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Just yesterday a taiji student of mine, after the lesson, said her good-byes and then discovered she can't unlock her car. Reason unknown. She keeps going click click and nothing happens. Open it manually, I suggest. She tries, fails, starts hyperventilating. No she says, I can't open it manually, there's this complex sequence I never use -- twice to the left and then thrice to the right or maybe vice versa, or right first then left, and the alarm might start screaming if I keep tampering with the lock. I tell her, put down the key, stand in the Opening Pose of Laojia Yilu, drop your shoulders, suspend the top of your head from a string from heaven, breathe evenly, root deeply, now as your arms go up get the key, click again. She did. The door opened. Oh, and change the key battery I told her as she was leaving.

You call it simplifying?.. I had to google! And I'm not the type who eschews grandiloquence! Maybe you could start a thread titled "complicate" or something.

Empathy is the most meaningful moral foundation and currency, in my experience.

Lately, something strange but beautiful has been unfolding in me. I’m currently in a phase of life where I’m looking for work. I started this process rather late because I had some psychological issues for a long time. And now, as I walk this uncertain path, I find myself doing Qigong as part of my spiritual practice – and it has quietly opened my heart. Through this, I’ve begun to feel a growing trust in God, in the Dao, in the deeper current behind life. A few days ago, I was still very anxious – "What if I don’t find a job?" – but then this gentle thought came to me: God protects me, no matter what. And suddenly, I felt this deep shift: I want to let go of my plans – the idea that I need to have this job, or that I have to secure my future. What truly matters is not what I think I should do, but what the Divine wants for me. I don’t want to chase control anymore. I want to listen. I want to trust.i got so calm that i could hear my heartbeat. That is a good sign of calmness for me It feels strange to think this way. I’m not used to it. Part of me wonders: Am I becoming passive? Irresponsible? Or is this the beginning of true surrender? Sometimes I feel like I just want to sit, meditate, and be at peace. The earthly world seems so unstable – everything is constantly changing, dying, passing. Without God, without the Dao, everything feels chaotic. But if I hand it all over, if I stop clinging to goals and outcomes, there’s a quietness that arises. And in that stillness, I feel... safe. Has anyone here experienced something similar – this strange letting go, this dissolving of personal plans in favor of divine guidance? How do you navigate this shift in daily life?

Tip for anyone working on an old car door: if you adj. the door alignment by loosening its hinge bolts and move the door to a new position and then re-tighten those bolts, how the door strikes the keeper/lock tab may get thrown off enough to where the door will not re-open after closing it to check your new adjustment, in that case one has a major headache ! When or if in doubt about such a problem occurring one could first remove the door panel on an open door before making any adjustments since it can be extremely difficult to remove a door panel if the door is closed and won't re-open ! (then it may have be to ripped out!) But with a previously removed panel out of the way one might be able to trigger the door to open by probing its hopefully accessible lock mechanism with a long screwdriver or whatever works. (from inside the car) I've been through this before the hard way... One might ask what does this have to do with this website? Well I'd say because all of the yoga like positions one has to get in while crawling around inside a car which tests one's flexibility, determination and temper! ;-)

That’s my approach to life, that’s my faith. I am all for “trusting the divine flow”. My whole life I have felt like that. In my experience it’s sometimes necessary to tell some type of intrusive people to f**k off.

The thread told me, that it is fine for bums to adapt their own meaning/intent and not feel constrained to any box.

Santa fear

I was under the impression that Jesus spoke primarily in Hebrew and Aramaic.

Not everyone likes to converse via debate, and the users who aren't interested in that style of communication are making that clear when addressed. Personally, I approach conversations here like interviews instead of debates. I'm interested in understanding what a person believes and how they came to believe it, not proving a person to be incorrect. Debating the belief itself gets in the way of the information I'm looking to receive, and is therefore unproductive for my personal goals. Other users here have different perspectives and approaches, and are not wrong for seeking debate. But just as there are guidelines for debate, there are also conversational guidelines for learning instead of teaching, and those who prefer that approach are not wrong for seeking to develop an environment that allows for such.

