Wayfarer64

Dear Owl, I have no prior knowledge of Plato's activities. I do not though EVER have to be reminded of my connections to the rest of humanity. I for one am shocked at the notion that any self-cultivation could possibly move forward without the deepest sense of compassion and connection to the rest of the world and humanity. Self-absorbtion is not cultivation. It is a bid at ego inhancment and neurotic striving for "a better you", without concerns for the greater good...There is, for me, no advancement of spirit or growth of one's inner personality (that which dies), without compassionate bonding with the wider world... Compassion is the basis for all of our connectivity. For me it is not the striving to further our own selfish needs and projections of self, not even in transcendant searching beyond the inner self and its' connections to the rest of the cosmic whole... I am deeply disconcerted by the premiss of "otherness" in these activities. If we are all one at a basic level of existance -as is a part of Taoist philosophy, as a part of our consciousness; so why would these notions of compassion be so novel?

Dear Plato, I've given you my tentative yes vote and will probably answer the forthcoming email from you as well - to solidify the vote, but I have a question or two first... I find it counter-intuitive to let a baby tremble and sob and will try to soothe the infant rather than let it remain distressed. I assume the reaction you showed was a response to the knowledge you had of the baby's earliest days and not the current situation at hand at the time. (I for one, am usually at a loss as to what is agrieving an infant when it wails). So my question is how can you be so sure that what any baby is crying about at any given time? What made you so sure this was a post-trauma release and not a reaction to some actual discomfort, or even a fear of your "vibe" at the time? Or even your apparent lack of concern for the infant as you drifted off with it on yr stomach? And then your apparent lack of compassionate concern afterwards? It seems that perhaps your mind-set could well have been the catalist to evoke these memories in the infant. I have found that it is quite easy to project images into an infant's receptive mind. The very young are like sponges or very sensitive receivers on all sense recepticles. When placed with a stranger these attributes are hightened and an infant becomes hyper-sensitive. I assume part of the continual sobbing was your lack of apparent concern and comfort for the baby. It may well have begun to feel abandoned again! I have gone through post traumatic stress and found that a period of disassociative personality disorder was benifitial in the initial stages of post traumatic stress. That is to say a period when the mind created a seperate reality to bury the trauma until such time as one's emotional state could cope with it...I am not so sure that forcing the issues of trauma are always the best road to take in any given case. "Tough-love", as it were - is not the only way to go. Remembering trauma is a very tricky business indeed. Without the added aids of verbal communication it may be wisest to wait until the infant has matured some more before inducing the catharsis.. Furthermore...Attention is not compassion nor as nurturing as demonstrative caring. Dr. Mengela was intent on his subject's reactions to his experiments as he devised his insidious investigations...I am concerned with the apparent lack of compassion in this situation. I do not equate interested attention (undivided or not) with compassionate concern...And I don't believe that a sensitive infant would either... I have given you the tentitive yes vote in a belief that your natural compassion may shine through as this project goes forward...I will varify it after I hear back from you on these concerns...

The holiday season has most of us preoccupied- so I now offer a belated welcome!- Enjoy-

Welcome to you. I've not been visiting this site for very long either, but it has been a wonderful experience so far, I hope you enjoy it here also...

Well if you must know... I am 5' 7" tall, weigh 190 lbs -am loosing my hair, my wits and my charm moment by moment. I am not overly worried about my orgasms being too frequent, only if my girlfriend is having hers...So far so good, she has many more than I do! I used to like long walks on the beach and quiet snuggles by the fireplace... but now I'm into real romantic stuff like good food and wine in bed while watching old movies...(We are beyond the crumb factor and her biting me has been controlled to my satisfaction) - any more info will cost ya... I hope to build/retain enough of my chi to still kick some ass when I'm 80; and I have no other worldly ambition for my fast approaching golden years- beyond some good-humored cormudgionry- (which I can't even spell)... If you visit my website @ www.pdgart.com you will get a fairly in-depth idea of where I'm coming from...Even though most of my own art work is not up right now, due to a flood that damaged several paintings; I am reorganizing the whole section... I used to be a member of the Green Party of New Jersey - until I realized what narrow-minded idiots most of them were- still, I am sure the Green party has other chapters in other places in which the members are not fools...If I ever run for public office again , I would run as the furthest left of all republicans in the USA...In hopes of dragging a few of those bastards into moderation... Anything else you may have-to tickle out of me! (since I'm so freaking shy dontchaknow)... And that is the grandest wopper of a tell-all from me since the last time I got forced into a game of truth or dare... So put in yr own bid for that Warholian 15 minutes of fame Michael! where's yr rap-sheet?

