Encephalon

You are confusing my point about the folly of teleological arguments with the notion, as expressed by Tiller, that human consciousness and the power of intention can be externalized, a subject all self-described Taoists take seriously. They are not the same. They are radically different. This is the second time you have completely misinterpreted my arguments. The first time was when you got yourself tangled in the ideas of Thomas Kuhn. Perhaps it is time to reevaluate your powers of attention before you look for fault in what I am saying? I may not be a sweet and soft angel of light but I do make the effort to post sensible arguments. I would also point out that Tiller has earned the right to speak of these matters, while it is commonplace in this forum to find people who bring up subject matter in an authoritative manner and yet have no formal background in the subject at hand.

Immortal4Life, forgive me for being so blunt, but I think you've given us reason to believe that your quarrels with science and theoretical physics do not emanate from a sincere desire to see the scientific enterprise conducted with more integrity. Rather, the undercurrent of all you posts attesting to weaknesses in the modern scientific method emanates instead from 1) a genuine disappointment with the failure of modern science to address long-simmering global problems, and 2) an unrecognized impulse to imbue the practice of science with a teleological mission. Whetether you are speaking of "Gaia" getting angry and unleashing earthquakes and tsunamis, or postulating that the highest science might be a hybrid of "astronomy and astrology," you seem to be wrestling with the conviction that science simply isn't spiritual enough for you, that it is impersonal and too blind to see the Lofty Goals of the Universe. Teleological arguments, those that claim the Universe is actively working on behalf of human aspirations, are extremely enchanting notions for a species as lonely as ours, but we've worked very hard over the centuries to eliminate these emotionally charged premises from the scientific method because they create really bad science. When you get around to it, I'd still like to know where you performed all this post-doc research.

Wooooooooooow. I never would have survived these 8 pages. I came along a little bit after Easy, in 1960, the last of the baby Boomers. I have since determined for myself that the effort of de-mystifying Tao is almost as futile as de-mystifying the Mind of God. I have further determined, for myself but maybe others, that the impulse to do so is flawed from the beginning and hides an existential discomfort with the mystery and ambiguity that are natural to our world. I have met dozens of souls who diligently pursue the Truth not so much as a means to understaning but as a means to quench the pain of this ambiguity. I've been hammered in this forum for suggesting that specificity and a strict attention to definition of terms would go far toward eliminating much confusion and ill-will. One person saw fit to remind me that the 'spiritual' nature of this forum absolves us from having to read or write carefully! That was a Doozie. At this point I'd guess a minimum of 3-4 hours just to tease out the definitions of terms used in this post. There has been much equivocation. Submitting examples in support of our views and coming to consensus about what can or can not be known, what is verifiable and falsifiable and what is not, would probably take a weekend workshop, which is precisely what we did every year up at Sonoma State U. at the annual critical thinking conferences. Teachers from all over the world found these exercises formidable, so I'm not pretending that clear thinking should come naturally. In fact, human inuition is often radically in error, while sensible explanations to complicated phenomena are often radically counter-intuitive. That's why, for the foreseeable future, I'm sticking with science, specifically ecology, since metaphysical speculation seems to have run its course. Aaron, I think we should take you up on your offer to submit your resources alleging the scientific validation of human communication via the incorporeal plane. Many of us old farts budget plenty of daily reading time and it would be humbling indeed if such an extraordinary development in human history were to escape us. In the meantime, I will be contacting a friend of mine. He's a 5th degree black belt in aikido and a teacher of chi kung and Vipassana meditation. He'll be delivering a presentation at this year's critical thinking conference on how to think critically about the subjective, interior states of consciousness that have been touched upon here. Maybe I can get him to post something that speaks to these concerns.

http://www.healing-tao.com.br/en/ecovillage/index.htm There's nothing that fuses all of my favorite subjects and aspirations as the concept of a Taoist ecovillage. Looks like these folks are off to a good start. You can download a Powerpoint presentation too.