Sorry i wanted to post this somewhere else and i have no clue how to delete this here. I feel like i am an old grandma who is using a phone for the first time

Mine was a bit shorter From my teacher * " Just ask 'Big Mum' for whatever you need , she will look after you . " * ( It worked for them for 40,000 years ) .

I think the best things that happened in my life were down to chance or accident. Finding a career, moving abroad, meeting my wife, even IVF for our son. But I don't think I ever had a passive attitude toward these things. I worked hard to get a job, I was looking for a long-term partner. So while success or failure depend on fate, divine provenance or luck - however you want to see it. You still have to care about it, and strive forward in pursuit of your goals.

Quite right. Holding judgement against people has a direct effect on relationships generally and reduces beneficial flows including financial. It is much better to see what needs to be out-grown and to support the out-growing.

That sounds awesome that your whole life feels like that Cobie but also a bit scary to me. I think need sometimes people who have similiar experiences and Tell me that i am fine. I dont have many people who bother me negatively. Not anymore I just meditated a little while ago, and something quiet but clear came through: Source is my purpose. When I rest in that awareness, so much stillness and peace arise. But it takes mindfulness not to lose myself again in worldly goals — career, health, success, becoming someone. All these things only seem to have meaning for me when I feel deeply connected to Source. Without that, it all feels hollow. My teacher once said something that I now understand more and more: “Everything in life is ultimately a reflection of your relationship with the Divine.” I feel that. Even each thought we think is, in a way, a subtle proclamation — a declaration of how close or distant we feel from God, from Dao, from Source. It’s strange to watch my mind form goals or worries — and to realize: all of it is just movement on the surface. Underneath, there is something still, silent, whole. And the more I trust that, the more I feel that this is what matters. This is the real path.

Simplify: I am the very model of a modern Major-General, I've information vegetable, animal, and mineral. I know the kings of England, and I quote the fights historical, from Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical. I'm very well acquainted, too, with matters mathematical, I understand equations, both the simple and quadratical. About binomial theorem I'm teeming with a lot o' news, with many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse.

Greetings. I am a 55-year-old female living in South Florida but originally from Philadelphia I’m a newish cultivator of Dao.( I’ve been attempting to cultivate since 2019), it’s incredible & a bit challenging to give up my old ways, yet, I know it’s The Way. Here to learn about inner alchemy, ways to finally heal from too much trauma. Also here to connect with others & broaden my understanding & Dao heart. Thank you for having me fellow Daobums.

hermeneutical exegesis

yes that is really helpful. for me personally spring forest qigong was the game changer. I felt also that my heart was closed for a long time. The more i did qigong, the more i felt, something changes within me. then i had some healing sessions with the founder of spirng forest qigong. in the first session i felt nothing. but then boom - i just felt my heart opening and for some weeks i was walking in joy. i felt very close to everyone around me. after some time that feeling of an open heart got away. but because of diligent qigong practice it came back recently. and i am really grateful for it. it changed my life for the best.

Claustrophobia

Maybe @zerostao can clarify the intent as he started the thread with a single word, gratitude. That said, I do like your idea!

Mod Note: Locking since the various personsae associated with this thread have been banned. If some one wishes to start a new thread, feel free.

-- Fr Martin Laird, OSA, Into the Silent Land

Yes ! One needs to forge a pathway whereby 'divine grace' may descend and manifest .

