rene

Interesting read, Aetherous, tks for sharing it.

That works, but only up to a point.

Regrettably ??? Grrrrrrr....👹 LOL 🦋

No, LimA, I am not your sweet lady. Please direct your attention elsewhere. Thank you.

Hello rabbit. I need to respectfully decline your gracious request for my further input. Watching what is happening in Catalonia these last 24 hours has been a turning point for me - from apolitical to anarchist. I am not sure, yet, in what all ways this shift will manifest in my life; I do sense, however, an event similar to Catalonia will occur here in my lifetime. It's time for me to go politically quiet and just watch as things there, and here, unfold. For now. Best of luck with your endeavors, Warmest regards, Rene

Agree, and the same idea can (and should, imo) be applied to translations/interpretations of The Laozi. Kindly excuse the tangent, 3bob 🦋

The section in this thread is from Ch11, the first 10 are wonderful. Loaded with the essence of Taoist magic (not a 'how-to' manual) but the feel of it, taoist spirits, and much much more. It really conveys the underlying, imo...when read in a receptive manner; if you know what I mean. 🦋

Mistaking genders of nicks is trivial; hmmm... maybe better you apologize for thinking a female can't be sadistic, if that is the real basis for your post. If not, my error. No harm, no foul. (-: "Trouble rather the tiger in his lair than the sage among her books. For to you kingdoms and their armies are things mighty and enduring, but to her they are but toys of the moment, to be overturned with the flick of a finger." ~ Gordon R. Dickson, Tactics of Mistake

LOLOL LimA you are right! I am sadistic! AND my words are Useless! Just ask anyone! Now, if you will excuse me, I need to hurry off and pull more wings off butterflys as they are even more useless than Marblehead!

Agree. All the more reason for everyone to put extra effort in choosing words. With open and genuine heart - the possibility to find peaceful resolutions, or meaningful dialogue, is more likely. Without it - one just as well stay in Off-grid and spew.

Not ignorance! You described 'Both, same time'. See where I changed your post? Easy as that. (-:

lol, most welcome! Personally, I like the wuwei approach on the personal battle shit. Whenever I'm thumped on in here - it gives me the opportunity to go re-read my posts...to see where (or if) I left a target in my words. Clear mis-reads happen, easy to fix or move past. But when the representatives of big opposing ideas butt heads, (like old Buddhism & new syncretic LU) and the words move from 'Your ideas are wrong' to 'You are an idiot for believing that' - well - both sides are showing all the rest of us how useful or effective one's beliefs/practices are... if one is so easily drawn into the fray. That's one benefit of having no fixed path (WuDao) to defend :-D Easy enough to wish everyone well on their finding what works for them! warm greetings (-:

Do I think your method(s) are really working? Oh yeah, to the max. You so clearly know that Tao is not something separate that needs to be chased, lol. It's beyond obvious in each of your breaths, words, ideas... IF you weren't born with that fish in your hand, you caught it along the way - and it's been a delight, over the decade, watching you play and parry with the unneeded net. (-:

Maybe this is your answer?

Bumped - -because it's a really good thread -because it's a joy to read again the incredible words of bums no longer here -and what a hoot seeing all the nick changes! It's also from before a 'like/thankyou' button existed - which accounts for their scarcity; the exceptions are from recent readers playing in the archives. It's tempting for me to go back through & Like all the posts now, but you folks would probably shoot me with my own arrows for all the Notifications generated. :-D

Yeahhhh!

Love and peace to you, friend; difficult times ahead. We're here for you. 💜

Always glad to help! Let me know when you see the cliff. :-D

The long term influence of Buddhism on Daoist view is almost as complex as the Jesuit bias in their translations of the DDJ. Read that literally, do you? :-D Perhaps those words are pointing at the underlying peace and acceptance that simultaneously dwelling in both the 'local and universal' (your terms) brings. You are right, however: those unfamiliar with these things would view it as you described. I bet the newborn babe has a favorite teat, and desires it! Enjoyable conversation, Jeff, thanks!

For me, it is the former. I would miss the teacup for maybe 5 seconds; I will miss my (deceased) mother forever. But neither 'missings' are a source of suffering for me. The teacup is fondly in my memory; my mother is always in my heart. Recalling both brings a smile to me and feelings of warm love. I know what you are referring to with the term 'universal love'. Maybe there needs to be a better term for that too, lol. What you speak of is unboundaried and 'degrees' are undefined. No. Not in De. This is not the thread for that discussion, however. Thanks for your reply!

Right, I was talking about having a "favorite" - sorry my post wasn't more clear. 'As compared to' - You mean like 'either/or' ? You mean like once one expands into universal love that 'individual love' is no longer also there? You mean I cant have a favorite teacup and not be attached to it? You know: Both, same time? You sure? (-:

Thanks, Stosh, for your ideas on this. What you say makes sense (in explaining the "difficulty of having a favorite anything" concept) - and it is a philosophy I do not share. To me, there is little difference between stand-alone materialism ~and~ stand-alone spiritual-materialism.... guess I prefer the natural balance of Both, same time.

That we do. And yes! there is much Daoist thought/overlap here... As this is a Buddhist thread in the Buddhist section - perhaps CT would prefer if it heads back more in that direction? Apologies for my OT posts. Sweeping up teacup now. Cheers! (-:

I agree... so why, then, would that Master have a problem with having a favorite teacup? I get the point of the teaching - but it ALSO conveys that having even the smallest thing (teacup) should be avoided. On its own it's too extreme, too extreme. Better, perhaps, to find another way to convey Even in the small, the large resides. Perpetual imo applied.