Everything

Hey guys, I've read the book of Carlos Ruiz Zafon, named Shadow of the Wind. One of the most popular spanish books ever. It was kinda boring to me, because I don't share the peoples cares, but am fed at nature brest. This gave me the idea to seek more mature authors who don't have emotional disorders. So, if there would be a Taoist book, story or author you know about, share it with us here. I'd love to read those extremely mysterious words, love it so much. I think I found a link here somewhere to a website which had wonderful stories with similar paradoxical teachings like that of the Tao. I'm always amazed by them, but I lost this link. Will search it now. Sometimes I wonder wether it actually means anything, they use alot of wordplay. It is hypnotizing lol.

Isn't happiness an emotional balance on its self? A perfect balance between confidence and well-being. Surely perfect balance can never been reached, but you can certainly aim for perfect happiness. The neutral mood comes from a stable emotional balance of anger and fear. The perfect tranquility can never be achieved either, only aimed for.

I've found that happy people don't like sad music and sad people don't like happy music. Happy people are attracted to happy things and sad people are attracted to sad things. So you should make the things you already have your object of pleasure, and when you loose them, be flexible enough to create new objects of desire and joy. Staying focused on positive things, even when that means going against your believes of how everything is not positive. Being a stable person is also important. Happiness is an energy and it can be drained, especially if your fate lies on the negative things instead of positive things. Some people don't even realize how much fate they put in the negative side of life. Whiny people are sad/fearful: "Chickens are dieing, cows are being coocked alive! I wish I had more chocolate! I want a more expensive car... This bike sux.. Everyone's still eating meat! Two hands are not enough! Everyone is killing eachother..." Happy people focus and have fate in a world where there is enough for everyone so they spent their energies wisely and don't waste it on complaining about stuff they can't control: "Chocolate is so wonderful! I love my bike! Many people are becoming vegetarian. The environment is receiving more and more attention! My hands are the most useful thing in this world. We're all in this together! etc." Happiness is an emotional currency, be wise about spending it. It may seem non-existant to the usual eye, coming and going as if from nowhere. Those on the spiritual journey have a stronger feel for it. I wish everyone the best of luck, finding durable happiness in your lifes so that you may spread it to everyone. Also a fact about what happiness itself actually is: well-being+confidence You know how to become confident and how to have well-being, I'm sure of it. Stay on the path.

Wow, you're all the way on the other side already! My purpose is to practice emotional mastery, as I had borderline in the past. Facing my fear couragiously does the job, but I've found that meditations allows me to bring my mind to rest when I want it to, plus recognize that fear when it is there. Also does it allow me to refresh in order to head back in the field without being distracted to easily by our lofty aspirations or the petty details of our life. Now, I've come to a point in my life where I require more emotional mastery for my artistic endeavours. I can control the sad/angry emotions on the emotional spectrum pretty well. Crafting the sad and angry mood trough the use of music is, therefore, easy for me. How can meditation lead me to feel more happiness and fear on the emotional spectrum, aswell? This is my current goal. To create more joyful moods, mysterious moods, scary moods, etc. This is very dificult if I cannot bring up joyful and fearful emotions on will, simply by thinking about it.

Last time I did this practice, lying in the bed on my back with my eyes closed and all the muscles in my body entirely relaxed. I lost awareness over my body as if they were not there, my mind was clear. When I started to move again, it felt weird and I had stinging sensations all over my muscles, as if they were numb. As if I had no more blood flow, the feeling you get when you sleep on your arm. But my arm was completely comfortable on my side on the bed! Whats up with that. Did I meditate for too long? Or should I perhaps do this breathing focus while standing? Like a stance, or something.

With a description like that! You seem like an experienced meditator Have you ever tried not to meditate for a while? What will happen then

Hehe, very funny cartoon. Deleting history is ment to be present-mindedness. What does the cache represent? +how is it posible to get empty mind. I don't understand that concept.