So , that is 'an incident ' ... what when it is your whole life ? A bigger mystery for me is I THOUGHT I WAS RUNNING the show ... but was I ? In latter life I started to see the image that was being formed ( and was SUPPOSED TO BE being formed - one knows that it is supposed to be as the picture gets clearer - you can see what it is . Its a long complex story that I will not go into , but it is like ; little kid sees a fire engine and loves it ... so what , many many kids do that . Then he gets a choice of a toy for his birthday , he chooses a toy fire engine . He doesn't seem as nervous around fire as others kids but acts reasonably . he even puts out a dangerous fire at a young age . He grows up has a variety of jobs but isn't really happy ... eventually , through a ' series of coincidences' he ends up as a fireman . he enjoys it, he starts having a better life . He discovers his grandfather and two of his uncles were firemen . How much of that was his choice - how much was his destiny ? One example I could give out of the whole complex tapestry of them in my life : I treasure my little place and environment , I have been here 40 years and its a rare gift . But we got involved in complex court battles and it looked like we were going to loose it . Oh no ! The rental situation here was impossible and over expensive ... I started to get worried and stress out ... what they hell am I going to do ? Then I pulled myself together ... what the hell are you doing that for ? My whole life I have never had to worry , the Gods have 'always delivered ' ( I didn't realize that for the first half of my life ! ) , stop being stupid ! Just let them do their thing . But one needs to create a medium for manifestation , so I randomly looked at a site on line to see if there any houses for rent . I saw one that immediately caught my eye , and it was near local , that was weird as many many people had been looking for rentals and none were supposed to be about . A friend of mine was considering the same issue and we decided to move together as house mates . We went and had a sneak look at the place , it was great ! I peaked through a window ;" Thats my room ! " . I won't go on about how good it was, in many aspects . We rang up, were told many people had rung and there was a huge list . They happened to be at the house unexpectedly and I asked if we could come over and see them . We hit it so good the woman said " I don't even want to sign a lease , it seems so crass and official, I would like our arrangement to be based on trust and understanding . My woman friend loved that but I could see the owners male partner cringing and sensing danger , so I offered , " Yes, let's work on trust from both sides , but just as a little official annoyance , give me the lease and I'll sign it . Very happy there . But something unusual still hung in the air . When I left the house I would either drive to town, or the other way to see people I knew . Not just drive past the house . One day I rode my motorcycle* from town to a friends PAST the house and it hit me , MY GOD ! This is the house I rode past on the first day I ever came to this area ! I distinctly remember the view from the road as one passed , the garden and fields and spectacular view and I said to myself ' Wow! Look at that amazing house and view , I would love to live in a place like that , even if it was for a few months , for the experience . ' And here I was doing exactly that . Things started to improve in the court case so I started going back to home , a cabin down in the valley . Now I had a cabin down in the valley near the river , and a lodge up the mountain (it had been a lodge offering accommodation previously ) * same with the motor cycle - I saw one as a youth " Thats the one I want ! " I could never get it of course . And then it became impossible as, as they do, keep changing models every year and 'modernizing ' ... decades later , I get an inheritance , an Indian company had bought out the English motorcycle manufacturers and kept making them in India and had put out a 'retro model ' of the exact one decades back I always dreamed about , so I got one . That's just two examples ... and crazy that it is things like a motorcycle ( its been other things too that I wont detail ) , but a lot more of course ; life direction, relationships , job , etc / Some days , I just stand there and look wondering up to the sky " Thanks 'Big Mum ' for looking after me ! "

Don't worry , mods can lift a whole thread and park it somewhere else .... . apparently - damn cloak ! .

wow amazing story, thank you for sharing!

Pirate

But is that the language Jesus spoke and through which he shared his message, or written words later attributed to him by an author who spoke a different language? Saying Jesus used the Greek word for Gods is a bit like saying Lao Tzu used the English word for Way, because someone later translated his words into English.

Evolve

hey tim i struggled to with technology , maybe we struggled with the same things that would be funny. hope you find here what you need

Hey I hope you find here what you need, i joined some time ago, but try to be more active now. You can heal from trauma. i healed from longterm depression with qigong. i wish you a lot of sucess

deep still mysteries. wind and water 風水 (feng1 shui3) integration 中 (zhong1)

fly like an eagle, dive like sea turtle, and know deep still mysteries.

