arnquist

Whoa, I wanna go to those caves, that looks sweet. That M.C. Escher quote is awesome too. I didn't know crystals were used to power radios and time pieces! I wonder how that works...

Wow, well said Lin. I think the Taoist "vibe" when it comes to having fun is to enjoy the little things in life, live in the moment, cultivate a healthy curiosity, a healthy imagination, a desire to learn, stuff like that. Monks try to get rid of desire, but Taoists can just desire to be in tune with the Tao, which leads them to a fuller appreciation and understanding of reality. And also, an ability to see through the illusions, misunderstandings and oversimplifications that often lead to violence and suffering.

lol, yeah, I wouldn't recommend that either. The thing is, this wasn't a formal business encounter, this was at an event where the whole point of it was to get to know each other. I guess I did get to know them... I just didn't like them much, lol. I sure hope so. Good advice I suppose.

Um, well I'm no expert, and this information is just from a TV show, but I'll give it a shot, lol. If you follow the link to wikipedia you can read a summary of the episode, though that might not make a whole lot of sense if you haven't seen the show. Aang (the character who is going through this process of opening his chakras) opens the third chakra by recognizing the shame he felt when he started learning to use the power of fire and as a result hurt someone he loved. "Aang has a vision of when he first attempted Firebending, and severely burned Katara’s hands. He repeats aloud the promise he made afterwards: that he will never Firebend again. Pathik (the guru) dismisses this, saying that in order to obtain Balance, Aang must accept all aspects of his life. As the Avatar, Aang must Firebend. Aang breathes in and out once, releasing the chakra." To open the fourth chakra Aang remembers the air monks who he grew up with and who are all gone now. Instead of being consumed by grief that everyone he once knew is now gone, he remembers them fondly and uses their memory to form new relationships. "Laying his grief before him, Aang meditates, and sees all of the Air Monks he knew, with Gyatso at the front, all of whom died because he abandoned them. They fade away into dust. Love, according to Pathik, is a form of energy, and flows around everything, and that the monks' love for Aang is still all around them, and manifests itself inside of new love- the love Aang feels for Katara. Aang releases the chakra, teary-eyed, and asks for more juice before they continue." Hope that helps.

Hm... I'm a Philosophical Taoist so um... I have some authors I like... Derek Lin (The Tao of Daily Life, www.taoism.net) and Benjamin Hoff (Tao of Pooh, Te of Piglet). Some blogs I like are Daoist Recluse, Beancurd Turtle and The Useless Tree. The webcomic Sinfest by Tatsuya Ishida has some good Taoist/Buddhist themes in it. I also have some favorite Athiests, Deists and liberal thinkers, comedians and philosophers most of whom I've found on youtube. Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Bill Maher, Pat Condell, "LiberalViewer," John L. Armstrong. I like what Greg Koukl and C. S. Lewis have to say against relativism, though I don't agree with the idea that a moral law requires a moral law giver. The book Siddhartha, by Herman Hesse has been my favorite book since I read it in high school years ago, oops, he's not alive... Sorry, that was a lot more than five, and not really in list form, and not all Taoists, but that's kinda the point, I just look for my spirituality wherever I can find it. Most of my real spiritual leaders are the Mormons I grew up with, not famous authors or artists, just good people.

I can only see the right brain answer. I keep staring at her, but I can't see it. I can never see those magic eye things either

No problem, that's a good answer!

Part of me wishes I could return to unquestioning faith, but I just can't turn off my questioning skeptical mind.

My bad, my sarcasm/joke detector has always been weak

I'd like to meet this dude, sounds like a cool guy.

Belief is very powerful, and very dangerous. Never doubting what you believe and calling others beliefs silly? Listen to yourself. Isn't this fanaticism? What I find interesting in this thread is that the Coyote is just one of many trickster myths found all over the world. All myths are based on reality, trickster myths are probably based on devious people, found all over the world. Nothing against Max, but as wise as he may be, he's still a human being, and human beings can make mistakes and deceive, intentionally or unintentionally.

I'm with the skeptics here. But I have a question. This seems to imply that reptiles are more evolved than mammals, or that being cold blooded is better than being warm blooded. Is that so? Why?

Sad but true, if I relied on school to teach me everything I would be a total zombie! I've been watching tons of documentaries lately and getting a much fuller picture of the world. Sicko Fahrenheit 9/11 Bowling For Columbine Michael Moore Hates America The Enemies of Reason Root of All Evil? Bible vs Book of Mormon Lifting the Veil of Polygamy Why We Fight War Made Easy Loose Change Zeitgeist Guns Germs and Steel The Great Global Warming Swindle Doomsday Called Off Walmart, High Cost of Low Prices Penn and Teller: Bullshit is good stuff too. There are a couple I'm looking forward to as well, Prince of Peace/God of War and Religulous. Gotta take everything with a grain of salt though, biased agendas and honest mistakes can always creep in.

