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Taoism, Daoism (Chinese: 道教; pinyin: Dàojiāo) Chinese philosophy to signify the fundamental or true nature of the world: simplicity and selflessness in conformity with the Tao, leading a life of non-purposive action, a life expressing the essence of spontaneity.. Taoism, also known as Daoism, arose about the same time as Confucianism. Laoze (Chinese: 老子; pinyin: Lǎozǐ, also Laotzi, Laotse, Lao-Tse, Lao-tzu, Lao Zi or Lão Tu), is considered to have written a book of 81 chapters, named Tao Te Ching, also Daodejing (trad. Chinese: 道德經; simpl. Chinese: 道德经; pinyin: Dàodéjīng), a classical Chinese text, mainly concerning 道 tao/ dào "way," and 德 te/dé "virtue”, life, strength. Taoist thought focuses on genuineness, longevity, health, immortality, vitality, wu wei (non-action, a natural action, a perfect equilibrium with tao), detachment, refinement (emptiness), spontaneity, transformation and omni-potentiality. This religious and philosophical tradition of Taoism had its roots in the nature worship and divination of the earliest Chinese people. The word ‘Tao’ 道 (or Dao) translates into "path", ”method”, “principle” or "way", the character 教 translates into ‘”teach” or “class” and Taoist belief is based on the idea that there is central or organizing principle of the Universe, a natural order or a "way of heaven", Tao, that one can come to know by living in harmony with nature and hence with the cosmos and the Universe. The philosophy of Tao signifies the fundamental or true nature of the world, it is the essential, unnameable process of the universe. Tao both precedes and encompasses the universe. Nothing in the Universe is fixed, static or non moving; per se everything is transforming all the time. The flow of ‘chi’ energy, as the essential energy of action, existence and active principle forming part of any living things, is compared and believed to be the influence that keeps the universal order of Tao balanced. Analogies exist between all levels of existence: the Universe, the cosmos, Earth and mankind are structured analogically and are equal in detail, forming an interconnected whole. Through an understanding of natural laws, an individual can be one with the Tao by living in accordance with nature (cosmos/ Universe) and all its transformations and changes, adopting and assimilating to these, and hence can gain eternal life. With and due to the transformations and changes of the phenomena everything and every being spontaneously, by intuition and in impulse establishes its own ‘way’. From an ethical point of view it is considered correct not to interfere with the spontaneity or alter it by any means, expressed by ‘wu wei’ (chin. 無爲 / 无为, wúwéi or also in Chinese: 爲無爲 / 为无为, wéi wúwéi, non- action as in abstention of any action opposing nature). All things with their transformations and changes are considered to be self regulating, self expressing in their natural form. ‘Wu wei’ does not signify not acting at all, but rather not forcing things on their way. Wu wei signifies that the action should be immediately in accordance with the Tao, hence the necessary will be done without exaggeration, hyperbole or overeagerness as these are considered obstructive, though rather in an easy, facile, non disturbing way, leading to overall harmony and balance. It is a state of inner tranquillity, which will show the right effortless action at the right time. (i.e. the harmonious complexity of natural ecosystems- the tao- works well without man made changes- wu wei. Wu wei could be characterised by the adaptability of the flow of water in a stream. I.e. Water flows without awareness, or naturally, downriver (principle of tao). It might be blocked by an object (branch or stone), though without contriving to do so, finds it way around the object. Water acts without motive, it acts with wu wei. If one wants to travel on water, one will use a boat or ship, since it is suitable as she moves around adequately on water. If one wants to walk on land, a boat is not suitable to move around. One will only be annoyed and only have difficulties, not gaining anything but inflicting damage to oneself.) Taoism does not identify man's will as the root problem. Rather, it asserts that man must place his will in harmony with the natural universe. Taoist philosophy recognizes that the Universe already works harmoniously according to its own ways; if a person exerts his will against or upon the world he would disrupt the harmony that already exists, he would go ‘against the flow of life’. (i.e. the harmonious change of seasons of summer, autumn, winter, spring - the tao- works well, though through man made global warming, the harmony is disordered. Damming rivers might result in devastating flooding- unwanted by mankind, though produced by the same. On the other hand, the yearly flooding of the river Nile provides the soil with natural fertiliser. Damming the river would result in less fertilised soil, hence weaker crops, less harvest, less income, more hunger.) The return to tao, the return to the interconnected whole and unity, can only be accomplished if dualistic thoughts are abolished and acts are conducted naturally and spontaneously. Completeness in Taoism is thought of as empty, soft and spontaneous, and likewise should be the action: without the interference or intervention of a dualistic intellect, intuitive and adapting to a situation. The completeness or perfection of any act detects by intuition the best way to proceed, and it is considered absurd to put one’s energy into an unfruitful, unsuccessful act just in order to act at all and hence exhaust and diminish one’s energy. Any act should be in accordance with the surrounding, circumstances and means. In this manner, wu wei is ‘not interfering’ or ‘action through non acting’ and can be considered as creative passivity. Resulting from this attitude of ‘letting it happen’ results consequently as well the approach of non violence and lack of resistance. The wu wei is characterised by an activity undertaken to perceive the Tao within all things and to conform oneself to its "way." The practice and efficacy of wu wei are fundamental in Taoist thought. The goal of ‘wu wei’ is alignment with Tao, revealing the soft and invisible power within all things. When following the ‘wu wei’, the goal is called ‘pu’ (simplified Chinese: 朴; traditional Chinese: 樸; pinyin: pǔ, pú; lit. "uncut wood", translated as "uncarved block", "unsewn log", or "simplicity"), representing a passive state of receptiveness. It is believed to be the true nature of the mind, unburdened by knowledge or experiences. Pu is a symbol for a state of pure potential and perception without prejudice, without illusion. Pu describes an aimless action, because with a goal, one would develop anxiety about this goal. Pu describes the ‘just being’ without the aim of being. (i.e.: Playing an instrument just for playing, not thinking about the playing, since otherwise one will get in ones own way and interfere with one’s own playing.) The ‘te’ (Chinese: 德; pinyin: dé, "power; virtue", ‘”heart”, "inherent character, personal character; inner power inner strength; integrity") is the manifestation of the Tao within all things, the active expression, the active living, or cultivation, of the "way" Tao, the implementation and manifestation of the Tao through undesigned actions. The Tao implements and manifests itself through undesigned actions. If Tao is honoured and if ‘te’ is considered precious, than there is no need for any regulations: all is working durable by itself. Therefore, allow Tao to create, generate, nourish, proliferate, accomplish, ripen, mature, foster and protect; produce without owning, affect without keeping, increase without domineering: that is secret Tao. Thus, to possess the fullness of te means to be in perfect harmony with one's original nature. All things in the Universe, including mankind, are a microsomes of the Universe, to which all natural laws such as The Five Elements Theory, Feng Shui, the concept of the bagua and especially the the yin - yang philosophy, being an important concept of taoism since yin and yang emerge from the tao- apply. ‘The way of life’, rituals, certain foods (Five Elements), meditation, visualisation, imagination, mystical worlds, qigong, t'ai-chi-ch'uan, certain techniques of breathing, sexual practices (spiritual and cosmic pursuit, maintaining health, enhance one’s lifespan) and substances and medicine effect the believers physical and mental health, as well as the knowledge of nature with its natural herbs, traditional chinese medicine and knowledge of alchemy does. By understanding himself, man may gain knowledge of the universe, and vice versa. In Laotzi’s definition, tao is considered to be the pervasive principle of all things in the universe, being the highest reality and the highest mystery, the primordial originality and unity, a cosmical law and an absolute. From the tao diverted the ‘ten thousand things’, namely the cosmos, as well as the order of thing, similar to a law of nature. But tao itself is not an omnipotent being, but the genesis, the source and the alliance, the conjunction of opposites and as such not definable. Tao is ‘the nameless', because neither it nor its principles can ever be adequately expressed in words. From a philosophical point of view tao can be seen apart and beyond from all defining abstract concepts, because it is the reason for and the reason of being, the transcendental origin and transcendental philosophy and as such incorporates all, including the antipode of being and non being. Based on that, nothing can be said referring the tao, because every single definition would impose a restriction. But tao is both, unlimited transcendency as well as the immanent principle of the cosmos and the universe. The effects of tao create the genesis by generating duality, yin and yang, light and shadow, since every action creates a counter-action as a natural, unavoidable movement within manifestations of the Tao. From the metamorphosis, movement, motion, flow, interaction and interplay of the duality emerges and arises the world. The ‘Three Jewels of Tao’ (Chinese: 三寶; pinyin: sānbǎo) refer to the three virtues of taoism: 1) compassion, kindness, love (Chinese: 慈; pinyin: cí; literally "compassion, tenderness, love, mercy, kindness, gentleness and implies the term ‘mother’, ‘mother’s/ parental love’) 2) moderation, simplicity, frugality (Chinese: 儉; pinyin: jiǎn; literally "frugality, moderation, economy, restraint, be sparing") When applied to the moral life it stands for the simplicity of desire. 3 ) humility, modesty The third treasure is a six-character phrase instead of a single word: Chinese 不敢為天下先, Bugan wei tianxia xian, "not dare to be first/ahead in the world", referring to the taoist way to avoid premature death. Taoist Deities Taoist deities include nature spirits, ancient legendary heroes, humanized planets and stars, Hsien (humans who became immortal and achieved divinity through Taoist practices and teachings, see: 8 Immortals), ancestor spirits (see: Ancestor Worship in Taoism, Joss paper) and animals such as dragons (see: dragon dance), tigers, phoenixes, snakes (see: Animal symbolism) and lions (see: lion dance). All human activities—even such things as drunkenness and robbery—are represented by deities as well. Heaven, the pantheon (of which the Chinese taoist culture has over 30) mirrored the political system of China at that time with all of its civil servants, bureaucrats, having an army, a royal family, parasitical courtiers, higher or lower ranking deities, who could be promoted or demoted according to their actions (see: 8 Immortals, Chang’e, Guan Yu (revered as Saintly Emperor Guan), Guan Yin, Jade Emperor, Kitchen God, Tsai Shen Yeh). Reflecting the order of the Chinese political system, each single department of the pantheon is overseen by a particular deity, spirit or god. The highest Taoist deity, Yù Huáng -ti (see: Jade Emperor), is associated with the ancient Chinese god Shang Di, ruler over all Heaven, Earth and the Underworld/ Hell. The Jade Emperor, also referred to as Yù Huáng -ti, adjudicates and metes out rewards and remedies to actions of saints, the living, and the deceased according to a merit system loosely called the Jade Principles Golden Script. The seven brightest stars of the constellation are Ursa Major, the Great Bear, also called the Big Dipper. In Eastern Asia, these stars compose the Northern Dipper. They are colloquially named "The Seven Stars of the Northern Dipper" (Chinese: 北斗七星; pinyin: běidǒu qīxīng). Taoist believe that this star constellation is the seat of the celestial bureaucracy of the gods. Sometimes there are said to be nine stars - two invisible "attendant" stars, one on either side of the star Alkaid. In contrast to the Confucian program of social reform through moral principle, ritual, and government regulation, the true way of restoration for the Taoists consisted in the banishment of learned sageliness and the discarding of wisdom. "Manifest the simple," urged Lao-tzu, "embrace the primitive, reduce selfishness, have few desires." As the Tao operates impartially in the universe, so should mankind disavow assertive, purposive action. The Taoist life is not, however, a life of total inactivity. It is rather a life of nonpurposive action (wu-wei). Stated positively, it is a life expressing the essence of spontaneity (tzu-jan, "self-so"). See also:

