Pietro

Get in touch with Rainold, senior HT instructor in/around Amsterdam. He got one of his students who lost both kidneys to regrow a kidney using HT practices. He might be able to help. Pietro

So that's your famous raw diet!

May I add an interesting twist? Not only you are to say who, and why, but in your 'why' answer you are NOT to refer to any authority, anybody external, anything that has been written, said, passed down. This is how the excercise was taught to me. The answer must come from the inside. Only. Nothing from the TTC, the sutra, the discourses, Buddha, Brahama, the pope, the people, Jesus, Bruce, Mantak, Michael, Ron, my little friend, my cousin who have been in this situation, the Crow nation, my daddy, mommy and anything. Can you all reread your answers and in case rephrase them. In my case just ignore the little story at the end, it is really an addition, and unnecessary. But I am ready to answer the why question on any of my choises.

Thanks for the question really nice, we should have more. Sophie's Choice comes to mind. Here are my answers: If the people are the only survivors on earth and from then it depends the destiny of all the next generations you will want to keep the women. Provided they are between 12 and 30 y.o. Boys should go, so should all the male less the youngest among those one who knows all is necessary to pass on the tradition-knowledge. Women canmot make a man of a boy. Of course anybody who is the only person to know a non replacable skill should survive to. And if you think that women are getting unfairly off the hook think about what their role will be once the people are back in an island. If there are no external pressures (no one is fundamentally necessary for the community), you can start by letting die whoever desires so. Generally people with a higher spiritual practice will be more willing to go, unless they feel there is something fundamental they need to do. If you have rapist and bodhisatva. I will keep the rapist and possibly one bodhisatva. The others can go as they can get a new body in any case when they want, where they want. You don't want to kill the rapist as they are the ones who will have a harder time after death. Among psichologically enlightened individuals the best situation is to discuss all together and who feels has completed his/her ming goes. I know a relative of mine who would jump at the occasion. Yet you might want to keep a spiritual technician to make sure everybody does not get fixated too long on what has happened. And no, I don't think the question is sick. It seem exactly the right question to develop your own morality, ethics. I conclude with a true story: Africa, few years ago. Someplace after a big disaster (war?). Ruanda? The plane arrives and drops food on a camp of refugees. A 30 y.o. man takes away the food from a kid and an old man and starts eating it. The local voluntary stops him. The man answers: "there is not enough food for more than one person to survive. If the old man survives he will be too old to teach our tradition, or to have kids once the war is over. If the young boy survives he will be strong to make kids, but he will ignore his tradition and will just become another slave of America's capitalism. I am young enough to have kids and I know our tradition, so I can pass it on. Thus I should be the one to survive." The volunteer left the food to him.

I just bought a 65 cm from argos for 3 or 4 pounds. They were also selling another for double the price with a Reebok brand. Yet I don't seem to be able to get it pumped and hard enough. And as such it seem too small. I wonder if it isn't the fact of having taken such a cheep one the reason, but I can't figure it out why would that be so. I'm perplexed. Again what was the brand you took the 65 cm of? How much did they costed? P.

Thanks, really cool. Yes I am happy to take the whole lot. I was actually wondering if we could meet as I come to the UK. no time now, but we could try to have a chat one of those few remaining days

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Well, you could give the to Gio. I thought you knew him, sorry. He is from Oxford and he is surely coming to see Bruce. I do have the content of the bag, nevertheless, if you really need to get rid of it I can happily take them. I might use to have two wire sticks, but only if no one is interested. Chances are they will remain unused for quite sometime. Gio contact page is here: http://www.oxinar.com/index.php?page=contact But, I don't think I can covince him to come to your place to take them. Can I pay you for the petrol/ticket to go there? Many thanks, Pietro

I might be interested in the bag. Could you pass it along to someone that comes to Bruce course in 2 weeks time? Pietro

Hmm, much to process. Yes, I shall try, and thanks for the tip. I find funny how you keep refering to teachers I never heard, as if obviously I should know them long time ago. Who is Esther? Never mind. I'll see, download, order, test, and report. Pietro

Yoda, I find this info about changing oneself, which has an effect of changing other EXTREEMLY interesting. I know nothing of this Abraham (Abraham-hicks, I gather from wikipedia), and generally consider most of channelled stuff as authenthic bullshit, plus often very logorroic. But the results you said (with your wife) seems very good. How often does our thoughts stop others from evolving. How often can we help another person just by thinking them differently. Can you give some hints on: what books/products to take, and what to stir away from. A good introduction. Something specific about how our thoughts affect each other (as well as how others thought affect us). Thanks, Pietro

Which country? Under which laws? What I have been dreaming is a taoist village. Not a retreat center. i see too many of them. Centers that only exist thanks to the money brought in by the students. Although it seems nice at the beginning, it seem to me like a big trap. If the village can only exist thanks to the teaching that is making it really is not susatining itself out of its own work. I went to Wengen some years ago for one summer looking what was the situation. Essentially it had become a small hotel. This is not what I am looking for. Instead I really like the idea of people hanging around and having their own job. Maybe as artists, or working with the land, or through internet. And then sharing a common philosophy. Teacher told me they use to exist in the land of the dragon, everybody minding for himself. When external people would arrive, each wife would go back and stay with their own husband, not to expose the whole village. Everybody following its own morality. I actually know a place like that in Italy, althoug it is not related to Taoism.

