rossantony

What is love anyway?

What is love anyway?

Like Trump, I am into mind games. At present I am melting ice cubes on a dinner plate using only the power of my mind. it takes about 5 minutes but with training I hope by summer to have this down to 3. I thank you.

fortes fortuna adjuvat - fortune favours the brave

I have been told about peaceful warrior book.. but i m going to download the movie for now, since the book is quite expensive... i checked the trailer seems nice i guess.. did u watch it? I have read the Tao Te Ching but didn't find a good explanation.. a deep one yet. I m going to check Hua-Ching Ni and The Importance of Living - Lin Yutang. Thanks ​the book is far better than the movie..although it does try to touch on the concept of the magic of being in the moment with some cool editing.. the tao teh ching ... is a life study...it would be impossible for a good explanation that would grant instant enlightenment... keep reading ..keep living in the now... enjoy hua ching ni and lin yutang...

Thank you everyone so far and good to see the Dao Bums is an active site. I know it sounds strange to say I have never met another Taoist..we are an elusive bunch who by the words of the Tao, keep our acknowledgement of the way a secret, in case we lose the Tao! Personally however I can't stop talking about it, thinking about it, living my life by it, enjoying it...I have posted my first post...a reply to a thread about what books changed our perception on life. I think it is a far better introduction to who I am as a person than my introduction..I am shaped by my thoughts, and most of my thoughts are shaped by others.. I forgot to mention my favourite hobby. Aimless Wandering. I go on walks with my 2 dogs, Benji & Bella. Who knows where the Tao will take us? All I know, its usually fun filled with joy and laughter. Or its silent and reflective...or its...serendipitous and magical...or its just a nice walk!

In order of discovery............. The Old Testament (Bad impression, The Tree of Knowledge, Exiting Eden, Cane & Abel, Floods, War, Pestilence, Mad Moses and God who somehow seemed to be involved in all of it. Also no dinosaurs.) The New Testament (Good Impression, Jesus was a bit of a hippy, Who doesn't love being loved?) The Teachings of Don Juan - Carlos Castaneda (Bad Impression, also read and owned the entire canon...Carlos was an Charlatan, had me fooled for years.) Peaceful Warrior - Dan Millman (Good Impression, and I just discovered (like NOW) it was made into a film and its got Nick Nolte in it so I am DL'ing it now...and preparing to be disappointed.) The Importance of Living - Lin Yutang (Good impression, there is no underestimating the importance of this book in my life. I bought it for 1 pound in a second hand store. It was like a 100 years old. It connected me to my Grandfather, who was a diplomat in the Far East, and without knowing it, set me upon my path in life to discover Taoism, by opening up my mind to Chinese thought. Reintroduced me and taught me to respect the art of Shakespeare. I have never met anybody else who has read any of his works so please do take the time to discover this author by visiting the Amazon, website that is.) The Tao The Ching - Lao Tzu (Good Impression, was given to me on my 18th birthday by a Rastafarian, and became the backbone to my existence. The most important book ever written. And the oldest. By a few thousand years, making it older than God. Sorry Abraham.) Hua-Ching Ni - (Good impression, over 45 books from the venerable master, I spent a small fortune for a boy on collecting his works) Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert Pirsig (Good Impression, opened my mind towards the idea of Arté, quality, and the importance of learning the classics for a Western mind.) Brave New World - Aldous Huxley (Bad Impression, terrified me, what a visionary.) Animal Farm - George Orwell (Bad impression, communism, the few V the many, cruelty, dictatorship, inhumanity.) Paulo Coelho - in its entirety (Good Impression, Paulho helped me eradicate a lot of the bullshit put into my mind by Castenada.) The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams (Good Impression, lets not take life to seriously, it really doesn't need us you know. Also helped me discover audio books..and was read by the author. Delightful English humour which helped me to the realisation that I am also quite funny, even though I don't know one joke.) Tao of Letting Go - Bruce Kumar Frantzis (Good Impression, and on audio book. My go to cure for insomnia.) and finally .. The Story Of My Life - rossantony (Good impression, a lot of very ropey chapters which probably won't make the final edit. Hopefully I am still on page 1. Work in progress. In fact I still have just "The Title" and a lot of blank pages being supported by forever embellishing memory and a FB timeline. Hoping to finish the book after I have began writing it. Planning to do that when I am 70.

I think this is the place where i post my thank you and welcome note. Thank you for taking the time to set up the website and the forums so that we can talk together. After what is fast approaching 25 years of identifying as a Taoist, I think I can safely say, in all my travels I have never met one yet! That´s probably because I have probably not travelled very far, although as far as my village thinks, I am a bit of world traveller! The truth is I have only visited a few countries, and mainly as a tourist, gaining little knowledge about the place and its people. I was born on the island of Jersey, which is located of the North West coast of France. It is quite a unique place, and considered itself part of The British Isles. My blood heritage is British, with Scots, Irish, English and Welsh ancestry. I have not been home in a very long time and have lived in countries as far a field as Thailand, and Egypt, where I lived for 5 years. Presently, I live in Marbella, Spain. A beautifully warm and sunny place known for its glitz and glamour and hedonism. It is also gaining a reputation as the "California of Europe" with its wealthy and cosmopolatain inhabitants becoming more accepting and interested in spiritual practices. I love Spain. Its climate agrees with me very well, and the local Spanish people are very friendly, Their love of music, food and family makes them agreeable neighbours. For a Taoist, I should be considered young being 44 years old. I still go out and party and listen to house music and practice Tao Mind and dancing at events. This mainly involves getting a little buzzed and not really focusing so much on Social Mind. I like to practice Wei Wu Wei through dance. Think of it like Tai Chi to music. Also I have to work still, and so I do that too. What I do is really not important. Sadly My social circle finally is getting smaller as I love to fly solo. Of course there are a few very special people in my life. Thank you to my very select group of family and friends who are non judgemental. At the same time I do love doing things for strangers and can be very helpful. I am not your average person, let alone your Taoist. Luckily we British have a very good relationship with eccentricity. If I was a politician I would want to be the minister of funny walks. I try not to take life too seriously, although there is indeed a solid argument by the taxman, my employers, and the bank manager that I should maybe try at least from Monday to Friday, to indulge in the practice. Unfortunately for me taking life too seriously is severely hampered by my religious bent....you see I believe in the Holy Trinity...... Joy, Fun & Laughter. Please all.. Welcome rossantony!