liminal_luke

If Apech´s not available feel free to ring me. 867-5309 -- Jenny https://youtu.be/6WTdTwcmxyo?si=ye6R-kpejHSMcA9E

I´m generally not inclined to write posts that crawl right up to the boundary of current events and do a little na-na dance but, what can I say, ya pulled me in. So, in the spirit of Mods Gone Bad, here´s what I´d say... Stubbornly perhaps, I continue to believe that most people are "good." Some of us are confused and misinformed, but even the most thoroughly bamboozled retain a spark of human goodness. Mostly. Yes, some evil ones exist. But for the most part the evil ones aren´t who we think they are, which is to say they aren´t the people who disagree with us. The people who disagree with us want happiness for themselves and their communities just like we do, they just see life through a different cultural lens.

I´m of the opinion that all human beings are ultimately unknowable -- a very good thing. You, Lairg, are perhaps more unknowable than most.

The Dao that can be told is not the real Dao. The Daodejing, as understood by a given person, is likely not the real Daodejing. Very cool! (I love a little mystery, the sense that the outside world -- other people, classical texts, the universe -- aren´t completely knowable. To me, that´s reassuring.)

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Caring about craft more than money is always dangerous, but in the best way.

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The word "evil" is useful if you´re an author writing a thriller about serial killers. Less useful is you´re trying to have a rational conversation. In practice, it´s usually used by people who want to distance themselves from their shadows through projection (all the bad things I refuse to recognize in myself go in the evil basket). It´s also handy for depressives who want to load up on self-loathing. Evil does exist, I´m pretty sure. But it´s a hard thing to talk about because the word carries too much emotional weight.

How wonderful that your future self is taking such an active interest in your present! Very cool. I would take the suggestions under advisement, evaluating them as you might any other advice. When I go to the doctor, I see myself as getting an expert opinion which I then research and make a decision about. I don´t automatically do what anybody tells me but rather figure out what makes sense to me. So the question is: do the suggestions your future self is making make sense to your present self? If so, I´d take them. If not, you can still tuck them away in the back of your mind and see how things develop. my two cents, LL

I reckon most of us have bumped up against The Unexplained. I know I have. My experiences wouldn´t pass scientific muster but they were personally compelling.

Seems to me that Steve´s view of seeing the qualities attributed to Gods and Goddesses as human is useful in a practice context. Such an understanding helps to avoid the error of projecting out our negative (and positive) qualities. By keeping the focus on a human level, we´re able to work with the qualities as they show up in our lives -- everything is within our "locus of control." A great advantage of TRW´s teaching, in my limited experience, is that the practices are always brought to bear on particular lived contexts. So practical! And yet I´ll admit...the ghostbuster in me likes to imagine a world inhabited by a plethora of not-entirely-human spirits, some benevolent, others not so much. Is this actually the case? Sadly, my limited powers of perception prevent me from saying for sure. But the idea of such beings adds an aura of numinous mystery that appeals. Ultimately, of course, the point is to collapse the illusory sense of separation between world and self. It´s often said that the "separate self" does not exist, and I suppose this goes for the self of Gods and Goddesses too. If Gods and Goddesses do exist then, at least on some level: they are us and we, them. All this is above my paygrade, but you know how it is with Bums like me -- we love to talk.

Bonpos with demon denial problems, smug non-dualists, Bud Lite tipplers, torch-wielding villagers -- this thread really has something for everyone. And to think that some mods (bows head in shame) thought it should of been locked.

If we ever have occasion to drink beer together -- and I think it would be fun -- I´ll be sure to bring Modelo. Goes well with chips and guacamole.

Beer drinking is a mostly peaceable activity -- as long as nobody brings Bud Light.

In the interest of preventing war, I try not to get into dietary debates with hard core vegetarians.

It´s not the tea, it´s the tea drinker.

-- Paul Reps

There´s plenty of bad around if you look for it. And yet the sun still shines and the grass still grows. Look around and you´ll discover people painting, writing books, eagerly awaiting the right time to plant spring flowers. Kindness is everywhere. To see the good is not to deny the bad; on the contrary, our awareness of the good will give us the strength we need to deal with the darkness.

I´ve also found the Bums a mostly kind-hearted group. It sounds like you have Good Forum Karma! I hope you continue to find this a welcoming, accepting place for many years to come.

Elizabeth Gilbert, author of the much-acclaimed book Eat, Pray, Love, recently wrote about her desire to murder her terminally-ill drug-addicted lesbian lover. Not everyone considers radical honesty a virtue, and response to Gilbert´s confession has been decidedly mixed. Should she have saved the more gruesome details of her relationship for an intimate fireside chat with close friends? I think so. I´ll save the juiciest details of my own misadventures for those who deserve my heart.

A horse poem by Sherman Alexie... The Year of Horses, Wild My sister swears that a herd of wild horses lives on the rez. She swears there are two or three hundred mares, stallions, and colts. What is the proof? She says that Indian hunters have seen the epic trails in the dirt and grass made by hundreds of hooves. So, I say, nobody has actually seen the horses? No, she says, but a myth about wild horses is just as real as the wild itself. She says that everything, at its best, is a wild horse. The earth is a wild horse, she says, and so is the sky. She says you're a wild horse and so am I. -- Sherman Alexie

Thanks for the vote of confidence Cobie! I´m not sure how much rescuing I´ll be up for though in the Year of the Horse; thinking of taking 2026 off. In lieu of a rescue, would you accept some dubious neidan advice (please see my contributions to the new subforum!) or an ironic personal anecdote? Those things are definitely on the docket.

After many years of practice, the slow spiraling movements of tai chi become part of one´s personality; the habit of deep diaphramatic breathing results in a remarkable steady calm. No doubt this explains why Dao Bums forum members are unfailingly peaceful, remarkably free from the pugilistic impulses that characterize interaction in other corners of the intrawebs. Our tendency towards good cheer and amiability was especially apparent in that area of the site, now defunct, known as "Current Events." Did we always agree with one another? We did not. But even when we found ourselves at extreme idiological odds, we never failed to recognize the humanity and basic good will of our fellows. On that rare occasion when a post resulted in passing annoyance, we looked inward: what unresolved issue within us was responsible for this prick of discontent? Such is the way of the refined heart. And so, with all the gratitude and warm fuzzies I can muster, I raise my glass to you my fellow Bums. May you saunter on into the expanse of the desert or the misty mountains or the bathroom down the hall, wherever your path may lead. Happy New Year!!! LL

... (Edited because I decided against radical honesty. I do, however, admire your courage Haribol.)