eye_of_the_storm

I have struggled willfully against the system - unwilling to compromise and go against my own principles... peoples advise = just do what you are told, get by, give them what they want... "selling out" and look where we are today what is left of me? if i sell out? who are you if your entire life is spent doing what you are told, getting by, giving them what they want... just to feed yourself and continue your miserable existence - one day you look back, what did I achieve? nothing - dead and buried, next. humanity seems to be getting sucked into this void of superficiality / plasticity / image... I would say its like Maya inside of Maya and everyone is buying it < literally. Where is the balance? I am struggling to see any... perhaps the river that is Tao has become just as polluted as this planet or maybe because we have become so "Godless" ... the Tao/God being vacant in human hearts... it has become vacant on this small planet.

@ CT Thanks for your reply i suppose as you can see from my above post i wish to accomplish a little more than tying shoes laces mindfully (though that's a start) + i prefer slip-ons Civilizations greater than ours have come and gone a few last things remain, of great intrigue - perhaps built by those in tune with earth, sky and spirit. i think i need to build my spiritual foundations first i don't know what worth it would be to be an architect - time destroys all things I want to move on what else but Tao would give me this desire? Is it we who seek Tao? or is it by the grace of Tao that we are called "Home"? perhaps an Architect of Consciousness?

Spiritual Goals: Freedom Transcend "death" (have continuous consciousness from life to life and be able to direct my own path) Understanding of ones place in the Universe + Connection to Tao Transcend time and space / teleport / fly / time travel Mastery of the elements Bring balance/ harmony Help others reconnect - just the basics

@Sinfest - yes, thats why i am going to run away haha... to be with nature, rather than being stuck in a cubicle, glued to a computer for the rest of my life. @joeblast I agree totally

@ Jetsun yes! how wonderful... this is why i got into it in the first place alas, today the spirit is of no concern for the most part i have presented such things in the past... but its not architecture apparently we need commercial and office zone $ is all that matters man the ultimate temple? the mountains and the trees

@ rainbowvein thanks, i agree completely... i am actually participating in one of these rural studio programs at present - helping write the brief for a "green school" ... ive quite a cynical view of things at the moment though... cynicism in the classical sense Cynicism (Greek: κυνισμός), in its original form, refers to the beliefs of an ancient school of Greek philosophers known as the Cynics (Greek: Κυνικοί, Latin: Cynici). Their philosophy was that the purpose of life was to live a life of Virtue in agreement with Nature. This meant rejecting all conventional desires for wealth, power, health, and fame, and by living a simple life free from all possessions. As reasoning creatures, people could gain happiness by rigorous training and by living in a way which was natural for humans. They believed that the world belonged equally to everyone, and that suffering was caused by false judgments of what was valuable and by the worthless customs and conventions which surrounded society. Many of these thoughts were later absorbed into Stoicism. ^ sounds familiar but in terms of seeing things as they are... so one builds a nice "green" school... still, by law have to follow government indoctrination... i mean education standards = hive mind Best to you. _/\_ too

Are we a rarity?

So from the responses it would seem so. hmm

Thats what he says! ahah I really like his work. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUXodFgbDfQ&feature=my_liked_videos&list=LL7WeeBG4ZtA0WJTuiNa2ebA Alan Watts ^ fear of enlightenment ^ I think you may enjoy it

If you meet the Buddha, kill him!

I agree: In being nothing, one becomes everything? = no limitations on the self / no idea of self but there is still Self? I think these things are important - though we have to ground these abstract ideas and place/ work them into "reality" So we have to meet half way - "Heaven and Earth" ? You should consult your heart to whether or not the love of your country etc is valid / rather than conditioned... I believe some is conditioned and some is real. I liken myself as a cosmopolitan (adjective) free from local prejudices; worldly but also recognize we don't live in a perfect world (or do we? ...from my limited perspective as to the nature of this reality) I also feel love of my country (not in a government sense etc), my ancestors and myself... I thank the Tao. They say the highest/ the only form of blasphemy is to say... I am not worthy, I am not special, I am nothing... we are all here to recognize our oneness with the Great Tao - Is the Great Tao...not worthy?

Twinner: It's not a path for one thing, that's your Western dichotomy trying to grasp an alien principal. In Taoism there is no path, you are already there, you just need to open your eyes and see it. Have you listened to Alan Watts?

One could apply this progression and cultural identity to Taoism and Buddhism are they too delusion to maintain this identity? culture also includes philosophies, teachings etc

I agree - the same can be applied to oneself / personality also but i would also say the past informs the future... there is still a connection between the Germans then and now... so its a progression and the progression / time/ development etc is how you end up with a "british person" etc... its a common thread tying them together, cultural identity and so on... which is always changing... is 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000 years of collective progression/ experience delusion? maybe I am sorry if i have come on too strong In terms of there being no borders - I was too once of this mentally... what I would now call (for myself) misguided idealism. Logistically /infrastructure + environmentally/sustainability - to dissolve borders in terms of countries and peoples would cause chaos. What if 100 million people decided to up and leave and place themselves in your backyard?

Are you proud of your nationality? Do you feel special different or special compared to people from different nations? On a more granular level, do you think your county, state or city is special? If so why? Animals don't recognise borders of nations. Why should we? ??? its what your wording and other responses indicate - I apologize if I have misunderstood you

how would you make sense of this sentence if you could make no distinctions?

Well did you? haha If you did not travel would you be the same person? ... whats the point of traveling? Jeffrito would like a world with no distinction where everyone becomes one greyness... What is the point of all this? why so much trouble? why the complexity of life? the colours? the accents etc There is no difference? really? you can't not see a difference? how would a painter paint? if he could make no distinctions? How do you know what you are eating? smelling? touching? Is an apple the same as an orange? they are both fruits, but different fruits with different flavour, smell, colour, shape..etc

I would like to address too how the acceptance of one culture can destroy another... I believe multiculturalism... if this is what you are getting at? to be a blessing and a curse. Eg: Christmas is celebrated by most European cultures today... In my country now such things are being considered as offensive to other (new)cultures therefore my culture must not celebrate Christmas... On the plus side I can have sushi for lunch and Indian for dinner YUM! In relation to my above post ^^

Animals do recognize borders by Natural Order Take the ocean for example, deep sea fish, middle and shallows... only few have the capacity for all... tropical or arctic Lions keep territory as does coral (awesome documentary in relation to coral reefs) Plants too have an Order/ natural distribution + local environmental adaptation etc ^ Diversity, Nature loves it Birds of the same feather flock together? why do we see this? Butterflies / All insects Everything and everyone is special and unique! we should maintain these things I love the variety of different peoples, nations etc identity and expression ^ this can only be maintained by respecting others and their culture, heritage values... which do come from the land... For an example my ancestors come from Ireland... I have a deep longing to go back there? what is with that?

Ahh... I was talking literally. Probably doesn't belong on a Taoist forum, but what does? There is speculation and maybe evidence suggesting humans once inhabited Mars a long time ago... long story short nuclear war destroyed the magnetosphere...maybe anyhow

yes

I suppose I should have said are ~ they // I belong to the "Make It Up As You Go School of Immortality " Though I am interested in schools and groups within Australia and peoples experiences of them from this board. - From Brisbane

void

I am quite ambitious