Well wishes to you, June bug I saved from my cat! Fly like an eagle!

The New Testament was written in Koine Greek. The singular is θεός (theos) which can mean god or God. John 10:34, uses θεοί (theoi), https://biblehub.com/text/john/10-34.htm , that’s the plural. Context is everything, Jesus had only one God. Also the Hebrew it refers to points to gods.

I am grateful to see one from my religion (RC).

also from the same Source as post just above: Dialogue is collaborative: two or more sides work together toward common understanding. Debate is oppositional: two sides oppose each other and attempt to prove each other wrong. In dialogue, understanding is the goal. In debate, winning is the goal. In dialogue, one listens to the other sides in order to understand, find meaning, and find agreement. In debate, one listens to the other side in order to find flaws and to counter its arguments. Dialogue reveals assumptions for reevaluation, and causes introspection on one’s own position. Debate defends assumptions as truth, and causes critique of the other position. Dialogue is open-minded and includes other views and solutions. Debate is closed-minded, determination to be right, excludes other views and solutions. Dialogue involves a real concern for the other person and seeks to not alienate or offend. Debate involves a countering of the other position without focusing on feelings or relationship and often belittles or deprecates the other person.

Hello all, just making my introductory post. I've practiced kung fu and some tai chi, bagua, and xingyi, and have interest in philosophical and the more esoteric sides of taoism, and look forward to learning with you all.

Yup, those are other masters that Rudi has learned from and worked with, they requested not to have their faces shown on video.

i listened to comedienne Zarna Garg on "Being an Indian Immigrant in America" and find her hilarious. (One of my daughters in law immigrated here from India.)

There is a more direct relationship to other sources with the Psalms . Just like your thread shows us an origin for the Noah story , many psalms can be compared with the original Egyptian . Some psalms were said to be sung in Solomon's court or palace ( I am not sure if there was singing in the temple ? ) , it was part of the Egyptian rituals that these parts of the scripture seems to be drawn from ; Harpist with percussion back up . The word appearing in Psalms - 'Selah' - is interesting to look up . Comparisons with psalms and Egyptian hymns ; https://www.thetorah.com/article/psalm-104-and-its-parallels-in-pharaoh-akhenatens-hymn Papyrus rolls found in Tell el-Amarna revealed the full texts of more than a psalm of the Book of Psalms written in ancient hieroglyphs, and which preceded the Psalms of David written in Hebrew since more than 300 years. Together with historians from Berlin Museum, Egyptian Egyptologist, Selim Hassan, found three pages of Akhenaten's “The Great Hymn to the Aten” written to the sun-disk deity Aten, which were perfectly identical to those of the Books of the Torah, in spite of preceding the Psalms of David by more than seven centuries. They were inscribed on a right-side wall in Ay’s tomb at Tell el-Amarna, on 13 vertical columns at the entrance to the tomb. https://www.egyptiangeographic.com/en/news/show/332

have a cup of tea I'm sick of tea, can't we have all the forms filled out

162 pages later may be too late. But you can always start a new thread with this idea explained on page 1.

This too

Hi neighbour (I’m Dutch) great intro. Welcome to the forum and warm regards to you too.

Welcome!

a. if the "respected" man took revenge for the public insult by killing her, then he is not a "respected" man. b. he could be giving the coffin to a poor family so as to "appear charitable." It could be one of the reasons he is described as "respected" because he publicly gives charity. c. if he were to give the coffin anonymously it would be a greater act of charity because then it is not to garner public accolades.

A short thread... about emptiness/Source/Self/Dao/whatever.... on DaoBums.... Yeah, right

Three Aspects of The Absolute. Folio from a manuscript of the ''Shri Nath Charit'' by Bulaki. Jodhpur, 1823. Mehrangarh Museum Trust