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To think that in the future today's kids will feel nostalgia regarding the 2020's... That's a thought 🤔

It is definitely foundational. How to approach it -- well, I think the best way to get into the I Ching is the way it's been used for thousands of years, as an oracle, for divination. You begin developing a relationship with it if you use it this way, hearing its voice, so to speak. There's no "foundational hexagrams," they all carry equal weight between themselves -- perhaps you meant the 8 trigrams? Won't hurt to start familiarizing yourself with those and their characteristics, but it's not necessarily the starting point. The older Wilhelm/Baynes version (not sure about the newer ones) has the overview, explains the divination procedures, and has appendices of which the Ta Chuan is IMO of utmost importance to study... eventually or gradually. I'd start very simple though, with just trying to get some answers to your real life questions and see how helpful (or not) you find what the I Ching tells you. Practice makes perfect. There's no bottom to this thing, so wherever you start, you'll be in the same position as Confucius, you always need 50 more years to study it... but 5 minutes do something useful too. My favorite is the second on the left, Ritsema-Sabbadini. I don't think it's the best for beginners though. The one I started with was the Wilhelm-Baynes version and then the one whose name you can't read in the picture and then the rest. I also have the Chinese version, but that's hard even for a native speaker -- the meaning of most words changed over thousands of years. The Ritsema-Sabbadini book is superb in that it gives you all of them, not this or that translator's (or modern native speaker's) version but everything the word ever meant throughout history. But like I said, it's hardly for a beginner -- until one can "see" and understand the hexagram and the changes even without the verbal explanations, I'd say it's step two. Step one -- I would go with Wilhelm-Baynes.

I wonder if he would still do it if he couldn't afford to change phones this often. A friend of mine once told me about her mom smashing dishes when angry. She found it pretty funny though because her mom would grab a plate, notice it's one of the nice ones, quickly put it down and smash a cheaper one. If she ever smashed one of the nice ones her daughter would know she really means it... otherwise it's just silly theatrics.

Unpopular opinion: The Hunger Games franchise is basically Greta Thunberg. Wielding a bow and arrow. lol jk

Hi Tommy I can assure you my friend, I am not trying to help you to understand anything. Understanding won't help you. Breathing is just breathing, It isn't a spiritual act, unless we just go ahead and call every act a spiritual act. Zen isn't a philosophical pursuit. Any philosophical explanations point at something, but aren't the thing. That thing has to be awakened to and digested through direct experience. When the head is spinning with thoughts, look at that. Who is thinking? Where do these thoughts come from? Are they "mine"? Are they inside? or outside? or neither? Only go straight, don't know. _/|\_ Keith

They had better success with robots that are not humanoid, first deployed for public use in 2020, during the pandemic, ISO contactless food and mail deliveries. There's a couple hundred of them working in Moscow, delivering something like 10,000 food order per month. Of course it's not a lot for such a large city, but they're getting more and more common in the streets. When ordering food via an app, there's an option for robot delivery. Robots pick up orders directly from partnered restaurants and cafes, then navigate sidewalks to deliver to customers. I've seen videos where they sometimes have trouble overcoming a snow drift. They have wheels, not sled runners, so they can have the same trouble with snow drifts as cars. Maybe they will equip them with snow tires or tire chains for the snowy winter... but right now, a friendly passer-by will typically just give them a push if they get stuck.

I know, I know. Living a crazy weekend so forgive me for the misspelling. I could be a snob and excuse myself for the misspelling saying that I think in 3 different languages... That's a thought...

Welcome to the forum.

