Apech

I don't want to see any new features which involve editing out, hiding or ignoring other posters (unless it is done by the original poster themselves). The Taobums is an open forum where people are free to express themselves within a set of very light rules about insulting and so on. I want it to continue that way and I hope there will be a reluctance to tinker with the board because some are irritated or annoyed. If these people are cultivators they should know that irritation and annoyance are grounds for practice and where you detect this in yourself it is a sign of locked up energy. Apart from this you only read that which you click on ... you are free to read or not read ... so what is the problem?

OK only those who are resting their minds in its natural state to post from now on.

I checked that link you gave and it said copyright at the bottom so I searched for another translation and its completely different: http://gnosis.org/library/marygosp.htm and this one http://www.maryofmagdala.com/GMary_Text/gmary_text.html so we need to decide what version we are using ...

This is the definition of vestigial in biology : "Occurring or persisting as a rudimentary or degenerate structure." Is it possible to have a vestigial thread on an internet discussion board? Discuss. (NB. your answer can include examples such as the thread in which you are posting.)

This is the definition of vestigial in biology : "Occurring or persisting as a rudimentary or degenerate structure." Is it possible to have a vestigial thread on an internet discussion board? Discuss. (NB. your answer can include examples such as the thread in which you are posting.)

We could do it as a separate thread verse by verse along the lines of the TTC forum.

Or a Top of Eat?

We could start with the Pistis Sophia ... anyone got a link to a good translation?

lots not lost ... are your 30 mins up yet???? LOL.

welcome to China President Nixon, do you like our water gate?

1) it won't prevent the identified problem 2 ) it affects everyone and not just those who are a problem 3) when challenged a valued member has already said he deletes posts for cultivation reasons (nothing to do with insults/spamming/trolling). On a more general point I would like to feel that I am free to express my feelings about moderation and board changes if I choose to. There is no need for the mod team to try to inhibit discussions such as this ... in fact there may be valuable points made to help the mod team. This discussion as I see it is not of the nature of an attack of any kind but simply people expressing their views about an announcement of changes.

I feel and I may be wrong (so forgive me) that you are viewing this issue from the perspective of what matters to you and how you see it, rather than what is best for the board and what the members want. Obviously I don't agree with you but there is nothing personal in this ... I am glad that you have taken on the moderation role and wish you well in it. But I feel that although you may have correctly identified an issue with 2/3 members but you are introducing a measure that affects everyone across the board rather than targeting those individuals with a view to getting them to change their behaviours (which are in ill faith as you put it).

How could anyone post 18,517 times and not say very much .... ???

Not sure what you mean by that. What is 'ill faith' ... do you mean an argument made in bad faith? in which case why would you think that? If it is much ado about nothing then why make the change in the first place? In the end I think the users should decide. If this change is being made because there is an issue with one or two users deliberately provoking others by making statements and then going back and deleting them then that is a form of trolling which should result in the usual actions to stop it.

I think Louis Komjathy has been discussed on here before. His views are dismissive of any western philosophical Taoism etc. which he think an invention and not authentic. From a cultural point of view he may have a point and there are according to Eva Wong' s 'Taoism' many kinds and schools of Taoism anyway. Some of these are more philosophical than others while some are mixed with Buddhism and so on. I'm not a fan of fundamentalism in any system of thought which seems to want invalidate anything modern as basically inauthentic. Ignoring for instance any adaptation which has occurred throughout history ... and invalidating anything that amounts to a recent insight or realisation. But its worth discussing how there might be a form of Taoism now in the west which would not be recognised as such by the Chinese. (I will now shut up and go back to Buddhing and Christian Mysticism).

I think part of the reason for this thread is to rescue Christian Mysticism from the ravages of Christianity. I have felt the presence of Jesus and intuit he was/is a true master. But the minute I think about Christianity I feel quite sick and have to stop. I feel that his true teachings are so far submerged under a pile of syrupy gook covered by another layer of arrogant hostility that it makes me despair. But I think we should try at least to distil out some useful messages and teachings to help each other on the way. Perhaps we could continue by discussing the role of the Virgin Mary and Magdalena ... ? if that suits.

yes ... I want to see a fight

It was growant who wanted Friend banned. If the posts insult then you would presumably ask them to edit them out anyway as part of moderation.

@Steve The way I see it is this. Shamatha and vipassana are common elements in the sutra, tantra and essence approaches but are viewed differently (possibly subtly differently). But there is no doubt they feature in each stage. For instance Takpo Tashi Namgyal's "Mahamudra : the quintessence of mind and meditation" dwells in great depth on shamatha and vipassana. However the understanding of what you are doing and why you are doing it is different. In the sutra stage you are taking the view that your mind is obstructed by conflcting emotions, karmic tendencies, habits and so on such that you dwell in ignorance and confusion. What is needed is to clear the mind by letting it settle and then waking up to its true nature by examining your perceptions and so on. There's a kind of path from A to B. From ignorance to knowledge (of the primordial nature of the mind). In the tantra path you are positing beings who are awakened and express different aspects of the awakened mind and identifying with them (yiddams). For instance Cherezig as the expression of compassion arising from non-dual awareness. Shamatha here is just a way to open yourself to the yiddam which you then 'become'. Then you identify body, speech and mind with the 'deity' and dissolve back to the primordial nature and sit with this ... without effort ... you are 'allowing' buddha-nature if you like ... there is no path from A to B. There is just B. In the essence approach even the yiddam is not necessary. You just sit with B. Here Shamatha is a tool to adjust your mind if you find it too scattered and vipassana is a tool to use when you find your mind has become too dull. they are not the 'meditation' which you return to once the adjustment of shamatha or vipassana has worked. Here the basis, the path and the result are all B. There is no difference. Sutra shamatha for instance would be an obstruction because it would reintroduce the idea that there is an occluded mind to be cleared and so on. So I don't see it as a way of disposing of shamatha and vipassana but more a way reconceiving them as you progress. In reality I would guess all practitioners do a mix of the three stages unless they are very advanced indeed.

I've made some comments in the "State of the board' thread ... I do have some problems with this idea and agree with stimpy above that I hope we are not giving in to a few people getting irritated over nothing very much.

Nothing yet.

It was a kind of creed though. And Nietzsche wasn't very nice about the Jews himself was he? (just trying to get an argument going because you avoided the one on the misconceptions about Daoism thread )

The Nazis?

Its a good idea to record useful techniques you discover and also ideas about 'the way', and significant teachings you receive - but subjective experiences I don't think this is a good idea. It can be a distraction.

Where's Marblehead?