T_Clark

That's a loop you can break at any time. It's almost completely in your hands. You can either 1) figure out a way to lower the temperature or 2) chang...

Hey - Same as it ever was. It's been particularly bad recently, but it's one of the things humans do.

As you can see from the forum, people disagree about everything. It would be impossible for us all to agree on something as important as humanity and ...

My plan is to continue with this thread whether or not people respond. I'm having a good time and it's really helping me clarify my understanding. We'...

I'm ok with that here, but just to be clear, I don't think the 10,000 things have to be substantial, i.e. material. I think love is one of the 10,000 ...

I often think about this question - Can you get something from nothing. Answer - Sure, QM tells us that particles arise in the quantum vacuum continua...

I think I get it too. It's just that the definitions of being and non-being used in this context don't seem the same as other verses. The ones used in...

I have no problem with you discussing it here. It's just that the terminology is so unfamiliar, I don't know how to use it. I do plan to read the book...

There are interpreters of the TTC who see it as an authoritarian, Machiavellian handbook for rulers. Most people disagree with that, and I think I agr...

Sometimes, though, I've found that sincere interest in another's way of seeing things will open up a conversation, even if it's with someone I have st...

I am a recreational thinker and I'm pretty competitive, so at times in the past I've been a... minor-league jerk. I've become more even-tempered as I'...

Are you involved with these "explosive misunderstandings" with your own family, friends, and acquaintances? How do you behave? Do you participate in t...

Verse 11 – Ellen Marie Chen Thirty spokes share one hub to make a wheel. Through its non-being (wu), There is (yu) the use (yung) of the carriage. Mol...

I don't know what "method" means in this context. What is a philosophical method? I guess it's how the philosopher goes about achieving his purpose. T...

I don't understand. What is Lao Tzu's method?

Darkness I went through various documents looking at how the words "dark" or "darkness were used." I don't have any point to make. I did it to satisfy...

I'm not sure what "method" means in this context. Could you expand a bit. What is Lao Tzu's method?

I've been around the forum for a while, and I generally avoid free will discussions. By "generally" I mean "always." A new one shows up every couple o...

More importantly, it's my younger son's birthday.

Well, yes, of course my understanding is a "Western interpretation." As is yours. My understanding of the TTC and yours are so different, I don't thin...

The forum is full of threads where the poster doesn't do a very good job of defining his terms. I would say it's the rule rather than the exception. I...

I don't have any opinion on the issues in this discussion. I will say this - I don't think what you are saying is disrespectful to men, women, or tran...

Come on. You know he didn't say that.

If you don't mind - how old are you? I'm 69. I won't be offended if you don't want to say.

I do like the present time. I'm as happy now as I've ever been. I do think we may be in a very dangerous period. It seems like all of science at once ...

From now on I'll give the entire verse at the beginning of my post. Do you like the Ivanhoe translation particularly?

I still get lost in the terminology you use. So, ok, ok, I just downloaded Feldman Barrett's book. I can't promise I'll read it all in time to help wi...

The way I set up my post for Verse 10, but cutting it all up in pieces, made it so I never looked at the whole verse as one piece. So, anyway, here's ...

This is really helpful. Thanks.

I'm not going to go any further with this right now, but the similarity between the TTC, at least the Chen version, and the verses was interesting.

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I went and looked. Is this the verse you are talking about? Bodhi originally has no tree, The mirror(-like mind) has no stand. Buddha-nature (emptines...

A lot of good traditional stuff has been tossed out. We could use some of it back. Does that make me a reactionary? I would also add skepticism about ...

As I've said, you and I see things differently. I'm satisfied of three things 1) I understand your viewpoint better than I did at the start. 2) Althou...

Verse 10 I skipped Verses 5 through 9 and went straight to Verse 10. If you want to discuss any of the verses I skipped, please go ahead. I’m going to...

My son was a bartender before the bottom dropped out. He's a very good listener. College is like baseball tickets. When I was young, a middle class or...

This is a scene from Billy Elliot, a wonderful movie. It comes after his audition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0tTT_87Hh8

I've enjoyed this back and forth. I feel like I have a pretty good understanding of where you are coming from. I'm going to try to practice non-action...

Just think of the Tao as the Force. Here is Obi Wan Kenobe teaching Luke to use wu wei the Force. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X69NCLxwLEY

Here's another one of my favorites, from the New Yorker, probably early 1990s. I was going into my boss' office one morning and it was pasted to the d...

As they say, three chords and the Tao.

As we've discussed before, I think this is a misleading interpretation of wu wei. To me, it doesn't have much to do with avoiding fame and fortune, on...

Finally, someone agrees with me about that.

First, as I've noted, I have not spent much time with Buddhism. I think the dichotomy between the illusion and reality in Buddhism is analogous to tha...

What helps me is to focus on the experience of being motivated, acting. In an earlier post I described how it feels to me - like a spring bubbling up ...

This is a really helpful post.

Wu wei is one of the most important aspects of Taoism. It has been extensively discussed in previous posts in this thread. You should go back and chec...

I think you'll find, if you ever have a question about an interpretation, mine is probably the correct one. In my first response on this thread, I inc...

Actually, I was really interested in what you and @"Possibility" were discussing. Not the Lincoln part, but the general approach.

As you say, wu wei is spontaneous and natural. But it's not random. There is no thought of avoiding recognition or credit, only of acting without cons...