liminal_luke

Orion, I don´t really have an answer to the questions you raised, but wanted to say that I think occasional retreats can be very useful. I´ve been on several vipassana retreats. Can´t say I "enjoyed" them exactly, but I certainly learned a lot about myself.

Karl, It´s just a metaphor to make the point that I think the kind of social comparison Nikolai1 suggested is helpful. That is it. If, in your opinion, the comparison doesn´t stand up to rigorous logical analysis, please consider that it wasn´t meant to.

I hope so. Sometimes I like to imagine infinity trapped in a very tiny space, a small infinity that could fit in my pocket. Maybe the void is there too jiggling around like a loose penny.

Kubba, Donuts aren´t good for you. Unless of course we´re talking about a fresh sugar-free kale donut glazed with beet juice and sprinkled with slivered almonds. Those are rare, I grant you, but what Nikolia1 is talking about is the kale donut of social comparisons. A kind of social comparison that´s actually useful and healthy: the realization that money and fame don´t necessarily bring happiness.

to water the grass seems an impossible chore faucet tight --screw it!

As spiritual people, we sometimes make things more complicated than they need to be. It´s easy to get lost philosophizing about the evils of "ego" and such. All that thinking has it´s place, but when you feel bad usually the solution is much simpler. Here is my list of generally helpful things to do. (1) Clean your living space. Get rid of lots of stuff you haven´t used in the last 3 months. (2) Work up a sweat. Martial arts, jogging, weight lifting, hiking up a big hill. Whatever (3) Call someone you like and have a good conversation. (4) Think: is everybody giving me more or less the same advice? If so, take it. (5) Do something that makes you laugh. (6) Spend time in nature. (7) If you need money, get a job. If you can´t get a job you like, get a job you don´t like and enjoy other parts of your life for now. If you don´t know how, figure out who you can ask for help. (8) Eat nutritious food. Don´t eat junk. That´s it. For the moment, don´t worry about ego and detachment and all that jazz. Don´t even worry if you feel angry or resentful or unforgiving. Just take care of yourself and see what happens.

For Taobums ex-mods MoPai threads now optional Enjoy the time off later edit... For Taobums ex-mods MoPai threads now optional Soaring Crane takes flight

I believe Master Li and his Sheng Zhen system deserve to be more widely known and talked about here. If you even get a chance to take classes or a workshop with this man -- highly recommended!

If you go to http://www.healingtaousa.com/ and sign up for his newsletter, Michael Winn will give you the link for his book all about the inner smile. Not sure if it´s the one for you Arya, but I don´t think anybody can go wrong with the inner smile. Liminal

Hi Metal Tao, Interesting handle. Metal is the element that´s sharp, cutting. Metal is the element associated with the lungs and large intestines, the organs of elimination. Not too be vulgar, but metal is the element that says, in effect, let´s cut the shit. And that seems to be exactly what you´d like to do. Yes, there are things that are abhorrent and awful in this world and we´d do well to get rid of them. Is hate helpful in that end? Perhaps initially in that it helps us to recognize that which we consider hateful. But ultimately holding onto hate hurts us. It´s possible to forcefully take a stand against terrible things without personally getting caught up in the destructive energy of hate. Tricky, but possible -- and a skill that´s worth cultivating. Which is not to say that we should deny our feelings of hate. Or feel ashamed of them. Most of us have some hate, and it´s good to be aware. Good to let ourselves know what it is we actually do feel. But once we are aware we can let go. It´s a balance, allowing oneself to feel without indulging in and feeding feelings that aren´t useful. Liminal

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Hi LittleOne, I´ve also studied with Michael Winn and find his teachings helpful. You´ll find lots of opinions here pro and con about Healing Tao. Do you do the Primordial Chi Gung form? It´s something that I learned years ago from Michael and am coming back to now. Hope you enjoy Taobums! Liminal

Well, theoretically the private men´s area would be perfect for discussions of semen "retention" and such but, although there´s been plenty of such discussion lately, nobody seems to want to use the men´s room. Maybe it´s an expansive yang thing? I think the chief virtue of the men´s area has been to placate a certain kind of mindset that thinks there´s some sort of reverse discrimination victimization going on if women have a private area and men don´t. Which would be fine and all if it were actually getting any use. If it´s not, I say cut it.

I like Nungali´s image of the Solstice as "still point," and believe this quality of stillness is key to it´s power.

