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According to marriage researcher John Gottman, successful couples have at least five positive interactions for every negative one. I suspect this ratio applies to our experiences as forum participants as well. Bums that routinely come away from their experience here feeling unsupported, unseen, and unheard are likely headed for a divorce; enough divorces and goodbye forum. And so I´m trying to master the delicate art of expressing healthy disagreement on occasion without giving my fellow Bums the finger, to find the balance between milquetoast Mr. Nice Guy and Mortal Combat. It´s a work in progress.

I think you're quite right. If interactions are an exchange of energy, and if a degree of equilibrium is important for social and psychological cohesion, then it's essential to consider what energy is given and what energy is taken. It also helps to know what individual goals and approaches are. Eric Berne wrote a book about transactional games analysis called Games People Play. It's about how and why people structure their time, and focuses on an element called Game Playing, which is unconscious, manipulative social interaction that seeks to fulfill a psychological need. Long story short, everyone is seeking to get their needs met and has different ways of doing so (games). Many games are already relationally damaging, and when people come together and want to play different games, or disagree about game roles and rules, even greater hostility ensues. At the basic level, if I want to play Ain't It Awful (ugh, this weather, am I right?) and you want to play Sunny Side Up (it's supposed to be sunny all next week!)... In this exchange, I want commiseration and you want to not have your good mood ruined. We aren't going to get far in our interaction, because neither of us is meeting the need or providing the interaction that the other is looking for. Here on the Bums, there's a tendency to play Courtroom and Now I've Got You, You Son of a *****. I think it helps to identify the games being played by others, and to know what games one tends to personally play into, in order to opt out without contributing further to discord. It's a lot easier to let go of frustration when you realize almost everyone is operating on an unconscious script designed to meet their needs. It might not be healthy, but it sure is human.

I didn´t realize you found that post of mine helpful -- thanks so much for letting me know. Criticism, even when gentle and meant constructively, is very rarely useful because most people are unable to take it in. Most of us, myself very much included, are sensitive and our defensives immediately go up if we get a whiff of criticism. So I think it says something commendable about your character that you´re able to process feedback. I agree that telling someone to "pull their head out of their ass" isn´t interpersonally useful. Especially on the board where, for the most part, we don´t know each other in person. But I agree with Taomeow that it can be useful to say as a matter of maintaining self-respect. There have been a few times over the years where I´ve felt mistreated by my fellow Bums. Looking back, I wish that I´d stuck up for myself more forcefully. I might have felt better if I´d told a few people to pull their heads out of the asses. That phrase wouldn´t of helped our relationships, but it might have helped me. I remember a fight I got into in eighth grade. A schoolmate of mine was constantly bullying me and I felt terrible about it, but didn´t want to fight. Finally I got up my nerve and punched him one day. Back at home, I remember looking at my face in the mirror. I had a busted up lip and looked like I´d taken a beating, but I felt great. I´d finally sent a message that I couldn´t be pushed around without consequence. I was a worthy human being who deserved to be treated with dignity. It´s a lesson I´m still learning some fifty years later.

Beautifully said.

Would it have mattered? Is he the sort to take differing perspectives into consideration? Unless there is a benefit to you or someone else, why throw pearls before swine? If she was present, why didn't your sister-in-law's mother come to the defense of said topics, since it was seemingly important to her? Why should she request an expense of your energy, while not expending her own? Why engage in someone's contempt and make yourself an enemy in their eyes? Perhaps it's better to avail yourself of beneficial knowledge and be a reliable source of information when a contemptuous relative falls ill and suddenly finds themselves open to health alternatives. Then you'll be in a position to assist by sharing what you have applied and understood well in your own life, and you will be an ally, not an adversary.

