Aasin

This is something that I am constantly conflicted with. I live in the United States where the idea of a rat race is probably stronger here than anywhere else in the world. The idea that we constantly need to one up our co-workers,neighbors, and friends in any way shape or form. Without a doubt this conflicts with Taoism in so many ways. I have tried to avoid jumping in on the rat race in as many ways as possible. I don't spend my money excessively, I don't pursue worldly pleasures every time possible, and for the longest all I used was a simple flip phone to keep in touch with people. For the most part this has benefited me immensely, but one issue that has come up repeatedly is in the work place. I like to take my time doing things nice and right the first time. This completely contradicts the get things done right away as soon as possible mentality that so envelops the workplace. When I was younger I worked at a restaurant and was once chastised for cleaning the dishes too slowly! The boss would rather I give the plates a quick rinse rather than thoroughly sanitizing the dishes and utensils. In work it seems the quantity over quality mindset wins out. Another issue is like I mentioned before in co-workers trying to one up you. The last place I worked at there was this one co-worker who constantly would keep his boss up to date on every little thing he did. This is also known as kissing ass whereas I was the type of person to do what I was told and carry on with my other duties as I felt no need to tell my boss every little accomplishment I had done at work that day. This co-worker was eventually portrayed as the model employee despite him not doing anything particularly extraordinary. The only difference was that he boasted of his accomplishments and made his face known where I was more behind the scenes. This eventually gave him more opportunities at our work place while the rest of us were left in the dust. How do you guys cope with this? This is the only place I can think of where Taoism may prove detrimental and as much as it pains me to say this, finances are not something to be taken lightly. I've learned from the TTC to not boast or show off, yet doing just that is rewarding people with more jobs, a raise, and so worth. I'd really like to hear your input on this guys.

Hey guys. Thanks so much for all the advice! When I get back from Ecuador I will definitely keep all of this in mind.

Hello there. So I usually don't post much here on the TaoBums (I frequent the TeaHouse message board more) but I regularly read the topics here on this board. So here is my issue. In a few days, I will be heading to Ecuador to stay with Starjumper on his land for a couple of months. Now I know he has ruffled some feathers here in the past and that his account was banned. What I'm wondering though is that if I attempt to access the message board from his ISP address, will I be able to? Thanks in advance.

Hey there dawei. I spoke to Starjumper and he said he does not have your contact information. Can you please give me your email address so we can send you the picture when I get to Ecuador? I'll send you a PM as well. Thank you.

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I suffered from kundalini syndrome myself a couple of months ago. Not trying to toot my own horn here, but I made a video about it on Youtube if you'd like to see. If you're able to, you need to ground yourself and release all that energy. Tai Chi helps this a ton. When I was experiencing it though I was unable to do Tai Chi because my hands would burn up and it would often lead to me having anxiety attacks. I had to stop meditating for months before I was able to start doing Tai Chi and a few months more until I started meditating again. One thing they recommend is to go outside into the wilderness. It will help calm you down a ton and it'll help release the energy as well. Look up the video Working with Kundalini Syndrome by empty0grace on Youtube. His video helped me when I was going through this ordeal. Be careful though and take care of yourself. If I ever feel like I am building up to my energy oftentimes in my head I just stop meditating. Better to be safe than sorry.

Do you meditate, practice Tai Chi, or anything along those lines before you consult the I Ching. Having the right mindset before using it is equally important for getting a good response. The changing lines as some have said are just further guidance into what was already said. You should focus more on what the lines said first before looking into the changing lines. The way I like to look at is is that the changing lines are like a second helping at dinner. The main meal was what one primarily enjoyed. The second helping was smaller, and is just used to get rid of any more stomach pangs.

The I Ching has been extremely helpful since the first day I got my hands on it. I can only think of one instance in which the advice I got from it was not clear, and it may have had more to do with what I was asking than any specific fault of the book. I haven't consulted the book recently as I've not had anything worth its time to inquire about but even so it has proven invaluable in the past and hopefully it will be in my future as well.

Think global act local. So many people think they need to make a change in some grandiose way but Rome wasn't built in a day. It took years and tons of individuals contributing their small part into a much larger scheme.

I will do that. Haha so I hear. Even though I don't post often, I'd still like the option to be able to if there is something I'd like to say.

Tai Chi helps me after a hectic day running to and fro. So if anything, I'd say Taoism has brought some much needed tranquility into my life.

A Navy Seal program eh? Why not cut it down a bit. Just being a standard soldier is hard enough for as is for most people, I'm sure trying a Navy seal routine would be downright impossible for most! As for running on the beach? Are you being serious? Running on the beach is a horrible idea for starters.

