than this. I am not culture bound (except for good food). To me all good women and men are FAMILY. Too much salt is not good for my health, that’s what my doctor says. A big ‘grain of salt’ will drive my kidneys nuts. I just like to introduce to Sub THE ‘Four Noble Truths’ and not ‘the like’. Since I don’t know what ‘the like’ are; so I don’t have to (dis)like them. Life is short. So what are THE ‘Four Noble Truths’? To me they pertain to these: (i) life is suffering (ii) there are causes to suffering (iii) there is an end to suffering and (iv) there are paths to end suffering. I don’t classify ideas as traditional or otherwise. Good ideas are timeless, borderless, endless, ceaseless, boundless … (you guess correctly – I visited Thesaurus; just came back this morning). (Stosh – thank you for the contextual framework). - LimA