Apech

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Posts posted by Apech

  1. Posted

    2 hours ago, Taoist Texts said:

    exactly does. "The Heaven sends down an order/command ming which creates an individual human psyche xing." These are the original real xing-ming, not what @forestofemptiness or the book neidaneers have in mind. Good job Cobie.

    yes;)

     


    I wonder then how these ideas became so wooled up.  And why?  To pull the wool over our eyes?  

     

    I started a thread before 'in praise of ideas' and this I think is what I was trying to get at.  That subtle and powerful ideas properly applied are powerful and life changing (for want of a better phrase).  The essence of the modern idea of a cult is specifically the misuse of such ideas to befuddle people into getting them to do what they want.

     

    Cult originally just meant the rituals of a particular god - the rites of that god particular to it and the place where it was worshiped.

     

     

    • Like 2

  3. Posted

    5 hours ago, Taoist Texts said:

    so back to the OP. Whats a cult? Apparently nobody knows.

    nope, thats not it, like at all. Chiefly because there is no such thing as the norms of society, nowadays.

    yep, nobody knows.

    Thats it. Except the truth is of course, as usual, a total, 180 degree opposite of what a scholar claims:

    A cult is a religion which does not like you.

    Pertinent to this forum when peeps jump out of the woods to aggressively claim that their pies are more than your pies or their neidan is secreter than your neidan, their zapping is better than your no zapping  -  is a cult. In other words, if they enforce a taboo on you doubting them or you not believing what they believe - is a cult. Any organisation with  outbound taboos is a cult; any other - is basically a book club. 

     

    I have been associated with two groups over the years (now no longer) and my experience is that although the leaders did have charisma (and it is debatable how much of that charisma is simply due to being the leader/teacher/master etc. and how much is a personal attribute); in both the cases I experienced the leader was doing quite a lot to avoid forming a cult but generally failing.  The drive towards cultish behaviour was coming chiefly from the students ... and if I may dare say it, the female ones and of them especially those 'close' to the teacher.  Around them would be quite a large group of 50% sycophants and 50% genuine hard working devotees.  Then there would be a larger group who were 'interested' and liked to hear the teachings and just wouldn't challenge what was coming from the inner groups for fear of ridicule or just sounding stupid etc.

     

    The drive towards cultish behaviour and attitudes came from the students and not so much the 'master'.  But I would guess that many a not so genuine master would give in to this tendency quite easily.

     

    I recognise that there are also quite a number of people who deliberately set out to generate a cult around them - but I suspect these are the minority.

     

    The other fact or I have noticed in Tibetan Buddhism is an in-built encouragement to sheepishness.  Not sheepishness but sheep like behaviour and a desire to wool up the message - that is make it deliberately confusing in subtle ways.  This is particularly noticeable around subjects like no-self and emptiness.  But mostly in the classic logical error of appeal to authority - and 'ask the master' or quoting him in response to any question particularly to draw any challenging conversation to an end.  All these things are mostly unconscious and not intentionally malevolent - in fact they are intended to be helpful.  But if you are genuinely 'seeking' they are not helpful (I think).

     

     

    • Like 2
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  5. Posted

    4 hours ago, Nungali said:

    I remember chatting with him, he seemed OK .... I cant remember why he got banned back then ?

     

    Would he not get off Apech's lawn ?  


    I forgive those what trespass against me.  
     

    I have no idea what he did wrong but whatever it was he could simply pay a sizeable tribute in the form of cash and I shall be merciful.

     

    • Haha 2

  7. Posted

    9 hours ago, Taoist Texts said:

    yes

    https://drkatsurasuzuki.com/western-philosophy-vs-eastern-philosophy/

    yes i do

    it may or may not, i just dont care if it does;) this whole world is illusory let alone a stupid house

    because i investigated it on my personal experience and found correct

    if you say so;) Now for a concrete example: i was bullied in school. if i would still carry that chip on my shoulder wishing for the bullies to be punished by some karma then i would have that karma. but i forgotten all about it and them long time ago. i dont care about it and them. my karma is gone. others may say that it is not. but somehow i know better than them;)


    Forgiveness for the bullies provided they rot in everlasting hell.

