Hello internet sages

[brainsnakes]

Greetings, 

 

Im a student just diving in to this sorta thing. I have been interested in taoism for a while now and coming across this forum made me very happy. The last few weeks I've been really into qi gong etc so the internal alchemy stuff seems really interesting, I hope to learn a lot!

 

Don't forget you're going to die, 

 

Brainsnakes. 

[Marblehead]

Hello, brainsnakes and welcome.

 

Your membership is approved and we're happy you found your way to us. We look forward to accompanying you on some of the way that you still have to go.

 

Please take the time to read the post pinned at the top of this Welcome page and take a look at the forum Terms and Rules.   This covers all you need to know when getting started.

 

For the first week you will be restricted to ten posts per day but after that you can post as much as you like. Also, until you’ve posted fifteen times in the forums, you’ll be a “Junior Bum” with somewhat restricted access and will be allowed only two private messages per day.

 

Good luck in your pursuits and best wishes to you,

 

Marblehead and the TDB team

 

 

Hi brain,

 

And don't forget to live before you die.  There are a few alchemists here.  Have fun finding them.

 

You are welcome to jump right in ongoing discussions, revive an older thread, start a new thread of your own, or start a discussion in the "Newcomer Corner" sub-forms to expand on your introduction or ask general questions to help you get started.

 

May you enjoy your time here.

 

Marblehead

[Jeff]

56 minutes ago, brainsnakes said:

Greetings, 

 

Im a student just diving in to this sorta thing. I have been interested in taoism for a while now and coming across this forum made me very happy. The last few weeks I've been really into qi gong etc so the internal alchemy stuff seems really interesting, I hope to learn a lot!

 

Don't forget you're going to die, 

 

Brainsnakes. 

 

To your dying point.  Maybe this will help...

 

Tao Te Ching - Ch 16  

 

Empty yourself of everything. Let the mind become still.

The ten thousand things rise and fall while the self watches their return.

They grow and flourish and then return to the source.

Returning to the source is stillness, which is the way of nature.

The way of nature is unchanging. Knowing constancy is insight.

Not knowing constancy leads to disaster. Knowing constancy, the mind is open.

With an open mind, you will be openhearted.

Being openhearted, you will act royally.

Being royal, you will attain the divine.

Being divine, you will be at one with the Tao.

Being at one with the Tao is eternal.

And though the body dies, the Tao will never pass away.

[Michael Sternbach]

 

Welcome to TDB! 

Edited February 23, 2018 by Michael Sternbach

[Limahong]

4 hours ago, brainsnakes said:

Don't forget you're going to die

 

N'OUBLIE PAS QUE TU VAS MOURIR (DON'T FORGET YOU'RE GOING TO DIE) - is a 1995 French drama film directed, co-written by and starring Xavier Beauvois. The film tells the story of an HIV positive man who travels to Italy.

 

Movie info:

In this downbeat drama from France, Benoit (Xavier Beauvois) is an upper class art student who is shocked to discover that he's been drafted into the Army. Eager to avoid military service, Benoit feigns illness, consults a psychiatrist for depression, and even tells the draft board he's gay, all to no avail. In a fit of desperation, Benoit attempts suicide, only to learn in the hospital that he has tested positive for HIV. Now that he has a real reason to be depressed, Benoit sinks into an emotional downturn and ends up in jail, where he is introduced to Omar (Roschdy Zem), who suggests that he can make big money fast by smuggling drugs. With nothing better to do, Benoit goes into business with Omar, and with his ill-gotten gains, he travels to Italy, where he meets a beautiful young woman named Claudia (Chiara Mastroianni). Benoit and Claudia quickly fall in love, but the lure of the drug market soon proves more powerful than Benoit's feelings for his girlfriend. Director and star Xavier Beauvois won the Jury Prize at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival for his work on this film. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

 

 

Hi brainsnakes,

 

Thank you for the reminder. Each of us lives to die.

 

- LimA

[thelerner]

& a welcome Momento Mori to you. 

Edited February 23, 2018 by thelerner

[Limahong]

2 hours ago, thelerner said:

& a welcome Momento Mori to you. 

 

Memento mori (Latin: "remember that you have to die") is the medieval Latin Christian theory and practice of reflection on mortality, especially as a means of considering the vanity of earthly life and the transient nature of all earthly goods and pursuits. It is related to the ars moriendi ("The Art of Dying") and similar literature. Memento mori has been an important part of ascetic disciplines as a means of perfecting the character by cultivating detachment and other virtues, and by turning the attention towards the immortality of the soul and the afterlife.

- Wikipedia

 

Hi thelerner,

 

"Remember that you have to die" = "Don't forget you're going to die". Synonyms.

 

- LimA

[thelerner]

Or as one ice cream cone said to another-

Hoc etiam ignis ardore tabescent

[cold]

welcome!

and I second mh suggestion live before you die

[Lost in Translation]

On 2/23/2018 at 7:38 AM, brainsnakes said:

Don't forget you're going to die

 

Good advise. This is easy to say. In my experience you gotta find a way to take these words and turn them into feelings. You have to feel it in your bones. "One day, I too shall die" is a life-shattering, sobering experience. It'll knock your socks off. It'll drive you away from whatever you're doing. It'll strike fear into your heart.

 

Then, if you let it, it'll lift you up, take away all your crap and set you free.

 

Thanks for reminding us this often overlooked wisdom, and welcome!