Sketch

The ability to play the eternal victim, to say 'now look what you made me do" to the horrors of history.

I carried a tiny Shambhala edition in my backpack for years.

That is at variance with the version of chatgpt I've used, which is only trained on information from the internet a couple of years ago, and has no access to current information.

Chi non fa, non falla

Constructively, it would read better with some attention to line breaks.

Every translation is the most in depth one yet. "Traduttore, traditore”. This one seems a bit flat...but then, it's not in my own "pet vocabulary ". Engaging with the language of the Dao De Jing is an extremely worthwhile effort, and I'm enjoying this take on Lao Tzu.

I spent a lot of time on the AT in Pennsylvania and NJ over the years before hiking from Georgia to Massachusetts (with a new bride) back in '95.

From my own commentary on the first part of the Dao De Jing; All of this makes me picture a well-worn, maintained footpath That was once a deer trail which follows the contours of the land in such a way As to follow the watershed. This is simply the natural way For all kinds of living creatures to go, even without the obvious path, or markers of any kind. A peaceful woodland trail Created by all the varieties of movement along its length. Dust motes in a sunbeam Harmonize light filtered through trees It very emphatically seems to exist! It was all there Before there were any blazes marking it. I saw this while hiking along the Appalachian Trail.

A difficult look to pull off. Adopting titles and the responsibilities that accompany them is exactly the opposite direction to the path I've been following over the years.

Lao Tzu never told me what to do...but Involvement with Dao De Jing (and other early Daoist texts ) helped me develop my perspective, and has influenced my decisions and my approach to life over the years. I wouldn't call myself a Daoist though; I don't look good in the hat.

We're certainly likely to find things purporting to be inspired spiritual writings with largely machine generated text at some point. Novels and books of poems too, I wouldn't doubt. Bad catalog copy is bound to get a new look, too.

Well, it can't really think, and has no insight or any sense at all. Much like a million monkeys at a million typewriters, eventually something that seems clever is bound to pop out, but who wants to edit all that? It's hard enough to make sense of human writers trying to make sense. It doesn't give a useful I ching interpretation, and it chose "lorum ipsum" as a starting text for a demonstration of the Burroughs-Gysin cut up method. There's no ghost in the machine.

Putting things in iambic pentameter and choosing rhymes is also a technical problem. It's a neat tool.

It's like playing with a thesaurus or a rhyming dictionary for the first time. The potential for generating vast tracts of meaningless spam is obvious.

I like the gunshot in a vacuum bit. It's got the beat and the modernist word choices, but misses meaning by a mile.

"Achilles, the fierce warrior of the Achaean army, the unstoppable killing machine of the Trojan War. His name echoes through time like a gunshot in a vacuum. Swift of foot and deadly with the spear, he bathes in the blood of his enemies and feeds on the fear of those who dare stand in his way. Achilles, son of Peleus and Thetis, born with a destiny to kill and conquer. He is the embodiment of war, the chaos and destruction of battle made flesh. But he is not invincible, for he bears a fatal weakness – a vulnerable heel, a wound that can bring him to his knees and end his reign of terror. Achilles, a man of contradictions, a hero and a monster, a symbol of valor and a harbinger of death. He is a force to be reckoned with, a creature of both passion and rage, his mind as sharp as his sword. He is a tragedy and a triumph, a legend of the ancient world and a reminder of the darkness that lies within us all." This is an attempt a recreating the Iliad...as written by William Burroughs.

