Hello, here finding a way out of depression

[Limahong]

TAOISM & HAPPINESS

 

Hi All,

 

Happiness is contagious.

 

Zenmode has energised me to search for a link between happiness and Taoism.

 

I found the link between the two in this tribute (MINDFUL HAPPINESS - Anthony Quintiliani, Ph.D, LADC):

A Tribute to Dr. Wayne W. Dyer: Being Mindful Of  Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

Recently I receive a heart-felt tribute dedicated to Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, who died recently.  The tribute originated from

Louise Hay, a long-time associate, colleague and publisher of Wayne Dyer.

 

To those of us who inhabit the spaciousness of the spiritual world, perhaps, no other person in recent history has contributed more to support the resilient human spirit than Dr. Dyer.  Possibly equal only to Louise Hay. A few years ago, Dyer published a remarkable book about the relationship between thoughts and life behaviors.  Part of that endeavor included various Taoist statements/advisories on how to life a fulfilling and happy life. I decided to review a few of his Taoist comments.  Dr. Dyer did consider himself a modern-day Taoist Master – and, indeed, he was.  Since I cannot simply copy his statements (copyright laws), I will paraphrase and modify them so as not to violate his (or Hay House) publication rights.  At the same time, my modifications will aim at delivering the true, practical meaning of these Taoist statements.

 

1) Your Eternal Light

In times of turmoil and challenge, it is a great idea to return your attention and concentration to your inner radiant light.  Inner light is highly common in most spiritual traditions.  Here, however, it is recommended as a regular practice to help ensure improved outcomes and personal experience.  When was the last time you visited your inner, eternal light?  Hope you will do so soon!

 

2) Utter Impermanence

Those who recognize higher and true inner consciousness about being, realize that nothing is permanent – especially your good fortune and life.   So an extreme view might be to consider how fearful you are of impermanence, and especially the fact that it signals your own eventual death in your present form.  I suppose that if fear of death is tantamount to ultimate human fear, then there is NOT much to worry about regrading all the other, countless things human concern themselves with.  Just how important, ultimately, is the last thing you worried about incessantly? No matter what happens, helpful or unhelpful, it will change. Solve a problem is you can; otherwise seek direction from the reality of impermanence.  Considering the seriousness of your own death, other concerns may be more like passing clouds, leaves passing in a stream, or anything all the way up to death.  Remember that unhelpful experience informs your good fortune, and that helpful experience may allow the unhelpful to hide.  Stop worrying about unsolvable problems; fix them if possible or seek support in the impermanence of all things.  Reduce you secondary suffering – suffering based on worrying and negative moods associated unsolvable issues.

 

3) Ultimate Mindful Self-Control

One Taoist statements recommends that we practice the habits of talking less (also in our head), shutting down the senses, reducing sharp bluntness, softening the gaze, and allowing your energies to settle calmly.  Now you are in a much better position to deal with whatever has aroused your emotional impulsivity and negative states.  This sounds a lot like stop, breathe calmly and deeply, say nothing, loosen muscles – let the jaw go, observe – then act while in self-control.

 

4) In the Simple May be the Great

See what is less complex in the apparent complexity of perceptions.  Do little things to help others.  Be kind to the kind as well as the unkind. Be humble in all that you do. If it is necessary to weaken an unhelpful experience or reality, first you must allow it to expand. If you wish to remove problems from your life, you must first allow direct access to it first.  There is no solution or improvement in suppressing or hiding from what we do not wish to experience.

 

5) All We Need is Love (The Beatles were Correct)

The last Taoist statement I will include notes what may be obvious.  Love is the power of all power.  Love can appear in experience with a small or large L.  Be open to it; allow it to shine, and share the benefits with others.  Love yourself more!  Seek more love not more possessions.

 

For more information refer to Dyer, W. W. (2007). Change Your Thoughts Change Your Life.Carlsbad, CA: Hay House.

