liminal_luke

Two blocks from my apartment there's an intersection where a Christian dude often hangs out with a bull horn shouting about Christ. It's annoying. When members of the local Buddhist sangha get similarly aggressive and judgmental, I'll complain. Hasn't happened yet. Perhaps all that quiet sitting calms the nerves, but so far they seem willing to let me suffer in peace. Thank the Goddess for small mercies.

I was just playing around with your (good) idea that a person who is delusional -- me, in this case -- isn't necessarily a good judge of the delusions of others. (I do think that almost all of us are delusional by the standards of Buddhism in that we mostly don't "see through" the illusion of selfhood. But I know that you do not agree with that view.)

You're delusional, Daniel. Then again, I'm an ignorant queen* so you needn't take my opinion too seriously. (Well, I'm not sure about the queen part but ignorant? Definitely.)

Among Buddhists, words like "ignorance" or "delusion" are technical terms and don't carry the pejorative punch they might in other contexts. If I'm talking politics and someone calls my view of some cultural controversy ignornant, oh boy, those are fighting words. If a Buddhist says the same thing I just shrug. Everybody who is not enlightened --so, basically everybody -- is ignorant. No big deal.

We Bums don't always agree with each other -- and sometimes things can get ugly -- but there's a lot of sincere thought and self-examination in these pages. However bummed out we may feel about "current events" and the state of the world, there's good reason to celebrate our little corner of cyberspace. Here's to all the wonderful Bums who have shared a bit of their lives with me, educated me, supported me, and helped me grow. Cheers to you all.

Anything powerful can be powerful for good or ill -- depending on context and circumstance. This is why it's hard to make generalizations about what diet a person should go on, what fitness regimen to undertake, which spiritual practices are most fitting. All of these questions require individual discernment. Each of us has to make our own choices, preferably (in many cases) with the help of professionals who can take into account our particular situations.

You and me both! For better or worse, what I lack in vocal ability I make up for in vocal enthusiasm. For my graduation from elementary school, our class would perform Looks Like We Made It by Barry Manilow. I was the only student in the bunch instructed to lip sing.

As a side note, it's tricky to talk about our own attainments and abilities without sounding like an egoist. For instance, I think I'm a good writer. I think I'm a good listener. Not the best writer or best listener but good, well above average. Wlhatdaya think -- do I sound hopelessly narcissistic? There should be a way for people to share their own positive opinions about themselves in a matter-of-fact way, without coming off as braggarts.

Imagine a person who thinks Trump would be a disaster of a president and works tirelessly to elect his political opponent. But then Trump wins anyway and this person is totally at peace with the outcome. Social engagement AND equanimity at the same time -- I think this is the way.

As always, paradox is the way. It's possible to give up attractions and aversions and work very hard to make things better at the same time. Indeed, the attractions and aversions of those who work for societal change are great saboteurs of their efforts. I used to work as a massage therapist. In general, massage therapists want their clients to change. We want them, first and foremost, to relax. Those who work in more specialized modalities are looking for particular changes in the soft tissue. But all this wanting just gets in the way; it's a big mistake. Why? Because genuine healing touch doesn't come with an agenda. To the casual observer of a massage therapy session, there might not be a perceptual difference between a massage that works and one that doesn't. The difference is not in the techique of the massage therapist but rather in the MIND of the massage therapist. The trick is to touch someone in a way that encourages relaxation (or, better yet, self-awareness) without wanting this or that outcome. The trick is to be "in neutral." I speak of massage because that's what I'm familiar with but it's the same principle if someone is a doctor or a counselor or a social justice warrior.

I like this way of looking at the forum. Occasionally, someone will respond to something I wrote in the distant past and their response will prompt me to go back and look at some old post. It's sometimes surprising to see the person I was back then.

Facts and correct argumentation do matter, but not in the way many of us think. When I get into an internet debate I'm hoping for a response like this: I now realize you were right all along; please ignore my previous ten pages of (sadly misguided and ignorant) posts. In over a decade of arguing on the forum, I've yet to receive this kind of capitulation. Either I'm a really bad debater or it's just not in human nature to graciously admit defeat. Do ya think it's just me? Assuming nothing untoward happens (bad health, zombie apocalypse), I'll keep trying at least another ten years and maybe someday I'll win.

Thanks, Maddie. There's probably as many different experiences of the forum as there are Bums. Have you ever read Yelp reviews for one of your favorite restaurants? No matter how good I think a place is there's always someone who had a bad experience there and took the time to write about it. Just goes to show, I think, that our perspective on places -- restuarants, forums, whatever -- often have more to do with us than the places themselves. For the record, I do feel good about my contributions here. I often have a perspective that I feel is valuable and that other people seem to appreciate as well, and that's very validating to me. At the same time, I see people working diligently on their spiritual practices and getting results in ways that I've struggled to. You won't, for instance, see me posting any videos of myself doing tai chi.

