GrandmasterP

Fair comment, and presuming that there is a 'right' interpretation of TTC then you make a good case. I'm not so sure that's the case 'in all cases'. For example a Chinese scholar/ philologist will read TTC in her or his particular way whereas someone else may simply read TTC for edification, relaxation or as a meditative exercise. Those are all 'readings' and whilst our philologist may well claim that her reading of TTC is the 'right' reading; all those other readings are equally valid. One of the foci for Mindfulness 'training' is reading or recitation of a favourite text ' Mindfully'. TTC in English is good for that because of it's structure, cadence and layout on the page. Mindfulness in 'context free' and entirely secular the cultivator chooses the text to work with. I like TTC so use it, a Christian Mindfulness chum uses the Song of Songs, someone else I know has a favourite poem memorised. Texts are tools readers bring whatever 'truth' there is to the text 'from the text' and for each reader. I'm on a slightly slippery slope textually wherever I claim that 'this reading is right BUT that reading is wrong'. One would need to know of, in order to engage with; ALL readings of the text in question. Now that would be a big job. The popular alternative is to accept a given reading via a teacher or preacher and dismiss alternative readings as anathema. That's popular because it is easy and saves personal engagement by outsourcing one's thinking to someone else.

I'm just ignorant. :-)

It is no coincidence that Bluegrass Gospel is the Country Music of choice for many first and some second generation Pure Land Buddhist immigrants into the USA. Substitute Amitabha for Baby Jesus in the lyrics if only conceptually and you got a toe tappin' nembutsu right there on your convenience store backing track. Nary a local customer any the wiser that storeowners 'Pop' and Mrs Nguyen ( pronounced N'Win) aren't anything other than well and truly integrated into redneck 'culture'. Clever Pure Land!

Oh Brother Where Art Thou is a Taoist movie IMO. Bluegrass rocks. On topic as far as channeled TTC or related texts go, I can't see the harm in it all. Each reader draws their own conclusions and Sifu FH's channeled writings are most poetic.

Loretta Lynne likewise. :-)

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/804932.shtml#.UzswTcu9KSM Just found this from last year and it's less than complementary. Global Times is semi official Chinese State propaganda so if they are dissing Yan Xin ( they are in this article) there's no way he's been made a 'national treasure'. Looks like he high tailed to the USA once the QiGong purges began in China. Hence he'll be a non person as far as the CHQA is concerned.

http://xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/25705370/1826568175/name/QigongCancerI.pdf Can't find anything about him via official Chinese Health QiGong Association. If his styles are accredited in China there would be some reference somewhere one would imagine. The 'green ribbon' licensed and registered QiGong teachers are the only ones who can officially teach in China. It's pretty strict over there as to who can teach what QiGong, how and to whom. Does anyone have a link to Yan Xin being made a 'National Treaure' please?

Good luck with the Bougainvillea. They should grow here, according to 'hardiness zones' we are about Zone 7 or 8 but I don't know anyone who does well with them outside of almost-frost- free Cornwall or South Devon.

Just give me the confession man. I'll sign! :-)

It's a non- sectarian way of being in the world is Taoism. Other ways are available as are definitions of what Taoism 'is'. Horses for courses, cherry pick what suits you. What suits one person doesn't suit another. We don't 'do' infighting Taoism here on TTB. Mutual respect rules and vive la differance. If you want infighting Taoism you need ' Tao in Nature'. Won't grace that with a direct link , they are a sad bunch of angy-lads-needing-hugs over there but if you want to see t'other side and enjoy strife then you'll find it. Not here on TTB so much though, 'Tao Bums' tend to major in tolerance NOT intolerance. All success to your path whatever that comes to be. It's the journey that counts. May you journey well. Here's a map to help you..... http://www.with.org/tao_te_ching_en.pdf

Observing thoughts and gently letting them go, uninfluenced; is a conscious act for starters but becomes less so the better we get at doing that. Then things start to become interesting.

Now's all we got buddy. Past is gone. Future's not here yet. We're only alive 'now'. Ever. Carpe Diem!

Aye, it's a mystery and that's a fact. Logical positivism only gets anyone so far. Wittgenstein's the lad for me when having these chats at work with nay sayers. There's a lad who started out as the poster boy for the logical positivist posse and ended up saying... "Whereof we cannot speak - thereof we must remain silent." Didn't stop him writing books of course. A Don's gotta live!

