dawei

1 minute ago, Earl Grey said:

 

Bait and switch and avoiding the conversation--you started by your two messages I quoted earlier and now you are backing out because the spotlight's been shined on you. Nice way to point a finger right back after you've been cornered. 

 

QED. Thanks. 

nope.  All my posts are about the topic of recent departures.  Ralis added in the previous departures.

3 minutes ago, ralis said:

 

I am supposed to answer whether I am delusional or not? Only an idiot would get caught up in that one. BTW, don't take me for a dummy because I am not!

 

Look up what Sean said regarding right wing sycophants and others that were asked to leave. I know what I am talking about.

see my other response. I think we’re talking two different departure of members.  I was trying to stay on topic of the OP.   Those that just left we’re not all right wingers.  Including Spotless named in the title.   
 

so I’m talking the recent departures.  Maybe we add Walker now.

Just now, Earl Grey said:

 

 

Between personal inconsistency and false effect (and a very passive-aggressive ad hominem, too), you seem to enjoy continuing your habit of trying to be the cool and self-important former mod who had false reasonableness and false equivalence to equally false egalitarianism. 

 

At no point was it ever in doubt that the members who left or were banned were abhorrent perpetuators of Alt-Right views, given that Sean personally asked them to leave, and they formed their own forum in response. 

 

Then you make the absolutely bogus statement that ralis made a "completely false statement" which reads more like wishful thinking than it sounds like Sam Spade coming in to show how he solved a case and figured out the suspect. It's as though you're trying to be clever and hoping everyone will give you a pat on the head, but sadly, it only serves to make you appear as sincere as Richard Nixon, as eloquent as Elmer Fudd, and as intelligent as Gomer Pyle, while in your mind, you are Arthur Fonzarelli. 

 

It is also as if you are posting this either because of complete lack of self-awareness, or you are doing so hoping to win some sort of approval in other forums where disgruntled former members are reading what you're writing. 

I realized what is going on... Ralis and you are posting off topic.  The topic was, where is Spotless and other members like Jeff.  I responded to that.  Ralis is talking about an earlier departure of members.  Elsewhere Ilum rightly said right wingers were asked to leave but those banned were due to infractions.  
 

the later departures seem to me what the OP raised.

i think you are over-thinking things.

1 minute ago, ilumairen said:

 

You were not the one who introduced Lori to Jeff, this is true, but there has been much drama here, imo, owing to him messing with people who are unstable and should have been left alone - one of the few things I thought we were in some agreement on regarding this subject matter. 

 

(Please correct me if I'm in error in this..)

 

 

Yes, thanks for asking. It's been a rather pleasant and productive day. How about you?

I don’t know Lori and if it’s something at another site (or closed one), I was not aware of anything with her.   If she didn’t give her permission to have here say spread here, I’d likely not talk myself if I knew.

I’ve heard stories though.  Somethings I don’t agree with and would not do myself but I only know stories and not facts from both side.

i think I realize your comments now, about my offer of a PM.   I meant that for finding Spotless at another website, as he is in the title.   I never got a request.

I’m good and working from home with or without the virus.  I like it that way.

3 minutes ago, ralis said:

I am a liar now?

you made a completely false statement.  If you don’t know every last person in depth enough to make such a false comment then it’s delusional, right?
 

why not say something people can believe, like , most were...  

8 hours ago, ilumairen said:

 

Are you bringing another mentally and emotionally unstable person to practice?

 

And what happens if/when this turns out as badly as some of the others? (If this is your intent)

 

More dismissal of the individual having been unstable, and how they shouldn't have been worked with in the first place?

 

I've seen such hindsight, and wonder if/when it will ever translate into foresight.

since when did I ever do such a thing?   

are you ok?
 

22 hours ago, ralis said:

The ones that were asked to leave were alt-right Trump sycophants and needed to leave. 

That’s a worse lie than any Trump told 

but include Spotless as he is part of the topic and my response.

