Yen Hui

Do you really believe the great Taoist sages never acquired any amount of intellectual knowledge?

According to Taoist teaching, 'free will' is an innate human capacity that is only completely realized through long spiritual cultivation. The I Ching has much to say about this subject. Here is an interesting passage, for starters, from the section entitled The Great Treatise, that summarizes the deeper implications of the I Ching:- On Effecting Central Harmony, According to the Great Treatise of the I Ching 3. Since in this way man comes to resemble heaven and earth, he is not in conflict with them. His wisdom embraces all things, and his tao brings order into the whole world; therefore he does not err. He is active everywhere but does not let himself be carried away. He rejoices in heaven and has knowledge of fate, therefore he is free of care. He is content with his circumstances and genuine in his kindness, therefore he can practice love. Here we are shown how with the help of the fundamental principles of the Book of Changes it is possible to arrive at a complete realization of man's innate capacities. This unfolding rests on the fact that man has innate capacities that resemble heaven and earth, that he is a microcosm. Now, since the laws of heaven and earth are reproduced in the Book of Changes, man is provided with the means of shaping his own nature, so that his inborn potentialities for good can be completely realized. In this process two factors are to be taken into account: wisdom and action, or intellect and will. If intellect and will are correctly centered, the emotional life takes on harmony. We have here four propositions based on wisdom and love, justice and mores, reminding us of the combination of these principles with the four words in the hexagram Ch'ien, THE CREATIVE: "Sublime success; perseverance furthers." The effect of wisdom, love, and justice is shown in the first proposition. On the basis of all-embracing wisdom, the regulations springing from a love of the world can be so shaped that all goes well for everyone and no mistakes are made. This is what furthers. The second proposition pictures wisdom and love, excluding no person or thing; these are regulated by the mores, which do not allow one to be carried away into anything improper or one-sided, and therefore have success. The third proposition shows the harmony of mind, perfect in wisdom, that rejoices in heaven and understands its dispensations. This provides the basis for perseverance. Finally, the last proposition shows the love that acquiesces trustingly in every situation and, out of its store of inner kindness, manifests itself in good will toward all men, thereby attaining sublimity, the root of all good. [End of Quotation] According to the above, then, we clearly have "will", which is the power of decision. To deny the existence of human will is delusional, imo. The question, though, is whether or not human will is "free" will. The answer to this is inherent in the above passage, and which is expounded throughout the I Ching. If there is such a thing as free will, it is only completely realized when both will and intellect are correctly centered, that is spiritually oriented and rooted, and the emotional life is harmonious. It is implied herein that the will does not act freely, in some sense, in the state of emotional disharmony. Emotional disharmony means being controlled by unruly passions; and deserting the good because of these passions. Unruly passions are egotistic drives, but the will does not disappear with the cessation of such drives. To the contrary, the will is purified and strenghtened as these unhealthy drives are progressively eliminated; and regains its inborn freedom. However, this "freedom" of the will is never without limits, according to the I Ching. For example, see Hex. 31: Nine in the third place means: The influence shows itself in the thighs. Holds to that which follows it. To continue is humiliating. Every mood of the heart influences us to movement. What the heart desires, the thighs run after without a moment's hesitation; they hold to the heart, which they follow. In the life of man, however, acting on the spur of every caprice is wrong and if continued leads to humiliation. Three considerations suggest themselves here. First, a man should not run precipitately after all the persons whom he would like to influence, but must be able to hold back under certain circumstances. As little should he yield immediately to every whim of those in whose service he stands. Finally, where the moods of his own heart are concerned, he should never ignore the possibility of inhibition, for this is the basis of human freedom. [End of Quote] There is much, much more that I would like to add to this, but I feel the above is a sufficient start. Later!

Great vibes, dude!

Or maybe they're just lookin' for an excuse. They all experience the Tao everyday, without exception! They simply have chosen not to awaken to that reality. Awakening to reality is purely a matter of will or choice! A real awakening is always followed by conscious application of the Tao in the continuous flow of time and space. And true application of the Great Way is always balanced and harmonious, easy and simple; never forced or a struggle!

