kyoji

It can feel like you are locked out of heaven once the monkey mind gets ahold of the experience on the come down, can't it?

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"A state may be ruled by (measures of) correction; weapons of war may be used with crafty dexterity; (but) the kingdom is made one’s own (only) by freedom from action and purpose. How do I know that it is so? By these facts:–In the kingdom the multiplication of prohibitive enactments increases the poverty of the people; the more implements to add to their profit that the people have, the greater disorder is there in the state and clan; the more acts of crafty dexterity that men possess, the more do strange contrivances appear; the more display there is of legislation, the more thieves and robbers there are. " Dao De Jing Ch57

Glad to have you here brother. Similar experiences to yours are what brought me here not so long ago. I blew through some blockages too forcefully, and with chemical intervention at times.. Twas a recipe for psychosis for sure. I don't reckon I would be here any other way though, and for that I am grateful. I think this is a fairly common phenomenon in any spiritual tradition, usually caused by doing advanced work before mastering the basics. There are a lot of knowledgeable wayfarers here that are willing to answer questions you have , and I have learned plenty since joining. This forum is even good for a big ol' belly laugh sometimes too. Your Brother in Dao, Kyoji

Cook Ting was cutting up an ox for Lord Wen-hui. As every touch of his hand, every heave of his shoulder, every move of his feet, every thrust of his knee — zip! zoop! He slithered the knife along with a zing, and all was in perfect rhythm, as though he were performing the dance of the Mulberry Grove or keeping time to the Ching-shou music. “Ah, this is marvelous!” said Lord Wen-hui. “Imagine skill reaching such heights!” Cook Ting laid down his knife and replied, “What I care about is the Way, which goes beyond skill. When I first began cutting up oxen, all I could see was the ox itself. After three years I no longer saw the whole ox. And now — now I go at it by spirit and don’t look with my eyes. Perception and understanding have come to a stop and spirit moves where it wants. I go along with the natural makeup, strike in the big hollows, guide the knife through the big openings, and following things as they are. So I never touch the smallest ligament or tendon, much less a main joint. “A good cook changes his knife once a year — because he cuts. A mediocre cook changes his knife once a month — because he hacks. I’ve had this knife of mine for nineteen years and I’ve cut up thousands of oxen with it, and yet the blade is as good as though it had just come from the grindstone. There are spaces between the joints, and the blade of the knife has really no thickness. If you insert what has no thickness into such spaces, then there’s plenty of room — more than enough for the blade to play about it. That’s why after nineteen years the blade of my knife is still as good as when it first came from the grindstone. “However, whenever I come to a complicated place, I size up the difficulties, tell myself to watch out and be careful, keep my eyes on what I’m doing, work very slowly, and move the knife with the greatest subtlety, until — flop! the whole thing comes apart like a clod of earth crumbling to the ground. I stand there holding the knife and look all around me, completely satisfied and reluctant to move on, and then I wipe off the knife and put it away.” “Excellent!” said Lord Wen-hui. “I have heard the words of Cook Ting and learned how to care for life!”

<3

you don't spend enough time around babies, maybe or maybe i delude myself with wishful thinking..

I really like ted nottingham's youtube channel for breaking down the 4th way, and the work of Gurdjieff. As for Ouspensky however, i'd agree his understanding appeared rather limited. The strange life of Ivan Osokin is the only book of his I've read and i don't plan on picking it up again.

@Everything i second marblehead on this one : - )

This is a great film about Buddhist hermits in the Zhongnan mountain range. Whatever it lacks in production value it makes up for in every other way. I think it helps greatly that the filmmaker/cameraman/narrator really doesn't speak out of turn. He lets the people he meets do most of the talking while keeping the conversation going with his line of questioning. I genuinely enjoyed this film. Also, maybe not exactly what you are looking for, but I think you should watch the movie Hero. Beautifully shot , and if you are interested in martials arts/wuxia, the choreography is also really beautiful. I have been a big Jet Li fan for as long as I can remember so maybe I am biased, hehe. I enjoyed it recently, and thought it was much better this time, years after seeing it for the first time. It has a lot more substance than I remembered, and is not at all cheesy. Certain parts give you plenty to think about, especially about the nature of sacrifice.

anybody like Eliott Smith? these are some of the best covers i've heard of his songs.. and the harmonies are perfection.

fats is great, i used to have a record of his laying around when I could barely speak yet, and remember being enthralled by the cover and the enthusiasm on his face.. hehe

"Mountain trees plunder themselves. Grease fires broil themselves. Cinnamon is tasty, so the trees are hacked down. Lacquer is useful, so the trees are cut open. Everyone knows that to be useful is useful, but who knows how useful it is to be useless? " "Before I begin my practice, I am truly Yen Hui. But once in the midst of my practice, I've never even begun to be Yen Hui. Can this be called emptiness?" two parts I really like from Chuang Tzu: Inner Chapters : - )

ain't it like most people? i'm no different we love to talk on things we don't know about : - )

i actually work at an audio/ video store ( sunrise records ) and our store has been doing really well with vinyl sales!! It is slowly but surely coming back i think. Just got in a big ol' box of used records last week and we got some real goodies. The box smelt old and musty and it was the highlight of my work week. I can't afford em and have been collecting CD's since i was a youngin' (i'm only 22) , but i do appreciate the complete sound that vinyl offers.

welcome aboard yosan, we are all rapt to have you here with us

boy did she ever.. a real shame country has headed in the direction it has.

@Everything you completely lost me mate.

*delete*

So, you both are on the same page about this essentially right? Because as much as it is something created by mind, and we have certain control over the way we orient ourselves to the mind, at the end of the day a fire is going to burn you, and lightning is going to electrocute you whether it is real in an absolute sense or not, just like the gods? I have a rather novice understanding so if I am off please let me know. Your brother in Dao, Kyoji

refer to the link that i shared just above ^^ , and watch the video if you have 20 minutes. not claiming it is true, not claiming it is false. but i think the possibility must be entertained.

yet the behemoth was gods most exalted creation according to the bible.. i thought this was an interesting interpretation of JOB 40.

you've come to the right place my friend. welcome : - ) in the month or so i have been participating here, i have learned a lot, unlearned some more, and balanced myself out substantially. it is my opinion that there is something here for everyone. i had a rather spontaneous kundalini activation myself and the experience can be beyond disorienting.. i wish i had found this page sooner. there are some very very knowledgeable wayfarers here, and everyone is pretty willing to help when they can. i'm looking forward to conversing with you my friend. your brother in dao, kyoji