[CANDC]

Thank you for the link.

Since you read Pema Chodron, do you think it is possible to journey to neither male or female? It could be more a matter of what we identify with. Maybe there is something beyond male and female that is not physical but somehow in awareness that we can know as our self.

Originally Posted by CANDC

Thank you for the link.

Since you read Pema Chodron, do you think it is possible to journey to neither male or female? It could be more a matter of what we identify with. Maybe there is something beyond male and female that is not physical but somehow in awareness that we can know as our self.

Thanks for this reply, CANDC! The question you raise is exactly what I'm working on. (You couldn't have come closer if you had read my mind! Not that I'd suggest that!) I really shouldn't watch these transition timeline vid's on YouTube. They just stir up all sorts of muck! But then, as Pema teaches, all that icky, smelly stuff we consider to be the worst parts of ourselves is really a part of our treasure. And I'm trying to look at it that way & work with it in accordance with the principles embodied in Tonglen practice.

[CANDC]

Skeezyks - I wouldn't try to read your mind even if I could - there has to be something left private - don't you think?

Tonglen as I understand it is to understand others suffering and develop compassion. I think that when we take on new roles we are trying to "walk a mile in moccasins" so to speak. By taking on other identities we can really learn empathy and accept that any lifestyle is okay as long as we do no harm to others or our self.

Originally Posted by CANDC

Skeezyks - I wouldn't try to read your mind even if I could - there has to be something left private - don't you think?

Tonglen as I understand it is to understand others suffering and develop compassion. I think that when we take on new roles we are trying to "walk a mile in moccasins" so to speak. By taking on other identities we can really learn empathy and accept that any lifestyle is okay as long as we do no harm to others or our self.

Yes, CANDC I agree. There has to be something left private... and besides... some things are just too scary to contemplate!

[CANDC]

Oh well if anyone could read my mind they might find it quite uninteresting. Maybe long ago there was more I thought I had to hide. But I have found a home inside and others may hold their opinions as they surely do, but here I am a witness to it all, with a quiet and balanced view.