Lao Tzu was not the first Taoist sage, as you know, so perhaps you should ask your Prof to demonstrate the continuity between Lao Tzu and both his immediate precedessors and successors. By continuity I mean the absence of any deviations from the Teachings that were handed down to Lao Tzu, and transmitted by him. In other words, let him/her prove Lao Tzu did not "reinterpret" the Teachings, or change anything, by addition or subtraction, but handed them down unaltered as he received them. Then let him do the same with Chuang Tzu. Let him demonstrate that Chuang Tzu's teachings are identical to Lao Tzu's, and depart from them in no wise. I wager that he cannot, as Taoist scholars already speak of "differences" between Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu. These differences only continued to grow with time and each new generation. Let your Prof demonstrate the complete continuity between Lao Tzu and the Huainan Tzu, or between Chuang Tzu and Wei Boyang, and between Leih Tzu and Wang Pi. It cannot be done, imo, if by continuity we mean the absence of any changes.

Perhaps the following will yield a few clues:- A FEW FREE ONLINE VIDEOS 01 - Shamans of the Amazon 02 - 2012 The Future of Mankind 03 - Shamanic Approaches to the UFO

Hi there rain ~ Many thanks for taking the time to share from the heart! I identified with it on many levels. I would like to see your literature-list some day, for sure, when you're in the mood. PM's are on if you like. Pease, harmony, and happiness to you (and all)! ~ Yen Hui

I just discovered, earlier this morning, that large segments of the above Red Elk Interview is available for free on You Tube. I have posted six links for them below, but Parts 2 and 3 deal with the Thunderbird:- 01 - Thunderbirds Lizard People & Earth Changes Pt.2 02 - Thunderbirds Lizard People & Earth Changes Pt.3 The Remaining Interview Segments:- 03 - Thunderbirds Lizard People & Earth Changes Pt.1 04 - Thunderbirds Lizard People & Earth Changes Pt.4 05 - Thunderbirds Lizard People & Earth Changes Pt.5 06 - Thunderbirds Lizard People & Earth Changes Pt.6

Wilhelm's I Ching - BK 2 - The Great Treatise - Part 2 CHAPTER V - Explanations of Certain Lines:- 1. In the Changes it is said: "If a man is agitated in mind, and his thoughts go hither and thither, only those friends on whom he fixes his conscious thoughts will follow." The Master said: What need has nature of thoughts and care? In nature all things return to their common source and are distributed along different paths; through one action, the fruits of a hundred thoughts are realized. What need nature of thought, of care? 2. When the sun goes, the moon comes; when the moon goes, the sun comes. Sun and moon alternate; thus light comes into existence. When cold goes, heat comes; when heat goes, cold comes. Cold and heat alternate, and thus the year completes itself. The past contracts. The future expands. Contraction and expansion act upon each other; hereby arises that which furthers. 3. The measuring worm draws itself together when it wants to stretch out. Dragons and snakes hibernate in order to preserve life. Thus the penetration of a germinal thought into the mind promotes the working of the mind. When this working furthers and brings peace to life, it elevates a man's nature. 4. Whatever goes beyond this indeed transcends all knowledge. When a man comprehends the divine and understands the transformations, he lifts his nature to the level of the miraculous. In this explanation of the nine in the fourth place in Hexagram 31, Hsien, INFLUENCE (Bk. III), a theory of the power of the unconscious is given. Conscious influences are always merely limited ones, because they are brought about by intention. Nature knows no intentions; this is why everything in nature is so great. It is owing to the underlying unity of nature that all it's thousand ways lead to a goal so perfect that is seems to have been planned beforehand down to the last detail. Then, in connection with the course of the day and the year, we are shown how past and future flow into each other, how contraction and expansion are the two movements through which the past prepares the future and the future unfolds the past. In the two succeeding sections the same thought is applied to man who, through supreme concentration, so intensifies and strengthens his inner being that mysterious autonomous currents of power emanate from him: thus the effects he creates proceed from his unconscious and mysteriously affect the unconscious in others, attaining such breadth and depth of influence that they transcend the individual sphere and enter the realm of cosmic phenomena.