GrandmasterP

We did have a go at Zen archery , one of the instructors at the club went in for that and gave us a demo and some hands-on. It's a special type of bow, very long arrow too. Not as hard to draw as tye long bow but much harder than the modern bows which have pulleys to ease the weight of the draw to your hand. Quite a ritualised 'draw' technique in Zen archery, almost QiGong-like.

Same as always. If it isn't pouring with rain then we go out as per usual. Twice a day, every day walking three cocker spaniels on the beach. When it is raining hard we just let them out in the garden.

Duplicate post

Mrs GMP and I used to go to an archery club held in a local school sports hall. They had all the kit and you could borrow it to use for a certain number of weeks. After that you were expected to buy your own bow and suchlike. We stopped going at that point as we weren't interested enough to spend a fair whack of money on the equipment needed. They were a mixed group some used modern bows and others traditional long bows.

Bhutan's the place for archery. It's their national sport. Nearest to the target wins.

Nope.

Yes please on those socks.

Book Tokens are always acceptable. That way they get to choose.

Not necessarily. Some people just get better anyway, placebo or no placebo. Hence I'm not sure that there is a 'deep significance ' to the placebo effect. Seems to be stretching a point somewhat but it does make for a most interesting thread discussion.

Much the same here. I came to Daoism via reading TTC but don't 'follow' Daoism' as a religion. It would be pretty difficult to do that here as there are no Daoist groups to join. Buddhism has always been an interest, mainly reading about it. Have tried sitting Zazen on a retreat, that was rough and used to live between a Pure Land centre and a New Kadampa temple with lovely veggie cafe attached. Hence it was easy to meet with Buddhists if only socially. Like MH I'm not overly comfortable with the religious aspects of Buddhism. The PL and New Kadampa people were really nice folks to visit with but one couldn't imagine living alongside them. Those residential communities seem a bit 'intense' for my lazy personality. Maybe a bit regimented with various rituals happening at fixed times each day, every day. Since coming on TTB and hearing about the Daoist 'menu' I have decided that I'm probably in the 'philosophical' Daoist catchment area. That said I wouldn't define myself as a Daoist if anyone asked my 'religion' (nobody ever has). The odd time I've filled in official forms asking 'religion' I put ' Church of England' as everyone born in England, by right; is a member of that and along with all my classmates in school I was confirmed as a young teen.

Just checked to see if UK Docs prescribe placebos and found this from 2013..... Of the 1,715 GPs contacted, 783 (46%) completed the questionnaire. The researchers found that: 12% (95% confidence interval (CI): 10 to 15%) had used pure placebos at least once in their career 97% (95% CI: 96 to 98%) had used impure placebos at least once in their career 1% used pure placebos at least once a week 77% (95% CI: 74 to 79%) used impure placebos at least once a week most doctors (66% for pure, 84% for impure) believed placebos to be ethical in some circumstances. There looks to be an ongoing debate as to whether prescribing placebos is ethical or not. It is obviously permitted or those Docs would not be admitting to prescribing them. Slightly off topic, I read somewhere that homeopathic remedies are said by some to rely on the placebo effect. Not sure if that's the case or not but the one time I tried a homeopathic remedy it didn't work for me. Same goes for Bach 'rescue remedy' that never worked for me either.

The best teachers facilitate learning. Not 'the stage on the stage' but 'the guide on the side'.

Yep. Me too. ( I agree)

Quite right MH. 'who is it posting these thoughts and to what purpose?' There's a 'you' right there irrespective of whether or not that 'you' embraces the concept of 'I'. ( I don't mean you personally MH. That's a general comment).

Spot on MH, that's an accurate summary IMO. The trouble is with the military-industrial lobby is its power, money and influence. Keeping the war-pot boiling in their interests. The poor taxpayers pick up the bills and some in the military pay a far higher price. The UK simply follows US policy as seen at the Obama/Cameron 'love in' in Washington this past week. I really don't see why we should be interfering in the affairs of other nations overseas, let them sort out their own differences , fight amongst themselves and then negotiate and trade with whoever comes out on top. I reckon had we done so then we'd have had very little trouble at all from any 'terrorists'. Our actions have served to stir them up against us.