5 hours ago, SirPalomides said:

That ad is fucked up and everyone responsible should be ashamed. It’d be even worse if Chinese had previously engaged in a campaign of rape and slaughter across the African continent and maintained a vast workforce of enslaved Africans. “ZOMG Chinese can be racist too so anti-Chinese racism doesn’t exist” Big brain shit right here

China is arguably the most racist nation there is... and while that does not negate anti-chinese racism, it is somewhat shifting sand to start using one's own concepts of morality and racism (or the lack of, in CCP) to claim king of the racist mountain. 

On 4/24/2020 at 11:23 AM, Master Logray said:

 

The point is, it is the culture to eat a wide range of animals, reptiles and insects.   It is commonly said everything with 4 legs can be eaten except a table.   During the capture, domestication, transport, in the market to the kitchens,  there are just too many chances of diseases come to humans.   TCM also makes use of animal parts.  

 

On 4/24/2020 at 11:29 AM, SirPalomides said:

Ah, I see, so the usual racist garbage it is!

These are not racist statements.   Southern Chinese proudly have the saying of the 4 legs that the northerners view with some disgust.   The two next are statements of fact.

certainly, people can have their opinion on what wildlife or other animal practices or consumption to curb or stop but that doesn’t mean it’s racist as has been shared so far here.  

1 minute ago, SirPalomides said:

 

And it remains unproven that the wet markets had anything to do with it.

 

 

That's not the task of regulators but scientists, and they're working on it.  

 

 

Conspiracy theories are popular in every country. Your "instead" however suggests that's the only thing going on, which is dishonest.

Can agree with first two points.

My 'instead' means, aside from the wildlife ban that doesn't really help on origins, I'm not seeing anything substantive on the virus origins from china.   Happy to read a useful link aside from wildlife bans.   

This back and forth started about origin issues.   So, china has pushed the US Army idea and vehemently denied Lab release where both have brought forth no evidence and denying other countries access to investigate the latter.

They have tightened any publications as requiring review before release to contain what is shared now.  They pushed the bat angle but have been saying that for months.  A bat from Yunnan (how far from Wuhan?) comes closest in the virus signature but couldn't transmitted it to man... so an intermediate is required... the pangolins were pushed too... but we're back to neither one is shown to be sold there.   This is all old news.  I don't see anything new coming out of China.   

The US embassy had visited the lab in Jan. 2018 and sent back warnings about research on bat coronavirus.   An Israeli Intelligence Officer in Jan. 2019 was maybe the first to speculate something about the Wuhan Lab.   It certainly seems reasonable to want to investigate the lab to help further establish potential issues there, or eliminate them.   Allowing an international team of scientist in would be something new. 

2 hours ago, SirPalomides said:

That's a silly thing to say. While research is still being done to determine how and from what species the virus might have transferred to humans from, the government has been taking measures to curb or completely shut down wildlife trade. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/apr/18/covid-19-a-blessing-for-pangolins

Neither the pangolins nor bats are confirmed as sold at the Wuhan wet markets, which are now re-opened... so whatever they are trying to do with wildlife bans doesn't seem to move the needle towards understanding the origin of the virus. 

Instead, what is spread is that the US Army made the virus and brought it to the 2019 World Military Games in Wuhan. 

1 hour ago, cheya said:

Trying joined in March of 2018.  Probably not Heartbreak, although they may share some similarities.

 

His early posting seems consist with what he says here.   And their interests and confrontation seems different.  

13 minutes ago, idiot_stimpy said:

I would say it first started spreading early December.

 

Also I do not believe that Western Governments did not know about it until it broke in the media. I believe many Western Governments knew about it late December.

I agree.   An interesting issue is to look at Taiwan's timelines:

Dec:  Taiwan sends experts to Wuhan.  They find data lacking and decide it is worse than being shared.  They start planning actions.

Dec 31:  The CDC director saw online chats among doctors in china of an outbreak.  Li Wengliang (whistleblower arrested and eventually died of the virus) was among those.   That night began a campaign to alert health community and implement inspection of flights from Wuhan.   Also began development of testing.

Dec. 31: Taiwan notifies WHO and Chinese authorities about the online chatter of an outbreak.  The WHO refuses to listen.  China decides to report to WHO that patients in Wuhan are being treated for a new virus. 

Jan. 5:  Flights from Wuhan are inspected for contagions with folks quarantined as needed.

