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Some people change their gender; others get really creative with copper wire. Different strokes.

Nooooo on DaoBums we never stay on topic … it’s a tradition.

[no AI] The Dao Bums by a toxic online influencer: The name of The Dao Bums forum originates from the fact that some there are capable of being so far stuck up their own arses that it creates a virtual dark room for them to meditate in.

Or one might say different pokes…

Raymond Chandler The DaoBums website sits like a smoky speakeasy in the dim corners of the internet, a joint where mystics and misfits trade hard-boiled wisdom under the flickering neon of digital dreams. Its forums hum with the low growl of seekers—guys and dames chasing the Dao’s shadow, tossing around koans like loaded dice in a backroom craps game. Every post’s a slug of bourbon, sharp with insight or bitter with dogma, spilling over threads that twist like L.A. alleys after midnight. The regulars, tough as old leather, sling questions about chi and karma with the kind of grit that’d make a private eye nod approvingly, while the mods keep the peace like weary bartenders, ready to cut off anyone who gets too drunk on their own revelations. It’s a place where truth’s always one post away, but nobody’s holding their breath.

OK, I couldn´t resist. Question: How might William S. Burroughs describe the character of Liminal Luke on Daobums? Answer: Luke... yes. Seen him. The taobums flicker-flicker-flicker on the screen, a digital junkyard of "being" and "non-being." And there, always on the edge of the frame, is Luke. The Liminal Kid. Not a user, not a master, just a ghost in the machine's echo chamber. He sits in the silence of the forum, a twitching nerve-end. Waiting. Not for enlightenment, mind you. But for the next dose of static, the next whispered code that might break the illusion of his own flesh. His "practice" is a form of withdrawal, a desperate scratching at the scabs of perception. He's not meditating; he's junk-sick for the void. The final fix. You see it in the way his posts bleed into the margins, words strung out like a desperate junkie's last thought—the same thought you see in the eyes of a man trying to talk to his reflection in a bathroom mirror. They talk of "flow states," of "the Way." He just sees it as another control grid. A psychic virus transmitted through bad translations and the smell of stale incense. He's the one trying to get to the off switch, convinced the Taobums are just a new, more insidious form of the same old scam—another gang of vendors selling a different brand of heroin. A spiritual fix that promises freedom but just hooks you on the emptiness. He's not chasing peace. He's chasing the silence between words. The space where the narrative stops and the parasites die.

No AI in my writing (yet). "The speckled band!", cried the moderator, falling to the floor in his continued search for his cask of amantillado... (mixing my fiction writers, there).

The one that is responsible for agni yoga.

Nope that's the wrong Sean I'm afraid.

when are you going to write a longer script and make a movie out of this?

I like a lot of what they emphasised according to your dot points above, but going back to my chart on page 1, it was stated that tantra gets stuck because it “Romanticises Shakti, chasing bliss, ignoring Shiva’s stabilizing clarity” and that “In Tantric and devotional systems, Shiva/true yang is often underdeveloped because bliss states feel ‘enough’.” https://www.thedaobums.com/topic/57086-a-short-essay-on-the-subtle-architecture-of-our-inner-life/?do=findComment&comment=1061236

This is the YouTube channel which helped me understand the basics of bazi: The first time I saw my chart after learning a bit, it was like every puzzle piece of my life fell into place. An exact snapshot of my life. Since then I have mapped out a timeline of all the years of this lifetime and the main events that happened since, trying to associate them with the elements of those years. Like Luke, I've always associated Taomeow with a Tiger, maybe it's in relation to her fire element.My day master is a wood tiger.

Across the wild, uncharted moors of the mind, where thoughts roam free as heathland winds, there lies a strange and solitary place called DaoBums, a digital haven carved from the ether’s boundless mist. Its forums, like ancient stone circles, gather souls who tread the shadowed paths of spirit and flesh, their words weaving tapestries of fervent debate and quiet wisdom, as if whispered by some eternal, unseen force. Here, seekers of the Dao, restless as the gales that sweep Wuthering Heights, clash and commune, their voices rising like sparks from a fire kindled by questions too vast for mortal tongues. Yet, beneath the fervor, a haunting stillness lingers, as if the site itself broods, holding secrets deep as the earth, waiting for those bold enough to wander its labyrinthine depths.

