Encephalon

Yeah, I'll ponder that. MY apologies for the patronizing homework adage. Try as I might, I still come off as a smartass in here. Must be the heroin talking. so, what if I just secularize my internal alchemy practice, my nei kung, bone up on anatomy and physio, and study human ecology in lieu of some quasi-mystical text about interconnectedness and living in accordance with the Tao? Could I not be practicing my own form of westernized Taoism, stripped of religious Taoism, and still acquire the essence of Taoist truth? I mean, as a fifty year old, that's all I'll be doing 'til I croak anyway.

The significant differences between the eastern and western intellectual tradition makes this a profoundly important distinction. The east/west dialogue of the last half century has completely escaped you. You've got some homework ahead of you, pal. "The Passion of the Western Mind," by Richard Tarnas, and "A Buddhist History of the West," by David Loy could go far in explaining why these traditions are subject to such extraordinarily different interpretations. We think differently.

Perhaps the biggest pitfall of communicating in online forums is the failure to adequately define the terms we use. It was my fault in representing Taoists as a monolithic voice speaking and living in unison. I don't believe there is any wisdom in recognizing self-identified Taoists as authentic Taoists any more than referring to self-identified Christians as living authentic Christian lives. Sure we spend money and get further into debt, but we have no choice. If our highways, roads, waterworks, public transportation, electrical grid continue to fall apart, we're fucked anyway. The small stimulus that was passed was not enough, unemployment will remain very high for a years to come. I'm in total agreement with you here. I even subscribed to Robert Reich's assessment of the need for more stimulus, but not toward a Wall St. bailout; more of a green-grid direction. As for Krugman, you're shooting from the hip again, Blasto. I don't understand your reference. I'm not Paul Krugman. A lot of urban geographers, planners, and New Urbanists subscribe to Kunstler's view that the stimulus package should have taken three basic forms - localization and decentralization of the agricultural/food system; revitalization of the inner cities; reconstruction of a national railway system (reducing automobile dependency being the unitive element of the three). Interestingly enough, once the New Urbanists caught wind of Obama's urban plan, they basically said thanks, but no thanks. This is what Kunstler has been saying for years; trying to sustain unsustainability is futile. And auto-dependent suburbia is unsustainable. Kunstler's "The Long Emergency" is a terrifying book, but it is the most thought-out piece on what will happen, region by region, when resource flows begin to stop. He is ultimately an optimist, but only for those who secure adequate greenbelts, water supplies, and traditional skills of pre-1850s. The midwestern towns of 20,000 to 30,000 population could fair well, as will the Northwest. The entire American southwest has no future without energy and water inputs. The Southeast will resolve the problem the way they have for generations- by killing each other, and the Northeast will pretty much denude everything in sight before dying off. Early Taoist communities were self-sustaining to a large extent, due to the availability of resources and skill sets. This is the connection I'm pointing out.

Just so you know, I've been channeling Bruce's spirit since 2001. Let me know if you want to leave him a message. PS - There's a nail in your rear driver's side tire.

I'm reading "Chronicles of the Tao" by Deng Ming-Dao, where Kwan Saihang is being counseled by his elders to begin the process of eliminating any and all shreds of his ego, which was quite a feat for someone who acquired the ability to act formidably without the slightest effort. I am no where near that level of accomplishment, and unfortunately, will not live long enough to acquire it. At 50, however, I can live long enough to begin the process of stripping away the gratuitous expessions of my ego. My interest in religious Taoism is virtually nil, but as an academic subject, it is no less worthy than religious history of the West. That being said, Pandit Tree, I've heard more thoughtful commentary from stool samples.

I can't speak for Taoism, but the literature devoted to the transformation of Buddhism as it melded and syncretized with the cultures it came into contact with is vast and fairly up to date. "How the Swans Came to the Lake" is one of the chief titles of this phenom. Of course, Christianity is the ultimate example of religious syncretism. I suspect that the elements of Taoism that resonate with the western intellectual and scientific tradition will garner the greatest attention. It would seem that Fritjof Capra and the rest of the spiritual "deep ecology" movement have blazed this trail pretty well. I still haven't found much literature on Taoist environmentalism, while Buddhist environmentalism grows every day, perhaps because Taoism is more concerned with physical development. I frankly see western Taoism coming to the fore when chi kung is recognized for the medical advantages, especially when the western medical paradigm comes crashing down.

