thelerner

A Modest Proposal I think we bums need to do more then 'chat' about issues, We need to take ACTION!! I propose we fund a project to give 8 or 9 pit bulls to each member of the Tea Party. I'll need a thousand dollars from each member to make this dream come true. Or if you think that's a crazy idea, we could just collect $50 each and get the dogs from local pounds. BAM, I've just saved each person $950!! There's a place we can rent to keep the dogs by the Keller Preschool for the blind. I don't see how anyone could object to this idea. If you like the Tea Party and like Pit Bulls then its a great because it make members more powerful. If you don't like the Tea Party and don't like Pit Bulls then its great because the pit bulls will attack the Partiers. If you don't like the Tea Party and like Pit Bulls then its great because the Pit Bulls will show love and mellow the Tea Partiers. If you like the Tea Party and don't like Pit Bulls then ..maybe.. I got nothing, but what are the odds of that happening. I can't see why anyone would be against this plan.

Check out LifeSurfer.org. They're in Chicago, they have a monthly Full Moon meditation that is right out of Osho's play book. While he's not a role model for me, I really like the free style of his meditations. Also, great list Xabir. I've listened to lectures and read some of he works by Rev Kubose of the Chicago Buddhist Temple, he's very good. They're also having some Osho classes starting next week. Daily Meditations Intensive June 3 - 17 2012 OSHO Intensive Info Evening: Saturday May 26 5:30pm to 7:00pm with tasters, explanations and time for questions. Please sign up even though his evening is free. Second OSHO Intensive Info Evening at Solay Wellness in Skokie: Wednesday May 23 7:00pm to 8:30pm with tasters, explanations and time for questions. Please sign up even though his evening is free. About Osho Active Meditations If you want to live a more fulfilled life, first you will want to know your potential, who you really are. Meditation is the methodology of the science of awareness. Many meditative techniques require one to sit still & silent. But for most of us accumulated stress in our bodymind makes that difficult. To let go of our tensions Osho Active Meditations have been scientifically designed to consciously express and experience repressed feelings and emotions to learn the knack of watching our habitual patterns in a new way. Details about each meditation offered, click here. Weekend Workshop June 9 & 10: 7:00am – 8:15am OSHO Dynamic Meditation™ 8:15am-8:45am Tea Break (2 showers available) Sat: 8:45am to 10:00am “OSHO The Forgotten Language of Talking to Your Body Mind™” Sun: 8:45am to 10:00am "Self Hypnosis For Meditation" 10:00am to 11:30 am Breakfast Break Sat: 11:30am to 12:45am Laughing Meditation Sun: 11:30am to 12:45am OSHO Nataraj™ 12:45am to 2:45pm Lunch Break 2:45pm to 4:00pm OSHO Nadabrahma™ 4:14pm to 5:30pm OSHO Kundalini™ 5:30pm to 6:30pm Snack/Dinner break 6:30pm to about 8:00/8:30pm OSHO Discourse Good to know: The first 10 minutes of each meditation is for instructions. All Meditations start on time and it is not possible to join in late. Bring your own food (refrigeration is available). Coffee and teas and water are free.

A new month is coming. It's spring, a time for growth. We can end this coming month a little better, apprenticed to some new skill. So, tell people what you're interested in learning. Or what you'd like to share, if you have a fair amount of expertise. Smaller bite sized skills are better and more realistic then grandiose ones. Most of us are not experienced teachers, this is more about sharing then traditional teaching. Be diligent, but take things with a grain of salt. Personally I've been undisciplined, lazy & slothful lately. I can't think of anything in particular I want to learn right now, but I do need to stay on schedule and feel the best way to do that is a 'back to basics' approach. One of my next door neighbors does a joint life coaching where they talk twice a week, discuss what they've planned and whether they're accomplishing it. Its mostly motivational with feedback and encouragement. I'd be interested in setting something like that up. Laying out goals and schedules then checking them off. Sadly, it seems like I need the additional pressure, to keep my butt in gear. I've created too comfortable a life. That's my mundane wish. We have people with esoteric practices of great benefit. To teach is to learn. I hope to see some connections made for the coming month here. As a community, few things are as beneficial as being involved with someone else one to one on a regular basis.

Intimates or not, be happy where you are. Remember you can't spell intimate without inmates.

Don't know if he's 'enlightened', but Alex Grey's paintings are quite profound. http://www.alexgrey.com/ http://www.soundstrue.com/articles/The_Visionary_Artist_with_Alex_Grey/

Interesting, I'm willing to buy lightning, but heart(?) as an element? Hmnnn. Ofcourse other systems have wood, so maybe heart isn't that strange.

Not so much on the legal side, but on other issues you might want to contact Minke DeVos who ran Silent Ground, an island based retreat in Canada. I believe it closed down, but she may have insights into it that she'd be willing to share.

