rene

Welcome, PrimaMateria I'd like to help you advance into the main areas of the forum, so maybe we can have a conversation, yes? One sentence per post should do it, and you'll have 10 posts in no time. (-: Um... do you do tai chi ? warm regards

dawei - thanks! and thanks all, i have what i need (-: warm regards

Thanks for 'splainin (-: Maybe you could put an informational sticky at the top of the Lobby then... to get the word out? Check post # 9 in this thread http://thetaobums.com/topic/28079-why-do-islam-terrorist-hate-americans/ for example of why sticky is good idea (for us old folks more than the new folks). warm regards

3 you get the drift. Or.... maybe they'll just start topics out here, which is also fine. (-: I guess. warm regards

2

Viator - just so I understand (before trying to help a newcomer again) each person, upon joining has to make 10 posts here in the Lobby first? I understand trying to keep out spammers... but this requirement would be so easy to meet by either saying hi to ten (other people) or by doing this.... 1

Hi fpck and welcome. Only 3 hours between your first post and this second one; entry is not auto-matic, give system time. Hopefully the practice of fpck includes patience. (-: warm regards

Oh...I so disagree with that. Your post shows me that we approach The Laozi in very different ways, which is fine. To me, underlying every chapter is the reflection of the divine as Mikeb85 calls it.. as seed, as foundational support... and glimmers of its true nature can be seen through the words of each chapter! No less so in Ch19 than any other. Lienshan, I've enjoyed your efforts over the decades and your passion for linguistics is a gift for us to watch and one that I appreciate. I wish I could play on your home-court but I cannot unhook my starting premise to be able to do so. But I can keep the bench warm and cheer from time to time. (-: warm regards

Yeah... but would you try and make yourself angry just to fix it? :D

Every action, and non-action, is one of simultaneous creation and destruction; such is the way of tao.

Maybe what he really said was... More words count less; hold fast to the canter. warm regards (-:

YES! And go outside and play!!

Thanks HE, and that's okay you dont have the PDF. I might be able to find a link somewhere. (-:

Harmonious Experience... do you still have the link to Wilhelm's version by chance? Thanks!

I already answered your question in my post #66. If you dont like that answer, that's fine; if you don't understand or choose to ignore the post to keep your game going that's fine too! I know you have difficulty with my ideas, and that is natural as our perspectives are very different...so I apologize for disrupting your thread, bid you adieu, and wish you well on your path. (-: warm regards

Or - maybe there are the two sides and the wholeness of the coin, simultaneously. A blended perspective isn't moving past duality into unity only. It's seeing the whole and the parts. Both, right here, right now. But that's another topic and no need to interupt sree's dying. (-: warm regards

You dont want platitudes or theories about death - you want to know how to die..so you're not caught without a plan. Why didn't you just say so? Here is the Tao of Dying - and how to practice for it: 1. Put on the tightest pair of shoes you own. Feel what that feels like. 2. Walk around in them for a while. Feel what that feels like. 3. Sit down and untie them. Feel what that feels like. 4. Slide them off. Feel what that feels like. That is how you die and that is how you practice ahead of time so you're not caught off-guard. (-: warm regards

-bump- so i can find it again pffft to whoever shredded the subcategory sectionings.

Sounds like a plan (-: warm regards

Oh gee dragon... what if we enjoy sharing ideas? Is there no room in your idea about Tao for that? warm regards

Yeah. Lao Tzu. . . . . . I'll PM

Capicé !! Nice post, Stosh, and I hope you dont mind me jumpin in to reply a bit. I dont read, write or translate from Chinese to English or English to Chinese. Like you and many others, I greatfully rely on the efforts of those who do...and..after doing this for 30 years have a fair handle on who does and doesn't offer consistancy in their choices, and more importantly, imo, the (mostly unintentional but still there) bias each 'translator' brings to his/her work. The TTC was originally known as The Laozi but later, when it was incorporated into the Taoist Canon, its name was changed to make it more "suitable". The "Te" part of the name - when translated as (moral) Virtue - causes headaches for some and justifications for others. Used to point to morality, the TTC became a cornerstone of 'right behaviour'. When 'Virtue' is understood as a natural aspect (i.e., 'by virtue of') then the body of work does become, as you suggest, one of providing information choices can be made on, rather than a book of 'thou shalts'. The character 'Tao' has no equivalent in English; I wish 'Te' wasn't assigned one eiither...especially one with so much baggage. But as it was the Jesuits who made the first translation (in Latin) it's no surprise that "Virtue" was chosen. And - I agree with your overall take. (-: warm regards

Chapter 19 (F/E) Give up sainthood, renounce wisdom, And it will be a hundred times better for everyone. Give up kindness, renounce morality, And men will rediscover filial piety and love. Give up ingenuity, renounce profit, And bandits and thieves will disappear. These three are outward forms alone; they are not sufficient in themselves. It is more important To see the simplicity, To realize one's true nature, To cast off selfishness And temper desire. My take on that is... the 'inward form' of - - simplicity is the precursor of sainthood, wisdom; - realizing one's true nature is the precursor of kindness, morality - tempering desire/selfishness is the precursor of ingenuity/profit. Staying with the inner forms is easier, closer to the root. Or maybe Laozi was drunk. Either way, pass the wine. (-: warm regards

Yes, an altar can reflect the limitlessness it already is, and if the limitlessness is already understood then YAY! eh? But if it is not understood - then there might be re-inforcement of the worship aspect, or the idea that one needs more... for example, paying a doctrine for a ritual to "receive the dao"... or purchasing books/training to 'find the dao' - you get the drift. My points aren't really about altars... rather what a natural progression on a path might be. warm regards