@Charlotte you asked good questions. A person can't just take these things on blind faith. One day, when I saw myself not having any embodiment or an external environment, and then everything came together, and then there was this massive transformation into embodiment, guess what, I only believed it was all just a dream. I passed it off as a dream when I woke up. It took a few very profound ah-ha moments to convince me that these things relate to life itself. Someone else cannot come and tell me to do this and do that, try this method and that method for it to happen or convince me. Like I said in my other posts, I'll explain it in my life purpose, how I came to know--my process. A person can't just say it, and the next person believes in it.

Yea I asked a question on this forum a while ago and this video gave me the answer when I found it. Good perspective on how to use psychs in a not necessarily clinical setting for personal transformation and also not for spirituality necessarily either.

Problem of Evil in Taoism Article 3, Volume 5, Issue 10, Summer and Autumn 2016, Page 35-47 PDF (442.89 K) Document Type: Research Paper Authors Qorban Elmi ; Mojtaba Zarvani Associate Professor of Religions and Mysticism, University of Tehran, Iran Abstract This paper attempts to present the Taoist understanding of evil. In the Taoist tradition, especially in Tao Te Ching, evil is divided into two categories: causal evil and consequential evil. Causal evils are those evils that are said to be the causes of other evils; consequential evils are those that are said to be the consequences of the causal evils. Causal evils originate from human will, and cause suffering. This means that evil is not equal to suffering. Lao Tzu does not clearly talk about natural suffering. He regards all evil and suffering as resulting from human actions that are not in accordance with Tao, which is the source of all life. Therefore, the way to overcome evil is to follow Tao, to actualize wu-wei in life. Keywords The Problem of Evil; Taoism; Lao Tzu; Causal Evil; Consequent Evil Full Text Introduction The problem of evil is an old problem that has baffled man since antiquity. The core of the problem is that the existence of evil seems to contradict the belief in the existence of God with His attributes of omnipotence, omniscience, and absolute goodness. Thus, although every worldview has to explain the existence of evil, it is an especially acute problem for theism, because—unlike atheism that affirms the reality of evil but denies the reality of God, and unlike Pantheism that affirms the reality of God but denies the reality of evil—theism affirms the reality of both God and evil. Religious traditions are important sources for thinking about evil. Among them we can mention Taoism. Taoism is a spiritual, philosophical, and religious tradition of Chinese origin that provides special insights the problem of evil. In this paper, we will attempt to review these insights and present a fuller picture of the Taoist understanding of evil. Taoism First, we must have a brief overview of Taoism and the its developmental. Taoism has different meanings for different minds. “It is undoubtedly the most incompletely known and most poorly understood philosophy” (Kirkland, Barret, and Kohn 2000, xi). The confusion, I think, comes from mistranslation of the word “Tao.” Tao is the main theme of Taoism, but since Northeastern Asians have used it in many different cultural contexts, the word has been used differently in everyday life. Therefore, given that there are no clear boundaries in the different practices of Taoism, according to Creel, “the more one studies Taoism, the clearer it becomes that this term does not denote a school, but a whole congeries of doctrines” (1970, 1). Taoism, which emerged in the 6th century B.C., is one of the two great native Chinese religio-philosophical systems and a major influence in the development of Chinese culture. The goal of Taoism as a philosophy and religious tradition, as expressed in the Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu, the Chuang Tzu, and the Lieh Tzu is a profound, joyful, mystical, and practical harmony with the universe. Taoism is regarded as “the philosophy of ‘Lao and Chuang’” (Lin 1976, 7). As Needham, one of the Taoist scholars says, “the Taoists were deeply interested in Nature but mistrusted reason and logic” (1956, 163). Taoism is, in general, is a system of thought or philosophy or a form of wisdom to help one learn the way and practice it. According to Blofeld, “Taoism is an ancient method of human development and also a living manifestation of an antique way of life almost vanished from the world” (1978, v). As a religion, Taoism emphasizes the alchemical relations between macrocosm and microcosm, seeking a formula for immortality by breath control, diet, exercises, sexual continence, or chemical elixirs. The word Taoism, pronounced like Daoism, comes from a Chinese character Tao, which means the way. The way is usually further defined as the way of the ultimate reality, the way of the universe, the way of human life, and the way of nature. The main idea of Taoism is to live naturally with the flow of life. Living naturally comes about through observing the nature to learn the wisdom of life. The wisdom of life includes not forcing or controlling life, but simply being there. One of the characteristics of Taoism is Wu wi. Wu wi is the principle that the natural human mind is non-conceptual and not human-oriented. Wu wi looks through and beyond the human realm and our conditioned existence to see and hear the nature’s point of view. Blofeld’s view of a dedicated Taoist isone who seeks to live as closely as possible in accord with the nature. From the outset, this involves contemplating the nature’s ways, recognizing their fitness, and the perception that all of them are good in the sense of being essential to the pattern as a whole (1978, 6). In the world, Taoism is known through the books Tao Te Ching and Chuang-Tzu. The authorship and the year these books were published is still debatable, but the Tao Te Ching of Lao-Tzu is typically dated around the 4th century B.C., whereas Chang-Tzu is thought to have been written in the third century B.C. These two books are collections of Taoist writings and stories, though Taoism was practiced long before these books were written. The Tao is the source of all things. It is the fundamental truth of the universe, and as such, it is a non-conceptual and inexpressible experience. It is important to realize that if you conceptualize and think about the Tao, you only move farther away from what it actually is. The Tao is realized by being it. These expressions are esoteric and leave us wondering. As Lao Tzu comments in Tao Te Ching (1980,ch. 40), “Ten thousand things under heaven are born of being (yu). Being is born of non-being (wu).” For Lao Tzu, non-being is the ontological basis of being, and non-action is the ethical basis of action. Non-being in Taoism is not a negation of being, but rather the possibility of being. As the ground of being, non-being has the returning movement. Here, returning or reversal movement is identified with the unity of all beings in Tao. Metaphysically, in Taoism, non-being, as the ground, is the ontological expression of wu-wei. Thus, the undifferentiated or unlimited non-being is called the supreme good in Taoist metaphysics. Also wu-wei, as Tao’saction, has the spontaneity. From this understanding of wu-wei, one knows that there are two outstanding attributes of the Tao—that is, the source of being or life and the principle of spontaneity (tzu-jan). Wu-wei is the Tao’sway of returning or unity. In itsmovement, the Tao has procreated all beings through its creative process. Every growth and multiplicity comes from its creativity. But the completion of the Tao’s procreation is done in the Tao’s returning movement, receptivity. Wu-wei is a negative way or a passive way. But by taking a negative nay (wu-wei), the Tao comes to have the positive action, “spontaneity.” Just as the reality has two elements: yin and yang, the Tao’smovement has two directions: creativity and receptivity. Lao Tzu saw the evolutionary process of creation in the Tao’s creative process, and its completion in the Tao’sreceptive process. Meaning of Evil As a definition that can help us identify the evils discussed in the Tao Te Ching, we can say that evils are those things, events, or actions that are either condemned by Lao Tzu, or have to be avoided according to him. This is based on the assumption that only evils are to be condemned or avoided. It does not mean, however, that, in Lao Tzu's view, things are evil simply because they are to be condemned or avoided (Sung-Peng Hsu 1976, 301). For Lao Tzu, good means any action that is not caused by the artificial actions of the human beings. Non-artificial actions are spontaneous actions (wu-wei). On the contrary, “evil” means any action that is caused by the purposeful action of the human being. Willful or purposeful actions are unspontaneous actions (yu-wei). What is the origin of evil? How and why does evil occur? What is the Taoist concept of evil? Lao Tzu does not articulate his answers to these questions clearly or directly, but his metaphysics of the Taoprovides the theoretical ground with which to deal with those questions. Origin of Evil Where does evil come from? Cosmological1y or cosmogonical1y, evil comes from the process of differentiation or separation. As examined in part I, the Tao has the bipolarity in its metaphysical structure: yin and yang. In Tao Te Ching (1988, ch. 42), Lao Tzu says, Taogives birth to one, one gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, three gives birth to ten thousand beings. Ten thousand beings carry yin on their backs and embrace yang in their front. Blending these two vital breaths (ch’ i) to attain harmony. Here, yin and yang represent two directions or two movements of the Tao: creativity and receptivity. All things come from the blending of these two movements. In the process of differentiation or procreation, the harmonious blending is called good, and the disharmonious is called evil. Here, good and evil are relative, just as yin and yang arerelative. Just as yin and yang are inevitable constituents of the reality, good and evil are also inevitable on the cosmological level. The cosmological view is an aesthetic view. Thus, good and evil, in a cosmological sense, are neutral in value judgment. In the Taoist metaphysics, yin and yang are relative, reliable, dependable, and complementary to each other. Thus, good and evil are relative, reliable, dependable, and complementary to each other and to the Taoas a whole. In this aesthetic view, which is neutral in value, it is difficult to say that Lao Tzu was concerned with the natural evils. In the same manner, whether there are natural sufferings in Lao Tzu’s thought is not an easy question to answer, partly because he does not explicitly and directly deal with this question. Two Kinds of Evil There are two kinds of evil. Evils that are caused by free human acts (moral evil) and those that are part of the nature (natural or physical evil). Man-Made Evil or Moral Evil Lao Tzu recognizes two kinds of man-made evils. The first kind is that which causes human sufferings in the world (causal evils). They supposedly originate in the use of the human will. The second kind of evil is the human sufferings caused by the first kind (consequential evils). It will be shown that Lao Tzu's philosophy of Tao is deeply concerned with eliminating these evils from the world. The relationship between a causal evil and its consequential evil(s) can be a complex one, but Lao Tzu generally sees a simple and clear causal connection between them. I shall argue that all the causal evils that concern Lao Tzu originate in the use of the human will and that all the consequential evils are said to be sufferings of some kind. This means that not all evils are sufferings, because there are evils that are not sufferings in themselves but are the causes of sufferings (Sung-Peng Hsu 1976, 302). Moreover, unlike causal evils, sufferings are not to be condemned or denounced. Lao Tzu may have taught that we should forgive people for their causal evils or to treat them in the all-embracing spirit of the Tao, but there is no doubt that causal evils are more evil than consequential evils (Sung-Peng Hsu 1976, 302). As stated before, the causal evils supposedly originate in the use of the human will. On the assumption that all things produced by Tao are good, there is no good reason to say that the human will itself, presumably produced by Tao, is evil. But it is possible to say that the use of the will is the source of causal evils. Whether the distinction between the will itself and its use can be properly made will be left unanswered here. The important question we must ask is whether every use of the will is evil. This is not an easy question to answer. Generally speaking, we can say that the use of the will is evil if and only if it is used against one's true nature, the other people, or the natural world. In Lao Tzu’s language, the use of the will is evil if and only if it is used against the nature of the Tao and its operations in the universe.