Quasi-History The main view of historians of all kinds on history, despite their different interpretations of facts, is that people in antiquity were completely straightforward. With this article, however, I want to show that they were not necessarily so straightforward. Everyone knows that today there are science fiction writers and futurists who try to look far into the future and describe things that may not appear for a very long time. But when it comes to ancient people, the common opinion is that they could not see further than their own noses, doing everything only for their present moment. In this way, they are portrayed as utterly primitive beings. Even Atlantologists, who claim that humanity in antiquity was much more advanced than today, do not make a decisive attempt to break free of stereotypes and admit that the ancients might also have amused themselves by creating objects they knew would be studied centuries later. That they might have simply played a super-intelligent prank on reality—building, for instance, the Egyptian pyramids not only to immortalize certain pharaohs but also knowing these monuments would be analyzed endlessly—is entirely possible. For a serious person, predicting history is not so difficult. Only naïve people live exclusively in the present moment, studying only the here and now, as well as the past. Serious people, however, are capable of looking far into the future. I once read online that chess was originally a purely magical game, where four sorcerers at the board, by playing a match, modeled an upcoming battle. Likewise, Tarot enthusiasts can simulate the future through cards and certain actions. Those who know the Toltec practice of stalking know that they could mystify others—and of course, such mystification could also apply to history. Indeed, such magicians lived in both Americas since ancient times and could have created their artifacts not for the reasons historians try to attribute to them, but specifically to mislead historians, mystifying them about their abilities and cultures—thus creating complexities in history while also achieving fame. For if everything were banal, what special meaning would life have had for them? Life has meaning for something and for someone, and the greatest meaning emerges when future generations begin to take interest in what you have left behind. So, my main idea is this: people in antiquity could have created their objects specifically for future researchers, engaging in forgery and the mystification of history.

when my sons were in middle school, one of the books on their assigned reading list was Motel of the Mysteries, by David Macaulay. It is set in the far future (the year 4022) when a budget motel is discovered by archaeologists, buried deep in the rubble of the ancient forgotten civilization USA which was extinguished in a cataclysmic event. It is assumed to be a sacred burial chamber, and the holy exalted mystical meaning and function assigned to the sacred items found therein , are quite funny. TV, toilet seat, bathtub, bed all take on grand significance, with somber scientific analysis, detailed well-drafted diagrams and set in the grand sweeping (and speculative) arc of (re-constructed) history and culture. it is an eye-opening parody and commentary on how our current culture may be viewed by archaeologists in the future. "The late 1970's United States is accidentally buried under several feet of junk mail, trapping and entombing the entire country for several centuries. Eventually an archaeologist stumbles upon a sinkhole which leads to the discovery of a budget motel. "Do you see anything?" "Yes, wonderful things!..." And so our culture is rediscovered, misinterpreted, lampooned, and utterly skewered in a send-up of the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb. "judging from the DO NOT DISTURB sign hanging from an archaic doorknob, was clearly the entrance to a still-sealed burial chamber. Carson's incredible discoveries, including the remains of two bodies, one of them on a ceremonial bed facing an altar that appeared to be a means of communicating with the Gods and the other lying in a porcelain sarcophagus in the Inner Chamber, permitted him to piece together the whole fabric of that extraordinary civilization."

beat me to it . I was wondering how Burrows would see 'Fear and Loathing in Daobums '

Here´s Gemini´s (not very accurate, imo) take on the forum in the style of E.E. Cummings. a place where minds unfurl (like petals on a new day) where silence breathes the body's song and answers are not found but felt (a humming of the Tao) of being simply there.

public forum, for anyone to respond or discuss, and share their view. if a private personal response from one person only is desired, then tool for that is DM (direct message)

No. the post is clearly discussing interpersonal dynamics, views about Dao Bums forum, and relating it to meditation. It is also in the same clever and creative and colorful vein as earlier posts in this same thread. I find it laugh out loud funny.

hmm, are you getting away with personal politics

The pivotal thing for me is that all three are mental processes and therefore not real.

yes e.g. a mystery, eternal, omnipresent

I hope your illusions of my literary genius have not come crashing down

I am ashamed to say I used grokAI ...

I agree.

Received the following last night: Dear friends, We are writing to share the heartbreaking news that Stuart passed away two days ago, on August 14, 2025, at 4:08 pm. He was in the comfort of his home, and Patrick and Suzanne were at his side until the very end when he passed as they held him. They ensured he was cared for and loved, and they let him know how much all of you loved him, sharing your letters to him and how much he had touched the lives of others. Even though many of you were unable to see Stuart during this most difficult journey, he knew how much he meant to all of you, how loved he was, and how much his life positively impacted the lives of others. He leaves behind an immense void in our hearts as we will miss him greatly. As we come to grips with not having our beloved friend and teacher physically with us, we will carry on through everything he taught. It is through what he taught us and through the moments we shared that he will always live inside of us. It was also always important to Stuart that the teachings survive him so that others can find wisdom and compassion even after his own time. So, just by remembering what he taught all of you, what he shared with each of you, you are carrying his legacy. May his life continue to shine positively on each of us. We will keep you informed as we take the first steps towards arranging a memorial service for Stuart. It will most likely be in October in Minneapolis, MN. We are also planning an online memorial service for the Sanctuary of Tao community in the coming weeks, and we'll send an email as soon as we have the details regarding this event. If you would like to send a memorial gift instead of flowers, we would be deeply grateful for a donation to the Sanctuary of Tao as a way of helping fulfill Stuart’s vision and carry forward the work he dedicated his life to. Once again, we would like to thank all of you from the bottom of our hearts for all of your support, love, and prayers for Stuart during the time that we needed it most. We will forever be grateful, and we will never forget it. With heavy hearts but with all of our love, Sanctuary of Tao