The Adam Smith Institute carries on in much the same spirit. http://www.adamsmith.org/about-us/ It's maybe somewhat to the 'right' in UK politics for some people's tastes. They do describe themselves as 'libertarian' not sure if Adam Smith himself would have been on board with some aspects of libertarianism. Seems to me that's a fine position to take for those who are financially secure but maybe not such a comfortable place for folks struggling to get by.

I can see where you are coming from guys and don't disagree with you 'aspirationally'. Maybe I'm looking at this with material rather than a spiritual eyes. I can see how being a forgiving person is far better than being someone eaten up with un forgiveness. Maybe that old Jesuit adage... " love the sinner, hate the sin." I dunno.

I'm really not keen on those labels truther or sheeple at all and have said as much on that other forum before now. "I am this...S/he is that." To me is just so much division. It strikes me as ironic though that those who claim to be the switched on 'elite' over there do seem to display some characteristics that they blame the other people for. I've asked before now.. " I'm not a truther so does that make me a sheeple?" The truthers tend to say.. "Yep... You're a sheeple GMP." Baaaaa...

Exactly. It's the cultivation that counts. Left to nature or human-nature's own devices things can be kinda messy. Without responsibility few would have rights because the irresponsible would go unchecked. We need to cultivate toleration but temper that with justice. Hence I believe that just retaliation is essential in the real world.

" I mean....calling that spade a spade would kinda be like saying the farmer is responsible for having a garden grow in his backyard." A lady, admiring the vicar's garden said to the minister..... "God has certainly given you a beautiful garden vicar." The vicar replied... "You should have seen the state of it when He had it to himself."

LOL

I don't think that just retaliation is un-Christian or un-anyother faith path either. "Turn the other cheek" may be aspirational but, in the real world it is a recipe for sore cheeks and a license for bullies. There are some bad folks out there. For example.... If I put a sign at the end of the drive saying... "We are on holiday, house is unlocked." Maybe we'd need to be buying new furniture on our return from holiday. So we don't put up such a sign, we have locks and a burglar alarm. Are those security measures 'retaliation' or prevention? If someone robbed us then I would hope they might be caught and punished in order perhaps to learn the error of their ways. If someone broke in when I was here then I'd have no hesitation in tackling that person if I was able to do so. Anything less and the wrongdoers have 'won'.

On another forum I visit one of the labels that pops up now and again is.. "Sheeple" Supposedly sheeple are sheep.-like people who just go with the flow and are happy to accept any and all official version of events. Trouble is you see a lot of posts along the lines of... " I am SO glad that I am not one of those dumb sheeple." The opposite of a sheeple is a 'truther'. On that forum the 'truthers' come across as a self defined elite. Guys ( always guys) who are 'in the know' and claim to know what is really going on in the world. Unlike the silly 'sheeple'. If a 'truther' claims an event to be a 'false flag' then all the other truthers get on board and say... " Yep, that's a false flag event right enough, any fool can see that." Then, anyone who disagrees with that false flag call is branded a 'sheeple'. But.. None of the 'truthers' actually know anything much at all as they weren't present during the events commented on. They've seen maybe online footage or read another truther's opinion and followed it. Baaaaaa...

How is what happened in France connected to the cocaine industry please? Not a challenge, I'm genuinely intrigued.

Pope Francis' thoughtful speech was reported in today's newspaper here. Seemed like sound and compassionate common sense. "If Cardinal X here insults my mother then I will punch him..." And he made to mock punch the cardinal who was standing next to him. Justifiable anger and justifiable retaliation seemed to be the point but all tempered with forgiveness and the possibility of improvement or 'redemption'. Not sure about 'redemption' as a concept but forgiveness has to be an essential. There's not much point in forgiving someone who simply takes advantage and carries on offending. Saying to someone who has no intention of stopping stealing for example... " Oh that's wrong all this stealing you are doing but I forgive you." That gets no one anywhere at all. There has to be some sanctions applied and limits defined.