arnquist

So, I'm a huge fan of this show, mostly because it's an awesome story with awesome characters, but all the eastern philosophy and mythology makes it even better. There have been episodes (episodes 19 and 20, The Winter Solstice) that show the push and pull of yin and yang, water becomes stronger at night from the power of the moon, fire becomes stronger during the day from the power of the sun. There have also been episodes that show the oneness of everything (episode 24, the Swamp). But this episode, The Guru, episode 39, reminded me of some things I've read on these forums. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guru_(Ava...Last_Airbender) First chakra: Earth Chakra. Location: the base of the spine. It deals with Survival, and is blocked by Fear. Second chakra: Water Chakra Location: ???. It deals with Pleasure, and is blocked by Guilt. Third chakra: Fire Chakra. Location: in the stomach. It deals with Willpower, while it is blocked by Shame. Fourth chakra: Air Chakra. Location: the heart. It deals with Love, and is blocked by Grief. Fifth chakra: Sound Chakra. Location: in the throat. It deals with Truth, and is blocked by the Lies people tell themselves. Sixth chakra: Light Chakra. Location: ???. It is responsible for Insight, and is blocked by Illusions. Seventh chakra: Thought Chakra. Location: at the crown of the head. It deals with Cosmic Energy, and is blocked by Earthly Attachment. Just thought I'd share and see what people think.

youtube.com/watch?v=BE5M8743a1s Very cool youtube vid that I think people here will appreciate =)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=s7m3r4Wla3s&feature=related This documentary is pretty disturbing. It is mostly interviews with former radical Muslims. They say that true Islam is not just a religion, but the enforcement of Sharia law, which relegates all non-Muslims to Dhimmi status, that is second class citizens. True Muslims try to emulate the prophet Muhammad, who was essentially a warlord. Under Sharia law, by a principle called Taqiyya, lying is permitted if it is for the sake of spreading Islam (Koran 3:28, 16:106). One man describes how he acted entirely differently among westerners while watching news about Americans dying in the war in Iraq, but when he went home and was among his Arab friends they would have a party. When Islam is promoted as a peaceful religion it is the earlier parts of the Koran that they are quoting, which are by a tradition of abrogation (Koran 2:106) no longer valid because the later verses that Allah gave are better. Edward Said, who wrote a book called Orientalism, did a lot to promote Islam as a religion of peace and to make accusations that Islam is radical and warmongering seen as racist or bigoted. The strongest accusations come at the end of the film, they say that Islam is not a personal religion, it is a religion that from its beginnings had a geopolitical agenda, to spread Sharia law and Arabic culture across the world. Islamic law does not allow for treaties, only "Hudna" a temporary cease fire, an opportunity to gather strength. Islam is a totalitarian ideology similar to Communism or Nazism that believes its ends justify its means. I'm just repeating what the documentary said, I'd like to do some fact checking of my own. Thoughts?

News report about the free hugs campaign http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AdQo1qBy1E...ted&search= Free hugs in Korea, this one is my favorite, he gets a pretty big crowd staring at him Free hugs around the world http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaLqr5XqUCo...ted&search=

I saw this film a long time ago, it's on my list of documentaries I've enjoyed on the internet. The Enemies of Reason Root of All Evil? Why We Fight War Made Easy Loose Change Zeitgeist Guns Germs and Steel Fahrenheit 911 Bowling for Columbine Michael Moore Hates America Walmart, High Cost of Low Prices Lifting the Veil of Polygamy Bible vs Book of Mormon DNA vs Book of Mormon Dangerous Knowledge America: Freedom to Fascism 20/20 America the Stupid

If you haven't seen this amazing film, I highly recommend it, and if you have the patience to watch it again while listening to the director's commentary that would be even better. He reveals the typical subtle artistic details that you would expect, like color palettes, cinematography and symbolism. He also talks about the casting, that the actors were given roles that were very unusual for them and people didn't think it would work. A comedian was cast as the villain, a feminist actress was cast in a role that was quite the opposite, etc. What I enjoyed the most though was when he talked about his beliefs about magic and immortality, the power of symbols to communicate subconsciously and spiritually, and his criticism of organized religion. He believes that magic is real and immortality is achievable when you no longer care about death. He believes life is like a labyrinth, full of twists and turns, but ultimately a journey leading inward, to your true self.

