Harmonious Emptiness

I like what Deng Ming Dao said in 365 Dao that -- when a tree is young, a brace is put on it so that it grows up straight, but if that brace is not removed, the tree will eventually become warped. I'm sure I've repeated that piece of advice to people about a half-dozen times by now.

Ha ha, no wonder the exact position didn't seem so "set in stone"! The Metal position is very interesting. This explains why I do this all time, lol, and why a dentist once said to me with near disbelief "I've never had a patient with so much saliva before" :lol: This helps a lot!

Would you mind including in your description the precise positioning -- curled to center or just pushing the front upwards? Thanks.

Mmmmm, I like this one. Never seen it either. Does anyone know if it's connected to an additional series of movements? It seems like it wouldn't hurt to do this with Five Treasures Qi Gong. Rainbow (ha, I once dated a girl by that name. Her sisters name was Moonbeam ), I saw that you've stopped the tongue posture thing.. that helps with my above query

I don't think I have a divine gift of dream interpretation, but I tend to be able to sort out the symbols pretty well, sort of like interpreting poetry, usually with a degree of success or relevance. I would venture to guess that the understanding of the sutra left a tangible feeling.. this feeling, like Shen, was latently residing to be awakened by its illumination in the sutra. This feeling (perhaps related to "serenity, compassion, and wisdom"?__ qualities of enlightenment/The Buddha) was the seed of the scripture which had been planted. Thus, the Buddha had been broken, for the "statue" of the Buddha was unimportant in comparison to personal experience of The Dharma which will be your true guide [from time to time or when you've entirely devoted yourself to The Path(should you ever Detatch)]. That's my opinion... There's probably others.....

I find that I frequently push the end of my tongue against my upper pallet closer to my two front teeth, just in general for no apparent reason. Not finding or being able to afford a personal instructor (I've also been rather picky) I'm not sure if the Qi Gong way of doing this is more to curl it and touch to the center of the pallet, or to do it the way I have been without thinking about it. What I've read seemed to be referring more to curling the tongue but I'm not sure, since it feels more effective for me the other way. I tend to do things which ever way feels best to me, but it would be nice to know which one is meant in Qi Gong instruction. Can someone please confirm this for me?

Perhaps I'm one of these people, not sure, but if it means more stuff to talk about, I think a Buddhist centered room that allows different Buddhist posts would be good, and allow for more of these discussions. I mean, most of Taoism includes Buddhist philosophy so I think it has its place, but I can see how it might help to categorize some things since there are some major divisions between Taoist and Buddhist standpoints, as similar as the two might be. It would also help some interesting Taoist topics to stay in circulation. It might be difficult, though, to define what is Buddhist rather than Buddhist influenced Taoism or just reflective of Buddhist teaching. I mean, it wouldn't be cool if we were limited in discussing aspects of Taoism just because a lot of what is understood, technically and philosophically, has been augmented with The Buddha's teachings since before many schools were born. Maybe, have a Buddhist room (like the kitchen at a party that ends up becoming the party sometimes) for straight-ahead Buddhist centered discussion, but welcome any and all Buddhist(along with every other religion or spiritual path, as always is the case) viewpoints or input in Taoist discussion as it IS still an integral part of most, or at least the most prominent, Taoist schools (sure this is arguable, but this is a discussion forum). We could have rooms for Egyptian, Mayan, political, ecological, etc., etc., discussion, but that wouldn't make too much sense. I'd say if it's made by the request of Buddhists, then it's okay, but I'm not sure that most people can differentiate what is Buddhist vs. Taoist since they are so interconnected, interdependent, complementary, symantically similar, etc., etc.. I think to understand some parts of Taoist philosophy, some knowledge/discussion of Buddhist philosophy may perhaps be a requisite.