I just want to say I am really happy I came upon this post as I have recently got back into breathing meditation. Got into it during the summer but my free time was literally limited to three hours a day and meditation could not win out over hanging out with my girlfriend or with friends. The school year didn't help either in motivating me. I did enjoy it though. Now that the semester is over though I'm hoping to get into it and begin to maintain it like I do with my hourly exercise routine. I'm also twenty so I understand the bind your in. At our age we're still young and seeing everything the world has to offer is fresh in our heads. We just need to stop rushing through everything and actually sit back and enjoy what we see. I don't know if this would work for you, but with me I always imagine my breathing as an oval and my breathing flowing through the oval as I inhale and exhale. It makes me feel very aloof as if my head was in the clouds and helps lower my anxiety. Since I'm very new at this, I'm wondering what are some good chants I could do to help me focus better? I've been doing a "hum" sound which has been very beneficial in helping focus the energy and the aloof feeling in the back of my head. Anyone care to explain this to me? Good luck in finding your own way mate!

So I've tried to subscribe to the Taoist lifestyle in a philosophical sense for a good few years now. All of my friends in college see how I live my life and have always called me straight edge. I always simply accepted it as a term used to describe people like me who don't drink, smoke, or do any other harmful things to the body alongside trying to enjoy the simple things in life. Today though I actually found out that there is a serious straight edge following out there and besides the vegetarianism, I subscribe to it a lot more than I thought. How similar do you guys think straight edge is to Taoism? I feel like it has a lot in common. Even though the music plays a large role, even that is becoming less of a factor these days for the straight edge movement. Thoughts?

You should be completely at ease with yourself if you ever wanted to commit suicide for whatever reason. A clear conscious would make the process, whatever way you choose, so much easier to do. As for specific methods, I'd like the OP to be a little bit more specific as to why he wants that information.

What everyone says is all well and true but know what your body needs and can or can't take. If you're in pain, your body is saying that something is wrong. No form of meditation will ever be able to deny what your body needs. Respect it's wishes and take care of yourself properly.

This man sounds interesting although I'm a bit skeptical at the moment. I'm thinking this may all just be in your head. Further observation is needed. Keep us updated!

Abandon this method of meditation and consult an MD immediately. This isn't something to joke around for and honestly a forum is not a place to go for consultation on important medical issues.

I grew up in a very religious household. Church every Sunday no questions asked. I always hated it and had to go to a Catholic school for a while. I actually considered going into the clergy though but that idea didn't last long. After being introduced to communism and the fact that a priest at my church ended up getting a woman pregnant made me pretty much lose all faith. I only found Taoism in my senior year in high school. As a sophomore in college, I see a lot of debauchery and I see that my Catholic beginnings and current Taoist practices play a huge role in my life. I'm often associated as being one of the goody goodys around because of how I live my life. I don't smoke or drink even when everyone else around me is doing so. People say they have a lot of respect for me but a lot of people seem threatened by me also. I don't let that bother me though.

Well I've finally decided to join the forum. I've been a lurker for some time on this among some other Taoist websites. I first was introduced to Taoism my senior year in high school. I am now a sophomore in college and Taoism has played an important role in how I live my life. Luckily my college (Rutgers University) has plenty of books on the subject so I have been able to get plenty of information about the topic. I am more interested in the philosophy aspect of Taoism as I'm not much a fan of religion. Due to my raising and my being a communist politically. So far I have ready the Tao Teh Ching, Hua Hu Ching, The Tao of Pooh, some random book on Taoism, and am currently reading Xhiang Xu. I hope to learn more about how to live a better life from this forum from more experienced Taoists than I.

I read an article in Rolling Stone on Ray Kurzweil and frankly it scared me what the guy has in plan. The whole idea of singularity really dehumanizes people and misses the whole point of living life. It isn't how long you live life but how you live it. Ray Kurzweil takes like 300 pills a day to stay in fit shape but thats a bit too extreme. He also wants to make his father live again. It seems like the man is playing god with this whole thing.

I think someone has bigger issues to handle if fighting HIV is something they need to be thinking of.

I don't think joining a commune will help anyone spiritually or physically in ways that one cannot do on his own. A lot of times people feel dependent on things and others when the ability to get stuff done is right in front of them. It just isn't in the way they expected.

Just a little while ago I walked by my ex-girlfriend. Before, whenever I saw her I would be infuriated at how a calm breakup quickly ended horribly. Today though I just saw her and walked on. I hardly even gave it a second thought. Had this been some time ago, I would have been up all night thinking about my experience with her. Like you, the Tao has helped me stay calm in situations which would end up making others riled up.

I don't see the point in many Americans getting worried over this. As long as you maintain a good health routine and don't put yourself in risk of getting ill then there should be no problem. There have been eight cases in NY which is right across the river from me but I'm keeping my calm.