tsuki

That's such a feminine way of asking me to say that you are the one that's wise . You are a very wise woman @now is forever .

Send my regards to your mother. She is a very wise woman. That sounds exactly like what I need. The symbols I read in that movie were so polarized that I feel violated.

I watched Ex machina yesterday. That movie riled me right up given my recent fascination with the feminine . I'm afraid of getting drunk on power. The ego is the ultimate shapeshifter. The sense of separate self can be dealt with by constructing a shell and defending it, but it can also be left wide open, vulnerable. Being conscious of this dynamic, watching it play it out is difficult. Can there even be any greater difference between a sadist and a masochist? The only sense of stability I have is grounded in the present moment and emptiness. Returning to it is difficult because I feel guilty. That's a no-no. Don't do that tsuki.

Yes. Fundamentals link theory with practice. Principles link practice with theory.

Well, fundamentals are are the bare theory you can find in books. It starts with the minimum definition, like: applying scientific knowledge to solve specific, practical problems. From that you learn that you need to be able to read scientific knowledge. This starts with mathematics, physics, information technology and other related fields. Then you need to gain exposure to practical problems with technology. Learn to fit those problems into frameworks of thought you learned from books. Then you need to know how to solve problems theoretically within those frameworks and translate theoretical solutions back to practical designs. Principles are more practically oriented, like: if it ain't broke, don't fix it. They encode groups of solutions to problems you have already encountered and present a pointer to an approach. For example: Newtonian mechanics are good for solving problems that require... Lagrangian mechanics are good for solving problems that require... Don't date women twice your age. These are usually domain-specific and used for eyeballing. Like a roadmap.

I'm not sure I understand the question. I have master's degree in engineering, if that's what you're asking. I'm also pretty good at breathing. I enjoy coding in c++ and Python and I think I'm good at that.

Fundamentals sound more like axioms upon which you build a theory. Principles sound more applicable, flexible, practical. More like rule of thumb.

@Nathan leigh Why don't you try to mix and match various teachings and see what works best for you? Spirituality without application in everyday life gets dry very quickly.

How does the dynamic of your childhood look from this perspective?

Does the lack of free will free you, or imprison you? Can you blame and hold responsible if there is no free will? Can you be a hero if there is no free will?

Nah-ah. Don't blame sweetheart. Don't blame him and don't blame yourself. To prevent re-occurrence of your childhood in another setting is a reaction to your shadow. Do you believe in free will? How does free will play into blame and guilt?

Why do you feel responsible for your father's actions? Why is it your responsibility to grow him? Would you, personally, benefit from the change you want to introduce to your father?

Still, you sound troubled. You doubt whether you should let them go, or not. What stops you? What seems wrong about doing that?

It depends on what do you mean by 'leaving them behind'. If you try to simply bury your childhood without reconciling the feelings of hurt, it will give birth to shadows. What was crucial in my development is understanding how this whole dynamic played itself out impersonally. That each and every actor (including me) was reacting to their own feelings of hurt and dealt with them inappropriately. This way you can own the responsibility of this situation and stand on equal footing with your parents without demonizing anybody. From what I understand from your post (and please correct me if I'm wrong), you still feel very hurt and put whole responsibility on your parents. I don't think that it is a good place to free yourself from your past.

@Key Elements Beautiful. That is how you spell silence.

Integral Zen.

@Scholar I would try to point towards the fact that the recognition of truth of a rational statement is not a rational statement. When one hears a rational statement and evaluates it - its truthfulness is a feeling and it is non-discursive. Post-rationality starts with integration of feeling with thinking and mapping their interrelationship.

Profound insights from an existential philosopher Martin Heidegger. I will not fail to mention that he joined the Nazi party later in his life .

From my experience, ego takes hold of reality through two mechanics of thought: Time / not now Space / not here These two dimensions are subject to projection. Projection is based on preference. A sensation that arises is judged and reaction is formed. Projection through time creates past/future. Projection through space creates this/that. Projections through time create reactive thoughts that explore imaginary scenarios. Past scenarios are called memory. Future scenarios are called possibility. Sensations that occur are deemed positive/negative and are enjoyed/resisted. Enjoyment of sensations creates desire. Resistance creates suffering. Desire and suffering are imaginary. They are a loop between past and future in avoidance of the present moment. Projections through space create finite entities that are deemed to exist. Imaginary scenarios are comprised of such entities and their relationships.

What I read in your post is that you feel guilty for not adhering to a specific, self-imposed, schedule of practices. I treat techniques as lessons to learn. I learn them by merging, integrating, what I do in formal sitting with my ordinary (organic) way of being. You don't have to sit and still your mind at one particular point during the day. You can meditate and walk, you can even meditate and sleep. This applies to do-nothing, self-inquiry, mindfulness, 3-centered awareness, and even yoga. Which realization? The one about the underlying scarcity mindset/hole? It's a gateway to spirituality, enlightenment work. Egoic mechanism and duality are the root cause of that.

That's very powerful. I'm so happy that you want to confront the hole. When it comes to practices, I tend to treat them as lessons to learn about my everyday consciousness. There is always an insight within a technique that I can merge with my ordinary way of being. This is why I'm not concerned with formality too much.

I don't feel the same way as before. Don't burden yourself by claiming that you (or I) caused this experience. My energy runs amok from all the identity that I released in the process, that's why I need space. I need the dust to settle until I can dance with you again effortlessly.