Unpopular Opinions

[Apech]

 

Anything that can be accomplished by movement and forms can be accomplished without them.

 

Meditation is not meditation.

 

The only guru is you.

 

Most western Buddhists and Daoists are Christian.

 

All of those reading this are incomplete beings.

 

There is nothing wrong with thinking.

 

Everything presented as non-conceptual is essentially conceptual.

 

Jhanas lead to more suffering.

 

Compassion is sheep quietly eating grass waiting for the slaughterman's wagon.

 

To love fully destroys you.

 

Wisdom means to know less.

 

 

[thelerner]

In the deepest arts the written instructions are incomplete, that's the way they are meant to be.  To go deeper requires instruction from a living legacy teacher.  (Looking at you, Golden Flower)

 

Enlightenment is more about subtraction then addition.

 

Your way is not the best way, get over it.

 

Infatuation and obsession are obnoxious but necessary steps (to take and leave behind) to achieve greatness in a field.  

 

Consistent super powers are for comic books.  

 

 

 

 

Edited July 27, 2023 by thelerner

[old3bob]

4 hours ago, Apech said:

 

Anything that can be accomplished by movement and forms can be accomplished without them.

 

Meditation is not meditation.

 

The only guru is you.

 

Most western Buddhists and Daoists are Christian.

 

All of those reading this are incomplete beings.

 

There is nothing wrong with thinking.

 

Everything presented as non-conceptual is essentially conceptual.

 

Jhanas lead to more suffering.

 

Compassion is sheep quietly eating grass waiting for the slaughterman's wagon.

 

To love fully destroys you.

 

Wisdom means to know less.

 

 

 

most cats have nine lives but don't howl at the moon

[kakapo]

Almost 100% of all humans that have ever lived, are currently living, and will ever live will never accomplish anything "spiritually" meaningful.

 

Worldwide there are approximately 10 individuals who have accomplished something "spiritually" meaningful.

 

For most people spiritual practices are a form of role play and entertainment, and do not provide any benefit to their lives except for a placebo effect.

 

When people who are engaging in spiritual role play are confronted with this, they experience cognitive dissonance, and seek to destroy the person they perceive as the cause.

 

This results in absolutely psychotic behavior both on an individual level, and on a group level. (e.g. lynch mobs)

[Apech]

7 minutes ago, kakapo said:

Almost 100% of all humans that have ever lived, are currently living, and will ever live will never accomplish anything "spiritually" meaningful.

 

Worldwide there are approximately 10 individuals who have accomplished something "spiritually" meaningful.

 

For most people spiritual practices are a form of role play and entertainment, and do not provide any benefit to their lives except for a placebo effect.

 

When people who are engaging in spiritual role play are confronted with this, they experience cognitive dissonance, and seek to destroy the person they perceive as the cause.

 

This results in absolutely psychotic behavior both on an individual level, and on a group level. (e.g. lynch mobs)

 

If I may say so this is a perfect Unpopular Opinions post - 1000 likes.

 

 

[Shadow_self]

7 minutes ago, kakapo said:

Almost 100% of all humans that have ever lived, are currently living, and will ever live will never accomplish anything "spiritually" meaningful.

 

Worldwide there are approximately 10 individuals who have accomplished something "spiritually" meaningful.

 

For most people spiritual practices are a form of role play and entertainment, and do not provide any benefit to their lives except for a placebo effect.

 

When people who are engaging in spiritual role play are confronted with this, they experience cognitive dissonance, and seek to destroy the person they perceive as the cause.

 

This results in absolutely psychotic behavior both on an individual level, and on a group level. (e.g. lynch mobs)

 

Have you a measure of this, or any evidence that doesnt involve a nonverifiable verbal handmedown/personal testimony?

 

 

 

 

[Apech]

9 minutes ago, kakapo said:

Almost 100% of all humans that have ever lived, are currently living, and will ever live will never accomplish anything "spiritually" meaningful.

 

Worldwide there are approximately 10 individuals who have accomplished something "spiritually" meaningful.

 

Possibly an over estimate?

