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The art may not be rare, but the artist's age may well be... ...although there is suspicion he wasn't 118 when that vid was made. There is another clip showing him giving a short demo at the age of 117. In that one he looked quite a bit older, and slightly slower too.

Its wonderful, your championing voice have yielded fruit. Seemingly. Time will tell... Tao Bums in 5 years... will it be exactly like what it is today, or will there will be 2 separate wings, each concerned with their own kind? Im imagining, based on current trends, that the slightest whisper from one side to the other will be deemed suspect. Is any of this even remotely close to resembling a pioneering of new understandings for both men and women members here, im wondering, or are these sighs of relief a little premature? Time will tell... I sincerely hope this push for some exclusivity will work, for the sake of everyone's progress, if it can be called that. Maybe it will create a bigger chasm, who knows. At the same time, im also wondering what all the fuss is about -- was there really any forceful suppression of women members here wanting to have their own cultivation corner? It could have been easily achieved, even in the PP section, no? Reminds me a little of the sewing clubs formed across the US years ago. That movement instigated a sudden thousand-fold increase in divorce rates all over America & even Europe, always the follower of American trends. Much to the glee of the lawyers, and their lawyers, of course, many of whom have gone on to build burgeoning practices with million-dollar annual profit increase, all thanks to Mrs. Jones, who sincerely believed she felt better in the sewing club than at home. Funny thing is, there was the believe at that time that it was the men and their love of manly pursuits which was the primary motivating factor that forced these clubs into existence. Kind of like a similar tune being sung here, no? Or maybe its just me seeing things. Hmm.

Taiji, Wuji, Dao strange, the way Chinese love baos morning, noon and night... wiki Baos: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cha_siu_bao

talk to the hand man he's singing Sweet Caroline like a one-man band...

Im sorry you feel that way.

Art is a celebratory outlet for the soul. If we can transform even the most mundane activity into an artistic expression, or regard our routines like artists with keen eyes observing every little detail, then the therapeutics of gentle living quietly makes a way into our hearts, throwing open new, meaningful vistas as if curtains are being slowly drawn... just as the sun is coming up over the blue mountains.

Interesting idea! How and where do you plan to plant the root(s)? Im thinking a pond or a largish pool with sufficient mud at the bottom will do the job. The yummy roots we buy as food can be grown, under the right conditions.

This forum is filled with creativity and nimble minds. Well done to all the art aficionados!

Nor do i. strange thing this ignore function. A bit like a pineapple core remover. Use it once or twice, and then it just gets shoved deeper and deeper into the back of the utensils cabinet.

i was thinking more like two equal wholesome individuals making a more complete whole. Different in name, but united in aspiration.

Merci...

its bummette.

Bravo! Of course it is ok to be gay. The put-down opinions of others do not, should not, diminish one's comfyness with their own choice, sexual preference, or one's natural condition . Limitations and doubts arise only when this comfyness have to be defended, and the more defensive one gets, the more distorted the picture becomes. Then one not only have to forcefully deal with real issues, but a host of imaginary ones too. Kind of feeds off each other... imaginations are vast and endless, like space, and so the need to be defensive eats into that, consuming one from the inside out until such time, embittered by the conflict, and by unseen forces created by the imaginings, one will be driven to the point of having to grapple, finally, with one's own demise. Do the oppressors and the firestarters care? Unfortunately, hardly one will. Women ought to realise that they are empowered by their own feminine qualities, and devote energy to hone these qualities to the point where resistance and oppression simply dissolve in the light of their presence. In Tibet, there's a saying, don't try to subjugate imaginary demons, learn to subjugate one's own mind. Then both mind and demons are pacified.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnVcnzAXNOo Enjoy!

Does oppressive behaviour really run rampant here? Or does it simply dot the landscape occasionally? Are the reactions overkilling the subject of women in TTB? Harmonious Emptiness asked what i would do if i see a woman being accosted. I was thinking about it for a while, and kept asking myself whether the women of TTB can actually be compared to that victim in the underground scenario. I dont recall any exchange happening and me thinking that any particular female poster was being victimised, as in the male counterparts sort of gang up to bash a particular female poster. Perhaps its happened, but i really cannot recall, or may have missed certain posts. Topics where gender friction could potentially flame up are few and far between anyway. However, to directly answer HE's question: I have, over the years, witnessed such events, so its not even a hypothetical consideration. Of course i would, if i could, respond to anyone who's in distress, but the thing is, if by responding to the situation would mean having to take down an oppressive person, then i don't see that as any sort of conflict, since my motive is to help restore balance. This balance can only be optimal if the engagement is accompanied by the sort of response that dignifies both the victim and the oppressor, in the total absence of bias. This absence of bias is crucial if one's aim is conflict resolution. Only then can spiritual qualities like clarity, true justice and fairness prevail. Of the three, clarity must be primary because some situations it can be a challenge to clearly demarcate between victim and oppressor. So much trickery abound.

There are countless 'wild' fruit-bearing apple trees all over England, Wales, Scotland, Isle of Man... would these all have been grafted too, in your opinion?

Not the apples, but the seeds doth travel a bit, usually by hitching rides.

Your views are very much, very sincerely appreciated, more so coming from a non-Buddhist.

yes, yes, antithetical... thank you for the correction! Although, on second thoughts, anti-ethical is not completely without credence either. The flipside of 'against' sometimes does not mean 'for'. There are ways to push and ways to pull, ala SunTzu & co. Knowledge is leverage, not brutish, not weak either.

Glad you found some dependable resource to help nurture your strength in recovery. You will be thought of in my prayers, not so much for healing, but out of care and concern. Blessings of courage and patience!

nice....

This applies not only to ancestors, i think. Someone mentioned to me once that every emotional energetic reaction, no matter how light, leaves a trace. For eg, say someone triggers some subtle emotional seed around Hitler, (name used simply for illustrative purposes) - this creates energetic dna stored in the universal storehouse consciousness, waiting for the right accumulative conditions before another similar form eventually takes birth, either here or in some other plane. The theory is that nothing dies, and everything is just in one big gestative cycle, until the proverbial enlightening ground is reached, then one is removed from the washing, so to speak. I sort of had a similar 'vision' back around 98/99. I even drew up a roughish diagram to help (me) explore the theory of how beings' minds are constantly evolving and recycling, on non-stop spin, until one by one, over many lifetimes, all reach the field of so-called liberated non-returners. Prior to this final stage would be the once-returners, which in my lingo are the bodhisattvas who attains a kind of semi-liberative state whereby they can traverse all the planes if they so choose, to help others get a glimpse or a recollection of the original pure ground where cyclical rebirth does not penetrate. Or something to this effect anyways. These days i dont really ponder such things much, so im afraid this is about all i can contribute. Very interesting all the same.

who let the dogs out? now the cats are all on roofs looking disgusted...

Stosh sir, Actually what i said was a little bit tongue in cheek too. Sometimes its good to see a little deeper (advice to self).