 

- LimA

[Hancock]

5 hours ago, Limahong said:

 

Hi Zenmode,

 

Now it is my turn to smile effortlessly - a genuine happiness per this progression: Sublimation => Zenmode => me.

 

 

(i) I perceived you to be a Happy Cookie and I like to take a jab at happiness.

 

(ii) Now it is confirmed that you are a Happy Cookie.

 

(iii) This is what a Happy Cookie does best.

 

- LimA

What's a happy cookie?

 

Why take jabs at happiness?

 

Did someone injure your capacity for relentless happiness during your teenage years by causing you disillusionment, making you face independence at an early age? Just something that came to mind so forcefully I felt I would a s k, no ill intent at all.

 

An I like these guys philosophy. 

 

 

Edited August 2, 2017 by Zenmode

[Limahong]

4 hours ago, Zenmode said:

(i)What's a happy cookie?

(ii) Why take jabs at happiness?

(iii) Did someone injure your capacity for relentless happiness during your teenage years by causing you disillusionment, making you face independence at an early age? Just something that came to mind so forcefully I felt I would a s k, no ill intent at all.

 

Hi Zenmode,

 

No problem for me at all to a n s w e r your questions.

 

(i) A 'Yahoo Answer' 10 years ago to your question. The then reply was posited in the context of Christmas thus:

 

"To me it's not the material things such as gifts and decorations, it's being surrounded by loved-ones and everyone being happy and healthy. 
Right now in my life there is a lot of hardship, both financially and I'm having a rough time trying to not get really depressed about everything. 
I became unemployed a few months ago) and last week my husband was diagnosed with a heart problem (more tests to be done). 
But I try to remember the important things and what I'm thankful for that I do have ... I'd rather have my husband be OK than any material gift no matter it's value. 
We must make the best of what we have, not focus on what we don't have. I'm learning this more and more each day as I learn to cope with what's going on in my life. 
I hope you have the most loved-filled and fulfilling holiday season ever ... God bless you and your family."

 

(ii) For every action there is a reaction - a dynamic Taoist dichotomy. So when I jab at happiness, happiness will jab back at me. Make sense?

 

(iii) Yes at age 8, I was badly punished by a school teacher for my high IQ. No more question on this please.

 

- LimA

Edited August 3, 2017 by Limahong
Enhancement of sentence.

[Hancock]

6 minutes ago, Limahong said:

 

Hi Zenmode,

 

No problem for me at all to a n s w e r your questions.

 

(i) A 'Yahoo Answer' 10 years ago to your question. The then reply was posited in the context of Christmas thus:

 

"To me it's not the material things such as gifts and decorations, it's being surrounded by loved-ones and everyone being happy and healthy. 
Right now in my life there is a lot of hardship, both financially and I'm having a rough time trying to not get really depressed about everything. 
I became unemployed a few months ago) and last week my husband was diagnosed with a heart problem (more tests to be done). 
But I try to remember the important things and what I'm thankful for that I do have ... I'd rather have my husband be OK than any material gift no matter it's value. 
We must make the best of what we have, not focus on what we don't have. I'm learning this more and more each day as I learn to cope with what's going on in my life. 
I hope you have the most loved-filled and fulfilling holiday season ever ... God bless you and your family."

 

(ii) For every action there is a reaction - a dynamic Taoist dichotomy. So when I jab at happiness, happiness will jab back at me. Make sense?

 

(iii) Yes at age 8, I was badly punished by a school teacher for my high IQ. No more question on this please.

 

- LimA

I.my philosophy is more living directly, yet deliberately choose what to show.

I felt emotions but at an earlier age I gained detachment from emotions running my actions and reactions.  Nowadays I feel emotions but there's a detachment from my actions, so if I choose an action it comes from deliberation, though not always thought. It arises naturally is the best way to put it, though it's still a choice.

 

Ii. No it doesn't make much sense. From what I pick up, it touched an emotion part in you and thru ur subconscious you wanted to test if it was genuine because of the emotional embarrassment someone put you through when you attempted to express your feelings and they shot it down somehow causing your beginning of sharing emotions but only in half measures so it can be logically played off.

