Apech

Here's a resource for the Gospel of Thomas http://www.sacred-te.../chr/thomas.htm and it doesn't say copyright for the translation but 'available to the net' - so I guess its all right for us to copy. First two parts for discussion ....

This is the bigger picture

I see the point of the fork but the spoon is pointless.

That looks forking good.

I heard that the goddess Tiramisu is giving Siva his just desserts. But then its a mere trifle after all.

Yeah but apart from that what's wrong with her?

Not sure what you mean by ascension - and each to his own of course - but I would fill up quickly at the gas pump and drive on

Buddhism and Daoism come from different traditions but they have historically mixed symbiotically especially in China - so there exist what you might call hybrid systems - although I don't really buy that term I'll use it anyway - like Ch'an/Zen for instance which is Daoist influenced Buddhism. Obviously Buddhism originated in ancient India from the sramana tradition - sramanas being wandering mystics for whom the sage-king was the ideal - other traditions emerged from here also such as Jainism (which has some similarities to Buddhism). The Buddha's main stress and indeed starting point was the individual's experience of life and how the cyclical world (samasara) was a projection arising through ignorance and desire. So the remedy lay in taming the mind by removing ignorance and cutting through our grasping at things. Mind here is usually 'citta' as in 'bodhicitta' = awakened mind and does not mean our thoughts as such but the basis of awareness - or indeed the 'substance' in which awareness/perception arises. Closer perhaps to the word consciousness as mentioned above - although there are technical difficulties with this also I think. It is hard to say exactly when Daoism arose - as although Lao Tzu's Daodejing was written about 500 BC it is not necessarily a foundational text and older classics such as the Yijing contain at least proto-Daoist ideas. What most people in the West focus on is the Daoist techniques of energy working such as qigong and inner alchemy (neidan). These arose out of Chinese medicine and martial arts. As Daoism is in a sense realist as the dao itself, heaven and earth, yin/yang and so forth as considered 'real' and not mental projections it does not have the same basis as Buddhism. However as I said above there has been so much cross cultural influence historically that some schools a can sound almost indistinguishable. It is also more or less certain that Neidan influenced the development of Buddhist tantra - even though tantra itself is an Indian approach developed from secret clan and kaula tantras in both 'Hindu' and Buddhist sects. The goal of Buddhism is to become a Buddha (or Arhat) and thus awakened in the sense that Buddha meant it. The goal of Daoist neidan is immortality (which may be understood as physical or spiritual) - and unlike Buddhism there is always a sense of harmony with something beyond ourselves, rather than mind awakening. You should follow whatever system you have a strong connection to - which is what you have to decide I guess

Hi, Good systems are internally consistent and use terminology and some more subtle ways of communicating in a way that adds up to whatever the goal of that system is. If you mix systems you can get confused by overt and subtle differences which might impede progress. Having said that if you yourself are clear about what you are doing it is perfectly possible to study different systems and learn from them all. It all depends on whether you want to do the work and have clear enough understanding to do this. For many its not a great idea 'cos you can end up with a mush which doesn't really work. I don't think its about dogma as such but more consistency and application. Of course you must make your own mind up about this.

Thanks for this thread - very interesting read. It made me think of this: So even Jesus who was not exactly the most popular with the priesthood - fulfilled the law - which I take to mean he fulfilled the lineage. In other words he correctly understood and embodied what the lineage teachings were talking about - while the priests had fallen into ritual observance (they may of course understood some of it but not all of it or indeed the central purpose). I would also add that although it is true that realisation or awakening can be understood as living in the present moment in awareness of the true nature of reality - here and now - it is also true to say that we each carry a long history. A personal lineage if you like in our bodies or perhaps in our beings. So there is a sense of fulfilment of an ancient purpose in our work.

Start from where you are

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnagogia

The first thing I'd say - and I'm not sure if you are saying this anyway - but sex is not some kind of substitute for cultivating energy - sometimes it is used symbolically and actually as part of practice but it is not the thing to concentrate on in my opinion. I think it is true that to a certain extent the exchange of sperm and vaginal fluids orally would link to yinyang and impact on the balance between you and your partner - but there's lot else to consider, like feelings and energy exchange through touch and so on. Its also not as simple as sperm is yang as it is actually generated by jing which itself is not a physical substance. Generally speaking most people seem to consider ejaculation by a man to be a loss of jing hence a loss of energy - some teach that in a balanced relationship this is compensated by a kind of return from the woman - but other dispute this - and in any case it would depend on things like good intent, good stability and circulation in the subtle bodies of both and a shared willingness to give generously to each other. Aside from this I would suggest that you just enjoy what you are doing Just some thoughts.

