beancurdturtle

I think calling it "fashion advice" is a stretch. Haha

This is like saying "when a marathon is a thirty meter run you are unwillingly a capable marathon runner = athlete." Marijuana and other filters are like blinders on a spirited horse. They narrow your field of perception, sometimes to the point that you haven't the capacity to focus on more than one thing. That's not meditation - that's disability. If you truly believe Marijuana causes unwilling meditation, you should get your hands on some Thorazine. You will experience some extremely deep "meditative" states. Peace,

I don't wear Chinese clothing, but I always protect my neck from wind. Since about 2003, I have 5 black/navy short sleeve mock-T shirts and 5 long sleeve mock-T shirts. And I have 5 pairs of jeans. All I have to do is decide if it will be warm or cool for short sleeve or long sleeve - it's so easy. I have not have a single "flue" or any respiratory illness for 3 years. Maybe it's all in my mind - but protecting my neck from wind works for me.

Funny how things come in sets - even thoughts. I posted this poem in another discussion today and it seems appropriate here too. Hope the sorta double post is tolerated... We are not meant to change the world, or a Tao leaning forum. We are meant to change ourselves. When done rightly, those who are ready will learn by example.

I'm curious, I would like to understand more about your fear. This is an honest question - if you don't mind answering - not a criticism. What is it that you fear about being useless and small? Thanks for the kind words.

Stunning! Wonderful colors.

We are more alike than you know. Some people will scrape at the barnacles believing they are really a beautiful whale. When a mermaid appears they are disappointed. We can't know what we will find when we remove the detritus - I know what you are describing. Mine too. My strange semantics and brevity breed misunderstanding sometimes. We really actually are - compared to the 10 thousand myriad things - small and useless. By understanding, knowing, and "being" small and useless with acceptance - you will feel it even more. Maybe I'm still not making sense, but I wrote a poem about it in early 2006.

Isn't this "discernment of self vs. filter framework" the goal of the practices and ways of cultivation most people here are pursuing?

Don't feel, be. It's quite enlightening.

Usually I start between my ears - location of the vessel is irrelevant. If you need you + location, then you have been marginalized. Peace,

Not uplifting or encouraging. Just pragmatic. Death is a threshold you pass - and the weather, the self, the soul, everything, is different. Or perhaps it is the same. What you or I believe is not important. The important fact is, birth and death are milestones that have little relevance on what you are doing today. This instant, here and now, this is where we live. Live - not for the future, not for the past (except for practical issues) - and do it with acceptance and peace. Birth and death are irrelevant. Peace,

You want to "peg" me honey? Simple - read the Tao te Ching. Love you,

Aiyah! And here I thought I was dingless. It is a parody on Game Show histrionics. It's the opposite of the silly phrase "*making the sound of a buzzer* Wrong Answer!" And it is a silly phrase I will never again use in this forum.

Ah! A semantic issue. I had never heard of "magical Taoism," so I took your own brief explanation of it to heart without question. What you call "magical Taoism" I know as vitalizing Taoism. Wonderful, powerful fascinating stuff. I see a Taoist doctor myself and read the Yellow Emperors works many years ago. Very cool. I don't have you pegged - never thought I did. I know my own ignorance and am not afraid to admit it (TTC Chapter 71). I am swimming in ignorance about you personally. I only know the face you present here - and the descriptions you give of yourself and your practices and beliefs. Even then I could be - actually, am likely to be - misunderstanding you. I don't have an issue with you. As I said before (honestly), I actually find you charming in your way. I'm just a little boggled by someone that calls themselves a Taoist, and dismisses the Tao te Ching as if it were a 81 chapter fortune cookie. Peace, It's a silly way to acknowledge my agreement. Since it grates on you, I'll stop it.

I know what you presented Brother. And I agree with you. I was responding to Taomeow's question (or was it a challenge) about "ignorance." Though I'm not sure how close I got to how a Buddhist would answer the same question. Speaking of ignorance (though not insinuating ignorance), I wonder - how would Taomeow reconcile the Dao de Jing Chapter 38 with "scientific (magical) taoism."

This... To me this seems to be focused on finding explanations and rationalization. Some things are truth, not fact. Insist on filtering your understandings through a fact filter and you will miss some fundamental truth. Which would also explain your response to "Philosphical Taoism." More amusing than interesting if you aked me. Jump up and down, flash me your "credentials," pontificate and insist one is Vermillion and the other Burgundy - hell, it's all Red isn't it? ding, ding, ding, ding, ding! Right answer, again!

