old3bob

anyway it's not if but when since the world in 100-200 trillion bucks in debt without any back-up or bail out to speak of being left. (not sure of the exact number but it is super high!)

so when are the banks and ATM's going to close down?

that is a major understatement !

there is no enlightenment in the future, for such is only found or realized now....thus not after jumping through thousands of hoops for unknown number of years and then you get it.

that's cool!

and not just a concept ...here is a partial analogy if you will: the force of an electromagnetic field induced through a transformer and connected to wires on the other side comes out (or emanates) as voltage and amperage...reverse or "return" that connection and voltage and amperage then comes out the side as an electromagnetic field.

so yes, a "return" to Tao -- from which all never really left in an ultimate sense....

btw, being that "The One" is not truly "immortal" per being born and thus also returning to the Tao after a cosmic cycle (although being extremely long lived beyond human understanding)...then all the wonderful and unique beings of the heavenly realms are also not fully immortal either although they too may exist for a cosmic cycle...The historic Buddha (to paraphrase) alluded to this when he asked Ananda three times if he wanted him to remain during the cosmic cycle but Ananda missed the Buddhas drift and then the historic Buddha moved on so to speak. (although other Buddhist Saints or Deities choose to remain and help all beings during the cosmic cycle) Anyway and considering that I'd say that only the Tao is fully "immortal" in meaning, thus the millions or quad trillions (?) of particular heavenly soul forms going about their business can not do so for ever and immortally or eternally, for there is only one Tao that they will also have to return to -- just as "The One" will do so at the end of said cycle. coming back to the context of the op one could then say there is no full "immortality" to be forged in a future to come, (although a relative one could be) thus full immortality can only be now.

ego can be quite the clever king rat working in the shadows, and such an ego does not like voluntarily looking into mirrors, thus someone else can normally point out such ego to ourselves much better than us spinning up a story about it.....btw, a mirror is one thing and can be looked away from but in the full bright light of day there are no shadows to hide in or places to look away from...and that is what a true guru does and why they are needed at times.

one might correlate "The One" in Taoism to "universal mind" (or that containing all manifestation from the extremely and most subtle to the most gross)...yet to me even universal mind appears and disappears although on what could be called an unimaginable multi-verse scale and cosmic time period...(that also takes place in the twinkling of an eye) so we have ,"Tao gave birth to the One" . or the implications made by the beautiful depiction of Shri Yantra.

I'd say mind appears and disappears being the thing that it is, granted almost no one wants to lose their mind (pun intended) identity yet it only lasts so long per time, while the timeless Self is not dependent on or woven in time...

things are bound by time, and "mind" is a vast thing...but no-thing is not mind but not nothing, as alluded to with "Tao gave birth to the One" which I believe in Christian terms could be said to be "the first and the last"...

I'd say there are many parts to us, and many dharma's that must be dealt with for those parts, "naturally". Which is far easier said than done but what else is a soul to do? We make a claims about our mind but it really belongs to "the mind", which is a connected tool for A-Z.

I don't have a problem with your transcendental non-dualistic alluding to, although I would put it in the context of the Chandogya Upanishad with an excerpt from it listed below... अथ य आत्मा स सेतुर्धृतिरेषां लोकानामसंभेदाय नैतं सेतुमहोरात्रे तरतो न जरा न मृत्युर्न शोको न सुकृतं न दुष्कृतं सर्वे पाप्मानोऽतो निवर्तन्तेऽपहतपाप्मा ह्येष ब्रह्मलोकः ॥ ८.४.१ ॥ atha ya ātmā sa seturdhṛtireṣāṃ lokānāmasaṃbhedāya naitaṃ setumahorātre tarato na jarā na mṛtyurna śoko na sukṛtaṃ na duṣkṛtaṃ sarve pāpmāno'to nivartante'pahatapāpmā hyeṣa brahmalokaḥ || 8.4.1 || 1. Next, this Self is like a dam. It supports the worlds and protects them from getting mixed up. Day and night cannot cross over this dam, nor can old age, death, bereavement, good actions, and bad actions. All sins turn away from it, for this Brahmaloka is free from evil. (thus meaning to me free of false guru)

truth can see a lie but a lie is blind to truth....

and your misquote of me will disappear after you correct it, right? Btw, yang and yin are not as basic as it gets...so please quit misrepresenting and misinterpreting along those lines.

get to know the Hua Hu Ching if you will for it has far different sayings...

um, not following all that...but to put it simply i'd say our mind/egos and the trillions of particular selves or forms are only apparent.

btw, I'd say the false guru and true guru are worlds apart, so to speak.

well I see our local juvenile delinquent Starjumper is at it again.... And Rideforever, of course you know that you are speaking from your own projected, presumed and often jaded sounding position...although I will say that I think you showed some insight at the end of your post.

not so according to strict Hindu precepts regarding meat eating... except in rare cases or for certain soldiers on the battlefield. Correct me if I'm wrong?

most pigs live a horrific life confined to small, dirty pins, some cattle live better lives out on the range and in the sunlight but not all of them by a long shot, anyway we will reap the violent karma of most of the modern day animal processing and slaughtering houses in one way or another...so don't worry much about chakras, worry about the impact of personal and massive scale karma!

the proper amount and form of protein, minerals, etc. can be had from various plants but it takes some education and study, and thus if done correctly a person can be strong and more healthy because of a great reduction in stress on the body (like with the work of the kidneys) from dealing with the common worldwide over consumption of meat and dairy.

pleas drop the b.s. about the Golden immortal Jesus...for he is a victor over death and hell with more compassion and spiritual power than most could ever can imagine! (and that is not from book reading)

if a person is working with a true Self realized teacher and his school then one will be following well proven and safe dharma teachings and actions, thus not doing whatever in the hell they want to screw around with as in seeking power per foolish or even dangerous desires or advice.