Suzuki represents nondualism. 'Long and short define each other' is a typical non-dualist statement. The principle is that opposites only exist in relation to each other - which you also see in the ying-yang icon, although nondualism proper mainly developed in India and was imported into China with Buddhism.

Nondualism a very subtle philosophical attitude, not generally well-represented in Western philosophy, although you can find it if you know what you're looking for (see Nondualism in Western Thought, Greg Goode, free .pdf copy provided.) I've been studying it pretty well all my adult life in one form or another - I first encountered the Teachings of Ramana Maharishi, then Krishnamurti, then read many Buddhist texts, which are basically anchored in the non-dualist tradition. They arise from meditative awareness, samadhi, which is the rare and elusive state of self-transcendence. — Wayfarer

None. It's a story; it resonates with you, or it doesn't. Make a new story if you like; tell it in a thread; see what odd questions people ask you. — unenlightened

And if so, is it towards yin or Yang? This answer needs to be obvious, and I think it is obvious — that there is and excess of yang in the culture; this is resulting in a climate rebalancing — too much heat, too many fires, too much creative energy leads to more water, sea level rise, and eventually the drowning of coastal cities.
The word “civilization” relates to the Latin word “civitas” or “city.” This is why the most basic definition of the word “civilization” is “a society made up of cities.”
Google.

And the culture has difficulty coping because it responds with male energy to "do something about it" instead of bringing the passivity of doing less to bear.

Too much talking, not enough listening, too much creating, not enough sustaining, too much sun, not enough shade. too much artificial light, not enough darkness. Too much movement, not enough stillness, too much individual, not enough community. — unenlightened

You know, there is a mainstream idea that Christianity formed western culture but I think that is looking it upside down.
To my eyes its the other way around. It was the western "conquer the world" attitude inherited by paganism, kings and emperors, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, the conquering hero myth that simply used selected christian dogma to their benefit.
In the 1st and 2nd century Christianity had a totally different spirit, it was more like Sufism, until Constantine the Great and the created church used christian beliefs modified to their preferences to control the masses and seize power.
"The people seem to embrace Christianity, we might as well use it to our benefit."
We can see this in how other forms of Christianity like Gnosticism were persecuted.

If you only look at Jesus' words it feels actually more like the eastern spirit than western.
To me the west looked more Judaic than Christian. — TheMadMan

There is gradual impoverishment of the masses and an an overpopulated elite establishment -- too much money, too much education, too much desire for power, etc. and nowhere near enough slots into which all the low level, mid level, and high level elite can fit. The Upshot? On the one hand, upheaval among the fucked over as they attempt to cope with ever diminishing returns for ever greater effort. On the other hand the elite fuckers resort to vicious tactics to grab power. It's a game of musical chairs in which the number of chairs is fixed and the number of chair seekers is enlarged every round. Competition quickly loses any polite formalities. — BC

See End Times: Elites, Counter-Elites, and the Path of Political Disintegration By Peter Turchin. Just published today so haven't had time to steal his ideas. — BC

Our situation is dire, I agree with that. — ChatteringMonkey

But I'm totally on board with finding inspiration in or borrowing ideas from the past if they make sense now, sure why not. — ChatteringMonkey

Of course there are varying levels of understanding among leaders, as there is among people in general, but I think insofar they realize what's going on, they are rather clueless as to what they can do about it, and scared of the public backlash that is likely coming their way when things do go south. — ChatteringMonkey

I voted other, because I think the idea that civilization should be a certain way is misguided. We invented civilization and keep on re-inventing it as we go along and as circumstances change... there's nothing like it that came before, no ideal model we can compare it to. So imbalanced compared to what? Some kind of imagined ideal balance? Nature perhaps? But nature isn't necessarily balanced either, sometimes it can reach temporary stable states for some duration, but that is by no means a given. — ChatteringMonkey

P.s Iain McGilchrist makes a good case how we came to this point in his book Master and Emissary.
— TheMadMan
:100: Just the book I would have mentioned. — Wayfarer

Iain McGilchrist makes a good case how we came to this point in his book Master and Emissary. — TheMadMan

None. I look forward to the day that men are properly humbled by the clout of women - their intelligence, their strength and resolve - strong fierce mothers, exceptional wives, admirable daughters. Feminity has always moderated the testosterone fuelled recklessness of man. And it was always undervalued, considered weak for that fact.
— Benj96

This sensitive-new-age-guy thing you've got going on is creepy. The strong, stubborn, competent women I know think it's creepy too.

