Bubbles

It would be easy to dig a little into the very recent threads to find posts that speak ill of Homosexuals, Christians and Jews. About Christians: the most recent but actually TTb is full of some in the same vein with a recurring character: http://thetaobums.com/topic/27010-world-peace-is-near-st-malachi-prophecy/ About homosexuals: http://thetaobums.com/topic/26710-trolling-and-off-topic-disruptions/ About Jews : http://thetaobums.com/topic/22292-is-the-west-slowly-descending-into-fascism/ As thelerner said, if it is just a statement from time to time, here and there, take it or leave it. When it tends to become the thread subject and /or become repetitive, it is nauseous. Hence the anger. question : Do we really think that there is " M%%%%%%%%%G S%%%M" at this forum? If there are some people coming here and intentionnally try to convince others that Jews, homosexuals or Christians are a problem for humanity, what would you say turtle shell?

That's interesting. So, do you find it an enough acceptable answer to your request for basic informations about what Laoxie teaches? If yes, would you become Laoxie's student?

It is just that thelerner's reaction (even verbally outrageous) is understandable, to me at least. It doesn't make it the best reaction to have but if I had to choose between closing my eyes on this and becoming verbally outrageous, I would choose the latter. Before becoming buddhas we are plain humans.

Well, to my knowldege, Yamu has already given workshop in the UK, not far away from Europe (sorry, I had to make it ). He even recently gave a distance class neigong. Christer Wretfors is in Sweden. Have you asked him about his requirements for accepting students? Terry Dunn was ready to come in the UK for workshops but couldn't make it for various reasons. But it could happen some time in the future. Here I am only talking about the people you mentioned. about Taoism and Shamanism. Man, it is not like you had some choice at the restaurant between sushi and beef/horse. I am no one here to tell, but to me, life is not like that. We are not potential consumers of very possible system that would be waiting for us. We are simply not. Taoism nor Shamanism, nor anything like that can't be choosen, they are too huge. I am not here to allow you something or not, but I saw you going round in circles so.. My last message about it. Sorry Trunk for derailing this thread. . I can delete the content of my posts if you ask.

You can't practice all the qigong out there. That's true. Since there are given different results, the first question would be : what results do you want? Complete systems are rarely openly taught. So what are you ready to do in order to be taught such a system? It IS a money, time and efforts issue on the student's part. This is the way the teacher can see the student's sincerity. As for the teacher's sincerity, just make your search. There are marketers, people looking after power etc.. If you have some gut and common sense, you will avoid most of them. If you have doubts about learning something serious from DVDs, then find a live teacher. If you can't, then be content with DVD and books. If you still have doubts about DVDs, forget this whole thing because your doubts will prevent any sustained practice to happen. The very basic idea of "getting everything you need for your personal growth" seems really like an infant idea. The world is not here so that we can get what we need for our personal growth. If your parents have feeded you, given you an education of some sort, then you already got what the world had to offer to you. If you wait for more, you may be disappointed. What is real now is: what can I/you do for my/your personal growth? If you can't afford, going to Hawaii, California, Sweden or Australia. Don't now. Try to find a job, put money aside, practice with DVDs and then go to your happyland. Make your search simplier because, as I see it, you are making your qigong/neigong/kungfu life very complicated and probably without any real outcome. Hope it helps. Edited to add some things here and there

I am not sure Buddhists would agree to say that Shambala is just a mental thing with no connexion whatsoever with what arises from the heart. But I am not a Buddhologist .

