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@Daniel re. nothingness
 
“When chapter 5 compares Dao to the bellows at work, it is clearly suggesting that as a productive emptiness, 
the Nothingness of Dao is the emptiness of the female womb. … from nothing all beings come. 
Ellen M. Chen (page 93 In Praise of Nothing)
 
 
Edited by Cobie
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42 minutes ago, Cobie said:

@Daniel your ‘infinity’ posts reminded me of Ch. 25: 


There is a form that developed from primordial chaos 
That was born before heaven and earth. 
Silent and still, it stands on its own and does not change. 
... 

It can be regarded as the mother of all under heaven. 
Not yet knowing its name, 
We refer to it as the Dao. 
Were I forced to give it a name, I'd call it the Great. 

The "Great" means "overflowing"; 
"Overflowing" means "going far"; 
"Going far" means "to return." 

Heaven is great; the earth is great; the Way is great; and the king too is great. 
In this realm there are four greats, and the king counts as one of them. 

Humanity takes as its model the earth; 
The earth takes as its model heaven; 
Heaven takes as its model the Way; 
And the Way takes as its model that which is so on its own. 

又状虫成, 
先天地生, 
敚[糸禾], 
独立而不亥, 
可以为天下母。 
未智(知)其名, 
字之曰道。 
吾强为之名曰大。 
大曰筮, 
筮曰远, 
远曰反。 
天大、地大、道大、王亦大。 
国中又(有)四大安(焉), 
王居一安(焉)。 
人法地, 
地法天, 
天法道, 
道法自然。 

(Henricks 2000, Terebess)

 

 

 

Nice!  I was studying this chapter yesterday.

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11 minutes ago, Cobie said:
@Daniel re. nothingness
 
“When chapter 5 compares Dao to the bellows at work, it is clearly suggesting that as a productive emptiness, 
the Nothingness of Dao is the emptiness of the female womb. … from nothing all beings come. 
Ellen M. Chen (page 93 In Praise of Nothing)
 
 

 

I would not consider that 'nothingness'.  I like your words "productive emptiness" or maybe "inversion"?

 

Edited by Daniel

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12 minutes ago, whocoulditbe? said:

Maybe spin this topic into a different thread?

 

Lolz.... but, but... we're discussing productive-emptiness in a thread titled 'deleted'....

 

~intended in the most friendly manner~

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The discussion of "when the end of consciousness comes, there’s nothing to be afraid of. Nothing at all." is a discussion about productive-emptiness, is everything just "deleted"?

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9 hours ago, Daniel said:

I would not consider that 'nothingness'.  …


“… according to feminine logic of life, from nothing all beings come.” 
(Ellen M. Chen (page 93 In Praise of Nothing)

 

 

Edited by Cobie

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34 minutes ago, Daniel said:

… is everything just "deleted"?


反 - ‘to return’ , imo means ‘reincarnation’.  
 

Stefan Kappstein (Shen Shu, p449 Dutch copy), “the Chinese culture from its inception believed in the cyclical return of the soul in a new body.” 


 

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56 minutes ago, Cobie said:


“… according to feminine logic of life, from nothing all beings come.” 
(Ellen M. Chen (page 93 In Praise of Nothing)

 

 

 

According to mathematics as well .

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56 minutes ago, Daniel said:

Axiom #26:  never argue against feminine logic.

 

I have never encountered that  . 

 

Spoiler

:P

 

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2 hours ago, Michael Sternbach said:

 

Here, Laotzu seems to identify the Dao with Wuji. Which is a rather interesting perspective. 

 

While an argument can be made for Wuji being analogous to zero, 無極 literally translates to 'without ridgepole', read: 'without limit', or 'infinite'.

 

The apparent contradiction here again speaks to the curious coincidence of zero and infinity that I talked about elsewhere.

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17 hours ago, Cobie said:


反 - ‘to return’ , imo means ‘reincarnation’.  
 

Stefan Kappstein (Shen Shu, p449 Dutch copy), “the Chinese culture from its inception believed in the cyclical return of the soul in a new body.” 


 

 

Cool.  Thanks.  I'll try to keep that in mind in my DDJ pursuits.

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18 hours ago, Michael Sternbach said:

 

Here, Laotzu seems to identify the Dao with Wuji. Which is a rather interesting perspective. 

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuji_(philosophy)

 

"In Chinese philosophy, wújí (simplified Chinese: 无极; traditional Chinese: 無極; lit. 'without ridgepole', meaning 'without limit')

 

I'm just now seeing this comment.  Kind of a lovely syngery with the other convo we were having yesterday regarding the Ain-Soph (never-ending).

 

16 hours ago, Michael Sternbach said:

The apparent contradiction here again speaks to the curious coincidence of zero and infinity that I talked about elsewhere.

 

Unless 'zero' is not compatible with this and zero never coincides with infinity.

 

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Kroll (pg 185, 2. b.) 無極 wu2 ji2- infinite, immeasurable; paramount. 
 

 

Edited by Cobie

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17 hours ago, Daniel said:

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuji_(philosophy)

 

"In Chinese philosophy, wújí (simplified Chinese: 无极; traditional Chinese: 無極; lit. 'without ridgepole', meaning 'without limit')

 

I'm just now seeing this comment.  Kind of a lovely syngery with the other convo we were having yesterday regarding the Ain-Soph (never-ending).

 

Yes, exactly. Same insight there. 🙂

 

17 hours ago, Daniel said:

 

Unless 'zero' is not compatible with this and zero never coincides with infinity.

 

 

We'll have to talk about that some more. 😜

 

11 hours ago, Cobie said:

Kroll (pg 185, 2. b.) 無極 wu2 ji2- infinite, immeasurable; paramount. 

 

Thanx for the confirmation. 

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5 hours ago, Michael Sternbach said:

We'll have to talk about that some more. 😜

 

Brain-food?  Soul-food?  Both?  A spiritual smoothie of glorious nothingness!

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