BigSkyDiamond

I had not considered emotions as "safeguarding" or protecting me. They flicker and pass quickly. My job is to recognize them, observe them, and allow them to, well, pass quickly. That is not stuffing nor is it denying, blocking, repressing, ignoring or overriding. It allows them to float on by. I do not have to engage, I do not have to chase it or grasp it or build a story around it. And I certainly do not have to act it out. I do not have to participate in it and i do not have to express it. Emotions are fleeting. "Emotions are always based on an external stimulus, and almost always come and subside quickly." (from here, article What’s The Difference Between Emotions, Feelings, And Moods? ) "The art of listening to and understanding our feelings is crucial, as is the skill of recognizing when they may be steering us off course." (from here, article Feelings Are Not Facts) "They can be so intense that they feel undeniably real, leading us to believe they represent the absolute truth. However, it’s important to remember that these emotions, regardless of their intensity, are not facts." For me they (emotions and feelings) are steering me off course if i don't allow them to pass quickly. Because it is the nature of emotions to pass quickly. What i DO see as protecting and safeguarding me is my intuition. Intuition is neither emotion, nor feeling, nor mood. That is an important distinction for me to make, and vital for me to be able to discern and differentiate. Emotions and feelings are NOT reliable indicators for me (except to remind me when i am not in balance). However intuition IS a very reliable indicator. It is through my intuition that I glean "does this situation have my best interests at heart." thank you bindi for the post, it includes a lot of thoughtful material

i read those as how we rule ourself, a guide for how to govern our own life. sacred texts are first and foremost a guide to self-development. As one reviewer puts it, " The central thing the Tao Te Ching asks us to be aware of is not the world, but our self." sample translations verse 65 and 57. And I look forward to Cobie's input on what the Chinese text actually says. "Therefore, it is said:"Those who implemented the TaoDid not use it to make the people shrewd;Rather, they used it to make them simple."The reason why the people are difficult to ruleIs that they are crafty.Therefore, using craft to govern a stateIs a pest to the state;Using noncraft to govern a stateIs a blessing to the state.Constantly remember: these two constitute a guideline;Constantly remembering this guidelineIs called a deep and remote virtue.The deep and remote virtueIs deep indeed, remote indeed;And, though contrary to all things,Will eventually reach Grand Harmony."- Translated by Chichung Huang, Chapter 65 "Govern the kingdom by the normal way.Fight the battle by the unexpected way.And one can win the world without using force.How do I know this is so?By the following:When there are too many restrictions and regulations, people become poor.When there are too many weapons, the kingdom is in disarray.When there are too many tricks, bizarre things happen.When there are too many decrees, the crime rate increases.This is why the sage says:"I do not force my way, and people live peacefully.I keep quiet, and people live normally.I do not interfere, and people become rich.I do not covet anything, and people would be honest." - Translated by Thomas Zhang, Chapter 57

the other bit that comes to mind is that we "create our own weather" that is the climate around us which we experience at any given moment. Happiness, contentment, peace of mind, calm, stillness, those are an "inside job" for me. The emotional climate that I experience, well that thermostat is set and adjusted by me, and not by anyone or anything "out there". (including people, places, institutions, things) For me, i find that very reassuring and calming in and of itself. It feels more manageable.

i remember reading somewhere that when planes are flying on auto pilot they are "going in the wrong direction" something like 95% of the time, and they stay on course through a near constant process of "auto correcting" when they deviate off course. So if we mess up then we are nudged in the direction to keep us on track. " "I am told that the automatic pilot in an airplane does not work by locking onto a course and stick­ing to it. Instead, it steers back and forth over the path of an assigned course and makes the neces­sary corrections when it senses that it has strayed. In reality, the auto pilot is on course only 5 or 10% of the time. The other 90 or 95% of the time, it is off course and correcting for its deviation. I, too, must make continuous adjustments. I have stopped expecting myself to be perfectly on course. I am bound to make plenty of mistakes, but I am learning to accept mistakes as an inevitable part of the adventure of living." ---from Daily Reader

i need to find the post to quote it, but it was something docB said a while ago that I agree with. We are having a positive effect. What we write and say and do does have a positive effect. here it is, i found it

