manitou

Hi Return - sincerest welcome to the Dao Bums. This is a wonderful community. I like your name too - Return - as the action of the Dao is reversion. You're in the right place. Do enjoy yourself, and don't be shy about sharing. Manitou

And yet, if there is a situation wherein we see that we can do something, is it better to let it come and go? I struggle with this. I note that the third paragraph refers to contraction only - to aversion, and not the opposite, attraction. Is living a blasé existence the ultimate in attainment? I don't know the answer to this. Is there a place for kindness and compassion? Is there a place to do for others, or does the master let them remain in the karma of their own making, understanding (perhaps with compassion) that they have placed themselves there and are merely living out their karmic remnants? Or should we be only concerned with our own happiness, leveling out our own karma, seeking bliss for ourselves? There seems to be an inherent disconnect with what the masters would say, and what we actually run into in mundane living. Or do we merely remain centered in the channel of balance within, and act according to what our own instincts tell us to do at the moment? And yet not grasp at these actions to be part of our self-identification? I suspect that this may be the case. To tell ourselves 'Not sure' is wonderful. I think to tell ourselves 'It's all good" is equally wonderful. Although it would seem to be the opposite of 'It's all bad', it doesn't feel that way. Rather, it feels more like total acceptance of that which is.

Or sometimes I think the buddha-lands are what the Schroedinger's cat in quantum physics talks about - when there is no perceiver, there is no conclusion to be made about the phenomena that occurred. Maybe the buddha lands refer to all the possible scenarios that could have played out without a perceiver - or scenarios that would have played out if somebody had made just one decision slightly differently. An infinitude of scenarios and subsequent evolutions. Since reading the Sutras, this concept of zillions of buddha lands has stuck with me and been an enigma to me, it takes up so much room in the Sutras. When something comes close to defining it or answering the question for my mind, the question seems to automatically superimpose itself over the scenario to see if it fits.

The more I think about it, the more I think Eli has it. I'll bet he's this nice new transcendental Pope we have, ROFL.

Maybe Luxembourg? (I don't think saynomore is following this thread, although maybe he's a CIA agent that needs to protect his location) I just PM'd him and asked him to come back and put us out of our misery

Well, Backwards 'R Us...

Well, if you're the Bruce that just donated - thank you so very much! We're getting there. (LOL - is any Daoist-oriented one up to much?) Mostly_empty - I like that nome de plume.

Is there a Bruce in our midst?

Let me guess. Andorra? Can't get much smaller than that. So glad to have you here, saynomore. I look forward to seeing you on the threads. Hope you enjoy your time on this site as much as I have.

Thank you again, Brian.

You know, I only say this as a reminder to those who have forgotten how truly blessed we are to have each other, us Bums. I have a real nice family in California - real good people. My brother and his family, outstanding niece and nephews. I have an equally nice (albeit bible-thumping) family here in Ohio. Aunts, uncles, cousins. Churchgoers all. Of course, when I started this mission to get Jaiden a bike (a boy whom I've never met - I only know his mom because she waitresses at our favorite Szechuan restaurant) - the first people I thought to send a donation request were to the wonderful people in my family. I almost didn't even post it on the Dao Bums because part of it felt it wouldn't be appropriate, even in Off Topic. But post it I did. Do you know that not one of my wonderful family has kicked in with one cent on this? I even sent out a reminder, thinking maybe somehow the first one got messed up somehow. And yet - you....my Dao Bums friends....have contributed most generously according to your circumstances for a handicapped trike for this little guy. If one of my family members - any one of them - sent out a request for a contribution to a cause they deemed worthy, I would not mull this over at all. I'd just do it. I think we have a tendency sometimes to think that everybody thinks like we do. We maybe forget how special this site is and the people that are on it. But all it takes is sometimes listening to the level of conversation of many folks to realize that we truly are fortunate to have found each other. I mean this with all my heart. I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciate each and every one of you, donors or not. Even if I've never seen your face, I know your soul - and that means so much to me. We are strange ducks, us Bums. Update on Jaiden's bike - I've been going around town getting donations too, and we seem to be about there. Turns out there is a law firm in Pittsburgh (of all things!) that takes the time to assist in these adaptive bikes for those that need them. Although Jaiden won't qualify (as he doesn't live in Pennsylvania) they will turn us on to the particular bike they use (turns out it was the same one that Jaiden fell in love with in Erie!) and the person who can do the adapting. So the price will be lower than the $3,000 because there won't be a trip to Erie, hotel, food, etc. involved. I'll just kick in with whatever remains. So far we have about $1600 and I don't think it'll be all that much more. Thank you all again. I love you.

