old3bob Posted Monday at 11:51 PM (edited) 1 hour ago, steve said: IMO it is an error in view to claim that a separate self "does not exist." Nor did I claim that gods, goddesses, and demons do not exist That is not my view or the meaning of my posts. I do understand how people can come to that conclusion, sorry to not be more clear. This, I can get behind... and in front... and in the middle too. "I am he As you are he As you are me And we are all together ... Goo, goo, g'joob!" "Nor did I claim that gods, goddesses, and demons do not exist", By Steve Agreed its just that they are not eternal, or to me do not exist beyond the present cosmic cycle. are those four lines also from the Beatles who said something close to it in a line from, "I am a walrus" although theirs sounds like or was a nutty 60's mashup. Edited yesterday at 12:13 AM by old3bob Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
old3bob Posted yesterday at 12:10 AM 3 hours ago, Keith108 said: As with good and evil, the three times (past, present, and future) are empty. They have no self nature, and are illusions that keep us locked up in our "self" prisons. I know that sounds crazy but, at least from a Buddhist pov, it's a pretty key teaching. My signature quote starts with some good instruction about how to practice, and then the last line. The last line says essentially, all of the past, present, and future are contained in this moment. One mind moment/infinite kalpas. But, now I am drifting from the topic. Ch. 2 in the DDJ seems to point to these apparent paradoxes of time and good vs. evil: ~ 2 ~ When the whole world knows the pleasing to be pleasing This ends in despising When all know the good to be good In the end there is “not good” Thus, existence and non-existence are born together Difficulty and ease result in each other Long and short are compared to each other Above and below are opposites of each other Noise and tone are harmonized by each other Front and back accompany each other Therefore, sages handle affairs with non-action They practice wordless instruction And the myriad things all take their places Without responding Given life, but not possessed Acted for, but not expected of Perfection is cultivated, and not dwelled upon Surely, what is not dwelled upon Does not leave Gong, Heshang; Lao Tzu. The Heshang Gong Commentary on Lao Zi's Dao De Jing (2nd edition) (p. 46). Center Ring Publishing. Kindle Edition. _/|\_ the manifest is connected to the unmanifest thus I'd say it can not be just an illusion per se. (or the "ten thousand" are connected to Tao thus are not just illusion per-se...so it follows that the only illusion is in the lack of full or correct perception . 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
old3bob Posted yesterday at 12:22 AM (edited) (skip) Edited yesterday at 09:35 AM by old3bob Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
old3bob Posted yesterday at 09:36 AM (edited) "Now, where do thoughts come from? That's the question that liberates." By Keith thoughts are mind things and when a light that is not a thing (so to speak) shines through them they appear yet take away the thoughts and the light is still there but then not seen like a thought that it seemed to be on the screen. Edited 19 hours ago by old3bob Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bindi Posted yesterday at 10:59 AM On 11/1/2026 at 5:35 PM, old3bob said: it has no lasting root in itself and needs to steal whatever it can get away with which lasts for awhile, which has been a very long while but not forever, thus after stealing and consuming all it can get away with it then implodes or self destructs on itself. I think ‘evil’ or ignorance has to be shown the door, it doesn’t self destruct. If we get a hundred monkeys to destroy ignorance, then things might start to change. Right now yes things are bad, but like zerostao said they’ve always been bad just more hidden. The bad is showing its hand, and the other faction are standing against it. We’re in dangerous times, but we have been here before and the good has won. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
old3bob Posted 19 hours ago (edited) 10 hours ago, Bindi said: I think ‘evil’ or ignorance has to be shown the door, it doesn’t self destruct. If we get a hundred monkeys to destroy ignorance, then things might start to change. Right now yes things are bad, but like zerostao said they’ve always been bad just more hidden. The bad is showing its hand, and the other faction are standing against it. We’re in dangerous times, but we have been here before and the good has won. Hello Bindi, that's an aspect also....but I'd still say that when evil is acting (per its hungry diabolical madness, greed and with fear underneath those) to consume but can no longer steal and use energies from others it then only has itself left to consume (known in modern terms as no one else to throw under the bus) and in that way implodes or can no longer continue. I'm no expert on this but from a Christian perspective I know Jesus does not kill evil with evil along with the fact that evil can not steal from Christ-light and thus can not remain around that truth and presence and has to turn away or is turned away... and it can only retreat so far and for so long before the light... Edited 13 hours ago by old3bob Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stirling Posted 17 hours ago On 1/12/2026 at 5:06 AM, Keith108 said: One time, I asked my teacher: "when will evil end?" He replied: "when you stop doing good". KInd of a zenny answer, but also very deep. Keith, that's fantastic! You are blessed with a very "wise" (prajna) teacher. It is also a very Dao answer. Stop pushing! Actualize the fundamental point! Reminds me of a quote my teacher loves to use: Quote How many beings does it take to make a Buddha? ALL BEINGS. How many beings does it take to make a terrorist? ALL BEINGS. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
