GrandmasterP

Did you ever notice that the people who make most noise in condemning the beliefs of others as satanic or worse tend to come from the lunatic fringes of their own faith pathways? I'm thinking of the warm hearted fun loving Xtian Pentecostalists who picketed our centre in Manchester when we opened it those people were really nasty pieces of work in that particular context. Yet where we live now there's an interfaith council where everyone is welcomed Pagans, us the works . Funnily enough the Pentecostalists here don't send a delegate to that either.

Being vegetarian is preferable IMO but it does not in any way make us morally superior to carnivores. Judgementalism is, at best a a blinkered position to take. It is not anyone's fault if they are innocently encultured to behave in certain ways. We may choose not to agree with those ways but it is not reasonable to judge others by our own standards when they are unaware of and may not have had the opportunity to explore those standards for themselves.

Unless you are a lamb, then any amount of verbal abuse has to be preferable to receiving a dinner invitation to a meal where YOU are to be the main course.

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Yep bit extreme that one SunLover. Murder is taking life with malice aforethought. Kids can't do that. Also you come across in other posts as a bit bloodthirsty yourself mate if you don't mind me saying so. As a lifelong veggie I know that people generally enjoy eating the foods their old mum used to make. Good luck to anyone turning veggie. You will eat cheaper than when you bought meat but equal good luck to our chums who like the Dalai Lama enjoy eating meat. That's why humans have canine and incisor teeth, we're designed to run on multi fuels . It's what comes out the mouth that causes most of the problems not what anyone chooses to pop into it. Better a lamb chop going in than harsh cruel words coming out.

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The full moon on 28 December falls in Capricorn in a conjunction with Pluto square to Uranus sextile to Saturn and quincunx to Jupiter. This algnment is always and indication of a major global crisis. The end of the year will ee diplomats shuttling between the world' crisis spots. TheUK enters a period of chaos and crisis with fears that Parliament may collapse after the winter break. The year ends on a more hopeful note although international tensions will not be resolved for at least another two years. Stock up on candles and long life foods colleagues. Nothing too awful but you'l maybe not want to do much shopping between end of December and mid January. Terrorist atrocities plus a pandemic of some sort possibly. May be all bollocks but sensible precautions prevent nasty surprises.

45 years boy and man I've been working full time and no sign yet of retirement. Thing is you kinda get used to it after a while. Nobody ever heard a dying man utter his last words as.... " I wish I'd spent more time at work" but there are jobs and jobs and I've been lucky. Pretty cushy number and 18 weeks a year holidays with pay so I'll not 'wear out'' anyway. The Sikhs have the right idea about work, it's something honourable and everyone should do what they can to contribute to the common good. Here in UK we have a welfare sponging sub culture consisting of the unemployable and workshy. NOT I hasten to add those who would love to work but cannot but feckless bone idle gits who are happy to suck deep at the welfare pap whilst other poor saps pay to keep 'em. Finding a significant other is another matter, many of us on here are perhaps on second or more attempts at that but it sure is fun trying to find the right one and really nice whilst they remain the right one. We do Zen archery which is a great fun club activity and if any bums out there are looking for a likely partner then look no further than your local archery club. Speed dating central.

You only get the one mum each time round so make the most of her. Mums are very fond of spontaneous acts of random kindness and unexpected little gifts even the odd 'thank you' can be as precious as a diamond bracelet to your average mum.

Maybe that's why there are so many methods for meditating because what suits one doesn't suit another. Cultivating QiGong works for me as the focus on a moving meditation calm my monkey mind. Just sitting doesn't work nearly as well for me but others swear by it. Best to try a few ways to see what suits one best I guess.

Your mum means well and she loves you Sinan. Smile inwardly. All will appear very different in a few years time and that time will pass ever so quickly. Karma is just karma, we've all got some; thing is how we deal with it not where it stems from.

Easy. I can't use iPad yet is the explanation. I meant to post monological/dialogicical. Thus..... It's never a dialogue if one party simply parrots monologic views. HTH [posted via Kindle]

Monological as opposed to diva logical springs to mind.

Comprehension is of necessity contingent on prior knowledge and experience. We see as it were 'through a glass darkly' as someone once said. I'm posting this on an all new singing and dancing iPad collected yesterday. The techie explained it all to me at great length. I recognised each and every word he used but not a single one of his sentences did I comprehend.

