Lost in Translation

I accept that example. Just be aware that "philosophical" Taoism might be complete nonsense to a Taoist who is seeking immortality, and vice versa.

But how does one know what is "complete nonsense?"

I have no knowledge of any other threads you refer to. I can only talk to your ego comment. It is an act of supreme ego to believe you can have no ego. IMHO it's best to work on accepting your ego and learning to be compassionate to yourself.

It seems defining a Daoist is a tricky matter. A Daoist probably knows about Daoism and probably tries to live his life according to the accepted teachings, be it Tao Te Ching, Chuang Tzu, I Ching, or even Winnie the Pooh (yeah, it's a thing). But a Daoist might not have heard of any of these things and may indeed live life by sheer chance in the manner of the sages. A Daoist might engage in energy work, be it Tai Chi, Chi Gong, Nei Kung, Moon Pie (it's a joke!), or whatever teachings there are. Of course he may not. A Daoist may wear a funny hat. But maybe he doesn't. So really we have no idea what a Daoist is. I find this to be an oddly satisfying answer...

Please explain. Is this a "mind's eye" kind of thing or are you using "see" to mean "perceive?"

This too shall pass.

It's easy to say a Daoist follows Daoism. Ok. Great. But what does a Daoist do? What are the actions a Daoist takes that identifies him as a Daoist? For example a Jew prays to the God of the Torrah, keeps kosher, obeys the ten commandments, attends synagogue, etc. What does a Daoist do?

Oh that is such a cool drawing! @Stosh make that your avatar, at least for a couple days!

A "Daoist" is a "Daoist" who does not know what a "Daoist" is? Hmm... I can accept that. I knew someone like that once.

Horse catch mice? I would like to see that.

I think that line must be taken in context of ancient China. It cannot be literally translated without making no sense.

So what's our conclusion? Is a Daoist someone who approaches life seriously while maintaining a soft and light demeanor, one who understands emotionally the omnipresence of change and does not clutch too tightly to what is at the current moment, who is filled with dispassionate love and compassion; or is a Daoist someone who wears a funny hat? Or is it both?

I'm interested to see how this play out, but I suspect it will end the same as my attempt to predict lottery numbers based upon past occurrences.

I've always felt this to be metaphor for deep, slow breathing (from the diaphragm - just like professional singers are taught) combined with a meditative state that includes visualizing the breath as it flows up from the ground and through the heels. That's what I practice. I find the visualization helps, at least initially. After a while slow, deep breathing becomes more natural. Thank you for this topic. I am reminded that I need to practice more.

Hi TigerJin! Nice to meet'cha! Welcome!

"Fezzes are cool!"

ZZ means 'this is MY joy of watching fishes?' Hence Master Hui already knew? Are we getting meta?

This is the kernel of what I am interested in. Are you saying a Daoist is, by virtue of his understanding of Tao, someone who lives joyfully and effortlessly? How does he do that?

I've worked with the I Ching for twenty years but it is only in the last 2-3 years that I have begun learning it in earnest. I use both yarrow stalks (actually just BBQ skewers) and coins, and I find each serves a different purpose. If I want a quick response, perhaps a full reading in under fifteen minutes then I use the coins. I usually jot those readings down on scrap paper and toss them in the recycling bin afterwards. For serious readings I use the sticks. Those are the kinds of readings that I write in my journal and spend hours going over every aspect of them. The yarrow method is more immersive and since it enables me to create trigrams for each line I can analyze and cross analyze the results in ways that I cannot with coins. Of course there are also online I Ching software. As cheesy as it sounds I also use those but typically only if I want a very quick yes/no style answer in under five minutes.

I've been reminding myself to really see people. I mean not just their facade, not the image they project or that I project upon them - but to actually look into their eyes and see the lifetime of experiences that build up to this small moment. People are like ice burgs, almost all of them is buried. It's so easy to wash them with a single color and call it a day, but we're not background, we're the fantastically rich, beautiful, ugly, messed up, gorgeous whole of it all. Each and every one of us are unique and as beautiful as freshly fallen snow, even the fucked up ones. Especially the fucked up ones.

I suggest meditating on what it is that you want and are are capable of giving in this relationship. Is he asking more than you are capable or willing to give? Be honest with yourself. Oftentimes we give because we feel we should and in the process drain ourselves because our desire exceeds our capacity. There is no blame in accepting limitations, either of capacity or desire. The highest goal in a relationship is truth.

I look forward to it! I also enjoyed the video on the dice. Google translate is a bit kludge but it does well enough. It took me a while to figure out how to coerce 8 trigrams into a 6 sided die, the I realized thunder=mountain and wind=lake - duh!

Excellent video! Nice job! This was a pleasure to watch. I very much enjoyed the portion on the trigrams. You explained the characteristics of and relationships between the trigrams very well. Thank you!

Part and parcel of the I Ching is that the oracle responds to the question you put before it. The manner in which you ask the question matters. This includes your choice of words, your phrasing, and your methodology. I think the I Ching is quite adaptable. For example there are times when I want a very quick answer to a basic question. In this case I am not interested in a detailed reading and just want an impression so I use an on-line resource to digitally generate a hexagram. Other times I have a very serious question and I want a highly detailed answer so I use the yarrow stalk with multiple translations. In either case I get a proper response. It's up to me to derive meaning from the response. I find the statistical analysis fascinating but I do not let the variable probabilities (based on method) distract me. They are, for lack of a better word, unimportant.