In fact only because others express similar emotions, you might feel safe enough to express them as it would be deemed socially appropriate and you wouldn't be to blame for following their social cue thereby alleviating the anxiety from the vulnerability of sharing your open heart that you've got to hide or it'll be attacked.

I might be way off, but all that just came to me,i put literally no thought I just typed as it flowed.

 

But yeah Please expand on your logic of why jab at all in the first place?

 

Iii understood bro, I was remembering a scene from a cartoon movie and began laughing, my mother laughed an asked what was so funny. I told her that we passed a car that reminded me of a movie and she popped me across the face and said to never make her look stupid again. Some shit sticks with us til we become vulnerable enough to express our true feelings on them and allow ourselves to let it go.

 

 

[Return]

18 hours ago, Limahong said:

 

Hi Return,

 

I like your focus on the mind. Mind over body?

 

(i) Having an upright mind is always a challenge. There is no compromise. The only way forward - but failing/falling along the way before being upright again and again.

 

(ii) The spirit resides in the mind?

 

- LimA

Mind and matter is the same as I see it. Agree on (i). On (ii) as I see it the spirit is the spirit and it´s responsible for sending out the thoughts which are material. So if the spirit is low the thoughts will be low. We need faith and positive actions in order to thrive I believe.A central thing is to have the basic faith that our body is not "us", it´s just a carrier of our spirit which is "us".

[Hancock]

42 minutes ago, Return said:

Mind and matter is the same as I see it. Agree on (i). On (ii) as I see it the spirit is the spirit and it´s responsible for sending out the thoughts which are material. So if the spirit is low the thoughts will be low. We need faith and positive actions in order to thrive I believe.A central thing is to have the basic faith that our body is not "us", it´s just a carrier of our spirit which is "us".

I hear people say mind and matter and energy are the same thing, could you explain the practicality of the mind, matter, and energy bring the same thing in a comprehensive way so I can understand people's point of view on this subject matter.

[Return]

11 hours ago, Zenmode said:

I hear people say mind and matter and energy are the same thing, could you explain the practicality of the mind, matter, and energy bring the same thing in a comprehensive way so I can understand people's point of view on this subject matter.

 

I am not sure what you are asking for so it´s hard for me to reply you. If I expand on the topic I could give an example that when my spirit is high it sends out creative thoughts which transform into some good ideas and positive energy at work which in turn makes my clients and colleagues happier as the good idea is exploited into some good results at work increasing the output of my workplace.

When my spirit is low I might become lethargic and slow witted which will create friction at work and in the end a negative effect materially since I can´t cooperate well with my colleagues at that time which leads to worse results and negative energy between the colleagues.

 

I do believe that I need to pay off black karma and all cycles are sinusoidal so that the positive and negative cycles are matched. With exercise and study I can compensate my bad cycles by suffering and paying off, ie during meditation. Sorry, I don´t know if this reply helped you.

 

[Hancock]

1 hour ago, Return said:

 

I am not sure what you are asking for so it´s hard for me to reply you. If I expand on the topic I could give an example that when my spirit is high it sends out creative thoughts which transform into some good ideas and positive energy at work which in turn makes my clients and colleagues happier as the good idea is exploited into some good results at work increasing the output of my workplace.

When my spirit is low I might become lethargic and slow witted which will create friction at work and in the end a negative effect materially since I can´t cooperate well with my colleagues at that time which leads to worse results and negative energy between the colleagues.

 

I do believe that I need to pay off black karma and all cycles are sinusoidal so that the positive and negative cycles are matched. With exercise and study I can compensate my bad cycles by suffering and paying off, ie during meditation. Sorry, I don´t know if this reply helped you.

 

The idea of karmic debt is something that is misunderstood and generated by lots of people. Karma from ur previous life takes effect in this one, an if u do bad in this one then in your next life you will receive punishment. But somewhere along the way someone misrepresented karma and now it's something to be scared of. It is just the sun of your good or bad deeds that in your reincarnation will take effect, not in this one.

