Has TTB's had an effect on you?

[manitou]

Sometimes I take a moment to realize just how much I have changed since joining the Bums some years ago. I waft in and out, as many of us do.....but even during the times I'm not around I find myself thinking about threads we've discussed. I know one thing - that I'm a happier person when I have a platform on which to talk about such thing as we talk about here. when I'm not participating in the forum, I seem to get a little clogged - probably because I life in the middle of the darn bible belt and it's hard to find people who share our interests.

 

I just wanted to say that The Tao Bums has been such a vital part of my spiritual evolution - I'm in my middle 60's now, I've been chasing down metaphysics for about 45 years, but it wasn't until I found TTB's that the fine tuning and embracing of the adept voices (that's would be all of you...) of so many traditions that all join together here and add our opinions to the whirling tower of human consciousness that seems to be self-manifesting, perhaps best symbolized by the Internet. We are the Creator, after all.

 

So, just to acknowledge just what a great site this is, could you take a moment to tell us what the Tao Bums means to you, and whether it's changed your way of thinking at all? It sure has mine.

[Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan]

I owe a significant chunk of personal progress to Leon Basin for showing me this site, and as ever, the tao bums and all its members and their contributions both good, beautiful, ugly, and bad.

I like to think that TTB is the closest thing to a spirituality encyclopedia I have any access to in the physical form

[Protector]

Before TTB I suspected that I might be smart but I never knew that I was a full blown genius

I thought that what I learned was not enough, but after joining I realized that it's a lot more then some typical masters know

It's so weird, I just studied the same things little by little until everything just clicked one day

 

THANKS FOR SHOWING ME THEY WAY

[konchog uma]

i have made great progress in the last year and a half, and i owe a lot of that to having an outlet for my spirituality in social form. Buddhist forums are both more civilized and more fraught with arguments, so while there is less personal attack there than there is here, there is more nitpicking and hairsplitting, and while i took refuge 13 years ago, i never felt comfortable talking on buddhist forums.

 

So i am really grateful for the presence of TTB, which is a nice balance between scholarly masturbation and friendly exchange, usually leaning towards friendly exchange. As i've expressed before, i feel a lot more comfortable asking questions and learning here, and as a result of that, i have met some great people and learned some interesting things.

 

Fortunately there are always books for buddhist learning, and i have 2 awesome buddhist teachers so i don't really feel like i am missing out on those forums. someone else has almost always asked my questions in the past too so i just search for them

 

TTB really keeps me in check to not take myself to seriously, which is something that daoists are great at, and an area i have always had a little bit of a hard time in. I am really grateful for many reasons to have joined this community, and i can only hope that i have added more to it than my presence has detracted for other users

Edited January 26, 2013 by konchog uma

[GrandmasterP]

I'm a far humbler person since I came on here.

;-)

[Marblehead]

I'm a far humbler person since I came on here. ;-)

Caused me a smile.

[thelerner]

It's allowed me to waste time I'd otherwise have wasted in less interesting ways .

 

I've been turned on to some new philosophies. Gained insight from fascinating people who are on same planet but different world. Expand my mind a bit, shed some prejudices. Learned about and taken classes w/ great esoteric teachers like Ya Mu, Max & Santiago. Made some friends.

 

When my kids are off in college I'd like look up some of the people here in the east and west, visit some members down under and on the Isle.

[PLB]

This place is great. So many different points of view; So much depth in the archives of what has already been said. There is the unusual quality that appears when people who really want something are involved with each other.

 

I guess it is the latter quality that I most deeply appreciate. I am practicing something and everyone else here is too. I don't have to apologize to anybody about what I want.

[Cat Pillar]

I never would have found Max Christenson or Michael Lomax as teachers, for one. I definitely would not have learned as much about all the different schools of Taoism, esoteric and otherwise. I also have learned a lot about other spiritual traditions like Buddhism, Advaita, etc.

 

TTB's is also a great sounding board/reality check. I never would have seen just how distorted my world view is without my interactions here.

 

Definitely gotta say "thanks for that."

