Apech

Naropa I believe got into some trouble with his guru for debating ‘Hindu’ sages - I think there was a lot of back and forth in certain historical periods. Some lineages (is it the Nath?) share teachers. The way I frame it is that there is one great cultural vehicle (for want of a better phrase) which is all dharma can traditions - and within that there are many streams (some of which have died out like the adjivekas (sp?) ) but others survived. Buddhism of course survived only outside the main Indian subcontinent. Philosophical views vary and so on - which is all well and good - and there isn’t really a right or wrong - more a question of inner consistency. What is more important is valid transmission of effective empowerment’s and so on which lead to liberation. There are a diversity of paths because people are diverse and benefit from different approaches. In this was there is no basis for disparaging another dharma - something I would avoid even if I didn’t find it compelling or attractive.

"In Daobumia did @Nungali a sacred pleasure dome decree, where .." The cat screwed up the paper he had been scribbling on and threw it to one side. @Nungali picked it up and sighed. "That's plagiarism," he said. "I thought it was quite creative, " replied the cat," just not quite ..." "Creative!" Nungali stood and started pacing up and down, " you can't just take something and change a couple of words!!!" "I don't know. I quite liked my last effort," said the cat unmoved. " 'Shall I compare thee to a Santa's sleigh, thou art more slippery' ... that you mean?" The cat stretched, expecting a rant. "Look, " said Nungali, " we're stuck beside this bloody musical river until you come up with the next plot line!" "I thought you liked the Saraswati." "I did but ... all I could hear was the BeeGees greatest hits ... all night! I got no sleep!" The cat thought for a minute. But no ideas came. "Maybe @dwai and the others will be back soon," said Nungali hopefully. "Oh," said the cat in an uninterested way. "At least he might take us down river on the Diamond Cutter to the Indus Valley," said Nungali. "What would harappan then?" asked the cat. Nungali becoming agitated. "What would harappan then? What would harappan then? That's not funny, puns are not funny. Its just taking one word that sounds like another! It is not humour!!!" The cat puffed up his hair into a ball and and said nothing. "You've ruined everything! " went on Nungali, "where is @blue eyed snake, where is @Bindi, where is @questionmark??? You've pissed them all off with your bad jokes and toxic masculinity. That's what!" Silence. Long silence. "Do you think so?" asked the cat at last. "Yes, you are toxic. You really are." "No ... I'm masculine? Do you reckon." Nungali suddenly silent just threw a stone into the water. "Do you remember when you had Catvid 19?" he said. "Yes," said the cat. "I took you to the veterinary and they gave you general anaesthetic." "...yes." "They said it was for the best, at your age and everything. "Oh. You mean ..." "Yes." "Oh." "Sorry." The two sat watching the river and the soft strains of 'Stayin Alive' wafted over the water.

just for clarification it is an Egyptian statue of the god Thoth as a baboon from the new kingdom maybe 1300 BC perhaps. So it doesn’t need pink bow.

But then .....

Why? I was just getting the drinks in :

me neither

Not really. the only thing you could say is that shamatha creates the 'cauldron' for alchemy in a very general sense. Vipassana just means examining and refers utimately to turning mind back onto mind. alchemical/tantric practices are generally reserved for completion stage sadhanas and not introduced till then. Neidan starts with the subtle body techniques from the beginning.

This device, consisting of a sundial and geared mechanical calendar, is the second oldest known of its kind. The earliest known example is the #AntikytheraMechanism. It dates around 400-600 BCE, Byzantine Empire.

hang on a minute!