So, this is reeeeeally random, but I figure people here know a lot about the human body and have an interest in how it works and reacts to things, so here goes. I just took a really hot bath, hotter than usual, and when I got out of the water I nearly passed out, my skin got all tingly and I felt like I was going to throw up and lose control of my bowels, I was in so much pain, so dizzy, my vision was blurry... I took my temperature and it was over 100, and when I looked at myself in the mirror I looked like a ghost, I was so pale, even my lips were about the same color as my skin. But after about 5 minutes it passed, my body regained equilibrium or something and I gradually started feeling normal again. Weird stuff. I wonder if it was the hot water alone, or maybe I have some tiny unnoticeable sickness and the hot water just lowered my immune system's defenses so it manifested itself? Anyway, just curious if anyone has ever had a similar experience or if anyone has a medical or chi/energy related explanation of what happened.

Thanks for the info everyone, I was in there a long time, trying to be 'macho' and endure the heat, lol. I'll be more careful from now on.

I think "pop tao" if often just as valid as the more esoteric stuff, don't automatically dismiss it just because it's new or popular. As for the second teacher, the tao has a lot to do with the proper use of power, perhaps that's why he uses martial arts. And perhaps he seems like a jerk simply because he demands a lot of his students. I'm just playing the devil's advocate here, I don't know what these teachers are really like, I'm just encouraging you to keep an open mind and find out for yourself.

I guess I'm one of the newbies ; I love this forum, I wish there were more threads about philosophical taoism and people interested in it, but there are enough to keep me coming back. I love the activity level and number of people on this forum, active enough to keep you interested on a daily basis, but not so active that you feel like you're drowning in threads that you couldn't possibly find the time to read.

Mormons fast 2 or 3 meals once a month and make fast offerings, giving the money they would've spent on food to the church to give to the poor. So yeah, I've fasted, and it definately has health benefits, esspecially if you eat more than you should, like too many people in modern society do. But I like this simple thought from Jos Slabbert at Taoism.net 117 People in harmony with the Tao eat when they are hungry and rest when they are tired.

Judgement vs Intuition? Not a simple pairing of opposites, so I need to clarify what I think each word means first. I think of intuition as a kind of faith, it's the opposite of logic/reason. Logic and reason tell you that a sex offender is likely to be a bad person and commit more crimes in the future. Inution, wisdom, or faith in humanity might tell you that people can change and you should get to know the person before passing judgement and spreading rumors. A judgement can be made based on intuition, reason, or both. I think the reason judgement was juxtaposed with intution in the title of this thread is because most judgements we make are based on our reason, not our intuition. The best kind of judgement is based on a healthy balance of both. If you found out the guy had a criminal record as a sex offender and on top of that took the time to get to know him and he turned out to be a sleezy, lying dirtbag of a man, then you would have a fair judgement based on both.

Spirits and gods are real? Scientific materialism is a religion? I guess those statements are true if you stretch the definition of "real" and "religion." Spirits and gods are only real to those who believe in them. They're not real like food we eat, the air we breathe, the light that lets us see, the people we know and love. Scientific materialism is religion if you take out the supernatural mythology, the dogma, the suspension of rational thought known as faith. I have no problem with people talking about gods, spirits and the supernatural, but your holy-than-thou attitude toward science and atheism annoys me. Yes, I realize I'm doing the same thing, so I guess this post is just my way of saying

Everyone is perfect eh? Sure judging people can be bad but what about, I dunno, caring? I think it's okay to judge others if you care about them and you do it gently and appropriately. It seems to me like being detached from everything is just as bad as being attached to everything, calling everyone perfect is just as bad as saying no one is perfect. Gotta keep things in balance, that's what I think.