I might as well be straight forward about this, I'm a bit of a Japanophile. I love the language, history, flashy technology, super convenient public transportation, videogames, anime, karaoke, martial arts, Japanese food, sense of community and loyalty, love for all things cute, etc. Yes, I know Japan has a dark side too, conformity to authority over individuality can lead to unfairness, there's a general distrust of foreigners, pornography is everywhere, politeness is often just for show, and the language can be frustratingly ambiguous. Nevertheless I am drawn to Japan, so much so that I'm considering living there permanently, or at least for several years, and I'm also drawn to the idea of marrying a Japanese girl. So I've been looking around at dating and matching sites and found this little gem. I laughed so hard when I read this. This site is all about capitalizing on the "submissive Asian woman" stereotype. http://www.nomarriage.com/x/japanesewife.html Nothing against American women, but I've always had trouble connecting with them and I think this radical feminism described here has something to do with it. Although, I'm sure a lot of it is just in my own head too. Still, the only serious relationship I've been able to have in my life so far was with a German girl. I've always been frustrated by situations where women or minorities automatically get the moral high ground because they feel they've been "oppressed" or "discriminated against" when really they just want special treatment. Anyways, *steps off angst-filled white boy soap box* just curious, does anyone have any advice, experience or amusing anecdotes about cross-cultural relationships?

Conspiracies!!! I like conspiracy theories, whether they're true or not, it's nice to see people brave enough to question the official story. That Forbidden Archeology book looks like it's drawn a lot of skeptics saying it's biased because of the author's Hindu beliefs and use of outdated information, but who knows, it could be closer to the truth.

My parents have become semi-vegan in their old age and it has done wonders for their health. I say semi-vegan because they still very rarely eat meat and dairy products, like once a month or so. Since my family is Mormon they also follow the "word of wisdom" a health code that prohibits tobacco, alcohol and any other addictive drugs. Does anyone here follow a Taoist health code? It seems like there are some general things you could say about a Taoist health code. I think trying to keep things in balance and avoid getting addicted to anything would certainly be part of it. Any thoughts?

Yay for sex! That's my interpretation. But yeah, which is the cart and which is the horse is indeed an interesting question. I'd like to think that list is right and that all those positive benefits are coming from the sex, but maybe that's just wishful thinking. I guess it makes sense that "turning off" your sex drive would make you more aware and skillful in other aspects. Kind of like how a blind man makes more use of and therefore becomes stronger in his remaining senses.

Thanks for your response Lin, I really need to learn more about Taoist traditions. No one else has anything to say? I like how my other threads turned into interesting debates, I think this one still has the potential. Surely more people here have opinions on what we should and shouldn't consume.

Just wanted to say this thread is awesome, thanks Hagar.

This really rings true to me being a former Mormon. I am so grateful for my parents, I think they did a really good job. Which is why I'm excited about starting my own family when the time comes. People who investigate the Mormon church and are willing to look past the mythology will see well balanced, loving, respectful people. Well, that's usually what you'll see. Mormons aren't perfect, they're just trying to be. And I don't think that's a bad attitude to have, as long as you realize perfection is impossible and don't get stressed out over it. Anyway, families are the most important thing in the world. Bad families leads to bad societies leads to bad world.

This is exactly what I'm talking about. "I'm offended" therefore I'm right and you're wrong. I'm sure someone's statistics are off, but that's not even the point. Yes, I do have no idea what it's like like to be a woman. Yes, you've been through a lot more than I have. But have you taken the time to think about how intimidating and unfair feminism can be for some guys? I just hate being judged, stereotyped, mistrusted and misinterpreted for my gender, something entirely beyond my control. I think any human being can relate to that.

I haven't done the research, so you can totally ignore me if you like. Western medicine seems to be fairly effective for most things, but then again I've been taught to trust western medicine, so maybe I'm just biased. It seems like Chinese medicine does a better job of harnessing the body's natural healing powers while western medicine is all about killing the disease. Seems like they both could learn a thing or two from each other.

Well, this certainly took a turn I didn't expect. I don't mind though, this is actually really interesting. I'm pretty ignorant on this topic so I'd like to learn more. I say keep the discussion on the boards and just try to keep things polite as much as possible.

I'm sorry, didn't mean to offend or be flippant about the matter. I'll admit, my complaint is really tiny and pathetic compared to the struggles of those who really are oppressed, abused and discriminated against. Having to hear the occasional "all men are pigs" and such thrown around is no big deal compared to that. But whiny and pathetic as I may be, I think I'm still allowed to voice my opinion and seek a little sympathy. As far as what this post is doing here? I dunno, I figure anything is fair game since the Tao is everything.