It's been a wild ride. I've spent lots of time sucked into whirlpools of controversy and argument -- say about some political issue or the existence or nonexistence of the "self". As with other social media, there's lots of opportunity here to get lost in addiction, dopamine hits for likes, etc. And don't even get me started on the horrors of social comparison! It's easy to emerge from a Taobums session feeling inferior (intellectually, physically, spiritually -- take you pick). Still, when this place is good it's really Good. Amidst the crazies and the egoists, there are people here with breathtaking wisdom. I've learned so much.

Wisdom worth repeating. One teacher of mine emphasized the importance of "yin practice." First he'd have us do the yang thing -- moving, standing, etc -- and then we'd just sit and let things settle. In Zapchen, napping is an actual practice. Now, after I do most any thing meant to change my body, I sit, or even just lie down, for a spell.

For me, it comes down to a question: what is there to lose? The insufficiently skeptical can be easily duped, swindled, cheated out of money chasing false siddhis. And yet there's also something lost when skepticism becomes a hardened, habitiual pose in life. My former acupuncturist / taoist meditation teacher once told me about a time when he levitated. I didn't remark on the claim and we quickly went on to discuss topics more germane to my medical appointment. At a Buddhist retreat I attended, an instructor told a story about how Dipa Ma, an accomplished soul by all accounts, traveled back in time to prevent a train accident. Did I believe these stories? Yes, I did. Call me crazy (many have), but I like believing in magic.

I remember reading a short list of introductory taoist books provided by @Taomeow but am unable to locate it now with the search function. In general, I think her posts would provide a place to start.

Thanks, Maddie. My partner has been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and I'm always on the lookout for alternatives to the standard psychiatric treatment. He's been to tons of pschiatrists and psychologists and nobody has ever suggested acupuncture but it's been on my mind as a possibility. I imagine that few schizophrenics show up at TCM offices because, for most, it would involve an expense not covered by insurance and as a group psychotic people are financially challenged. That and the fact that schizophrenics are not likely to seek out innovative treatment on their own initiative. I've received acupuncture before and found it to be very relaxing. If nothing else, I think just relaxing for 30 minutes or so might be a worthwhile therapeutic outcome. His delusions are very anxiety provoking and I'm not sure if he's ever truly relaxed. Maybe his delusions wouldn't go away -- at least not in the short term -- but if he had an experience of calm? Might be just the thing.

I've got a question. How effect are acupuncture and chinese herbs for schizophrenia? Have you or your collegues suceeded in helping anybody with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder to reduce or eliminate antipsychotic medication? Thanks!

People often feel frustrated when their expectations aren't met. In the case of activities like art and programming it might be expectations of ourselves that we're not living up to. Is this the case with you? Art and programming are both notoriously frustrating endeavors; programs are always buggy and the art we make in reality falls short of the art we see in our imaginations. This is just part of the process with these kind of things. I think part of the solution is to back way off on our expectations. For instance, an artist might ask herself to spend ten minutes a day drawing or painting. She could ask herself: did I do my art for ten minutes today? If so, gold star. People who engage with the process consistently get better. What usually doesn't work is asking ourselves to be good at something prematurely. Greatness happens....in due time. Not sure if this speaks to your struggles or not, zoe, but thought I'd share my thoughts. LL

Hi zoe...you might find it interesting to chat with @Maddie about spirituality and transgender issues. Personally I don't think there's any conflict between being transgender and taoism although I'm sure there's a range of opinions. I'm gay myself and have (almost) always found this board a welcoming place. Hope you enjoy your time here, LL

I think of qi as a waystation between the material and nonmaterial aspects of our being. Imagine there's a train that runs between the gross materiality of the body and the ethereality of the spirit; qi would be the first stop after leaving the physical realm. Is this different from other people's understanding?

Interesting. I wonder if my teacher was surreptitiously making a political statement? The line must predate the book though as I graduated highschool in 1984 and, according to wikipedia anyway, A Handmaid's Tale came out the next year.

Rudi, A high school English teacher of mine kept a placard in Latin on her desk and one day I asked her what it meant. She told me: Don't let the bastards get you down. Fitting advice for life I'd say. I appreciate the free Zoom class you you gave some of us awhile back. I had a chance to meet you, albeit virtually, and am convinced that you teach because you sincerely want to pass on your knowledge to help others and not primarily for money or ego. I say that confidently because I trust my own judgment. I'm sorry you've had to deal with the messed up interpersonal dynamics on display in parts of this thread. It's not right but it seems to me that no public neigong teacher entirely escapes this kind of thing. Makes me understand why people are often secretive, having only "indoor" students, etc. Anyway, thanks for sharing what you do as openly as you do. You are appreciated. LL

Thanks for the vote of confidence! Like most people, I do have powers. Mine aren't particularly miraculous but who says a power has to defy the laws of physics to be quietly awesome? My mom enjoys the power to bake delicious apple pies and paint jaw-droppingly realistic flowers. To my way of thinking, such powers are every bit as wonderful, if not as attention getting, as faqi.