That´s a good question to ponder. @Nungali has recently implied that I´m overly concerned with my popularity, or at least that´s the conclusion I took away from reading some of his recent posts. Personality-wise, it´s true that I tend to shy away from interpersonal conflict. Would I be better off giving more fingers? Some would say yes. I´m remembering an incident that took place at a celebratory lunch after my brother graduated with medical school. One of my uncle´s explained that he was late because he´d just come back from giving a speech about the unmitigated drivel that is all of alternative medicine. A doctor himself, my uncle was employed by a chemical company to defend all sorts of toxic corporate shenanigans. He made no secret of his contempt for homeopathy, chinese medicine, pretty much all the healing modalities I believed in. Anyway, I sat through that lunch listening to him express all sorts of opinions I disagreed with -- and yet I said nothing. My sister-in-laws mother later took me to task: why didn´t I stick up for my point of view? In retrospect, do I regret not defending my beliefs? I don´t. The event was to celebrate my brother´s accomplishment and I didn´t want to take away from that. I also knew that there was no way I was going to change my uncle´s mind -- so why try. Still, I do think there are plenty of occasions where assertiveness, even giving the finger, is the best move. It´s good, I think, to have finger giving in one´s behavioral repetoire. You´re a tiger Taomeow. (Nungali, something of a honey badger.) I´m somewhat less ferocious but who knows? I may get my growl on yet.

it's like a bar fight. if someone is trying to pick a fight, do you engage. or do you walk away from it. or maybe stay out of the bar altogether. or maybe stay out of that neighborhood altogether. or maybe stay away from alcohol altogether. that's another open invitation for dark energies: using alcohol and drugs.

Basically another iteration of "my kung fu is better than yours." Ignore them all but embrace this philosophy: "Many paths lead to the top of the mountain."

When I began my own attempt at translating the Guodian, several chapters in I found myself pondering on how some of the characters were drawn differently. It seemed odd to me, so I explored the possibility that they were intentionally coded. What started as a spontaneous guess ended up making more sense than seemed possible. In some cases, Bu 不 was drawn with or without a line above it. And this is nothing new. But on a whim I pondered if it could mean Yuan 元 in some cases. As they are mildly similar, from some perspective. As I went along, working from Scott Cook's excellent book, I noticed that many translations of the Guodian LaoZi Bundles replace a great many characters. It seems there is a lack of meaning or sense when the original characters are used. Indeed in some cases there seems to be shorthand in use. And in other cases, it seems that there is no way to identify the original character's graph, or, to place its old, lost meaning. What became incredibly interesting to me, was that by using this code, many more of the original characters just made sense. More to the point - there was a consistent theme that emerged from the text. Chapter to chapter - in the Guodian ordering - the meaning just built up. At least that's what I found. Please see for yourself - my translation can be found here, CC BY ND NC Mysterious Center 2025. It it still a work in progress - The ABC bundles of the LaoZi have been translated. However the C bundle contains another section, called Tai Yi Sheng Shui. There is some question as to whether or not it relates to the Lao Zi chapters by scholars. Because it does not contain sentences we can link to received dao de jing chapters, like the other sections do. However, it appears to also utilize the same code. And its thesis adds to the thesis of the whole. Please note, this is script from the Chu kingdom, before the Qin Dynasty standardization of written script. Word conjunctions cannot be thought of as necessarily holding the same meanings as they did for Classical Chinese that has undergone this standardization. Indeed, in a great many cases we see evidence of unique and creative character compositions. This is a personal project of mine. I shared it with a friend of mine who happens to be a very sensitive reader. Unsolicited, she told me that she thinks I had prior history with this text. So in this way, it is something of a personal transmission, from whatever I remember from before. Considering the above, people will likely have different takes on this. I have no interest in holding scholarly debates. Those who do will need to work that out on their own - please use a different thread. But discussion in regards to following the meaning of this perspective are welcome here. AI was not used in any part of this project. 🙏

yes you are, and yes you do ❤️ ❤️

About bloody time too !

Well put. I think giving people the finger occasionally can help maintain self-respect. God knows, many people deserve it. It´s a forceful way of saying NO, and sometimes saying no is exactly what a situation calls for. While it´s true that I mostly refrain from criticizing other Bums, I´d like to point out that I´m not one to keep the peace at all costs. I´ve been quite vocal about expressing my political views (back when we still had a Current Event section) even when I knew that doing so would cost me socially.

