steve

Yeah, I've probably got it all wrong. Peace

There is an interesting hypothesis of consciousness being rooted in quantum states in intra-neuronal microtubules. This is a collaboration between an anesthesiologist, Stuart Hameroff, and physicist, Roger Penrose. There are plenty of valid criticisms but it's an interesting line of inquiry. https://academic.oup.com/nc/article/2025/1/niaf011/8127081?login=false https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1571064513001188?via%3Dihub

Just like the gods and goddesses, I see these more as convenient anthropomorphic representations of human qualities and characteristics and of unexplainable natural phenomena. Some positive (gods and goddesses) and some negative (demons). I’m not afraid to use the terms but I think they are less necessary and less meaningful in the context of modern knowledge.

I wonder what value there is in ascribing the negative characteristics and manifestations we see as “evil” as opposed to human? It feels to me that it is a way to distance ourselves or absolve ourselves of responsibility, a form of dehumanization such as is used to normalize atrocities.

May I ask, do you speak and/or read Mandarin @Cobie?

I agree, anonymous strangers online may not be the best resource under the circumstances.

I loved the first season and the rest not as much but the overall effect worked for me, largely because of the nostalgia. The mall was silly, the evil Russians too caricatured. That said the Americans were far more evil. I mainly liked the fact that we enjoyed it as a family and my kids lived the series. I also recently watched Life of Chuck and really enjoyed it. Just teasing about the “other stuff.” Some of it is fun!

Your experience resonates strongly with my own. For me, neijia, neigong, and neidan are journeys of self discovery. A teacher can give pointers and direction, as well as exercises to engage with, but we must engage and discover for ourselves the true meaning, proper technique, and results. Externally, the teacher can adjust the posture but internally, the inner details of posture must be discovered. This is the only way we can learn to self-correct and make meaningful progress in our practice. Once we have developed adequate skill and confidence, engaging with others allow us to test our progress and discover our weaknesses and errors, such as in tui shou, san da, and so on. This is why it is said in taijiquan that we must 'invest in loss.'

If there is discomfort sitting in stillness, that mind is not still. If the mind tries to find something to do, that mind is not still, it is active and restless. The restlessness and discomfort interfere with connecting to the source of creativity and compassion.

Loved the series, including the finale! Not sure what everyone else is talking about…. 🙃

My heartfelt condolences! I pray for healing for your family. And for your dear young doctor. I apologize for the order of my replies, I often reply from latest to earlier… 🙏🏼

If you trust wu wei as a principle, you must let it happen. The more you is there, the less it happens. I am a straw dog, and will be stashed away between performances, Dao continues to flow. Feel the Dao in every moment. I trust this moment more than I trust what I think about it.

Dao treats us like straw dogs, no? Positive or negative is a human judgement, Dao does not play favorites.

Your entire post above is gold. And there are layers of understanding and realization, just as there are relative and absolute truth. Reading and studying alone, even a scripture as perfect as Daodejing, can only take us so far. The mind, its activity, and its contents can only take us so far. We must make room for practice, for simply being, to appreciate the wisdom hiding behind the words. And we must be patient and kind with ourselves and each other if we want to discover something new together. Although, if we trust the old masters, an occasional swift kick in the arse or thwack on the shoulder with the keisaku can be helpful too.