I don't conflate "magic" with "science." I also don't consider magnetism to be "magic." However I do agree that it most definitely is dependent on the individual frame of reference that a person holds, their belief system.

i have never heard anywhere (until this post) that turning on a faucet or using an umbrella are "magic." I have always considered them as simple mechanical devices. And the fatality rate for wingsuit jumpers is one in 500. However, if that is a person's frame of reference for magic, then so be it.

In recovery I learned this regarding anger. True anger flares like a match when it is first lit, and then sputters out after a few seconds. So that is the duration of anger, sputters for a few seconds and then is gone. If it goes beyond that and lasts longer (the anger) then that is me pouring gasoline on the fire and making it a conflagration. it has been very helpful for me in knowing what portion of anger is "OK" (a few seconds only) and what portion is "me pouring gasoline on the fire" (anything beyond a few seconds) that is then my responsibility to well stop doing.

One of my favorite teachings (i love the stories of the sages) is the sage who even while young performed miracles, however the teaching of our tradition (then and now) is to NOT publicize these. So when miracles occurred around him, he would erase the memory from any bystanders who happened to see the miracles. They are not publicized because it sends the wrong message, and that is not the goal or destination, and it can lead people astray (i.e. trying to develop the powers, putting an individual person on a pedestal, the opposite of humble) and detract from the message of relationship with God. Relationship with God (in many traditions) is the goal and message, not parlor tricks.

i would be interested to hear from practitioners in those paths mentioned (bold above) regarding the view that Jesus and Buddha are "magicians." My understanding is that while psychic abilities may (and often do) develop as a byproduct of this or that path, they are a byproduct and not the destination. Whereas in magic, the "psychic power" (or "supernatural" power) to control and manipulate IS the goal and destination . I had it explained to me this way some time ago: The development of psychic powers is not considered the primary goal but rather a by-product of the spiritual journey toward Nirvana. The Buddha cautioned against becoming attached to or seeking out these powers, as they can be a distraction from the ultimate goal of spiritual liberation.

no it is not just semantics. and no it is not just another word for the same thing. That would make for a good thread topic, for those who seek to (a) clarify explore understand the difference between magic and divinity, and (b) differentiate between them. just like there is a difference between big G "God" and little g "gods." It would be interesting to hear from many who may be on a variety of paths, regarding their own frames of reference. My understanding (frame of reference) is that magic is not a path to divinity. Rather it is an obstacle, barrier, impediment. Since this thread topic is "God interacting with humans" a different thread might prevent it from going too far off topic. On the other hand, anyone whose path includes God, then those views on magic are relevant to the topic. As it relates to "God interacting with humans"

pops needle in arm of chair where I sew, peaceful calm embroidering.

And from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance 2022 article, Antisemitism defined: Dehumanization, demonization, and stereotypes "A common antisemitic trope associates the Jewish people with the devil or other demonic elements."

what does it mean to demonize? de·mon·ize verb "portray as wicked and threatening" (Oxford Languages) "portray (someone or something) as evil or as worthy of contempt" (Merriam Webster) "To try to make someone or a group of people seem as if they are evil. The Nazis used racist propaganda in an attempt to demonize the Jews." (Cambridge Dictionary) source dictionaries shown for each entry above

And how is that noteworthy for you? In what way?