This is a list of my favorite books on the subject. It's not exhaustive, and I've left out great spiritual books written by, for, and about women that aren't explicitly discussing the Goddess or the Divine Feminine. If you're interested, I can share those as well. Blood, Bread, and Roses by Judy Grahn is one here you may be particularly interested in, as it explores the history of menstruation and womb worship. Anahita: A History and Reception of the Iranian Water Goddess by Manya Saadi-nejad The Ancient British Goddess: Her Myths, Legends, Sacred Sites and Present Day Revelation by Kathy Jones Blood, Bread, and Roses: Blood, Bread, and Roses: How Menstruation Created the World by Judy Grahn The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future by Riane Eisler Changing Woman and her Sisters: Stories of Goddesses from Around the World by Katrin Hyman Tchana The Civilization of the Goddess: The World of Old Europe by Marija Gimbutas Clan of the Goddess: Celtic Widom and Ritual for Women by C.C. Brondwin The Divine Feminine in Ancient Europe: Goddesses, Sacred Women and the Origins of Western Culture by Sharon Paice MacLeod The Double Goddess: Women Sharing Power by Vicki Noble The Earth Goddess: Celtic and Pagan Legacy of the Landscape by Cheryl Straffon The Essential Handbook of Women's Spirituality and Ritual by Barbara G. Walker Goddesses and the Divine Feminine: A Western Religious History by Rosemary Radford Ruether The Great Cosmic Mother: Rediscovering the Religion of the Earth by Monica Sjöö The Great Goddess: Reverence of the Divine Feminine from the Paleolithic to the Present by Jean Markale Goddess of the North by Lynda C. Welch In Search of God the Mother: The Cult of Anatolian Cybeleby by Lynn E. Roller The Language of the Goddess by Marija Gimbutas Levinas, Judaism, and the Feminine: The Silent Footsteps of Rebecca by Claire Elise Katz The Living Goddesses by Marija Gimbutas Longing for Darkness: Tara and the Black Madonna by China Galland The Once and Future Goddess by Elinor W. Gadon The Other Side of the River: Stories of Women, Water and the World by Eila Kundrie Carrico Performing Piety: Making Space Sacred with the Virgin of Guadalupe by Elaine A. Pena Power of Raven, Wisdom of Serpent: Celtic Women's Spirituality by Noragh Jones Rebirth of the Goddess: Finding Meaning in Feminist Spirituality by Carol P. Christ The Serpent and the Goddess: The Serpent and the Goddess: Women, Religion, and Power in Celtic Ireland by Mary Condren The Silver Wheel: Women's Myths and Mysteries in the Celtic Tradition by Marguerite Elsbeth Sophia: Aspects of the Divine Feminine Past & Present by Susanne Schaup Sophia: Goddess of Wisdom, Bride of God by Caitlín Matthews Suckling at My Mother's Breasts: The Image of a Nursing God in Jewish Mysticism by Ellen Davina Haskell The Water Goddess in Igbo Cosmology: Ogbuide of Oguta Lake by Sabine Jell-Bahlsen The Way of All Women by Mary Esther Harding When God Was a Woman by Merlin Stone Wisdom's Feast: Sophia in Study and Celebration by Susan Cole Wise Women of the Dreamtime: Aboriginal Tales of the Ancestral Powers by Katie Langloh Parker The Woman in the Shaman's Body: Reclaiming the Feminine in Religion and Medicine by Barbara Tedlock The Woman Who Married the Bear: The Spirituality of the Ancient Foremothers by Barbara Alice Mann The Woman's Dictionary of Symbols and Sacred Objects by Barbara G. Walker The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets by Barbara G. Walker Women's Mysteries: Ancient & Modern by Mary Esther Harding Women's Rites, Women's Mysteries: Intuitive Ritual Creation by Ruth Barrett Women's Rituals: A Sourcebook by Barbara G. Walker

