RyanO

Thanks for the link! Cool stuff, I'm into this material as well. I've been wanting to start a topic on brain damage vs spiritual development because I think that's an interesting evolution of this concept, perhaps there are some insights in this book. Does it have a Christian basis? If so that would turn me off, in which case I would go for something like Blasto's Buddha's Brain.

Science Must Destroy Religion!!! In all seriousness, it's a great article as well as a worthwhile debate. There will always be extremists on all sides, and as always, I find the middle ground to be a healthy perspective. Sam Harris, despite his sensationalist title, is however very sensible. His basic idea, as I understand it, is that when we allow ideas that have no rational basis into the public sphere and accept them in the name of tolerance, there is little we can do to combat dangerous dogmatic ideas. If we maintain firm rational ground with regard to all religions, however, then we are better suited to address harmful fundamentalist thinking. That said, I do believe he has a little too much 'faith' in reason so to speak. I do like his point though that something can be non-rational but still have a rational basis, such as his views on spirituality. Just to add a counter-point to the OP.

Super cool, very inspirational:

Thought it ringed a bell

Big fan of this guy. His book on Awareness is FANTASTIC! http://www.amazon.com/Awareness-Opportunities-Reality-Anthony-Mello/dp/0385249373

Ha! That is awesome. Now I feel kinda bad for giving up so soon.

Oh, and I STRONGLY disagree with that comment about music!

Mal, does that game ever end? I made two go throughs before I said enough is enough! I like your views on entertainment, it's an issue I've been wondering about ever since I read a meditation book that said we should do our best to cut out all forms of unnecessary entertainment and use that time to meditate. Like you, I think that's a little overboard. Everything in moderation. It's also why I asked Vortex what he thinks of a good book (that is one that doesn't have much practical value) since he disparages video games so much, because you could expand his argument to include all forms of entertainment. Though I do agree that video games are in a special category and some are worse than others (at being negative and addictive). Never heard of Damo's cave, sounds cool, what's that?

And I STILL don't understand how he gets the whole Taoism pronounced with a hard "t" thing. I mean, maybe someone with no exposure to the concept would read it this way, but that is not at all common usage. He makes it seem like in the West Taoism is mostly pronounced with a hard "t" and that The Tao of Pooh, for instance, is intended to be pronounced that way. BS!

Wishing everyone a happy St. Patty's day from an O'Neill! Ready your Guinness! Cheers!

I have a friend who is taking iodine to combat any possible exposure to radiation. Personally I think this is unnecessary. We both live on the East Coast USA. What do y'all think?

Some of the more obscure emoticons puzzle me! Most are pretty are simple, others are a little more obscure, like . How about this one ? Is it supposed to be like rolling your eyes? If so why is he smiling? But here is my favorite: What is THIS guy feeling? You can't tell behind the mask!

And they move now too!?

Well put!

Stig, Since you have basically had to be on the defense here, I am wondering what your personal opinion of Dr. Komjathy's article is and if there is anything you disagree or take issue with?

I sort of agree with you, but then again, I sort of don't. Would you put reading a good fiction book in the same category?

Haha my feelings exactly. This is my post summarized in two succinct sentences.

Well said Apech.

This thread is interesting to me because I've had a sort of love/hate relationship with VG's. Here is a funny and relevant article on cracked that explains why video games are addictive: http://www.cracked.com/article_18461_5-creepy-ways-video-games-are-trying-to-get-you-addicted.html I find myself agreeing with both Stig and Sloppy (and others) despite their differences. There are many different variables to this argument. As an adolescent I spent probably too much time playing video games, the peak being around 1996 when I was twelve and some fantastic RPGs were coming out on the Playstation. Like Enishi, I played Final Fantasy VII, Xenogears, Chrono Trigger (SNES) and many others. My favorite game was Suikoden: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suikoden_(video_game) This game is (very loosely) based on the classic Chinese story Water Margin. As such it has some Taoist themes, for instance your job is to recruit the 108 Stars of Destiny. It is very imaginative and I feel, like Sloppy, it did a lot to spark my creativity. Such video games fueled my childhood love of mythology and fantasy and my spiritual journey would not be complete without these experiences. I am not trying to say these games were perfect or didn't have some of the telltale traits of addictive video games. But I do think they are far superior to a lot of modern games played over the internet. Such games are geared almost specifically to trigger the addictive cycle as in the article. I was recently with my brother-in-law and he was playing Call of Duty, a first person shooter. I decided to see what the fuss was about (it's one of the highest selling games) so I picked it up (I have a PS3 and still occasionally play). And man, this game is like CRACK. Heart gets racing, and you get such a feeling of satisfaction from doing well (conversely get really pissed when you don't). It's almost like it's geared JUST to stimulate you in that way. My curiosity satisfied, I decided to quit playing this game because it serves no useful purpose. It almost feels like it forces you to go all or nothing. I think I went through withdrawal when I stopped playing! It does kind of scare me that such games are so popular. Then again, society scares me in the same way because people are addicted to many things. Anyhow, I do think video games have the potential to be worthwhile, but it seems to me that most games are made (especially today) to keep you addicted, just like the cracked article says.

ah...well then <cough> So he does practice, that's cool. It's still an interesting issue. Again, I appreciate the effort to preserve the authenticity of "Daoism". But I wonder how useful such an effort is outside of academic knowledge. It seems to me that such efforts may alienate some people who resonate with Daoist teachings. I suspect this problem is common in many religions, do you water it down for the masses or stick to your guns and risk excluding others? Personally, I tend to be more of a universalist, and think that whatever is true in one religion is true in another, and that religions that hold steadfastly to dogma are inevitably holding on to falsehoods. So while I appreciate the effort from an historical and cultural perspective, I don't from a spiritual one. And I still don't get the Taoism with a "t" thing haha.

Napoleon Hill was big on this connection http://www.reuniting.info/wisdom/mystery_of_sex_transmutation

While I appreciate the commitment to historical and factual accuracy, I sense a dryness and self-righteousness in this person's writing that I find common in academia. One who observes and studies but does not practice. Additionally, I don't know anyone who pronounces Taoism with a hard "t".

Haha, well it's not so bad for some of us. I will be attending the upcoming workshop, and am bringing my mom with me