doc benway

Hi Sunzi81, Welcome to Tao Bums! I'm not sure if this is the sort of answer you're looking for but I think practicing Taijiquan (Tai Chi) could be useful to you physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It is very useful for developing a balance of the yin and yang forces in the body, mind, and spirit and can be very grounding and stabilizing. I'm sure there are other answers but this is one. Good luck!

Welcome Kenny! Do you have recreational internet access at the temple?

If you are interested in hosting your own personal practice forum, send a PM to Sean and let him know. Good luck and welcome! What type of practice are you involved in?

Here are posts from the book selection thread that were started on this book:

That make's alot of sense regarding the ji4 radical. Reversed breath over fire could also imply something about prenatal breathing and related to culturing the qi. I'll have to track down that book, it sounds good. Thanks for the tip!

Why not? Is there something more important to do?

Pietro, my friend, don't get your panties into a knot please... It's all in fun - I'm hoping none of us gets too worked up over picking a book! Let's enjoy it! Here we are: 1. Dakini's Warm Breath: The Feminine Principle in Tibetan Buddhism by Judith Simmer-Brown 2. To Be Human by Jiddu Krishnamurti 3. Clear Light of Bliss: The Practice of Mahamudra in Vajrayana Buddhism by Kelsang Gyatso 4. Taoism: Growth of a Religion by Isabelle Robinet and Phyllis Brooks 5. Daoist Body Cultivation: Traditional Models And Contemporary Practices by Livia Kohn 6. Revealing the Tao Te Ching: In-depth Commentaries on an Ancient Classic by Hu Xuezhi Let's keep 'em all and sort it out in 2 weeks... Dao Zhen - thanks for the suggestion, it looks like a great book!

That's why I asked if there were any objections... I think it was cat's suggestion, actually. It would be easy enough to keep it as an option although I think it is better to limit the number of options to minimize confusion.

Let's update with Pietro's latest suggestion. I think the point about back to back history books is a good one and I would like to propose that we postpone the Robinet book unless there are objections... 1. Dakini's Warm Breath: The Feminine Principle in Tibetan Buddhism by Judith Simmer-Brown http://www.amazon.com/Dakinis-Warm-Breath-...e/dp/157062920X 2. To Be Human by Jiddu Krishnamurti http://www.amazon.com/Be-Human-Jiddu-Krish...2602&sr=1-1 3. Clear Light of Bliss: The Practice of Mahamudra in Vajrayana Buddhism by Kelsang Gyatso http://www.amazon.com/Clear-Light-Bliss-Ma...8638&sr=1-6 4. Daoist Body Cultivation: Traditional Models And Contemporary Practices by Livia Kohn http://www.amazon.com/Daoist-Body-Cultivat...4304&sr=8-1

Sorry to break thread, but I'll do it with a haiku... You have never heard Om Namaha Shiva 'til Sheila Chandra sings! Here's a tease... http://www.last.fm/music/Sheila+Chandra/_/Om+Namaha+Shiva

Power is a gas And gas certainly power... Solar energy!

Eva Wong's Shambala Guide to Taoism http://www.amazon.com/Shambhala-Guide-Taoi...5575&sr=8-1 is now our new official first book club selection. Sorry for any confusion. We will try to begin discussing it at the beginning of March. I recognize some people may get their books a bit late but we'll have until April to discuss it. I'll post approximate chapter dates. I'll think a bit about how to segregate those discussions. Possibly new threads. We'll see. Here's an approximate layout for when we'll begin discussions by section March 1: Part I - History of Taoism March 10: Part II - Systems of Taoism March 20: Part III - Taoist Practices If you get the book late, just jump in when you can. This was one excellent reason to stick with a relatively basic book.

Very nice story - thank you

I read an excerpt from the following book: http://www.amazon.com/Happy-Child-Changing...7866&sr=8-7 I plan to buy and read the whole thing. THe excerpt was really profound and I'd highly recommend to anyone interested in education (parents, students, educators...)

What would it be like if this forum were to serve as a nidus to help people to feel the spark that causes them to turn the light inside and find their source? What would it be like if that gradually spread, little by little, across the world; liberating tens then hundreds then thousands? Creating a vast revolution or mutation as some have called it, of the mind leading to real and meaningful change! I doubt that I'm the first to have this thought (or even post it) but... How cool would that be?

Nicely put - dispassionate compassion?

Hmmm, looky what I found http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_701705925/ert.html The table may not be ert but you and I may have been here and there in our wilder days...

Impeccable - Generally defined as perfect, flawless but : in- "not" + pecare "to sin" possibly of Indo-European origin therefore - impeccable = incapable of sin or without sin Interesting and makes sense in terms of modern usage. At one time and to some people, perhaps nothing was more important than and certainly nothing more challenging than being free of sin...

It seems to me that it's not unusual for people to look for the origins of things in antiquity. This tendency leads us to look as far back as we can to see the roots of development of a tradition or system. The earliest roots may be barely recognizable but can give us some insight into what gave birth to our traditions. In fact, if you trace things back far enough or deep enough - they're all the same...

You are perceptive - there is a revolution going on inside. I will sit with your questions for a while - they are good ones! Thank you, Todd ........... ........... ............. Thank you for the lesson, Todd! _/\_

Thanks Lin - That would be very nice!

A fellow guitarist?! Cool..

Very interesting discussion Drew. I'm a bit ignorant of some of the concepts and plan to spend some time looking at your work. I would suggest some caution about interpreting Ramana's comments regarding head, heart, and mind. I may be misreading you but I feel that you are referring to the individual head, heart, and mind above. More often than not, his references to heart refers to the universal heart which he frequently uses interchangeably with Self (universal self) and, I think, mind. There is a nice discussion of his use of terms in David Godman's book. If I'm mistaken about your intention, please ignore my post!