 

I also like and respect a lot of the members.

[manitou]

I'm a far humbler person since I came on here. ;-)

 

and isn't that just the coolest thing??

[Aetherous]

A lot of good info is here to start our journeys and explorations. Best site on the internet? Maybe!

[Birch]

Many things, all good.

Has definitely contributed to my sanity. Has forced me to discourse with less recourse to my lesser angels. Has interesting stuff in it. And people in it:-)

[Harmonious Emptiness]

Showed me that much of Taoism is actually accessible on some level, and how little I actually know about it, and opened many many doors to deeper study of Taoism and Buddhism. For self-directed study, it's been like walking pace to driving pace in terms of finding new nooks and crannies to discover. Like a good professor, it makes me look deeper at what I'm learning and so many things when I go back and read them have many new colours and textures thanks to the resources I've been put in touch with via members here.

 

Yes, thanks to Sean and the many members here who take time to share their knowledge with generosity, patience, and thoughtfulness

[Mal]

TTB gave me something I, at the time, referred to as "The one." It turned out to be an experience so much more about me... and so much less about TTB Wasn't always fun but I'm grateful _/\_

 

p.s. this will be meaningless to all but a few good friends <3

[RiverSnake]

Found my current neigong practice through TTB.....and that in itself has changed my life more deeply than anything. I have had my fare share of dark nights of the soul on here where I was feed up with trolls and the personal attacks.....but even that kind of negativity has taught me to psychically and emotionally defend myself.

 

All in all I feel i am better off from being a bum.

[AsheSkyler]

I've learned even Taoists can be petty and bicker wih each other.

But that reassures my belief that there must be a balance in all things, and if everybody was a serene sage, the Taoist population would be severely outta whack.

[Reed]

I first came across the site last year when I was searching for some info on a Charles Luk book. The info was so helpful I started browsing and found the book discussions on the DDJ, and then ZZ who I'd never heard of before but instantly liked.

 

Since I joined up, I've had some great responses to posts which really helped me find my way into Daoism and deepen my practices.

 

So, for me, it's been very positive and hopefully it will continue to be so as I get to know people better

[Marblehead]

This place offered me the opportunity to change my destiny (and I jumped at the opportunity). All great stuff!

[Apech]

TBs more or less my home page ... I've learned so much from here .... so much information and some great chat.

[manitou]

The thing I like most is that it seems to be the room where all paths meet. Because it ends in the One, it's my personal opinion that all viable religions end in the One - even Christianity, if you read the Nag Hammadi Gospels and the words of Jesus that were hidden away from Constantine and the powers that be at the time. It just feels like the hub of a wheel where spiritual thought meets - the Oneness of all of Life. I merely happened upon the Tao te Ching at a yard sale about 20 years ago and have fallen in love with it - over and over, depending on whose translation I was reading. My personal experience has been that any wisdom I have gained from the TTC has been because of triangulation of maybe 10 different translations.

 

But that seems to be what we have here - a triangulation of different paths in a locale where the structure is perhaps the simplest of any line of thought at all - no structure at all. No dogma. Just seekers. At least in the more philosophical discussions - and what's also awesome is that there are so many side roads to investigate here as well.

[raimonio]

I am fairly new to the scene, but will offer my take.

 

Tao bums is like an endless book of information, that keeps writing itself. I have spend literally days, weeks and months just reading what the bums have offered. As a source of information I could not imagine a better source. Seriously, imagine if you had to get all the information you have got out of Tao bums on your own? Or trough experience and having random discussions with people irl? Impossible.

 

Tao bums gave me my practice, what else can one ask

[Flolfolil]

well i don't have pressure in my head that feels like a knife poking at my brain and i'm not hallucinating nonstop for months at a time, so yeah. bit of a difference lol

[ChiDragon]

Back to the OP.....

I have noticed that some members had changed their attitude and choice of words with less hostility toward each other. It certainly makes me feel better that the Process of Tao is in effect.......


Edited to add:
It effected me greatly.

Edited January 28, 2013 by ChiDragon