liminal_luke

Phoenix might be more peaceful if merely participating in an organized protest becomes a crime, but it will no longer be a part -- in a spiritual, values-based sense -- of America.

I`d been thinking I needed at least a break from Daobums, but how could I leave now? You can`t make this s*** up -- hilarious!

Since you don`t have any homosexual friends to test your herbs on, why don`t you turn your straight friends gay instead? (You can answer if you like, though I think I already know the answer. I`m betting your straight friends don`t want to be gay because they see don`t see their straightness as a disease or defect. They probably feel that they were meant to be straight, and don`t want to be "fixed." Hmmm.....)

Brian`s a big partier and I`m a strong believer in traditional family values. A limited data base, indeed! Pretty interesting though.

John Adams You are the brains behind the throne! Unassuming, quiet, and industrious, your talents and contributions tend to be overlooked and the glory goes to your more flamboyant and attention-seeking colleagues. You believe strongly in traditional family values. Your natural shyness means that you prefer to work behind the scenes, but you do occasionally become paranoid that others are stealing the credit for your work. You are a courageous and generous person who believes strongly in traditional family values, but you often find yourself distanced from those you love due to your commitment to your work.

Exactly this. What I personally like (and find difficult) about the concept of cultivation is there`s this sense that things can`t be forced. I can provide the right conditions for the growth of a plant, keep it watered, put it in a sunny window, etc. What I can`t do is reach into a stem and forcibly pull out the flower. These things happen in their own time according to their own mysterious logic.

I`ll say what came to me. The essential human part is the part that poses the question about the essential human part.

House cat? I`ve always pictured you more like this...

Thanks! Going to go practice (letting go) now. LL

I doubt that a majority of Californians want to become a separate country. A few maybe. And I`m guessing some people from other states would be happy to be rid of California. Still, nobody is forcing anybody to do anything. California is generally a "blue" state, some others are "red." People vote. Sometimes the vote goes the way most Californians would like, and sometimes not. Instead of separating into different countries, how about we all -- liberal and conservative alike -- try to be a little more tolerant of each other, a little less quick to anger.

Spotless, I wonder if you`d be willing to go into a little more detail about dropping positions? Guess I`m not exactly sure what this means (all beliefs generally?) and how to do it. Let me take an example from my own life. My partner is depressed and one of the ways this shows up in his life is that he likes to sleep all day. I believe, very strongly, that he`d be better off getting out of bed in the morning and taking a walk in the sunshine. Is my belief that he`d be better off talking a walk in the morning a position? The kind of belief that I`d be better off dropping to make progress -- to use a controversial term -- spiritually? If so, how do I go about dropping it? (One way that comes to my mind is the Sedona method.) Here are some other beliefs of mine. We need to take better care not to pollute our water and air. It`s not healthy to eat regularly at McDonalds. Watching lots of news can be bad for a person`s mental health. It`s good to exercise but running marathons can be depleting on the body. You get the idea. These are just a few beliefs off the top of my head. Is this the kind of thing you mean by positions? All these beliefs need to be dropped? If so, how to start....? Thanks, LL

I watched the whole interview and found it fascinating. Thank you! Personally, I like the idea of dropping the cultural trappings of spiritual traditions and just doing what has been found to work. If the Finders Course was available and within my budget, I`d consider taking it. There seems to be an underlying assumption that all the various spiritual traditions are heading towards basically the same end. Does this hold up for Taoism? For instance, does someone like Wang Li Ping, considered by many a modern day immortal, fit into the paradigm presented? Or is Taoist alchemy leading to immortality a fundamentally different thing than enlightenment and awakening? It`s possible my question doesn`t really make sense. Or rather that it`s predicated on a mistaken understanding or assumptions. I welcome feedback from knowledgable Bums. Thanks. LL

She may not be there yet, but I`ll bet someday you and your daughter laugh about that incident in the park. As an oftentimes oversensitive person, I know I`ve got a lot to learn from all the meanies out there, both here on Taobums and in "real" life. I often learn the most bumping into life`s hard edges. I want to be someone whose up for the challenges life dishes out -- and also someone whose tender with myself when it turns out I`m not up for those challenges.

Like Trunk said earlier I believe Kouk Sun Do and Sun Do are the same. At least that`s how it was presented to me when I attended a retreat some years ago. It is not a martial system, though I wouldn`t mess with Master Kim. It`s a very challenging series of physical postures done with special breathing for spiritual development. Recommended.

Thanks Fa Xin and Nyerstudent! Always great to get the perspectivie of people who know firsthand what they`re talking about. I could use some immune system calibration and will keep it in mind if other things I`m doing don`t do the trick. LL

Yeah, not quite. I thought about not posting it myself for the same reason. If only it wasn`t also so artful and hilarious. Life`s too short. The moderators can suspend me for homophobia if they like; I need the break and would enjoy the irony.

Found it!

Oh no. I can see how it might sound that way, but no. These days one can be both military and gay afterall. They say that gay people are as fit for military service as their straight counterparts. Please God, don`t let them start parading around though. Can you imagine anything more annoying than a gay military parade?

Being a gay, I see nothing wrong with gay parades. Aside from the annoyance of taking part in them. (Couldn`t resist: sorry.)

Thanks nyerstudent! Always good to get the opinion of someone whose actually practiced. Two questions here. First, do you think there`s value in doing the Michael Winn version, or is it really just an empty shell without the password and transmission? Second, could you talk a bit about any benefits you`ve received from your practice? What does this practice do? Thanks!

See, I don`t even know how to spell them. No military parades for me!

Oh, that was easy -- and I see what you mean. Just for the record, this left-leaning Bum isn`t enamored of military anything. I didn`t even play with J.I. Joes as a kid.

Thank you for this. You put it in parentheisis, but this is the part I was hoping to hear. I agree with you about the victim mindset. People across the political spectrum tend to think they`re right about politics, and very few people care to examine themselves critically about much of anything.

Futuredaze, Aetherous, You truly believe that there`s a statistical correlation between left wing political leanings and violence? Sure, everyone can post videos and talk about news stories. Right now a lot of people are mad and scared, mostly scared, because a candidate they think might destroy the country (possibly the world) won the election. And so there`s the threat of violence (and actual violence), and that`s a reprehensible terrible thing. But do you think if the story was different that right-wing leaning people would not be equally capable of violence? Is there something about voting for Trump that correlates with a peaceful disposition? I don`t believe that, and I find it hard it hard to believe that you do either. Naturally, if you voted for Trump, if you really like him, then it might be gratifying to see people on the other side act like obvious idiots and childish thugs. I get it. But can`t we set aside the joy of victory for a moment and acknowledge an all too human truth, that violence knows no particular political party?

And I saw Trump himself encouraging violence. Most people on the left think that it`s the people on the right who are violent. You say it`s the people on the left. I`m pretty sure it`s some of both.