Rishi Das

I often take for granted things that not everyone is afforded the luxury of having. 

In that vein, I'm feeling grateful to have a roof over my head and food in the fridge. 

@Wells and @Chang

I hear what you're both saying and agree that the first sentence can create some discomfort and be little off-putting.

I think it's important not to 'throw the baby out with the bath water'. No matter the perception of what agenda is being pushed, cultivating the quality of acceptance can prove to be a useful tool, which is something I thought the author consistently aimed at illustrating. Not all messages/teachings are going to come packaged perfectly; I thought the general essence of the article and what it's promoting outweighed the derisive aspects. 

Maybe I'm unclear or just ignorant but aren't concepts like anti-white and pro-diversity in conflict with one another? Maybe my real question is, doesn't the concept of pro-diversity include white along with everyone else?  

This article, The Great Divide (linked below) brought Dao Bums to mind so I figured I'd share. 
What I took from the reading was the importance of cultivating the quality of acceptance in relation to the diversity of 'spiritual' teachings and practices that abound in our world today. 
For me, teachings and practices are as good as there ability to bring the 'seeker' to that which they seek. With that in mind, who am I to judge how or what that looks like for someone else..  

https://tricycle.org/magazine/the-great-divide/

Methinks we do a great job of being all-inclusive here at the Dao Bums but me also thinks it's still an important reminder. 
As a newbie, it took me some time to understand that being so tunnel visioned as to disregard another's path because it didn't match my own understanding could have left others feeling as though they didn't belong. It's one thing to disagree and another to disregard and it's important to keep in mind that  language/words are important in a community forged by language/words. 

Anyway, that's all I got. Appreciate you taking the time to pop in.  
Happy and open to hearing what you got from the article should you feel moved to read and share. 

In the spirit of Aetherous's 'Counting our Blessings' thread I want to thank you all for being and contributing to the forum. I'm grateful for you. 
A special thanks to all the admins/mods for keeping things in check and providing a safe space for us all to be and share in. 

As I walked out back to the practice shed this morning -

The sting of frost covered grass on the soles of my bare feet 

The cold morning air that swept through and chilled my body 

The stars and the moon that bathed me from above

The silence of a sleeping world 

This morning, I feel grateful to experience the depth and richness of even the most 'mundane' of moments. 

I am grateful for time spent in the back-country...

On 12/4/2017 at 8:32 AM, Chang said:

Upright like a top

Spinning clockwise in a most

Counter clockwise world.

Counter clockwise world.

Spinning round and round and round.

Will it ever stop? 

10 hours ago, Chang said:

The wind that moves us

Blows nobody any good

But bears no malice.

 

But bears no malice

No malevolence, no spite

Just dancing delight

7 minutes ago, Gunther said:

Grateful for you, sir

That's the haikus back on track

Like whispering leaves

Like whispering leaves

I hear voices echoing

Through eternity

39 minutes ago, Gunther said:

Heya, Rishi Das

This is not 'nam, there are rules

It's five-seven-five

😀😀😀

Thanks a bunch Gunther

Learn something new every day

Grateful for you, sir

"Mind at Large has to be funneled through the reducing valve of the brain and nervous system. What comes out at the other end is a measly trickle of the kind of consciousness that will help us to stay alive... Certain persons, however, seem to be born with a kind of bypass that circumvents the reducing valve. In others, temporary bypasses may be acquired either spontaneously, or as the result of deliberate "spiritual exercises," or through hypnosis, or by means of drugs. Through these permanent or temporary bypasses there flows, something more than, and above all something different from, the carefully selected utilitarian material which our narrowed, individual minds regard as a complete, or at least sufficient, picture of reality." 
- Aldous Huxley

15 hours ago, Chang said:

All of us are here

In body if not spirit

Half way there at least

1

Halfway there at least

I sit down

To rest the legs and relax

i hear you, qicat. i have had a fair share of neurosis in relation to food myself. 

be careful not to trade one neurosis for another.

give IF a shot and if you feel so inclined, come back here to share your experiences.

i second liminal's suggestion. intermittent fasting is a great way to transition to longer more drawn out fasts or can be used as a pure stand alone.

one way to start is 16 hrs fasted / 8 hrs feast. from there you can draw out fasted periods until you reach that place that works best for you.

as with everything else, slow and steady.