Over on Dharma Wheel there's thread after thread of folks bouncing sutras off each other. "Flip Flobby Taka Sutra Sn 2.75 sub section B2 clearly tells us We must all wear a blue hat on Tuesdays in any month with an R in it.". Claims one poster to which someone is always always sure to respond along the lines of... " Ah yes my blinkered Dharma chum but the Do Bop a Loo Lah. Ah Bam Bam Boom - sutra refutes your claim in Chapter 435, verse 47 paragraph 4 line 7 - where it shows Buddha telling us to wear red hats on ALL Tuesdays." Then a Taoist pops in to say... " Ah foolish Buddhists, my teacher the Venerable Taoist GM Long Chin transmitted to me via lineage the infinite wisdom of the ancients that on Tuesdays green hats are to be worn whilst confining oneself to a Tuesdays only diet of meat and potato snacks encased in short crust pastry. Hence we of the Green Hat More Pie sect are the only ones who actually know the truth of this matter." It makes no more sense on DW than ever it does here on TTB. None of us no matter who taught us what or whatever we've learnt since can, on this side of life; any more communicate the ineffable via the spoken or written word than could Buddha. Sometimes you just gotta cultivate and see what happens.

It's a bit of a comedy sketch pastiche on seances now but back in the early days they actually did communicate with spirits via an alphabet and ' one knock for yes - two for no' as the poor medium spelled out each letter of the alphabet in turn with the spirit knocking once when she hit the correct letter. It could take them most of a night to spell out a short message such as... " Uncle Bob sends love and thanks to you all for his lovely funeral flowers. The stocks and bonds are in a tin under a loose floorboard by the fireplace." Marketing being then as now - enthusiastic- an enterprising manufacturer came up with Oui Jah ( Yes in French and German . "Sounds Continental and a bit Mystical eh? That'll shift product! ") alphabet boards to facilitate the practice. Pretty soon clairaudient mediums took over who could hear and communicate words direct from spirits without need for alphabet letters or knocks. Ouija boards still sold pretty well as a sort of spooky parlour game but as far as spirit communications went, 'speaking mediums' came to the fore. BTW I'd avoid Ouija Boards like the plague. Those can lead to all sorts of mischief from this side of life via prankster sitters and from the other side via prankster spirits. Likewise ' Magick' , ' Magic', ' High Mackick's Ayde' or any and all of that whole GD- Abra Melin- Tinfoil hatted - mystical boiling. Without exception , anything that passes for that tosh via books old or new, CDs, websites or the rest is best left to the sad lads in need of someone to hug them or those wicked old men no better than ever they should be; who tend to either have created or been drawn to such nonsense.

Moved this to MH's Marble Gardens thread from Watching the Birds cos it's gardening. Campsis ( Trumpet Vine) arrived today two nice plants one yellow ' Indian Summer' and one dark orange or red ( can't tell from the label photo) ' Madame Galen'. Garden Centre run for some John Innes Number 2 to pot them on into. Thinks I. " May as well stock up on Number 3 whilst I'm here too." Not a bag of number 3 to be had, sold out and awaiting delivery. Number 2 has shot up in price too. On special offer 3 x 30 litre bags 'only' £12. It was that price for 3 x 50 litre bags last season! Talk about hidden price rise by reducing product! Cheeky John Innes.

Yep. Indescribable. Hence why try beyond a koan- like... "No self is like the taste of an orange." ( Meditate then discuss).

Nice to see that Geordie lass back though. Blue suits her.

You got it.

There's a walking meditation in Mindfulness. Quite a nice cultivation but I prefer sitting.

Spirit knocking is nothing to worry about. Pretty common too. It's how Spiritualism started was spirit knocking. Say.. " Hello, please go." and they generally will do. If not ask at your nearest Spiritualist centre and there'll be someone to help. If in UK via this directory..... http://www.snu.org.uk/community/community.html If in USA via this one http://www.nsac.org/churches.php There'll be no charge but donations are always welcomed and whoever you get will be trained and working to a code of ethics. Hope that helps.

They are pretty good as far as waste disposal goes our county council. We get a once a week house collection plus that free tipping permit. Our rates ( local taxes) are amongst the lowest in the UK as well, only went up £9 for this next rates year on the entire year. It's rural so hey don' waste money on community centres and stuff like that hence the saving out here in the county compared to colleagues who live and pay rates in the nearby city. Those are really high. On topic we get a lot of gulls round here as well and we are as far away from the sea as you can get in England. They follow the plough. Great flocks of 'em.

However and wherever we are is all there is. Lackadaisical rocks, it's conducive to meditation. Lazy people get more done.

Absolutely, or whilst driving.

He maybe did answer those questions just that folks never quite 'got' his answers and ever since they have been striving to do so. Tao has always struck me as Ch'an for nature lovers but without the historical-cultural BS. Anybody can 'be' a Taoist but try to enact Ch'an or Zen without being ethnic Chinese or Japanese and , by and large; you're pretty much kidding nobody but yourself.