Well ... not quiet like those The thing is Turnip ...... what sort / type of psychotherapy ? wiki ; '' There are hundreds of psychotherapy techniques, some being minor variations; others are based on very different conceptions of psychology Its a bit like asking ; '' Is surgery useful ? ''

Very well then ... I shall preach to you about non reality from that very pulpit you just described ... until shit happens to me . We better introduce the Mullah here ! Mullah Nasrudin was annoying the whole town, going around preaching about non existence and nothing being being real . So the king got his soldiers to seize him and bring him before him and the townspeople in the arena . There the King asked ; '' O Mullah do you still insist nothing is real and this is all illusion ?'' '' I do ! '' replied the Mullah firmly . '' Very well, release the lions into the arena ! '' cried the King . '' Wait up .... '' called out Mullah '' lions ? What's this about lions ?'' The King then said '' Dont worry .... according to you , they , and yourself , are not real , so no harm will be done . Unless you want to reassess your view on reality ?'' '' Oh , I see '' said Mullah , '' ..... the lions and me are real, please dont release them in here .'' '' Very well, let the Mullah go'' declared the King , '' Now Nasrudin , do you concede my point ?'' '' Your point ? What is your point ?'' '' That reality IS real of course ! '' '' Oh no , reality , me and even yourself are all illusory . '' '' What ! Throw him back in the arena and release the lions .'' yelled the King . '' No no ... dont do that , you, I and everything IS real, after all .'' 'Now the King being frustrated asked , '' Look Nasrudin , are you claiming reality is real or not ?'' Nasrudin ; '' Well, that depends if you are going to release the lions on me or not .''

If I may ask ; your age and sex ? - its relevant to an explanation . Also what's behind your user name ? Some of this resonates with some experience I had as a child . Except mine was in nature and did not have the 'kundalini thing ' going on ... and not in some 'void realm ' . For me ( and it could also possibly be for you ) it relates to individuation and 'connecting to spirit' through ' Genius Loci ' * or some might call it spirit or angel guardian .... or familiar spirit / guide / helper . Its not unknown even in the modern western world ; Blavatski had her 'King John' and Jung had his ' Philamon' . * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genius_loci IMO Genius Loci may not necessarily need a 'loci' but may come through a different connection , however with indigenous people that are more connected to land and environment .... particularly local environment of birth ... the loci connection is very strong . I was 'touched somehow' as well ; a beam of light came out of the image and struck me between and a bit above the eyes . This is a crucial point for me ; was that just that experience then and did it settle down later , or do you still have those or uncomfortable , disconcerting , paralysis / crying , etc ..... or was that just after it ? This is important as if it was just then after it happened , now you can settle down to a rich and rewarding experience . It could be, but I dont know what the relevance would be . It could be an indication that ' you have done some work in past incarnation to get to this stage now where you can have this experience .... or just weird shit ... like I got a flat spot over my 'third eye ' with an up turned Moon crescent shape under it , the Moon shape ( sort of like a fat or fluid deposit , seems to get larger and the feature more prominent during a full Moon) .... now I would think I am just being a 'tripper' but it was others that bought this to my attention , I had not noticed that . Also, if it means anything , I have a lot of Cancerian energy in my chart , including the tropical Sun right at the beginning of Cancer and I have a water ( element for Cancer ) hexagram birthmark on my chest . Also my experience was by the water , my 'being' came out of the water ( also I have a strong and well aspected Neptune in my chart ) . Get your natal horoscope done , relevant things should link in to your experience if valid . But why ? I would agree if those signs / symptoms persisted , but if they didnt , why worry ... other benefits will surface from a valid experience ( see below ) . In any case , if you want to find out more about kundalini , look it up and research and read . If it still a problem, outline it and some others here with more experience in it than I have might be able to help . These are some of the below benefits I referred to . Now, with further explanation it seems this entity is female . So was mine . Also look into ' anima / animus ' and the Zoroastrian concept of 'Daena ' . If this relationship develops in a balanced way you will have great benefit .... I have from mine , all of my life . atheism is no protection against the 'unfolding of the psyche' . - '' she sang me a little song '' : Was it in English ?

Something like VortexHealing is much deeper than psychotherapy but sometimes a mix is good for releasing blocks in your system. Facing a person revealing your inner thoughts and feelings can aid in the path since the ego doesn't like vulnerability. Ultimately the path is to let go of the 'I' - marinate in Presence and let the mind release itself.

That makes sense. That is how I generally started to familiarize myself with the Tarot back in the day.

Nostalgia ? or ; ''You wrecked our future ! '' Is it ?

This is so good...a good lesson in there somewhere.