    • Like 1
    • Haha 4

  8. Posted

    9 minutes ago, NaturaNaturans said:

    I really dont. It is just one faith out of maaaany. A relativley small one as well. Allthough ill admit that the etnic nature of it is foreign to me. Why do you keep tagging me If you think I hate you and just want to lecture me?

     

    ADOS? Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule?

     

    One step forward, two step back.


    Yeah what’s an ADOS?

  9. Posted

    On 26/06/2024 at 2:23 AM, NaturaNaturans said:

    Self explanatory : )

     

    I can suggest three reasons:

     

    1). The knowledge which the society holds is a state of being/consciousness which is not transmissible in intellectual terms and thus the society is automatically esoteric simply because this is the case.  This is probably the essential reason.

     

    2 ). In such a society the master and his students form a 'circle' (chakra) and they and their relative positions a mandala.  Thus to join is to enter the mandala of the master/guru - this forms a special and exclusive relationship which allows teaching transmission to occur.  Thus there are processes eg. vows, certain preliminary practices and so on to gain entry.  This is not intended to exclude but simply to retain the purity and the energy in the circle such that the process of transmission can occur.

     

    3).  Given the first two points groups like this appear elitist and are often regarded with suspicion by outsiders - and especially the institutions of exoteric religion may see them as a threat to their exclusive holding of the hierophant's role in society generally.  For this reason the society goes 'underground' and in order to protect itself from persecution  and becomes even more secretive.

     

     

    • Like 2
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  11. Posted

    31 minutes ago, NaturaNaturans said:

    By Hesse ive read Siddharta and steppenwolf. Both very good, so might give journey tte a try.

     

    On another note, you guys familiar with Murakami. I like him quite a bit, how about you?


    ive read Wind up bird chronicle and Kafka on the shore - liked both of them.

  13. Posted

    Very pleased to report that after 3 months of sung/sinking qi and massaging around the eye sockets and at acupressure points my pressure has dropped to 16 for each eye (previously 22 and 24) - thanks to everyone for advice.

    • Like 2

  17. Posted

    38 minutes ago, snowymountains said:

     

    Which is very interesting and maybe will never be solved as a question. From the ancient times you had people who preferred stoicism, which is more practical, others who preferred Plato.


    Solvet et coagula

     

    • Like 1

  19. Posted

    7 minutes ago, liminal_luke said:

     

     

    I agree.  The path of karmic untwisting is, shall we say, not entirely pleasant.  What needs attention sometimes is pacing.  People vary in terms of physiology, personality, and traumatic history.  Some people can handle long intensive retreats while others would be well advised to take things slow.


    I am beginning to think that almost any kind of formulaic process or technique is non- productive.  What we all need to be doing is attend to our selves ( body and mind) and respond to what arises naturally.  Not without rules but with intelligence about ourselves and the world.  Often formulaic practice provokes tensions which are harmful.

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  22. Posted

    2 hours ago, Salvijus said:

    - knock knock

    - who's there? 

    - a delivery boy

    - but i don't remember ordering anything

    - not a single minute in your day goes by where your heart is not crying for deliverance. 

     

    -knock knock 

    -who's there? 

    -your worst nightmare 

    -a big scary demon? 

    -the love of God. 

     


    I can’t help thinking that you haven’t yet mastered the concept of a knock knock joke.

     

    • Like 1
    • Haha 3

  24. Posted

    5 minutes ago, snowymountains said:

     

    Yes but they also rely on the existence of past lives to account for differences in level of talent/skill ( eg if there's no self in thoughts, why did only Bohr envision quantum mechanics).

    These are not explained away by insight and they put them under the carpet via past lives.

     

    The task at hand is actually to bring the talents of the organism into consciousness and align the self/ego with these. Doing otherwise will damage the person and at a very minimum they'll experience existential anxiety.


    And why did Max plank?

    • Haha 1

  25. Posted

    1 hour ago, Maddie said:

     

    I don't believe you can even ordain as a monk if you have mental health problems. I think this is one of the questions they ask you to see if you qualify. 


    “I wish to enter the temple, master.’

    ”Are you mad!?!”

    ”No master.”

    ”Then you must walk the earth.”

    Five years later.

    ”Master May I enter now, the world has driven me mad.”

    ”No fuck off grasshopper!”

     

    Sometimes you just can’t win.

    • Haha 4