manitou

This is a really interesting question. Control. Rudderless. I remember in the movie Ghandi, Ghandi was asked by a reporter "You are certainly ambitions, aren't you?" Ghana's response was "I hope not". To immerse yourself in the Dao, IMO, does produce a bit of rudderless-ness. I don't want control any more - I was fighting for control all my life, and my controlling things didn't work out too well. No, there is no rudder per se. But I think Daoists see the value of riding the waves of life. The concept of surrender is one that doesn't come easy to us in the West, but as a person progresses along their spiritual path (whichever one it is) it becomes apparent that if we loosen our grip on control, that "life" will bring to us things we could have never imagined. The most valuable jewel within Daoism, IMO, is the concept of Not-Doing. Not to be confused with laziness. Not-doing is the ability to see an existing dynamic and let it play out, perhaps contrary to an initial urge to 'control things'. Not-doing is how everything gets done. It is magical, and it works beyond anything I've ever seen. Situations which seem impossible find a way to straighten themselves out; they go with the natural flow of life. Our good intentions and attempts at control serve only to delay the perfect outcome. Not-Doing is best done with the most clarity a person can muster. It's almost as if we step out of ego and kick it to the curb - in order to see things as they truly are, despite our prior life conditioning. Once a person gets to the place where he has predominately mastered ego, this type of clarity is achieved, more and more as the conquest of ego continues. Then you can truly see the dynamics that are at play. And life has a funny way of going higher, and higher, and higher. Even if the appearances are to the opposite. The one promise of the DDJ that comforts me is 'For things to be deflated, they must first be inflated'. It sure comes in handy for these strange times.

I've been K-active for many years. I have gotten used to the constant buzzing and weirdness. I'm not sure I've ever read anything that really gives a good answer as to Why the K-energy arises. I've participated in K-forums. But does anybody have a real answer as to why this develops, and what it's good for? I imagine it has something to do with development of the third eye

That place looks wonderful. I'd be willing to fly there if this virus ever goes away. Perfect for spiritual shenanigans.

Yes, I've read it. She seemed to have a nice balanced view

I think the most genuine security we can have is the acceptance of who we really Are.

OMG. I was just watching something about Fred Trump Sr. He died of the flu in 1918!!! No wonder Trump wants nothing to do with the flu. He refuses to deal with it at all. Fred Trump Sr. was a terribly strong focal point of the Trump family and pushed mercilessly on his sons to compete. The loss of Fred Sr. was a horrible jolt to the family and it probably imprinted Trump pretty hard. Hey, it's an explanation, not an excuse.....

Knowing who we actually 'Are', I think we will always rise to the occasion - even if 'rising' doesn't seem apparent at the moment. The DDJ speaks of that which is to be deflated must first be inflated. It seems to me that the deflation has begun. I suspect that many of us here are 'lefties', but I'm not sure we want everyone to be vaccinated. As to reproductive rights - I've had two abortions in my life. One in a clinic, nice and safe. One on a kitchen table with a sponge stuck into my mouth to keep me from screaming. The doctor had driven up to California from Juarez, Mexico. The problem is, girls will always find a way to try to abort. The coat hanger and quinine pills didn't work for me, so I had to go to extreme measures. (As though the others weren't). As for us being atheists - in a sense, we are. Many of us here realize that worshiping a separate 'god' may be a fool's errand, and that we, indeed, are God. We're just wrapped up in separate skin bags. The wonderful thing is, there's no right or wrong here. We understand only as much as we're capable. And I don't think the lefties want everyone to be gay.

Post-Covid, of course. My little vision is to find a peaceful spot that maybe rents out cabins, and that we could have a retreat for maybe 3 days. That there wouldn't be any particular focus of the retreat, but we can do group meditations on the spot, or whatever. We've known each other soul to soul for years, and I can't tell you how wonderful it would be to meet other Bums in person. And people could bring their musical instruments if they want, we can have fun with each other's talents. At the very least, share photos of artwork on our phones. And it shouldn't be too awfully far from a good restaurant, but on the other hand a nice remote and peaceful feeling. I know, I'm not asking for much. Electricity would be nice. Same with flushing toilets. A central location might be the most desirable as far as everyone's convenience. But I would have a willingness to fly anywhere. We may have plenty of time visualize the dream retreat, for our purposes. (Whatever we decide those will be) So if anybody knows of a suitable location for this type of seminar, please contribute to this thread. It would be sort of fun to create a parallel universe while the rest of the planet implodes on itself.

Which is exactly what it says in the DDJ - reversion is the action of the Dao.

