Samurai Mountain man

Ultimately, it's always because of the view.

I mean, who wouldn't want to wake up to the mountain breeze and look at the rising sun in the horizon, shining it's light upon all of creation?

I try to live by my values yes, but I have discarded my ideals. That is maybe because I am flawed and foolish.

I value compassion, flexibility, sacrifice, preservation, kindness, balance. I fail plenty of times but it don't matter how many times I fall of the path, the path there always remains and i can get back on it.

Im going to have to watch that video some other time because I can't hear it right now.

Worshiping isn't how I roll.

May 20th 1991; that makes me what, a metal goat?

I can do that too!

"He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a Tao, sell your cloak and buy one.”

"Do not think that I came to bring peace on Earth; I did not come to bring yin, but Yang. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's enemies will be the members of his household. He who loves father or mother more than the Tao is not worthy of Tao; and he who loves son or daughter more than Tao is not worthy of Tao. And he who does not take his straw dog and follow Me is not worthy of Tao. He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will be immortal."

erm... that might not have worked as intended.

Doesn't all that striving and praying cloud the whole concept? They seem mutually exclusive to me.

In my own voice, this I tell you:

It might seem that way but nothing is mutually exclusive within the Tao and the Tao is All-ecompassing. One of the most basic concepts a Taoist has to realize is that there's yang within yin and Yin within Yang and so forth... they're opossites but they're both part of each other as much as they're part of a whole.

But that's the philosophical, sublime note on your question. There's a lot more (or actually, a lot less the case being) to religious Taoism. Sadly however; I can't offer you a scholar's take on "Religious" Taoism because I don't know nearly enough about it to be accurate enough. Some other bum im sure will humbly help soon enough,

Cheers!

Oh and it's good to be back you guys! it's been a while.

You actually brought up a good question: why do we always want to recapture the feeling of the old?

Remembering positive past experiences feels good because it's a tiny part of the original feeling. Resurrecting one's childhood is invigorating, takes you back to time less complex and troubled.

That's my take

I don't know if chi can help, but child-like wonder comes from experiencing new things which you're largely ignorant off so as to use your imagination to fill the blanks. Or experiencing stuff you've fantazsized about.

Y'know, there's no time like the first time, even if it wasn't as good as it could have been.

Might want to consider going on vacation at Mexico and visiting The cave of crystals, if that doesn't amaze you into a child-like state then you've been jaded beyond repair by your routine. Might want to check the Aurora borealis too.

This thread is double rainbows This thread is double rainbows

This thread is double rainbows This thread is double rainbows

This thread is double rainbows This thread is double rainbows

This thread is double rainbows This thread is double rainbows

This thread is double rainbows This thread is double rainbows

This thread is double rainbows This thread is double rainbows

This thread is double rainbows This thread is double rainbows

omg omg omg

Gotta agree with you on the eggplants. Would only eat those if someone hid them in a salad or something.

It's not that I don't like them, it's just that you know; enough's enough. Like rice.

Curious thing happened today I was eating my mom's delicious pasta (Original Italian homemade style salsa) and I got a few forks into it when I suddenly found myself disgusted and had a near-vomit experience.

Last time this happened I became sick to my stomach, bloated with gas as if something was rotten within me. Very unpleasant, could my body be rejecting the delicious pasta? why? I was fine this morning.

You can learn all you want about taoism, the practices, the traditions, origins and "theories" but learning Tao is a different sort of thing, I don't think you can learn Tao from anyone, all they can do is help you forget what you think you know and realize the Tao that's already within and arround you.

Forget what you know, and it'll become clear. Reject your own wisdom and you'll double it. Forsake your wealth and you'll find value. Breathe in, breathe out;two opposite actions, always part of the same principle.

Flo got arround snorting a rainbow I'm sure. It open's your third eye and you end up seeing through the Reptilian's disguise.

At the time of physical, bodily death an individual would leave their body, thus gaining immortality.

As a form of astral projection; yes? it's like immortality in the sense that the current self at the time of death will not dissolve into the greater form of conciousness lying beneath the world.

Or something.

Yes, two meanings. Each meaning being the exact opposite of the other. Sound familiar? where have I heard of such ambivalence!

Dwell too much time on a passage of the TTC and you'll have it's meaning lost to you.

The Tao Te ching often goes back and forth with itself, It seems to disregard the very foundations of what "sageliness" is and that's the beauty of it. I think it contradicts itself often openly and blatantly at times as way of making the reader challenge what he knows, it invites you to even question what you're reading to stop taking everything for granted or something along those lines. It secretly teaches many things without trying to teach them -making you discover it on your own- It teaches about ultimate humility and wisdom and for some reason im bound not to tell you more, and im guessing many of you know why.