Jan. 12: Testing improves from 24 hours to 4 hours. 

Jan. 21: First confirmed case, person came from Wuhan flight on Jan. 20.   (US announces first case, person came from Wuhan).

Jan. 21: WHO reports worldwide cases as 282, only in Asia.   In their section on "Country Responses", Taiwan is not mentioned. 

Jan. 24: Mask exports banned with beginning of rationing within the country.

Jan. 24: Flights from China, Hong Kong, Macau require health and travel declaration.

Jan. 25: Suspend all tours to China

Jan. 30: WHO announces public health emergency of international concern.  Reports cases close to 8,000.

Feb. 2: Stop opening of schools.   Mask and alcohol (cleaning) production increases

Feb. 6: Ban all flights from China

Feb. 15: First confirmed death from the virus (China first death was Jan. 11 and the person infected dozens of others).

Feb. 18: WHO reports more than 75,000 cases. 

Apr. 23: Taiwan has reported 427 cases and 6 deaths. 

17 hours ago, KuroShiro said:

 

 

 

Recently, someone posed as her to suggest she was still around.  Even with a mask on, it was easy to see it was not her... 

See here:

Some good, contributing members have been run off here.   PM me if you want some help to find someone. 

https://www.academia.edu/18649502/Portrayals_of_Chan_Buddhism_in_the_Literature_of_Internal_Alchemy?auto=download&email_work_card=view-paper

Journal of Chinese Religions, 43. 2, 119–160, November 2015

PORTRAYALS OF CHAN BUDDHISM IN THE
LITERATURE OF INTERNAL ALCHEMY
JOSHUA CAPITANIO
University of the West, USA

Chan 禪Buddhism’s rise to popularity in the Song dynasty produced far-reaching effects within Chinese religious culture. This paper examines the ways in which doctrinal, literary, and mythological elements, drawn from Chan sources, were utilized within literary works associated with internal alchemy (neidan 內丹), a form of Daoist self-cultivation that emerged in the late Tang and became increasingly widespread during the Song. I examine the works of the influential neidan practitioner Zhang Boduan 張伯端, who wrote favorably of Chan Buddhism and incorporated elements of its practice within his own tradition. Following this, I turn to an analysis of the writings of other authors and commentators within Zhang’s tradition. These authors held more critical views of Chan and of Buddhism in general; drawing upon long-standing polemical arguments, they attempted to present Chan as an inferior
form of Daoisy practice and claimed that well-known Chan practitioners were, in fact, engaged in neidan practice. With this study, I hope to contribute to the growing body of scholarship focused on the analysis of Buddho-Daoist relations and polemics in the Song period.


KEYWORDS: Buddhism, Daoism, Buddho-Daoism, Chan, alchemy, neidan, Bodhidharma,
Zhang Boduan

Sometimes, what is not said is also meaningful.  I find it interesting that heaven, Earth and the Sage are all said to be 'impartial' but there was no need to apply that to Dao.  I find that avoidance, useful. 

15 hours ago, oak said:

 

My account quota is only 8% of total. I was just trying to upload a photo taken with my phone which I presume can't be that big in size (?)

If you think of anything that may help...

Thanks a lot @dawei

Phone pictures are notoriously big.  I would move it to a computer and resize it.   A software that is simple to use is irfanview.   Once open, Image / Resize Resample.  Keep aspect ratio.   Save as new name and compare sizes.

There are a few limits.  Under Account is My Attachments where you can manage your uploads.  Confirm you have not used up your allotment.

I also recall a size limit ( and a file type) so try to upload something small, 100 k.  You can then delete it in My Attachments.
 

@Trunk

5 hours ago, Rara said:

 

Well this reads completely differently, doesn't it?

 

So do you think the chapter is more just about creation?

I don't see it so much as trying to push creation relative to some of the other chapters that seem to allude more to that.  Its like a primer on cosmic duality of Manifest and Mystery.  But I tend to translate mystery more as primordial. 

6 hours ago, Rara said:

D.C Lau's notes say that "Before and after follow each other" is a "strange" thing to say, and suggests that it probably refers to a ring. So, its abstract meaning would be like the cycle of life, seasons and so forth.

