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  1. Today
  2. Haiku Chain

    The doorman gets pissed The monks get into a brawl The cat takes a nap
  3. Is 'just sitting' a post-enlightment practice?

    You are meditating for therapy, but it is ineffective? If you don't want a teacher, I would suggest trying Jack Kornfield's "A Path With Heart". If you become adept at watching your thoughts, feelings and sensations you get to the point where any of them can arise in consciousness and dissolve without triggering an associated dialog. Worth learning to do. I agree with all of that, EXCEPT that anyone who sits will notice that their baggage comes up. It is part of why you meditate, and happens there, but also in your daily life. People often have deep trauma come up on long retreats, for a good reason. Most meditation centers will suggest retreat attendees think carefully about their psychological history before committing to retreats for this reason. If the the "Unus Mundus" is being conflated with the Tao, then I would disagree. Possibly there is a larger discussion of "self" that could be had to clarify this point. Couple of pints in a local pub? Certainly where there is illumination to what the "self" actually IS, interference slowly comes to a halt.
  4. Transgender Q&A

    can't type a response now, but I'll try to do so in the next day or so. feel free to bug me if i forget
  5. Transgender Q&A

    Is it? Seems to me that almost everyone from a very young age can reliably sort people into male and female groupings at sight. There are some people of indeterminate sex, of course, but the vast majority of folks are born clearly male or female. I realize that these categories don´t feel comfortable to some people. Some people avail themselves of medical therapies to successfully change their outward appearance such they appear as a different sex -- and if this make them happier or relieves suffering then more power to them! But let´s not deny the reality of the categories themselves. Afterall, if "maleness" or "femaleness" didn´t exist there would be nothing to transition away from.
  6. Is 'just sitting' a post-enlightment practice?

    Gautama spoke of cessation, in the context of thoughts initial and sustained with regard to the state of mind: (One) makes up one’s mind: Contemplating impermanence I shall breathe in. Contemplating impermanence I shall breathe out. Contemplating dispassion I shall breathe in. Contemplating dispassion I shall breathe out. Contemplating cessation I shall breathe in. Contemplating cessation I shall breathe out. Contemplating renunciation I shall breathe in. Contemplating renunciation I shall breathe out. (SN V 312, Pali Text Society Vol V p 275-276; tr. F. L. Woodward; masculine pronouns replaced, re-paragraphed) The thoughts he described, he said were a part of his way of living. "Contemplating cessation"--the cessation of the "activities", which are the actions of speech, body, and mind that take place as a result of "determinate thought": …I have seen that the ceasing of the activities is gradual. When one has attained the first trance [first meditative state], speech has ceased. When one has attained the second trance, thought initial and sustained has ceased. When one has attained the third trance, zest has ceased. When one has attained the fourth trance, inbreathing and outbreathing have ceased. ... Both perception and feeling have ceased when one has attained the cessation of perception and feeling. (SN IV 217, Vol IV p 146) I'm convinced Gautama touched on "the cessation of inbreathing and outbreathing" as a regular part of his way of living, that he sat until he attained such a cessation and the subsequent "survey-sign of the concentration", and that by means of the "survey-sign" he could touch on "the cessation of inbreathing and outbreathing" in his contemplation of cessation in daily living. But say--what did you mean by cessation?
  7. I've been doing some review of du & ren in Deadman's Manual of Acupuncture. If you're really into this stuff, consider buying that - or some other hard core - book on acupuncture. Of the caliber that they use in schools. I find it to be a valuable reference. Anyway, the trajectories of ren (and du) are significantly different than is presented in pop-Taoism. A couple of other references.
  8. Yesterday
  9. Transgender Q&A

    Fair question, fair answer .
  10. Transgender Q&A

    Mine where horrified when I said I wanted to become a 'window dresser' ( I saw a guy doing it, he made a life size 'diorama ' in a shop window , I was impressed at his style, creativity and harmonious use of shapes and color ) .... parents where worried that I might have 'suspect tendencies' and made me go to 'career guidance ' .... over 50 years later , I design all aspects and build my own ' rainforest wetroom ' (wash house ) . people are amazed " You did that ! " - river rock tile floor , Imported multi shade greens subway tile with a silver , moonstone and mother-of-pearl accent strip , stone basins , retro fittings and switches in bake-a-light etc etc . That was probably just one of my potential careers they steered me away from ... then went on asking and complaining to me about what I was going to do in life as a career ! ... no, not that , Oh no certainly not that ! No not that either . Why dont you do something with yourself ! .
  11. Transgender Q&A