An emotion means a feeling that moves energy. So you could call love an emotion if you want but then you have to distinguish love from desire - and particularly real love from romantic attachment which is a different thing.

I think the sign that non-dual awareness emanates love and indeed wisdom is that it is a measure of truly awakened people that they demonstrate both love and wisdom as a natural effect of their enlightenment. OK it is possible that some realised beings simply abstract themselves out of existence, don't interact with others or say anything. But if realised beings they do interact with others then they demonstrate love and wisdom which comes directly from their non-dual awareness.

'The Shocking State of Human Insanity' - I'm taking this personally

Problems of the attitude of the western mind towards Daoism (and Buddhism and Yoga etc.): 1. It is exotic and mysterious 2. It consists of the cultural trappings, art, language and so on 3. It is designed to benefit me - through health, relaxation, mindfulness etc. 4. It will fit all my personal biases and prejudices 5. I can step easily into to it with all my Judeo-Christian baggage ...

Hi Uselis, Just a few thoughts. It seems like you have had a disorientating energy experience and that this has occurred because you have done intense practice without first laying the foundations for this. You are not alone. Many people come on here having experienced something of this nature. And it is not permanent - but you need to convince yourself of this. I suspect the intensity of the energy is making it hard for you to assess yourself and your situation. You need to ground or earth the energy, calm down a little bit and reassess. You say you can't do practical things - like gardening - and ironically this is the kind of thing that might help. Simple practical tasks which might help you redirect your attention from your internal state. I would recommend that you make yourself do something like this at first for half and hour or so everyday. Or if not go for a short walk and make it longer each day - something like that. You could also try just standing still for as many minutes that you can manage and consciously relaxing the body - then think that surplus energy is draining out of your body into the earth through the soles of your feet. If you can find someone local who knows about K. then even better. Best wishes A.

Tell us now - what have you done??????

Hi and welcome, Look forward to your contributions! A.

It may be what you are eating is a factor. I'm not saying go out and eat a cheese-burger by the way But is your diet covering all the bases in terms of protein, carbs and so on? If you haven't put on weight then it is possible that your active thyroid is making you burn up food fast - hence the need to eat so often. If you are interested in chakra cleansing then read up on the structure of the subtle body carefully - so you understand how it works. But I would suggest avoid anything elaborate or that you don't have full confidence in. Tantra? Hmmm. I would advise against this at this stage - but obviously I have very limited information to go on and its your call.

Hi TwinFlame, Thanks for telling your story. If indeed you have Thyroid problems - and you should check this out with a Doctor of course and follow their advice - then that means that either your metabolism is 'over heating' or alternatively it is stagnating. Metabolic balance is governed in the subtle body by the throat area so this would fit. If you had a K experience three years ago then it is possible that you have activated the energy while your system is not ready to assimilate the level of energy or the rate at which it emerged. But these effects can last for several years and be quite disturbing if you are not really adjusted to them - but I would say eventually it will be positive. I think you may wish to examine your diet carefully (you say you are vegan - so I assume no junk food) and also any exercise you may take. It should be gentle like long walks etc. not heavy work outs I think. I would also think that anything that earths you - maybe some gentle breathing exercises might help. have you tried therapy for your subconscious issues, childhood stuff? It might help to have someone other than your partner to talk about with this, as it is not always wise to turn your partner into your therapist - too much strain on the relationship. Seek outside help I would say. If you have raised K then the libido problems can be linked. I sense but I may be wrong that the initial high impact sexuality that you described might have been too much on some level - and this is to do with assimilation rates being exceeded. Something in you might be shutting this down because it is over powering - but this is me speculating but it would fit with the thyroid imbalance. Too much or too little can hurt so you may need to search for a balance point. There is nothing wrong, in my experience, with two people in a relationship having differing goals and outlooks. Compatibility is not sameness (a common mistake). Look for some way in which your differences can become complementary. How that can be only the two of you can say. Just my thoughts. Take with a pinch of salt Best wishes. A.

Happy 2019 guys and girls hope its a good one.