doc benway

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Posts posted by doc benway

  1. Posted

    Thank you all for trusting me to help manage the site for a time.

    It was a great experience and I feel it's time for me to prioritize other things. 

    I do plan to stick around as a member and enjoy the good people and interesting discussion.

     

    I want to thank @dwai for his willingness to take on the responsibility of admin, @zerostao and @ilumairen for continuing to contribute, and especially to @forestofemptiness and @stirling for their willingness to get involved.

    Big, big thanks to @Trunk for his wise leadership for so many years and of course @sean for making it all possible.

     

    :wub:

     

     

    • Like 2
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  4. Posted

    2 hours ago, Rheor said:

    I hope you don't mind having asked a question here. I like to leave things in the open for other folks.

     

    Wonderful

     

    2 hours ago, Rheor said:


    Anyways, thanks for your openness.

     

    My pleasure

     

    2 hours ago, Rheor said:

    I assume you enjoy this practice considering your avatar, has it personally helped you with the heart center ?

     

    Yes, I find it supportive of opening the heart/mind.

    Sometimes I do it alone, often in combination with other seed syllables.

    There is a comprehensive practice working with A, Om, Hung, Ram, and Dza to open the crown, throat, heart, navel, and secret chakras.

     

    2 hours ago, Rheor said:

    This sounds good as it will encourage me to get outside more ^_^. Here the only thing I am afraid of, is to want to the hide away from the vast expanse, but I guess doing it in nature would provide the grounding.

     

    Yes, the openness can be a bit disconcerting, even destabilizing. 

    Take it slow and don't force it if uncomfortable.

    For sure the connection to earth while practicing is important. 

    Also important is to continuously release whatever comes up in the heart/mind into that openness.

     

     

    • Like 1

  5. Posted

    Two simple practices could potentially be helpful from my perspective.

     

    First practice - opening your heart with the seed syllable HUNG (the syllable in my avatar). Connect to the feeling you have in the heart center. Be open to whatever comes up for you when you connect there. No need to engage or analyze, just experience what is there in the body, the inner speech, the thoughts, and feelings. Sit with that for a few moments and then begin chanting the seed syllable HUNG (u is pronounced like oo in book). Feel the vibration of the HUNG in the heart center. As you sing HUNG, imagine and feel a radiant, deep blue light emanating from the heart in all directions. Repeat this as many times as you would like. When you are finished, stay connected to the heart center and notice if there is any change in how you feel. In particular, be aware of and connect to any sense of openness, spaciousness, or warmth there. This could be a sense of physical warmth but also a sense of comfort, of support, of kindness - for your own struggles and those of others. Rest your attention fully in the openness of the heart for as long as it remains fresh.

     

    Second practice - sky gazing. Sit or lie down in a comfortable position such that you are able to see the clear, open sky without obstruction. Ideally the sun is behind you. Bring your attention to the heart center. Open to whatever comes up as you rest in the heart. Open your eyes, if they're not already open, and allow your gaze to rest in the open sky. Whatever comes up in the body, inner speech, thoughts and feelings is allowed to come and go without any suppression, engagement, or analysis. Just notice what comes up and continue to rest in the embrace of the open sky. As you feel the openness of the sky, feel the openness in your heart. Notice the distinction between inner and outer and how, with time and patience, the boundary becomes less well-defined. Rest your body, speech, and mind fully in the openness of the sky and the heart. Once again connect to any sense of spaciousness and warmth that may be present and stay with that for as long as it's fresh. 

     

    Any questions, feel free to send me a PM.

    • Like 1
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  6. Posted

    6 hours ago, Cobie said:

     

     

    I think that’s politics. I have reported your post. Politics is only allowed in a special subforum, you can request access, here 

    https://www.thedaobums.com/topic/52830-current-events-discussion/?do=findComment&comment=1034434   

     

     

     

    I agree.

    @Tommy - please keep political posts in Current Events. I've moved your post to the World at War thread there. 

    If you do not have access to Current Events, you are welcome to request it. 

    Thanks for your cooperation.

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  7. Posted

    Some poetry -

     

    Rumi - everything!

    Life on Mars - Tracy Smith

    Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear - Mosab Abu Toha

    Devotions - Mary Oliver

    Milk and Honey - Rupi Kaur

    The Wasteland - TS Eliot

    Me (Moth) - Amber McBride

    Spirit Boxing - Afaa Michael Weaver 

    Bright Dead Things - Ada Limon

    The Hill We Climb - Amanda Gorman 

    Of Gods and Strangers - Tina Chang

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    • Like 1

  8. Posted

    59 minutes ago, NaturaNaturans said:

    It is. Is that not allowed? I just think ive given our Friend the benefit of the doubt a few to many times by now. 

     

    It is not allowed. Political discussion is limited to Current Events. Thanks for your cooperation.

    • Like 1
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  9. Posted

    33 minutes ago, Taomeow said:

     

    I didn't know that.  Went to google (Russian version) and found out that in Tolstoy's time, most prominent Russian sinologists had a rather skeptical view of Laozi and Tolstoy was sort of arguing with them and wrote a short work, The Teachings of Laozi, popularizing him from the Christian POV.  Not really a translation, more like an intro.  I'll have to read it (so far only found some quotes from it.)

    Thanks for mentioning it, that's interesting.   