I agree with this. I have been thinking about this situation and, harsh as it may sound, this trouble was a result of ignoring the "please knock before entering" sign, lol. If you don't enter upon the mysteries with the proper etiquette you might just get slapped in the face by it, or see something you really were'nt ready to see. That's why proper use of psychedelics involves more than just a beer to wash it down. It's like a fighting champion saying "you really want to try me? you sure? alright, whatever you say! WHAM. You said go " Your wounds will heal, and maybe someday you'll get a little further and realize there's a lot more to it. But better not to show up uninvited, if you get my meaning

Basically, don't chase after pleasures of the senses, as they lead away from the center. Is seems perhaps by "his belly" was meant grounded original self, perhaps referring to Dantien?

Another thing to consider is that what is often translated as "Ego" or "Self" seems to really be referring to the Super-Ego, which is not really the Self. I've found that when sutras are referring to things like conceit and pride this is termed Egotism, but really these things belong to the Super Ego rather than the Ego. The Ego is like the integral Self, while the Super Ego is created by false beliefs made to protect the Self from low self-esteem symptoms. I created a post about this not long ago which you might want to check out. Just click my profile and see Posts/A Century of mistranslating... My more mild halucinogen experiences gave me the feeling that structural or paradignamic thinking, created by habit-thinking within cultural paradigms, were put on hold and so the world made more sense through a Zen and Taoist frame. Freud's definition of Ego would suggest that this was actually coming closer to the Self/Ego and clearing away some of the false beliefs created by the Super Ego. This was with magic mushrooms, however, which have more recently shown strong evidence of powerful therapeutic and curing abilities, especially for addiction and habitual criminal behavior. LSD is actually a mold that grows on rye, so it's also natural, but I know that it is too intense for me to mess with anymore, especially in any kind of recreational context. You'll come down eventually. Drink some herbal tea and ride it out. I find sage tea to be quite grounding (the green cooking sage, not smudging sage as that is poisonous to ingest, and not in the good way ).

Cicada wailing washing counter with jaycloth washing smell from hands

I am one; and, I am all you are one; and, you are all to love all of humanity is to love oneself; to be able to love one's self is to be able to love all sentient beings

I have a theory that mosquitos and bugs intentionally "bug" you to get on your nerves so that your blood will rise and then they can BITE ya. Just like people So, when we stay cool and calm, our blood does not rise to the skin and the bugs will be not be so quick to bite us. This seems to be the case when I'm with people who are annoyed by the bugs - they are the ones the bugs pay attention to. If you stay cool and even see the bugs as "relations" (extended family, a la First Nations) then they tend to be less of a nuisance and even seem to be cooperative when you direct them elsewhere. This doesn't always work though. Oh yeah, and mosquitos love bananas/potassium, so stay away from bananas..

I can't seem to find the same copy on-line, since the copy I have is partly omitted, but it's translated by Wai-Tao. This part is rather central: ".. reverse your outward perception of hearing and listen inwardly for the perfectly unified and intrinsic sound of your own Mind-Essence, for as soon as you have attained perfect accommodation, you will have attained to Supreme Enlightenment[...] Though one forsake all his worldly engagements, yet he cannot always be practicing by these various means; they are special means suitable for junior and senior disciples, but for laymen, this common method of concentrating the mind on its sense of hearing, turning it inward by this Door of Dharma to hear the Transcendental Sound of his Essential Mind, is most feasible and wise[...] If any disciple should simply take this Intuitive Means for concentrating his mind in Dhyana Practice on this organ for Transcendental hearing, all other sense organs would soon come into Intrinsic Hearing, he would attain perfect accommodation of his True and Essential Mind." Again, though, there is more to it which seems to be unavoidable, such as: kindness, compassion and vegetarianism, not even appearing to be unkind; truthfullness in acts and speech, and not assuming enlightenment that has not been attained, and not misleading others to this belief, nor greedily desiring the respect and offerings that follow this; begging for food and giving away whatever is not eaten at the time so that interdependence is accepted and embraced, seeing one's physical body as part of all other sentient beings and so acting accordingly. Personally, I walk the path like a blind man after his bachelor party, but if I can give someone else a walking stick, I'm glad to be of help (Just don't hate me if it was a parking meter )

Just eat one raw clove of garlic and mosquitos will not bother you for up to several hours. This might be where the garlic/vampires thing came from. It burns pretty bad though, like eating a concentrated onion.

Aha! I was going through "A Buddhist Bible" (Edited by Goddard, around page 257. The sutra goes from page 111 to 275) and started reading part of the Surangama Sutra: There are a few pages where The Buddha looks at different ways of coming to enlightenment, showing how they cannot do it through peaceful mind, seeing, thinking, breath, contact, etc., and then when he comes to sound, he says, essentially, that the nature of sound is the most accomodating to enlightenment since "it is felt in both motion and silence...." and explains the nature of sound for several paragraphs. This would make sense as to why the monk would also say this. Other things in this sutra, however, provide very lengthy qualifications for true enlightenment, so it's really not so simple Though, the path is still a beauty unto itself

It seems to me that a fully enlightened master would have an attitude towards this difficulty that would allow him to transcend it's hold. There is really very different understandings of what is meant by Enlightenment or Awakening, however. Many seem to suggest that it's possible for an Enlightened master to feel negative emotions like vengeance and hatred, while others say that these feelings are totally and forever detached if the person is truly a Buddha. In regards to sound: There is a great amount of information that can be transferred through sound -- this is why most people seem to agree that music is the most direct of the art forms since the musicians inner being can be expressed in one note. This can encompass the attitude, emotion, endurance, pleasure, tranquility, discipline, attention, all of these things all at once just by being fully connected to the instrument. Singing bowls seem to radiate the state of enlightenment, though they don't adapt to situations like a Buddha. Sound and frequency are definitely very powerful on our internal states, where Enlightenment occurs, so I can see how they would be a very direct connection to higher states. However, the medicine should be specific to the ailment, so sound might be the quickest for one, while getting kicked in the face might be the most expedient for another..

nothing much is said silence floats with cyberspace last letter is typed

I was thinking of maybe some push-ups and tricep lifts (reverse push-ups) to bring him back into the "real world." This video might be helpful too... http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1572962536605659291#

As for Chi enhancing charisma, some people even translate Te (virtue) as charisma. I think this is because a lot of the Tao Te Ching and the I Ching speaks to how sincerity and calm repose can naturally attract people to you -- something which the many politicians of the day were concerned with. Sincerity and calm repose also allows for Chi to flow more strongly which can affect how people are drawn to you if you have been purifying your chi through spiritual exercise and are emitting a positive nourishing energy which effects the way you talk, the way you stand, the way you react to situations. This allows other people to feel the same way and so would naturally attract them to you. You project strength, love, gladness, appreciation of life. Who wouldn't want to join you in feeling that way? On top of that, the Jing essence, transformed into transferable chi, is energy that enlivens people, so subtly they will feel good, even if they don't know why

Basically, I agree with what other people have said here. Going from the serene tranquility of meditative bliss, anger has been detached, then when we step out into the real world, Bam!, one might forget how to use balanced strength, even a slight aggressiveness, and become emotionally reactive to defend their hard-earned inner state. Another possibility, is that sometimes if we're feeling really nice and generous and wanting everyone to love each other, we are setting our expectations up for quick disappointment when we enter a place that doesn't have the same mind. The phrase "being in the world but not of the world" comes to mind. We have to accept that we have put ourselves in a state that others cannot be expected to be in, since that is not the way of the world. It is part of the journey to learn how to be the "stillness within the movement."

Yes, I wouldn't suggest to avoid cold drinks altogether. Pleasure is good for the immune system sometimes too. I'm pretty sure the stress of not having a nice cold glass of OJ, if you really really want one, is worse than any minor/temporary setback in nutritional absorption. Though, once you're in the habit of not drinking with meals, it's not an issue at least 75% of the time, especially if your drinking throughout the day.

I hope this will not be seen as "top-posting," but I realized this while going over the "Ego = The True Self" post, and felt it was too important to get buried in another post + worthy of a separate post. Do you know what this means??! It means there's been a huge error in the employment of Freud's terms for like a WHOLE CENTURY, because what is most closely described, here as the Ego, is The Universal Mind/Original Mind - which becomes clouded by what translations term as The Ego. The Ego is defined in The Lankavatara Scripture as being a result of "habit energy." This would indicate the ID to me. We have extensively dealt with the classical, Freudian, concept of the Ego. It is a partly conscious, partly preconscious and unconscious. It operates on a "reality principle" (as opposed to the Id's "pleasure principle"). Now compare that with "The 3 natures of the Self" of things, ideas, and reality.. The self-natures of things and ideas, and of the six-fold mind system, correspond with the Dharma of [against] appearance, name, and discrimination [which also apply to the Super-Ego, rather than Ego]; the self-nature of Universal Mind and Reality correspond to the Dharmas of right-knowledge and "Suchness" (Lankavatara Scripture, trans. Goddard)." The "Ego" is also a product of, and is tied up in, thoughts of discrimination, constantly comparing this to that, etc.. This could also be associated to the Super-Ego constantly trying to justify itself. Of course some discrimination is necessary, but this is just translation, words.. The Truth is them, but they are not The Truth. I'd also like to add that the Buddhist understanding of what can be achieved in The Universal Mind is far more developed (coming from mystical roots) than Freud's later "discovery" (try REdiscovery. Though maybe Freud had never read Chinese canons... At least Jung mentioned the I Ching as one of his favourite books). I've found that Egotism is used interchangeably with Selfishness, so perhaps this is why "The Self [The Ego]" is used to indicate this state of existence. The Super-Ego, so concerned with it's appearance that it will sometimes commit even violent acts to inflate itself. It's not inflation of the Ego that is going on, as inflation of the Super-Ego, since inflation of The Universal Mind/Ego would destroy the Super-Ego and the Id, but the balanced Ego would remain in tact to conduct everything. If you ask me, Freud ripped it off and managed to penetrate the prejudiced Victorian minds by passing it off as his own "scientific research" so that they could understand a non-whites wisdom. The concept is discussed in The Old Testament as well, but not to the same extent (sutra after sutra after sutra). Elvis Presley, Pat Boone, Sigmund Freud :lol:

Western alchemy came down from Egyptian mystery schools. There is even the possibility that Taoism was largely influenced by the same in the early years (circa 2000 B.C.) since the Egyptians were traveling all over the world with esoteric practices echoed in every spiritual tradition. Kundalini, chakras, chi and polar yin/yang rhythm (Ma'at), wisdom texts on morality, astrology, gods for just about everything, mathematics, medical science, advanced architecture. The Egyptians (actually black Africans if you look at the statues of the pharaohs and many of the gods) were like the modern Western world of the ancient world, reaching all over the globe with it's culture and knowledge, with the many of the greatest minds of other cultures going there to learn whatever they would be allowed. This is not to say that Taoism and other religions didn't make their own advances, but I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised if a lot of the knowledge started with contact from "the cradle of civilization."

Ha, yes. A poetic conceit, like he was just being more of a poet than a scientist? Though, I guess every writer/active observer has to have some affinity for the poetic process, and tries to make sense out of our feelings. Is there any other way to do it? .. oh right, I'd have to say, it's been an error the whole way. Paul Carus, though his word usages have been for me some of the most clarifying, seems to be maybe the first to employ Freuds term as Carus was very much a rationalist and wanted the scriptures to find cross-overs with Western paradigms in the early 19th century. It seems that, since that time, Ego sort of took off as referring to the Super Ego and maybe sometimes the Id. Really, I have never seen the term "Super-Ego" in any translation of Buddhist or Taoist writing. I've shortened this reply and put the other paragraphs in a notepad. It seems I'll be writing quite a bit on this topic Now I just need a co-author