Eugene Beware of not becoming too much attached with the "basic info" you are looking for. For various reasons and in the historical context we are living in, people may not be able/or not willing to give you the "proper" answers your are waiting but nevertheless offering material you would be happy to practice for a fair amount of time. I don't know you, but I am not in Daoist mountains during the 15th century right now, coz this is not my karma. If I had this karma, I certainly wouldn't be in position to ask the teacher's credentials before accepting to study his system. He would rather ask for mine before accepting me as his student. In Martial arts, it was the same until recently, and it is still the same whenever people who are teaching don't put money higher than they put their art. By having a very picky approach, you may muffle your gut sense, and turn off part of your common sense. Nowadays, a lot of information is made available. To be honest, if I had wholeheartedly put in practice only 1/6 of the information I have, I would already have attained very high levels in IMA and meditation. If you are not totally clear about what you want for yourself, I am not sure people will be able to tell it to you. Just' saying, not offense intended.

Buddhists, both the fundamentalists and the relaxed ones, will never get one. They can go back counting their beads without worry and find Shambala in their own heart which is the true origin of all myths.

. post no more necessary

Thanks a lot!

In my father's country, it would be done on the infant by the grandmother in dubious sanitary conditions and she would ritually cook it and eat it. My mother strongly opposed to this and I remained safe. My father was telling how painful it was for him.

Exactly what Descartes meant. edited to add a precision

Did I wrote this? I don't think so. I am only saying that intellectualizing the definition of a Daoist has nothing to do with being a Daoist. If you say you are one, I am fine with it, and at some point I envy you.

Come on Marblehead, although I don't know you, I venture to say that you have lived enough and had your share of hardship so that your words are weighted with what only life can teach to someone spiritually oriented. I consider you as among the wises here.

It's not about to just practice and be silent, it is about practicing and talk from there.

Even under screenames, people can't help bringing themselves and their level of cultivation to TTB. So just have a look at threads lists and content on the General and Taoist discussion subforums. And bear in mind that a significant part of the Off topic discussions were initiated into the General discussion subforum. Among them, how many threads are actually practice-realization oriented? You will see a lot of people arguing, insulting each other in obvious or disguised ways, coming here with either political or ideological agendas or just exchanging about topics unrelated to cultivation as a practice etc.. I have nothing against chattering because chattering is necessary part of human communication and sociability and TTB is a virtual community. Chattering is psychologically comforting and helps bonding people with each other, but if chattering makes people better cultivators my neighbor who spends quite a lot of time at the local pub is a master in its own right. As far as cultivation is concerned it makes no difference whatsoever if you chatter about cultivation instead of the carelessness of the government or how the local sports team did last Sunday. Philosophy is just a higher form of chattering. It can be an even more vicious delusion because people wraps themselves into scholarship and intellectual truths believing they attained something. Having a PhD in whatever-ism ( Daoism, 14th century monasticism, blahblah-ism) can help you finding a job in a university but it won’t make you a spiritual person. There are true cultivators at TTB (I am not one of them) and you will rarely see them engaging in the usual forms of mind-masturbation or conflicting relations you will see here. My 2 cts edited to underline some words

The above perfectly describes TTB: chattering about cultivation seeing as a form of cultivation. We all end with over developped thoughts about cultivation. Talk doesn't cook the rice, right?

Daoists may be busy cultivating instead of indulging into chatter. edited for spelling

This can’t be serious, right ? How come that enemies of Christianity rely on a text which authenticity is as doubtful as the Gospels can be, if not more, to nourish their hopes and announce the end of Christianity for this lifetime? Are people naive enough to believe that the potential collapse of an institution (what institution doesn’t collapse one day or another?) will by itself put an end to personal need for a belief system ? What’s the difference between that and the usual conversations where deluded people of the same political side are interpreting whatever word, event in the local or global news as a sign towards more glorious tomorrows? This is just imagination. Is that only what TTB has to offer in terms of spirituality?

Yes it is realism. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Origine_du_monde

Fine !

Thanks a lot! FYI, it's an artwork ( named the world's origin) from the french painter Gustave Courbet.

There are better ways to welcome people, ChiDragon. A smiley won't make a big difference because your heart has already told its truth.

Actually ChiDragon did apologize on post #10. I think it was just a somewhat tactless and awkward writing from him. No big deal