old3bob Posted 17 hours ago (edited) On 1/12/2026 at 6:06 AM, Keith108 said: One time, I asked my teacher: "when will evil end?" He replied: "when you stop doing good". KInd of a zenny answer, but also very deep. Some years ago, a rather eccentric friend of my mine once remarked that evil was necessary to balance good. Kind of a yin/yang thing. That's always been interesting to me. Every time humans try to create a utopia, it's a disaster. It seems we can't function with just the light. I still like ruminate on this one, because it runs against the grain for me. But as OldBob mentioned above, some deep ideas to think about. _/|\_ well, if stopping with dharma ways then in that vacuum adharma gains... I'd also say its a mistake to somehow conflate Yin with willful evil, when its just the other half of of duality..."These two flow from the same source though differently named" as found in chapter one of the T.T.C. or "One gave birth to Two" as found in chapter 42. Edited 17 hours ago by old3bob Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lairg Posted 14 hours ago (edited) In the DK writings there is a statement that in 1825 at the regular centennial meeting of the spiritual government of the planet, it was decided to allow the human race for the first time to make direct contact with divine will. The result was a polarization in which humans were required to choose between light and dark. The polarization worked out through much conflict including the two world wars. Even then the polarization was not fully resolved. So were the world wars good or evil? Perhaps good and evil are human perspectives What decisions were made in 2025? Stand by for more out-working. Edited 14 hours ago by Lairg Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nungali Posted 14 hours ago Since you dont seem to know if world wars are good or evil I suggest you look this up ; https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/holocaust Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
old3bob Posted 13 hours ago 24 minutes ago, Lairg said: In the DK writings there is a statement that in 1825 at the regular centennial meeting of the spiritual government of the planet, it was decided to allow the human race for the first time to make direct contact with divine will. The result was a polarization in which humans were required to choose between light and dark. The polarization worked out through much conflict including the two world wars. Even then the polarization was not fully resolved. So were the world wars good or evil? Perhaps good and evil are human perspectives What decisions were made in 2025? Stand by for more out-working. holy cow, please get real... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lairg Posted 11 hours ago (edited) 1 hour ago, old3bob said: holy cow, please get real... How do you test what is real? Take a vote? I tend to support Shakespeare: There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy. Edited 11 hours ago by Lairg Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
old3bob Posted 9 hours ago 2 hours ago, Lairg said: How do you test what is real? Take a vote? I tend to support Shakespeare: There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy. that fiction about 1825 is not real by many many thousands of years+ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lairg Posted 9 hours ago 1 minute ago, old3bob said: that fiction about 1825 is not real by many many thousands of years+ Hopefully you are not going to quote religious scriptures Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lairg Posted 9 hours ago Experiment: - go back on this timeline to 1820 and look at the quality of surface Earth humanity - come forward to 1830 and repeat What differences Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
old3bob Posted 9 hours ago Just now, Lairg said: Hopefully you are not going to quote religious scriptures some of it is better than weird or cult like fiction that is repeated, Btw, many missed their ride on that comet a while back and paid with their lives: "in 1997, 39 members of the Heaven's Gate cult died by mass suicide in the belief their souls would board a supposed alien spacecraft they thought was traveling behind the Hale-Bopp comet. They referred to the process as shedding their "bodily containers" or "meat vehicles" to "graduate" to a higher existence". Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
old3bob Posted 9 hours ago 4 minutes ago, Lairg said: Experiment: - go back on this timeline to 1820 and look at the quality of surface Earth humanity - come forward to 1830 and repeat What differences go back 2 to 4 thousand years and read of some of the pointers that Spiritual giants left us. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lairg Posted 8 hours ago Did the Dao forbid humanity advancing? Did the Dao forbid inner plane experiments? Meanwhile some 60 nations have signed up to the moral principles for managing the solar system: the Artemis Accords. Where in the ancient documents is humanity entitled to manage the solar system? https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-accords/ These days there are spiritual standards to be met for humans that wish to reincarnate on/in this planet. There are more important projects here than Earth humanity. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites