dawei

I think you want to down play or under estimate the role of the dog in paleolithic and neolithic times. Or you just don't care.... or you just don't know. RESEARCH IT.

This is singularly the most important question I've seen on TTB.... I have quoted too often Baopuzi said that "PRACTICE IS NOT NATURAL".... SO... WTF ... PRACTICE ??? Our entire path/process... is to return... that is singularly our destiny. the path may vary but our destiny does not

I had the same path... and realization... That's how life has been presented to them.

It is about time someone had the gumption to start such a topic... it is long over-due My feeling is that too many know this point and let it pass (with some discomfort)... and looked back and saw it again (with a smile)... akin to $hit happens kind of feeling... I do agree that the exercises and interventions are stacked for a cultural disposition, it is but a cultural-alignment relative to esoteric/shaman/spiritual teachings... of which our own 'patterns' have much deviated (or no normalcy of) from... I saw this first hand in my Tai Ji classes... I went to a 'western' class but the Taiwan teacher asked me later to attend a 'chinese' class... I went. The entire class was taught in chinese but what I found was two profound things: 1. I didn't really need to know the language as that was just a description and order to follow this movement or that movement. 2. There was a cultural difference in the teaching; those learning were assumed to be in sync with a certain pathos... and that pathos defines many things... too many to describe now... Another great idea came to me from someone far more progressed... and on the brink of death... he had a terminal decease which Taiji prolonged for 10 years... He washed away his western political life (truly a politician) for the esoteric eastern way... I benefited from him discussions and insights into this topic. His mantra was: "HEAL SELF FIRST"... He often exclaimed this as the first Daoist Invocation... I often stumbled around this meaning as I didn't need any 'healing' but I knew his condition and felt this was his interpretation/meaning... later I understand his meaning... it is worth repeating: "HEAL SELF FIRST" -- John... dead... yet alive...

I was already thinking and talking with the family about this passing YEAR of the MA/HORSE (yang fire)... and the next YEAR of the YANG/Sheep (yin earth)... Thanks for the past year and what is to come in the next...

I think the wind and grass are equally active and passive... there is always a force they are interacting with in the end.

We can pin the topic if you want to actually log your thoughts and get comments on each one

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundun Hundun 混沌 was semantically extended from a mythic "primordial chaos; nebulous state of the universe before heaven and earth separated" to mean "unintelligible; chaotic; messy; mentally dense; innocent as a child".

Within some context: Hunlun has no boundaries Hunlun, eternal --- We should get the relevant text around this phrase

IMO, the proper understand is to watch a bird fly and see the gentle interaction of the wings effortlessly gliding along, rising and falling according to their whim,... and the ease with which the water glides along effortlessly in its path... In this exercise, I found that I used the word "glide" two times... This means the action is not 'owned' alone... there is interaction in the meaning. Home-bound-flight is our movement; Gliding-along is our function. The way/drift/journey outward is but along the path of return...

You may need to look at your energy cycle... and I mean in a really simple way... Log your impressions of your energy feeling throughout the day. It may simply be that you have excess energy at times when you need to release it; etc. So the energy does not have a place to flow when it really needs to, and there is excess when you don't need it. One thing you might gain out of this is being mindful of your energy levels-high and low-and how your current schedule is not conducive to your life style. Something as simple as a walk in the morning, or a salt bath at night might help. I am feeling this is about your life style vs energy level... but you will ultimately be able to know this better than anyone else.

It is just a riddle like the 'chicken and the egg'... If one doesn't just smile at the idea, knowing full well it is the universe telling the joke to see if we have been pulled too far away from the realm of One-Not-One, into an idea of 'I exist, and it is about my thoughts/ideas'... and this is nothing about my return to something which I am actually never apart from... then one is full of ideas of returning to something they are apart from...

That is a personal issue... not a spiritual or mystic one... we can't change what happens at that level...