Two Corinthians walk into a bar.... -The Donald-

Hi Kestrel - the wonderful thing about the Dao philosophy is the lack of judgment, the lack of needing to label something as right or something as wrong. Just to live a good life and balance ourselves with nature. So glad you're here. Love your handle, and I love the fact that kestrels have false eyes on top of the head to fool and ward off predators. Lots of birders here too.

Yes - we are enlightened from the very beginning, and then the process of un-enlightenment begins. From the moment a baby learns to smile the conditioning begins, from well-intended parents, teachers, and friends who teach us the form, the names, the attitudes, what to love, what to shun, what to hate, what philosophy they pass down to us. What to read, what to eat, how to be entertained, the list goes on forever. The essence of your post shines through and the hint of the Great Mystery radiates. Blessings on you, RigdzinTrinley.

Hello Wu_Nicka - seems like most of us just happen upon this site in our own individual quest for that which is fundamental and true. You'll meet incredible minds here, and incredible ideas. I look forward to your input. Best wishes to you - Manitou

Hello Ordinary Being - your name alone tells me you've done much ego work. I too am a Manley Hall freak - in fact, I used to go to his lectures in Hollywood CA in the late sixties / early seventies. I currently have on my nightstand The Secret Teachings of All Ages, which will be my second reading of this incredible book. You've found the right place for the metaphysical mindset - so glad you're here! Love to you - Manitou

Hello TheOneAreAll - this says it all for me. The One are All. So many of us here have transcended individual paths to come to this truth, and here is where we seem to meet. It all sort of comes together in the metaphysics of all philosophies and paths - and I'm sure glad you have found this forum. I have a feeling your input will be invaluable. Best wishes to you - Manitou

Hello Dhubs - Marblehead has it exactly right. Not many actual Daoists here - but so many of us who love to talk philosophy have found there way to this forum. I'm not a Daoist either - but there's something here that's very deep and mysterious that you will no doubt enjoy. I echo Marbles - i hope you stick around after your paper is written. Best wishes to you - Manitou

Hello LiuLing - so glad to have you here. It sounds like you have much to add. I hope you enjoy this forum as much as I have over the years. Very best wishes to you, Manitou

the middle one, I suspect. Muscle memory from a past existence.

Damn, Jeff! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Someone made a huge $500 donation this morning, anonymously. If it was any of you folks, I just have no words at all. I just love every single one of you, that's all. I'm going to talk to the mom, Teresa, about lowering the requested amount to $3,000 (we were figuring in the cost of tax, retrofitting, and the trip and stay up in Erie to get it done). She lives from hand to mouth, cleans houses on the days she's not working. Folks might not feel like it's a scam if the price is lower - as per the very intelligent suggestion of The Lerner. If there is any overage, I'll just eat it.

Jeff, I'm guessing you're the anonymous donor. This being the case, thank you so much. Or maybe Soaring Crane or vonKrankenhaus? Whomever - thank you!

Thank you Brian, William, Steve, Lerner, and an anonymous donor from this site for contributing. I wish I could say that the GFM page is getting plenty of action, it's not. I will start going to businesses in the area, and civic organizations. i'm determined to get this tricycle for this young boy. Perhaps Eckhart Tolle would tell me to Leave Life Alone, as in my tag line. But my heart is overriding what Eckhart has to say.

I like the idea of unskilled thoughts - not evil or bad, just unskilled. Steadying one's mind is definitely a skill, it seems to me. There is something, for example, that I would love to tell my partner of many years about, something that one of our friends said that was terribly 'unskilled' toward another. It would be a delicious repetition to my partner for me to make, but it would certainly appeal to my baser instincts, and it would cause my partner to think lesser of the person who said it. There is just something that would feel so good about repeating this event. But Life is the practice. And the best practice for me is to just keep it to myself, although the temptation is horribly strong. But what is it in me that makes me want to repeat it so? Baser human instinct, I suppose. Part 2 of this response: I just went to bed and continued reading The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. I happen to be at the place where it speaks of the kunzhi namshe, the repository within the individual where karmic traces are stored. The book speaks of compassion, of seeing things non-dually, as a cure for generating karmic traces due to clinging or aversion, which will continue to play out in one's present and future existences, until such time as they are finally dissipated. It appears that compassion is the great dissipator here. In reading these paragraphs, I see my own error in my above characterization of my friend's statement being 'unskilled'. This is a value judgment on my part, a categorization of aversion. Here, by trying to stifle my desire to tell my partner of another's behavior, I am merely giving it strength. Better I should look at the person who made the statement with compassion, knowing that he said this entirely within the realm of his own conditioning, through the lens of his own experience. To look at it through these eyes takes the power out of it altogether. Lesson learned.