...tell him your plans.

Yes, I suppose life has kicked me in the small of the back a few times in the past.
And it always seemed to be a purpose behind what was happening.
Now I don't understand anything anymore.
I always thought I had what it takes to go on, no matter what.
Now I don't know any more.
It's been a long time since I stopped believing in justice, decades ago.
But I always thought I could see the purpose behind my own actions.
Now I have weaved a coocoon that is too strong.
I can't get out.

In taoist alchemy (or taoist yoga), one talks about three treasures, namely: Jing (blood/sperm,essence), qi (breath/life force,pneuma) and shen (spirit/soul,logos). And in the Tao Te Ching (chapter 67) there are the three treasures of compassion, simplicity and humility. Are there any connections between these two "versions" of three terasures?

Here is an attempt at a simple explanation according to my limited knowledge of these things... :)

Compassion means extending beyond the ego, thus reducing fear, producing courage. Interestingly, courage comes from the latin word for heart, which traditionally is the seat of compassion/love.

Simplicity means that the mind is free from the stress and strain of holding on to too many physical possessions or mental ideas. This releases lots of energy, producing strength.

Humility means not trying to force someone or something to obey one's will, but rather follow the natural flow of things. When you're not trying to be someone you're not, all the work that you should do can be done. Is this not being influential?

Now, in taoist alchemy (or taoist yoga) we have jing/qi/shen.

Jing is connected with the lower dan tien, sacral chakra, which is associated with earthly, material values, desire. Taoism recommends a simple life without too many material posessions. Also, a regulated sexual life is recommended, since jing is also connected to sexuality. In other words, a healthy and simple life in contact with the earth (nature) strengthens your jing (essence), allows you to control your desires and gives you strength.

Qi is connected with the middle dan tian, heart chakra, which is associated with personal and interpersonal relations, emotions. Taoism emphasizes the importance of compassion, which really is an expression of love, which traditionally is associated with the heart. In other words, practicing empathy and "random acts of kindness" strengthens your qi (life force) and gives you courage.

Shen is connected with the upper dan tian, brow chakra, which is associated with creativity and conscious contact with the source (Tao), thoughts. According to taoism everything emanates from the source and there is a universal movement of return to this source, which is unity, pure consciousness. To achieve a conscious connection with the source, you have to be humble enough to realize that you (your ego) is part of something infinitely larger. Then you will not always put yourself first, rather you will go with the natural flow of things. Then the work that should be done will be done, and you have all the influence you need.

The dark night of the soul is a universal experience that all of us goes through several times in life, whether we want to or not, whether we are aware of it or not. It is important to realize that it is oneself who (subconsciously) has summoned the Dark night because one has come to a point of stasis, a dead end, a period of life that is over. What used to work has served its' purpose, is no longer useful and must be discarded. Nothing scares us more that letting go of safety and set out into the unknown, with no guarantee for survival. And, indeed, no such guarantee can be given, because in a sense a part of us really has to die for something new to be born. But the more we struggle against it, the darker the night becomes, and the longer we have to stay in the bardo-condition before the new day dawns.

Think of a caterpillar. It is an eating machine, whose only purpose is to get nourishment and grow until it reaces the point where it must undergo its' metamorphosis. But the caterpillar has no idea what it's about to go through, or what it's about to become. Yet it willingly and without fear weaves the cocoon, its' own coffin, where it literally disintegrates before it reemerges with completely new organs, new forms, a beautiful butterfly who is no longer condemned to crawl the earth, but can soar on new wings towards the mystery.

You Darkness

You darkness from which I come,
I love you more than all the fires
that fence out the world,
for the fire makes a circle
for everyone
so that no one sees you anymore.

But darkness holds it all:
the shape and the flame,
the animal and myself,
how it holds them,
all powers, all sight-

and it is possible: its great strength
is breaking into my body.

I have faith in the night.

Rainer Maria Rilke; Translated by David Whyte

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,

grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love;

for it is in giving that we receive,

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Amen.

Lynne McTaggart is organizing the largest intention experiment so far, starting tomorrow, Sunday Sept. 14 and ending Sept. 21:

"The Intention Experiment is embarking on a series of scientific studies to determine whether ‘group mind’ has the power to increase peace and cooperation in war-torn areas around the world experiencing high levels of conflict and violence.