At the very least, we believe we are being helpful. We're like a Cracker Jack box full of good intentions - sometimes the prize at the bottom is not what you expect. In some things, you don't need an answer right away. You've served yourself a full plate already. A glossary can't hurt (links above) if you must have a definition today. But if you stick with it, most of these things will come back around. You'll "get" them when you should. Above all, have fun. Peace,

No game. Truth. And not from a Buddhist, but it answers your question. You are unable to find an answer for this because you are looking for an explanation or rationalization. This is your nature I feel as you practice "scientific (magical) taoism." End of my answer; now some comments... This "ignorance" feels to me like it is the one integral source that is also everything sourced. We can't know it, it can't know itself. To be honest I am only grasping at some feeling of familiarity with this use of the word "ignorance." with a twist of semantics and acceptance I could say the Tao is ignorance. The Tao itself manifests nothing and no thought, it is ignorance in this state. When abstracted to yin/yang, matter, perceptions, biases, and the 10 thousand myriad things, it loses it's ignorance. I'll stop here for two reasons: 1. If I keep trying to follow this thought right now, it will become muddied. and 2. I am somehow reminded of a quote from American Beauty, "Sometimes there's so much beauty in the world I feel like I can't take it... and my heart is going to cave in." I wish there was more ignorance, more innocence, more naivete, more beauty, more hearts caving in... I wish fatherpaul was here to bring perspective to "Taoism vs. Buddhism" Peace,

Buddhist, Taoist, Whateverist; practices, paths, arts, schools, the 10 thousand different methods for cultivation are all abstractions from what is, They are all descriptive frameworks. The human mind takes comfort in defining and comparing things, even when there is no difference. And oneupsmanship is a further abstraction. I don't think there is a Taoism vs. Buddhism argument. I do think that my understanding of both is steeped in my personal bias and relative ignorance. And when I give my understanding of one thing and another, I usually disclose my ignorance and bias in one way or another. Buddhist, Taoist, Whateverist; practices, paths, arts, and schools are all tools of comfort for our human minds. If it's a good tool. it's worth using. Some people are more comfortable with one tool than another. Comparing and oneupsmanship are irrelevant. If I tell you my way, I am telling you what works for me. If you tell me my way is wrong, you are full of shite. If my perception of your way is wrong, than I am guilty of ignorance. If you hear me say your way is wrong or less right than my way, then I am guilty of poor communication - I didn't mean to say that. What I do trust is the fact that there is one integral source that is also everything sourced. I happen to call it the Tao. My label could be wrong, but I have a label because that's a human thing - and I am human, I trust that as well. Any perception of rightness or betterness is only based on our perception (biases and relative knowledge/ignorance) of the descriptive framework. Perception and belief are always at least one step away from truth. Underneath it all, my integral source/manifestation is no different from yours. I'm with you on that point Brother Lin. Peace,

No need to be sorry. Referencing your closing statement, we are in agreement. What I've learned of Zen traditions would be in alignment with what you say. Zen would also NOT fit neatly into the "Buddhism in a Nutshell" description I rendered. So we don't exactly have conflicting opinions - we're just not meshing on the same gears. I was overgeneralizing based on the Buddhist schools and the Buddhists I've had the most exposure to. There are Taoists that would say my sound-bite on Taoism is misguided as well. Every larger school of thought or action has it's quirky corner. I happen to live in what's commonly thought to be a quirky corner of the whole of Taoism myself. Thanks for your clarification, -- P.s. I should add that Lin Ai Wei's posts have been helpful for me to better understand the Buddhist traditions he follows. If my only exposure to Buddhism was through knowing you and Ai Wei, my description might be quite different.

Well, for what it's worth to you, you've got a "Philosophical Taoist" here that concurs with a great deal of what you said. begin BGBI (base generalization, biased interpretation) mode... By my experience: - Taoism is about ways of being and doing that render us integral with the universe, resulting in peace and contentment. Fully engaged, and frictionless. - Buddhism is about working to create a separateness of self to distance us from "suffering" or what have you. It's a bit like fighting gravity in my experience. ... end BGBI mode But if Buddhism turns your crank and does you well - have at it. Peace,

Ever had a very vivid dream, and while in the dream you were convinced it was real? That's all it is. For some reason, people are ok with "dream states" while sleeping, where they perceive they have no control; but not ok with dreams states while awake, where they perceive they should have control. The true scary thing is that people actually believe they have control, and haven't learned that control is only a perceived thing - not real. Two of our most limiting fears are the fear of the unknown and the fear of loss of control; because to know and to be in control are purely context based perceptions. First you have to create an artificial framework wherein the knowing or control has anchor points. Remove the framework, remove the fear, accept. Peace,

Ah! Then you haven't been to Koko's Goldfish World forum.

I don't own a TV. Haven't for years. The only show that interests me when I'm around other people's TVs is Iron Chef.

I love you man.