You know, Ian, you make me a bit worried. Are you sure that ball chair you just bought is really having a positive effect. Maybe THATS's the problem

Funny, I wanted to make a taoist village from a long time. Maybe we could share dreams Pietro

Yes, generally. Do you remember the line from Terry Pratchett, with the archmage was facing a very aggressive man; and the man was saying: "because I know you are not allowed to do any magic on me"? The mage transformed him into a frog, while saying: " I always took them as guidelines". Well, Allan, I knew what you said, but I also know that I always took those rules as guidelines. Maybe the one thing that makes me feel a Taoist more than anything else is the necessity to discover within myself what it is my morality. I wrote about it extensively before, but I am always happy to repeat myself on this, if anybody wishes me so. To try to correct a person, without lying or with no tricks, after you have developped a relationship of mutual trust with that person I feel is natural. It surely comes natural to me. It is part of those basic behaviours that we call being human, and mutually helping each other. There are ways to do it. And limits that should not be surpassed. Plato reaches the point of swearing to you if he feels you are in danger. That's hardly my way. He might feel ok in doing it. I wouldn't, so I don't act in that way. I feel better in throwing seeds of doubts. Some people might not like that. Amen. I only say to Freeform, "are you sure about that?". And I am ready to repeat it. So it is also true for me, as for Taoists. I generally don't do proselitism. But every now and then I might throw a seed of doubt here and there.

LOL This is brilliant! Please keep on! You are quite an amazing guy Li. In some ways more naive than a kid and in some ways way more patient than an adult. In any case, for your info, some people tend to translate "the superior man" as "the superior in the man". A translations that sounds to me quite fake and too politically correct, but maybe it invites people to try to act from their higher part. I tend to have an interest in Taoism that also covers its historical meaning, so somthing that works (IF it does) but is historically unaccurate leaves me unhappy.

Thanks. I stand corrected.

What a nice long entry, and I am sorry I never had the time to put the mind map in a not mind map for to give it to you. What you said remind me of a couple of stories from my life, and who knows, maybe by sharing them our new guest, Li, could get a live example of what I think you meant abot sharing ourself. When I was 22 I was at a workshop. It was a week with a black Native American, working on emotions. At the end of the second day not much has happened respect what was awaiting us, but a lot had happened respect to my normal daily life. I was at the camping site, sitting on the ground, and slowing getting back into my center. The wife of the shaman was there. I think she was naked, with her son at her breast. A glorious sight. I don't remember exactly the words but I think she asked me how was I feeling. I said fine. I might even have asked how did I seemed from the outside. Unwise of me . She answered: you seem like someone who is very sad, and is holding it all back, while pretending to be fine. She did help me, and the depth of the tone of her voice (I still remember it now, 12 years later, will I ever meet a women that deep? And single?) was like a welcoming party to my own pain. It took me about a decade to integrate all that. And I had similar helps many other times. The ability to correctly recognise and give a name to many of our emotions is often the main difference between guys in their twenties and 'guys' in their thirties. And we do help each other in the process. The hardest thing is to find ways to help each other in ways that ccan be accepted and do not make all the red flags lighten up. When I was at the Tao Garden, I use to do much sitting meditation. I was high as a kite. I was also grounded as a butterfly. Many people use to tell me that I had to stand more, and practice Tai Ji to ground myself. I would dismiss their concerns with some excuses. Then I met Nick. And Nick was a businessman from NYC. The way he said "You are very high, in a sense you are the person highest around. [...] If you were only to practice a bit of Tai Ji every day you would get so much from it, in terms of grounding, that you cannot even imagine". He flattered me beyond belief, and he showed the work that was awaiting me as absolutely easy and do-able. Somehow that succeeded where everybody else failed. That same day I got through the frustrating bit of Tai Ji that were keeping me stuck, and started practicing Tai Ji often. Six months later I was as high as a kite, as grounded as a butterfly, and using Tai Ji to get even higher and even more ungrounded. But that's another story. So right now one of the hardest quest I am having is: "when I can help someone, how do I find a way to do it without ignitting his ego defense mecchanism"

Speaking of podcasts, I am hearing the ones from steve pavlina's one. Most of the things are baby steps change yourself level. BUT for some reason re hearing those things again, after I have been doing things like that for a decade seems to be very good. It feels like rereading the instruction to a very advanced piece of technology 2 years after you have been using it. You know how to do all the basic things, but now you learn much more on how far can you bring it. I wish there were so good ones on Taoism. If you find any please let me/us know.

