Is your Method really working?

[manitou]

Didn't quite finish my thought, I guess. A lady with cancer (this is the only cancer patient I've worked with that lived) was a serious Catholic; she was in her late 70's and was all aflutter about my husband and I working on her at all because we were on the shamanic side, not the Catholic side; and yet, this was also something she wanted done. This was when the picture of Jesus was not only helpful but absolutely necessary. She needed "permission" from her beloved Jesus for this to work; otherwise she would have felt guilty for being there in the healing ceremony at all. There's really something to it, I think....In that particular case, I had her bury a picture of Jesus and a picture of her son and his wife, and then say a prayer asking Jesus to take care of them. This, I figure, is why she was manifesting breast cancer. A mother issue. Indeed, her 54 year old son and his wife had been scrounging off her for a couple years and she didn't know how to get them outta there. She became aware of total remission at her next appointment. Who knows? Her entire church was praying for her as well.

[KoolAid900]

Responding to the original post... so beautiful. Thanks for sharing

[goldisheavy]

High and low arrange each other. Ha, which part of the water is better?

 

We don't need crooks to support the existence of the honest people. The fact that crookdom exists as cognitive potential is enough to illuminate honesty. So while honesty is manifest, crookdom is known yet unmanifest. This is better than the other way around.

 

Remember that it's not just high and low that you observe. There is also the manifest and the unmanifest which also support each other when it comes to cognizance. In other words, relativity has a spiritual dimension to it. It doesn't just talk about the obvious.

Edited December 5, 2010 by goldisheavy

[z00se]

Kate, I think if the person believed in Santa that would be perfectly workable.

I don't know about any great work I'm doing, but I would use a picture of Jesus in the healing circle if the person I was working with loved Jesus. Same with Buddha. Or the Devil. It doesn't matter. It's just what's important to them, not to me.

 

Haven't read heaps of your posts but if you are healing people according to what they belive in then you are healing people from the root. I agree it doesn't matter what they believe in you just have to adapt to them. You can't give people a new organ when they need it but you can target the tension created from their thoughts to begin the healing within their body. That really is the key for eastern medicine. Coupled with western medicine it is the best medicine available.

 

However if the plant is almost dead all the N/P/K nutrients, stints, relaxation and change of soil won't be of any use i wouldn't think. Then only the light of god can save the plant and that is beyond any medic, eastern or western!

[rene]

Unfortunately, I am pedantic...

 

The difference between "than" and "for" is that the former is part of a comparison while the latter indicates a utility or action.

 

In the case you are employing above, "Which part of the water is better"?, both "than" AND "for" are necessarily implied or understood, or the question is ambiguous. "Better than what?" and "Better for what?" are both essential; the "than what?" might be considered to be an implied Boolean NOT ("better than the other parts") but that is inherently ambiguous unless contextually supported as it is unclear whether the "what" is geometric, geographic, compositional, molecular, etc. (note: the context may be provided by the "for what?" portion of the question), while the "for what?" is obviously ambiguous unless supplied by context and said context is unlikely to be provided by the "than what?"

 

EDIT: For clarification (because my intent was not to begin a discussion about language but to provide a friendly clarifying statement), the "Which?" question is one of differentiation, for which the more complete structure would be something like (in my own words): "Which <subset{attribute> is <differentiator> [than <set|alternative>] [for|at <function|characteristic>]?"

 

In your example above, the subset in the subject "part of the water" implies the set to be "the rest of the water" while the relative & non-specific differentiator "better" demands a specific function or characteristic on which to make the determination. The subject doesn't always (or necessarily) provide a sufficiently unambiguous set or list of alternatives from which to select, however.

 

The differentiator "better" is both relative and non-specific. A differentiator like "more dense" is relative and specific, thereby carrying an implied characteristic (so the "for what?" is no longer needed) but still needing a selection set (either implicit or explicit). A differentiator like "most dense" is absolute and specific, so a question like "Which part of the water is most dense?" can be answered without requiring clarification or inferrence by a response like, "That part closest to 38*F."