Hypothetically- You are asking us to ponder the nature of ego...No-one that tends to offer advice is beyond the basic meat-wheel of kharma. Our egos are fully intact. Presuming to be able to help is a purely egotistical urge. The sounding-board of this wonderful site is only that... A place to share our ego's perspectives. If we already know everything the other seekers have to share-Than we may still enjoy ourselves in the sharing. Our experiences may get in the way of one-ness if we think they are unique to ourselves. It is not easy to transcend our own world view, no matter how well-meaning we may be. When a simple yet profound idea takes hold the ego wants it to be know that this idea exists in the beholder's mind. Sometimes this is dangerous, as racism and other superiority complexes have shown. Sometimes these shared ideas may help transform the world for the better. Sometimes good ideas get twisted as if going through a clothes-wringer, because the mind doing the thinking is warped and twisted. So sharing thought is usually a healthy thing to do. It may help us think for ourselves and collect our thoughts in a way that is more clear... So, dispite the problems and annoyances, I till think the many levels of being that we each experience in our questings are interesting to share with each-other. There is companionship on-line that has human value. Tho I have learned quite a bit here at the TaoBums, I still think of it as a not so very serious activity. Kind of like reading an historical novel rather than reading an actual tome written for the history class-room...So I guess for me - not all serious subjects, even life itself - will ever fully escape the folly and humor that may be found in any situation...I enjoy my ego even as I try to subdue it into non-existance... I hope this was not too preachy a way to say relax/enjoy! for ya... Namaste-PDG

I have found myself wondering just what knowledge we humans are ready to grasp. The epistemological nature of our questing needs to be addressed at some point to be sure we are not just fooling ourselves into believing what we want to believe. Logic is a very useful tool. The study of what the nature of our knowledge is and where it may lead us is an important part of any philosophical searching. Ethics must always play a part in making choices, which is the basis for the Yi Jing's advice... These other three branches of philosophy sometimes get short-shrift as we latch onto the metaphysical wonders that interest our restless minds... Taoism has a long history of scientific inquiry that is a basic part of the philosophy. It should not be discarded for the mystical questing that thrills us so. It has always been the joys offered in everyday life and being a part of the here and now that Taoism illuminated for me with the deepest sense of joy... I just hope that exploration does not cover for escapism when we strive to transcend the reality surrounding us... Delving into that reality is the way of the Tao, esoteric levels of existance encluded ! But having ones feet on the ground is always a good starting point for any journey.

Thanks Hagar & QiDr- My question was how much we are ready to grasp... So much of our reality is subjective ... For instance the red of a cloth is very different in different lights, and different in the perceptions of individuals -to say nothing of spieces who's eyes are very different from ours, or the color blind who may see no red whatsoever...Which is to say- what we take as red -or anything else you may choose as an example- may seem very different to other's way of seeing. I am also concerned with some indications of "jumping the gun" in some experimentation done by our fellow bums, a willingness to try anything that sounds interesting. There are many reports of having done injury to ourselves over the years, etc... QiDr. - I (of course) agree that Taoism has a holistic approach to the questions we ask - its realization may even be thought of as the oneness that our universe manifests even amid all of the complexities we may notice as well... That the un-namable is retained as unknowable is part of what I am addressing here- we are not omnipitant beings. We quest for answers that are inherently beyond our scope. This is not to be pitied! We may seek and find our way as we go, even create our way as we go, step by step we expand our minds. I do however still believe that the Yi Jing does contain the core of Taoist thought and practice. It may be that after another 40 years I shall change my views on these things - but for now I find that even the seperations offered in our many approaches to Taoism can be brought together within the Yi Jing's pages...Everything in its' own time and place.- So I again offer many Thanks for the entries -Even with my questioning the validity of some techniques, all aspects of our envolvement are a boon to each-other's reality.

The Synchro-Energizer Folks used to give free demos at my gallery openings in NYC. Their system was a combined sound and light experience that was worn on the head like a flyer's helmet. Very comfortible. The experience was VERY soothing. A controler/operator was needed, he came with the gear in a suit-case sized control panel and the head-gear... What I remember most is that time just fly by durring the session. 45 minutes seemed like 10 or fifteen and I came away with a deep sense of being well rested! Many people signed up for extended sessions at the office after being exposed to the experience at my gallery. I never found the time -but always wanted to...