Are there any basics that I should master before putting all my mental energy into practices?[/u] Yes indeed, there are. The basics are... forget the mental energy!!!!!!!!!! Start with the physical. See how much progress your whole bodymind can get just by rooting into the physical plane. The book "Power to the People" by Pavel Tsatsouline is the perfect launch point for getting strong, and it has a remarkably comprehensible explanation of the role that the nervous system plays in forming the crucial mind/muscle connection. From the M/M connection comes the power to start sensing your nervous system, which lies at the intersection of body and mind. If you absolutely must satisfy your intellectual curiosity during this physical phase, any number of recommendations listed in here will do, but (to beat a dead horse) "Warrior/Scholar" by Deng MIng-Dao and "The Chinese Book of Health and Healing" by Daniel Reid would be more than enough to start with. "365 Tao" by Deng Ming-Dao is a great daily reminder. And if, in the darkest recesses of your spirit, you suspect yourself of being a weenie (like I was), learn everything you can about building up your solar plexus chakra. "Eastern Body, Western Mind" by Anodea Judith is a vast storehouse of insight about the psychological states that manifest within our physical selves. I was a critical thinking junkie as an undergrad and would have never even considered this material. Now it seems more pertinent than anything else I make use of. So, you gonna change yer avatar?

Look at me. I'm ridiculous!! Going off about writing skills and I still write like crap! Well, as Hemingway once said, "The first draft of anything is shit."

How dare you, 5 Element, for stealing my thunder!! Seriously, I had two drafts already prepared in response to Ohm's Oratories, but I held off in order to let the emotional content subside. I was one of the most disempowered 17 year-olds one could imagine. A pothead, beginning alcoholic, high-school dropout and a runaway, who ended up in the USAF only to bring my alcoholism to fruition. But, I was one of the lucky ones, and sobered up before I was 22. My life has been characterized by profound self-sabotage and tremendous adventure, and I still managed to squeeze out a master's degree to boot. Everyone here familiar with the psychological dynamic known as projection? When you have a disproportionately negative reaction to the comments and behaviors of specific individuals? That's how I define my relationship to Ohm's ideas. I find them loathesome and contemptible, because they are so much a part of my own character that I so desperately wish to resolve within my own self. Let's start with the avatar. "Passive." One could not conceive of a state of mind that is more antithetical to the principles of Taoism. Taoism is about cultivating a life of radical independence and self-sufficiency, about situational awareness, be that in the kitchen, the classroom, or on the mat. Please, my young friend, dump the Passive Banner. I once thought that the world would recognize my gentle and peace-loving manner and shower me with kisses, sweetness and light. It won't. Passivity is the lifestyle of a doormat. As Ghandi said, it takes balls to be peaceful. Cowards can never be moral. I've lived like a doormat. People get sick of it real fast. Drop the disclaimer. To enter into a forum with the express purpose of engaging others in dialogue is the implicit understanding that we are here to test the veracity of our views with others. It is part of the joy in the life of the mind. If you want to contribute, do so, but don't counsel us on how we should react to your notions. I have lived most of my life without the internet (I'm almost 50). People just aren't learning how to write on their feet anymore. Online forums encourage sloppy writing, sloppy thinking, confusion, misunderstanding, and equivocation of all kinds. I think you younger folks are going to have to work a lot harder at cultivating writing skills if you end up seeing them eroded by too much online posting, but I could be wrong (I guess it depends on how good a writer you are in the first place). I would heartily encourage you to take three years out and become a gym rat. Get yourself grounded physically. Get yourself comfortable in situations that may seem too intimidating at this time and you will discover a liberty, a lightness of being, that obliterates fear and anxiety. Learn how to RELAX!! Muscles are the badges of the soul, and nobody can take them away from you, no matter how smart or wealthy they may be. Chi is the food of the soul. Embrace Horse for 30 minutes a day, get a solid nei kung practice under your belt, and put a sock in your metaphysical pie hole. By the time you're 20 you will be ready for anything (and may end up putting many of us to shame). Good luck. Believe it or not, one can actually get educated and experienced and knowledgable enough to recognize differences in the quality of information, providing that your curiosity and love of learning does not fade. Of course, if you think your mental universe won't evolve between now and 30 years from now, then this may not be your experience.