[1]We may call this use of the will the assertive use of the will. On the other hand, the use of the will is not evil if and only if it is used to resist asserting something in the way described above, or, more positively, if it is used to follow the Tao and its operations in the universe. We may call this the non-assertive use of the will (Sung-Peng Hsu 1976, 302). Natural Sufferings Whether there are natural sufferings in Lao Tzu's thought is not an easy question to answer, but it seems that In Lao Tzu's view, there are no natural sufferings. In other words, there cannot be any physical or mental pains in the universe where the assertive will is not operative. It means that all the sufferings in the world are supposedly man-made (Sung-Peng Hsu 1976, 307). Lao Tzu repeatedly says that if we would only give up our assertive will, the cause of man-made sufferings, there would be no dangers, disasters, and so forth. It is likely that the dangers or disasters referred to are limited only to man-made sufferings. Moreover, he maintains that if we follow Tao, “all things will take their proper places spontaneously” (Tao Te Ching 1963, ch. 32), and they will “transform themselves of their own accord” (ch. 37). “Heaven and earth will unite to drip sweet dew, and the dew will drip evenly of its own accord without the command of man” (ch. 32). This is because Tao is the source and principle of purity, tranquility, spiritual power, life, and peace in the world (ch. 39). In examining the Tao Te Ching, we cannot identify any suffering that is not explained as man-made. The fact that he does not deal with natural sufferings is evidently not because he is not concerned with them, but because no such thing can exist in his world-conception. Chuang Tzu, however, differs from him on this point. Chuang Tzu, the other major Taoist philosopher, definitely recognizes the existence of natural sufferings, which he explains as the effects of the wonderful transformation of all things in Tao (ch. 6). He advises people that the pains should be accepted as they are, and should not be regarded as evil (See Sung-Peng Hsu 1976, 306-7). Explanation of the Existence of Evil in the Universe An important issue in Western discussions of philosophy of religion is the problem of explaining the existence of evils in a universe supposedly created by an all-powerful, all-loving, and all-knowing God (Hick 1963, 40-47). A similar question can be raised with regard to Lao Tzu's philosophy. If the universe is spontaneously produced from Tao, the summum bonum, how can there be evil in the world? On the basis of our discussion so far, we can formulate the following form of argument to express Lao Tzu's position: 1. The Tao is the summum bonum. 2. The Tao is the ultimate source of all things and events. 3. All things and events are good if they are not the results of some interference with the spontaneous evolution of the Tao. 4. The assertive use of the human will is an interference with the spontaneous evolution of the Tao. Therefore, every thing or event that is caused by the assertive use of the will is evil. Premise 4 can be revised to say that only the assertive use of the will is an interference with the spontaneous evolution of the Tao. In that case, all evils are either some assertive uses of the will or their consequences. Our discussion points to this stronger position. Premises 1, 2, and 3 are the basic beliefs or assumptions of Lao Tzu's philosophy, which we shall not question here. The problem is whether premise 4 is consistent with them. It seems reasonable to say that the will itself is good, because it is clearly not a product of the assertive use of the will. Here we come to two important questions. The first is why man, who is supposedly good by nature, uses the will to assert something against the Tao. Would it not be possible to always use the will in accordance with the Tao? The second question is whether the will is “free” to interfere with the Tao's evolution. With regard to the first question, no ready answer can be found in the Tao Te Ching. The question probably had not occurred to Lao Tzu. We can safely rule out any Satan figure responsible for causing man to assert something against the Tao. The answer can probably be found in Lao Tzu's idea of the Tao’s decline. Even though the will itself is good insofar as it is produced by the Tao, it is probably a product at the Tao’s decline, thus not an ideal product. It may have the inherent tendency to deviate from the Tao. The idea of the decline of the Tao is found in Tao Te Ching (1963, ch. 38), just quoted, where it is said that when the Tao is lost, te appears. The appearance of te is apparently not caused by something other than the Tao itself. A similar idea appears where Lao Tzu says, “When the great Tao declines, there appear jen and i.”(Tao Te Ching 1963, ch. 18). Though the appearance of jen and i can be explained as the result of the assertive use of the will, the idea that the Tao declines cannot be ignored. This seems to mean that the Tao, though believed to be inexhaustible in its power, is limited in power after all. This is undoubtedly a critical issue in Lao Tzu's philosophy. It may be argued that if te represents a fall from the Tao, the natural world, which is te, cannot be as perfect as the Tao itself. This is true, but we have argued that even though it is, in a sense, a fall from the Tao, the natural world is so full of the power of the Tao that Lao Tzu cannot see any suffering in it. All evils, according to our interpretation, come from our assertive use of the will. The second question, whether the will is free to interfere with the Tao's evolution, is in a way related to the first question. When the Tao is full of power, it is almost impossible for the will to interfere with its operations. “If one tries to hew wood for the master carpenter, how can one avoid hurting one's own hands?” (Tao Te Ching 1963, ch. 74). But when the Tao is in decline, the will will be in a better position to do so. There is, however, another reason why, in Lao Tzu's philosophy, the will is in principle free to interfere with the Tao. In his conception of the universe, there are no external or eternal “laws” of nature, to which all things must conform. The principles of change are internal laws that are supposed to emerge spontaneously when the relevant conditions exist. Some kind of causality certainly exists in Lao Tzu's thought, but it is something akin to the Humean, not the Newtonian, conception of causality (Sung-Peng Hsu 1976, 313-14). It is important to note that Lao Tzu has no doubt that the will is free to interfere with the Tao. He is afraid, however, that the use of the will causes suffering in the world and turn the spontaneous universe into a mechanistic one bound by laws and virtues. Overcoming Evil The way of wu-wei, as the action of the Tao, suggests how one can confront the problem of evil and suffering in this present human life. The way of overcoming evil is to read “evil” backwards. In other words, the way of overcoming evil is a way of living. In a Taoist theology, the Tao is the source of all life. As the origin of life, the Tao originates, nurtures, and fulfills life in the world. Therefore, In Taoism, the way of overcoming evil is to follow the Tao, to actualize wu-wei in human life. To follow the Tao’s will is the way to live everlastingly. Then, what is the task of human beings in the midst of evil and suffering? In the Taoist tradition, human beings are the mediators between Heaven and the earth. The function of a mediator is to embrace others and live with them through self-emptying and self-sacrificing, which is the vision of wu-wei. The task of a mediator is to actualize wu-wei; that is, to recognize the interconnectedness, interrelatedness, and interdependence with the others and with the Tao or God. Thus, the vision of the Taoist theology opens its eyes not only to human cultural world and God, but also to the ecological world. In sum, the way of overcoming evil in the Taoist theology is to engage with wu-wei. Wu-wei has the ontological basis to embrace being in non-being, as well as the ethical practicality to do something in non-doing. In the metaphysics of the Tao, wu-wei is the ultimate ground to embrace being. Likewise, wu-wei as non-action ethically embraces action. Wu-wei in the narrow path represents the yin of the Tao, and yet it embraces yang in itself as a whole. This receptive characteristic of the Tao provides humankind the vision to resolve the evil in this present world. Finally, since any aspect of the world is a manifestation of the Tao, corresponding to a different participation of the Yin and Yang principles, nothing can be considered to be essentially evil in the world. Even if Yin is termed as a negative principle, it never manifests itself alone. In the Tao Te Ching, it is stated: When beauty is abstracted, then ugliness has been implied; when good is abstracted, then evil has been implied. (Tao Te Ching 1988, ch. 2) Every positive factor involves its negative or opposing counterpart. What is usually called evil, as physical and mental manifestation, is the result of a lack of balance between the two opposing principles and corresponds to a bigger participation of the Yin principle. Evil belongs to the nature of the world, so humans have to subscribe to the universal harmony and respect the equilibrium of the two polarities. The Tao is eternal and so are the two principles Yang and Yin. Therefore, good and evil must be eternal as necessary elements of our world. Conclusion Lao Tzu regards all evil and suffering as resulting from human actions and from getting out of the natural way. From this perspective, evil refers to any action that is not in accordance with the Tao. The way to overcome evil is to accept it as part of the reality and follow the Tao—to actualize wu-wei in human life. The Taoist metaphysics does not leave the solution for the problem of evil to the future or to the other world, but rather embraces it in this life. In the Taoist metaphysics, evil and good are two parts of the reality, as one sees it in the Yin-Yang relation. The bipolarity of the Tao, thus, provides not only the theoretical basis but also the ethical practicality to deal with the problem of evil. References Blofeld, John. 1978. Taoism: The Road to Immortality. Boston: Shambhala ChuangTzu. 1968. The Complete Works of Chuang Tzu. Translated by Burton Watson. New York: Columbia University Press. Creel, Herrlee Glessner. 1970. What is Taoism? And other studies in Chinese cultural history. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Hick, John. 1963. Philosophy of Religion. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall. ———. 1978. Evil and the God of Love. New York, Hagerstown, San Francisco, London: Harper & Row, Publishers. Tao Te Ching. 1963. Translated by Wing-tsit Chan. Indianapolis, Ind.: Bobbs-Merrill. ———. Translated by Stephen Mitchell. New York Harper & Row Publishers. Lin, Yutang, ed. and trans. 1976. The Wisdom of Laotse. New York: The Modern Library. MacGregoi, Geddes. 1973. Philosophical Issues in Religious Thought. Boston: Houghton Milllin. Mackie, J. L. 1973. “Evil and Omnipotence.” In Philosophy of Religion, edited by W. Rowe and W. Wainwright. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. Needham, Joseph. 1956. Science and Civilization in China. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Pojman, L., 1991. Introduction to Philosophy: Classical and Contemporary Readings. Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Co. Kirkland, Russel, Timothy Barrett, and Livia Kohn. 2000. “Introduction.” In Daoism Yu-Lan, Fung. 1952. A Hisrory of Chinese Philosophy. Translated by Deck Bodde. Princeton. N.J.: Princeton University Press

