https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luQSQuCHtcI That is all ;)

This was the "first principle" in Descartes' "Occam's Razor" approach to philosophy. If we reduce what we know to only the things which are not subject to *any* level of doubt... what is left? It already fits with Taoist thought, but I usually add a word to clarify: "I think, therefore I am separated." "If I don't think, do I cease to exist?" is actually an argument against "cogito, ergo sum" that was proposed soon after it was written. Anyone who's walked a meditative and/or alchemical path to get to the point of ego death would say "if only it were that easy..."

@Jake Hill Agreed on the latter two counts. There is definitely *something* here that is beyond reduction, but the senses all fail to capture it, so how could language hope to do so? All that exists beyond doubt is the Dao!

The opposite of "I don't want you to make the same mistakes I did." xD

Reminds me of the story my first Taiji teacher told me about Chen Ziqiang. His father started teaching him as soon as he could stand, so the reward if he managed to finish standing meditation was that he got to watch Mickey Mouse xD edit: for context, these are maces that used to be used on horseback. Over 5lbs and weighted by the business end. *Way* heavier than he makes them look

Sadhguru refers to karma in English as "memory." Attachment is attachment, regardless of flavor... I love the way Adam puts it, tho. Once you realize you're *made of joy* you don't need to find it out there. You still participate in life, but you no longer relate in terms of possession or aggression, but compassion. That's contagious, too. We've all met someone who radiates positivity (and we've probably all met someone who projects it but feels hollow) and we've all met people who just bring the whole room down. When you start to "succeed," whether that's in traditional terms (getting a promotion, starting a diet, studying something new) people will reflexively cut you down. They're used to you being who you are now. If you change, you might leave them... or make them feel bad for not changing. The part about "reaching enlightenment" and finding peace that never gets discussed is that it's not permanent. You have to practice (like an "athlete" ;) The hard part is maintaining that awareness of the source without extracting from society... Thankfully we have groups like this one =]

I think that's part of his point. The "problem" with karma isn't necessarily that it exists, but that we allow it to hold us back. He would say "this chair has memory, your dna is a kind of memory, etc." The chair doesn't identify as such, but it's only "useful" so long as it maintains that shape. Same with the body: our dna tells the cells what they should be to be useful while we inhabit this form, but we shouldn't identify as and get attached to "this body." 100% agree on the unknown being scary. That's why it's so hard to let go in the first place. We've gathered this group of experiences and reactions and we've lived up to this point. If we let go of them... will we be safe? That's the next paradox, right? The usual advice is to surround yourself with people who have the experience you want. Worst case you absorb knowledge indirectly, best case you get mentorship and/or support. Only, people on "the path" tend to be solitary unless we're teaching or seeking a guide... May be why they say it's as hard to find a good teacher as it is to find a good student!