     

    I’ve read different accounts. Some claim he translated it, others say he supervised or proofread a translation done by one of his acolytes and added an introduction. It seems that the Laozi was under-appreciated in Russia in his time and he made some attempts to change that. Your command of the language should help you get to the bottom of it. 

    • Like 2

  10. Posted

    12 minutes ago, Kojiro said:

    it is a very good book. russian writers were among my favourites. Dostoievski was my absolute favourite in my 20s, I should read his masterpieces again, I hope I will some day. Have you ever read something from him?

     

    I've read The Brothers Karamazov and Crime and Punishment. I was deeply affected by Crime and Punishment but found Brothers to be a bit tiresome and overly theological for my taste. 

    • Like 1

  11. Posted

    44 minutes ago, Kojiro said:

    did you like war and peace by Tolstoi? i read it years ago and it still is one of my favourite books ever

     

    In short, yes, very much.

    I'm doing a slow read, one chapter a day, as recommended by @liminal_luke and am a bit more than halfway through.

    It took me a long time to get into the book. In the beginning I felt a bit like 'who gives a fuck about early 19th century Russian aristocracy/gentry?' Over time I've come to deeply appreciate and respect his masterful portrayal of the human condition through brief but very poignant vignettes - some serious, others farcical, at times quite theatrical or intimate and penetrating. It truly is a timeless novel despite being firmly anchored in time and space. Reading it slowly, something I've never done before, was a little frustrating at first but now an absolute delight as it has given me time to really absorb and reflect on his skill and insight. I generally blast through books, especially if I'm enjoying them. I'm glad I didn't take that approach with War and Peace. Of note for this forum, Tolstoy developed a deep appreciation for Daoist philosophy to the point of translating the Dao De Jing into Russian from English, German, and French translations.

    • Like 4

  12. Posted

    On 6/28/2024 at 7:26 AM, Brad M said:

    mccarthy uses an impressionistic writing style that personally took me some time getting used to, but once I did I could not stop

     

    On 6/28/2024 at 8:53 AM, Kojiro said:

    do you think it is his best book? people also like the road and no country for old men, among others

     

    I've read several others by McCarthy including The Road, No Country for Old Men, The Border Trilogy, Child of God, and Outer Dark. I can't really say which is his best but I listed Blood Meridian below because for me it was the most strikingly beautiful and original, even in it's brutality. Kind of like a Hieronymous Bosch painting reimagined through an impressionist lens

     

    Some of my favorites in fiction that come to mind are:

     

    Blindness - Jose Saramago 
    Kafka on the Shore - Haruki Murakami (3 way tie with 1Q84 and The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle)

    Naked Lunch - William S Burroughs

    War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy (not yet finished as I'm reading a chapter a day but no question among my favorites)

    Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkein

    One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

    Blood Meridian - Cormac McCarthy

    City of Thieves - David Benioff

    Hyperion Cantos - Dan Simmons

    Silo - Hugh Howey

    Gaia series - John Varley 

    The Sparrow series - Mary Doria Russell

    Geek Love - Katherine Dunne

    Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

    The Bone People - Keri Hulme

    A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess

    Satan: His Psychotherapy and Cure by the Unfortunate Dr. Kassler, JSPS - Jeremy Leven

    Kindred - Octavia Butler
    Remembrance of Earth's Past - Liu Cixin

    Voice of the FIre - Alan Moore

    The Book of Form and Emptiness - Ruth Ozeki

    A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole

     

     

     

     

    • Like 1

  15. Posted

    On 6/16/2024 at 6:51 PM, Nungali said:

    What do you think are the differences between spirit and soul ? 

     

     

     

    Spirit is Randy California and Ed Cassidy's old band and soul is a genre of music that didn't really have anything to do with their sound, except maybe for Mr. Skin which was pretty funky!

     

     

    • Like 1

  19. Posted

    2 hours ago, liminal_luke said:

     

    There has?  How could I have missed that?  I definitely need to broaden my news sources.

     

    I’m referring to republican genital checks at bathroom doors. Doubt you missed that…. ?

    • Wow 1

  21. Posted

    On 5/24/2024 at 4:01 PM, Alpha said:

    Greetings fellow Daoists

    I'm currently looking for some Daily Cultivation Journal ( technique or skills!?! ) if you have

    I request you to share with me 🙏🏻

     

    I would recommend standing meditation - zhan zhuang.

    There are lots of instructions readily available online. 

    Stick with basic natural standing, nothing too physically challenging.

    Allow the mind to be open and fully connected to both the body and the environment.

    Whenever you get carried away in thought or observation, release and open the focus and reconnect to the present moment.

    Allow the practice to become familiar, then to deepen.

    Trust the practice and allow it to mature and evolve through the innate intelligence of the body, mind, and spirit.

    • Like 2

  23. Posted

    On 6/6/2024 at 10:13 AM, Apech said:

    In ancient China someone had the idea of mixing milk solids and ice with sugar, Marco Polo saw this and brought the idea back to Europe where someone thought of the idea of placing the substance in a cone made of wafer biscuit.

     

    Are you certain of this?

    Is it possible that some ice fell into a mixing bowl filled with milk solids and sugar and the result was noted and appreciated?

    We like to give credit to ideas as it reinforces our sense of self and importance, and no doubt ideas can be both magnificent and horrific. 

    In reality the thoughts and the ideas are so often an echo of experience, a rationalization of accident, our inner voices narrating after the fact.

    Nothing shows us how we create our reality more than the "reality" of ideas.