Stigweard

Now why do you think old man Lao Tzu had his fill society hmm? The surface of life will always do this; it rises and falls in chaotic ways. And if you allow yourself to be attached to it your emotional and mental state will be tossed and thrown about like a leaf in the wind. Find the depths and establish your root there. Now of course you have to be mindful of the surface and respond where and when is truly appropriate, but try and develop an impartial approach to the comings and goings of worldly events and find the space deep within yourself that is calm and peaceful.

What he said... perfectamundo! Which is why basic foundation training is so vital, including: ~ Body loosening/balancing exercises like Song Gong, ~ Cultivation of virtue. One must prepare the soil well first before reaping a bountiful harvest.

Generally it comes in and then it goes out again Breathing, becoming more and more aware of the breath, mind and body united. Breathing and uniting with the flow of energy. Breathing, leting stress, tension and pain leave the body. Breathing, feeling the channels open. Breathing, feeling the organs fill with vitality. Breathing, feeling the energies unify into one purified essence. Just breathing.

Next Step...

Breathing.

Seeking the Heavens I wallow in the deep mud All is known to me Welcome, find a seat, how do you like your tea?

Woohoo! The walls are going up already! Thanks Scotty Which officially starts the resources list: ~ Drywalls: Scotty Awesome!

Sometimes better to ask forgiveness than permission. However prudence is a wonderful virtue.

Well the "self sufficient means" have yet to be fully confirmed as yet. I have a few things I am working on but it is way to soon to even start considering relying on them. My perspective for this statement is that the heart of such a project can easily be torn asunder if you have to depend on outside capital funding. It is 100% better if such dinero comes from within the core of the group without any one person or group of people being able to claim sole ownership. And yes 10 years would requre a lot of work. Question: do we believe it is feasible practical to work to this timeline? I say "yes", with of course the allowance for flexibility through out the progress. Any amendments to this date then? Or any other comments?

Any more suggestions or amendments to the preliminary vision statement before I take things to the next step? -------------------------- "By 2018 we have acquired, through self-sufficient means, at least 100 acres of fertile land on a mountain with living water and have constructed temples of cultivation, education and arts facilities, housing for teachers, students, and community members, and have also established the means for communal sufficiency in the form of permaculture farming, commercial ventures (eg. cafeteria, grocery store, relevant small business etc.) and light industrial ventures that adhere to ecological and right livelihood practices."

Welcome, find a seat, how do you like your tea?

Welcome, find a seat, how do you like your tea?

Welcome, find a seat, how do you like your tea?

Welcome, find a seat, how do you like your tea?

Yes it can be literal. For you Northerners: East: Wood, Green Dragon South: Fire, Red Bird West: Metal, White Tiger North: Water, Black Turtle Centre: Earth, Yellow Bird

Woohoo! Correct! *Passes riddle stick to apepch7*

Nope!

Nope!

No legs have i to dance, No lungs have I to breathe, No life have I to live or die And yet I do all three. What am I?

LOL I know I know ... quick and easy one

You certainly can add this suggestion I agree with this as well. For me one of the prime requisites is a plentiful water source (a symptom perhaps of living in dry old Australia). I really don't think at this stage we should put too much censoring of the imagination. Lets paint the perfect picture and see how close we can get to that reality. Ok so that opens up a media type section of the project. This could have two branches, one is a home based studio for such recordings and then we could have a field team that can go out and record the teachings of masters in their home environment. Perhaps we could have a facility where we sponsor successful candidates to go learn from their chosen teachers for a period of time with the condition that they come back to make a full report and presentation on what they have learned and experienced. Yes yes ... being able to form comparitive analysis certainly opens many possibilities if handled with due care. I agree wholeheartedly. Already in this thread we have seen how differing view helps us hone the intent and vision of the progress. UPDATE: "By 2018 we have acquired, through self-sufficient means, at least 100 acres of fertile land on a mountain with living water and have constructed temples of cultivation, education and arts facilities, housing for teachers, students, and community members, and have also established the means for communal sufficiency in the form of permaculture farming, commercial ventures (eg. cafeteria, grocery store, relevant small business etc.) and light industrial ventures that adhere to ecological and right livelihood practices." More suggestions?

Seeing you asked: What cheese is made backwards?

I honestly believe that our greater society would benefit immensely from the rich wisdom and virtue of Taoism and Buddhism. However the proliferation of self-proclaimed masters showing off parlour tricks or making "Nutella in the shorts" claims of spiritual ascendency as means to attract attention, followers, and money tarnishes the credibility of these beautiful teachings. And, because by nature Taoism and Buddhism tend to be quiet and humble paths, all our society sees are these crackpots and charlatans and unfortunately the devoted practitioners and authentic teachers get branded with the same label. I applaud the suggested establishment of an international forum of authentic Masters. But maybe we should also compose a "myth busting" protocol to confirm or bust claims of 'special abilities' or spiritual ascendancy. Then with this 'filter' we can credibly post a Charter of Authenticity to serve both the integrity of our own cultivation and also to create the foundation of greater credibility for our chosen traditions within our own communities. What say you?

Developing 'abilities' is perhaps one of the most contentious topics surrounding Taoist cultivation and is always gauranteed to generate lively conversation Truth be told there are a significant percentage of people who inquire about Tao because of the allure of such abilities. Just as you have said Nate, abilities may not be a true indication of spiritual attainmnent. There are plenty of examples of people demonstrating such abilities who are still at the starting line of virtuous fulfillment. But, as you have indicated MPWay, many traditional teachings tell us that certain abilities will naturally manifest at certain levels of attainment. In fact I have read that some Taoists actually use the abilities of Sun Wukong (aka Monkey Magic) from the text, 西遊記, "Journey to the West", as benchmarks for spiritual attainment. So the jury continues it's debate. On one hand we have those that say that all abilities are fantasy and simply do not exist. We have the crew who say that they are a distraction from true spiritual attainment, and we have the folks who say that abilities are guideposts on the climb up the spiritual mountain. And of course we have those that are only in it so they can shoot Qi balls like Goku. This is why, in my opinion, it deserves its due practical, scientific inquiry. Not to try and prove or disprove or get obsessed over but to simply be fully aware.

Well you are certainly getting your share of the 'air time', I'm not quite sure that this is the 'marketing buzz' you are looking for. But I guess as they say, "Everyone gets what they want from the market." *shrugs*