nightswallow

My thoughts exactly...... we must cross the barren dessert and climb to the top of the mountain to attain the True Self! The trials and tribulations along the way seem endless..... but they are not. One will eventually start to feel the "upward" pull and know then....... the path is true and all is not in vain, How does the saying go,,,,"Darkest before the Dawn." Hold tight to that which does not change! We are all "Fragments of the Divine"!

As The Course in Miracles says "the Ego is insane". i feel that to be true and if one looks at the world, one can see all the insanity it has wrought. But yet..... as someone said to me, a few days ago.... it's not that we must destroy the ego, there is a place for it in the psyche but it needs to function without running amuck! I think the TCIM would say we must give it the "Miracle of Love" And yes......... meditation and awareness will direct it back to its proper place. Just my thoughts.................

A favorite of mine is "Pathways Thru to Space" by Franklin Merrell Wolff, an American mystic, who lived in the Sierra Nevada mountains and experienced an "Awakening" in 1936. With so much Oriental literature, that is often hard to comprehend by the Occidental mind, it is great to have another perspective by a Western mystic! He left us with 50 aphorisms at the end of the book and here are the foundational first three: !. "Consciousness without an object is." 2. "Though objects were, consciousness without an object is." 3. "Though objects seem to exist, consciousness without an object is." Do you see where this is going.... it builds on these three. He was a Stanford trained mathematician who came to realize there was much more beyond the visible world. If interested, there is a fellowship website devoted to all of his materials.

Words can be, and are important..... but even more important is a sensitivity to the "unspoken" that goes back and forth between people. It has to do with caring, compassion, journeying together.... whatever you want to call it. It goes beyond the limit of words because we are all human and share a commonality. Sitting in silence with another, there can be a great deal of communication taking place, if both persons are truly aware and " in the moment!"

Thank you for the gracious welcome and kind words, Chang! I have a good feeling about being in this forum, there is something wonderful about being in the company of people who have a serious interest in what is close to your heart! We take a journey together and that is a great thing!

Fragments Shimmering shards of humanity Suspended, between birth and death Slowly turning, from darkness then to light Broken……. though still reflecting Each shard, turning slowly…….. orienting Towards the blissful center Awaiting final placement Back into the eternal Whole

Science, as wonderful as it is will never give us a complete answer to the Mystery of Life! One must go beyond the mind to find that answer! Awakening, Recognition, Enlightenment, whatever you want to call it........ will never be answered by science either, as science is ever limited. If one would become full....... one must first become empty. This grand illusion we call Life is but a dream, no different than the dreaming state when one sleeps. Lose the ego and one will find God, Ultimate Reality, Realization... whatever you wish to call it. The word is not the thing.

Hello everyone! New member here, and looking forward to learning and sharing in this forum! I've come across the Tao Bums in the past while doing internet searches in the areas of martial arts and Chinese philosophy, Today I was trying to find info on the relationship between the Five Chinese elements and the Eight Trigrams and here I was back at the Tao Bums! Figured perhaps it was time to join! I'm a soon to be 66 year old, single male, live in the country, in Northern Indiana, with cats, dogs, chickens, and some peafowl. Been at the same place for over 40 years so have put roots down deep. Got into martial arts by accident, late in life ( age 49) and it has helped me greatly to learn more about the mind- body connection. Don't care to travel much anymore as the journey now feels more inward than outward! (Although I will always feel like I missed something if I don't make a trip to Tibet or Nepal!) Now that I'm moving into old age and heading towards the "ultimate stiffness" of the body, i am less interested in the body and more in the mind and energy. Another way to say it is the soft speaks to me much more than the hard does! Was reading a bit in the forums awhile ago about yin / yang, Personally, I have a fascination with picking them out in daily life. For me it has been a way to order this world of duality that we live in. I drive some of my good friends nuts with this, I must say! And I must constantly remind myself that they are both present, even though one may dominate at the moment. The transition from hard to soft led me into Tai Chi and Qigong, and have been an instructor in the Cheng Man Ching (ZMQ37) short form style for the past few years. Am fascinated with neigong and learning more about internal energy. I am also a serious follower of Franklin Merrell-Wolff, an American mystic, who led an amazing life and lived to ripe age of 98 or 99. Understanding the Eastern or Oriental mind can be so difficult, it's great to get a perspective from someone on the Western side! There is a great website out there, if you would like to learn more about him! Life is good, and has become so much more full and rich for me as I've gotten older. My early life was too complex with all the ups and downs that go along with being young. Anyhoo..... great to be on board with you all, I know the forum will be a great help on my personal journey and I look forward to making new friends along the way! I bow to ALL of you! .