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2nd noble truth
or wherever you're at right now in your spiritual life?
I was both lucky and unlucky to hang around with older people most of my younger life. Lucky in that many were experienced and interested in areas outside my childhood experience. Unlucky in that many were also into drugs and somewhat lost themselves in this life, and i fell into that and wandered around for a number of years with nothing to believe or build on .
My best friend, whom I call my 'guru' to his great chagrin, is still too often lost in a bottle, but he's a brilliant man. He was the first to ask me really 'deep' questions (invaluable to a teenager), most of which i'm still thinking on years later. Another good friend helped me most by letting me talk, question, gripe, and he just listened and gave simple answers, if any at all. This taught me that words are not the answer.
I read Huston Smith's the Religions of Man to get a basic grounding in all the worlds beliefs, read several books on each religion, and finally settled on buddhism. It just felt right, like falling in love. Taoism, of course is very close to it, and I'm looking forward to learning more about it from your experiences and thoughts. I've come and gone over the years, strayed and returned, but I do think I'm getting closer to home...
Tell me all you know.
I was both lucky and unlucky to hang around with older people most of my younger life. Lucky in that many were experienced and interested in areas outside my childhood experience. Unlucky in that many were also into drugs and somewhat lost themselves in this life, and i fell into that and wandered around for a number of years with nothing to believe or build on .
My best friend, whom I call my 'guru' to his great chagrin, is still too often lost in a bottle, but he's a brilliant man. He was the first to ask me really 'deep' questions (invaluable to a teenager), most of which i'm still thinking on years later. Another good friend helped me most by letting me talk, question, gripe, and he just listened and gave simple answers, if any at all. This taught me that words are not the answer.
I read Huston Smith's the Religions of Man to get a basic grounding in all the worlds beliefs, read several books on each religion, and finally settled on buddhism. It just felt right, like falling in love. Taoism, of course is very close to it, and I'm looking forward to learning more about it from your experiences and thoughts. I've come and gone over the years, strayed and returned, but I do think I'm getting closer to home...
Tell me all you know.
Comments
Of course, lust is most often associated with sexual urges (at least to me, but then i probably associate too much with sexual urges...), but what is lust but desire. Think of the Van Gogh bio 'Lust for Life'...
anyway, just more food for thought for me-thanks, it's dinnertime, and food for thought is my favorite meal...
Welcome, welcome, welcome...
I throw into that 'desire pot' all the other related 'push/pull' words, especially the word need! In the west we tend to regard need and desire as in some ways different, with need being more reality based (I suppose?). However, in Thailand for example, folks think of these words as being synonymous. Not surprising really as Thailand is a very Buddhist culture.
It just occurred to me, one and all are synonymous as well, but also antonymous. It all depends on the observer, i.e., the spiritual view of the one being synonymous with the all. Little wonder Taoism encourages us to rely as little on words as possible and/or to realize their profound limitations.
By the way, thanks for offering a comment on the Buddha page. It's been resting here all alone since Luke put up the site.
Today I conducted church on floor, and managed to combine Buddha's four noble truths with Samuel L Jackson's 'Pulp Fiction' speech about trying to be a shepard. It blew their mind, and mine, it worked so well. Buddah and a hitman! For many, their first exposure to buddhism (as one kid said 'I'm not Buddha!' (he meant 'I'm not Buddhist') and I told him 'we all Buddha!'-LOL).
I love Buddhism, and I love the opportunity to get to know taoism better-thank you for your help.
In trying to deal with desire/need, I bring it back to the fact that I'm an animal with instinctive desires/needs. It is civilization and circumstance that shape these instincts in counter productive ways. Until I can see myself as I really am... an animal... I will keep trying to fit my natural feet into Cinderella's slipper. If I don't see things as they actually are, but only as a reflection of what I believe, how can I possibly conform to nature? I can't and will just keep going around in mental and emotional circles. Whoa, I feel dizzy.
what do yuo do when you stumble, when you give into desire, or when you let the world drag you down? I try to just move on, realize this too shall pass...sometimes I throw things.
I'm still searching, and when i find it I probably wont trust it...
It's like a light bulb went off in my head. I'm so ready to learn more!!