Encephalon

Here I am, finishing up a master's thesis on ecovillages, and on a dime I discover an even newer movement, one devoted to creating small-scale self-sufficient villages populated with resilient, eco-conscious, healthy warrior/sages... sounds kinda familiar to anyone who has read about ancient Taoist culture. I am so ready to act on this, and I am proud to say that the third link represents just such a community back in my old neighborhood of Sonoma County, Ca. It seems to me that Taoists can contribute mightily to the task of teaching people how to stay healthy when the western medical establishment goes under. I am sooooooo there, and I think a lot of TaoBums are too. Time to plaster the west coast of N. America with Taoist Transition Towns... Yeah!! http://www.darkoptimism.org/ http://transitionculture.org/ http://www.bohemian.com/bohemian/06.17.09/feature-0924.html

All the writing by contemporary Taoists I've been exposed to emphasize the importance of being ready for ever-changing circumstances. This essay by Howard Kunstler (a hero in the world of academic geography) pretty much tells us what to expect in the next decade. Get sh*t is about ready to hit the fan. http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/Archiv...dToSurvive.html

Deng Ming-Dao writes that the union of body and mind is as important for Taoists as the redemption of the soul is for Christians. How many of you would be unwilling to enter into a permanent relationship with someone who did not take seriously a path that included fitness, meditation, and personal evolution? What? Ya think I'm looking for an excuse to break up? No.... just cruising for some impirical data is all...

Cool... but there are only 27 women in Calgary at this time, right?

Extremely good point. There is an extraordinary amount of work to do on ourselves before others ever into the picture. What I am reminded of repeatedly is a line from "The Road Less Travelled" - his definition of love as the willingness to extend yourself for the spiritual growth of another human being. So, I could continue my own life and my Taoist energy work and yoga, while accepting my girlfriend's unwillingness to get off the couch and put away the fantasy novels, and listen to her chronic complaining about every physical discomfort, ailment, syndrome, fat ass.... blah blah blah... or I could encourage her to explore the alternative of taking care of yourself physically, trusting that health of mind and soul will follow... but at some point, you have to ask yourself if what you prize about life itself is even worthy of another person's interest. Okay - there it is - I confess - I met her when I thought that no one else would have me. Now I want more.... shit, I'm in big trouble...

Do I understand you correctly - that you prefer high maintenance, materialistic women? I try to avoid undue judgmentalism, because it's more often than not a product of my own psychological projection, but geez, is there still any serious question about the bankruptcy of consumer culture? I just started watching season 1 of "Californication" on Netflix, and I love the show and I want to start my screenwriting projects as soon as I finish my damn thesis. But I don't want to be a conspicuous consumer. I want to make some cash and get the hell out of here, perhaps move to Vancouver, BC and find a sane Taoist community. Forgive me if I've misinterpreted anything.

Nothing like throwing your critical thinking out the window. Proving a negative... wow... what a great invitation in futility. Some things are simply beyond the realm of verifiability and falsifiability. Anyone who hasn't figured that out by now should think twice about participating in a forum. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but Taoism is too important a subject to drown in metaphysical nonsense. http://www.criticalthinking.org/

It profiles a film on the studies being done around the world on the effects of DMT. Very informative list of the many scientists who are participating. It does take its name from Strassman's work, yes.

I know he was a crappy actor who made a lot of crappy movies, but "Kung Fu" changed lives, and there are still thousands of us who dream of being a wandering Taoist goodguy/badass, helping those we meet with our superhuman wisdom and resourcefulness. Keep up your Nei Kung practice!! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/2...arradine-death/

10-4. He treated women like dogs too. Radamas Pera, the young Caine, tried so hard to stay respectful.

I hear this one has all the most positive attributes. Anyone care to elaborate? Thanks.