A Seeker, thanks for your post (-:

 

In this case, I think the "Which" was pretty clear - as delineating a subset. That was the point of that post, imo, the illogicality of a subset delineation for the purposes of a moral judgement (which is the thrust of that argument). It seems (and this part of the exchange here has been good for me to realize this) that when I hear the words "X is better than Y" - I hear the question/statement in a non-moral judgement manner, and reflexively process the question/statement in a "better for what (utility/usefulness)" manner. Part of that reflex is likely caused by not finding moral judgements useful; part of it stems from my nature of holding the utterer in a similar light. Of course, when statements/questions are so obviously of a moral judgment ilk - they're seen for what they are.

 

And pedantic is fine, especially when also not pedestrian.

 

warm regards

[rene]

Responding to the original post... so beautiful. Thanks for sharing

KoolAid900 - you're welcome. Glad you enjoyed it. (-:

[Aaron]

We don't need crooks to support the existence of the honest people. The fact that crookdom exists as cognitive potential is enough to illuminate honesty. So while honesty is manifest, crookdom is known yet unmanifest. This is better than the other way around.

 

Remember that it's not just high and low that you observe. There is also the manifest and the unmanifest which also support each other when it comes to cognizance. In other words, relativity has a spiritual dimension to it. It doesn't just talk about the obvious.

 

Actually it depends on how you're using the word low. Chapter 13 of the Tao Teh Ching says that "a lowly state is a boon", but Chapter 38 says that "low virtue never frees itself of virtuousness, therefore it has no virtue." Perhaps the best Chapter to read regarding low is Chapter 66,

 

"How does the sea become the king of all streams?

Because it lies lower than they!

Hence it is the king of all streams."

 

 

Aaron

[shanlung]

Ha ha ha!

 

I came across this when a Google search for Tseng Lao Weng highlighted this thread as well as what I wrote. Idle curiosity made me click on this. I thought I should kick this up to the front so that those who talked so earnestly on one form and the other, on philosophical or religious form, and their meditations and running chi about their Ren Mai and Tu mai and all sorts of wondrous things might be able to read what Tseng got to say of all that.

 

Much like what I said of different Paths, and that perhaps Paths do not even matter, or if there were no Paths. Perhaps I subconsciously plagiarised from Tseng as I certainly read Blofeld even if that was a long time ago.

 

 

Taoistic Idiot

[rene]

LOL you old dragon... i'm glad you bumped this up. gave me a chance to see if i still agree with myself. mostly though thanks because i was recently looking for that Blofeld section; forgot i'd put it on a post. (-:

 

warm regards

[shanlung]

LOL you old dragon... i'm glad you bumped this up. gave me a chance to see if i still agree with myself. mostly though thanks because i was recently looking for that Blofeld section; forgot i'd put it on a post. (-:

 

warm regards

I love it when Tseng went on to say breathe in and out like asthmatic dragons among other things that only he would say.

 

 

"So you are hungry not for wisdom but for knowledge! What a pity! Wisdom is almost as satisfying as good millet-gruel, whereas knowledge has less body to it than tepid water poured over old tea-leaves; but if that is the fare you have come for, I can give you as much as your mistreated belly will hold. What sort of old tea-leaves do Buddhists use, I wonder! We Taoists use all sorts. Some swallow medicine-balls as big as pigeon's eggs or drink tonics by the jug, live upon unappetizing diets, take baths at intervals governed by esoteric numbers, breathe in and out like asthmatic dragons, or jump about like Manchu bannermen hardening themselves for battle - all this discomfort just for the sake of a few extra decades of life! And why? To gain more time to find what has never been lost!