Hey, guys. I've witnessed alot of talk about higher awareness here. One of the best signs of a good and solid awareness is lucid dreaming. I've currently got a frequency of 2 lucid dreams per week, of 10-20 minutes each. If anyone claims to have better succes then that, I would really appreciate some advice on how to increase my awareness during the day/sleep. Perhaps even how to recognize dreams or prepare my mind during the day/night before sleep for lucid dreaming. I find that lucid dreaming allows me to experience the waking life more vividly and with more enjoyment aswell. So, how did you go about reaching that kind of succes? I hope all is familiar with the term "lucid dreaming." It is basicly a dream where you are aware of your surroundings, can use your five senses and have acces to your memory. The experience can be intense, sometimes even more vivid then the waking world. As your mind is the creator of this dream world, your psych can perceive whatever it wants to perceive. If you think you've never had a lucid dream, stick around. Perhaps someone got some interesting words on this topic you might want to hear. I found that meditating on the awareness of the 5 senses, and the dream-like nature of the waking world will increase the lucidity during night tremendously. But on busy days I almost go about the routines, forgetting all. How do you go about doing this? Keeping a meditative mind even during activities that require so much attention and focus.

Hey all, Making this topic in the hopes of receiving some wise words about death. Perhaps a paradoxical truth we have not yet heard. Let us talk about this. I believe that we're to live as naturally as possible and include the full package and bla bla, whatever your concept of life is. Just live till you die... Some people, however, desire death, and believe that while death is the destination of every man, anyway... They want to speed things up by taking their own life! They want to control the uncontrollable, so much, that they try to make it happen earlier then it is supose to happen, to validate the fact that they control death by changing its time and location. Perhaps their own suicide was fate aswell? I just think that their body is now being consumed by nature and that it doesn't matter. Who will ever know. What do you think about death? I know that the concept of death is the opposite of life, but I still believe we speak too little about it here in Tao bums. Maybe I've overlooked it, so I made a topic specificly about death. Please do not delve into the concept of death with your emotions too deeply. It can be deceiving to find yourself depressed after doing so and blaming the symbol of death itself, or perhaps even me. Let the conversations begin.

Men flow into life, and ebb into death. Some are filled with life; Some are empty with death; Some hold fast to life, and thereby perish, For life is an abstraction. Those who are filled with life Need not fear tigers and rhinos in the wilds, Nor wear armour and shields in battle; The rhinoceros finds no place in them for its horn, The tiger no place for its claw, The soldier no place for a weapon, For death finds no place in them. This kind of adventure will surely come if you act couragiously on all your encounters with death. The confidence will, in theory, grow so much that you no longer encounter death. Infact, you shall seek to meet its glorious sight once again. Like the jack-asses, adrenaline junkies, etc. These are great examples of overly-confident men. Death finds no place them, the rhinoceros finds no place in them for its horn, etc. This is where death ends, and life comes in. I believe that, dependent on the person, some people should seek to witness life more so then death, while others should seek to encounter more death then life. It will keep you balanced in your heart and mind. But knowing the two extremes, you also master everything in between. That why the Tao is so wonderful in its extreme teachings. Especially in the wonderful verse about death above.

I think I understand what you're saying and I find this to be true aswell. The well prepared mind is non-dualistic, but nonetheless well capable of feeling the fear of death. For him it becomes a great adventure, one where there is much to be experienced. Having these kind of outlooks on the symbol of death will fill your life with more life.

Why not use martial arts to be a hero? Let me ask you, why don't you grow an orrange tree to eat apples? Because you are afraid, perhaps not even ready. You fear that once the orrange tree has grown, you will never have place for apples anymore. The very definition of martial arts makes it impossible for someone to end up as a hero. The reason is simple: Hero's die... Thats what they do. They are too couragious and encourage you to do the impossible, which is childish. Only children admire hero's, only children act like hero's, only children die... Then they rise again as men and warriors. You never use martial arts to be a hero, because you fear that death will take that away from you.

Sure was alot of fireworks... We should have some population control, like war. That would be good for the environment. Mother nature should not wait too long. If she decides to give us shortages on later dates, war may turn out ugly for her aswell. Leaving radio-active scars the surface of the earth, and things like that. But I woulden't mind if she waited just another 100 years or so, just to be sure I'm not here. Hehe.

The fear of death can never truely be taken away, only forgotten. It is ingrained within you like your hunger for food. Infact, without a fear of death a couragious act would not be possible and thus taking away the definition of your confidence aswell. No matter how you look at it, every couragious act is the same as "facing a little bit of death." For example, people with borderline disorder don't recognize their own fears so well and thus stay low on confidence aswell. They act impulsively on their fears without knowing it. You will feel more confident if you face dead animals without being whiny about it and not act impulsively on your fear or ignoring your fears in that way. The act you have just commited is couragious in a way and is related to death in that way. The same courage is required when a gun is pointed point-blank on your head. Either the courage to stay calm, or to act in a constructive way, whatever you think that might be. Funny thing is, you don't need confidence to act couragiously, but acting couragiously you will get confidence. Free will, the power of our soul. I think it speaks for itself when I say that a gun on your head is "facing more death" then picking up dead animals. Infact, dead animals tend to lean more towards the sad/angry side of the emotional spectrum. What you did can also be seen as more assertive, rather then couragious. Depends on your ways of thinking. You decide on that one. Oh, and thanks for sharing your experiences on facing death.