for me, looks something like this..

weekend away. remote location set apart from other humans.

most likely in the mountains. 

silence is a must. no electronics or electricity.

open fire. rise with the sun, rest with the moon.

there would be no set agenda and nothing to do or accomplish.

x2-3 one hour blocks of meditation which would consist of nothing but being open to the moment.

mantra/kirtan would be the only utterance of sound scattered throughout the day.
qigong would surely happen along with spontaneous movement/flow.

exploring the terrain would take place: daily hike, bathe in the river, and/or swim in the lake.

would bring one book that expounded on the plants and animals found in the area to reference and explore.

food would be minimal and something easily prepared.

at night i'd surely lay on my back and look up at the stars.

natural and simple.

EDIT: not necessarily 'monk' like but seemed to fit non-the-less.

On 11/25/2010 at 10:15 PM, Non said:

I downloaded wuji qigong. It's ok I guess, but not much special.

 

Maybe I shd get into it again now that I'm more mature

maybe you should.

i practice the wuji form often. was taught by my Teacher who learned it directly from Master Duan himself.

for whatever it's worth, i can state with confidence that it is much more than just 'ok'.

that was great. thank you for elaborating.

i also appreciate the grace in your first sentence. you're clear and concise and in this instance i have learned from your coming to flat out -facts.

cheers.

good stuff, Stosh. you are clearly much smarter than i.

appreciate you taking the time to drop some knowledge.

EDIT:

I'm not mad, credibility is bestowed or not , it isn't a thing one has, power is borrowed.

• credibility is bestowed. had to look up credible.... credible: able to be believed; convincing. in that case, you are correct - it isn't a thing one has but instead is bestowed. 
• i think i understand what you mean when you say power is borrowed... care to expand further on this point?

If one wasn't translating their sentiments into action , a rational person might assume that sentiments aren't enough to make physical things happen, so there would be no point to seeking physical evidence for exerting sentiment alone , and so lack of physical evidence would be no reason to doubt ones sentiments.

• seems like there is a gem here but i can't decipher and have to run...any chance you would dumb this down and put into more layman terms...?

@OP - i think this still ties in. then again, i also think everyone here is mad so that may not be the case!

Cheers.

my opinion, take it or leave it...

STOP MCO. STOP energy work. STOP thinking so much...

eat meat. spend time in nature. breath deep and share space with your loved ones. exercise your body. 

when symptoms subside find someone knowledgeable to help guide you as you continue, if that's what you intend to do.

EDIT: also may be good to give her (K) a set time and place to be free - meaning...set aside time and space to shake, dance, sing at the top of your lungs, scream, cry, yell, laugh, go absolutely mad.

The main reason I asked is to have "real" evidence to motivate/convince me to progress in my "practice"... Still, I am looking for some “hard” evidence, and especially if these are physical in nature.

Cheers.

welcome to the forum. i'm curious, what do you hope to get by asking such questions?

@silent thunder- or just throw it out and watch the show. of course you won't get the same kinda detail but i gotta imagine you'll catch the jist... so much to read, so little time!

@morning dew- good stuff. if you feel so inclined, report back about what you felt/thought.

Thought provoking and just downright disturbing. I liked it!

Figured it may be right up your alley...or not.

Cheers.

How do you guys get over this?

We are small; a tiny spark in the infinite fire of life. Learn to get over yourself.

Two quotes come to mind...

“Be happy about your growth, in which of course you can’t take anyone with you, and be gentle with those who stay behind; be confident and calm in front of them and don’t torment them with your doubts and don’t frighten them with your faith or joy, which they wouldn’t be able to comprehend. Seek out some simple and true feeling of what you have in common with them, which doesn’t necessarily have to alter when you yourself change again and again.”

- Rainer Maria Rilke

“A complete sharing between two people is an impossibility and whenever it seems, nevertheless, to exist, it is a narrowing, a mutual agreement which robs either one member or both of his fullest freedom and development. But, once the realization is accepted that, even between the closest human beings, infinite distances continue to exist, a wonderful living side by side can grow up, if they succeed in loving the distance between them which makes it possible for each to see the other whole and against a wide sky!”

- Rainer Maria Rilke

I have been using the Chess Time app from the App Store.

Wonderful. I have not heard of it. Will check it out.

Are you enjoying a faster pace vs. slower pace or visa versa?