Not sure why... In a military sense, and this was Warring times... the back of the army follows the front into battle; the front follows the back in retreat.

 But all of these examples are two nodes of a spectrum, which is to say they are part of a singular part working in harmony.   Like ch. 1, words divide up the meaning but doesn't mean they are really two separate and independent parts. 

On 4/16/2020 at 5:32 AM, Rara said:

Rid yourself of desires aka meditative practice. Only then do we become connected with it.

 

Then, back to the "real world" - live it! Enjoy what had been laid out for us.

 

Both are one, together working as yin and yang. It's important to understand the importance of both and how they compliment each other.

I'm not that fond of most translations of this section and can understand why some don't even translate 'desire' at all, like Chan but better is Ta-Kao (1904):

The Tao that can be expressed is not the eternal Tao; The name that can be defined is not the unchanging name.
Non-existence is called the antecedent of heaven and earth; Existence is the mother of all things.
From eternal non-existence, therefore, we serenely observe the mysterious beginning of the Universe; From eternal existence we clearly see the apparent distinctions.
These two are the same in source and become different when manifested.
This sameness is called profundity. Infinite profundity is the gate whence comes the beginning of all parts of the Universe.

There is a classic juxtaposition of opposites that ultimately have little distinction other than in name. The next chapter was aptly placed after this to continue that idea.

But the first line already sets the stage with 'ke' vs 'fei'; Can vs [Can]not.    The coin turns over with 'expression'.

Ta-Kao keeps the 'Wu' vs 'You' consistent in the next lines where most do not.  But it leads to an understanding of 'these two'.

If one translates with the inclusion of the word desire, I think it has to take a back seat to understand the point of the chapter that depending on the state one's heart is in, one can observe the mystery or the manifest. 

12 hours ago, Immortal4life said:

It looks like you're probably gonna be right. It probably wasn't from eating bats  or eating any animal.

It is true that eating  bat is not common in china but is known in Wuhan.  By a process of eliminating all source ideas, a lab has made the most sense; I've been saying this for over two months, but I see you didn't even bite when I mentioned that to you 

In any case, there are timelines problems surrounding almost everything regarding this virus.   Time will tell us more. 

https://openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/handle/1887/68431

This is a short, interesting work:

Quote

The Liezi establishes the seemingly paradoxical relationship between determinism and free will in reference to the Daoist sage and the ordinary person and demonstrates how to find “a constant Way behind the changing and conflicting ways of life.”
. . .
The problem that arises with a concept such as determinism, is our strong belief in man’s freedom to choose. Yet in the Liezi, the sage represents both, determinism and free will. This thesis attempts to reconcile the paradoxes between determinism and free will based on the Liezi by examining the relationship between the sage and the concept of destiny. I argue that – if the Liezi is considered in its entirety – the text shows that determinism and free will are merely two different viewpoints on life. The relationship between the two may seem paradoxical. Yet, when applied to human life, determinism and free will are shown compatible, and even inextricably bound to one another. According to the Liezi’s cosmogony, this is because destiny and the nature of each individual originate from the primordial Dao 道 and follow the divine laws which are based on the complex systems of nature. Dao means ‘the Way’ and is considered the ultimate reality and creative power in Chinese philosophy. The Dao is nature and the cosmos, it is the process of how everything manifests, the infinite and inexhaustible source of change, and therefore, inseparable from all organisms, things and events. It has cosmological as well as ontological qualities and alludes to the intangible and the tangible, the transcendent and immanent, the internal and external.6 The Dao is called the Way because “the way things move and events take place cause or determine what they are or what they become.”7 Therefore, the Way represents the human
condition as well as destiny. 
. . .
Chapter 1 elucidates what destiny is according to the Liezi’s understanding of destiny.

In Chapter 2, I show the Liezi’s view on life and human nature based on its cosmogony and ontology, which explains the metaphysics of destiny, and correlate the established principles to the Way of the sage in contrast to ordinary people.

Chapter 3 answers the question of why there is no conflict between destiny and the sage by expounding on how sages apply the cosmogonic and ontological principles in order to transcend destiny.

The conclusion consists of a summary and discusses my findings in regard to why free will and determinism are the same but two different viewpoints on life.