Steven

Filling the root is a root canal. DO NOT DO IT!

I myself had a tooth I had a root canal on, and some years
later the area around the tooth got infected and my immune
system could not kill the infection (because the tooth is dead
and there is no blood supply there). Even with antibiotics
the infection could not be removed. The…[Read more]

OK, thanks.
I was just curious and wondering if you were
resonating with dragons because of having Dragon
in your Chinese Astrology chart, or some such thing.

Of course, I suppose Snake is in the reptile family . . . ^_^

But it is interesting you have an aversion to actual reptiles . . .

Maybe something about the higher vibration of…[Read more]

The adoption of ZBuddhism is the adoption
of the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path
*according to the version* given in Part 3.

As such, I consider ZBuddhism to be completely consonant
with Alchemical Daoism–in particular, the Healing Tao.

They address different issues.
They support each other.
And there is no conflict, in…[Read more]

Here are the Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path as
told from the perspective of ZBuddhism. Note that this
may differ from other versions in other sects of Buddhism:

FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS:

1. There is a persistent feeling of “never being satisfied”, of being discontent.

2. This discontent feeling is caused by craving.

3. By r…[Read more]

Most of the criticisms about Buddhism as laid out by Michael
I completely agree with, BUT that is NOT the version of Buddhism
that I’ve experienced from a local Zen temple, which I’ll call ZBuddhism.

Let me address some of the criticisms laid out.

>>>I believe that other than seeking the path of asceticism,
>>>most westerners prefer…[Read more]

For almost as long as I’ve been doing Healing Tao, I’ve
also been sporadically attending a local Zen temple . . .
taking various meditation classes there etc. Recently,
they offered an intensive course on Buddhism taught from
*their* perspective. Previously, such material was only
reserved for people entering their seminary program,…[Read more]

Glad to hear about your successes, in general.

FYI on the tooth:
If it needs to be refilled or crowned, fine.
But if it needs a root canal, say NO, and have the thing removed!

Root canals kill teeth, then leave ’em dead in your mouth.
These dead teeth harbor bacteria that your immune system
can not reach (since the tooth is dead!!),…[Read more]

>>>But my feeling is that Stevens approach to
>>>let thoose past life be, is the wrong answer to you,
>>>or to others for that matter.

That’s fine. It doesn’t bother me that you disagree with it. 😉
That’s what makes life interesting ^_^

But I still maintain any past life should be let go of.

If I drive to Asheville to go to a…[Read more]

I’m not a massage therapist, but let me say a few words.
And rather than maybe give a direct answer, let me
instead give you some ideas to play with,
some food for thought, and then you can make up
your own mind as to what you think you should do. ^_^

I agree with the main point about not having fear about it.

Reason:
If you fear…[Read more]

Coffee:
“If you keep drinking from a bottle marked POISON,
it’s bound to affect you, sooner or later.”–Pema Chodren

If you acknowledge it harms you, maybe you should put a
sticker on your coffee mug with the label “Poison” on it,
to remind you of what it is doing to your health every time
you think it to be “a good idea” to just have…[Read more]

Michael,

And you wonder why I wasn’t so crazy about the suggestion
to have McDonald’s for breakfast on our little trip to Tennessee? 😛

Sorry, had to razz you a little bit here ^_^

S

And how do you feel about these full-body scanner X-ray devices
that they are putting in, in airports?

This is especially relevant because you do a non-negligible
amount of flying, in my opinion.

S

Out of curiosity, Wendy, what is your Chinese animal?
Is it a Dragon?

S

To make room for the new,
you have to clear away the old.
Take joy in it.

S

Seems to me that it doesn’t matter so much as to who you were BEFORE
as opposed to who you are TODAY. With or without Daoist
cultivation, you have evolved from who you used to be
(say in previous lives), so let them go (*my opinion*)

Example: Say that (hypothetical example, not necessarily
*your past*) you saw that you were a murderer…[Read more]

It’s basically a judgement-based issue, and as such belongs
to the domain of the heart shen . . . and actually, I think
you picked up on that yourself by your comment that it was
making “your heart sore”.

But rather than discuss semantics, let’s talk practical.

When dealing with this person, as an overall framework
for any successful…[Read more]

“D-Day”, huh?
I guess you are right. 🙂

Well at least you didn’t completely open your flood gates.
Save that for the advanced class. 😉

But it sounds like people had fun and enjoyed it,
and that’s the important thing.

S

>>>It is pretty amazing but sometimes it can make you worry
>>>about something you know will happen but it’s impossible to stop it anyhow.

If you know it’s going to happen, then there’s nothing to worry about.
The only thing that remains is acceptance.

While Tarot can be used as a divination tool, I see it more as
just another tool for…[Read more]

The deck that called to me was the “Maroon Tarot”.
See attached link.

It’s a self-published deck from Poland.
If you click on Gallery, you can see all of the cards.
Something about its otherworldly ethereal feel called to me,
and on top of that, the cards seem to have some intrinsic magic.
For instance, take a look at the Star card. The…[Read more]