Not me... but if I were to try it, then I would probably look at the possibility of using: 1. Ebay - always tons of stuff on sale for even smaller parts... I would guess you'd find a seller or three who are much bigger than others and might forge a relationship eventually with. 2. TigerDirect seems to sell in parts so folks can build systems. Good luck

IMO, no. That's what makes it fate/destiny... And it is not so much about the final outcome but the path as well. This means it nullifies 'free-will' on some level but I think that is complicated by the insertion of the 'willful' aspect. What we have is 'free-connection'... to everything on every level... we just are not listening or tuned-in for some things [yet]. Thus, our actions are responding to those levels we are listening to; limited-listening occurs, thus limited responses occur... and that is the limited-path one has.... but that is fate/destiny at that time. One could bring in Wu Wei, etc but that would get more off-topic. Trying to get back a bit... One needs little explanation on Dao as anciently meaning PATH... although I hold to some shaman undertones in the ancient script, but I'll leave it at PATH (which can include mystical/spiritual paths the Shaman's represent). So, how about DE? A common interpretation, even based on older script parts, is an 'Upright Heart'. Although a heart is symbol for the spirit as well... One of the oldest scripts some feel is the origin of DE is an EYE with a vertical line... Most attribute the idea of 'seeing' or 'looking' in the graph. I elucidate this as: "Keeping an Eye on Heaven", or "An eye which comes from Heaven"... as if the eye was lowered on a string. Later graphs put this along side a road... tying back to PATH... Dao De...

My wife once said, which I thought was supposed to be a semi-joke, that there are no good or bad people; there are just good and bad actions... that has caused me a very long pause on this topic ever since...

I think this is generally good idea... I call the evening meditations, "melting meditations"... whereby one should simply disappear... or rather they are just establishing their self back to the whole.

As TT said... well... I'm loosely going to apply it to the point: Are those expectations internally arising or externally imposed? And where do expectations stop.... of a god?

I once made a deal with myself... if I woke up between 3-5am, I would do some meditation... next thing I knew, I was waking up every day at that time ! I finally released myself from that deal and slept longer But I do encourage one to give it a go.

I was trying to formulate some comment which I think is along this line but probably less seeking (ie: meditation). It seems to me that the wide spectrum of experience is hard to put in an explanation that fits all... some had more immediate awareness of the vibrational state (even at birth) and some have come to that connection. But if we can leave behind the necessity of any action, there is a core connection which itself makes itself known but we are not often aware of it. If one were to count how many times a day they find this connection to the unknown playing out in life, I think they will find it happens more among our interactions with mankind than the environment... but I don't think there is supposed to be a difference, although some cultural conditioning may make one more prominent than another.

But I think the idea is too linear... that somehow one thing will simply lead to another thing. I think there is much more integration of the whole at work, and profoundly wrapped in that subtle thing called 'destiny/fate' without which none of it will come to pass anyways. For me, It is Metaphysical Dao which connects us to Heaven and Earth, and Mystical De which connects us to Mankind. This duality is not a fair or true construct but it helps to make my point (or so I hope). Every breath, every sight, every sense we have of the environment speaks of Dao; External stimulus at work Every interaction we have with mankind speaks of De; internal stimulus at work. I've always held that De is Dao in you, which seems to work with my construct. But at some point, the stimulus of internal and external dissolve and it is just a connection which knows no bounds. But when people start saying De is merit or built up or gained by some action... then I can't really agree. De is life-bestowed by Dao. The christians say the mystery is "Christ in you"... I think they were on to something about De...

'Following the Way' is easy... Except... We are easily distracted by life/concerns/wants/desires, etc. Letting go of such things is difficult... for some...

IMO, it is simply that your nervous system is not getting calm because your spirit is not getting calm... because your mind is not getting calm. I know it may sound 'advanced' but it is not difficult to try: I would recommend a top-down breathing: survey, smile, descend... - inhale slowly through nose; exhale slowly through mouth. Breath into the crown and flowing down and out the feet... let it be like descending rain or oil drops going down... Drop your minds-eye down to: Eyes.. then nose... then jaw and let it melt away (liquid like) You successively let it drop down and smile at various points. Some will use colors to help or picture flowers of that color arising... but linger only 3-5 breaths and keep moving down. Some will stop at energy centers or each chakra or avoid certain areas... the idea is to survey and smile at your areas and then let them descend. When you get to the lowest point of the underneath of the stomach, let it breath into that area. At first, I would not try to collect it so much as it may raise your energy feeling... I would tend to let it go down and out the feet (or where ever it wants to go). The important part is that you descend the breath to keep it out of the head and chest.

Attachment to a concept of attachment is not just bad... it is karma... Which part to let go of? Attachment, concept, concept of attachment, bad, karma ....

Glad your sticking around