adept

Ditto.

Xingyiquan for me at the moment. Went from external arts in my teens and twenties, to weapons based arts in my thirties, and now to IMA in my forties. I don't think you ever lose the desire for training in the martial arts, but your focus changes as you get older.

Who created the creator ?

Avatamsaka.

The Avatamsaka would be a good explanation.

Very good post. A lot of Chan masters also studied Chuang Tzu. link

Agreed, maybe the word source was a wrong way to put it. Sourceless source would be a better way of describing it. I tend to agree with GIH in that the Tao is just the flow of life, the constant change and not a fixed point where everything comes from and returns to. Dependent co-arising under a different name. There can be harmony between the two traditions I think. Lets look to the similarities and not the differences. Do No Harm

Just found one.

Agreed. Maybe we should start a thread on how the traditions compliment each other, rather than the differences.

Throughout the years on Taobums this topic has caused much debate. It has led to heated discussions and arguments and in the end it has gotten nowhere. If you drop the versus, and look instead to the source, there is no difference. It is when orthodox religions are built up around the Way, that the essence is lost in a sea of ritual, dogma, sectarian abuse and inter-school fighting. All the best on your quest.

Through work and family commitments my online time is limited to weekends. Therefore I'm unable to carry on with the daily postings. Hopefully someone will take this over. Best wishes

RIGHTING A deviation of a hair's breadth at the center Leads to an error of a hundred miles at the rim. When the effort is so slight, Why should you hesitate to set things right? There are many people who endeavor to know Tao. In the greatest sincerity, they take music lessons, read scriptures, learn foreign languages, study nutrition, change their dress, and go to temples -- all in the hopes that they will reach Tao. Sadly, they miss it by a hair's breadth. For a person to awaken to Tao, someone must give them a spark. Perhaps this is what is called direct transmission. It is odd, but this is the only way that knowledge of Tao is passed on. Book knowledge can help and give one a deep theoretical background, but the true understanding of Tao still comes person to person. There is no other way. So if you have any true understanding of Tao, you got it from someone. If you meet someone else who needs that spark and you are in the position to give it, then do so. Don't be selfish. There are so many people out there who want guidance and who cannot get it. If you can make a difference for at least one person, then you have tremendous merit indeed.

Very good interview and some good honest answers to the questions. It makes me want to learn the system now I have read this. Thank you very much.

EXISTING Fog makes the world a painting obscure. Even close trees are half unseen. But a lonesome crow won't stop calling: He objects to being in this dream. Over and over, the sages tell us that this world is but a dream. When one awakes on foggy mornings, with the mists obscuring hills and valleys and the trees and village buildings appearing as diaphanous apparitions, we might even agree with them. Didn't we see this same uncertain mirage in the hills of Vermont? The hollow of the Yangtze River valley? The streets of Paris? Don't the memories blend with the dream and turn reality into phantasmagoria? The world is a dream from which there is no escaping. In this still dream, there is a crow calling. He doesn't stop. When everything else is frozen in the sepulchral dawn, the bird continues to scream. Maybe he realizes the same dream. He protests loudly. The ancients hold the outer reality to be unreal. But there is the inner reality too. Some of us do not readily accept the conditions of this existence. We have eyes to see, but we also have voice to refute the existential delusion.

STAGES Unless you are pious, You cannot gain a foothold in Tao. Unless you go beyond rules, You haven't gained the middle. Unless you can be creative, You aren't traversing Tao. Unless the road always stretches out before you, You are not walking the true Tao. When people start on a spiritual path, they are anxious to learn all the rules. This is understandable, even necessary. Often we need stern measures to set ourselves right. But dogmatism is not spirituality. Sometimes, it is necessary to break rules. The task is to know how to go against doctrine in a way that actually fulfills the spirit of that doctrine. It is only at this point that one matures as a follower of Tao. The next stage is complete creativity. You have so internalized doctrine that you need not think of it, yet everything you do will be spontaneously correct. There are many stages after that, stages not documented but there for you to explore on your own. Those who follow Tao recognize that all people go through stages of development. Many people leave their spiritual communities when they outgrow them. The path of Tao has been conceived so that one never outgrows it. One can outgrow a particular stage, but when that happens, there is another one to be entered. In this way, following Tao is always vital.

Agreed that realization is not limited to those two. It is when we drop all systems and schools that we transform.

Well it is for me. By the way I don't think I'm impressionable, I just get it.

Wow ! What an awesome post DC. These are the words of the enlightened indeed. I know you choose not to read many books but have you read any Dogen ?