I don't oppose either shying away from interpersonal conflict or letting it unfold -- it's situational, it depends on a bunch of things, one of them being one's values... e.g. what do people value more -- to be on good germs with everybody or to be on good terms with themselves. The first one is more of an Asian value -- old China, Japan, places where people lived together in closely knit communities and it was important to have good relationships with the neighbors. The periodic outbursts of incredible communal violence and cruelty toward anyone not towing the line illustrate the limitations of this approach... The second one is more Western, more individualistic -- "my truth" must be expressed, key word "my," and I take no prisoners. Obviously there's limitations to that approach too. I think it's wise to suppress sometimes, express at other times provided both are chosen consciously rather than driven by unconscious imperatives. One chronic line of behavior applied to all (or most) circumstances is not as healthy IMO as occasionally giving the finger or occasionally giving a reassuring pat on the back. You do have a bazi sense. Tiger (or rather tigress, she's yin) is just one of my Four Animals, and not the leader of the pack -- not my Year animal and not even my Month animal. Like all cats, she takes the longest naps... but she can't be sleeping all the time. And like all cats, she doesn't like it when someone steps on her tail, especially on purpose. Meow.

What's unhealthy about giving the finger to someone who needs one? Sometimes that finger points to the moon... the sun... the stars... as in, "pull your head outta your ass and see the light!"

Soft but not hollow. Steel needle in silk cocoon. Diligent practice.

yes, seems pretty basic and intuitive, especially if you have a background in "magick." What are some basic techniques for building weiqi? I just use yi or intent to create a protective bubble or egg type thing around me and infuse it with white light. I imagine a shield coming from my skin and make it tough like a diamond. Not sure if I'm just spinning my wheels with that though.

imo yes. "weiqi" 衛 氣(wei4 qi4) guard qi; your protective shield Eventually one can learn to take the energy of the attacker to use as one’s defence, but that’s a bit advanced level. So yes I agree with you, don’t exhaust your energies with counterattacks; use the protective shield, it works.

Yes, I also thought to ask why OP believes they're being attacked in the first place. If you step in doodoo it's going to get stinky. Best to avoid it altogether. Or you can learn the hard way, I guess. "where intention goes, energy flows" 100%

sometimes the best protection and most prudent course is knowing which neighborhoods to avoid completely and staying away from them altogether. far far away. As above, so below. Just like in our physical mundane secular human life there are "bad parts of town" that we stay entirely away from, and don't go wandering around in looking for trouble or seeking out to do heroic deeds. We do this because plain and simple, it is foolish to enter such areas at all, and it is doubly foolish to enter for those reasons given. It puts self in harm's way. It is looking for trouble. you are no match for anything in those neighborhoods (just like you are no match for anything you would encounter going into a dark building full of say gangs and drug dealers and violent hardened criminals). Be careful what you ask for, what you seek out, what you see as your "mission" and what you think about or give your attention to. Because "wherever your thoughts go, there you are" "what you focus on you become" if the focus is on dark energies then that is an open invitation for same. You are opening the doors of your life and home and very being and saying "come and get me, bring it" one of the best standards ever set by a teacher for me, was for any sort of esoteric work use common sense and stay out of bad neighborhoods. or you will (not may, but will) have a heap of trouble and harm. it is foolish to seek that out. So while we journeyed to some areas (in non-physical form) we were instructed to stay completely away from other areas and situations. "You don't go to the garbage realms." it is advice that has served me well.

I agree with this sentiment, though I don't know much with any certainty about anything really. Building defences seems safer than trying to build offensive strategies. I've read of many techniques that seem to focus on offence like Thunder rites or Dimak for example. I've always wondered about karmic implications of harming people or even entities with Chi. Wouldn't building weiqi be more advantageous for a beginner? Would that protect against entities trying to drain or harm you?

sounds like marshmallow with a squish when I swallow soft but not hollow.

‘Destroyer’ does have strong connotations and may sound extreme, but I use the word very deliberately in an energy path context. At the head level, the Shiva aspect does have to crash through inner barriers, but this isn’t just force for force’s sake. The ‘destroyer’ function is also a safeguard, a test: ‘Can you stay steady when a bull is pacing around your house, or even crashing through the walls?’ If you panic and run, Shiva won’t enter, it’s a safety lock. When you’re truly ready and you don’t flinch, the energy enters smoothly, and Shiva’s face shifts from something fearsome to something calmer and more domesticated. So this ‘Destroyer’ aspect is a test, whilst also being the means to break through our natural resistance at that level. You’ve spoken of this before in terms of kundalini I think, but the principle is the same: you don’t want that force arriving before you’re prepared, or it can overwhelm the system, like the cases in India of people who’ve “seen the light (joti)” but burned their circuits. Better to be repelled until the body-mind can hold the increased current without damage.