    But WHY ?????? I never got this ( the pants for boys dresses for girls thing ) . Dresses or kilts or similar ... or at least a pants with codpiece suits the male anatomy , pants do not ! Pants suit more the female anatomy . I even remember it being weird , when fitted for a junior school uniform being asked if I 'dressed to the left or right ', I had no idea what that meant . Later when I understood I thought ' Why should I do either ' ? Why do I need that seam up there in the way at all ? It can get quiet uncomfortable .
  12. Boaz and Jachin

    Sorry , bad joke ; No matter how well you look after your cows ..... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorrigo,_New_South_Wales#History
  13. Transgender Q&A

    I love that it's person to person... thanks again mate.
  14. Nathan Brine

  15. Transgender Q&A

    That works, although it's a tad more person to person than a heart to indicate a love of what was written. You're so welcome! If you're interested, there are some amazing photos of Clear Lake and Mount Konocti, here (and some duds, lots of duds, actually, but what's good is very good)--if you're not on Facebook, just click the "x" in the upper right-hand corner of the "See More on Facebook" pop-up.
  16. Boaz and Jachin

  17. Transgender Q&A

    I use this in the stead of a missing heart emoji that photo is absolutely stunning Mark. Thanks for sharing!
  18. Boaz and Jachin

    i thought you're the guy trying to balance these are dead, not happily sleeping after consuming to much apples or something
  19. Boaz and Jachin

    After the posting of the emoji Tree of Life , she is worried she might not be taken seriously anymore .
  20. Boaz and Jachin

    Of course , with me having no spiritual pride , all my cows feel safe and secure Oh ! ... errrr ..... ooops !
  21. Boaz and Jachin

  22. Hi

    Welcome to the forum.
  23. Boaz and Jachin

    Considering they are part of the Tree of Life , it is considered to permeate all things .
  24. Boaz and Jachin

    I am not really understanding this question. Can you ask it again using different words . I dont know what you mean by 'deviance from the principle ' , its like you are asking how yin and yang can 'deviate' from dao . ( if you are , consider n+ + n- = 0 . )
  25. Hello there

    Here is your answer ; " I just turned 16 " Solution : Another 30 laps of the Sun should do it "
  26. Transgender Q&A

    for what it's worth, i'm rather in favor of confusing sex and gender, so long as you do it the right way ; ) biological "sex" is very complicated and very messy, subject to a massive range of variation. some sex characteristics are changeable, others are not (with current technology). none are universal among those we call "men" and those we call "women". biological sex encompasses a broad range of phenomena, sorted differently depending on particular research projects. ("sex" isn't special in this regard; biological categories are generally like this) to seek to find simple "biological sex" categories that neatly sort individuals into "biological males" and "biological females" is to impose greater simplicity on the range of human variation than can actually be found. in the background of this, there always lie normative judgments—always an implicit teleology. (sometimes people will make this explicit, talking about what the body is "organized around"). indeed, the very desire to have these categories be fixed and unchangeable is already a normative judgment about category construction—a judgment that lacks biological motivation. so much for the difficulties with biological sex, considered in its own right. but even supposing we find some straightforward biological characterization that sorts (the bulk of) people into two sex categories, to then put these categories to social use is to impose further normative judgments. (it is impossible, for example, to have bathrooms segregated just by biological sex, without considering gender, for the simple reason that that very act in itself has brought us into the realm of gender) the sex/gender distinction can be useful, but it's risky: the more we rely on it the more we risk reifying both sides of the dichotomy, separating them in ways that ignores their IRL inseparability. there has never been "biological sex" untainted by "gender". almost as if the warring states daoists were onto something with their cautions about naming and dividing...
  27. Haiku Chain

    with Issa's blessings the cat goes out, comes back in the doorman gets pissed
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