Amazingly dreadful. I got through the first three and a half minutes before the alleged science became too fucking silly to even take seriously. The narrator sounds like he's just entering puberty, and the first quote is by St. Augustine, one of the most repressed personalities to have ever walked the earth. I'll take Ken Wilber's "A Theory of Everything" for the sake of brevity and insight.

Hey Ryan- I love you too, but I'm not a guy. I'm Megan Fox, and I'm dumber than shit! Kisses.

Did you read this book? Do you own it, and is it consistent with the amazon reviews? What does it say about reverse MCO, and why does this relate to overheating? Sorry, don't mean to extract molars without novacaine.

It was mighty helpful. Thanks in advance. My searching's been fruitless.

Thanks folks.

Try to maximize what you already know. If I had to do it all over again, starting with the skills you now possess, I would get certified to teach English overseas, (most likely in an Asian country, possibly China), where I could study another culture and perhaps make contact with some highly skilled martial arts and meditation teachers. There's always the Peace Corps too (check out Jack Kornfield's young adult years in Thailand). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Kornfield You've got everything going for you, since many countries practice age discrimination when hiring English teachers, and if you're not in debt, then there's really nothing holding you back save your own inertia, psychic or otherwise.

Yes indeed. Working at a gym all day long afforded me the opportunity to get physically tuned up beyond the ability of the average working person. Being strong and looking good have their own rewards, but what they really do is maximize your mind/muscle connection and, as long as you maintain your flexibility, you will get extraordinarily relaxed, which is the prerequisite for feeling your energy. You do have to consider the ethical implications of knowing what you are teaching. The psychic burden, what others might call karmic debt, is very real. Did you ever see Brad Pitt in "Burn After Reading"? I know dozens of trainers like that. They screw up lives, and ultimately their own.

My nei kung teacher is also a sifu and certified hypnotherapist. I haven't had those kind of sessions with him but treatments can be pretty specific. See if you can find a hyno with Taoist skills.

It is indeed. It just doesn't pay that well, unless you make a living doing standup for Comedy Central.

10-4. Absolutely. Self-defense in the years to come will be as important as those ancient days in the Yellow River Valley, except there will be guns to boot. check out http://www.transitionus.org/ for more options on how to cultivate your life to meet the challenges ahead while keeping consistent with your Taoist impulses. In my mind, there are few divergences. Remember, Taoism is about radical independence and self-sufficiency.

Good stuff. Sorry to make light of important subject matters, but reading about a white drop of bliss from a guy who goes by the name of UTI is kind of funny, given that it is the medical acronym for "urinary tract infection."

As delighted as I am that Findley has taken another vacation, he's right. It is presumptuous to present yourself as someone evolved enough to be of service to others in this regard, all the more so if you possess no credentials of any kind. My advice is to get your personal trainer's license and work on people from the physical level. It will take $700-800 and two years minimum before you know the subtleties of this work. You will be your client's confidant, priest, psychologist, or whatever role they cast you in, so you end up in the "helping profession" whether you're ready or not. You must have absolute confidence in your ability and personal worthiness. This is where I blew it. I was a fantastic trainer, but still hadn't acquired the sense of my own worthiness that is necessary in a place like LA, even with a decent body. Thanks to nei kung, those days are happily over, and I'm looking forward to incorporating chi kung classes into my workouts in gyms, but that's at least 3 years away, with three hours a day of practice. As you may have picked up in here already, this kind of job may be utterly useless by then. The great American love affair with suburban revolving credit and consumerism is crashing, and the the US GOV will probably default on their debts some time in 2010-2011. You would be better off building your post-crash skill set; deer hunting, gardening, EMT/first aid, cooking, and definitely, medical chi kung. Make yourself as handy as you can become and your spiritual life will take care of itself. End up as someone who can sit in front of computer screen with no electricity and you will either starve to death or be robbed and murdered. No joke.

I stand on the corner of Ventura and Laurel Canyon with a bible and bodyfat calipers, offering free bodyfat measurements to all the women without breast implants, which is about 16% of the female population in LA. I also tell them that I can fluff their auras for a one time fee of $60, but they must be disrobed. I've almost paid off my student loans this way. $14,000 more to go.

This guy has a great video on Embrace Horse for those who haven't the advantage of personal instruction.

Everything's cool. If you're one of the 23 yr-old or less folks in this forum, yer allowed to be imperfect. Let me send you $600,000 this Tuesday and things should improve.

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