Also to add, this inner will to survive was something tribes of the past were familiar with. They used it to their advantage by using this to initiate maturity. Same as the huge group of men gathering up together to increase their skills with women, they are being initiated into a more purposeful life in this way. While soldiers are initiated in a way that speaks more to your core of survival, rather then replication. Perhaps a combination of both for gangs who are recruiting fellow brothers. The motivation behind each of these rituals and initiations comes from your inner will to survive/replicate. Whichever one is used, the initiations and rituals of today are completely diffrent then those that have lasted thousands of years. The environment has changed aswell, so no one is to blame. If we understand this inner will to survive and the relation of death/love to our selves, perhaps we can invent more effective ways of motivating the people on the planet to grow mature, by developing better rituals. Perhaps even researching the ancient rituals to get the core out of those initiations and use it on our current lives. Most people are currently pointed at sports and education... How will a combination of those garuantee for mature people in our planet? I wonder this aswell.

This is true for the moment right before death. That is exactly why I made this topic. For those few seconds in my life. I can never forgot the experience, neither fully understand all the things that went trough my mind. Angry, fearful, couragious, assertive, happy, sad all at the same time. Weird. One example is how I saw that my sadness, when facing death was actually fear. This is how death showed me the way by acting couragious while actually feeling sad. Because I felt the full spectrum of all emotions together as my brain lit up. That is extremely paradoxical, as most sad people wont have courage in their mind even if it were the last thing they thought about. Sad about dieing and then acting couragious because you've accepted that you cannot control things. Then where does the motivation come from? This inner will to survive, it is limitless like a vessel. The death itself might not be so pleasant. The enlightenement the moments before death brings us and the reason and motivation to live that we connect with is incredibly powerful. I call it the will to survive, and everyone has it burrowed deep down inside. It occurs in those moments where you're about to die and you have no plan B. Most of the people did not return from this place to share it with us, they are already dead. Some people suicided and survived to share that they did not actually want to died when they met this part of them selves, right on the last moment. It is similar to our cravings for food and sex, indeed. I believe it goes back as far as repitilians. One of our deepest cores is the will to survive / replicate and it can only be known when facing death, or perhaps seeing some attractive person, hehe.

So, all you out there claim that death IS something that will happen. So we might aswell let it happen and not even think about it. Fair enough. Lets look at the other side of the coin. People who wish for it to happen later then it is suppose to happen. There is also your inner will to survive. You wont meet this part of yourself untill you actually face death, and it is huge. This ancient old reflex overrides the laws of your personality and behaviour. It will take over your body and mind in order to survive, unless you're already dead. This is why all the people who have faced death already desire immortality in some way. Entire industries are based on it. Even ancient men sought for immortality. Seems like Tao Te Ching also mentions immortality, but in a way that is beyond death. So in the Tao concept, even those who die can be immortals. Living consciously in the present moment is a good example of connecting with your soul, so you may not loose it after death. But this is a concept that uses death as a symbol to enhance our everyday mental lifes. Death here is a new timeframe, and heavens and earth in these religious concepts are nothing more then your own habitual behaviour that causes these. This why every second is a rebirth for those who remain conscious enough to change their behaviour in order to reach the heavens in their current lifes. Thats not the death I'm talking about. I my self, even though I believe we should live till we die, don't understand how ending your life early goes against the way of things. Your body and cells also have mechanisms to self destruct, like tumor cells. Some people might even want to end real physical suffering, not mental suffering, by ending their lifes in a less painful way. I believe that people who are dead are in peace because they no longer seek for a connection and oneness with the universe. They are it... And those who desire life, have brought back people from the dead by resurecting them. Like doctors who resurected people who were dead minutes long. For me the concept of death and life does not mean much, because I also believe they are the same thing. Dead people also have a consciousness, they just don't react in your timeframe for your to understand their understandings and reactions. They are similar to nature, being consumed by it and its infinite consciousness. Even we living are part of it, but project this truth on to the dead.

The sound of silence...

