steve

Very cool, it may take me some time to get through the whole interview. I appreciate you posting this here. I also miss having Spotless here.

@NaturaNaturans It is complete

Yes, my Daoist teacher used this method during my meditation instruction. I have no idea if it is used often as I’ve only had one teacher. I can say that it was probably the single most important teaching I received from him with respect to understanding how to practice properly.

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Teachings on desire as a poison can be very helpful to some and harmful to others. We all need different things at different times in our lives. Please take everything I say as nothing more than my opinion and perspective. A few words on desire as a poison. Desire, like poison, is not good or bad in and of itself. There is absolutely nothing wrong with mercury or digitalis. The problem lies in the person that consumes it in large enough quantities to experience toxic effects. IMO there is nothing wrong with the simple experience of desire and nothing wrong with desire serving as a stimulus for creative expression. In fact, this may be one of the healthiest expressions of desire. The poison lies in our tendency to over-identify with our desires, to over-indulge our desires, or even to deny ourselves what we desire, for then it tends to exert a controlling factor in our lives leading to problems. When we simply are present to the experience of desire - how it lives in our body, our inner narrative, our thoughts and feelings, we have the opportunity to see it for what it is, a normal and natural manifestation of human experience. It becomes toxic when it becomes a source of frustration, of unsatisfied longing, as an object of rumination, or when it leads us to take advantage of others. In truth, my experience is that desire is not the only, and certainly not the best, driving force for creative expression. Creativity is far more subtle and spontaneous than that. Creativity comes from a much deeper, quieter, and more intelligent place than desire. One analogy is the relationship between spiritual practice and awakening or enlightenment. Spiritual practice can prepare us for and help us to recognize when we come into contact with deeper spiritual truths. Nevertheless, there is no direct correlation and no guarantee that any particular practice will result in such an outcome. Similarly the desire to create or to own or claim authorship of our creation is not the source of creativity. It can put us in a position where the spontaneity of creativity can come out, it can even give us fuel to keep going when that connection to the creative source is elusive. In this sense, I see no problem with accepting the fact that desire plays a role in our creative process. In fact, the desire to create can help us to connect more deeply to something important inside that we may otherwise overlook. The desire to achieve something in life, be it spiritual or creative, is a useful and appropriate human experience. Certainly there comes a point when desire can be distracting or limiting or lead us in the wrong direction. It is important to be aware enough of ourselves and our creative process to recognize when this is occurring and to redirect; very much like we need to notice when we are distracted in meditation and return to presence, over and over again. At some point I think desire becomes less important as a motivating factor but that is not something that can be forced or denied, that is something that must be permitted to occur when our process and development has matured sufficiently. Another thing I'll suggest is that the tendency to question, judge, and punish ourselves is a symptom of the seasonal depression you describe. There is nothing inherently wrong with this either but it is important to recognize it for what it is - a passing feeling, maybe slow to pass, but ultimately something that will change with time. Like desire, this tendency to judge and punish our motivation and our feelings is just fine as it is as long as we recognize that it is nothing more than a very limited and transient mood and experience. What we truly are as human and spiritual beings is so much more than that and what I am pointing to here is the real source of creativity. All that said I will freely admit that my own connection to a source and motivation for creative expression has been elusive and frustrating for me at times, probably more often than not, so while I may have some thoughts I like to share on the subject I can understand and share your frustration. I think one approach to consider is that when these obstacles arise and seem insurmountable, rather than throwing ourselves against the rocks maybe try to find an alternative way forward. Consider investing a little time and energy into a form of expression that is unfamiliar, something completely different from your usual approach. A different medium or activity, a different color palette (whether that be verbal, auditory, visual, whatever...), a different time of day, a different location, even something simple like different clothing or background music. It's also OK to take a break from your activity. I've found in the past that taking a break allows me to return with a fresh perspective that permits progress in new and exciting directions. Best of luck to you Zoe and may the new year bring you fresh inspiration and creative energy!

Why not give it a try? I just went through 1200 pages of 1Q84 like a hot knife through magic butter. What English translation do you suggest?

Happy New Year friends! I can't recall a resolution I didn't fail to accomplish... consequently I gave up on making resolutions years ago. That said there are things I do want to challenge myself to focus on this year - deepening relationships with those I care most about, revitalizing my martial arts and fitness routine, playing more chess, and devoting more time to creative expression. I also hope to implement a program to bring meditation instruction to people living with chronic pain. Tonight I'll be spending some quality time with family and had a great time today watching the Ravens play football. Cheers to a prosperous and healthy 2024 to all of my DaoBum friends!