 

9 minutes ago, kakapo said:

For most people spiritual practices are a form of role play and entertainment, and do not provide any benefit to their lives except for a placebo effect.

 

When people who are engaging in spiritual role play are confronted with this, they experience cognitive dissonance, and seek to destroy the person they perceive as the cause.

 

This results in absolutely psychotic behavior both on an individual level, and on a group level. (e.g. lynch mobs)

 

Ouch - this sounds personal!

[Shadow_self]

12 hours ago, thelerner said:

In the deepest arts the written instructions are incomplete, that's the way they are meant to be.  To go deeper requires instruction from a living legacy teacher.  (Looking at you, Golden Flower)

 

Might be of interest to you, Nathan Brine had a few things to say about the  secret of the golden flower here

 

 

Discussion about said text begins around the 23:25 mark

[Taoist Texts]

Quote

 

Quote
To go deeper requires instruction from a living legacy teacher.  (Looking at you, Golden Flower)

Might be of interest to you, Nathan Brine had a few things to say about the  secret of the golden flower here

 

this is a mystery though. Brine is a teacher who says they study the book with his own teacher. Coons is a teacher who sells lectures on books.

 

Question: What these teachers need the books for? We know for what the textbooks are in college: for cramming and for problem solving (in STEM classes). 

but why are books needed in neidan or "neigong"? do they cram? do they solve neidan problems?

cant these legacy teachers just go ahead and simply tell their students what to do?

this is very strange. On one hand they boast that teachers know everything; on the other - they "study" the books. so which is it?

 

(this is an unpopular opinion question)

Edited July 28, 2023 by Taoist Texts

[Taomeow]

29 minutes ago, Taoist Texts said:

this is a mystery though. Brine is a teacher who says they study the book with his own teacher. Coons is a teacher who sells lectures on books.

 

Question: What these teachers need the books for? We know for what the textbooks are in college: for cramming and for problem solving (in STEM classes). 

but why are books needed in neidan or "neigong"? do they cram? do they solve neidan problems?

cant these legacy teachers just go ahead and simply tell their students what to do?

this is very strange. On one hand they boast that teachers know everything; on the other - they "study" the books. so which is it?

 

(this is an unpopular opinion question)

 

Unpopular answer (my and Laozi's): Tao in the human world has been destroyed.  

 

To expound on this opinion, here's another unpopular one:

 

Writing and keeping written records was part of the process of destruction.  Once people started learning with one half of the brain instead of the whole brain, and with their minds separately from their bodies, half of their humanity was lost.  (The rest was lost to other developments of the past 12,000 years or so.)  Oral transmission used to be a way for people to know who they are and what the world is.  At the time of the first contact with "civilized" people, six-year-olds from a hunter-gatherer tribe could recite their genealogical tree (their own, not some conquerers' or religious leaders' or celebrities') fifty generations back.  What people memorized and used for problem solving was always up close and personal, and their minds were at no time overloaded to the gills with things they can't control, can't substantiate experientially, and have no use for whatsoever.  As a result, their bodyminds worked very differently from modern minds + bodies at all times and for all purposes, and the world of spirits didn't have too many obstacles to overcome communicating with them -- which is the real meaning of "spirituality."  Modern minds need books because the real natural ways to gain competence in the human world have been lost.  Everything we have access to is second, third, a hundredth best.  Not having access to that, in our world, means abject poverty -- whether in body, mind, or spirit.  It's either simulacra or nothing at all, our choice.     

       

[liminal_luke]

3 hours ago, kakapo said:

 

Worldwide there are approximately 10 individuals who have accomplished something "spiritually" meaningful.

 

 

Sometimes I struggle with my self-esteem and feel less than other people, so you can imagine my joy to discover that I'm one of the 10 most spiritually advanced people in the whole wide world.  Way to go Luke!

[Apech]

4 minutes ago, liminal_luke said:

 

Sometimes I struggle with my self-esteem and feel less than other people, so you can imagine my joy to discover that I'm one of the 10 most spiritually advanced people in the whole wide world.  Way to go Luke!

