oh man, what to say what to say. hello? does that work?
im 23 out of tacoma washington, i joined up here as a part of my attempt to see if the scope of what i think about the tao is anything like the members of this board. looking to observe, listen and learn and probably ask a good number of odd questions.
while im not apart of any particular belief system or school, i've got myself a handful of direct experiences that have filled me with conviction that im heading in the right direction. i have however read a short list of books that have guided me, i suspect a person whos been around for a long period of time and perhaps read these books too or at least are familiar with the concepts in them might be able to peice together where i might be at with things.
booklist:
be here now by ramdass - great book of great madness. full of essential wisdoms and funny pictures. i need more copies to give to my friends
the ethical slut by easton liszt - a book for surviving alternative relationships, given to me by a lover. great insight on how people deal with intimacy in general. and since everything relates back to the tao i've had some great realizations from this book.
sitting with koans by john daido loori - too much history! very dry and boring and occasionaly confusing.
the art of leadership translated by thomas cleary - one of those pocket books seen on bosses desks next to their tiny zen sand garden... helped me a lot when i was dealing with being a leader in anime conventions.
hagakure by yamamoto tsunetomo - i sat and thought very deeply about what was being said in this book. eventually i realized... i'll never get it.
i ching translated by thomas cleary - yet another reason i joined these forums. i think i might be understanding what im reading, i've made some interesting changes thanks to this book. but i still dont think im getting the full meanings of what it contains or how to apply it.
secret teachings of the tao te ching by mantak chia and tao huang - interesting book of taoist excersizes taken from a different interpetation of the ttc, confusing since i dont see a lot of books on this subject and mantak chias excersizes seem to always be changing from book to book.
you are not by stephen wolinsky - difficult book to read!! even hard to understand what hes talking about when it comes to the psychological experiments. but the book essntially goes to explain that everything breaks down to a vibration. but now that i know that what am i supposed to do?
essential tibetian buddhism by thurma - great book, lists meditations im not ready for as well as various heros of tibetian lore that i've never heard of. but good wisdom overall. most intersting is some of the psychology they have, various explanations of how people come to be the way they are, and how to deal with yourself.
hua hu ching translated by brian walker - great book my favorite! less riddles more straight instruction.
the aneletics translated by david hinton - great book of instruction, kinda helps to define the great virtues thats always being talked about. too bad i just picked this book up recently
kundalini, evolution and enlightenment - i found this book in my friends house in with a bunch of stuff his mom was throwing out. shortly after i found that one of my friends was directly taught kundalini yoga by his family in india. i read, he taught, crazy things happen.... i dont mess with the kundalini much anymore....
the yogic sutras of patanjali by ??? - thought it was a joke, something the guy mentioned above told me about and then printed off the internet for me. but then a certain experience happened and i tottally think the things listed int this book can be done, just not by me in this life time... unless i get back into practice. for those that dont know, this book is more than nuts its mad nuts!! it outlines the techniques for achiving yogic miracles such as flying teleportation, possessing people, like i said! mad nuts! i should'nt own this!!!
a couple different version of the bible - lets not get started on the bible, its just where i started as a kid. "i like your christ, i dont like your christians" - gandhi (i think)
so thats about it, i've got these ideas floating around in my head, i use them to give me a different and less egocentric take on things. as a result a lot of people think me to be a good person, im not, i just dont think anymore. i save a lot of effort that way.
now then is there a section to discuss experiences in meditation? or perhaps aids in diets and excersizes? im not actually as far out as i sound to me. lol. i try to keep things realistic and practical.... i try