If somebody broke into my house and tried to kill me I wouldn´t play nice. I´d do whatever I had to do to protect myself. Might even use force. There aren´t many, but sociopathic killers do exist, and there are laws in place that attempt to FORCE them not to kill. Why? Because other people have a right to live. If somebody tells me that just because of the color of my skin, or my gender, or whatever that I can´t rent an apartment or find employment or get married, I´ll use the law to FORCE them not to discriminate. It´s the same thing. There are basic rights that should not be taken away from people. And when others try to take away those rights people of decency cry foul. Love isn´t always about passively standing around and letting everybody do what they want no matter what. Sometimes love is tough and mean. Sometimes love carries a gun.

I like flavor so I´m hoping it´s not bad for me.

My understanding is that the energy is stronger at all of these transition points. Energetically there´s more of a pure mixture of fire and water and the neutral chi comes through stronger. I believe that the winter solstice is to the year as midnight is to the day. Stronger energy at midnight as well.

Perhaps I´m overly educated myself, but I tend to downplay the importance of college degrees. Successfully trading currencies, on the other hand, that takes some logic! (Oops, I posted)

Great post Redcairo. Your take on the essential oneness of physical/psychological/spiritual viewpoints really puts transgerderism -- and a good deal more -- in a useful context. I spent much of yesterday thinking about and writing in this thread, and today it´s time to move onto other things. Hopefully I´ll have the fortitude to resist responding to further posts. (I guess you´ll all see, huh?) I enjoy my time here but there comes a point when further discussion yields diminishing returns, and I think I´ve reached it. If there are people reading this thread who are dealing personally with these kind of issues around gender, please take heart. Yes, there is a lot of ignorance out there, but I believe the tide is turning. Love will eventually triumph. It has to. Liminal

Oh my... I think people who aren´t transgender ought not to speculate so much about the motivations or spiritual aptitude of those who are. Ought to perhaps have a little humility. We bums often make very forceful statements, me included, putting forth our viewpoints with great assurance. Yet isn´t one sign of spiritual maturity the willingness to acknowledge how much we don´t know? The universe is unimaginably big, unfathomably mysterious. DreamBliss asked what it means to be crossgender. That´s a very profound question, and one that nobody here has come close to answering.

I guess you lost me Karl. It wasn´t a trick question. In the United States there are "protected classes" and it´s illegal to discriminate in employment against people on that basis. I think that´s a good thing and asked if you agreed. It´s not a trick. You seemed to be saying in your earlier posts that you think it´s OK for people to discriminate. Maybe I should take you at your word, but I think that people who willfully discriminate are mean and hateful people. And despite what you´ve written, I don´t believe you´re a mean and hateful person. I still don´t think so actually, though perhaps someone whose taken on a certain ideology and is clinging to it rather ardently. I was hoping you´d say that you wouldn´t discriminate against any of those peoples. That you believe it´s wrong to do so. Perhaps you´re saying that the laws that are in place to protect people from discrimination work imperfectly. No doubt. You can argue that they are clumsy tools, and perhaps you have ideas that would work better. But I¨m talking about something more basic than that: whether people should be denied opportunities in life because of their gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, and so on. If you think the current civil rights laws are the wrong way to go about protecting these folk that´s one thing. You might be right. I´m not interested in debating that point. The only thing I want to know is this: do you think it´s alright to hurt people? Because that´s what it comes right down to. Liminal

Thanks Sheriff Karl. No, I wasn´t meaning you personally. I mean that nobody has a right to run anybody out of town. Let me see if I understand you. Suppose you´re the owner of a McDonalds franchise... Do you think you should be able to turn down applications from all people who are black, and hire only whites? Do you think you should be able to turn down applications from women, and hire only men? Do you think you should be able to turn down applications from transgender people? I think it´s wrong to systematically exclude these people from possible employment, even if you (hypothetically) don´t personally like them. Do you disagree?

You bet. People have a right not to be discriminated against in matters of employment, rental applications, and marriage regardless of color, creed, sexual orientation, gender, and so on. And if someone says otherwise they should be forced legally to comply. Whether or not you accept me is up to you. But you can´t deny me the right to work I´m qualified for based solely on any of the above. You can´t run me out of town. You can´t tell me I´m not allowed to marry the man I love.

Actually no, I don´t. I phrased it that way -- even though it´s not strictly true -- for rhetorical flair. I wasn´t trying to intentionally deceive, just thought people would take it in a less literal spirit. But for the record, I would not force you to change your views even if I could. Sorry about the confusion.

Oh Karl, I give up. Just one more quick note before I´m done: there are no laws forcing people to accept homosexuality. In some places people are bound to stop discriminating against us in matters of employment, rental rights, even marriage, but nobody has figured out how to legally enforce anything like acceptance. People are equally free to think what they will of transsexuals. If there were such laws I´d gladly use them to get you to accept us, but alas. In fact, it´s now clear that I´m absolutely powerless to get you to change your views by any means whatsoever. Even rational argument comes up short -- this in spite of your obvious intelligence.