Q. Why did the chicken cross the road? A. Coronel Sanders was chasing it. Q. Why did the whale cross the road? A. To get to the other tide.

I guess its opposite of Wu Wei. Being clever, making lots of plans, giving lots of advice; and ala 'I'm from the government/authority and I'm here to help'.

The sacred. Everything is the same, and everything is sacred.

And then there are people who don't teach, but just there presence is a lesson.

there's a no in know

You should have met some of my old girl friends.

I don't know if Sylvester Stallone and body builders should be our role models. If he achieves his look naturally good, if he's taking pills or shots then not so much. Sometimes the filtering organs(liver, spleen etc.,) pay the price for vanity drugs. In the West we look for more Yan, when it balance, often more relaxation we need.

No great mind here, but instead of a crutch a teacher is ... a teacher; a sensei, one who has gone before, knows the route and can guide you around obstacles that might make you quit or bash your head against for a long time. A great teacher is priceless as long as the student is diligent and open. I agree with you, Books feed the intellect, unless they cause a mental leap they're unlikely to lead anywhere profound with out real life practice to back them up.

Simple solution, stop the gigong. As people have pointed out qigong can give you more energy and sometimes a quiet mind reveals levels of thoughts that are usually too quiet to notice. Personally I think most demons are of our own making. More energy, more hormones = more horny, and its subconsciously processed as demons, maybe. Lots of types of meditation, find one that fits.

I had to throw in the last one cause you're a hard nut to crack. Surrender isn't so bad, half the universe, yin, is the art of surrender.

Here's another Ted talk about Tucson Arizona, a dry dusty place covered in asphalt. Where when it rains, it floods, spreading dirty greasy water. But with simple ideas, rain becomes a blessing again and with simple ingenuity green comes back. Here is the video- Its all about looking at what's considered waste and finding value in it. That is the secret to wealth. There are solutions out there; sometimes as simple as digging a hole in the right place. Owledge: I agree, the parking garage top wasn't the best illustration of the principle. There is probably enough unused roof space and ground spots that we don't need to think in terms of knocking out parking. On the other hand, it'd be great to see more use of underground space. Temperatures stay moderate, no $$ for heating or cooling, great place to sleep and park cars. I could see living in a hobbit hole, though I'd keep the place lit through sky roof w/ reflective tube lighting.

I think there is vast potential in this kind of small sized project: http://www.good.is/post/a-geodesic-dome-promises-fish-from-the-sky/ Here is a Ted talk on it: "The Globe / Hedron bamboo dome would house an aquaponics system—a mini-ecosystem in which plants clean the water where fish swim and fish waste fertilizes the plants—capable of feeding 16 people year-round. The unique structure of the dome, designed by Conceptual Devices, would support the weight of the fish tank, enabling installation on flat roofs without adapting the structure of the building. The design firm is partnering with Zurich-based group UrbanFarmers, which developed the aqauponic technology, and they're currently fundraising on indiegogo to get the project off the ground. The project's creators promise a harvest of 400 kilograms (about 880 pounds) worth of vegetables and 100 kilograms (about 220 pounds) of fish each year, including everything from tomatoes to spinach to trout. Panels on the dome's exterior would provide both shade and insulation, allowing the the structure to adapt to local environments, while the compact size and easy assembly would enable it to be shipped around the world. " I think this kind of low tech solution is still in its infancy, but this kind of thinking has vast potential. I'd love to see numbers on its costs and the reality of its production verse theoretical. Creating food producing ecologies; allowing nature to grow and recycle waste products, brilliant.

That phrasing is so manipulative that the question becomes worthless. Everyone who wants to give control to a few elites raise there hands. Anyone?? anyone here?? Seems straw doggish to me. There's are better questions to ask in order to create real discussion. First you have to understand the other side and its attractors. Too often we stereotype without getting to the bottom of philosophy. Or we compare the best of our side vs the worst of theres. We end up with both sides saying the other is against freedom. I'm not saying the truth is in the middle, but neither side has a monopoly on it.

I can point you towards a podcast. They're free audio shows available from Itunes in there podcast section downloadable in mp3 format. This one is called, The Golden Flower Podcast. Its by JJ Semple who has a book out on the subject. They're more hands on the philosophical. I don't follow his system, but I think he's an honest teacher. A live teacher is always best, but dedicated practice can over come it. Yours Michael

Yet according to another great theory: dinosaurs never existed, they're just a government cover story to keep scientists from traveling too far back in time. OOOOOO ooo ooo OOO ooo ooo

Hmnn, things to surrender to: The Universe, cause its big your small. Circumstance, cause you can't get around it. The Inevitable, cause you can't get over it. Your Mother, cause she raised you, loves you, and wears army boots.

I've made a copy of most of this thread in my Best of Tao Bums collection. With your permission I'd throw it into the Article section where it'd be easier to find and readable in a single post. Let me know. Yours Michael