Lynne McTaggart, architect of the experiments and author of the best-selling book The Intention Experiment, has enlisted a team of internationally recognized scientists from University of California, Princeton University and University of Arizona and elsewhere, to help design these studies.

Although many meditation groups and other peace initiatives are being formed and studied, the Peace Intention Experiment represents the first scientific study of whether collective targeted intention can restore peace."

The most exciting and important thing about Lynne's experiments, I think, is that they are establishing scientifically that this world is more than just matter and operates according to more than just 'physical laws', and the implications that may have for the way we think and behave are enormous. After all, our worldview is at it's core dominated by materialistic thinking supported by mainstream science, and that is actually what has messed up the world, IMHO. Well, it seems that is about to change now!

Join NOW at http://www.thepeaceintentionexperiment.com

Why, me of course!
Silly question.

After all, I am the only person that I am reasonably sure do exist.
All the rest of you are merely neuronal activity resulting from sensory input to my brain.
Aren't you?

There are deeper laws than this.

Whenever I feel sad or depressed, fearful, ashamed, exhausted or despairing, I've learned how to pick myself up and renew my hope.

There are deeper laws than this and death is not the end.

Everything happens for a reason and will eventually be for the best. If you can trust this and "let go, let God", all will be well. In fact, all IS well, but sometimes that is very hard to remember and accept.

But there are deeper laws than this, that we may not comprehend.

In troubled times, when I'm down and lonely, when there are no one I can turn to, I turn inside for a while, or I find inspiration, hope and motivation from good books, good people and my good friend nature.

There are deeper laws than this.

Just remembering this is sometimes enough to make joy bubble up inside me. I may feel lonesome and uncertain about the future, but then I remember that it's not so bad after all. In the end, it's all a matter of perspective.

You look your monster right in the eye and say: "Hey, let's party!"

...and say: "Hey, let's party!"

:)

Have a great day, week, life, eternity!

Just as an ant colony consisting of 'dumb' ants exhibits complex, self-organizing behaviour that is reminiscent of consciousness, and just as the brain, composed of singular 'dumb' neurons produces (or rather is host to) human consciousness, there might be next levels of consciousness on a planetary scale, made up of the behaviour of 6 billion people + all other ecosystems...

Just a thought.

What do you think?

Not that I've actually won anything lately. Not as such. 
Not officially.

But I made a goal. I worked hard to reach it. And I did reach it.
That makes me a winner in my book anyway. :)

It is worth noting though, that it's not so much actually accomplishing the task that makes the effort worthwhile, it's the effort itself, the process. For me, the satisfaction of reaching the goal quickly wears off, what is left is what I've gained from the process. So does that mean that the goal in itself is not important? Well, I've found that to do anything more complex than picking my nose, I need focus. Without focus it takes forever to accomplish anything. And a goal is like a magnet attracting attention, enabling me to stay focused on the task at hand. Most things worth doing require a certain amount of hard work, but without a well-defined goal I find it difficult to focus the energy and enthusiasm required to go through with it. Still, if I don't enjoy the process, no goal is worth reaching, I think.

And I've noticed one more thing. Being a quiet and modest person (no, really!), I'm not one to brag about my achievements. Quite the opposite in fact: It seems I usually downplay my triumphs and successes ("Oh, it was no big deal"). The reason has been, perhaps, an unclear idea that subduing the ego would make me more altruistic, understanding, empathic. Or maybe I've been concerned that people would dislike me if I was too preoccupied with myself, and so I went to the other extreme. Hmm... Anyway, it seems that if I have a genuine interest in sharing my 'stuff', people appear to have a genuine interest in listening! Imagine that! :)

The point of all this, if there is one, seems to be that the Ego is not neccessarily just a Bad Guy, one to get rid of at all costs, but someone which it is wise to know and cooperate with if we are to accomplish anything. And that's one of the reasons we came here, right?

--
PS! My goal was a very mundane one: Finishing a 170 km cycling road race in less than 5 hours. I used 4 hours 46 minutes.