doc benway

I think it's a good idea to keep a dedicated Daoist forum. I remember the frustration Taomeow points out. I feel I will miss the Buddhist forum but I get the desire for simplicity. It will be fun to try something a little different.

What about "Daoist Textual Studies" simply being "Textual Studies?" I bring this up as there have been some wonderful threads in Buddhist Textual Studies, and no doubt in Hindu... I like the idea of simplification overall and will be fine with whatever changes are made.

To continue on the theme, my teacher offers some advice for practitioners which I'll paraphrase. It derives from Dzogchen teachings but I think is relevant to any discipline. When we begin to practice, our meditative stability is fragile, like the flame of a candle, easily extinguished by a gust of wind. At this level we need to protect the flame, avoiding disturbances and simply develop familiarity and stability in the practice. As we become more stable, we can begin to challenge ourselves. The flame is no longer as fragile but can still be blown out by a strong wind. Once our practice is very stable, it is like a bonfire. The wind feeds it, making it larger and more powerful. At that point, nothing can disturb us.

That combined with the refusal to acknowledge or address climate change which could spell human extinction. I think those are Chomsky’s points.

Sceptre

"The Republican Party is the most dangerous organisation in human history." - Noam Chomsky

I think that's part of it. I think they also feel disenfranchised, abused, and powerless. Government in this country is by and for wealthy, corporate interests. The people are simply a nuisance to be managed and manipulated. People are fed up and for good reason. The problem is their anger is misplaced by a very effective propaganda machine.

Very much so, and it was very well said. Thank you Similarly in Dzogchen, everything that elicits reactivity is taken as the path of practice. I've had quite a lot of good stuff to work with! Your comments about the genesis of Trumpism seem spot on to me. The frustrating thing is to see my country-folk elect someone like this in spite of his violent and xenophobic rhetoric and abject lack of compassion.

I was practicing meditation with a group last night. We practice together and then share our experiences, both on the cushion and off. We discuss how we are using our practices to address the challenges we face in our lives. One common theme is the degree of pain people are feeling in their daily lives related to our current conditions and leadership in the US. It really is considerable and destabilizing. My observation has been that the more empathetic people are, the more their hearts are open to others (especially those more vulnerable), the more they are struggling with this nightmarish situation we find ourselves in. After 3 years of this, we are now facing the very real possibility of another 4. I think it's healthy to be reminded that we continue to reify our story through giving voice to our pain. On the one hand, voicing can be cathartic and useful. On the other hand, if voicing doesn't lead to letting go and allowing the frustration to liberate, it is simply reinforcing and magnifying our pain. So I'd like to thank Spotless and a few others for giving voice to a lot of what I am feeling and struggling with. I'd also like to thank Rene and Wanderlaar and others for holding up a mirror and showing us how we look to others who are less wrapped up in the situation. Trump really is that horrible and yet we need to find some way of preventing this horror from poisoning our hearts and minds. What is far more frightening to me than Trump is the fact that he has shown what is possible in this country and the next Trump may be far more intelligent, far more cunning, and far more malevolent.

Very nice to have you back. Wow, what a fun week at the DaoBums!

In the tradition I follow, ignorance is considered to be not knowing who and what I am, and misidentifying with what I am not. Enlightenment is realizing my true Nature and living from that perspective on a continuous basis.

... or Buddhist, or Bönpo, or Christian, or Muslim, or Jaini, or Hindu, or Jew, or Pastafarian.

I love your way with words... That said, my reading of the Daoist classics leads me to believe that many sages would today be taken for bums! No one has perfect understanding and there is no one interpretation of any masterful work like the DDJ. We are all working and playing with it in our lives and this is enough. If someone is driven enough to seek direct instruction, wonderful! If someone can do no more than read for themselves and work with the concepts in their lives, equally wonderful! This is a great place to bounce interpretations and ideas off of others, some more knowledgeable and some less. While you may be convinced that you have perfect and complete knowledge of the subject matter, I invite you to consider that maybe there is more than can be learned and understood with an open heart and mind. Maybe there is opportunity to help others understand with just a little gentler touch. Careful I'm with you 100%. It's even OK if we end up in different places and with different understandings. The fun part is playing and dancing together as we move through this miracle.

tender

Welcome back Encephalon!

Got it, thanks. In Dzogchen the experiential distinction between mind and Nature is extremely precise and the basis of all practice. You seem to combine the two or not make that distinction. That must be related to the merge, I would guess.

expansive

Precisely

Thanks for the description. Once again, I appreciate the effort, but unfortunately not. You mentioned that it is not mind or the use of mind that creates problems, it is getting caught up in obstructions. I asked if not mind, what is it that is getting caught up in obstruction? Your responses really haven't touched on my question.

I'm sorry, I appreciate your explanation but not sure I follow. It's OK though, no need to work too hard.

If not mind, what is it that is getting caught up in obstructions? What is flowing freely?

Warm welcome back, young friend! 🙏🏽 😻

For effect

Vape

Not true at all. There are many gender variations in nature, both anatomical and psychological, and among human cultures dating back nearly three millennia, particularly among the true American peoples on both continents, India, the Phillipines, and others... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_system The 'insidious agenda" you're so afraid of is to offer loving support to human beings who simply are looking for happiness and connection, like anyone else. I understand that it feels foreign and uncomfortable for some. That's OK, that's real too. You're stuck in a hurtful and insensitive story, lifeforce. I invite you to wake up, my friend.