Chang

I agree with your sentiment 100%. Debate on political subjects invariably become heated and begin to go around in circles bringing out the worse in participants. Insults are traded in a pantomime fashion bogging the discussion down in banality and ill feeling. The problem is that you can find yourself participating against your better judgement, your mood changing from better to worse as you do so. This was certainly my experience on the old Dao Bums and I have no intention of repeating it. As the new forum gets going I suspect that all will be well as it will be people

Unfortunately the bringing of self control and rationality to conversations with others does tend to be the difficult bit and oft times they are the first thing to go west, hence the problems on the old site. Whilst Chuang, Buddha, Ghandi and the Dalai Llama did not have a problem with this, experience shows that the majority do not fare so well. This is only my take on things and I do wish Aetherous well in his project.

Whilst I can understand your reasoning in creating a new site along the line of the Dao Bums sans Sean I do feel that it may prove a difficult endeavour. Political and religious debate are guaranteed to bring out the worse in even the most saintly of individuals, it certainly did in me, so you are almost certain to follow the path of the original site. As site owner you will need to watch yourself very closely for signs of going the way of Sean and thereby alienating a large section of the community. I would most certainly deem myself unfit to take on such a role. PatrickJB made a

We should not make too much of the term "neidan" for it simply means Internal Exercise and is a coat that buttons up over many practices. Waidan on the other hand means external exercise. Both of these terms tend now to be covered by the umbrella term Qigong meaning simply energy exercise.

Things are very much in a state of flux with Seans more visible presence on "That Other Site." We may well see many others abandoning ship to sign on here. Whilst I was always ready to cross swords with Apech I would have to be the first to say that he was at heart a good and decent fellow who would prove an asset (albeit sometimes an annoying one) to any forum.

Be careful of what you wish for.

This begs the question as to who was the straight man of the two?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terence_McKenna An interesting chap who followed the path of the shaman using hallucinogens to induce altered states of consciousness. Looking at photographs he appears to have the unfocused eyes of the mentally unbalanced and his is not a path that I would follow. The use of drugs so as to alter consciousness will always be a temptation but outside shamanic rites I am doubtful that they are a means to long term results (positive results that is, as a means to produce long term baleful effects they may prove exemplary). Mc

Hello everyone. Just arrived as the latest refugee from "That Other Site" and am very happy to be joining you. I am resident in England and my interests include Taoism, Taoist Martial Arts, meditation, fishing, reading etc etc. Looking forward to browsing the site and joining in here and there.

It is certainly very convenient that Epstein should join his ancestors whilst the investigation is still in full swing. We will have to see what happens next. Will enquiries continue to implicate others in his misdeeds or will the affair be put to bed as not being in the public interest to continue?