My experience with psychedelics was resoundingly positive, so much so that I probably did more than my share but, hey, that was over a quarter century ago... except for those mushrooms on the Norcal coast back in the 90s... I suspect a person's state of consciousness has more to do with the overall experience than the catalyzing molecule. I've tripped with intellectually dull people who just sat around and laughed at their own visual constructions, while I was rendered utterly mystified and astounded by all that unfolded. These same folks accused me of lying about my experiences. The most moving and consciousness-shifting experience I had was one of depersonalization - the "self" dissoves, distinctions between self and not-self completely disappear and the feeling of oneness and bliss is so fucking awesome, even if it is artifically induced, that it is worth having just once, even if it were to be clinically controlled and moderated to ensure safety. This experience of interconnectedness - Indra's Net - is what we're after because it's the real nature of the phenomenal world, but the delusion of an isolated, independent, and socially constructed self keeps us from realizing this. Alas, the experience doesn't last, so our challenge, for the rest of our lives, is to re-experience those organic linkages with everything and everyone we come into contact with, until the definition of interdependency and social conscience are one and the same. It may be a challenge, but if we start with the connections that are obvious - all the friends, family members and the rest of the entities that we are ecologically beholden too and dependent upon, we can slowly allow this interdependency to transform our consciousness more and more. Joanna Macy is the Queen! "The Dharma of Natural Systems: Mutual Causality in Buddhism and General Systems Theory" is THE best work that explicates this whole phenomena. The whole intellectual side of Buddhism, as espoused in the Paticca Samuppada, the doctrine of Dependent Co-Arising, details the essence of this interdependency. It has never received that amount of attention that has been given to Buddhism's moral teachings, but the Buddha said that if you fail to deeply internalize the essence of interdependency, enlightment will forever escape you. So, do yer mushrooms, laugh yer ass off, read this book, get an ecological education, and fasten yer seatbelts. PS - depersonalization has also been registered as a profoundly terrifying experience by emotionally tender people. Be cool. Be responsible. Don't trip and trepidate.

My apologies to 11:33 about the suppositories. I was being randomly rediculous.

They are state-of-the-art acoustical suppositories.

Has anyone else tried Indium as a nutritional supplement? We've been on it since January and we felt a definite improvement in energy levels within two weeks. The problem with taking so many positive actions in pursuit of physical evolution is that you lose the ability to factor out specific effects/attributes. Yoga, herbs, supplements, nei kung, binaural beats, meditation... we're such self-help junkies... http://www.indiumease.com/

Good work there, Karen. Your critical thinking chops are sharp. There was a fantastic book back when I was an undergrad in the mid 90s - How to Think About Wierd Things. It delved deeply into the subject of internal states, subjective perceptions, personal testimonials and the like. I lost my "faith" back then, couldn't even use the word 'spiritual' for years in any meaningful sense. I guess I'm an agnostic Buddhist and fledgling Taoist now. Regards, Scott - LA via SF Trunk - great website. I've taken much info there to heart. Glad to hear you're from LA. I'm stranded here in Chatsworth amongst Industrial Blight Lite and porn stars. I may need to ask you about some specifics reg. the micro-orbit; getting the circulation in the dantien first.

Why, you are quite welcome, Grasshopper!

I guess I am not alone in lamenting his passing. The original Kung Fu series was a bright spot in my awful childhood. I bought the first season on DVD and became flooded with pleasant memories. The second season was almost as good as the first, and by the third and final season, the writers had become entirely bankrupt. Nevertheless, it was the only means of capturing quality entertainment with some quality wisdom thrown in. "Cloud Shadow" was probably the finest depiction of a Buddhist theory of consciousness that had ever been popularized, and I wept when I watched it again. The promise of self-possession and peace of mind that this show presented for a young grade-schooler never left me. I can't imagine how my life would have turned out had this vision not wielded its gentle influence. It definitely made me a better person.

I read "Meetings with Remarkable Men" back in the early 80s and thought it was one serious adventure tale, with perennial lessons thrown in. Lots of fun.

I would have to conclude that this is indeed total bullshit. Part of the reason I'm attracted to Taoism, as well as agnostic Buddhism, is that they don't oblige you to throw away your critical thinking. I understand that informal logic is not a tool for evaluating inner physiological experiences, but there is something to be said for intellectual humility. The Buddha was adamant about keeping metaphysics at bay; metaphsyics is for people too lazy to study physics. Given that pigs are extraordinarily intelligent animals with remarkable emotionally rich lives, I'd say leave the pigs alone. Frankly, if the world's cattle herds suddenly disappeared, everyone would be a whole lot better off ecologically.

I try to get to Noah Levine's Against the Stream Meditation Society on Sunday mornings, but that's about as close as anything to Chatsworth. Of course, if there's any Taoists in British Columbia who want to sponsor our defection, send me a line!

The number of entries related to physical symptoms of our practices must be off the chart, but does this sound familiar to anyone? I've got less than 2 years of energy training (nei kung) but it gets awfully annoying, and of course, being the worrier that I am, I start to imagine chi accumulating behind my face because of some horrendous blockage, leading up to an exploding brain on my 50th birthday. Let me guess... it's related to ego, right? Thanks, gang.

www.neikungla.com is a great site - very informative. Maybe it'll answer some questions. I've done this for a little under two years.