It's so beautiful; so subtle. can't help but laugh really. Im feeling so peaceful right now, no more anger.

As a teenager I decided to go vegetarian but I found out meals were just really depressing because I didn't enjoy half of what I ate, it was all either bland and crude or watery and unsubstantial, like biting into cucumbers as main meal was just so sad for some reason... or it was all bitterly cardboard-ish, like those awful brown diet bread with carrot peels in them. I admire you vegetarian people, it takes guts to eat tofu y'know. godspeed ya mad rabbits.

But anyways I'm watching this thead in hopes I can replace meats entirely with veggies for two maybe three days a week without ending up eating pasta. Just no more rice or eggplants, im sick of both.

Aw c'mon Flo. just post that shiet. Here's a peek on some of my current favorites:

Thievery Corporation:

Justice:

Manu Chao:

The Mountain Goats:

Acid Washed:

Deadmau5:

Mos Def:

Kavinsky:

. Also try pressing your Liver 2 points for a while until you feel calmer. (Its in the web between your big and second toe)

Right or left foot?

Try to take up sports or endurance sports. I love cycling. The other day, I did 80 miles in a bit over 5 hours. Put that anger to the pedals and go fast.

I haven't much time what with my work and all. I'd love to be back lifting at the gym at nights but Im also pretty much broke and I can't afford it. Let alone the risk with how absurdly dangerous my town is. Financial situation's become stressful for me as well so there's that bugging me too, probably making me more agressive than usual.

I'll try to get back at joggin though. I've felt too tired and angry to do it again when i get home from work but I guess it takes discipline's all.

Wow thanks for the replies everyone. it's different i've never experienced something like this, all this positive feedback on something so personal it's a pretty alien feeling to me, I am very grateful and Im making sure to read every comment with care as not to miss anything.

I try to figure out where the anger is coming from, what beliefs etc.

I don't know it's like an endless pool. if i had to guess where it's comming from I'd say the correct question is "from when" because it's from my childhood mostly.

Again, I can't say I mean its obvious that the lispy dude isn't responsible for invting the keys. And I figure you haven't keyed his grill. He is just covenient target for an issue that cropped up before the anger responded. A real psychologist talking personally with you might get at the root of it. Everyone has a dark side. Anger is invigorating. But your descrption sounds more like it is sourced in you, you seem to have a lot of discipline as well. And you are no novice to the workings of your soul. Either you can keep a handle on it , as is, or you prefer to just clean it up, and get it behind youfor good. If you did seek someone out , I would figure that they needed to have enough background in your own core beliefs , to , have credibility. Our own toughest challenge is ourselves..its always an even match up without an ally.

Yeah he's just a convenient target as you said, Im not angry at him he's not done anything. I just need it pointing somewhere other than myself. When I've got nothing to point my anger at I end up putting it against myself, which is worse in some ways.

I know not to cross the line though, I am able to hold myself back enough not to cross the line, but as I said it's getting harder and harder. I just want to put this behind me and get on with living.

For me diet and qigong have helped most. Helped me conquer depression / anger. Don't know if it helps you any but I think the bad thoughts you are having are just bad thoughts. They're not you unless you act on them.

I have a ver good diet. quigon i just don't know where to go to learn that.

Also energetic weaknesses making a situation trigger a ton of past pain...eg feeling like you dont belong, or everything needs to be going right all the time or you cant be happy

Of the I've disowned my own pain, ignoring it and claiming it to be invalid, it's caused me in turn even more pain to deal with, just because i didn't want to sound like an angsty little kid i refrained from ever talking about my feelings. Nowadays I just don't know how. Not IRL anyways.

You might need actual phsycotic talks. No shame in it. It must be dealt with and. I recommend soon

It makes sense after fighting on my own for so long, but If there's something hard for me to do is ask for help on that aspect of my life. It's taken me DAYS to summon the strength to post this and I believe the only reason I have is because you can't see my face.

For instance there's this guy talking on the phone right now and I just want to key his stupid face and make him chew that lisping tongue of his. The keys are perfect for the job.

Where's this thing comming from?

Dunno , but youre just chock full of surprises.

Im glad you decided to share the peaceful side of your nature.

It's because I don't have to be angry all the time. I know I can get better I just didn't want to before.

What are you implying? I came here to seek validation? This forum is like a beehive of angry bees out to kill me. Stosh is the lead bee.

Clearly, what we have here is a FAILURE TO COM-MU-NI-CATE!

Because everyone is perceiving it the other way arround. Like you're one angry yellowjacket crashing the picnic.

Aren't human interactions lovely?

I propose we start the thread over so as we can resume peaceful discussion.