The Full Moon on 29th October this year falls in Taurus, in an opposition to Saturn. Venus is opposed and Mercury is square Neptune. The situation looks to becoming complex and confused. This could be a time that favours mystics and visionaries and the headlines may be dominated by religious leaders. Governments will be afflicted by scandal, ciontradictions and muddled policies.Northern Australia may suffer violent storms and the government there may fall or be damaged by arguments about immigration. For those of you who like a flutter on the gee-gees. (Big Taoist fancy is gambling) The Cesarewitch Handicap at Newmarket may be won by a five-year old favourite whilst the Cambridgeshire Handiocap may see a three-year old carrying 9st 1lb victorious. Good Luck.

Good idea. I always slightly suspect that our long range weather forecasters for all their spiffy technology actually just consult the almanac and then tell us what it says. We tend to plant according to it. Never really done any different so don't know if we do better or worse than anyone else and we have good years and bad years same as everyone. It is good for moon phases and tide tables as well and those are handy as we holiday across a tidal causeway so need to know when we can and can't arrive in order to cross safely.

I like Zen a lot it just does not like me very much especially my poor old legs. PL chanting I love and it seems to pay dividends. Inner smile is always that bit more more smiley after a nice chant. Can see your point about silence Wolfy but in our neck of the woods they need to be told where the loos are and how to find the fire escapes if the alarm goes off. Beyond that it is mostly demonstration far more than any talking. That's why I love teaching QiGong it's more about showing than telling whereas here at work in my day (and some evenings) job all I 'do' when I'm lecturing is talk.

Just saw your location Marcus. Grandmaster Johnny Lee was in Dallas area. He's the dog's proverbials for Pa-Kua (Martial Taijiquan for 'less-than-gentlemen'). Seriously good teacher.

Good Q Geoff best left to a PM rather than here maybe.

Yep Buddhism has a dark side for sure but so have all religions and most philosophies too. People are people and you'll find toe rags and abusers anywhere. You'll not see a Buddha to kill a Buddha and anyone begins picking off clergy of any stripe isn't necessarily completely sane. Boddhisatvas (Sp?), Spirit Guides, Angels and similar affiliated trades {same job different job titles} though, i do think we all get to bump into those sorts during our lucky lives. And you'd not want to kill one of them cos they're usually helping you out of as scrape or crossing your palm with happy fortune.

Cheese and Onion Crisps. Very nice when you just really fancy something savoury to nibble but just really can't be ersed making a proper snack. Raindrops on roses are nicely happificatory too.

Your faith does you credit bro. Best we leave it there I suspect. Travel lightly.

Well it's as good as the next method of scrying and in these parts it has a bit of history. Tables I use were forst published in 1697 and the almanak has been on sale in England (to those who know where to buy it from) every year since then without any break in publication ever. Bit like Taoism, if something as been around for quite a long time and folk still swear by it then there's probably something in it. Just wish via scrying of te stars I could get my own lottery numbers and predict winning racehorses (before the race) more accurately. I'd be off on my gold plated yacht around the Carribean and you could all come too. As it is I'm 60 and still working for a living. Stars n Shamanism bring in a nice side income but a cool big win onthe lottery would be so much better. One lives in hopes comrades.

And at heart FH you really do know that is true. Life has other comforts than the cerebral old friend. Enjoy.

Mmmm, OK in a way but well I'm a semi-pro (I get paid for it) Shaman and Trance Medium, have been for many a year past and quite frankly bro this Shaman remains to be convinced by your argument. It only takes one such for your entire edifice to crumble. Belief is not knowledge and vice versa. Your TTC is a Shamanistic text to you, and that's good, absolutely how it should be and unlikely to alter. But to another Shamn it is not, ergo sum it's validity in this data-capture set is only valid in relation to 50% of Shamen. Cast our net wider and the stas will alter but you'll never find 100% of Taoist shamen agreeing with you, some of 'em can't read and most of 'em would likely say the same a I am doing that it's un-Taoistic to affirm an ersatz 'holy writ'.. To maintain anything beyond that is to surely stray across into the territory of our fundamentalist chums the Xtian literalists' territory or beyond them across the wild border into Taliban country. Many TTC texts many interpretaions, all equally valid, some more vehemently defended than others.