Dear Leidee et al... I see what you are saying but it is just what I was trying to get at - we are not talking about the same things. We are, to some extent assuming we know what each-other is trying to address as a subject and even that is not clear! I was just addressing the subject as how we speak to children, not make points with each-other as adults... These are very different modes of communication. Adults do not always speak to children as we speak to each-other. Children need to be taught. Maturity and wisdom are not just given to us like a pill. Some politicians speak to "the masses" as adults speak to children.What I mean is that in politics and in many other cases much gets obfuscated on purpose. This is similar to how some parents hide some truths about the world from their children to protect their sensibilities. And of course there are the liars, who need to be heard to be disbelieved! I just do not believe that communicating as one would to a child is anything but condiscending in some instances! There are of course, also differing viewpoints on most topics as well. But facts are also slippery things and they can block the light of larger truths. The "hook" you speak of is maybe meant to get the mind pulled in some direction... I was trying to get at explaning just some basic sorts of activity that would be difficult to explain to children in a way that made any sense to them in the context of their limited world view.. So this is turning out to be a very good example of the problems of communication!!!

A merry HO HO HO !!! - to one and all! And yes a deep felt thanks to all here on this amazing site! It is indeed the gift that keeps on giving! Sean, you have done a very beautiful thing for all of us! The shared experience of the TaoBums is a wonderous blessing.- love to all-Pat

This is fine in theory, but this is also how most misunderstandings transpire... Getting what may or may not be the idea and "running with it" through one's own mind is why the game of post-office is funny - the end result is seldom what the intended message was meant to be. I agree that clarity and good language skills make a big difference in how our ideas are apt to be received. But some issues do need complex explainations to actually make sense. Take for instance the question of why was the American Civil War fought? The common answer is -"To end slavery in the USA." - But that is an overly simplistic and actually false answer. That was a major result of the war but not the cause. We often explain activities from the out-come backward because hind-sight is easy and forsight is very difficult. Many explanations need to address the future, which is largely unknown. We explain why we do or did things because we often have/had expectations of results not because we see what is best for the present...To me this is the very heart of Taosit thinking - to absorb the now and what our place in it means... The more we open ourselves to the world as it is around us, as we live our lives, the more likely we may behave in a way that is not harmful... Our seperatness is an illusion...But it is also the very essence of our lives as we know them. The seperatness gives us life. Our personality is that which dies...So we share them with each-other in many ways - some of which drive us apart, some bring us together... Namaste- Pat

At first I liked the idea of this very much... Then I began realizing there were many things I could not explain to a child, because they had no frame of reference for them to grok the matter at hand...At least not on any level that my explaination would actually explain the thing itself, in a meaningful and contextual way. If I were having a sexual experience with a lover -(it would be NOBODY's biz anyway) but how would that be explainable, or logical/mathamatical, or maybe some complex geo-political and even spiritual matters... Dumbing them down does not explain them, it only reduces them to a childish level... But the idea still has appeal... Keeeping it simple and clear sure helps! (By the way for clarity's sake- GROK is a word from the book- Stranger in a Strange Land - it means to comprehend fully...

Laughter is the best medicine! So in an attempt at a rememberance of laughs past... Lenny Bruce,- who got very unfunny but more important to hear...The Marx Brothers, Abbot & Costello, Buddy Hackett, Johnathan Winters, George Carlin, Flip Wilson, John Balushi (doing Joe Cocker-while right next to him on stage!- Robin Williams, Lewis Black, and recently G.W. Bush has said so many stupid things he now qualifies as a walking joke, (tho a pretty bad one)... Also I recently heard Little Richard sing "I Feel Pretty" and it had me rolling on the floor... Just about every comic has had a bit or two that got me goin' so god bless them one and all!!!

HERE'S SOME NEW RESEARCH INTO PSILOCYBIN- http://www.maps.org/research/psilo/azproto.html

Good wishes to one and all! I have long thought of this day as the start of the new year. At least the time to start looking ahead to the new year, and leave the past year behind - as I move through the ever-present now ... Indeed this is one of the most important days I keep for deep meditation and thanks-giving...(as well as a serious house-cleaning!) I sure hope you all are able to share many blessings with your loved-ones!!!! Namaste-Pat

Yeah, what about holidays!? I want a day off ! Dear Fallen Monk, If you've fallen, look around and make sure yr physically ok, then make yourself at home where-ever you find yourself. Then look inside yourself to figure out where you need to be/go next. There may well be a very good reason that new conditions prevail... Making the best of what you have, rather than seeking to gain ground in striving efforts is a concept in a Taoist mode...But one we tend to forget around here from time to time. We are a mixed-bag of eager-beavers looking, seeking and often finding more of ourselves in our surroundings...I hope you will have a great time with da bums...-Wayfarer ps - please visit my links page for some more Taoist (& etc...) - input-@- http://www.pdgart.com/lipnf.html Enjoy!

