Hi TaiChiBob.
Thank you for the encouragement. I am doing just that. The tentative title is “The Tao of Tao”. I am not into self-promotion so if and when it gets published I will PM you rather than post it on the BB.
Hi neilhytholt,
You are assuming TaiChiBob is being snide and not well meaning! Perhaps your own snide attitude colors your perceptions. Perhaps you are projecting your own intentions on to someone else.Originally Posted by neilhytholt
On the other hand, you have a decidedly poor/rude attitude! It oozes from most of your posts! One cannot expect others to be repeatedly cordial when your sour attitude asks for a firm response. I wish my children well, but that does not mean I will tolerate rude or inappropriate behavior from them. Indeed I scold them in order to guide them to more appropriate behavior. You are asking others to accept your attitude, but appear unwilling to accept the response your attitude encourages. Your initial post today was meant to be derogatory; you received a rather clever and humorous response in return. It appears that TaiChiBob’s general rule is to apply the principles of Tai Chi in his daily life. This is what motivates him to respond in such a pleasant and good-natured manner. Some of us however, prefer the more direct approach. For example I would say: if you don’t want others to be derogatory to you, then do not behave derogatory yourself. I you don’t like being told that then go play somewhere else because you will continue to hear these types of responses when you behave this way!
I might add that I have tempered the tone of my direct manner because of the example set by TaiChiBob. A year ago I would have been much more terse!!
Hi Darin,
It might be beneficial for the discussion to explain your definition of immortality. If someone is confused about your meaning it seems incumbent that you make the effort to clear up the misunderstanding.
You previously stated your intention is to become immortal/ascend. Your means to attain this is through a formalized ritual which requires celibacy. I am stating immortality/ascension does not require a formalize ritual or celibacy to be accomplished, that is all. The effects you experience do not seem to have provided you with any greater insight than anyone else who does not practice the rituals you adhere too. That is because effects, powers, abilities, etc. do not bestow insight, they are possible side effects of ascension not signs that it has occurred.
It is not my intention to dissuade you from the choices you are making. I have made no claims celibacy is not a means to an end. I have merely stated celibacy is not necessary! To you it is a useful expedient. To me it is a waste of time and ignores our humanness.
Regardless, if one is not gaining maturity, understanding and insight from their practice what they have gained is of little value.
I would not consider your path leaning to the darkside. It is clear your intention is good and your attitude hopeful. I do not percieve you behaving in manners that indicate any evil intention. You are open to discussing your path with others who disagree with you. This is a sign of willingness to grow. You are reasonable in your discussion even when you encounter criticism. This is not easy for many to endure with grace. Criticism can be difficult because many have an ego investment/attachment to the path they adhere too. When this occurs the attachment to their chosen path forms a part of their self-definition, their core identity. Then when their path is criticized they may perceive it as a criticism of themselves. Sort of like, “To criticize my path is to criticize me!” This makes growing beyond our attachments difficult because to change involves a psychological death to our old ways of perceiving ourselves. Growth involves change and change can be like a little death. We die to our old way of looking at things, only to be reborn to a new realization. This mini-death is a death to the ego attachment we had to our old way of looking at things.
This internal metaphorical death is symbolically illustrated in many mythological tales. It represents a death to the old self, the old ego attachments, and a rebirth to a new self, to new realizations. These new realizations bring greater freedom, not less. St. Paul said, all things are legal for me, but not all things are expedient, not all things are edifying. He understood he could basically do whatever he wanted. He was not ruled by laws and restrictions. This is because he understood that ascension is not based upon actions, but is a state of being, a state of mind. He chose the actions he would perform according to his intentions or end purpose. He chose not to engage in many behaviors because he recognized that as a leader of spiritual children to behave in manners that would be confusing to the flock would lead to misunderstanding and impede the growth of those he sought to guide. So while his actions were a choice based upon specific intentions he also recognized he could inherently do whatever he wanted without jeopardizing his salvation.
Change/growth can be very scary. It leads us to unknown territory, but it is this unknown territory that provides us with the rewards/benefits we seek.
To me it is the goal that is important. The means we use to get there are merely useful expedients! They are useful as long as we perceive progress, but we should try to avoid clinging to our method. Clinging binds us to ignorance and encourages erroneous views. At some point our progress will be retarded if we continue to cling to methods that no longer serve our purpose. That is not to say we shouldn’t give our method of choice our full dedication, but we must not forget that no matter which method we follow it is only ONE means to an end. We must be willing to discard whatever method we adhere to for the benefit of the ultimate goal. In other words we should not make the method we use more important than the goal we seek.
As always, I fully enjoy our discussions and I am happy to continue or not as you please!
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