jove

cold? may be on the prairies, most people where I live count themselves lucky to see snow on the ground. last year we had a total snow fall of 3 inches. the average low temp is around 10 degrees ©. the down side is the corporate regime now running things into the ground. it will see a quick change in government soon not that it will make much of a difference. we see our selves as pretty free to do as we desire up here but the general population is clouded and blind so they have no desire to resolve grievances beyond local government. a major problem is that the population is not equal here. the provinces with the wealth are left behind in spending because the population of voters are greater in areas where there is no economic stability. decisions which effect the lives of families for generations are made behind a desk 2000 kilometers away by a person with no personal attachments to the land,(not that we should dwell on personal attachment). could be worse I guess. (that's a joke, peace!)

if any one has time, I would like some. peace!!!

you sound sad, very adamant in your desires, where do these feelings come from? people need guidance in order to make gains, it seems to me that many people believe themselves to be "special" and are looking for some one to just recognize that they have achieved some sort of level of understanding. I am not a master of anything so my words are just words, opinion and nothing more. well you are special, as much as any of the rest of us. the sages themselves say that all people have the greatness in them. there is no difference physically between us or any other including the greatest of masters. you say you have developed your own methodology? I would be interested in how you investigated your principles, what experimentation did you perform in order to come up with your techniques?

how can a system which does nothing but increase prison population sustain anything? the war machine only feeds the masses who care for the criminal justice system, the money brought in by military forces in the form of their pay checks and consumerism only promotes and justifies the system. so it comes down to soldiers and slaves, ruled by an almost deified upper-class of arrogant socially destructive, morally degenerate criminals. how much does it take to (enslave) incarcerate an adult in the u.s. penal system? where does this come from? the monetary aspects of this take forms which most seem blind to. even the supplier of capsicum for the pepper spray. so why work to feed someone else's slave? because of the whining's of human rights advocates who probably work within the system itself? so feed a war to promote social justice and you can sleep well at night knowing that the freedom of the nation is well protected from the enemies of democracy. But what do I know? I am just some guy on a computer somewhere. who cares what I think? lol.

I am interested in getting some feedback on a possible line of study. As an English speaker I have trouble following the intended metaphor of much of the Taoist literature. it is my assertion that not knowing the nuances of the parent language of the writings, I am unable to transfer the meanings to the moment. I read the translations done by Cleary and although it seems the words are carefully chosen so as to convey original intent of the authors "I feel" as though there are meanings beyond what I can recognize. this brings me up to the topic I want to discuss. the work of the stoic philosophers. I have found that the work of Epictetus is easy to understand in the context which I am used to learning, as I read the work many of the intended meanings in the tao classics become lucid to me. the metaphor included in the enchiridion seems much more pertinent to life here in this part of the world. I have been studying the work of Marcus A. and I see much of the stoics influence in his "meditations". the questions I pose are simple, is this a safe way to study? do these two philosophies really have the cross over that I see or am I accepting poison in the form of honey? the words sound sweet, but bitter poison can be covered with enough sugar to fool the most sensitive pallet. appreciation for all feedback, peace. Jove

hello, being new to any type of forum, i am unsure of what to do with it. what is an introduction? i am new to the tao yet i am familiar with study. it has taken me many years of reading aimlessly in order to bring me to the moment. being well read in philosophy does not mean i understand anything. i do know that i may need patient hand holding in order to get past the shell of non-sense surrounding my life in the un-real. what does it mean that i have found my way here? i have no expectations or attachments to outcome, it is only my interest in doing the internal work that has led me to seek the perspective of others. i have no teacher, however i do have instruction second hand from one who is adept at searching out principles. my life in the mundane allows me all the freedom needed to give my full attention to study, in whatever form that takes. peace!