EDIT: Sorry guys, when you spent contentment or whatever energy, like happiness in the past you will suffer. This is the nature of suffering. Spending energy on the past or future is a big part of it. Instead, enjoy your current life fully, and create the life that is most good to you by trial and error of fine tuning your perception and that of reality. Happiness wasted on the past is the same thing as sadness. This is why the content don't wonder with their contentment in the past and find them selves ungrateful.

Ye lol, I see pixels and my screen wit luts of light HAHA lol I see keyboard while I type this. So awsum... Are we getting the answer to what is really the point of the picture? I wanna know who got the most close to the answer.

I've been journalling interesting facts about my own behaviour lately. Have found some interesting facts that I have not been able to figure out. One of the biggest question marks is right behind the facts of my creativity and high energy during the night. This is mysterious to me, because it has been so for almost 12 years. All the great insights I have, the great humor, creating art, all beauty and joy and huge discoveries. They are all originated from the night within my life, thus I came to see the night sky as something mysterious. If I simply follow these emotions and energies trough my body, and let it lead me where ever it wants to go, great miracles tend to happen. I do crazy things and everything works out perfectly. As if I become a magician, the energies or chemicals in my body are extremely powerful, they control me in a good way, tend to bring me alot of happiness. Then, when it is time to go to bed, I feel regret that tommorow will be another casual morning like always, and I find it hard to go to sleep. Some of those days I've stood up till 6 in the morning just to witness this miracle a little longer. As I said, I've not been able to figure this out. Why only during the night? I've tried to excersize during days, wake up early, go to bed early. Try to keep my energy up high during the day and sleep tight and empty my mind and body totally at night... Nothing changes. My days are still as dull as allways. I would love to take these energies I have at night and bring them to my dayly life... I can't seem to do it. I don't really understand why I am like that in the night in the first place. All the joy, creativity, wonder during the day require extreme efforts and don't come naturally like it does at night for me. I remember wondering at the night sky alot as a kid. Perhaps I've trained my brain to release chemicals during the night, because of this. I looked up, and felt safe, as if in the sky there was a heaven so perfect it was beyond my imaginations. So I started to imagine all kinds of heavens, I meditated on heavens in a way. Perhaps this is why I still today automaticly have those energies and motivation and happiness during the night. Similar to tumo meditators who automaticly have rise in body temperature simply by being in their meditative position, because they have meditated so often. That is one explanation. Perhaps you guys have a better one? Am I a vampire or wolf or something?

Hmm, I can't read chinese. Let me guess... The river is obviously the center point of this picture, and the most important. The rocks and stones are being won over by the river, and these have been painted with great detail aswell. The guy looks up to the falling river, so it is about the relationship with men and this great power that is obviously bigger then him. He's looking up, nothing less nothing more. The river carves out the valley by flowing beneath it. Thereby the river is the master of the valley. And in relation to the river, perhaps this guy looks up and is a patient student of this river.

That was the most beautiful comment I've ever read. This is not a comment. I have no comments. OH wait... It is a comment, I mean its not comment to the topic. :ontopic: I mean I have no further comments. Wait, does that last comment about comments count as a comment? I do have a comment! Family may not always be good for you. Especially if you have destructive family. Leave them and find new family. Everyone is family, we're all children of the same stars! That awesome family or close friends is imortant, yes! Oh, and your children too ofcourse. If you have those. And if you're more mature then your children, otherwise do not interfere too much. They are individual souls, respect them and even praise them when called for, love them don't obligate them too much. Thanks for that huge post. Especially on these hollidays family matters are very appreciated.

Hehe, don't get me wrong guys, I know exactly where the mythology of vampires comes from and what the symbol represents. It was ment as a joke. I'm not a wolf either. It is not about the activities either, wether social, playtime, work, cooking, practice, fighting. Everything at night is so much more intense and more lucid, awake... Perhaps this is a hormone inbalance, who knows... Some people have already suggested that. I think I shall try and continue my daily excersizes and meditation to become more ideal during the day aswell. Let us form good habbits, hehe.

Easy now. What good are the wise if they do not treat the bad as worthy students? What good is the bad if they do not respect you as a worthy teacher? Let us not delve into conflict when it is not called for, especially when both cannot see the benefit of agreement. You should not have accepted such gifts of insult in the first place, now the insult is yours to worry about. Practice agreement, shedding too much light you will hurt others and self. Refrain from judgement and you will receive more respect. We're all part of the same truth, let us find it together as a team.