Understand it, and act accordingly. I believe in hearing people out and applying reasoning to show them the result of their claims/beliefs.
— Benj96

Your clear ignorance about the people you're talking about puts the lie to this.

The most manly of men, in my opinion, are those that willingly submit to the power of the feminine.
— Benj96

Strong women don't want to hang around with men who "willingly submit to the power of the feminine." They recognize how disrespectful the male feminist bullshit really is. Grownup women want to hang around with grownup men. — T Clark

Anyway, Anyway, I agree with you in the fact that CBD can help to reduce pain. We were debating on psychological issues, but I forgot to mention the relevance of reducing the pain in both bones and muscles. I have met a lot of people who smoked weed to reduce insufferable pain. — javi2541997

When you go to hospital, most of the doctors prescribe you some pills and stuff with the aim to reduce the pain. Yet, those medications tend to be insufficient with the pass of months and years. For example: I remember that my mother always suffered a big pain in her back. In the first chance, they prescribed her pills and chemical stuff, but she ended up taking Cannabis sativa pills and everything went better off.

Another hypocrisy from the part of the "system", they do not prescribe marijuana natural pills or tabs, but they recommend to take pills and chemical products that destroy your liver! — javi2541997

The effects of the gummy faded away quicker than I expected. I needed to take another one, and I feel relaxed and calm again. I think the reasonable portion is around 2 or 3 gummies per day, because one seems to be insufficient! :chin: — javi2541997

driver next to me was honking like a loon — 0 thru 9

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a biological system composed of endocannabinoids, which are endogenous lipid-based retrograde neurotransmitters that bind to cannabinoid receptors (CBRs), and cannabinoid receptor proteins that are expressed throughout the vertebrate central nervous system (including the brain) and peripheral nervous system.[1][2] The endocannabinoid system remains under preliminary research, but may be involved in regulating physiological and cognitive processes, including fertility,[3] pregnancy,[4] pre- and postnatal development,[5][6][7] various activity of immune system,[8] appetite, pain-sensation, mood, and memory, and in mediating the pharmacological effects of cannabis.[9][10] The ECS plays an important role in multiple aspects of neural functions, including the control of movement and motor coordination, learning and memory, emotion and motivation, addictive-like behavior and pain modulation, among others.[11]

Despite being on antidepressants I still have difficulty sleeping and it was for that reason that I tried CBD. I do often use over the counter sleeping tablets and I have found the herb passiflora which I have found worked quite well. — Jack Cummins

When I used to smoke it I did not get psychotic but I did see a lot of visual imagery on the borderline of sleep, especially if I was listening to music. I liked this though because the imagery was a source of inspiration for art work. — Jack Cummins

Well, in overall terms, Cannabis is not allowed in Spain and police officers tend to be restrictive with all of them who possess marijuana. Again, this is when I see my state as a complete fool and hypocrite. Our public administration collect a lot of taxes thanks to alcohol and tobacco. These "products" kill a lot of people because of cancer and cirrhosis per year. Yet, the state collects a large amount of money through the taxes applied on the prices on them. If I were responsible for the management of the system, I'd legalize Cannabis by applying the same criteria to cigarettes, but for some reasons, Cannabis is still illegal in this century... Maybe the state doesn't see such plant as profitable as it should be! — javi2541997

I am from Spain and I live in Madrid. I never lived in Japan haha. It is just that I love Japanese literature and stuff, but I have never been there... :sweat: — javi2541997

I'd legalize marijuana and its distribution. Two important benefits of the legalisation:

1. The reduction of criminality. The supply of this soft drug is controlled by crime organisations, and this is why the prices tend to be high and the places where the people sell it are hidden. I personally think that everything would be easier if Cannabis would under the control of legal markets/authorities.

2. Collection of taxes. I think the state acts as a hypocrite here. It is legal to purchase alcohol and tobacco, when these are "drugs" that kill people oftentimes. Yet, it seems that for the State or Bureaus do not care about those deaths because they win a lot of money with the supply of both alcohol and cigarettes. Why don't they manage Cannabis in the same way? I think this issue also applies to prostitution. I just do not understand why this job is forbidden... — javi2541997

I tried some CBD capsules and didn't notice any effects at all. However, mine came from a health shop. It is possible that some have practically no CBD at all. That is what makes it a potential hype. — Jack Cummins