The exact origins of Vajrayana are hard to pin down historically. However I think it is fairly safe to say that the form of Buddhism which was transmitted to Tibet in two waves mainly in the 8th and 10th Centuries was the same as what was being practiced mainstream in Northern India at the time. And thus is actually Buddhism and not some kind of strange hybrid which the person is suggesting. I suspect the poster is Nepalese Hindu and thus is anti- Buddhist in some way which is uncertain. Those are my thoughts anyway.

Unfortunately, there's Yang Fire in the Heavenly Stem AND Yang Fire in the Earthly Branch next year. (Unlike the European zodiac that places the 12 astrological animals up in the sky, the 12 animals of the Chinese one are all in the Earthly Branch and are just helpful to remember particular "personalities" of the main players -- the wuxing or Five Phases of qi. Analogies, metaphors... stuff like that. They are popular in mass culture though, but older feng shui schools don't use them -- and newer ones that are serious and traditional view them in the similar vein, more like "pointers," psychological traits, etc.. For analyzing the energies resulting from the Heavenly Stems interacting with the Earthly Branches in a particular year -- or month, day, hour -- they are like mnemonic devices, but wuxing analysis in and of itself usually suffices. Well, that and the Flying Stars and... but don't let me get carried away "going there.") So anyway, 2026 is Yang Fire in the Stem and Yang Fire in the Branch... Ugh... That's a year when anything can happen. I might do a more comprehensive forecast later... I shudder in advance at the possibilities. Although some of the currently prominent feng shui masters, from what I gleaned reading their versions over the years, simply love Fire, the more the merrier... Might be their personal bazi chart influencing their perceptions, who knows. (People are typically attracted to either phases that are deficient or the ones that are overrepresented in their chart -- in the first case because replenishing the deficient ones is beneficial for them personally, and in the second, because the excessive ones are the easiest to access for them personally.)

I feel like we don't have the same energy anymore, old people left, the ones who stayed don't post that much. Yes I know there are new people carrying the forum on it's back, if it weren't for them to post we would have like only a few posts per week. Cheers to those new members I also used to hype this forum when I started, good times back in 2019, and that wasn't even the peak, I came too late to this forum, envy for those who participated in those times Seems like in the past 3 years we went downhill bro I'm also out of ideas to post so I can't contribute, I tried to annoy people the other day but it wasn't a good idea Recently I started to look for Tantra practices, and I had to PM 2 members here to get answers because no one commented on my post Then I found Reddit, and reddit forum about Tanta, Hinduism and Buddhism are full of people, for vajrayana I found a whole forum dedicated to it, just like this one But the qigong reddit is poor, very poor... And there is no other place like The Dao Bums So the best place for qigong/daoist related topics is still The Dao Bums, but unfortunately for some reason we couldn't incorporate well other traditions, it would be nice to have more people here and everything in one place, but I have no idea how to make this happen, buddhism is quite relevant here too but as I said, in COMPARISON to other places this is not the best unfortunately Oh well I coundn't use all of the emojis Anyways, I feel sad to have to use other forums for other traditions related questions. If I'm wrong please correct me