 

I just ask myself - who the hell are these other nine bastards!

[Apech]

1 hour ago, Taomeow said:

 

Unpopular answer (my and Laozi's): Tao in the human world has been destroyed.  

 

To expound on this opinion, here's another unpopular one:

 

Writing and keeping written records was part of the process of destruction.  Once people started learning with one half of the brain instead of the whole brain, and with their minds separately from their bodies, half of their humanity was lost.  (The rest was lost to other developments of the past 12,000 years or so.)  Oral transmission used to be a way for people to know who they are and what the world is.  At the time of the first contact with "civilized" people, six-year-olds from a hunter-gatherer tribe could recite their genealogical tree (their own, not some conquerers' or religious leaders' or celebrities') fifty generations back.  What people memorized and used for problem solving was always up close and personal, and their minds were at no time overloaded to the gills with things they can't control, can't substantiate experientially, and have no use for whatsoever.  As a result, their bodyminds worked very differently from modern minds + bodies at all times and for all purposes, and the world of spirits didn't have too many obstacles to overcome communicating with them -- which is the real meaning of "spirituality."  Modern minds need books because the real natural ways to gain competence in the human world have been lost.  Everything we have access to is second, third, a hundredth best.  Not having access to that, in our world, means abject poverty -- whether in body, mind, or spirit.  It's either simulacra or nothing at all, our choice.     

       

 

 

Tao in the human world has been destroyed.  

[Apech]

 

Global warming is happening because we (the humans) will it.  

[old3bob]

if "Tao in the human world was destroyed" then all would turn to less than dust in an instant, so I call bullshit on such a cynical proclamation.

Edited July 28, 2023 by old3bob

[liminal_luke]

5 minutes ago, old3bob said:

if "Tao in the human world was destroyed" then all would turn to less than dust in an instant, so I call bullshit on such a cynical proclamation.

 

By virtue of their very unpopularity, unpopular opinions are targets for bullshit callers.  Which is why I'm keeping mine to myself. 

[Apech]

9 minutes ago, old3bob said:

if "Tao in the human world was destroyed" then all would turn to less than dust in an instant, so I call bullshit on such a cynical proclamation.

 

FORASMUCH as it hath pleased Almighty God, in his wise providence, to take out of this world the soul of our deceased brother, we therefore commit his body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; looking for the general Resurrection in the last day, and the life of the world to come, through our LORD JESUS CHRIST; at whose second coming in glorious majesty to judge the world, the earth and the sea shall give up their dead; and the corruptible bodies of those who sleep in him shall be changed, and made like unto his own glorious body; according to the mighty working whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself.

[doc benway]

My new slogan - MDGA

[Apech]

9 minutes ago, steve said:

My new slogan - MDGA

 

Minnesota Dairy Goat Association?

 

https://www.acronymfinder.com/MDGA.html

 

[Taoist Texts]

2 hours ago, Taomeow said:

six-year-olds from a hunter-gatherer tribe could recite their genealogical tree... fifty generations back.

thats impressive. but to what end?

 

1 hour ago, Apech said:

Global warming is happening because we (the humans) will it.  

well maybe not all of us. may be the 1% of us

[liminal_luke]

Casual readers of The Lancet, a prestigious scientific journal, are being misled by climate change alarmists.  the cold facts about heat deaths - by el gato malo (substack.com)  

 

(Luke hides behind melting ice floe.)

[old3bob]

A lie (in the context that Tao was destroyed in the human world) is bullshit, which should be obvious to all the "cultivators" here?

 

Edited July 28, 2023 by old3bob

[doc benway]

1 hour ago, Apech said:

 

Minnesota Dairy Goat Association?

 

https://www.acronymfinder.com/MDGA.html

 

 

Make Dao Great Again!

 

 

[liminal_luke]

1 minute ago, steve said:

 

Make Dao Great Again!

 

 

 

Where can I buy the hat?

[Apech]

17 minutes ago, steve said:

 

Make Dao Great Again!

 

 

 

The goats will be disapointed.