The Tang Monk stood before the demons' king, Who cackled with a mad and gleeful glee, And said, "You'll make a fine and tasty thing, A feast for all my subjects, don't you see? "But first you must be purified and cleansed, And so I'll burn your flesh until it's white. Then, to your bones, I'll nibble and I'll quench My hunger with a savory, sweet delight." The Monk, he trembled and he shook with fear, But Sun Wukong, with a fierce and mighty roar, Appeared and said, "You shall not touch him here! For I will send you to the pits of yore!" And with a wave of his enchanted staff, He struck the demons and their king as well, And they were banished to the outer depths, Their reign of terror ended by the spell. The Tang Monk breathed a sigh of great relief, Grateful for Monkey King's protection brief. For few could match his power and his wit, And he had saved them from the danger's pit. Together they pressed on, with trials to face, But conquered all with Monkey King's deft grace. Through each new challenge, they gained insight deep, And lessons learned, would in their memories keep. Through many months of journeying and strife, They finally arrived at their quest's end rife. The scriptures placed in their rightful place, And people rejoiced, at their sacred trace. The Tang Monk humbly bowed before the Buddha's light, And offered his thanks with all his heart's might. He knew he'd found what he had sought all along, The path to enlightenment, where peace belongs. As for Taoist textual references...It can't do a correct atribution at all, and I've got it defending the image of a "snail crawling along the edge of a straight razor " as appearing in many Taoist texts, including the DDJ.

I've got it spitting out a "Journey to the West " pastiche ... in iambic pentameter... that is simply hilarious.

It's a desert topping AND a floor wax. I've considered that the Laozi is essentially fractal, being useful at several levels of interpretation. Reading more on the topic, like the Yang Jwing Ming book mentioned above, has not particularly changed that view. The armature will support multiple structures. The principles are universal enough to operate at different scales. Language as a liquid, not carved in stone. Poetry and fairy tales before myths and way before scriptures.

Mom's pretty churchie, but that's not real morality. The way she interacts with people is. Dad was a union man, and what was called a "stand up guy". I guess the most "unusual " stance they took was on the topic of " bearing false witness"...or tattling. Didn't matter what the perpetrator did, the rat was the one got punished. Whenever I've looked at things like precepts or rules of moral conduct, I think my justifying mind assumes it comes down to the same things I was raised with, as if that was automatically common sense. If I were to go on some retreat with special rules, these would be circumstantial rather than moral...on the same order as following my buddy's orders swiftly if we're on his boat, but treating his words far more casually otherwise.

"would want to force you to do something that you don't believe is morally right? " I was a conscientious objector during a draft, if that gives any insight.

Regardless of my philosophical ideals or whatever else has impacted my life, I've never gotten beyond the moral and ethical examples my parents set while raising me.

“It is like this, bhikkhus: the practitioner goes into the forest or to the foot of a tree, or to any deserted place, sits stably in the lotus position, holding his or her body quite straight, and practices like this: ‘Breathing in, I know I am breathing in. Breathing out, I know I am breathing out.’ 1. ‘Breathing in a long breath, I know I am breathing in a long breath. Breathing out a long breath, I know I am breathing out a long breath.’ 2. ‘Breathing in a short breath, I know I am breathing in a short breath. Breathing out a short breath, I know I am breathing out a short breath.’ 3. ‘Breathing in, I am aware of my whole body. Breathing out, I am aware of my whole body.’ He or she practices like this. 4. ‘Breathing in, I calm my whole body. Breathing out, I calm my whole body.’ He or she practices like this. 5. ‘Breathing in, I feel joyful. Breathing out, I feel joyful.’16 He or she practices like this. 6. ‘Breathing in, I feel happy. Breathing out, I feel happy.’ He or she practices like this. 7. ‘Breathing in, I am aware of my mental formations. Breathing out, I am aware of my mental formations.’ He or she practices like this. 8. ‘Breathing in, I calm my mental formations. Breathing out, I calm my mental formations.’ He or she practices like this. 9. ‘Breathing in, I am aware of my mind. Breathing out, I am aware of my mind.’ He or she practices like this. 10. ‘Breathing in, I make my mind happy. Breathing out, I make my mind happy.’ He or she practices like this." It goes on like this. This is from Thich Nhat Hanh's translation of Anapanasati "On the full awareness of breathing " in "Awakening of the Heart : Essential Buddhist Sutras and Commentaries " I've looked at other translations, and they all talk about breathing.

For that matter, what is the Anapanasati Sutra about then? Pardon me, I really need to leave you folks to this sort of thing without my input.

The ones with an amygdala, for example.