 

And what of those pious recluses who rattle mallets against wooden-fish drums from dusk to dawn, groaning out liturgies like cholera-patients excreting watery dung? They are penitents longing to rid themselves of a burden they never had. These people do everything imaginable, including swallowing pills made from the vital fluids secreted by the opposite sex and lighting fires in their bellies to make the alchemic cauldrons boil. I shall have to talk of such follies for hours, if you really want a full list of Taoist methods. These method-users resemble mountain streams a thousand leagues from the sea. Ah, how they chatter and gurgle, bubble and boil, rush and eddy, plunging over precipices in spectacular fashion! How angrily they pound against the boulders and suck down their prey in treacherous whirl-pools! But, as the streams broaden, they grow quieter and more purposeful. They become rivers - ah, how calm, how silent! How majestically they sweep towards their goal, giving no impression of swiftness and, as they near the ocean, seeming not to move at all!

 

While noisy mountain streams are reminiscent of people chattering about the Tao and showing-off spectacular methods, rivers remind one of experienced men, taciturn, doing little, but doing it decisively; outwardly still, yet sweeping forward faster than you know. Your teachers have offered you wisdom; they why waste time acquiring knowledge? Methods! Approaches! Need the junk-master steering towards the sea, with the sales of his vessel billowing in the wind, bother his head about alternative modes of propulsion - oars, paddles, punt-poles, tow-ropes, engines and all the rest? Any sort of vessel, unless it founders or pitches you overboard, is good enough to take you to the one and only sea."

 

The secret and the sublime: Taoist Mysteries and Magic ~ John Blofeld

 

Idiot on the Path

[doc benway]

- all this discomfort just for the sake of a few extra decades of life! And why? To gain more time to find what has never been lost!

 

I like this line as well.

[Marblehead]

I think my method is working. I'm still alive.

[rene]

This belongs here too...(-:

 

A teacher received a new camera from his son. This camera could take 10,000 pictures without changing a memory stick. It was a good function for a “lazy man” as he often called himself.

One day, the teacher went for a walk on a beach and was trying to take a picture of the beautiful sunset. Knees buried deep in the sand, he squinted into the lens and angled to get that perfect shot…

When he suddenly burst into uncontrollable belly laughter, and collapsed onto the wet sand. And then he just lied there. A good few minutes passed before he finally recollected himself. Wiping joyful tears from his face, he said deep in his heart:

“Truth is everywhere. Without it, I cannot live. I have been a teacher of Universal Beauty for decades now.

During this time, I have always sought to teach the highest truth. The natural health of simplicity, spontaneity and non-action. But my students have still often demanded the minor methods, practices, and meditations from me. They failed to recognize that even what people call the “highest” spiritual experiences are still only created situations. No one can see the golden light everyday.

But Beauty is everywhere. Truth is everywhere. Beauty is open. Truth is open. Beauty is found in the normalcy of life. Where else do we have to look? What more do we have to ask and know? But people always like special situations and ignore other situations. And even after so much time, I still have the same tendency, do I not?

So I can only laugh at myself right now. The expansiveness of the beach sits in front of me for my heart to embrace—everything is so special and beautiful---but I prefer to squint through a one-inch lens in hope to find something even more special.

Maybe today I will take a break. Abiding in the Mother, I rest in the essence of eternal life.”

The teacher continued his walk, without a care in the world.

[Basher]

That sounds far too Familiar, Rene.

 

When I'm away on Holiday, or just taking a daytrip someplace nice, I'll whip my Camera out at the slighest opportunity.

Take a couple of photos, then pocket it.

5 minutes later, i've noticed something else & will take another few photos.. I could do that ALL Day Long.

 

My other half will just sigh, give me a look and later, when we're having lunch will say....

 

"You're so busy taking ******* photos of everything, you're spoiling our Holiday."

 

So I'll apologise, give her the Camera, grab her hand and spend the rest of the day enjoying ourselves by doing & looking at things together

 

One Day I'll learn not to take the Camera in the first place. :ph34r:

[rene]

Yes, thetaoiseasy really nailed it with this one; something most can relate to.

 

 

I used to take lots of pictures, but now I like the ones in my memories of the times enjoyed... and am less likely to lose the stick! lol

 

warm regards

 

[Marblehead]

Okay.

 

The only method I employ is a method to stay alive. So far it is working very well.

[NotVoid]

The only method I employ is a method to stay alive. So far it is working very well.

