burning incense... why 3?

[swordsoul]

to continue my rant Lol!

Things like numbers and words, while fabrications of the human mind, are not necessarily bad! Numbers are tools, nothing more!!!! To use things like number combinations actually help us to remember things... kinda like how i've read of buddhists practicing love and mindfulness everytime they hear a bell... well, its sorta like when a number comes along, it means something... just like the bell... the bell is just a sound, it comes and it's gone... but the moment can be experienced, and it has meaning while it's here...

that's all for now!!! LOL

matt

[Nexus]

Dear Cody,

I am in no disagreement with what you said, as what you have said is entirely about yourself. I am glad you took the questions seriously, as many are able to do so. I like the saying Lao Tzu gives "When the fool laughs at it, it is surely the Tao."

On one level it is important to deal with all things relative to us. On another level there is nothing important to deal with as things are fine the way that they are. We move through existance in accordance to what we want. If we had no wants, we would be satisfied sitting in the lotus position all day long.

We also know that intelligence is of value and confers (talent) but it does not equal wisdom or spiritual maturity. Such as you find most obviously in social settings such as universities where there are many intelligent folks who still peddle their lives through the mud (greed, envy, lust, hate) to get from one place to the next.

It is actually ok to adopt ideas and understandings from books, wise people, and anywhere for that matter as long as we understand them to be true for ourselves. It would be silly to read something and take it as a fact or as a means to live by without first understanding it for ourselves. If we do that, we would become slaves to others ideas rather than rulers of our own.

An example would be that I could teach a class on Oriental Medicine, discussing things such as Qi, Jing, Shen and all the while realize that these are just ideas, concepts and theories and not absolute truths. Some in my classes may believe they are absolute truths, and may live their lives in accordance with cultivating qi and maximizing their spiritual practices. They also may come to realize that they are following an illusion much as I am teaching one, and still continue to practice it because it may have benefit in a relative way.

Kind Regards

[MonkeyBoy]

Originally posted by Nexus
Dear Cody,

I like the saying Lao Tzu gives "When the fool laughs at it, it is surely the Tao."



Kind Regards

I always preferred the follow up: "Do not despair, if there was no laughter heard, then there would be no way to know there was truth."

[Cody]

Snoopy wins! and he can't even count. (Please, no one submit evidence that Snoopy does math. I'd like today to be simple.)

thanks for the lightheartedness,
Cody

[swordsoul]

Gosh you guys i just read my post and realized how preachy it sounded! My second post had something slightly to do with the 3 incense thing... lol!!! I'm sorry if i sounded way preachy! i guess it was just on my mind!

love and unity
matt
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