Traditional breatharianism might be useful as a method for catalyzing a transformation of the ego. Some claims breatharians have made are that they feel good and with lots of energy without food and even without water, and also that they can eat food sometimes in social situations or for pleasure. And judging by what alternative researchers such as Nassim Haramein and Dr. Jubb have said, those claims are actually valid! Food and water are huge survival issues for the ego. Being able to transcend the need for food and water surely will transform the subconscious a lot. Another claim I have heard is that food is a strong addiction. The trick for me then is how to move from food addiction to breatharianism without causing a lot of extra suffering in the beginning. I think I will try a method of gradually reducing food and water intake instead of jumping straight into dry fasting which is quite extreme and leads to suffering in my experience.

In order to create any real change towards say a more fulfilling life or create any sort of significant change or transformation there has to be a submission to what’s required. What may be required though may not be something you necessarily want to do. If you or I wish to invent something that’s effective tit cannot be ineffective. With that said, if we’re clear on our own top values, wouldn’t it be safe to say that our top values are also our own top principles we can submit to to help facilitate a real change? For example: Let’s say I realize that my top value is Truth. So I’m really passionate about seeking what is actually true about anything, I’m curious about life and all that cool stuff. However... I have a pattern of low integrity, laziness, lying, etc. Couldn’t my top value in this case not only help me to give me a pointer of not only what I want to pursue but how I can live my life? So if my top value is truth, being in integrity with such a principle would probably involve speaking the truth, telling myself the truth, putting my ass on the line and actually doing what it may take for me, whatever that is, to realize what’s for myself what’s true in my own personal investigation, etc.?

Wow. These are great insights. From what you've written, it definitely seems like you've experienced serious insights similar to mine. Great work! Now continue deepening them with samadhi development. And I think Culadasa will be a great mentor for you. And you are right. I'll definitely be planning some serious retreat time in the near future. Also I know how Shinzen accessed full-on permanent stream entry in his 4th year of practice. Considering that most of us (including myself) are householders, we might limit ourselves and say: ' Well, if it took Shinzen 4 years, then who am I to make it in less than that time frame? I'm nowhere near meditating as much as or as intensely as monastics.' This path is unpredictable and we should be open to anything. There are examples from non-meditators like Eckhart Tolle all of a sudden going from depression to enlightenment. And on the other hand, meditators who have their stream entry in their 30th year of meditation. Any period of time is a potential for deep transformation. I'm very much open for anything and I think every meditator should shift their mindset to 'Enlightenment is doable and It can happen at any moment as long as I do the practices. I just need to systematically train my nervous system and be open to whatever occurs.' I think after the development of stable and sustained concentration, every meditator must SERIOUSLY set their intentions on awakening

Just to be clear, psychedelics of course need not be used at all, and for some people -- those with a family history of psychosis, for example -- they are contraindicated. They may facilitate by perhaps instilling greater desire for the Truth in the person by giving them a glimpse of it, or perhaps by helping them face some trauma or unconscious psychological issue or gain some intuitive guidance. But that's about it. Yes, and the Buddha and other say just this. Not really, because there are only really two aspects to seeking realization: purification of mind, and looking inward (inquiry). Psychedelics can help purify the mind under certain circumstances, and can give motivational glimpses of truth, but there's no such thing as "transformation of being" beyond looking inward. There's no idea of crossover effects and synergy. All that complexity is misleading.

If your priority is not being in the now, but be in the future to fulfill your desires, then you are hindering the transformation.

I think it takes a sincere interest in knowing more/reading more about religion/spirituality. Some people aren't like that so the odds for them realizing this I see is far lower doesn't mean of course they can't be molded into it. Holding truth as a value and being a seeker of it can lead one here. People always want to change the world however and rarely want to change themselves BUT if a culture is created of healing oneself emotional vulnerability/change/transformation may come much easier to the majority. Plus we are in the information age. With things such as fake news. More generations hooking up to the internet googling things. They'll come to an awareness that not only can the body be poisoned but so can the mind with a invisible poison called information. Then we can get more serious debates as a species, accessing endless buffets of data, and as a result become more star trek like.

