SirPalomides

It’s not entirely on Google books but at least the first two chapters are complete: https://books.google.com/books/about/Humanity_and_Self_cultivation.html?id=7nnqVSWWZnIC I read the first and went ahead and ordered a copy- I can tell I’ll like it. Going back to adept’s question, I think it might also be worth mentioning the role of art in Confucian cultivation. Poetry and music are seen as important in the Analects and of course painting was another revered pastime among the literati.

Yes, though there are varying views on what this entails, those of Zhu Xi and Wang Yangming being the most famous.

Obviously I wasn't around when those guys were in charge and from the looks of it, if I were, I'd be rolling out the guillotine now too. I do think though that Luke is right insofar that everything to be said has been. A few days ago I had no idea who Jeff was and now I can see, mostly from his own words, that he is exactly as you describe him, and I bet most newcomers will reach the same conclusion. You're probably right about his promise too. But I don't think any continuation of this thread will change that. Short of Sean returning and establishing a Committee of Public Safety with you, gatito, et al as mods there isn't much else to be done. Of course people who have been hurt have every right to continue venting and I certainly can't stop that.

I can understand a certain ritual caution toward sacred names, objects, etc. if it helps to cultivate genuine reverence or awe toward the right things, and doesn't entangle us in OCD and scrupulosity (or a misogynistic "purity"). But when the ritual "eats people" (as Lu Xun described the state of Confucianism in late Qing China) then the point has been lost. And yeah, to say Westerners get a sanitized picture of Tibetan society would be an understatement. Of course no one should be surprised that Tibetans are human beings but it can be disconcerting if you have been told that such-and-such tulku is supposed to be an infallible emanation of Amitabha or Chenrezig. I remember asking someone about the factional infighting in the Karma Kagyu lineage (which thankfully seems to be healing) and I was told, "the lamas only appear to be fighting to our deluded minds" or "they're testing us" or something like that.

I guess there are different kinds of cultivation. Virtues like humaneness and righteousness have to be cultivated like anything else. I accept though that people can develop impressive abilities without cultivating those virtues. I would argue that humaneness, or virtues like Laozi's three treasures, are still more important. Someone who can fly but who still gets bent out of shape over insults, or thrives on praise, hasn't gotten very far IMO. As for me, I can neither fly nor respond to insults and praise with equanimity, so I have plenty to work on.

I remember hearing an interview with a guy who grew up in an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood in New York and his parents had named him Shalom or some variant of that. In class, his rabbi refused to pronounce his name, calling him "Name of the Creator," and any paper he wrote his name on had to be put in a special box to be ritually burnt later.

I feel like I'm a pretty good connoisseur of terrible 80's action movies, but the terrible fantasy subgenre, not so much. Any recommendations?

So the chanting opened your ears for a minute or so.

I call it "death squad theology" as it is also popular with various right-wing politicians and their paramilitary adjuncts throughout Latin America.

Still raining, is it?

To be fair, the form of Christianity popular in the US is a deeply deformed variety by any classic Christian standard. I know many Christians who regard it as straight-up Satanic.

Behold everyone the sagely utterance of a true cultivator.

Did the because revert into the somewhat when yes do?

The critique of idolatry within the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic context can play a very useful, important role, as an apophatic discarding of fixations and falsehoods, akin to, say, the Buddhist critique of atman. Too often, unfortunately, it is employed in service of some other fixation. I have encountered Christian scholars who have a deep and sympathetic understanding of Buddhism, Hinduism, etc but they are quite rare. Within a Daoist or Buddhist perspective the concept idolatry is probably less congruent with the system as a whole, and native concepts of anatman, wu wei, etc. are better fits. Or from the Confucian tradition, this understanding of neither neglecting nor meddling with the sprouts:

Depends. Do you prefer blonde or brunette?

Don't worry, we totally believe you

Also perhaps worth comparing is verse 54 from the Dao De Jing: What is well planted will not be uprooted. What is well held will not escape. Children and grandchildren will not cease to praise it. Cultivate virtue in yourself, And it will be true. Cultivate virtue in the family, And it will be overflowing. Cultivate virtue in the town, And it will be lasting. Cultivate virtue in the country, And it will be abundant. Cultivate virtue in the world, And it will be universal. Therefore: See others as yourself. See families as your family. See towns as your town. See countries as your country. See worlds as your world. How do I know that the world is such? By this.

In light of all the talk about would-be gurus and their magical powers, I think it's worthwhile to resurrect this thread, considering especially ZYD's contributions and Mengzi's method of cultivating his "vast" or "floodlike" qi. The fundamental importance of ethical cultivation, of ren, de, etc. seems like it should be a given but with so much amoral egoism it's surely worthwhile to have another look here.

I'm not dietician and I can't speak for the health benefits/ injuries caused by onions, but I feel pretty doubtful that onion-eating is a sure path to hell. Of course that might be what the hungry ghosts swirling around my lips want me to think.

For those curious, a very harsh passage from the Surangama Sutra: Ananda, all living beings can live if they eat what is sweet, and they will die if they take poison. Beings who seek samadhi should refrain from eating five pungent plants of this world[onions, garlic, leeks, scallions, and shallots].If these five are eaten cooked, they increase one's sexual desire; if they are eaten raw, they increase one's anger.Therefore, even if people in this world who eat pungent plants can expound the twelve divisions of the sutra canon, the gods and immortals of the ten directions will stay far away from them because they smell so bad. However, after they eat these things the hungry ghosts will hover around and kiss their lips. Being always in the presence of ghosts, their blessings and virtue dissolve as the days go by, and they experience no lasting benefit. People who eat pungent plants and also cultivate samadhi will not be protected by the Bodhisattvas, gods, immortals, or good spirits of the ten directions; therefore, the tremendously powerful demon kings, able to do as they please, will appear in the body of a Buddha and speak dharma for them, denouncing the prohibitive precepts and praising lust, rage, and delusion. When their lives end, these people will join the retinue of demon kings. When they use up their blessings as demons, they will fall into the Relentless Hell.

I'll make you a deal... If you provide a credible explanation for how you went from never having heard of xing and ming gong to being expert on it in a matter of weeks, then we will not only watch all your videos but crown you resident Dao Bums master.

Indeed, attempting to scam people when your game has been exposed is indeed a waste of time. You may perhaps find greener (ie uninformed) pastures elsewhere.

I had no assumptions about you. I see what you have said and concluded that you are not to be trusted.

Ah yes the orientalist defense... “it’s an eastern thing, you wouldn’t understand.” Be careful though with the assumptions you make about people here.

You can do what you like but if you don’t offer an apology/ retraction for what Walker quoted from you above then no one here should trust you.