@mrpasserby scrambled ahead, clearing a way through the undergrowth, the other's following in a straggly line. "Zero! Zero!" called out @steve-on-the-internet. "Where the hell did he get to?" worried the cat. They hadn't seen him for hours. The bushes in front parted and @mrpasserby reappeared breathless. "Come and see what I've found!" They followed down to the bank of a wide river. All they could see was a pile of cut branches. Then @mrpasserby began pulling them to one side, one by one. Beneath was revealed an elegant boat, with now faded but once brightly coloured planks in white, blue, yellow and red. A large steering oar at one end and a small square sail. By the prow large eyes had been painted. "My goodness!" said @questionmark. One by one they climbed on board. The hull shook and swayed, then settled. On a plank near the stern someone had carved the name Diamond Cutter. @dwai was the last to board but he made his way to the prow and stood looking out at the wide river. He hushed them with a raised hand. "Listen!" he said. They listened. From far away, then dancing nearer, there seemed to be the sound of muffled cymbals and bells ... and then the resonant sound of a lute ... then a chuggling laughter which broke and died away in a moment. The cat turned his sharp ears this way and that. Was that singing? A horn? The music died to a hush. They held their breath. Then in a new surge wind rustling dried leaves and a thousand birds singing. The sound of joy and of sadness, the call to a distant home, soft melancholy, sweetness, pebbles clicking gently together, the splash of falling water. Each of them was cast into a reverie - each in his or her own but somehow mingled and shared. They thought of sunsets at sea, tired limbs from a long days hike, a cosy fire, biscuits and tea ... the lights of home seen from the hill, of welcome and kindness. Then slowly back to the boat, the river, the present time. @dwai knelt down and cupped his hands in the water. "Don't drink," said @steve worried for his health. But @dwai stood and held his hands above his head letting the water fall all about him in a spray of sunlit gold. The troupe gasped at his tall figure cloaked in light for an instant like some ancient god. "Bloody hell " said @Nungali , peering over the side ," it can't be, can it?" But @dwai turned and nodded. "Yes," he said, " we have found the Saraswati."

Thanks, I watched most of the video and I have to say that this kind of analysis seems to replace 'literalism' with another kind e.g the king is the Self. Well to me the king is God the Father not the self, for instance. Also the princess in the story is very girlie, disgusted by the frog, ungrateful and manipulative - as well as not seeming to be able to act for herself. To me, and I accept this is my opinion only, this seems to be un-affirming of positive yin qualities. The frog of course is an ancient 'symbol' of primeval chaos energy (see Ogdoad ) which is essentially phallic.

Yep. When I write these little tales I just start with an initial scene which interests me - in this case the cat lazing under a tree - and then from there the rest just basically writes itself. There's certainly an intention to amuse, entertain and to play off different things happening on here (like the TOAD business) but I don't calculate it. I felt by the end it was more about the inertness of the masculine and the self assertiveness of @questionmark if anything - which is why I was confused by @Yueya's objection. The whole purpose of the thread itself is to refocus us as a little band of fellow travellers on a journey of some kind, to try to get back to the lively, funny energy that used to be here and make posting a bit of a joy and not a turgid repetitive bad tempered dispute.

I have no idea what you are talking about.

The cat sat lazily under the shade of a great tree, chewing a piece of grass, while @Nungali fiddled with the knapsack. "When will @zerostao get back with the food?" he asked. "It's a long way back to the Hamlet of Drew - and you did insist on a burger," said @Nungali. In front of them, beside a large pond @questionmark played with a silver tinkling ball, throwing it high in the air and catching it, whooping and giggling like a girlie. Up it went, high into the blue sky, down it came into her outstretched hands. Once, twice. But on the third time the ball span out from her hands and plopped into the dark waters of the pond. Silence. "Help me get my ball back!" shouted @questionmark to the others. Silence. "Come on!" The cat shifted his weight slightly. "You'll have to ask him," he said pointing. On a lily pad sat a large frog, with big bulging eyes and a flicking tongue. "What!" said @questionmark, "are you kidding." "Give him a big kiss and he'll do whatever you want," replied the cat. "Oh! I suppose he'll turn into a prince, will he!!!" "No but he'll give you a T.O.A.D. for sure." "Fuck that," said @questionmark, and plunged into the water and fished out the silver ball. "There," she said "you don't need a frog when you can do it for yourself."

Promises, promises (snicker)

I recall witch used to talk about orgasms a lot. She was a bit bonkers but interesting. There was a thread between witch and drew where he would say such and such was happening - and she just said I can’t feel anything.

I read this and then crossed my legs.

This was very good , thanks.

Or the other way round I can heartily recommend this book: https://www.shambhala.com/tibetan-zen-3348.html

"Meh, that's evolution for you!" he remarked to no-one in particular.

"Odd that," remarked the cat, "if I look at this book through one eye it reads one way, if I look at it another way it tells another story." With that he slammed shut the Great Book of Daobums and lay back in the morning sun. Dozing, he dreamed he was a Daoist dreaming he was a butterfly, dreaming he was cat, that dreamed he was a man. When he woke he realised he was none of those.

That's good news. I know how scary wildfires can be. We have them here. Even now in February there have been some in the mountains. Stay safe.