Two planes. Physical and spiritual. Spiritual is the privilege or the basic requirement and the physical is a bonus. Without the physical, the spiritual is a humble consolation and a support to thrive on. Without the spiritual the physical is just a show a fake an illusion and a gratification tool without real sentiment Together its a blessing. Examples for illustration Dying wife and the cook as a replacement Dead child or family member and a new nember or child Replacement of pets. Atm card dad. Good doctors in town but not in the local hospital. So spiritual is a cake whereas physical is an icing on the cake. People who care too much for the physical but disrespect the spiritual are fake cheap shallow selfish People who understand the physical but respect the spiritual but know the limitations of both physical and spiritual are reasonable People who idolize the spiritual but neglect the physical are a little impractical and less functional or usable Both should unite. Anything lacking in spiritual is meaningless and hollow and anything that is merely spiritual or intangible is only a sentiment and has meaning but not usable. Thus the primordial has to begin with spiritual and it's success lies in the manifestation in physical. Now the biggest secret is to know how to manifest the spiritual into the physical. This is the divine secret. You can also call it the divine secret of the ages. The secret is this. When you connect to the divine consciousness or divinity the power of the divine forces from the cosmic characters is absorbed and used to manifest the vision. However this vision has to be true and sublime or pure to appease the spirits of eternity, the (as in ancient Egyptian culture its called ma'at which means the governor of all good. This is the key. There is a cosmic force stronger than any force that eventually wants good to sustain and bring a balance and harmony. Your instinct should tap and resonate with this cosmic force. It's like pushing the right buttons but for that you need intelligence which once again arises out of good so everything is interconnected. That's why evil can't succeed because it can only have an instinct but get interfered in its plans and get thwarted due to the lack of mechanics or lack of intelligence and non congruence with the intelligent design. What does this mean. That everything is connected and a pattern. You can call it the cosmic pattern. It's a sequence governed by laws which support balance and harmony anything that pushes this off balance also suffers as a result so not only does the object of attention suffer but so also the source that causes this suffering. So if a flood is brought, the flood does not distinguish between good and evil and takes away both with it. Thus the evil can't escape its own doings and ends up getting the taste of its own medicine. Because the universe is designed that way. The natural course is designed that way. The way things exist in the universe and operate can be called the natural course. The laws that govern this course are the universal laws. The instinct that drives this forward is the divine instinct or ma'at which means "everything for the good" which drives the processes of natural course further. Here the divine instinct is the ma'at. The laws are derived from this and so all the laws are designed to make the good prevail and the destructive perish, the laws are designed for progress and the outcome of such a progress is sweet and harmony and balance. This law has been coded into each and every creation in this universe. Therefore what follows the law survives, what doesn't perishes. Every process in the natural course is owned by this law or laws. It resonates and chimes with the laws. It follows the law and when it does so it continues to flourish and sustain in harmony throughout eternity. Whatever that disrupts this harmony brings eventual chaos and if it doesn't follow the sequence of the processes in the natural course or goes against it, it then gets eventually degraded and destroyed. Whatever that fails to understand the sequence and doesn't follow the sequence or doesn't resonate with either the sequence or the laws governing it or goes against it will cause disruption of harmony and cause balance and bring out the bad. If it not destruction it will at least lead to mediocrity and lack of substance and hollowness. It will be vague and almost useless and or dysfunctional and shallow or messy. There will be no real beauty in it just an empty white noise. Without substance, meaning, beauty. Because these qualities belong to the ma'at, so without the ma'at, such qualities cannot exist and so without these qualities, the condition of the resultant state will be shallow and for fake glory or display. This is like buying a huge building fashioned like a Rolex watch fully made of cheap plastic and then auctioning it off as a treasure piece. That's how much sense anything makes when it lacks substance. It's not made out of meaning, beauty and substance. Now whatever that follows the sequence and is in resonance with the laws and the divine instinct of ma'at is bound to succeed and grow and prosper but the prosperity is not overnight. It will come gradually after an eternity of toiling but what it will create will be the most amazing splendid indestructible and glorious by itself without any validation or hype. It will stand by itself as an aura of beauty and substance. It will have a mysterious mythical grandeur and allure to it which becomes a part of it spiritual quality. Although it may be non living, it will still a carry a sentiment of good and beauty. It won't be perfect but at least near perfect. This can be said of both the living and non the living. All of this means that a wrongful/malicious instinct can only win a short race since in the long run it falls out of resonance with the harmonious sequence of the natural course and thus the instinct wins a short distance and eventually fails in the eternal scheme of things. But the right instinct always wins. Because the instinct is in direct harmony or resonance with ma'at and so it obeys and understands and follows the sequence/sequences of the natural course and goes with it and then matures into a beautiful state of harmony and continues its legacy and survives and flourishes both physically and eternally (that is spiritually). So here there are many components to the divine secret. One can say three are a few caveats. These components are The natural course The sequence/sequences in this natural course Ma'at or the instinct of goodness Harmony and balance and flourishing as the outcome (field of reeds or eternal garden) Universal laws derived from divine instinct/ma'at that govern the natural course Resonance with the instinct and the sequence. This can be called consonance. Lack of resonance. - this can be called discordance. Good instinct or noble instinct Bad instinct or bad intent or malicious instinct Good instinct wins because of consonance. Bad instinct wins only in the short run but eventually causes destruction of others and itself because of discordance. So here is the divine secret and the caveats The divine secret explained in 5 steps 1 Connection Connection to the divine forces or cosmic forces. This is invocation. Or the primordial birth of an instinct. 2 a good instinct as a requirement or caveat/condition. (A bad instinct will also find its way but will create problems eventually) there is freedom of will so even a bad intent is allowed its way in the universe. However there is no freedom of outcome. So outcome is decided by the natural course. This is more or less like a caveat 3 preservation of this instinct and its constant invocation This is the law of attraction. Having persistence 4.Harnessing. Following it. Resonance with not only the divine instinct(ma'at) but also the sequence of the natural course. Follow this sequence. Follow this wisdom. Follow this path This means just having a good instinct or intent is not enough. It has to follow a certain set of laws and actions that allow the manifestation of the good instinct. Like just wanting to help the diseased is not enough..harnessing means acquiring the knowledge of medicine to work on the disease and find a cure. 5. Manifestation and continuation Through constant harnessing and invocations and a determined pursuit, you display the qualities of hope and faith which are rewarded and the manifestation of your will in the physical world eventually happens. But you have to continue and not give up. You have to preserve the condition of this manifested state with all your effort and constant invocation and save it from degradation. It's a treasure now that needs to be cherished and preserved much like the pyramids and much like the tradition of ma'at. All the philosophies and principles need to be preserved not just in books but also in real life to keep the river of harmony the Nile river flowing and not let it dry up due to any change or modernity. In order to have harmony and in order to keep the yield going it's healthy or wholesome harmonious productive yielding state has to be maintained. It has to be maintained the exact way it always was by protecting it from unnecessary changes that can cause its degradation over time. Which means all the principles of resonance will always be in motion throughout time no matter how modern the age is. The same principles will hold true and continue And the ritual of invocation and gratitude has to continue. (This is not to confuse with natural degardation with age which is bound to happen since the physical is not eternal and has to die at some point. This is not "brought on" destruction. This is natural destruction or "withering" which is a part of the primordial cycle. It's not caused by forces of evil and chaos.) When you have a spiritual birth or a primordial birth which means growth of an instinct Law of transformation and accommodation This law means "anything that is bad and in a mangled or unusable state or considered bad can still be rejuvenated as long as it has a life force and vitality." And "everything that is good needs to be encouraged and accommodated into a system. A system that doesn't accommodate is unworthy or undeserving of such good." So there are 2 things here. One is framework and layouts and the other is a list of manifestations and hope faith devotion on the divine secret and its manifestation

@Matteo ultimately you have to make a decision for yourself because there is no authority that you trust. Sadhguru tells you not to do them but you are still tempted so you question whether he's saying the truth or has an agenda to make such a call or isn't aware enough to really know. I wouldn't recommend them either, two years ago I did like 10 LSD trips in 4months and I felt like my brain voltage kept going up, it was uncomfortable. After that one day I tried cannabis oil and I had a trip so powerful that I couldn't sleep for days. I felt like I couldn't keep hold of myself, feeling constantly slipping on a slope and if I didn't focus on my surroundings to hold myself in reality I would drift in imagination and the further I would let myself drift the more violent it was for me to come back and this would go on and on. It made me terribly anxious and after days of that I had to seek medical help, they gave me antipsychotics, I took them for few days and slowly the anxiety diminished. For months thereafter I had this voltage-like feeling, there is no clear cut line after which I considered myself back to before all this endeavour. So I can definitely see why they say it can mess up your energy system, and the sleeplessness that I had felt similar to Martin Ball's sleep issue description. On the other hand Leo does a lot of those trips (mostly not with LSD) and is happy with them so far. He also considers those trips transformative although to me transformation is when a Buddha live like an ascetic for 6 years and then suddenly after sitting under a bodhi tree his life is forever settled in a direction. I have yet to know of an instance where a trip set someone unwavering for the rest of his life and more.