I really dig this material. I dug into it years ago when I was in college but it seems even more pertinent after learning nei kung. Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom by Rick Hanson is also great. There's little mention of God, obviously; it follows neuroscience from west to east. The Dalai Lama has really dug into this subject a lot too. he regularly participates in conferences on this subject. Thanks for the tip.

Welcome to TTB. I'm not familiar with the book you mentioned but it sounds like a valuable contribution to the east/west dialogue that's been evolving for over 50 years, and which has characterized predominantly by Buddhists and Christians and western humanists. The dialogue between Taisom and the west has taken a little longer to unfold. Taoism is the oldest, longest running philosophical/religious body of thought in human history, so it's a vast subject and can be approached academically like any other subject, or experientially through the thousands of practices of inner cultivation. Eventually, these two approaches will intersect. The standards that get recommended here time and again are "Opening the Energy Gates of Your Body" by Bruce Frantzis, "Scholar/Warrior" by Deng Ming-Dao, "The Complete Book of Chinese Health and Healing" by Dan Reid,and "The Root of Chinese Chi Kung," by Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming. Of course, none of them are exhaustive in and of themselves and may even possess some condradictions between them. The subject of independent study has a received a mixed review by this forum. Some argue that reading has no purpose; find a reputable teacher, empty your mind, and pay attention. This is the "Jumping into the deep end" school of thought. Many of us choose not to exercse that option and practice a course of independent study. If you've made it through high school without frying all your brain cells or falling under the spell of some charismatic cult leader, then you can most like honor you curiosity, you thirst for knowledge, and your spiritual aspiration by investing in a few book titles, preparing your fertile ground, and letting the Eastern Muse enter your consciousness. My personal belief, which is not unique to me, is to begin the study of the subject through the books that have been written for western audiences by either eastern author/practitioners or western author/practitioners, and then take a crack at the original texts. Many people disagree with this and argue that you should immerse yourself in the traditional texts in order to drink in the original intent, raw and unvarnished. I think Eastern thought can be easily misinterpreted by western beginners - most of us can't even read our own Bible without imbuing it with all kinds of subjective baggage - but mindfulness is the key, in all things. There are a handful of advanced practitioners in TTB who will be happy to assist you with your practice. Unfortunately, I am not one of them! Good luck.

I think most of us underestimate the amount of work and attention that is required to identify our modern energy drainers,methodically eliminate them, and replace them with energy gainers. It can be just as complicated and drawn out as being skin-tested for allergies by an allergist. You have to carefully monitor and take notes of what drains you - food, sleeping habits, reading practices, side effects of medicines and herbs, etc. - andf this can take months to assess and then fine tune. If you are relatively healthy, eating well, and are not strung out on sugar, caffeine or OTC sleeping aids, then you should improve the quality of your sleep. After years of trial and error I've settled on an unbeatable combo of 1200mgs calcium citrate/600mgs magnesium (2:1 cal-mag) with your dinner meal, and 100-200mgs of niacin on an empty stomach one hour before dinner. It must be the flushing kind of niacin, not the no-flush form. Google these compound with sleep and read for yourself. I take 2 tbs of organic blackstrap molasses in a cup of warm water in the morning or afternoon for a good pick me up, and try to drink green tea throughout the day. I invariably let coffee creep back into my life as the months go by, and then I cut it back down, but the hell with it - I love coffee. As far as chi kung for energy goes, I'm clueless. I'm an absolute fan of Chu Nei Kung, the healthiest thing I have ever done over the entirety of my rediculous life. Nei Kung is where it's at, not chi kung. There, I said it. www.neikungla.com & http://www.chutaichi.com/neikung.shtml

Yep. It is a popular practice for many to hold modern science to the impossibly high standard of explaining everything and then replacing it with pseudoscience when modern science 'fails' to deliver. And yet this same population can't even render a simple explanation of the internal combustion engine.

Toward what end is this ongoing critique of modern science? Could the subject of scientism be your area of concern? What are you trying to accomplish with these posts?