I appreciate this thread being here, particularly as we enter the new Gregorian calendar year. Like everything else, there are things about it I really like and things that I find disappointing. What I really value the most here are the people and relationships. It is fascinating to watch how people express their opinions and interact in all the myriad forms it takes. It is instructive to see just how much they identify with those opinions and perspectives. Even more instructive to realize how I am one of them and to notice how much I can identify with and guard certain positions. It is wonderful to be able to observe what things trigger me here as well as how I feel when people respond to my posts, be it positive, negative, or not at all. I find that these observations can inform how I interact with others in the meat world. Ultimately, what I seem to get out of my time here that is most valuable is the opportunity to see myself through the eyes of all of you, however that may play out. I never see myself as clearly as when I am able to integrate others' perspectives with my own. What I have found disappointing here is the same thing I find disappointing about humanity in general, namely how elusive it is for people with differing opinions and perspectives to show each other respect and a little tolerance, if not genuine care. Similarly, how difficult it is to be open to opinions that differ from our own, being actively willing to embrace, or at least tolerate for a while, something that challenges our own closely held positions. So a big THANK YOU to everyone here for being a part of my own personal journey. I wish you all a joyful and healthy 2024!

@ChiDragon It is done

Happy Winter Solstice to my DaoBum buddies I wish you all stability in your practice and flexibility in your lives I pray for all beings caught up in humanity's violence Let there be peace on Earth and let it begin with me

@ChiDragon, @kakapo Thanks for your attention and notification on this. Yes, there was a bit of a "glitch" which I've adjusted. The intention is that the "owner" of the PPD should have some control but not necessarily the ability to edit or delete others' posts. You should still have the ability to hide and unhide posts in your PPDs if needed.

Hi James, Welcome to the DaoBums! I'm intrigued by your intro and look forward to interacting with you. Thanks for the mention Cobie.

I’ve only just started the book. It describes a life form who communicates through thought and is unable to distinguish “thinking” and “saying.” They struggle with the concept of lying because they have no method of hiding what they are thinking when saying.

The Dark Forest, the second book in a trilogy by Liu Cixin, features an alien sentience which communicates through thought, rendering dishonesty unintelligible. I believe the series is being adapted for the screen.

@Sanity Check this out! https://www.thedaobums.com/forum/643-sanity-check/

I don't know of any in particular but I don't know much about the history of Bön and its relationship to Daoism. There certainly could be some connection. They both represent Queen and Mother aspects When I look at the iconography and read a bit about Xiwangmu, I don't see many obvious similarities.

Yes, I agree. That is in the Bön teachings as well and I think I certainly did not emphasize it in my ramble. The source of blessings is not a disembodied eternal Buddha image. If I gave that impression, my apologies. The source is the Nature of Mind, Kuntuzangpo itself, and those blessings come through the lineage which is said to be unbroken in Bön. It comes from the teachings and from our connection to the lineage and our teacher. I think NOT visualizing our own human (and fallible) teacher during Guru Yoga and visualizing an image which represents all of the teachers of the lineage is one way to avoid the dangers and challenges you indicate. The other thing I'll mention is that my teacher is on the progressive side and is comfortable adjusting the presentation for the Western audience, for better or for worse. I personally don't think it's healthy to pretend that the teacher is a living Buddha. It may or may not be true and it can be a trap. For me it is enough to know that my teacher is a dedicated practitioner and holder of the lineage who expresses the fruition of the teachings through his words and actions. It is enough to emulate that without getting stuck on the idea that he, and I, need to be Buddhas. If I truly believe the teacher is the Buddha, it may support a deeper conviction, devotion, and practice but I don't consider that to be essential (and yes, this is s-o-t-i publicly disagreeing with the masters again! ). I appreciate that and you have been beacon of knowledge for me over the years so thank you!

There is - search The Tao Bums. To my knowledge no one actively monitors or moderates and participation is very sparse.

One of my specialties… occupational and cultural hazard!

I invite the inner observer to fully rest, allowing the focus to be open and settled. It feels open and clear, even unbounded and expansive at times. Sometimesd blissful, sometimes sluggish, other times agitated. Wrapped up in this or that all too easily… notice, rinse and repeat. Too numerous to describe, every moment is an experience and my reactivities are myriad. Sometimes predictable, other times gobsmacking. I guess you could say my experience of it is the narrative and perspective of my life, both internal and external, and the ”base” upon which it abides, which is empty of course… 🧐 My Daoist teacher emphasized no intentional moving of energies through pathways during taiji, bagua, xingyi, qigong, or neigong. It is always to be allowed to arise naturally through coordination of the body, mind, and movement. In the Tibetan school, we bring together attention, movement, sometimes sound, sometimes visualization, and the breath and work with channels and chakras to assist ourselves in opening more fully. This is often preliminary to simply abiding in openness, clarity, and warmth.

To be a bit more wordy… The primary reason no one receives anything from a teacher is that when it happens, the giver and receiver cannot be, and have never been, what you thought they were or it is not what you think it is.

Me too, and to be clear please don’t conflate steveontheinternet’s opinions with Bön teachings. More like a weak tea of the teachings, lately a bit tepid even, made in a glass that could use a bit of deep cleaning… … but then again, what is there to polish? 😶‍🌫️ 🤣

I did and edited it out somewhere along the line, either before or after it hit the page…

You are correct, my comments were incomplete and a bit misleading in retrospect. Difficult for me to put into words.