Filling the Dan Tien

[EFreethought]

21 hours ago, dwai said:

Similarly some others I've met, who are not daoists/dao practitioners, but when they speak I can sense the words coming from direct experience rather than intellectual knowledge. Around such people, there is usually an air of clarity and serenity.  But the thing to remember is, true nature (as opposed to the conditioned personality) recognizes true nature. 

 

You mention being "conditioned" a few times. What do you mean by that? And why is it bad?

 

A while back there was a thread on a website called Hacker News about a book called "Atomic Habits". There was some back and forth, pro and con. Quite a few commenters said that when they follow "Atomic Habits" and develop good habits, they are more disciplined, get more work done, exercise more, eat better, waste less time, etc, etc.

 

Are those people conditioned? I would argue having better habits and discipline is a form of conditioning, and it makes them better.

 

 

[blue eyed snake]

On 12-3-2023 at 6:11 PM, steve said:

an unwillingness to settle on someone else's limited definition and a desire for deeper exploration of personal meaning.

 

yes, now I know what it was in this post.

As a kid I was taught never to take anything ( especially but not exclusively in the department of morality) on someone else his word.

"Always think for yourself, always try to find the behavior that is just so that you never have to regret your actions." So that's the way my mind is molded/conditioned.

 

I was a hell of a stubborn kid in that department, blatantly calling out teachers on unjust behavior for example. 

 

Now I see how well this has served me through this life, in many ways.

Also, how strange it is that I did take my teachers words seriously almost from the start 

[blue eyed snake]

On 13-3-2023 at 4:43 PM, dwai said:

This is wonderful! In the tradition I belong to, De is considered a full microscopic version of the Dao that is contained within each of us. In my understanding,  it is our essential nature/true nature, wrapped in layers of personality/conditioning. So De is not necessarily a set of "virtues" or "actions" or "qualities", but our true nature, which is none other than Dao itself. Being Dao, of course when the layers of conditioning are set aside/recognized for what they are, right action, qualities, and virtues naturally emanate, through the individual. 

 

nice, i would make that the expression of our true nature though. As: not what we are ( which seems to me a vast emptiness/ stillness , for want of better words), but how we interact with the the world/ the ten-thousand things.

[dwai]

1 hour ago, EFreethought said:

 

You mention being "conditioned" a few times. What do you mean by that? And why is it bad?

Conditioning is all things we learn in the course of our life. Is it bad? Not necessarily. The very conditioning we acquire is what makes us capable of survival.
 

But the problem is that there is no knowledge system that is applied to also help us recognize what this conditioning is. Without knowing what is conditioning/acquired nature, we can’t recognize our true nature. 

[Bindi]

I have a completely different view (as per usual I’m afraid), to me the thing that exists constantly that we are not aware of is actually the ‘Shakti spirit’ for want of a better word. To me this is the thing that is trapped starving and forgotten and alone. The work becomes finding the way to realise this and to release it from its ‘prison’, and bring it up to the upper dantian. Just my take on the subtle energy reality of ‘Original Mind’ as opposed to the emptiness or void that is usually posited as original mind. 

[Cobie]

I agree. 

 

Edited March 15, 2023 by Cobie

[Lairg]

1 hour ago, Bindi said:

To me this is the thing that is trapped starving and forgotten and alone. 

 

It may be that, for now, in this solar system, right relationship is much more important than pushing energy

[Blissdao9]

1 hour ago, Lairg said:

 

It may be that, for now, in this solar system, right relationship is much more important than pushing energy

Lairg is on the right track. The relationship with the cosmos is crucial for establishing the connection and aligning oneself. It is like the idea of golden egg or the hen; with the hen comes the golden eggs. Energy will come on its own.


I do not mean to offend or criticize anyone, but please understand that 95% of our conversations are complete nonsense, with less than 5% of them containing the true essence of the Dao if we are lucky. We must not allow these distractions to blind us from walking our paths if we are truly committed to walking on the cultivation path.

[Bindi]

1 hour ago, Blissdao9 said:

Lairg is on the right track. The relationship with the cosmos is crucial for establishing the connection and aligning oneself. It is like the idea of golden egg or the hen; with the hen comes the golden eggs. Energy will come on its own.
 

 

But the cosmos is just so cosmic, personally I’d prefer a right relationship with myself down here on earth which leads to a right relationship with my true/original Self. 

 

1 hour ago, Blissdao9 said:

I do not mean to offend or criticize anyone, but please understand that 95% of our conversations are complete nonsense, with less than 5% of them containing the true essence of the Dao if we are lucky. We must not allow these distractions to blind us from walking our paths if we are truly committed to walking on the cultivation path.

And no doubt there will be a fairly great variety in which 5% of conversations we believe the ‘true essence of the Dao’ is contained. 

[Blissdao9]

1 minute ago, Bindi said:

 

But the cosmos is just so cosmic, personally I’d prefer a right relationship with myself down here on earth which leads to a right relationship with my true/original Self. 

 

It depends on each person and his or her path.

[Lairg]

1 hour ago, Bindi said:

the cosmos is just so cosmic, personally I’d prefer a right relationship with myself down here on earth which leads to a right relationship with my true/original Self. 

 

If your original Self is cosmic then right relationship with your Self is the entry to the Cosmos