Inside China's 'Thought Transformation' camps

I often write from hypotheticals and make flat out assertions. Its likely I contradict previous statements I've made. In the knowledge of essence types it becomes better understood how we naturally piss off some as well as feel attracted to others energy. See, here I go again. The mars essence type (adrenal) is described as an active negative type. Negative as in questioning or seeing the glass half empty instead of half full. The maximum attraction for the Mars type is the passive and positive Venusian. As a mars type my approach is naturally blunt and straightforward. This may trigger other Mars types. Maybe because of similar shadow blind spots,,? My own mixture of Solar-Saturn-mars is roughly equivalent to a cerebrotonic mesomorph,,,, I think. Everyone should think for themselves. There is no doubt that I try to influence others. It's how I learn and integrate. I will be wrong about some things and right about another. Or maybe it will be right for me and a few others and not for everyone else. I have no interest in creating a following around my interpretation of how things are. Trying to add to Gurdjieff's Science of Idiotism is a sincere aim. Basically my approach to systems thinking. I have a deep respect for both A.H. Almaas and Red Hawk because they both express in their own writings of taking a second return run towards unrealized deep self hatred. But there are also many others who feel this same necessity. I wouldn't want to imply it's a necessity for everyone, though. Another thing I feel the need to express is a point about the Castaneda quotes. Let's take the following: From The Power Of Silence- Don Juan described self-importance as the force generated by man’s self-image. He reiterated that it is that force which keeps the assemblage point fixed where it is at present. For this reason, the thrust of the warriors’ way is to dethrone self-importance. And everything sorcerers do is toward accomplishing this goal. He explained that sorcerers had unmasked self-importance and found that it is self-pity masquerading as something else. “It doesn’t sound possible, but that is what it is,” he said. “Self-pity is the real enemy and the source of man’s misery. Without a degree of pity for himself, man could not afford to be as self-important as he is. However, once the force of self-importance is engaged, it develops its own momentum. And it is this seemingly independent nature of self-importance which gives it its fake sense of worth.” It's true but it is also tough guy talk, in a sense. And to the degree it speaks to that part of us that likes tough guy talk, it is in error. Keeping a watch of my own heart told me so. There does exist a gift in tears and a big attitude will throw shade on it. I will claim possession of the knowledge of how Saints come about. But I stand here as a hypocrite unable to actually do it and so I have to suffer this self, off and on. The whole point about not expressing negative emotions is that it, in itself, perpetuates unnecessary suffering. But it's so terribly difficult to not express them and I certainly can't judge anyone who does so because I also still do so. Even after a clear conceptual understanding, it's still difficult. Suffering myself I put into the category of necessary or intentional suffering. Where will the motivation for transformation come from if I'm unwilling to actually see how I am, beyond lofty ideals? This kind of intentional suffering is also Conscious suffering. As Ocke de Boers logic translates-" Remorse will bring conscious suffering. This is to see and feel your own mechanical behaviour or negativity and seeing you can’t do anything about it. Conscious suffering will bring the Work deeper in you and therefore will increase your being so that conscience can speak. It will give a constant and unflagging need to work and enable you to pass the first threshold. Conscious suffering is the medicine to make the Automaton surrender to the Permanent Witness. The Automaton is an instrument. The Permanent Witness has to learn how to use it." If only we could differentiate between a cleansing as a result of remorse and the terrible falsity in the idea of being guilty. In this sense, everyone is truly innocent. It seems reasonable that this capacity for Witness Consciousness has to occur before there is a stability established in the 2nd tier of Spiral Dynamics.