Yesterday I received an email with this sad news about Stuart Alve Olson entering hospice care. I've found some of his materials (books and courses) to be both interesting and useful over the years, and wish him a peaceful transition. Dear friends of the Sanctuary of Tao, We write to you today with a heavy heart to share that our beloved friend and teacher, Stuart, is now in hospice care at home. Patrick and Suzanne are taking care of him, offering comfort, warmth, and companionship as he enters this time of sacred passage. His vital signs are gradually declining, and he is now receiving medication to keep him peaceful and free of pain. The hospice nurse has said he will likely pass in the next day or two. Patrick and Suzanne are holding vigil — reciting for him and staying by his side. We invite you to join this vigil from wherever you are: through chanting, prayer, meditation, or simply holding him in your heart and sending love. If you know it, you may wish to chant the Da Bei Zhou, or offer any mantra, spiritual text, or prayer that carries meaning for you. This is a time of deep grief and sorrow for our community. As you receive this news, we extend our hearts to you, knowing that many of you have walked closely with Stuart in one way or another. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for the love, support, and prayers you have shared throughout this most difficult journey. We are deeply grateful for your care, and for holding Stuart in your hearts and prayers in the hours and days ahead. With heartfelt gratitude, Sanctuary of Tao

This is quite the list, thank you. All of these look very interesting and in line with my personal studies. I'm particularly interested in the ones by Jean Markale, Judy Grahn, Ruth Barrett, Babara Walker...wait maybe all of them haha. I'll start with Blood, Bread, and Roses by Judy Grahn. The stacks of books (and tarot decks) around my house is this ever growing monstrosity! Thanks again for this list. If you wouldn't mind to DM me the other list so as not to derail the thread, I would appreciate that!

mud hut aesthetics in this fragile, dusty mind; maya, swept aside

This is fascinating. I look forward to hearing more. It makes sense that there are coded and layered meanings. And certainly it makes sense your familiarity, interest, knowledge, and connection with the text from other lifetimes where you interacted with it. Most exciting of all is the transmission you receive while working on the project. Receiving insights on the text and meaning, but also regarding your life at that time; the context of the words and translation, but also the context of your life at that time, and your individual relation to the text, the community, the circumstances your personal context and experiences. What emotional tone does it carry for you when you tune into that? Please keep us posted. Thank you. [oh, interesting to see these. I grew up in Asheville. And did craniosacral work for many years, it is a wonderful healing modality. For many decades after moving away from Asheville, i would still have very vivid dreams of it.]

adobe abode whitewash walls and shade within mud hut aesthetics

You got it wrong bro, this is just another conspiracy, entities don't want to enslave humanity. When you say this you make think you believe that entities talk to each other and have big plans like "oh let's enslave these people"... You should care to save living beings than freeing them from these "evil entities" otherwise you will need to do it forever... let me explain, if someone vibrates the energy of an alcohol addict, he will heep attracting entities who were alcohol addicts, and trust me, there are many. Wouldn't it be easir to help the guy to be free from his addiction instead so he stop vibrating in that pattern? Now I'm visualizing this scene in my mind. To fight what? There's nothing to fight against bro, relax. You just got into a big conspiracy theory.

Good to see some old friends are still around. If y'all are bored, go read my last post.

Negative entities can be defined as the people(like you and me) who died but had some kind of attachment with the world, so after death they go seeking for those worldly desires they once had. For example, someone who was addicted to drugs will find someone who is addicted to drugs to connect to, someone who had depression will find a depressive person to connect to, because we while alive we vibate the energy who attracts these "negative entities", once these "negative entities" connect to someone, it's true that they can influence living beings, for example, someone who is addicted to cigarettes probably has a entity who once was alive and addicted to cigarettes connected to him and it can enhance the need for smoking, this is true, but taht's all, demons aren't real. No you haven't, sorry, this is conspiracy theory. Buddhists learn techniques to send these "negative entities"(dead people) to auspicious reincarnations, with love and compassion for them regardless of their acts in life. Why don't you learn this instead of trying to just "ward off" or "dissolve"() them with light? You understood it wrong, "demons" in this context refers to your internal demons(negative emotions), not literally red demons with wings....So the text refers to "clear away negative energies and negative emotions". Catholic church belief here, again, demons aren't real and most of the times the word "demons" was used metaphorically to refer to negative emotions/energy. No bro, the world was not "hijacked by the dark forces, don't put the blame on something external, the world is the way it is because people are bad, people have bad intentions, people make mistakes, people have bad decisions, people do bad things. The "dark force" you mention is nothing external, it's just our inner demons(fear, lust, anger, envy, etc..) at play. And when we stop putting the blame on external factors and accept that WE need to become better persons, then we can start to make the change in the world, if the fault is on external "dark forces" then we should just learn how to throw chi balls at those bad entities(or dissolve them with light as you said) and free the world from pain .. yikes No bro, again with conspiracy theory. Again, you understood it wrong! Stop interpreting things literally, when he mentions "demons" he mentios our INNER demons, which are our bad emotions, you can even do your research on google if you don't trust me. To make things easier I googled it for you, here it goes: "In the context of Liu Yiming's quote, "demons" likely refers to negative, destructive, or limiting forces within and around a person, rather than literal supernatural beings. These "demons" can be understood as negative emotions, harmful habits, self-doubt, and anything that hinders spiritual growth and well-being. The "true human" in this quote represents someone who has achieved a high level of self-awareness and cultivation, capable of overcoming these inner obstacles and manifesting positive qualities. "