And here we go again. Apparently, after a bunch of years proving that the universe we live in is a simulation, they now have mathematically demonstrated that it isn't, it's 100% real and, moreover, can't be simulated. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251110021052.htm Whew. Good to know. Not that I didn't... The idea that nothing is real always seemed to me as either religious "opium for the masses" so they don't take their abysmal plight to heart and don't make too many waves... if it's not real, who cares that you're poor and exploited and downtrodden, it's just illusion and in some other "more real" reality you are all-powerful... ...or the outcome of hallucinogenic drugs use that can temporarily, and sometimes permanently, cause depersonalization and the rest of the nothing is real effects... ...or, in the latest scientific incarnations, the conclusions a man of science arrives at who grew up with screens, computers, phones, video games and not with nature. The world they have been exposed to, the only one they know, is then extrapolated in their mind to the rest of the universe. Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about...

Religion is wonderful For myself I prefer metaphysical experiments

It´s impossible to say that psychotherapy is "bad" or "good" because so much depends on the quality of the relationship between the client and therapist. Psychotherapy has been helpful for a lot of people but it´s not always helpful.

No.

I'd be interested. I'm starting to think that the Yijing is more foundational than the Dao De Jing. Also, how would one approach it? Would it make more sense to familiarize with the foundational hexagrams first?

Haha! I think I just did a "yes, but" !

Perhaps. But, since this is a thread in the Buddhist Discussion forum, enlightenment in the Buddhist sense is simply moving from incorrect view to correct view. That is, awakening to reality as it is, not as seen from the view of a separate self or spirit. The Chinese character for "Buddha" is translated as "awakened person". Even that isn't correct though, as the concept of a "person" is erroneous. _/|\_

When I was in my early teens we had a TV that responded better to some of The Art of War techniques though. It was old and would attempt to conk out right when they were showing a Polish series that ran in the daytime after school, "everybody" in my class watched it and I had a crush on the main protagonist to boot. So that TV acting up right when his pretty face showed up was infuriating. I tried kindness but no go, so I would give it a beating. It worked. There was a particularly sensitive spot on its side and if you smacked it there, the pretty face reappeared and the TV behaved. Different strokes...

Applying the golden rule to the machine 🤔 that's a thought!

Well, as I'm with insomnia here goes an unquestable truth: The dao bums path is the only true path. There's no salvation outside of it.

I personally do not know how the spirit would penetrate all existence since I have found no such thing in myself. Some have mentioned that they can travel thru the astral planes. Guessing that might have something to do with the spirit. For me, I do not have such experiences. And so, I do not see, feel, or grok that there is such a thing as spirit. This not to say there isn't a spirit. Just that for me, it doesn't exist. I live and breathe. Wake up in the morning, cook myself a meal, boil water for coffee. What life is, it is in front of me. When I read the saying before enlightenment, chop wood carry water. after enlightenment, chop wood carry water, the question arises what changed?.

I thank you for your reply and trying to help me understand. Still, I remain confused with all this as my mind doesn't see these complexities. Saying that breath or the act of breathing is in part spiritual, leaves me wondering if actions turn into portions of ourselves. The actions of the mind to sense conditions brings an uprising of emotions. So, the act of breathing brings a spirit or spiritual sense? My head spins with all these thoughts and ideas. So, let me just say thank you for your efforts to let me understand. And let's just say that I don't get it and probably never will. When Quantum mechanics says that anything can come from from the nothingness of space, I can understand that. But, when one states that breath or watching breath is a spiritual act, my mind freezes. One can say that one is on a spiritual path. However, it seems to me that it is only the real path to follow. All others returns to the beginning. When one says that two quantum objects can share the same information at the same time even though they may be light years apart thru quantum entanglement, okay, I get that but don't understand how since it is faster than the speed of light. So, yeah, I read your words and as I read they make sense. But, how it relates to me, there is a chasm. Still I thank you for trying.

Yes, as I get older, I find sitting in the squat position to be wonderful for my hips and low back, promoting strength and flexibility. It's a position many of us in the West are unfamiliar and uncomfortable with, favoring always sitting in chairs.