thelerner

I was thinking of the Matrix as a movie that hits some Buddhist, Taoist philosophies from a sci fi angle. Moving further astream, the original Kung Fu series was loaded w/ insight and gems. For kids the TV cartoon series The Avatar, show cased Eastern Philosophy in respectful way while having a great story line. Michael

A little too militant an argument for tastes, ie destroy shopping culture. Should we move to a peoples paradise like North Korea where we can live simply? Its not that I disagree, its that the tone is raised too high. Moving in the direction of sustainability and lower foot prints is good. Once you shut off thinking lots of good things go out the window. Using a computer and the internet, which are the height of consumer technology to rail against technology and consumerism is wonderfully ironic.

Drink 10,000 cups of green tea and you will live 5 years longer. But the equivalent of 3 of them will be spent in the wash room peeing. Just back from San Francisco's China town. I picked up some sweetened macha made genmai style w/ toasted rice from a tea shop called Blest tea. Very good, makes a sweet green frothy cup.

Put in enough time in deep meditation (a few 1,000 hours) and you don't believe it, you know it. Michael

For what its worth we're probably further from the advent of nuclear war then we've been in the past. My parents literally lived through duck and cover drills. I lived through the cold war where there were real confrontations, mostly through proxies. There is a magnitude of more trade and more trust between the nuclear nations. We simply depend on each other more. 30 years ago I had a group of Russians friends in high school who were recent immigrants. They lived with much more fear of nuclear war then we did. They were bombarded with propaganda about the coming war w/ the crazy Americans. It left them with psychic scars. Human nature is slow to change, but there is a shift away from the naive prejudices of the past. Maybe thats just skin deep, but there are popular kids books and movies from the past that are incredibly, almost naively rascist. Laughably so, Dr.Doolittle, early Tarzan films etc. I have kids so I tend to be optimistic. We live in a time of enormous abundance and incredible access to knowledge; heaven is around us, but we whine over little nothings, even about things haven't happened. Michael

Enlightenment is such a loaded word, it means different things to different people. Some people's standards are having godlike powers, others place the bar at a psychological non duality. I like the term complete human being. Simple, healthy, non egotistical who move through life with a graceful flow. I find myself being a complete human being 20 seconds a day. Next year I'm shooting for 40 Michael

I'll usually have wine or beer w/ dinner. It tastes good has some health benefits too. Still its nice to clean out every now and then, no alcohol, no vitamins, no flour for a week or so to reset myself back to normalese. Michael

You know, one persons religion is another persons metaphysics . If an action or line of thought degrades and causes separation, take a close look at it; it might be evil. (I said might. For the truly enlightened there is no evil, but for us lesser beings it makes sense to call shit shit.) Michael

I'd throw in an extra. A favorite feature is deep searches of the past. Going back a few years and seeing how old topics evolved. I smile at the silly dramas I got caught up in. Michael

I was taught that the classical Romans and Greeks thought of the stomach area as the thinking organ. Its partly because we're taught what the brain is that we feel thoughts up there. Maybe if we were first taught the ancient belief we'd be a little more centered. Course that's thought, and not the mind. Where's the mind? My mind is currently split 3 ways. Some on sensory typing, some of visual looking at the computer screen and some caught up on a string of intention to answer a question. So I see the Mind Is, where the intention is. It freezes like a deer in head lights when searched for, but if you step away you can see its focus and get a little control over the beast. Michael

For the past month or so I've been listening to a guided meditation by Wudang reported from a Chinese master. In the meditation he often repeats 'see and do not see', 'know and do not know'. From a non-intellectual point of listening to it in a deep trance, it feels good, very right. To me it means let go. Set intention in motion and get out of the way. Michael

Todays song of wisdom by brother Al. (& one of my kids favorites) Let me tell you sonny... let me set you straight You kids today ain't never had it rough Always had everything handed to you on a silver plate You lazy brats think nothing's good enough Well, nobody ever drove me to school when it was ninety degrees below We had to walk buck naked through forty miles of snow Worked in the coal mines twenty two hours a day for just half a cent Had to sell my internal organs just to pay the rent When I was your age. When I was your age When I was your age. When I was your age Let me tell you something, you whiny little snot There's something wrong with all you kids today You just don't appreciate all the things you've got We were hungry, broken and miserable and we liked it fine that way There were seventy three of us living in a cardboard box All I got for Christmas was a lousy bag of rocks Every night for dinner, we had a big 'ol chunk of dirt If we were really good, we didn't get dessert When I was your age. When I was your age When I was your age. When I was your age Didn't have no telephone, didn't have no FAX machine All we had was a couple cans and a crummy piece of string Didn't have no swimming pool when I was just a lad Our neighbor's septic tank was the closest thing we had Didn't have no dental floss, had to use old rusty nails Didn't have Nintendo, we just poured salt on snails Didn't have no water bed, had to sleep on broken glass Didn't have no lawnmower, we used our teeth to cut the grass What's the matter now, sonny, you say you don't believe this junk? You think my story's wearin' kinda thin? I tell you one thing, I never was such a disrespectful punk Back in my time, we had a thing called discipline My dad would whoop us every night till a quarter after twelve Then he'd get too tired and he'd make us whoop ourselves Then he'd chop me into pieces and play frisbee with my brain And let me tell ya, Junior, you never heard me complain When I was your age. When I was your age When I was your age. When I was your age