You know Yoda, you are so right. Life is tough!

Off topic respect to this, out of historical context, pecuniary request. You know FF, you are always in this everything is equivalent space, but somehow I never seem to be that convinced by it. Not that I don't think that the final serenity does not include a serious measure of equanimity. I just can't be convinced that you are actually there. Call me an asshole, for pointing it out, as this might actually make you fall into some deep shit. You see, it just keep on seeming very mental. And it makes me wonder how much are you able to follow it with your body, with your emotion, with your heart. Are you as happy when you lose your loved one as when you find her again? Is it equivalent to you losing money and finding it? Is it the same when you act wicked and shortsighted, and when you acted with wisdom and depth of reasoning? Losing yourself and ifnding yourself, are those the same to you as well? I am just wondering. It seems a nice place to be in, but not an easy place to be in if you are interested to keep on learning. After all why would you do it, if everything is equivalent. But if the equivalence is only mental you might be giving up the possibility to learn for a peace that will not help you when things get really tough in life. Because at that point your mind will keep on claiming an equanimity that your cells and emotions and energy don't feel. Do you see what I mean? Pietro (who sometimes likes to play the Coyote part )

I was born in a liberal politicaly left family. So I had some difficulties with the concept of a teacher. And I am speaking about teacher here, not Guru, which is supposed to embody God and is a totally different ball game. I would treat all my 'teachers' as friends, or brothers. With a familiarity that few other student would dare or would posses. They seemed to enjoy it. And for this it took me a long time to see how wrong I was. And the effect of my dumbness was felt in the fact that I grew slower than how I could have if I had respected my teachers more. The whole solution is in hexagram 4 of the I-Ching. It is not the teacher who look for you, it is you who look for the teacher. And we already have a very clear asimmetry. It is NOT a symmetric relation. One side is balanced, happy, and unneedy. The other is confused, full of desire, and full of doubts. They are not equal. They might be equal in potentiality (which is also false, btw), but surely not in whatthey are right now. As such you don't loose power to the teacher... you have already lost power to begin with. The teacher is there to help you regain this power. Teachers are generally teachers of a specific subject. The subject can be life itself, but no human being will ever teach you everything abouth everything. At least after you are 2 years old. When you have found the teacher, you ask him or her to teach you. Humbly, direcly and clearly. Something as simple as: you know this, and I don't, would you please teach me? usually works miracle. I know of very few people who answer no to such a request. And some do because they feel they have to say no a certain number of time. But generally everybody heart answer yes at such question if it is done with an open honest, childish heart. Please teach me. Then you do what he tells you to do. Still you retain your power in the sense that you always take the responsability of everything you do. If he asks you to do something that you don't feel like you can back off. Maybe you are learning sexual practices, and your teacher tells you that the best way is to have sex with him. It might be true, it might be false. You do not accept, and then sue him for having abused of the relationship. You decide by yourself, and then take full responsability of your actions. If you have a question you ask. You get the answer, and then YOUSHUTTHEFUCKUP! You go away with your answer. You don't ask him again (although clarifications are possible). You don't ask other people. All this will lead to confusion. Get one answer, apply that, and if that does not work, after you ask why. Also, you don't look in the plate of your teacher. Maybe he is teaching you how to be chaste, while he is having sex with 5 women every night. Provided that you know that he knows how to be chaste, that is enough. YOU DO NOT REQUIRE HIM TO BE YOU. Nor do you require him to live in every moment what you are passing through in this moment. Some disciplines are only needed for a certain time. Some people follow a discipline just to decide that they don't want it in their life. They still know how to do it. I remember tai ji teachers who would not practice Tai Ji at all any more. But from time to time they would do. Some part of Tai Ji was integrated. He still was a teacher. Once you have learned all you feel you needed from a teacher, you thank him, and go away. And when in some years time a confused person comes and says:"you know this, and I don't, would you please teach me?" you teach him. And you do it for free, as in this way you are paying back life itself. If you follow those advice you will learn rapidly and fast, and will never be abused by any teacher.

But they only sell up to size 75cm. Do they have any special ball on the back (I am quite tall too). Also is the stabiliser the same as the 65cm one? Danke, Pietro Actually norlite only delivers in the UK. So I will need to look for another shop

Same question here, I am 1.87 which I seem to understand is 6' and 2'' about. I also realised how I used to get much less distracted while I worked in the zazen chair, and it might be because of neural noise.