We disagree here, which is fine, of course. "Physical and non-physical life forms and beings" are relative constructs. A person can't do ANYTHING to wake up. Enlightenment wakes up to itself... it's own nature. So you are positing a 3rd "location" for special categories of "things". Where would this be exactly? In my experience all of that fits into either the Absolute or the Relative. Anything that isn't manifested is a construction of the mind. That includes last nights dinner. We can posit that those things exist, but until they are experiences the lack even Relative reality. Don't get me started on the "human brain". Some interesting reading on consciousness and the brain: https://tricycle.org/article/six-questions-b-alan-wallace/ I'm not sure what you mean here. Would you mind clarifying?

Out beyond the ideas of right and wrong doing, There is a field. I'll meet you there When the soul lies down in the deep grass, The world is too full to talk about. ideas, language, even the phrase "each other" Doesn't make any sense -Rumi **** Dance, Lalla, with nothing on but air: Sing Lalla, wearing the sky Look at this glorious day! What clothes could be so beautiful, or more sacred? -Lal Ded ****

It is my basic and rudimentary understanding, I'm still very new and just started to learn about Shiva-Shakti path, is that Shiva is essential inert without Shakti, yet the two are basically one and the same, which is depicted as is the Ardhanareeshvara. According to Shaktas, Shakti is essentially Brahman the " Supreme Ultimate Reality" of all that exists. I've also learned as Shakti is the Womb of the Cosmos and as such it is easier for women to connect with this type of energy, but some women will have trouble due to karmas, past lives, etc. Kundalini "herself" is a goddess, which further emphasizes this concept, I think? Correct me if I'm wrong or mislead. I'm so open to all knowledge I can possible grok. My own personal work/practice is strongly connected to womb connection and exploring the powers attributed to being a literal gateway for life and the ideas surrounding the Divine Feminine.

In some of the Tantric Saivism views (like the Krama) Shakti is viewed as the highest reality with Shiva still there but more passively in the background. There are even texts which have Shiva asking and Shakti answering the questions. Kali plays the intense part of Shakti’s role. It’s a non dual view but very different than advaita Vedanta. Everything is real, not illusion and is an expression of Shakti. Manifestation, time and death are embraced as part of Shakti’s power . Quite some intense and dynamic views in this one. First guru of the Krama sect was a woman. It’s views were important part of Abhinavaguptas classic exposition of Tantirc Saivism in the Tantraloka (around 1000 CE).

Diligent practice The way to Carnegie Hall South from Central Park

Hello I am MarcusApollo and I found this forum while doing some research about the Joy of Fishes passage from Chuang Tzu. I was very exicted to see it was still active and I wanted to join in. I am interested in question of free will, consciouness, and the nature of the self at the moment. If you can tell by my name I am huge fan of Walter M. Miller Jr and he is what exposed me to Taoism in the first place. Thank you

Taoist concept is that Jing Chi Shen exist in different levels. The lowest level is body fluid. Conservation applies in everything. That means firstly you should not over exert yourself, physically, emotionally, sexually, financially, academically, philanthropically etc. Better still is to keep a margin, say 80% of your maximum capabilities. It applies to everything all the time. Sexual restraint of orgasm is more on sexual health. If you indulge on these sexual/health techniques, you cannot conserve Jing too.