I hate small talk. It's okay every now and then, to get a conversation going or to just have some fun. But being surrounded by nonstop small talk all day, or having a conversation with someone who refuses to move away from the comfort zone of small talk to something more worthwhile drives me nuts. Even though I'm not Mormon anymore I still go to church and church activities sometimes. I went to a YSA (young single adult) event this weekend that consisted of workshops, breakfast lunch and dinner, and a dance. The workshops were fine, lots of older people sharing their life's wisdom, even though it was very Mormon, they were sincere and I felt I learned something, or at least got to know the person giving the presentation better. But during the downtime talking to my peers was absolutely frustrating. I found some people who shared my interest in Japan and Anime so we had some good stuff to talk about for a while. I tried to lead it into a conversation about other cultures, or languages, or talking about stereotypes in the genre of anime, or historical influences or the future of the industry or the differences between dialects and how they get dubbed into different dialects from Japanese to English, or the advantages of animation over live action for expressing certain things, or how anime has created an international subculture... they listened to me, but never really had much of a response. All they talked about was how cute something was or how funny something was, or how they couldn't wait to buy the next manga or DVD, or how much fun it was to go to conventions dressed up as certain characters... the anime related small talk was okay, but the non-anime related small talk bored me to tears. I like this, I like that, isn't this funny? isn't that weird? Making absolutely obvious statements, repeating jokes and stories that had nothing to do with anything, just to keep the conversation going. I even tried talking about politics, I figured it would be a topic of interest with Mitt Romney running for president... Some of them didn't even know that. I was floored. How could a Mormon not know that we have a Mormon running for president? Wouldn't news like that spread like wildfire through congregations all over the world? Just goes to show how popular it is to ignore the bigger picture. How popular it is to only talk about pleasant things or things that are entertaining, things that agree with your world view. The whole experience made me sick.

I think lots of Harry Potter fans wish they never heard that. I think it's a good thing the way she announced it after all seven books were finished, now the really big fans may be forced to see Dumbledore, a character they love and admire, and by extension homosexuality in a different way. But since she didn't write it explicitly it doesn't "damage" the story for those who chose to ignore that bit of information.

I'd love a hot alien chick for the good of the species

Well said freeform. I just watched a film called "Dangerous Knowledge" that sort of fits with the ideas of infinity and confusion. It's basically about very intelligent men; mathematicians, physicists, logicians, driven mad trying to solve the problem of infinity instead of just embracing its mysterious nature.

Another Lao Tzu quote from chapter 31 of the Tao Te Ching says... Weapons of war are instruments of fear, and are not favoured by the wise, who use them only when there is no choice, for peace and stillness are dear to their hearts, and victory causes them no rejoicing. ... could be a mistranslation, I don't know Chinese, but it makes sense to me.

I have no problem with "man love," but I think everyone needs the influence of the opposite gender in their lives in some way, we complete each other.

Well looky here... Eighteen There is no one method for attaining realization of the Tao. To regard any method as the method is to create a duality, which can only delay your understanding of the subtle truth.

Hua Hu Ching? I've never heard of it, I should read it. I think both paths are an escape from reality, I think I've found myself in both extremes at different times in my life. If your goal is a cosmic, transcendental experience through meditation, perhaps one of these paths will work for you. If you're goal is a deeper understanding of things that you can apply to your daily life and decisions, you have to come up with a way of deciding what is true and what is an illusion and how you will respond. Are you sure you're making things more complex than needed? Perhaps you're not making them complex enough. The world is not so black and white, almost everything is a shade of gray. You can't just accept everything or reject everything. Just my thoughts, I'm no expert. WHOA!!! Just looked up the Hua Hu Ching, how have I never heard of this!?!? I thought Lao Tzu only wrote the Tao Te Ching.

Very interesting thread, thanks for starting it Cam. This made me laugh, I guess because it's hard for me to imagine, but it's true, and I'm grateful that the founding fathers thought of it. Many people have already said this, weapons themselves are not evil, actions are. People just tend to have the wrong attitude about weapons, we should not love them, and should only use them when there is no other choice. Power corrupts, like Tolkien said, even the power that comes from owning a gun can corrupt you if you're not careful.

The more I reflect on that night that I was so frustrated with small talk in my original post and the more I consider what people have said on this thread, the more I realize I was being insensitive. I don't chose my words very carefully, I see now that some of the "intellectual" things I said were probably considered somewhat insulting, offensive, (dangerous? controversial?) something like that. So instead of confronting me or getting defensive they just steered the conversation back into safer territory... ... or maybe they just thought I was boring and wanted to talk about fun stuff instead, who knows!? The point is, it's my own fault for not enjoying the conversation and not taking a hint from their responses. I just need more practice I guess.

The temperature shot down about 20 degrees in just a couple days, so I went from shorts, short sleeves, sandals and turning on fans in the house to long sleeves, pants, socks and shoes and a fire in the fireplace. That sounds about right That's quite a vivid description, sounds painful. I've given out and received labels, but never really thought of it in such a brutal way. I've done that, I should do it more often... I hope I can cultivate some more sympathy.