The New Kingdom The New Kingdom of Egypt (1550-1069 B.C.), otherwise known as the Empire of Egypt, was instituted when Ahmose I expelled the foreign rule of Hyksos who had reigned during the Second Intermediate period (1802–1550 B.C.).The New Kingdom includes the 18th, 19th and 20th dynasties. In the later days of this epoch (1292–1069 B.C.) eleven pharaohs obtained the name of Ramesses, as a result, this time is also called the Ramesside period. This period comprises the reign of today’s best known pharaohs of Egypt: Hatshepsut, Tutankamun, Thutmose III, Amenhotep, Akhenaten and many others. The celebrated relics of history such as the temples of Karnak and Luxor, Abu Simbel, Ramesseum, and the tombs of the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the queens were built in the course of this time. Egypt, with a strong central government, saw a prosperous year with an expansion of its dominion and trade routes. The Eighteenth Dynasty Dynasty XVIII (1543-1292 BC), otherwise known as the Thutmosid Dynasty because of the four kings named Thutmose, boasted Egypt’s foundation to a prosperous reign. The advent of the New Kingdom ushered in the revival of Egypt; the Theban Kings ousted the Hyksos and the Egyptian armed forces enlarged the kingdom’s dominion by entering the lands of Palestine and Syria. Egypt enjoyed an unprecedented prosperity of economy, trade expansion, foreign relations, innovative thinking, and artistry. This was made possible because of a succession of great kings and queens and a well-structured system of administration. The appointment of official positions was based on merit and competence which allowed for effective advances in all scopes of the kingdom’s enterprise. Now Egypt is big.. This period was anything but uneventful. Thutmose I conquered and expanded Egypt’s dominion to Syria and Palestine to the west, the Euphrates River in the north, and Nubia to the south. Queen Hatshepsut and her successor Tuthmose III secured Egypt’s position as the first super power. Akhenaten and his wife Nefertiti occasioned the world’s first instance of monotheism. Dynasty 18 pharaohs List of Dynasty XVIII Pharaohs 1549–1524 B.C.—Ahmose 1524–1503 B.C.—Amenhotep I 1503–1493 B.C.—Thutmose I 1493–1479 B.C.—Thutmose II 1479–1458 B.C.—Queen Hatshepsut 1479–1425 B.C.—Thutmose III 1425–1398 B.C.—Amenhotep II 1398–1388 B.C.—Thutmose IV 1388–1350 B.C.—Amenhotep III 1351–1334 B.C.—Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten) 1334–1332 B.C.—Smenkhkare 1332–1323 B.C.—Tutankhamun 1323–1319 B.C.—Ay 1319–1292 B.C.—Horemheb 1479–1425 B.C.—Thutmose III 1351–1334 B.C.—Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten) The son of Amenhotep III and Tiye, Akhenaten He was the father of Tutankhamen (by a lesser wife named Kiya) and Ankhsenamun, who was the wife and half-sister of Tutankhamen—her mother was Nefertiti. In the beginning five years of his rule, he was referred to as Amenhotep IV. He continued his father’s legacy and adhered to Egypt’s polytheism. But then he went through a religious transformation; he forsook his cult of Amun and espoused the cult of Aten. He altered his name to Akhenaten, meaning ‘successful for’ or `of great use to’ the god Aten. And in the next twelve years of his rule his religious fixation led Egypt to a complete collapse. Akhenaten’s rule is one of anarchy; it is often referred to as ‘The Amarna Period’ (1353-1336 B.C.). This was due to the fact that he changed the capital of the kingdom from Thebes to a city he established - Akhetaten, which later came to be known as Amarna. This was a capital dedicated to the god Aten. It can be argued that Akhenaten was a pharaoh that brought the dynasty to its nadir. The Amarna Period was fraught with turmoil. Akhenaten implemented reforms aimed at establishing a single and supreme god. He pursued a policy of erasing the worship of other gods besides Aten. The names of the other gods were chiseled from monuments, the ancient practices were banned and temples consecrated to other gods were shut down. This era was a stark contrast from the polytheistic and religiously tolerant Egypt. The Egyptologist Zahi Hawass writes: “Dating to this point in Akhenaten’s reign was a campaign to excise the name of gods other than the Aten, especially Amun, from the monuments of Egypt. This was done with violence: hieroglyphs were brutally hacked from the walls of temples and tombs. This was probably carried out, at least in part, by illiterate iconoclasts, presumably following the orders of their king. [Akhenaten] carried out a religious revolution the like of which had never been seen before in Egypt. His reign represents a significant departure from religious, artistic, and political norms (42-43).” Akhenaten was notorious for his actions; in archival records, his successors referred to him as “heretic king”, "the enemy" or "that criminal". He remained an ambiguous entity in Egypt’s history until the finding of the city of Amarna in the 19th century. 1332–1323 B.C.—Tutankhamun Despite his short life, Tutankhamen (also known as Tutankhamun and “King Tut”) is one of the most renowned historical relics of our time. His golden sarcophagus is now an emblem almost indistinguishable from Egypt. The name Tutankhamen means `living image of [the god] Amun.’ During his time of ruling, Tutankhamen, with his elder counselors, made strides to collect the rags of Egypt that his father left behind. He re-established order, brought back the religion of Amun and repaired derelict temples. Tutankhamen’s early death is a contentious topic among scholars. Some argue that the severe wound on his skull attest to his murder; others adduce his incestuous birth as a genesis of his early death. What can be asserted though is that Tutankhamen’s death sounded the Knell of the 18th dynasty. The Nineteenth Dynasty Dynasty XIX (1292-1187 B.C.) was founded by Vizier Ramesses I; he was selected heir by the Pharaoh Horemheb. The 18th dynasty was unparalleled in power and thus was able to expand its dominion easily. The dynasty is perhaps best known for its series of military conquests in Canaan. The dynasty reached its peak during the reign of Seti I and Rameses II who spearheaded dynamic crusades against the Hittites and Libyans. The pharaohs of this dynasty were buried in Thebes in the Valley of Kings. The dynasty reached its peak during the reign of Seti I and Rameses II who spearheaded dynamic crusades against the Hittites and Libyans. Ramsses II was the third pharaoh of the dynasty. He is known to the Egyptians as Usermaatre Setepenre, meaning 'Keeper of Harmony and Balance, Strong in Right, Elect of Ra’. He is also known as Ozymandias and Ramesses the Great. Ramesses II is considered to be the greatest rulers of the New Kingdom. He commissioned Egypt’s many elaborate buildings of the time: the temples at Abu Simbel, the enormous tomb complex known as the Ramesseum at Thebes, the complex at Abydos, the hall at Karnak, the celebrated tomb of Nefertari –which was his first wife—and hundreds of other building. The period of his reign is seen as the zenith of Egyptian art. RamessesII is also celebrated for his conquests aimed at reclaiming territories of Levant that had been controlled by the eighteenth dynasty. His campaigns culminated to the Battle of Kadesh (1274 B.C.), fought between him and the Hittite king Muwatalli II. Karnak temple, by Karelj (2010) The pharaoh had the longest reign—he died at the age of 96. So long was his rule that when he died the Egyptian people feared the world would come to a devastating end. He later came to be known by the posterity as‘The Great Ancestor’. Ramesses II had over two hundred wives and concubines from whom he bore sixty daughters and ninety-six sons. He outlived most of his children. During the 19th Dynasty, Egypt had enjoyed an unprecedented affluence which had allured the Sea Peoples (they’re origin is unknown but they are believed to have come from the Aegean area). They had demolished the Hittite empire and now had their eyes glued on Egypt’s wealth. Although the Sea Peoples had attempted incursions earlier, Ramesses II had successfully kept them at bay. However, after his death, they managed to ransack Kadesh—then a territory of Egypt—and destroy the coast. Ramesses III engaged in a fierce battle between1180-1178 B.C., until he finally conquered them in the Battle of Xois in 1178 B.C. The Twentieth Dynasty After usurping power from Queen Tausret (Twosret), Senakhte (1189–1186 B.C.) founded the 20th Dynasty (1189 to 1077 B.C.). His time of reign lasted for three years only and was immediately succeeded by his son Rameses III who was to be Egypt’s last great king. After the rule of Ramesses III, Egypt was plagued by a legion of predicaments: a series of draughts, famine, below-normal flooding scales of the Nile, civil unrests and much besides. There followed a succession of kings named Ramesses; this was perhaps an attempt to redeem the past glories of Egypt. The administration also faced a resistance from the populace of Egypt, namely those from the colonies. The clergy was another thorn to the central administration. After Tutankhamen restored the religion of Amun, the priests of Amun had grown very affluent and had appropriated massive land. They were a threat to the administration; their corruption led to the decay of social cohesion and the central government. By the time Rameses XI (1107–1077 B.C.)had ascended to power, the clergy had gotten so powerful that the High Priests of Amun at Thebes were governing the south as de facto rulers; this among other things occasioned the collapse of the 20th Dynasty and ushered in a new era known as the Third Intermediate Period (1069–664 B.C.) followed. End of Ancient Egypt Dynasty 18 pharaohs List of Dynasty XVIII Pharaohs 1549–1524 B.C.—Ahmose 1524–1503 B.C.—Amenhotep I 1503–1493 B.C.—Thutmose I 1493–1479 B.C.—Thutmose II 1479–1458 B.C.—Queen Hatshepsut 1479–1425 B.C.—Thutmose III 1425–1398 B.C.—Amenhotep II 1398–1388 B.C.—Thutmose IV 1388–1350 B.C.—Amenhotep III 1351–1334 B.C.—Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten) 1334–1332 B.C.—Smenkhkare 1332–1323 B.C.—Tutankhamun 1323–1319 B.C.—Ay 1319–1292 B.C.—Horemheb 1479–1425 B.C.—Thutmose III Dynasty 19 pharaohs List of Dynasty XIX Pharaohs 1292–1290 B.C.—Rameses I 1290–1279 B.C.—Seti I 1279–1213 B.C.—Ramesses II 1213–1203 B.C.—Merenptah 1203–1197 B.C.—Seti II 1203–1197 B.C.—Amenmessu 1197–1191 B.C.—Saptah 1191–1189 B.C.—Queen Tausret (Twosret) Dynasty 20 pharaohs The List of the Rulers of Dynasty XX 1189–1186 B.C.—Setnakht 1186–1155 B.C.—Rameses III 1155–1149 B.C.—Rameses IV 1149–1145 B.C.—Rameses V 1145–1137 B.C.—Rameses VI 1137–1130 B.C.—Rameses VII 1130–1129 B.C.—Rameses VIII 1129–1111 B.C.—Rameses IX 1111–1107 B.C. Rameses X 1107–1077 B.C.—Rameses XI In the period from 1070 B.C. onwards, under the 21st dynasty, Egypt was split into two: the northern part of the region was governed by the pharaoh and the south by the High Priests of Amun at Thebes. This disturbed the nation’s unity. 1085-664 B.C.—The Third Intermediate Period Third Intermediate Period (1085-664 B.C.) lasted for about 400 years. Egypt saw political, social and cultural revolutions. During the 21st Dynasty there was a rebellion carried out by local officials; Egypt was also invaded by foreign forces from Nubia and Libya who reigned over certain areas and stamped their culture on the society. The period of the 22nd Dynasty, which began around 945 B.C., was founded by King Sheshonq I. He was a Libyan descendant who had conquered Egypt during the ruling days of the 20th Dynasty. In this era, the local rulers were autonomous. Dynasties 23 and 24 were poorly documented. The Nubian ruler of the kingdom of Kush, King Piye (752-722 B.C.) founded Dynasty 25. Egypt was once again united and the culture flourished. But it wasn’t for long, as the Assyrians under Esarhaddon set out to invade the country in 667 B.C. The Assyrians did manage a successful invasion but had no long-term plans to remain in the region. They left Egypt in ruins and vulnerable to the imminent invasion. 664–30 B.C.—The Late and Hellenistic Period Cambyses II of Persia attacked the defenseless Egypt at the Pelusium in 525 B.C. His approach was a rather ingenious one. Having insight into the religion of the Egyptian people, he had his army paint cats on their shields. This was because he knew that cats were believed to be the living representation of the goddess Bastet by the Egyptians. He also ordered for cats and other sacred animals to be driven before the army at Pelusium. Cambyses II was able to defeat the last kings of the Saite dynasty Psammetichus III (he was the son of Nechoa) at the battle of Battle of Pelusium. Egypt became a constituent of the Persian Empire. Persian rulers respected the Egyptian religion and culture; leaders such as Darius (522-485 B.C.) upheld Egyptian cults, built and restored temples. Xerxes (486-465 B.C.), however, was a despotic leader who sparked rebellions that extended to the reign of his successors. In 404 B.C., one of these rebellions became a successful one. This triumph ushered in the last period of native Egyptian rule, Dynasties 28-30. This period was abbreviated by another attack of Persia in the mid-fourth century. Under Ataxerxes III in 343 B.C., Persia was able to restore its power in Egypt. However, in less than a decade the army of Alexander the Great of Macedonia was able to defeat the Persian force and conquer Egypt in 332-331 B.C. Alexander was never seen as a conqueror; rather he was seen as a liberator. He instituted the city of Alexandria before moving on his pursuit of Phoenicia and the whole of the Persian Empire. After his death, Egypt was governed by a line of Macedonian kings—Alexander’s general Ptolemy being the first. Cleopatra VII was the last of the Ptolemaic rulers. Her defeat by the Octavian forces in the Battle of Actium on 2nd September, 30 B.C., led to Egypt’s annexation by the Roman Empire. As a Roman colony, Christianity became the predominant religion of Egypt and the people were forced to forsake their indigenous cults. Following the six centuries of rule by the Romans, Egypt was invaded by the Arabs under Caliph Umar in 646 A.D. and Islam was brought to the nation. In discussing Ancient Egypt’s fascinating history, the Historian Will Durant writes: “The effect or remembrance of what Egypt accomplished at the very dawn of history has influence in every nation and every age. ‘It is even possible', as Faure has said, 'that Egypt, through the solidarity, the unity, and the disciplined variety of its artistic products, through the enormous duration and the sustained power of its effort, offers the spectacle of the greatest civilization that has yet appeared on the earth.' We shall do well to equal it.”

When talking about the third eye Sadhguru will sometimes talk about people smoking pot. He says that "whether you do yoga or smoke pot the big thing is opening your third eye". He also says he isn't against anything that works. So Sadhguru is aware that drugs are legit part of some spiritual paths but he deems it an inappropriate path for the masses. To volunteer in his ashram you have to be psychedelic free for at least 6 months. What I say about psychedelics is that it is unclear whether peak experiences, be it of samhadi, non-duality or however you describe them, work toward your ultimate well being. Leo for instance states that the most important thing for him is to understand inner workings of reality but he doesn't realize that this doesn't necessarily mean much as he will have to let go of that knowledge when he dies, he's making the unwise move of creating a source of cling. He fails to integrate the significance of those trips in the greater context of the rebirth wheel. I can imagine few outcomes to Leo's path : - He dies of old age. Maybe he will be like Martin Balls or Chris Bache and decide to stop at some point or maybe he'll be like that chemist that did hundreds of different psychedelics into old ages. We'll say of him that he lived a life as a psychonaut. Now how will this life impact his futures lives and in betweens life and rebirth ? We don't know, we can imagine that after having those experiences he will be more resilient to experiencing infinity (I remember that between death and rebirth I sometimes hit points where I experience everything, like all people on earth at once and I panic and lose awareness), or less resilient because he wasn't able to live life without the help of psychoactive drugs, like any junky basically. Maybe those trips are messing his soul in ways we don't imagine. Or we can say that he's just enjoying his life with those trips and it won't make much difference whether he lives like this or otherwise. - During a trip he finds himself unable to come back to his body and dies for the world. If he panicks that would be hell, if he rejoice blissfully that would be heaven. Sounds random, but can we say that dying after a life of no psychedelics is any less random ? - So far his trips seem non transformative. Despite claiming that he hits ever deeper trips for a year now did he really transform ? When Sadhguru talks about his enlightenment he says that in a matter of few month his 23y old self was a very far away already. Would you say that Leo's vasana smells differently over the years ? So one outcome possible is that after experiencing ever increasingly deep trips he will hit a truth so powerful that it will indeed transform him. That is the hope of most psychonauts but I've yet to know of someone for whom it happened. But maybe his transformation was progressive and anyway he was already a successful teacher so there is not much to transform appart from fine tuning his style and teachings.

