Otis

Amen to that. I work in TV, but I am not a fan of it, at all. The last TV I had with any reception was in 1988, when I last lived with my folks. I'm still a big fan of visual media, but I just watch movies and DVDs.

Just ordered it. $4, plus $4 for shipping. Not a big risk.

What Sowell is describing is the problem with politics, which relies on cheap shot fallacies to sell policy. Three strikes, no child left behind, subprime lending: these were all "nice-sounding" ideas with no credibility or track record, and they've all led to making the situations worse. But these were not the creation of sociologists and visionaries, but of politicians who fall back on authority fallacies. Those fallacies appeal to those who have not learned to trust their own power yet, and think that progress must always rise from external discipline, rather than internal strength.

Beautiful quote, Ulises. My question is: how do we set them down? When I choose to do so, I can push them away from me for a few seconds, maybe, but as soon as my attention wanders, the stories come back. The only answer I have found is not to worry about the stories, but instead pay more attention to what's going on right now (including my tendency to form and believe stories). And when the stories do come up, have a sense of humor about them, let them never be more than "the best approximation I yet have". On other threads, those of us who have a lot of respect for science, have been defending it. Not because science is, or necessarily reflects, the Truth, but because non-scientific story is so friggin' random and astonishingly unconnected to reality. So yes, I respect (and vaguely agree with) the quote's suggestion to put story down. But I do not yet recognize within myself the ability to do so, and still live my life. So instead, I seek to make myself less and less dependent on story, and make sure that I am drawing my stories (at least the ones about the "actual" world) from reliable sources. Bit by bit, I hope to take your advice, and surrender all stories that stand between me and what's here, right now.

I'm very sorry for your loss, adept.

Now I wonder if you and I meant something different by "meditation". I certainly didn't mean: to capitulate to one's irritation, to justify or take an active role in increasing it. By meditation, I just mean "watching it without doing anything to change it". Without observing it, how will I know what my irritation is made of, what it really wants, and where my triggers are?

Agreed. I think "beginner's luck" is a sort of wu wei, caused by lack of ego investment in the activity.

I've tried smoking salvia a few times. An interesting experience, similar to what was described above. Instead of a tarantula, I turned into a plant, and instead of the world breaking up into squares, I witnessed spear-head-shapes (like tulip leaves). Once smoked, I had no memory of who I was, not to mention why I was there. So it's hard to imagine meditating like that (altho' the whole experience could be said to be a meditation, if what we're interested in is just observing the workings of our mind, after conditioning has been largely stripped away). I am curious about Ulises' tincture, and how salvia has been used shamanically. Slow onset, slow release seems like a much more fruitful way of exploring.

Yay for strange noises! How will I ever liberate my throat and tongue from the captivity of conditioning, if everything that comes out of my mouth has to make sense?

Yeah, it makes sense. These concepts are difficult to describe, because English has all these ego assumptions built into it. For example: "I" and "my" become extremely confusing, when talking about emerging from duality.

Will I be a complete downer, if I add some science to this divine experience? My psych prof dad told me about a recent discovery: that we can activate our sense of God-presence, merely by looking at things at a great distance. This, of course, explains why we have these sublime experiences when looking up at the stars, at a far-away mountain or valley, at rainbows and sunsets. In each case, we have the experience of: "it's times like this, that I believe in God" or "I feel really small, but in a good way". I experience much of it on my hikes in the Hollywood hills, looking down on L.A. That (hopefully) doesn't minimize what y'all are sharing (Gerard and Grand Trinity, I am so jealous!). I think there is a reason why our brains are wired toward awe, in such cases. If nothing else, it inspires us away from provincialism, and towards getting "the big picture".

Great share, Marblehead! Lots of insight into being a manager, in that post. Do I turn employees into components of my process, whose opinions I will brush aside when they don't match with what I want to hear? Or do I ask the whole person to come in and share their genius, by acknowledging and accepting the reality of a full mind and heart with insights that I do not have?

I agree with you, Aridus, about the "the right amount of force." I do have one exception, though. I do think that wu wei is "without will". I think that will is specifically the ego's tool, and inhibits wu wei. IME, wu wei occurs when I listen and follow, rather than when I choose or make it happen. No decisions, no will.

I have a different experience. All emotions deserve my attention and care. It is the things that I avoid, which have power over me.

Hi Audiohealing. You've received lots of good advice on this thread. A couple other things to consider: Regarding #1. Perhaps you should not worry about the thing that you are supposed to feel, but rather just concentrate on what you can feel. The latter is what's important; the former is just a fantasy. A metaphor for Qi that might be useful to you: forget the idea that Qi is something esoteric or "special", and think instead of it as merely the energetic version of your own body. Like in quantum physics, things exist as both particle (physical body) and wave (Qi), all depending on your perspective. Your body looks solid, but it acts as a flow, from respiration, digestion, mood, sleep, circulation, etc.. Everything works in cycles, in waves. So see Qi as merely the flow processes of the body, rather than something beyond the mundane. When you are practicing, merely pay attention to what your body tells you. That's it. Don't try to listen for something extra. That'll just keep you from feeling what's there. In time, those sensations reveal themselves to be something a lot deeper than just feedback loops. Eventually, the bodymap (i.e. our conceptual understanding of how our bodies fit together) disappears, and all that's left is raw sensation. When you are in the realm of raw sensation, then you and Qi are one and the same, and growth becomes easy. Qi doesn't have to be mysterious or holy; it's what you are already experiencing, right now. As for #2, I wouldn't make too much of it. Perhaps meditate on the irritation? Let yourself feel it fully, without any attempt to change it, or label it as bad. If you see these emotional reactions as bad, then you'll avoid practice with irritation, whereas it needs practice every bit as much as compassion, etc. Best to you.