People misunderstand and then create the negative energies that attack them, it's like a little kid spanking himself for doing something wrong. He will still get his punishment later (karma), but he feels satisfied now because he did something immediately.

 

I was asking if you could explain how the matter and mind are the same thing from your point of view.

[Limahong]

4 hours ago, Return said:

Sorry, I don´t know if this reply helped you.

 

Hi Return,

 

It SURE helped me for one. Thank you.

 

'Sorry' - reflects on your humility. I am humbled in return by the content in your post.

 

A good weekend.

 

- LimA

[Return]

21 hours ago, Zenmode said:

 

 

I was asking if you could explain how the matter and mind are the same thing from your point of view.

 

What I tried to convey was that the quality of the thought decides the quality of the material outcome, it´s just that the thought manifests before the matter(the visible material result in the human dimension). So they are the same with a small difference in time space - the mind dimension is ahead of the human material dimension but the mind is also matter in another dimension. You could say that the mind is faster than the matter but the end result will be the same of the mind and matter. 

 

Sorry, I dont have a better explanation.

[Hancock]

3 hours ago, Return said:

 

What I tried to convey was that the quality of the thought decides the quality of the material outcome, it´s just that the thought manifests before the matter(the visible material result in the human dimension). So they are the same with a small difference in time space - the mind dimension is ahead of the human material dimension but the mind is also matter in another dimension. You could say that the mind is faster than the matter but the end result will be the same of the mind and matter. 

 

Sorry, I dont have a better explanation.

 You made the effort to explain something very difficult to help me understand your point of view. thank you very much, I respect that you've been very patient with my question and answered to the best of your capability. Much respect bro.

[Limahong]

On 8/5/2017 at 6:30 AM, Zenmode said:

Much respect bro.

 

Hi Zenmode,

 

All men are brothers.

All women are sisters.

Taoists can be very funny.

Funniest - a Dao Bummy?

 

- LimA

[Hancock]

7 hours ago, Limahong said:

 

Hi Zenmode,

 

All men are brothers.

All women are sisters.

Taoists can be very funny.

Funniest - a Dao Bummy?

 

- LimA

Not my cup of tea, but thanks for the effort Lima. I'm not sure but it seems you're trying to rap.

Rapping is a way for an oppressed people to express ourselves, to be vocal bout what we are going thru in the moment. Celebrating the ups, an remembering the downs. Even battling to show skill. 

Cultural appropriation is a serious issue personally to me. It's a form of sublimation. Although respect and admiration is different than mimicry. A culture is a group of people collective soul. Anyhow if it's not a rap but a poem, then thanks for the effort. I'm not a big poets person.

 

If my perceptions were askew on your intentions please I invite you to message or post them, in the interest of understanding one another point of view. Im being influenced by strange energies at the.moment, perception are unclear, dark energy cleanse be craycray.

Edited August 6, 2017 by Zenmode

[Limahong]

1 hour ago, Zenmode said:

I'm not sure but it seems you're trying to rap. Rapping is a way for an oppressed people to express ourselves, to be vocal bout what we are going thru in the moment.

 

Hi Zenmode,

 

I don't know how to rap. I am just trying to put words together in a certain context.

 

Neither am I trying to write poetry. I am not trained in this domain.

 

1 hour ago, Zenmode said:

Im being influenced by strange energies at the.moment, perception are unclear, dark energy ...

 

Only you can stop yourself being influenced by anything.

 

Everything have flip-sides, What are your flip-sides to the above words highlight blue?

 

- LimA

Edited August 6, 2017 by Limahong
Enhancement of sentence.

[Hancock]

3 minutes ago, Limahong said:

 

Hi Zenmode,

 

I don't know how to rap. I am just trying to put words together in a certain context.

 

Neither am I trying to write poetry. I am not trained in this domain.

 

 

Only you can stop yourself being influenced by anything.