AI (Artifical Intelligence) is not a credible or reliable source of information. It not only has (a) built-in inaccuracy, but (b) the inaccuracy increases and grows and gets worse over time. Inaccuracies and mistakes and errors not only appear, they propagate and spread and multiply over time. When information is not available, AI invents false answers and fabricates data and sources and information including URL fabrication. For instnace, research at Columbia University shows AI cites incorrect sources 60% of the time. (Researchers ran 1,600 inquiries across 8 different platforms. ) The premium paid versons delivered incorrect information more often then their free counterparts. AI can not interpret or distinguish between what is correct or incorrect information "As of 2023, a typical AI model isn't assessing whether the information it provides is correct. Its goal when it receives a prompt is to generate what it thinks is the most likely string of words to answer that prompt. Sometimes this results in a correct answer, but sometimes it doesn’t – and the AI cannot interpret or distinguish between the two. It’s up to you to make the distinction. AI can be wrong in multiple ways: It can give the wrong answer It can omit information by mistake It can make up completely fake people, events, and articles It can mix truth and fiction AI is "just mimicking reasoning, rather than actually performing that reasoning.” Reliability is just not there with AI. In March an AI tool correctly identified prime numbers from a list 96.7% of the time. Three months later in June of the same year, the same AI platform, the same task, the same list, but only 2.7% were correctly identified. AI is simply not reliable. source article 2025 "AI search engines cite incorrect news sources at an alarming 60% rate" article 2023, University of Maryland Research Guide, "What does AI Get Wrong" article 2023, Scientific American, "Yes AI Models Can Get Worse Over Time"

Yes. a teacher recently pointed out that is what stops a lot of people from going further, from going beyond. they reach the "blissed out state of oneness" and just hang out there. Thinking that is the be-all and end-all.

yes. BINGO. shorthand for me as a reminder is "distraction." the other shorthand for me to stay on track is "parlor tricks" as a reminder that i don't need to develop or use "supernatural" abilities. the admonition (for me, not directing it at anyone else) is that distractions and diversions not only pull me away from the "real goal" (as noted in post above) but they become barriers and obstacles in ever getting there. the BigSky in my screen name is the remidner for me to be the sky, rest in that simple awareness, and let the clouds just drift by. i don't need to chase them. qigong practice for me is a valuable part of my daily life because it helps put me in that state of no-time and just awareness. It allows me to cultivate stillness. I am not familiar with the specific qigong that is the topic of this thread.

people holding different views is not a problem. getting upset about people holding different views IS a problem.

if someone sees everything through the lens of politics, or professional sports or is a workaholic, or has any other "interest" that consumes them to such a degree that it causes upset, contention, friction in their daily life then it has taken over their life. An earlier post indicates the belief that "politics affects everybody and everything." Well no actually it doesn't. But that is the view of those who are consumed by it.

just as divinity has no gender, so too divinity has no politics. same for enlightenment, awakening. They are not predicated upon politics. a person can live their life with no involvement (no interest in, no participation in) for instance professional sports, bonsai cultivation, or wine tasting. Those hobbies can and are totally off the radar for many many many people. Those specific hobbies are not a requirement for daily life, for contentment, for self development, or for walking a path of religion and spirituality. So too for the hobby of politics. A person can live their life with no involvement, interest, or participation in poltics. If it is however a prominent element in a person's life that causes disturbance, friction, contention, or upset for them, then what becomes relevant is how their chosen path of religious-spiritual practice has them deal with whatever it is they find upsetting in their daily life.

not seeing any updates yet elsewhere.

Facebook account is also gone.

The obvious solution seems to be for this relgion-and-spirituality-focused forum, to simply have a "no politics" rule. No discussion of politics period. full stop. no political rants. of any variety either Left or Right. flip side same coin.

no. that is not what substance abuse is. Substance abuse and addiction are not determined by religion or society or geography or culture or ethnicity or government or laws or acclimation. It is determined by medical and healthcare profession. That's why research and findings from medical community are more credible than personal opinion or groups that favor and promote the use of psychotropics. it is relevant to the thread topic which is marijuana, hinduism, india. There is a correlation between the substance abuse problem in India and the use of psychotropic substances as part of the culture and religious practice in India. They are very much related and on topic for the opening post.