my understanding is that Beingness has intent yes. but is not changed by it. If we use the terms Creator and created, or Source and phenomena the Creator is necessary for the created to exist. But the created is not necessary for the Creator to exist. the Source is necessary for the phenomena that emerge from it. but phenomena don't produce Source. The Absolute gives rise to the relative, but the relative don't give rise to the Absolute. Their attributes and characterists are totally different. The relative changes, the Absolute does not. "in the world but not of the world." that is how i view it.

the attachment to being human, and being useful, and attachment to the Cosmos (the universe and everything in it) is an obstacle to moving forward. It is illustrated in a most clear, interesting, and literal way as described above with the imagery that Beingness is retreating. That view or picture or relative perspective could also be seen as the human going backwards or not getting closer or not making progress. The other barrier is an indicated resistance and aversion to "unchanging" as a characteristic of Beingness. This statement is an obstacle: "An unchanging Absolute has no interests/experiences - and therefore no interest in whether humans are useful in the Cosmos." (Absolute as it is used in this discussion corresponds to Beingness, i use them interchangeably, depending on the framework and participants) The barriers and obstacles indicated above are of no concern if a person is fine where they are and content with exploring the cosmos in various roles and adventures . No one else can choose or impose a belief system, we each get to script our own based on what fits best for us. The frame of reference needs to resonate and reflect what we see as most important, compelling, engaging, fulfilling. what is seen as a barrier for someone on one path, may well be a priority for someone on another path. it's like ice cream, we get to choose the flavor that tastes the best.

The Absolute has always retreated before me. I conclude that the Absolute is a label for the limit of human perception. Accordingly humans may need a different concept to discuss what is beyond their perception My very limited experience is that what lies beyond what is called "the Absolute" is actually dynamic, with its own agenda I find that comforting. An unchanging Absolute has no interests/experiences - and therefore no interest in whether humans are useful in the Cosmos Humans like to be useful

wallowing in Dao i note that marshy meadow sounds like marshmallow

or marshy meadow --on my knees, for some deet, here! "pleasant-sounding", pah! "pleasant sounding", pah! I suppose, if we must, then. wallowing in dao

love me some Marley, British name for pleasant woods or marshy meadow.

i responded earlier in the thread also, but here in concise form. from Tzvi Freeman: "That is the starting place of Torah, and the first approach of even the simplest Jew—that there is really nothing else but God."

How to filter for viewing only the posts by Sifu Terry Dunn Go to Sifu Terry Dun's profile (he is zen-bear) click here in upper right quadrant, click See their activity in menu on left side of page click Posts There are 61 pages of posts, in reverse chronological order, most recent posts on page 1 Enjoy!

there is one of the Flying Phoenix movements that should be AVOIDED before bedtime because it tends to PREVENT sleep. I don't recall which specific movement it is. Someone else can chime in on that. it is beneficial for any of the Flying Phoenix movements to do them verrrrrrrrrry slowly. Slow them way way down. My understanding is that this increases the benefit. Do them slower than shown on the videos. Often times a person feels benefits right away during or right after the session. And it is noted by many that 3 or 4 hours later the energy kicks in again. See how your own system responds, it is good to be aware of that. And this may vary from person to person. So being your own "laboratory" to test is probably most useful. There are specific instructions when an exercise is repeated that are very important to follow, regarding breath sequence to enter the exercise and breath sequence to exit the exercise. Those must not be changed, altered, or omitted. I will let others respond on the specifics for that. There is a ton of good information in this thread, but it can be daunting to go through 244 pages of reading. It may be helpful for starters to filter the search so it shows only the posts by Sifu Terry Dunn. That winnows it down to about 62 pages. They contain a lot of excellent specific instructions and this is is sure to enhance doing the practice. For me i find it fascinating to read the whole thread, it gives a lot of in depth richness and flavor, and hearing other people's experiences is in my view valuable. It will answer questions that you may not even have yet but will be quite useful as your practice goes along. Also feel free to ask any questions, there are many helpful people on this thread with Flying Phoenix qi gong experience.