steve

Currently reading a long but good one

I appreciate @bradley's weird thought... mine is similar. Karma to me is simply the causal connection between actions and outcomes. I once had a deep insight into karma in my own life and experience that informed my understanding of the concept. I could see very deeply and clearly how every action and interaction throughout my life have come together to bring me to precisely where I am at that very moment. I could see how different choices on my part, or that of others, and my situation would be completely different. I could see the pattern of cause and effect extending back before my birth and beyond my death. I could see the web of interaction extending out in all directions, across vast distances without boundary. Most of all I could see the sheer scale and complexity of this intricate web of activity and how this makes it so difficult to always appreciate the direct connection between a given action and its effects. Dharma has many meanings in a variety of religions and contexts. It can mean something that is firm and stable, suggesting a foundational or organizing principle or law of existence. It can refer to the way we, as individuals, relate to the world and to others and varies at different stages of life. It is often used to refer to the teachings of Buddha Shakyamuni. For me, the most meaningful and useful interpretation relates more to the truth or the absolute nature of being. In the tradition I practice, the ground of being is considered the source of all teachings and all possible manifestations; so that coming into relationship with this fundamental experience of our nature opens us to our full potential as human beings.

Almost forgot to mention their mascot shits rainbow ice cream!

The Squatty Potty is one, I love mine!

With some patient stretching and strengthening, it can be very safe and effective. Some will be injured or aggravate existing issues. Proceed with care. I started squatting regularly about the age of 50. So far, so good. Great for the hips and low back! Careful with the knees.

Well, it did all start with a dude who agreed to kill his child for the voice in his head... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I just finished an interesting and entertaining fantasy novel called Babel by RF Kuang. It is an interesting study in good, evil, and perspective set against the background of English colonialism. Not a perfect novel by any stretch but quite compelling overall.

IMO it is an error in view to claim that a separate self "does not exist." Nor did I claim that gods, goddesses, and demons do not exist. That is not my view or the meaning of my posts. I do understand how people can come to that conclusion, sorry to not be more clear. This, I can get behind... and in front... and in the middle too. "I am he As you are he As you are me And we are all together ... Goo, goo, g'joob!"

Yeah, I've probably got it all wrong. Peace

There is an interesting hypothesis of consciousness being rooted in quantum states in intra-neuronal microtubules. This is a collaboration between an anesthesiologist, Stuart Hameroff, and physicist, Roger Penrose. There are plenty of valid criticisms but it's an interesting line of inquiry. https://academic.oup.com/nc/article/2025/1/niaf011/8127081?login=false https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1571064513001188?via%3Dihub

Just like the gods and goddesses, I see these more as convenient anthropomorphic representations of human qualities and characteristics and of unexplainable natural phenomena. Some positive (gods and goddesses) and some negative (demons). I’m not afraid to use the terms but I think they are less necessary and less meaningful in the context of modern knowledge.

I wonder what value there is in ascribing the negative characteristics and manifestations we see as “evil” as opposed to human? It feels to me that it is a way to distance ourselves or absolve ourselves of responsibility, a form of dehumanization such as is used to normalize atrocities.

May I ask, do you speak and/or read Mandarin @Cobie?

I agree, anonymous strangers online may not be the best resource under the circumstances.

I loved the first season and the rest not as much but the overall effect worked for me, largely because of the nostalgia. The mall was silly, the evil Russians too caricatured. That said the Americans were far more evil. I mainly liked the fact that we enjoyed it as a family and my kids lived the series. I also recently watched Life of Chuck and really enjoyed it. Just teasing about the “other stuff.” Some of it is fun!

Your experience resonates strongly with my own. For me, neijia, neigong, and neidan are journeys of self discovery. A teacher can give pointers and direction, as well as exercises to engage with, but we must engage and discover for ourselves the true meaning, proper technique, and results. Externally, the teacher can adjust the posture but internally, the inner details of posture must be discovered. This is the only way we can learn to self-correct and make meaningful progress in our practice. Once we have developed adequate skill and confidence, engaging with others allow us to test our progress and discover our weaknesses and errors, such as in tui shou, san da, and so on. This is why it is said in taijiquan that we must 'invest in loss.'

If there is discomfort sitting in stillness, that mind is not still. If the mind tries to find something to do, that mind is not still, it is active and restless. The restlessness and discomfort interfere with connecting to the source of creativity and compassion.

Loved the series, including the finale! Not sure what everyone else is talking about…. 🙃

My heartfelt condolences! I pray for healing for your family. And for your dear young doctor. I apologize for the order of my replies, I often reply from latest to earlier… 🙏🏼

If you trust wu wei as a principle, you must let it happen. The more you is there, the less it happens. I am a straw dog, and will be stashed away between performances, Dao continues to flow. Feel the Dao in every moment. I trust this moment more than I trust what I think about it.

Dao treats us like straw dogs, no? Positive or negative is a human judgement, Dao does not play favorites.

Your entire post above is gold. And there are layers of understanding and realization, just as there are relative and absolute truth. Reading and studying alone, even a scripture as perfect as Daodejing, can only take us so far. The mind, its activity, and its contents can only take us so far. We must make room for practice, for simply being, to appreciate the wisdom hiding behind the words. And we must be patient and kind with ourselves and each other if we want to discover something new together. Although, if we trust the old masters, an occasional swift kick in the arse or thwack on the shoulder with the keisaku can be helpful too.

I think you would also need to translate Wu in that case but it has potential.

agreed