 

That may be so, one can never be sure, but it seems you are starting to repeat yourself based on what I read on the previous page. Maybe a tuneup of some sort is in order?

Edited December 25, 2013 by NotVoid

[Marblehead]

That may be so, one can never be sure, but it seems you are starting to repeat yourself based on what I read on the previous page. Maybe a tuneup of some sort is in order?

Hehehe. I have no problem with repeating myself. Sometimes I do it intentionally. It has been said that repetition is the best teacher.

 

Yeah, tuneups are good if you have a good mechanic. You know the old saying; garbage in - garbage out.

[NotVoid]

I was just funning with you mr. marblehead. Merry Christmas to you, and to everyone else who may chance upon this today!

[Marblehead]

I was just funning with you mr. marblehead. Merry Christmas to you, and to everyone else who may chance upon this today!

I know you were. And I was funning back.

 

Thanks, same back at cha.

[Captain Mar-Vell]

...

My "method" and remember, there is madness in my method, resulted in my head being blown off, divine visitations, revelations of many kinds and my personal and domestic life getting screwed beyond repair.

 

Not to mention the stay in that lovely ward.

 

Does that count as working?

 

I mean it did miraculously heal me of many physical ailments, minor and major.

 

So, its not without its plus side.

 

Well actually there are other plus things too.

 

As well as other minus things.

...

[rene]

Bumped -

-because it's a really good thread

-because it's a joy to read again the incredible words of bums no longer here

-and what a hoot seeing all the nick changes!

 

It's also from before a 'like/thankyou' button existed - which accounts for their scarcity; the exceptions are from recent readers playing in the archives. It's tempting for me to go back through & Like all the posts now, but you folks would probably shoot me with my own arrows for all the Notifications generated. :-D

[Taomeow]

I missed that one back then.  So, better late than never, here's my two yuan.

 

Let's see...

 

I didn't know any Blofeld (except for translations) at the time, read his "My Travels in Mystic China" since then, with mixed feelings.  Which is no surprise, since the author himself was a mix of a mystic and a playboy, a scholar and an epicurean, a buddhist and a colonial social climber...  The parts I remember vividly (I donated the book upon reading -- part of one of my "methods," a new thing since that post -- a tendency toward minimalism) are his lamentations over the disappearance of the authentic (as he thinks of it) pre-war Beijing with all its marvels -- chiefly gastronomical and erotic were his biggest regrets; also, for some reason, his complaints about his argumentative Chinese wife, who comes across as a protagonist of that Genesis song, "I could say day, and you'd say night, Tell me it's black when I know that it's white, S'always the same, it's just a shame, that's all!" 

 

More water under the bridge... 

 

Is my method really working?

 

What do you think?  I learned to manage hurricanes (and applied Her teachings to several, beginning with Irene that was supposed to destroy New York but did nothing of the kind) in a way that may prevent or at least minimize human and animal deaths (I have no control over what happens next in the affected areas, I'm a hurricane shamanka, not a politician). I took my taiji to the level of international instructor certification, not that it matters, they're just trying to formalize taiji "levels" in a manner copycatting all other, overwhelmingly bureacratic-hierarchical, human endeavors, but my taiji is really light years farther along compared to what it was like back then.  The rest of my methods have to do with immortality, taoist style (i.e. in the case of success you get to choose the kind of immortality you want, you don't let any bigger-badder powers, even tao herself, take that decision out of your hands and dish it out to you pre-cooked.  There's many different kinds to choose from.  If you succeed.)  So time (or whatever passes for time as we pass time in this-here 3D video game) will tell if they are working.  

 

Thanks for asking! 

 

[rene]

Do I think your method(s) are really working? Oh yeah, to the max. You so clearly know that Tao is not something separate that needs to be chased, lol. It's beyond obvious in each of your breaths, words, ideas... IF you weren't born with that fish in your hand, you caught it along the way - and it's been a delight, over the decade, watching you play and parry with the unneeded net. (-:

 

 

[Marblehead]

Yep, once the fish is caught the net can be let go.