After some not so extensive research it appears to me that there is a lot of mindfulness experience and knowledge, even mainstream research, yet it's still within the global ego! I believe that the complete goal is much more ambitious than that, such as described in the Bible: "I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality." - 1 Corinthians 15:50-53 So doing mindfulness practice from one's limited beliefs within the global ego will not cut it is my guess. The One intelligence must also be realized and that in my opinion requires going beyond mere mindfulness practice and expect not only some mental liberation but also a transformation of our biology.

None of this is what talking about in terms of transformation. Improvement of what’s already so is not transformation. None of the examples you brought up are transformation from the basis of what I’m talking about. David Goggins was an extremely traumatized and neurotic indinvidual and channeled that neurosis into a neurosis that got him to great levels of personal improvement. His ego structure is still very much similar though. This is not what I’m talking about. PUAs get good at manipulating their insecurity in such a way where they’re good at internalizing it and still get results with women. However, the same ego structure deep down is still in tact. Thins is going to be hard to explain if you haven’t gone over the work of someone like Ralston or something similar. You're talking about the change of something external at the end of the day. I’m talking a total tranformation in the internal mechanics. You cannot really achieve the transformation I’m referring to without enlightenment. However I’m trying to get more perspectives on this matter.

Is it possible to not only transcend but invent an entirely new more effective self for operating in the world? I know this is the core of Ralstons work on what he calls “Transformation” (Pursuing Consciousness) as has Sadhguru So for example, I can transcend my character as one that is represented as a Enneagram Type 6 and MBTI INFP into a consciously invented self that’s more effective towards realizing my life purpose for example. I know Wilber has said those things are pretty set in stone but (character traits and attributes) for the most part but I find my attributes just don’t align with what I would want to actualize as a life purpose.

These have been my direct experiences, find what works for you and don't turn spiritual practices into religion and don't think that these spiritual teachings are my last teachings or that they are correct or your non-dual experience will be the same as mine. (Direct Experience + Healthy Scepticism) Because there is so much to cover, I will be constantly updating the page I will be making separate posts to organise them here. Bramacharya (Semen Retention) https://www.osho.com/osho-online-library/osho-talks/transformation-sexuality-celibacy-e4c4eb93-739?p=cd1c8868faa0cb2eac1ec286d0b5bc27 Hara Center https://www.osho.com/meditate/meditation-for-busy-people/hara-centering Don't let your Hara energy leak through pulsations, it's a bone below your navel. Tuck pelvis and abdomen sheath. Breathwork A foundation in breathwork is recommended as it will allow for some of the more advanced breathing techniques. Trapping Prana Lotus Position Advanced Breathwork Techniques Single-Lung Breathing Sound Utterances (Keys) Left to Right Brain Activation Lower Left Lung to Lower Right Lung Trinity (2 Lungs and a Testicle Pump) Left and Right Brain (Both Active) Pre-frontal Lobe (Blood Flow - Sajood) Mucus Cleansing Diet and Nutrition Water Cleansing Dry Fasting Salt Water Enema (Hydrating Organs)

It seems so. I have tried vaporising it using baking soda freebasing method. It's the worst bodyload I have ever experienced. Very nauseating, naturalistic visuals and experiences of body transformation. Felt like becoming a werewolf. I wouldn't recommend vaping. Also ate 130 mg once. Waste of material, not even a threshold dose.

This is a strange book. A 700 page monster labyrinth that I found impossible to read front to back but provided some interesting picking around in and spot reading. (Disclaimer)- My memory of the takeaway from years ago could be way off from what it actually says,,,,, By some, it would be a very heretical notion to say the least. Here it goes: The result of the historical Jesus produced the actual antichrist! Not in absolute terms but in the upside down manifestation of today's fundamentalist believers in Christ. "Dualistic Christians" of today's Christianity who in their imaginations (belief) cling to a dualistic fairytale version instead of a Teaching pointing to the transformation which results in the capacity for Christ Consciousness. Which he also associates with the second coming. How heretical is that notion?!? Especially on the surface of the statement.

I feel Elliot Hulse is putting a distorted emphasis on Patriarchy in regards to Eastern Christian Orthodoxy. From a larger frame of reference, Identification with Patriarchy is a promotion of violence. The following is about Claudio Naranjo from Wikipedia- "For in this book, which has a foreword by Jean Houston, Naranjo explores what he sees as the root cause of the destruction of human civilization (as evidenced in the 2000s (decade) as war, violence, oppression of women, child abuse, environmental endangerment, etc.)—patriarchy—and brings both the problem and the solution home to an intra-psychic level. Patriarchy, he says, has taken root over millennia in the workings of our own conditioned minds." The above is a small extraction from below excerpt. ?? Since the late 1980s, Naranjo has divided each year between his activities abroad and his writing at home in Berkeley. Among his many publications, he has revised an early book on Gestalt therapy and published two new ones. He has published three books on the Enneagram of Personality, as well as The End of Patriarchy, which is his interpretation of social problems as the expression of a devaluation of the nurturance and human instinct and their solution in the harmonious development of our "three brained" potential. He has also published a book on meditation, The Way of Silence and the Talking Cure, and Songs of Enlightenment on the interpretation of the great books of the West as expressions of "the inner journey" and variations on the "tale of the hero". Since the late 1990s he has attended many education conferences and sought to influence the transformation of the educational system in various countries. It is his conviction that “nothing is more hopeful in terms of social evolution than the collective furthering of individual wisdom, compassion and freedom”.[6] His book Changing Education to Change the Worldpublished in Spanish in 2004, was meant to stimulate the efforts of teachers among SAT graduates who are beginning to be involved in a SAT-in- Education project, that offers the staff of schools and the students in schools of education a "supplementary curriculum" of self-knowledge, relationship-repair and spiritual culture. In 2006 the Foundation Claudio Naranjo was founded to implement his proposals regarding the transformation of traditional education into an education that does not neglect the human development that he believes our social evolution depends on. His most recent book (2010), Healing Civilization: Bringing Personal Transformation into the Societal Realm through Education and the Integration of the Intra-Psychic Family, is both a continuation of and a turning point in Naranjo's lifelong work. For in this book, which has a foreword by Jean Houston, Naranjo explores what he sees as the root cause of the destruction of human civilization (as evidenced in the 2000s (decade) as war, violence, oppression of women, child abuse, environmental endangerment, etc.)—patriarchy—and brings both the problem and the solution home to an intra-psychic level. Patriarchy, he says, has taken root over millennia in the workings of our own conditioned minds.[citation needed] He also offers a remedy, which derives from the work of Tótila Albert regarding the "triune" being of our nature: the "Inner Father" (corresponding to the head), the "Inner Mother" (corresponding to the heart), and the "Inner Child" (corresponding to the instincts). As people learn to integrate these three "brains", Naranjo believes, they may bring about a functional, even divine, family within. And this, he believes, in addition to transforming education oriented to personal and collective evolution, could bring about the healing of civilization.[citation needed] In the Watkins' Mind Body Spirit Magazine he was listed as one of the 100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People of 2012.[7]

Maybe this video will shed some light on Teal's relationship to money: Leo himself has said many times that he has spent a lot of money on his spiritual growth, and he also encourages his followers to do the same. Do you think he would do that if he believed that charging money for spiritual services is wrong? I would be interested to hear @Leo Gura perspective on this issue. There's nothing unspiritual about money. Money is a tool that can be used for both good and bad. You can do a lot of good in the world with money. A person with money is powerful. A monk who lives in a cave somewhere probably won't influence many people through his teachings. If we want positive transformation in this world, wouldn't you agree that we need money to do that, and it would be preferable the money was in the hands of highly conscious people instead of low-consciousness greedy environment destroying people? Would you have given Mother Theresa or Gandhi money so that they could have influenced even more people than they did? So many spiritually inclined people have this belief: "money is unspiritual", "money is bad", because we have seen so many bad things done with money. But it's not the truth of money. In reality, spirituality cannot and will not become mainstream (and consequently the world will not become a safe place) until spiritual people are willing to embrace money. Yes, it might be true that Teal is interested in creating social global change, whereas Leo just wants to understand everything, but I predict from my crystal ball that in a few years' time Leo will also want to be an even bigger part of social change than he is now. Of course, he's contributing so much already, but he might want to do even more later. After all, wouldn't we all benefit from highly conscious influencers? And Leo is definitely in a position to be one if he wants to.

The global ego is very much like the Matrix, not in a science fiction sense but in the way the global ego survives by using us humans as "batteries". The liberated Self will switch that around, so that we as individuals become the "system" that survives. This means that when we get rid of our egos and interact with other people who are still run by their egos, they will experience us as harmless, because the liberated people are only a threat to the global ego as a whole, not to the individual egos. This should create a synergetic effect where people with egos will experience it easier and easier to get rid of their own ego the more people get liberated. And the liberated people will actually not even be a threat to the global ego as a whole, if we use rational thinking, since the global ego has served its purpose so we understand its function and then there will be a peaceful process of transformation. Still, there will probably be structures within the global ego who will experience as being threatened if they don't understand the process and try to cling onto the old order of things.