Such a Catch-22. The desire thing. How to go about finding joy and pleasure in life? What I have found, is that my definition of joy or pleasure has morphed as spiritual development increases. Yes, consumption is endless. So it seems that the most obvious thing is to limit consumption, to not fall into the trap of wanting more and more...and this would be part of the Practice. But I think the largest part of the Practice toward enlightenment is the part where we address the conditionings and attitudes we have gained throughout our lives. In our impression-laden world of being a baby, then a child, then a teener, then an adult - all of our attitudes were predominately formed by 'others', no matter how well intended our folks and teachers were. As I see it, the most important component of enlightenment is ridding ourselves of the unhelpful attitudes, biases, and conclusions we've come to. Personally, when I did it, I wrote down every conceivable character flaw I could think of, and then I just assumed that I had it to some degree. I wrote it all down (this was actually a Step 4 inventory, if anyone is familiar) and I was astounded at how many flaws I found. But once in 'awareness' of the flaw, that is enough to bend the trajectory and 'see' ourselves as we really are. When I did this, I had no idea it would put my feet on the first steps of the path to enlightenment. I just wanted to stay sober. Learning from the books of Rinpoche's and Masters is crucial in this too, I believe. But I'm not sure that one can be attained without the other. It's when our spiritual understanding is compatible with a clear soul - one that has been prepared by some degree of inner work - it is then the alignment of enlightenment can most reliably occur. I have not walked a long Buddhist path with lineage, but any degree of enlightenment I may possess is as a result of self-realization. And I do think that enlightenment must accompany self-realization. Otherwise, it's all just head knowledge, not a true 'knowing'.

I just looked that word up and I still don't know what it means.

LOL. Knot risqué or riskee.

It wouldn't take so long for the verdict on Silent Thunder. We wouldn't have to do all the gyrations for 'knot'.

I don't think you and I live that far apart. You could start with just one little Bum and work up from there

This is TRUE - I know the guy who was the witness, when he was working vice at LAPD. He was testifying MANY years ago to an arrest he made at the YMCA for homosexual activity (this was back in the 70's). Pete (officer) observed this from outside a YMCA window and he was testifying to it at the hearing. DEFENSE ATTY: You have testified that you observed my client orally copulating a man laying on a cot? PETE: Yes, sir. DEFENSE: And you testified that you were fully able to see his actions, despite the fact that you were in the bushes outside the window? PETE: Yes, sir. DEFENSE: Well then, since my client's back was to you as he bent over, isn't it possible that my client was merely trying to pick up the man off the cot? PETE: Yes, sir. If he were trying to pick him up by the penis with his mouth.

no stone out of place; linear time a hoax; it's already happened

That sounds like a flaming shooter.

I didn't discover unicorn piss until last year. I think it's fabulous. Do you drink it on ice, or with tomato juice?

That is absolutely incredible. Watching him ride the waving current of consciousness and manifesting in his actions. So beautiful.... For the last month or so, when I have a task in front of me, the words 'become the task' pop into my head. Although I only watched the first half of this video, his persona melded together with the practice. How beautiful to watch! Thanks for sharing that. I'm not a MA lady, my path was different. But it seems that this conscious movement that he's doing - taps into and adjoins the no-mind around which we dance on this forum. Surely his mind is focused to the point of blankness. I'm curious about the monastery. Did you say it's in Germany? Is it for MA practitioners only? Do you practice the same forms that he does?

Let's try this later. Everything is in such a strange state right now.

If you have a physical practice, I'd focus on that for now. Try to give the brain a rest. Please allow me to plant a seed. When a person becomes fully spiritually realized, they have 'realized' from the inside Who they really are. Nothing is fragmented. Demons that have been manifested have long since retreated. You will realize that you are the sentient part of God. You are God. There is none other. It's who we, collectively, Are. When you arrive at that inner realization, I would guess that the other distractions will cease. One way to get there is to examine closely your own personal history and see how your early conditioning laid the foundation for who you are today. Once you see the connection and are in awareness about certain tendencies (character defects) that interfere with your journey upward, just the awareness alone will separate you from those tendencies (like manifesting demons, etc) and you will become lighter and lighter. But right now, your need is to manifest something appearing as a demon - but certainly this stems from needing to re-create a sense of fright (if the demon activity scares you). Look to your childhood to see if that's your "comfort zone" emotionally. It may be worth a try. This probably doesn't apply to you, but I've known people in the past who unintentionally create demons because they have a severe need to be different, or special in some way. Seen. Recognized. This is always worth examining too, as our egos can do pretty incredible things that work against us. Best wishes to you. Please also consider that you continually give it life by using the name helpfuldemon.

Thank you for that! My COPD couldn't handle it. I'd be gasping with a blue tongue after the first day.

time is relative it stretches out or shortens based on perception

I guess that's what happens when form loses consciousness.

Actually, @Dwai, that place looks rather perfect. I have an email in to them to let me know about cost, etc. They have a spa there, massages, they do meditations if we're interested, the in-house chef cooks food that's grown on site. Not far from town, so we could do a restaurant or two. I like the fact that it's more towards the base of Pike's Peak - I have trouble breathing over 5,000 feet. I think Colorado in the summer sounds wonderful.