This billboard is just down the street from my house in Chatsworth, CA, the porn capital of the world. I just had to check it out. It would seem that this handsome young fellow... ...thinks that the Mayans are fools, along with everyone else who believes the Mayans, because this man, Harold Camping, uses MATH! to calculate the accurate date for the Rapture. Silly Mayans! Prophecy is for Christian fundamentalists who know their multiplication tables! Full story at http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/01/01/BA8V1AV589.DTL&feed=rss.news

I once got caught masturbating without ejaculating in summer camp. It was anticlamactic.

Us jazz band nerds in high school back in the 70s would heartily agree that 'real musicians' are in short supply. How about the Yellowjackets? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHPW9DQxawM

I am greatly relieved to report that my high school friend of 35 years and his Japanese wife have decided to fly home from Japan March 21st on one of those US Gov't. charter flights. He's been living his dream of teaching English at a university for the last 20 years and travelling throughout Asia during breaks, but it's time to come back to California for awhile.

Maybe if you can swing by YaMu's goat farm in MO we can pick you up there.

What? Are some kind of freak?

Well, Aaron, I have to concede that you've made some clever points. Please take note that I didn't tag his billboard or impugn him on his radio call-in show; I know to leave a hornet's nest alone, and I don't believe he's monitoring our forum. I posted this as an example of what we are dealing with. My stoning reference was not out of a genuine fear that they might storm the beaches of Santa Monica with rocks; I'm pointing out that their willingness to do so under the evil tutelage of these religious personalities is a threat that is far from peaking. Hugs.

I'd be right there with you if it weren't for the fact that Harold camping and his ilk would stone to death everyone us in this forum if they were so ordered and empowered. Such is the nature of minds trapped in the early Iron Age. Maybe a little more nuance, and less false piety is in order? You didn't see us ripping Thomas Merton to pieces. And Thomas Merton didn't plaster the country's billboards and airwaves with hatred and delusion.

To me, this show was probably the finest tv writing since tv's golden age of the 70s, but I wouldn't want to deliberately offend certain members of my family by suggesting they tune in. Still, one of ther funniest scenes in recent memory!

I'd sure like to believe you. I grew up in the east bay and lived off of KPFA for decades. Listen to what Pacifica has to say about his capitulations. Even if you're right, a plutocracy is a difficult thing to wrestle with.

I think "Quack" is a bit of a mischaracterization. There is no question that he falls on the left side of the political spectrum, but there are no formal voices amongst his peers claiming that his science or research is bogus or that he should be stripped of his credentials. He's not on a corporate payroll of any kind, either. The cultural divide created by global climate change is real, but I think we have to at least agree that there are sincere people on both sides. I know for a fact that I took enough earth science classes to make an informed decision, even though i'm more of a cultural geographer.

It was not so long ago that I reacted to criticism of Obama as attacks on the progressive intellectual tradition, which I subscribe to, not in its entirety but in part. This is no longer the case. I think it will be a few years before we know whether Obama abandoned his progressive liberal base out of personal weakness or simply realized that he could only work - salvage hos political legacy - within a corporate-controlled plutocracy. Maybe it's a little of both. As aspiring Taoists, seeking balance is the key, and I think this aplies to political ideas as well. I don't believe that progressivism is the boogeyman of political thought; extremism is. I subscribe to ideas that can be plotted throughout the political spectrum, from the right and the left and even from outer space if the ideas have efficacy. But, back to the subjeect at hand, progressivism has been the champion of non-nuclear green energy and job creation for decades. If Obama were a true progressive, he would've championed these goals. As Vortex has pointed out, making the GE CEO his chief of staff has revealed what he truly stands for, not to mention how beholden he is to Wall Street.

Yep, it's bad. Although I have to say, Prof. Kaku's last line in the segment, that the US is safe, was deeply reassuring. It doesn't lessen the tragedy of the Japanese people though.