 

Everything have flip-sides, What are your flip-sides to the above words highlight blue?

 

- LimA

I'm doing exactly that, removing dark energies at the moment. It's rough but necessary in my line of work.

[Limahong]

17 hours ago, Zenmode said:

It's rough but necessary in my line of work

 

Hi Zenmode,

 

In any line of work?

 

Everyone has his/her own cross to bear?

 

Everyone has karma ...?

.

.

.

 

To each his/her own

 

You are not alone.

 

- LimA

 

[Marblehead]

We have a lot of sinkholes here in Florida.  It's pretty easy to get depressed.

 

[Limahong]

5 hours ago, Marblehead said:

We have a lot of sinkholes here in Florida. It's pretty easy to get depressed.

 

HI Marblehead,

 

Mind over body?

 

Spirit over mind?

 

Unsinkable over sinkhole?

.

.

.

These struggles are perpetual even though death finally triumphs and we are put to rest.

 

Then why all these struggles?

 

Because: struggles = living?

 

The best is yet to be?

 

- LimA

 

Edited August 7, 2017 by Limahong
Enhancement of sentence.

[Limahong]

23 minutes ago, Marblehead said:

We have a lot of sinkholes here in Florida

 

Hi Marblehead,

 

Only in Florida?

 

- LimA

[Hancock]

2 hours ago, Limahong said:

 

Hi Zenmode,

 

In any line of work?

 

Everyone has his/her own cross to bear?

 

Everyone has karma ...?

.

.

.

 

To each his/her own

 

You are not alone.

 

- LimA

 

Not everyone has karma, there's those free of it through enlightenment.

What do you mean in any line of work, and your questions, please be direct because we often ask others to read between the lines but the answers are only in our mind, thereby making a person who seeks communication spend u told amounts of energy to decipher our messages.  I kind of want to forego the educated guesswork and skip to directly comprehending, so please of you'll clarify and possibly elaborate on your questions and why you posted them, I'd appreciate it bro

[Limahong]

1 hour ago, Zenmode said:

Please if you'll clarify and possibly elaborate on your questions and why you posted them, I'd appreciate it bro

 

Good morning Zenmode,

 

To me life is largely a question without an answer, bro (or sis?).

 

Pity the (wo)man who knows more; ignorance is bliss. Please delete arrogance.

 

Is this the beauty of living life - moment to moment, today to today?

 

- LimA

[Marblehead]

4 hours ago, Limahong said:

 

Hi Marblehead,

 

Only in Florida?

 

- LimA

Those are the only ones we Floridians have.  Some other places have theirs too.

 

[Hancock]

19 minutes ago, Limahong said:

 

Good morning Zenmode,

 

To me life is largely a question without an answer, bro (or sis?).

 

Pity the (wo)man who knows more; ignorance is bliss. Please delete arrogance.

 

Is this the beauty of living life - moment to moment, today to today?

 

- LimA

I used to be that way, bout life being endless questions. I came to ask myself what I want out of this experience in life. Now life is bout experiences, instead of mental masturbation. Truth is most people never go beyond the intellectual ideas to experience life.

 

Knowledge and wisdom are only burdens when people don't cultivate them with actions

 

Bliss isn't ignorance , it's being caught in the Flow of things. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)

 

I'd like to add these are based on personal life experiences and may not be universal for others to live by.

Edited August 7, 2017 by Zenmode

[Limahong]

22 minutes ago, Marblehead said:

Those are the only ones we Floridians have.  Some other places have theirs too.

 

Good morning Marblehead,

 

But of course.

 

Somewhere over the moonbow?

 

Or somewhere over the rainbow?

 

 

 

- LimA

Edited August 7, 2017 by Limahong
Enhancement of sentence.

[Limahong]

12 minutes ago, Zenmode said:

Knowledge and wisdom are only burdens when people don't cultivate them with action

 

Hi Zenmode,

 

Thank you for sharing.

 

Besides knowledge and action, can I add willpower?

 

- LimA