TTB Anonymous

[VCraigP]

Hi

 

My name is VCraigP and I am a Taobums addict.

 

Although, over the years I have learned many things, have discovered new ideas and new websites galore.

 

On balance, of late, I find that TTB has not offered me much.

 

The sifting for gold in the sands drifting in the river of TTB seems to yield less and less for me.

 

Also, I don't contribute very much. Maybe my lack of participation is directly related to not getting anything back.

 

Still, there are occasional contributions from people I feel I know and definitely respect which resonate with me and provide me with an occasional sense of freshness, insight and peace.

 

Shifting away from this and other addictions would be a good thing for me now.

 

Not saying I'm leaving and never coming back though. I'm not into that kind of drama.

 

 

Craig

[Pietro]

Hi

 

My name is VCraigP and I am a Taobums addict.

 

Although, over the years I have learned many things, have discovered new ideas and new websites galore.

 

On balance, of late, I find that TTB has not offered me much.

 

The sifting for gold in the sands drifting in the river of TTB seems to yield less and less for me.

 

Also, I don't contribute very much. Maybe my lack of participation is directly related to not getting anything back.

 

Still, there are occasional contributions from people I feel I know and definitely respect which resonate with me and provide me with an occasional sense of freshness, insight and peace.

 

Shifting away from this and other addictions would be a good thing for me now.

 

Not saying I'm leaving and never coming back though. I'm not into that kind of drama.

Craig

 

Hello, my name is Pietro, and I am a Tao Bum Addict.

 

Many times, in secret, I have tried to leave the Tao Bum, and I have failed. I both love and hate this place. I love it for all the people I find, and I hate it for all the time that is taking from what it should definitly be practice time.

 

If I were to practice all the time I am spending at Tao Bum, I would be enlightened by now, or at least have fully embodied the mighty power of the salami as Immortal Ron Jeremy have taught us. I would then be on my way to the salami-no-salami land.

 

I have been looking for a higher power, to quit my addiction, but I recognise in the Tao this higher power, and this search is actually driving me back here, thus further fuelling my addiction.

 

In all those years in the discussion group I have harmed many people, mostly out of my desire to be right and to be recognised. I wish here to make amend. I recognise that everybody is doing his best, and trying to speak out of his higher self, except that asshole of xxxxxx

 

I realise that I cannot really leave this place, and I am thus at the moment just trying to balance my life, which has spin out of control.

 

I wish to take refuge in the Sangha of the female Taoists.

May I find a place in their body where I am at home, go live there, and become an immortal by eating their honey, drinking their milk, and breathing their spirit.

 

Thanks for all of you who are here, and help me.

[Guest paul walter]

I think that the internet is an inner circle of hell and ttb is perhaps an eternally revolving section of purgatory. Stop, I want to get off?

[松永道]

Good!

 

Trade your screen for the trees. Trade these words for whistling birds. Wash your eyes with green hills and blue skies. Oh Portland summer.. please say hello for me.

[hagar]

Hi

 

My name is VCraigP and I am a Taobums addict.

 

Although, over the years I have learned many things, have discovered new ideas and new websites galore.

 

On balance, of late, I find that TTB has not offered me much.

 

The sifting for gold in the sands drifting in the river of TTB seems to yield less and less for me.

 

Also, I don't contribute very much. Maybe my lack of participation is directly related to not getting anything back.

 

Still, there are occasional contributions from people I feel I know and definitely respect which resonate with me and provide me with an occasional sense of freshness, insight and peace.

 

Shifting away from this and other addictions would be a good thing for me now.

 

Not saying I'm leaving and never coming back though. I'm not into that kind of drama.

Craig

 

Well, if you're out, then I'm out as well. This takes up way too much time anyways. Time to move on.

Been thinking about it for a long time, and silence is underrated.

 

I'ts been good to have you around Craig.

Always wanted to surf Hood river btw.

 

So long

 

h

Edited June 2, 2009 by hagar

[VCraigP]

Good!

 

Trade your screen for the trees. Trade these words for whistling birds. Wash your eyes with green hills and blue skies. Oh Portland summer.. please say hello for me.

 

 

Summer has arrived early this year. We are already having late june/july weather for almost two weeks here in May. It balances out the Blizzard we had this last Winter.

Cultivation of the 5 directions in practice has grounded me here like never before. It took many years after leaving the Bay Area (California for you foreigners) to feel rooted in this new landscape.

 

Saying hello for you P!

 

Craig

 

PS- You are one of the people whose voice I look for when I come to this place. Maybe we'll see you in 2010 if Wu takes us to Xian.

[forestofclarity]

Why is it we ask: what can TTB do for me?

 

But we don't ask: what can I do for TTB? And I mean to offer without thought of getting something back, but just to offer, and forget it.

 

 

On balance, of late, I find that TTB has not offered me much.

[Birch]

This is a similar thread to that old one about TTB losing it's mojo (or something). Then after that I noticed a whole lot of 'veteran' (sorry for the word) TTB's came back and made comments on various things and also some n00b (sorry for the newspeak) TTB's came along and rocked the place with some advanced analysis on texts, some very interesting newer sources (of whatever kind) and some review of older threads that then got a new lease of life.

 

Craig, I don't know if your post means you're leaving or you're staying despite yourself. Either way, wishing you love.