getting stuck in the bliss state, yes is definitely an obstacle and barrier. a person can stop there and not go any further because they think they have arrived.

in the meantime which way to the kitchen, I'm hungry, btw when will be done with digging ditch's and falling into them?

ecause ' its fraught with difficulty ; Distinct Centromere-Like parSSites on the Two Chromosomes of Vibrio spp see paper here https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jb.00416-07

... bit of fiberglass , new coat of paint , new oars ..... look out ducks... here I come . - it ain't over yet !

Arthur Conan Doyle Ms. TaoMeow, who was usually very late in the mornings, save upon those not infrequent occasions when she was up all night, was seated at the breakfast table. I stood upon the hearth-rug and picked up the stick which our visitor had left behind him the night before. It was a fine, thick piece of wood, bulbous-headed, of the sort which is known as a “Digging Stick." Just under the head was a broad silver band nearly an inch across. “To Nungali, Honorary Blackfella, from his friends of the Outback,” was engraved upon it, with the date “1884.” It was just such a stick as the old-fashioned Australian ngangkari used to carry—dignified, solid, and reassuring. “Well, Apech, what do you make of it?” TaoMeow was sitting with her back to me, and I had given her no sign of my occupation. “How did you know what I was doing? I believe you have eyes in the back of your head.” “I have, at least, a well-polished, silver-plated espresso maker in front of me,” said she. “But, tell me, Apech, what do you make of our visitor’s stick? Since we have been so unfortunate as to miss him and have no notion of his errand, this accidental souvenir becomes of importance. Let me hear you reconstruct the man by an examination of it.” “I think,” said I, following as far as I could the methods of my companion, “that Mr. Nungali is a successful, middle-aged Australian man, well-esteemed since those who know him give him this mark of their appreciation.” “Good!” said TaoMeow. “Excellent!”

Please everyone note: Any political comment will be hidden and if necessary action taken against the poster. We are not going to set up an alternative site or have a special section on here in the foreseeable future. This is because we tried it already but experienced problems. We ( The Mods) have received general support from members for the politics free approach and this will continue for the time being.

Yes …no.

Bobby Bob please don’t!

my accurate observation is that you like to stir the pot.

I’m still in shock at the thought that anyone on here finds you annoying.

There are plenty of other places to discuss politics, glad it’s avoided here.

Sorry but the rule still stands. (No masturbation at the dinner table I mean of course) 😎

The more I learn about Daoism and Qigong, the more I sense this path goes far beyond the healing I’ve known through psychological methods. Still: Qigong can NOT replace psychology. it needs a certain psychological stability for energy work. i still sense qigong goes beyong the psyche, because it helps me connect with my soul Psychological approaches have helped me understand and process my mind and emotions — but Daoist practice feels like it works on a different order of reality. It’s not just about repairing or managing the self, but about transforming the very framework that creates the self in the first place. For those of you who can relate, i wonder how did you notice the shift from “healing” to something beyond healing? I would love to hear how others have experienced this crossing-over point.

it's prohibited. results in warning, banned, or both.

Yes, I agree with this, there are so many forums online to discus and debate politics on. I see in the rules of this particular forum that discussion of politics is not encouraged. I understand why- it's not a political form. Interesting analogy hahaha.

regarding "the absurdity to deny or ignore politics" here on Dao Bums forum no one is denying it or ignoring it. they are just saying do it elsewhere, not here. it's like raising three boys and teaching them that masturbating is done in these areas (i.e. your room at home) but not in these areas, i.e. your classroom at school, or the kitchen where the family is sitting down to have dinner. sure it's fine to do it, just take it somewhere else, not on this forum. that is not absurd. it is common sense.