Welcome aboard! I find most desperate acts taken in one's efforts to float tend to drown one...Humorous wording aside, our striving for bliss usually doesn't work out so very well... humorous as most human folly is... Watching the Marx brothers works for me...Those guys knew how to go with the flow! - so I'll just wish ya much happiness here with us bums!

Hi again, I've been wanting to contact James Glick. We went to the same high-school and were in the same grade, but didn't socialize much. He was one of the "brightest" guys in the class and we all figured he'd make his mark. I'd want to have a little more info at hand before asking a lot of fool questions of him, but I hope to make the effort one day, if nothing else, just to see what he says about the quantum/Taoism linkages we have discussed here at some length... Namaste-Pat

Hi there Treena, try- http://www.greatdreams.com/strng.htm The idea of mathamatics being a sacred gateway has always interested me- even tho my higher-math skills are wanting... This site is one of many on my links pages -There are more there too - http://www.pdgart.com/lipnf.html

I am a bit confused by the wording of the question. As I understand it, Tai Chi can be concidered part of one's Qi Gong practice, in that Qi Gong may be any practice from prayer and meditation to full-contact Kung Fu etc... In that vein I guess my Qi Gong practices have encluded prayer, meditation, reading and any scholastic study, greco-roman wrestling, hatha yoga, judo, Hung Gar Shaolin Kung Fu, Home-style Taiwanese martial arts forms, religious debate, and surviving attacks by both the kkk & high lords of latin kings, (fascists and anarchists-the wacko/dangerous extremists, a telling, yet odd coincidence)...Creating a not for profit organization, and advocating for basic rights, teaching and political activism as well I guess...The giving out of what I am able to share is also an important part of my Qi Gong. This last helps me understand what I think I know! All part of the process of working to better myself and the world I live in. In other words whatever has made me stronger and wiser is part of what I concider my Qi Gong practice. And indeed it all comes down to trying to be the best person that I can be at any moment...Staying aware of my suroundings and alert to my energy levels as I go about my biz day to day... WHY I do this may be just because I am aware of the differences I experience in my life ...When I am trying to be a better me, it feels beter than letting myself get lazy and slovenly and weak... Namaste-Pat

When I was in Indonesia way back in 1979 I was taken to meet a woman who was in her 70's and known as a great adept/healer. Her English was good too. We had a wonderful conversation about staying healthy as she brewed us some herbal tea. When it was ready she sprung up over the chair she was seated on and leaped to the kettle in a bounding flight that took me very much by surprise. I thought for a moment -"What a show-off!" and then just gawped as I realized she was in her 70's and moved faster than most in their thirties...She had made her point in a leaping demonstration of agility. Her sense of humor was very good too. She put all of the elements together- diet, climate, excersize and great good-humor... There was an element of her wanting me to stick around and pay he a lot of money to teach me, which my schedule wouldn't allow, but I was tempted to study with her... I'd have to dig up my diary from that trip to remember her name...I'll also email my buddy Chris who was also there to see what he remembers of her... Namaste

I don't think that the ancients confused the two substances, "Gold" was just another name for Amber that was used- It may be that they had the same monitary value per oz. as well...But many believe that in the story of the 3 wise men and their gifts to Jesus that the metalic gold was a gift when it is more likely that the "gold" mentioned was what is now more commonly called amber...Just a bit of trivia really, for those interested in how translations, (and what we may concider as valueble gifts), can change the meanings of words over time... The calming atributes I can attest to when all three are burned/used together. Thanks for all the great info...

Jeepers-it's been about 30 years since I partook of DMT. I remember it as a sort of waking-dream state. There is an erotic componant to this memory also-but that is most likely due to the context of the experience, not the chemical inter-action. I'll try to recall...There was waiting and waiting and then -wham-like a rocket being launched, sporatic hallucinations amid a feeling of wonder and euphoria...I can't recall any insights or specific connections I made- but it is a very pleasant memory...I guess soulful is an apt word- but that may just be projecting backward from here... Not much help, all these years later-So, good luck, and stay mindful as you quest...

Thanks for the reminder! I shall alite from my high-horse and kiss the sweet earth that remains the mother of us all! Namaste- Pat