 

Kate

[VCraigP]

Why is it we ask: what can TTB do for me?

 

But we don't ask: what can I do for TTB? And I mean to offer without thought of getting something back, but just to offer, and forget it.

 

 

it wasnt a big paragraph but included in my original text I said,

 

"Also, I don't contribute very much. Maybe my lack of participation is directly related to not getting anything back."

 

Whereby I inferred, perhaps too indirectly, the question you posed. What do I have to offer to this community?

 

I am still mulling that over, it is important for each of us to ask that question.

 

Thanks

 

Craig

 

Craig, I don't know if your post means you're leaving or you're staying despite yourself. Either way, wishing you love.

 

Kate

 

I had no idea how vague I can be.

 

But actually I meant to be.

 

Not leaving, just....

[宁]

Also, I don't contribute very much.

 

Isn't that cute?...

 

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But it's wrong!

 

I remember two or three of your post that still make me scratch my head

Maybe someday you'll tell us some more of those gems of wisdom from your master...

[VCraigP]

I remember two or three of your post that still make me scratch my head

Maybe someday you'll tell us some more of those gems of wisdom from your master...

 

 

Ok, what I meant was I don't contribute that OFTEN. Didn't mean to sound so self denigrating.

Now at 317 posts since TTB began, not particularly verbose.

 

Please ask for clarification if I leave you scratching your head, unless that was the intended effect and you enjoyed it :-)

 

Craig

[宁]

T'was the one thread where we discussed about positive and negative energies and how can they influence a practicioner. There you appear out of the blue telling us something you heard from your master: When you start thinking this way, your spirit is already gone!...

I'm not sure I remember it well, but it gives lots to ponder. I've spend alot of time on qi cultivation, and i've been catching up with daoist spiritual cultivation... since not too long ago. That particular line there, sticked to my mind like glue... I wanted to know the context of that information, and when does it apply in the life of a practicioner.

I only found these kind of gems from two sources alone, and belive me i've searched alot. So i wonder what other brain-jammer quote you may store in some deep corner of your mind...

If i'll forget about you someday, if someone comes to me and tells me something about the above quote, i'll remember you in an instant. It's funny how life works, isn't it?

[VCraigP]

T'was the one thread where we discussed about positive and negative energies and how can they influence a practicioner. There you appear out of the blue telling us something you heard from your master: When you start thinking this way, your spirit is already gone!...

I'm not sure I remember it well, but it gives lots to ponder. I've spend alot of time on qi cultivation, and i've been catching up with daoist spiritual cultivation... since not too long ago. That particular line there, sticked to my mind like glue... I wanted to know the context of that information, and when does it apply in the life of a practicioner.

I only found these kind of gems from two sources alone, and belive me i've searched alot. So i wonder what other brain-jammer quote you may store in some deep corner of your mind...

If i'll forget about you someday, if someone comes to me and tells me something about the above quote, i'll remember you in an instant. It's funny how life works, isn't it?

 

 

OK, well that particular information definitely stuck with me so I suppose I am pleased that it also resonated with someone else.

 

The comment was related to Qi healing.

My question to him was something like "Are there any steps we need to take to protect ourselves from negative energy when doing healing? Some schools teach about grounding energy, or other techniques to protect oneself. Do you advise any such?"

 

His response was very clear and somewhat forceful "NO. You don't need to protect yourself from negative energy. As soon as you think like that your spirit is already gone."

 

My interpretation of this was that if you are worried about stuff you already have lost the spirit, the attitude, the energy connection which enables one to do the Qi healing in the first place. Master Wu is very explicit in the practice of Qi healing that we should make a connection to him and to the lineage Qi field to empower us, and probably to protect us as well. Perhaps if one has thoughts of doubt and danger that connection would be broken.

 

This attitude, though acknowledged by some as positive in the original thread was still met with a great deal of skepticism and further advice on HOW to protect oneself in the case of Qi healing practice.

 

As for myself, I don't have experience enough to say either way. I have had really positive experiences both giving and receiving Qi healing with fellow students, but I have almost no experience working on people with more chaotic energy or in less favorable environments.

 

Master Wu's approach is very basic and down to earth. Just do it. Make the connection. Do more cultivation and you will be fine.

 

Also I tend more and more to emulate his approach to commenting on practices. He basically will only teach that which he has deep experience of. If asked about something pertaining to another teacher or practice he will usually respond "I don't know about that, this is what I do, that's what I can tell you about from my experience. If I haven't experienced it I will not talk about it."

 

Who knows if I have other wisdom to offer, but happy to field a question about a previous comment.

 

Craig

[doc benway]

My name is Steve and I'm a Tao Bums addict,

I haven't been here that long but it's been real.

There have been many times when I've walked away and realized that my family, my work, and my cultivation are more important.

I keep coming back.

 

There seems to be an exponential growth of membership resulting in a wide variety of material, much of which has been chewed over quite a bit in the past. Maybe this is part of the reason for the ennui?

 

Nevertheless, I find that periodically new personalities will pop up and really wash over the place like a refreshing cool breeze and the old farts will show themselves occasionally with some sage comment or other and make me feel all warm and fuzzy.

 

I'm much more sporadically involved of late but I still like it here.