I liked it. My fathers rule of medicine is to only go to doctors who are fatter then he is. Its not my way, but its an.. interesting one. Michael

Never forget the library. There are some books you want to own, others are great but you can absorb there content and move on. Spend some time in the library before you spend it at the bookstore. I'll always peruse the 'Just In' section first. Michael My last favorite spiritual book was "The Gods Drink Whiskey" a wonderful spiritual travel tome by an American professor traveling and teaching Buddism in the far east, main. Great read on many levels, I really like his take on Buddhism.

I notice there are 3 hours of actual work to be done each day on the schedule. You might have to multiply that by 3 or 4 times to be economically viable and self sustaining. Life, even in communes can get expensive. Monasteries are sustained through long hours of daily of often grueling daily work. On commune farms (kibbutz's) I've visited, 10 hours days were expected. Great sense of community, but hard work. Michael

Seems to me they could have saved some time and mathematical manipulation by just lighting up a joint.

Fascinating book, man and blog. I was just perusing his method of swimming w/ high efficiency. I don't think I can emulate his thought process or lifestyle, but I can pick up a few odd tricks from him. Michael

As is evident from his own life, giving written credit to people might expose them to arrest and worse. Its too bad so much of his life and contemporaries are mysterious. The higher level people I've seen in Bardon system (admitted few) have been open and friendly and even keeled. I've been thinking its a side affect for those who delve into it long and deeply enough. Michael

how would you finish these sentences that I am posting When looking for advice remember free advice is worth its weight in gold. When giving advice Look beyond the problem to the persons true needs. Give advice the person the person can accept and moves them closer to a solution, even an imperfect one. When in a fight Put your fears away. Fight like a master, open to all possibilities. When fighting more then one person Use all your weapons, mind, voice, telephone. Techniques are specific, but strategy flows through elemental thinking. When choosing a teacher Judge them on heart and wisdom, see if they show a path you want to follow. If they're married find out how well they get along w/ there wife, or siblings if they're not. If you meet some one and fall in love You are lucky. Work at the relationship and know it will evolve. If you have nothing to do Go to the Taobums site, its time suction zone. If you feel life is testing you Remember 'when life gives you lemons-Get another life' its a big world When you have to do something you're afraid of Do it first thing in the morning, or late at night after a few drinks If people don't agree with the way you live It doesn't matter unless they're living w/ you or you need there support Michael

Tricky question Miss Trixter. First of all I'm not sure Daddy Long legs Buzz, but I'll ignore that for now. Lets see ... karmic pay back. I'll say 8 lives for the spider, one for each leg. Then there's disrespecting the book. That'll get you 2 more. I'll add another 3 for self imposed guilt. So thats 13 lives, say you live 72 years for each one, minus the one where spiders get you at 26. So by the year 2875 you should be karmically clean. Unless there is another spider ofcourse. What can you do to lessen it?? Why should you want to? Life is good. Enjoy it. but if you still want out, remember: In the great web of life we're all connected. A few acts of kindness, a couple of spider rescues should do it.

In Aikido we were told to develope proper character we should douse ourselves first thing in the morning w/ a bucket or two of cold water. A shower was no substitute, big bucket, whoosh. I think there is a cleansing force to it. Michael

I find the same thing w/ my posts, but I leave them where they dropped so they can fertilize the place.

I think I'd still prefer the naked bath method. On a more serious note, I'd use such 'magical' techniques as a last resort. I would rather start w/ open and compassionate dialog. (Problems solved too easily or through external means are problems that might fester) So compassionate dialog, then naked buckets, then liquor, and if those don't work, Taoist Magic. Michael

I can't argue w/ the power and traditions of Taoism, but I think getting naked w/ your wife in the bath and spilling water over each others heads is a powerful step towards peace and reconciliation-amongst other things. Next time I get into an argument w/ my significant other I will suggest it.

Gossamer is right though, ET's words in the video don't really negate the 'we die and are dust' saying. But is that so wrong? So bad?? Do we expect to be ghostly versions of ourselves w/ our current memories and desires hanging out in heaven or swooping around earth? Seems to me if we keep our memories and desires even heaven would not grant happiness for long. Maybe if you hit the point, the psychological(?) sweet spot where consciousness blossoms, the little me me me dissolves and you see the world through unadulterated awareness, that is enough, that is your little piece of eternity. Maybe..we shall see. Michael