Thank you for your interest in the thread. Unfortunately the words used in these daily contemplations are not my own but are from the book 365 Tao by Deng Ming Dao. I'm only sharing these wonderful nuggets of wisdom with the community we have here. From my own personal perspective, I've practiced neigong and meditation for over a decade now. This coupled with some carefully selected literature from Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism is where I happen to be now. The insights gained from study and practical experience are worth all the effort. Human beings are a 'work in progress'. There is never a finished article. Change is the only constant in the universe, from the creation and destruction of galaxies, to the nanoseconds of time that string together to form thoughts. Nothing is ever still. I used to drive myself insane trying 'to get to the place of being a pure impeded channel', practicing countless 'systems' of religion and spirituality. Then something just clicked one day and I let go of everything. It was totally liberating and I felt as if a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. But in order to get to that point of letting go, I had to try lots and lots and lots of things first. I don't regret any of the choices I've made because they have moulded me into what I am now. Enlightenment is to be found in every moment and in every experience if we know how to look. The journey and the destination are one my friend. Good luck with your practice.

CORE What is the difference between a monk and a husband? What is the difference between a priest and layperson? I accept that this world is terrible and full of suffering. And I also enjoy happiness when it comes to me. As long as I am with Tao, distinctions are superfluous. A spiritual initiate should not feel smug. They have no greater chance of enlightenment than ordinary people. An ordinary person shouldn't look down on the holy aspirant; everyday life is so full of distractions that finding spirituality is not easy. Frankly, neither being a religious initiate nor being a layperson is the deciding factor in whether a person finds Tao or not. Identities only get in the way. I do not need to pretend that I am anyone other than myself. I do not need to feel insecure about my perceptions. The self-cultivation that I undertake is to perfect who I am, not to become someone other than who I am. I pursue the spiritual because it gives me tremendous satisfaction. I do not pursue it because of threats of hell, ignorance, or suffering. Life has its sad and happy moments. I accept them all. Life has its times of dispassion and utter serenity. Those are the moments that I seek. They give me my path through the myriad phenomena of this existence. I do not compare myself to ascetics and priests. Let them have their lives. I enjoy mine.

Very good post. Thank you. It is something I've been mulling over recently. The 'otherworldliness' of religions and philosophies throughout the world has a disturbing effect on me. Is it not best to embrace this life, now at this present moment, than to worry about what may or may not happen in some future life.? That is not to say that we can go about doing anything we like regardless of the consequences. Virtues and moral conduct are probably the most important things a person can cultivate in their life.

GROWTH A moving door hinge never corrodes. Flowing water never grows stagnant. Even in the autumn of your life, you cannot give up growth. If you do, you only invite decline. All the different aspects of a person -- body, mind, and spirit -- have one curious quality : If they cease to be exercised, they stop growing. Once they stop growing, they begin to atrophy. That is why, no matter how much you have accomplished and no matter how old you are, you must keep exercising all parts of yourself. We only grow when we are challenged. Muscles do not strengthen without resistance. Mental faculties do not sharpen without critical thinking. The spirit does not soar without something to excite it. It may seem like a great effort to constantly try new things, but unless you do, you fall out of your heights very quickly. The constancy of physical exercise, varied from time to time into new routines, and the constancy of mental and spiritual challenges are essential to stave off the infirmities of aging. We cannot reverse aging completely, but we can slow it down. As long as we are vital, we will not suffer as much. Although aging is natural, sometimes following Tao means more than following the route of least resistance. Why slide into old age, illness, and senility? The way of challenging oneself is also a valid but difficult path. Sometimes Tao chooses the difficult over the easy.

SOLUTIONS Don't be afraid to explore; Without exploration there are no discoveries. Don't be afraid of partial solutions; Without the tentative there is no accomplishment. Indecision and procrastination are corrosive habits. Those who wait for every little thing to be perfect before they embark on a project or who dislike the compromise of a partial solution are among the least happy. Ideal circumstances are seldom given to anyone for an undertaking. Instead there is uncertainty in every situation. The wise are those who can wrest great advantage from circumstances opaque to everyone else. Wanting everything in life to be perfect before you take action is like wanting to reach a destination without travel. For those who follow Tao, travel is every bit as important as the destination. One step after another : That is still central to the wisdom of Tao. Every day passes whether you participate or not. If you are not careful, years will go by and you will only have regrets. If you cannot solve a problem all at once, at least make a stab at it. Reduce your problems into smaller, more manageable packages, and you can make measurable progress toward achievement. If you wait for everything to be perfect according to your preconceived plans, then you may well wait forever. If you go out and work with the current of life, you may find that success comes from building upon small things.

OK so far. Still 20 minutes of full lotus sitting every day (along with my other practices). Making the extra effort to get up early to practice.

Taoism and Confucianism both have their roots in ancient shamanic culture and so words of wisdom crossover between the two traditions. Over the years I have come to appreciate Confucianism more and more. There is an awful lot of good teachings contained within its many forms. Maybe that could be discussed in a separate thread. Keep up the good work.