Apech

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Posts posted by Apech

  1. Posted

    Time - what is it?

     

    About three o'clock.

     

    (sorry about this joke but I had to get it out of my system).

     

    Time is very interesting. As I see it there are two aspects of time experience - i.e. subjective time. One is time looking backwards - which is really memory. When we think about where we are in relation to what we know ... then we make an inventory of how we got to the present moment. e.g. I got up, ate some breakfast, went out, came back and now I'm sitting at the computer ... this is a kind of mapping of recent events to place ourselves in time.

     

    The other is time looking forward - which is looking at time as this unstoppable flow which comes towards us every minute - it is like a stream of permutations and fluctuations of possibility ... like a kaleidoscope of the possibilities of being .... (don't think I put that very well).

     

    We stand in the 'now' looking both ways like Janus (god with two heads) and we create our own subjective assessment of time from these two views. What has been and what is to be.

     

    My 2p.

  2. Posted

    Oh totally.

     

    Or a quick sense of rebellion, thinking it's a mod.

     

    Mods always try and keep me down B)

     

    Right I'm going to PM you just for saying that ... maybe not .... :lol:

     

    I love this place ... I only worry its slightly obsessive ... occasionally life intrudes ... and I am supposed to do some practice.

  4. Posted

    Very interesting Marblehead. Thanks for feeding back the results of your study so far.

     

    Do you get the impression that the meaning of Tao or any related concepts is very different in this text - or is it just a matter of a different order of chapters with bits missing?

     

    A.

  6. Posted

    *** Mod Team Message ***

     

    To all posters on this thread. We have received a number of reports and are looking at them with a view to acting against those who make personal insults.

     

    This is a general warning that personal insults and negative posting against other members can result in suspension from TTBs. This is a Taoist Discussion board and while we keep things wide ranging and as free as possible, TTBs is not here for in-fighting or disputes between teachers and practitioners, particularly where the arguments have already been aired on other threads.

     

    Please make sure that if you are going to post you make a positive contribution to debate and do not post solely to attack another member. We will take action if you only do the latter.

     

    Banter, humor and tangential thoughts are as ever welcome.

     

    Thank you.

     

    *** Mod Team Out ***

    • Like 1

  9. Posted

    Hehehe. Well, a few minutes after I made that post I went to Amazon and ordered the freakin' book, the paperback, the hard back is too expensive.

     

    So yes, I will do what I can after it arrives and I have given it some of my attention.

     

    Thanks in advance - always look forward to your comments and posts.

  12. Posted

    Hi Thomsun,

     

    Welcome to TTBs - suggest you post your question as a topic in Taoist discussion ... you'll probably get plenty of answers ... all you will have to do is decide if you agree with any of them.

     

    Apech

  13. Posted

    I'm interested how you reconcile your interpretation of the TTC with lines such as:

     

    Ch 5:

    "Heaven and Earth are impartial [are inhumane/not kind]; They see the ten thousand things as straw dogs.

    The sage is impartial [is inhumane/not kind]; He sees the people as straw dogs. "

     

    - TS

     

    Hi TS,

     

    We've discussed that one at length - read the thread(s) on it maybe someone has already answered your question.

     

    Manitou,

     

    Thanks for that answer!!!! Great. The path is not easy.

  14. Posted

    This chapter makes me think about how difficult it is to follow the Tao - especially in worldly pressured situations. The world seems to demand certainty (where often it doesn't really exist) and being subtle doesn't wash. I saw a film today with Will Smith called Pursuit of Happiness (didn't really like the film cos the end just seemed to justify the system) but as a character he was being pressurized by forces into being corporate man - pushing himself into something unnatural ... and I thought how bad that is - but when the answer is something fluid and subtle (evasive) how does it get the strength to 'be' in that kind of environment.

     

    (sorry if this doesn't make sense)

  16. Posted

    guys.. Firefox with Adblock!

     

    Yes I think that's the answer - I checked with my other browser (Safari) and I do get annoying adds. So Firefox with adblock ... that is our new mantra!

     

    P.S. yes I dropped the 7 it was very 2010 I thought.

     

    PPS. I am going to move this to tech support its not really a Book Club thing.

  17. Posted

    Everybody - we're having some nice discussions about the individual chapters of the Tao up in the pinned Tao Te Ching topic. We're just not getting enough participation. This is some good meaty stuff. Please join us?

     

    Hi,

     

    Yep I started by joining in but all my recent sessions have been moderation activity thanks to certain other threads :angry: - I'll try to get back to it.

  19. Posted

    From the period when I practiced vajrayana (karma kagyu) I can't imagine receiving teachings online - maybe shedra type study of the philosophical view but not transmissions ... I'm not saying this doesn't have any value but I would try to meet my teacher and develop a personal connection as without that I'm sure how much benefit can develop.

  24. Posted

    Interesting synchronicity, the book (9 1/2 Mystics) I'm reading has this line, 'The end of philosophy is the beginning of wisdom'. I've been chewing on it for a while.

     

    Would you say in Western terms the Sage is academic, whereas in Eastern terms the Sage is a mystic? Or in the East is he a combination? Or, on the third hand in Traditional Chinese should we start academic and progress to mystic??

     

    Michael

     

     

    Hi,

     

    Plenty of western philosophers have been mystics - but quite often it has been hidden by academics/the Church - because this type of thinking was suppressed in the west - while in the est this didn't happen as much.