Samuel

If you're crazy then so am I! Rules wouldn't be the way to do it, it's too yang. The only way would be to show them would be to change their thinking, but then that's like frog in the well and the Turtle of the Eastern Sea from ChuangTzu. It's a nice idea, but you can't just change someone's mind like that! They have to get there on their own. I guess until then we'll have to lead by example, and like Strawdog's pm says "Be the change you wish to see in the world." Thanks Ghandi! =] Saying that, I'll be the first to admit that I can talk the talk, but can't quite walk the walk yet. I'm getting there, slowly, but sometimes I am judgemental and hateful without thinking. Something I have to work on I guess.

Fruit, delicate, sweet, Holds potential for new life, Life, vibrant, chaotic

Perfect peachy fuzz, Hanging round and ripe from tree, Don't pick too early!

I might be naieve, but to me it represents the Tao. Male and female in perfect unison, no male without female, no female without male. It's balance and moderation. Two forces that blend to form a whole. The one knows when to give way to the other.

Do we have to be one or the other? Why try and fit an irregular peg in a square, round or triangular hole? We all have a common interest in Tao, or similar, why not leave it at that?

Thanks, that was bugging me.

What does that mean? I've seen it a few times now.

Uber LOL XD As for 2012, I don't think it matters. If the world's gonna end, in a supernatural out of our hands style, in 2012, there's not much we can do about it, so we might as well just get on with life. If it's not, we might as well get on with life.

And if you've got them, the names of the winners of the Grand National for the next twenty-thirty years.

My congratulations. Why do you post it here? Surely gentle positive nurturing would be better for us if you are correct and we indeed will never become one with the Tao?

Hey folks! Just wondering what the Taoist view on alcohol was? Is it a "Everything in moderation?" or a "Don't touch it, it's a poison" or a "Who cares so long as you have fun man?" or more of a "Up to you!". I'm in university at the moment and I have to say that the presiding opinion is "Drink as much as possible as fast as possible" and that "Larger volume of alcohol=More fun", and I'm not sure I agree. I get the impression that polluting my body probably isn't quite Taoist, but I eat far too much rubbish for that to be a concern at the moment! Since no one here seems to have heard of Taoism (shame as it is), I thought I'd ask here. Thoughts? Much love people. Sam

Ok, I can understand that learning about them is helpful, and that the fear is only irrational, but that still doesn't stop me have an instant almost visceral reaction to Spiders. (Admittedly only the larger ones). I know quite a bit about them, down to how they breathe, and I know that the ones in Britain can't harm me, and I deplore killing them, but unless they're near an exit, that's usually what ends up happening to the poor bastards. [Side note: Did you ever see the scene in Madagascar, where there's a spider on one of them, and they're whacking away with sticks and melman is shouting "Kill it! kill it! kill it! kill it!"? Well, although I wouldn't normally hurt a fly, literally, that's how I react to spiders.] I'm not sure just understanding them, or realizing the irrationality of it all, will help!

I've had a similar feeling on occasion, that there was someone in the room with me, it's not really a "feeling" as such, rather a certainty that you're not on your own. Could be paranoia. If it's linked to something that you remember, a person, who you were strongly attached to, family, or a romantic affiliation, perhaps your subconscious is trying to tell you something? Perhaps it is a spirit/entity/ghost/creature, but since I've never had any experience with these things, I would make the other things my first guesses. This intrigues me, keep reporting!

Well then, we'll just assume that by the time the Zen Master is one with the universe, that he has enough Inner light to light the room himself!

How many Zen Masters does it take to change a light bulb? None! The Light bulb is a part of the universe! The Zen master is one with the universe! The Zen master IS the light bulb!

Sorry to bump this thread, haven't been on the site for a very very long time. A helpful answer! I later found a list of precepts that a school of taoist priests had to swear to before becoming clergymen. One of them was "No alcohol!"

While I can't really help myself, I did come across a website that might help you, I don't know how reliable it is. http://en.daoinfo.org/wiki/Daoist_Headdresses_and_Dress I also suggest you have a look round the rest of the site, it's very interesting. =] Oooh, you're writing a book? I have you read Journey to the west? Might be helpful bits and pieces in there!

I've experienced something similar. Where I grew up ("where I grew up" I'm still growing up!), there were a lot of stupid people, who thought that to be male meant that you had to be butting heads, like rams, whenever possible. I subscribed to this for quite a while, and butted heads with the best of them, but when I came across Taoism, I realised it wasn't the best way to be. Know the Masculine, hold to the Feminine. You're a man, you don't have to act in a certain manner to be one, you already are. Through adverts, television, peer pressure and other things, society asks us to justify ourselves. When I stopped butting heads, relaxed and started working around arguments, rather than meeting them head on, people around me looked at me like I was strange. Part of becoming one with the Tao is transcending socially inherited stereotypes. Masculinity is one of those stereotypes.

Thank you for the replies, I especially like the Gogol Bordello video, Rainbow Vein!

sifusufi, thank you for your reply, but I don't think there's much chance of me dying of alcohol related problems, like I said before, I drink moderately, never drinking enough to make me ill. I was looking for a more tao centred answer since there's no reference to it in the TTC.

Agreed, but active cultivation is beyond me at the moment, can you suggest a resource?

This isn't likely to be a problem for me, I don't cultivate chi. Not, from choice admittedly, but because I don't know how. But should I start, I'll leave the alcohol out, me thinks.

Unfortunately, I have very little idea of TCM. Is there any chance that you could reccomend a book to start with, I've always wanted to learn about TCM. Apparently small amounts of alcohol affect learning because it dehydrates a person. We've studied the affects of alcohol on the system as part of my degree, but I'm really looking for a taoist answer. I'm from wales, so occasionally, (admittedly not very often), I do sit down to eat with wine/cider. And I never drink unless I've eaten first. Whilst I admit that I overindulge food wise, it's usually because I prepare too much. First year cooking for myself y'see and it's not always easy to gauge. As for the alcohol, I know my limits fairly well, and always drink in moderation, having only ever once mad myself ill, an experience I'm not looking to repeat within my lifetime. Thank you for your answers, have a good day folks. Sam

Sorry, that was meant to be "Don't eat the daisies" Which I'm sure is from a very old film, I just don't remember which one. Since you say that you don't need them for survival, it then becomes a question of which is more important, in the grand scale of things, the life of a weed, or a man's peace of mind, which is a whole debate into which I dare not involve myself. Sufficed to say, I hope your garden blooms beautifully and you receive many more compliments. When you remove weeds from your garden, do you throw them out, or compost them? If you throw them out, perhaps composting would be better, in that way, you might turn the death of one organism directly into the life of another, negative into positive, if you will. Much love folks. Sam