it is your belief in something that feeds it and makes it grow. [generic "you" applies to anyone, not directed at a specific person]. your belief, your attention, your focus on "demons" and "evil" gives it life and causes it to grow. It also acts as a magnet to draw more of the same to you. "what you focus on you become" and "wherever your thoughts go there you are" is saying attention exacerbates and makes it worse, it is pouring gasoline on fire the whole "demons" and "evil" preoccupation is fear based and it is fear driven. fear of evil, fear of demons fear of aliens, fear of harm. you are literally seeing these things internally. that makes It internal not external. And that is a good thing because it is then accessible and manageable. if something is extreme to the extent that it is causing disruption and imbalance to activities of daily life, then that is an indication to access and use the resources available to bring balance back, this applies to debilitating physical pain (extreme body sensations) or emotional pain (extreme feelings and emotions) or mental pain (extreme thoughts). the problem with "the devil made me do it" or "evil is to blame" or "the demons and aliens are controlling humanity" is that by making it an external "thing" it removes not only accountability and responsibility for tending to our own health and well-being as humans involved, but it is saturated and steeped in fear which is debilitating and tends to lead a person towards greater imbalance, instead of seeking helpful resources which provide steps toward greater balance. Extreme absorption and preoccupation with conspiracy theories is recognized as an imbalance.

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.

As usual translating inner/spiritual statements between languages misses much of the meaning. The physical plane/form is an effect and not a cause - hence is empty Beingness (containing no forms therefore empty) generates all manifestation Empty is not a useful word for those working on the inner planes

I’ve been exploring Shakti Shiva dualities across systems, something that fascinates me, maybe someone here might find it interesting. Note, this table has been put together by AI so there may be mistakes. Neidan (Taoist Alchemy) Hindu Tantra / Kashmir Shaivism Vajrayana (Tibetan) Sufi Mysticism Gnostic / Hermetic True Yang – Yuan Shen (Original Spirit), pure pre-heaven yang, unchanging Shiva – Pure consciousness, the witness, static pole Method (Upaya) – Bliss/clarity body; sometimes coded masculine Jalal – Majesty, transcendence, awe Christos – Logos, ordering principle, the still divine mind True Yin – Yuan Qi awakened from root, pre-heaven yin, transformative force Shakti / Kundalini – Dynamic energy, manifestation, active pole Wisdom (Prajna) – Emptiness/energy awareness; sometimes coded feminine Jamal – Beauty, intimacy, immanence Sophia – Wisdom, movement, the animating feminine Union of True Yin & True Yang – Leads to the Golden Elixir, immortality of spirit Shiva–Shakti Union at Sahasrara – Final liberation, cyclical descent & ascent Union of Method & Wisdom – Single taste awareness Kamal – Perfection, balance of majesty & beauty Syzygy – Reunion of Christos & Sophia, restoration of fullness Sequential refinement and merger Often symbolic but also mapped onto subtle body Symbolic + yogic practices (tummo, channels, drops) Mostly metaphorical but experienced mystically Mythic narrative with inner mystical reading Where people get stuck Over-controlling Qi, suppressing yin movement; fear of emotional storms (Shakti) Romanticizing Shakti, chasing bliss, ignoring Shiva’s stabilizing clarity Overemphasis on “emptiness” without embodied union; or fixation on heat/bliss states Attachment to devotional ecstasy (Jamal) without Jalal’s containment Over-identifying with Sophia’s suffering or Christos’s abstraction; fail to unite them The key thing that stands out here is that: In Taoist and Buddhist systems, Shakti/true yin is often suppressed in favour of mental stillness. In Tantric and devotional systems, Shiva/true yang is often underdeveloped because bliss states feel “enough.

Hi. I have been dealing with qi deviation and energy problems for a while after doing some different practices to heal my nervous system and it backfiring. I haven’t done any practices for a while and have been taking it easy, but I believe there is actual damage. Pressure in my head, diaphragm deflated, stomach deflated, muscles and channels in my diaphragm and heart and neck and head feel twisted up. Uncontrollable thinking and anxiety and mental illness accompany all of this. I also feel like some of my soul energy has kinda left my body. Like my body can’t contain or ground the yang qi (yuan qi?) anymore because it just gets tangled and sent to the head, which gets all manic and fizzles out, or it just leaks out of my deflated diaphragm and tangled channels. So I’ve felt very Yin lately and just like my spirit is leaving me. I was also told my a healer that I have a spiritual entity problem as well. This healer couldn’t really help me. I am wondering if anyone knows of any legit qi healers with actual power who I could travel to? I am willing to pay anything and go anywhere. I have read of Master Zhou Ting Jue, but I saw he passed away. I am wondering if there are any other masters who do that kind of high powered internal healing and who have really legit skill, in energy healing or spiritual healing. I feel that the issues I have caused won’t be resolved through lifestyle or time or acupuncture, but need real deep adjustment. I would greatly appreciate any help in finding a powerful healer or doctor. Thank you

A suggestion would be to create a separate forum to mirror this one. thedaobumspolitics.com or something. Then invite everyone over there. That way the staff's wishes are respected here.