Dear all, Kate brought this up in another thread, and I thought it worthy of its own topic. What do the Bums mean when we use the word "ego"? How does/did it come about? What is its' purpose? Its limitations? Do we need to "kill" the ego? Surrender it? What is the relationship between the ego and the body? Between the ego and the spirit? Between the ego and delusion? much love, otis

Sweet! Reminds me of Ozomotli. Thanks, too, for all the astronomical links. Great stuff!

Excellent OP, Aaron; I'm in complete agreement. Personally, I was raised by sober short-haired Xtian hippies, so I was taught away from the "wants". My parents would say: "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without." Which is all great, but I've found that, as consequence, I actually have to train myself toward the material world, toward learning how to make the boss feel special, how to pay attention to the mirror and proper grooming, how to recognize what other egos want. Not because these things are needs, per se, but because my needs (food and shelter) are relatively dependent on being able to make a living. Because emotional closeness is possible when I take care of other people's egos, not when I ignore them. In other words, I don't want to chase empty desires, looking for fulfillment. But I also don't want to ignore the tao of society, out of principle of living by my own tao. I think there's a balance to be struck.

Yes, and #4: a place to go to the bathroom!

I don't think that tantra can be reasonably cut up into light and dark. To me, tantra is merely the exploration of what is, on a non-conceptual basis, so there's no classification, no morality. Just energy. That said, yes, IME tantra does include palpable erotic energetic connection, and from there, it becomes very easy to seduce. Once I realized how easy it was, then I had a very fine line to walk, in which I explore the energetic realms, but hopefully, without hurting others. But I can't say I know for sure where that line is. Women that I've energetically engaged with, later tell me that I show up in their dreams a lot (for years). I don't know if that's a bad thing, but it does suggest that enmeshing with others is not a karma-free event. For the most part now, I explore a playful, kid-like tantra with most of my dance partners, and reserve the erotic connection for a few select women, with whom I have great chemistry and some understanding. I practice being patient with the erotic energy dances, bringing in more tenderness and heart opening, and less neediness, less hurry. I surrender the connection (and any claims to the woman) when the dance is over. And, off the dance floor, I try to establish communication with the woman's personality, so that we can relate on both levels. I think it's also very important for me to maintain gratitude about the connections, rather than believing that I deserve them. That's probably when it gets darkest, when I start consuming, rather than sharing. That's when I'm straying into the territory of the energy vampire.

Hi Matt. Good stuff. I remember when I first read the TTC, and was suddenly hit with the realization: "I can choose how I feel!" That was huge! Yes, very simple concepts, but a shame that it's often not taught, the way that material world beliefs are. Peace.

That's how I feel, as well. So what makes "actual self" different from "everyday self", since they are both "the ego and everything else?" I thought you meant deconstruction as in: breaking down your observation of ego, examining it in its minute detail. If so, please do.

All that said ... there was something very interesting about my experience yesterday, and I think I will continue to explore stopping story as a practice. What was useful, was witnessing how integrated story is, in my experience of the world. There is story in my reactions, my perceptions, my body, lots and lots of story. In particular, I witnessed how my tendency to try to derive lessons out of experiences (which has been very useful, in many ways), has also caused me to start trying to create the story of the lesson, before the experience is even over. I also got to see how story keeps me separated from experience, creating some sort of safety buffer zone of meaning. I got the impression that fear was the root cause of my leaning back from reality. So yes, I feel a lot more truth on the path of acceptance, rather than negation. But I also see wisdom in tinkering with consciousness, and seeing what can be learned.

Good stuff, Simple Jack! Because non-dual states are conspicuously lacking thought, it's easy to blame thought for duality, and hence, try to stop it (I know several Buddhists who subscribe to thought-stopping). Likewise with self, of course. But my sense is that both merely arise in egoic states; they are not the cause of them. I have never been a stop-thought practitioner, but by chance, I was exploring that in meditation yesterday. More specifically, I was stopping story. I kept hearing myself saying "stop it, stop it", whenever I started assigning any story to anything. No doubt, there was something very interesting in the experience, and it is an interesting place to practice. But it also felt like a dead-end. "Stop it, stop it", and then what? Would the rest of my life be spent in negation? After playing with that meditation for awhile, something new arose, which totally changed my relationship to the moment. Instead of "stop it", I arrived at "Yes, and" (the mantra of improv). So, yes, the thought arises ... and ... no problem. Moving on. "Yes, and" has always been the path of results for me, too. Accept where I am at, don't try to escape, negate, or deny anything, just smile, be aware, and keep moving forward.

Yes, yes! And sons and daughters!