glooper23

I think Taoists would say free will is the ability to follow or to not follow the Tao.

It still belongs to the giver, for the transaction was not completed.

Not to speak for paul water, but I took his use of integration to describe his progression into a realization of oneness.

Thanks.

How long on average does it take to notice the effects?

I'm glad to be of help. Your awareness of the consciousness conflict with the subconsciousness is a great thing. I've been reading about how to influence the subconscious so that you can have more control. As it stands right now, when you say, "I'm going to study all day today", chances are you will not. You may sit in the library all day, but your mind will wander; you will go to the bathroom often; you will look around at others; etc. This isn't so much that you consciously lack discipline - it's that your subconscious has been trained to do those things. You've habitualized the art of wasting time, or simply focusing on other things than the studies. To change the subconscious, you can look into: http://www.thegeniewithin.net/ http://www.psitek.net/pages/PsiTekTMKSContents.html Both refer to methods of communicating with the subconscious to alter those habits. Also, if how I described you above is inaccurate, I apologize.

I suppose many things. My dad's birthday is right after mine on March 23rd. My favorite basketball player was Michael Jordan, and 23 was her jersey number. 23 just felt right at the time, whereas 22 for some reason didn't look good. Trogdorf, I would think the master teacher would intellectually know that he / she is a teacher for a reason. That is, he / she instructs those who do not already know as much in that topic as he / she. I do not believe the master would consider himself to be above, but merely different. The student would be on the same level of value, for the teacher learns through teaching as well.

I've noticed some "magic" when I let go and be in the "now". In your case, if I had another exam coming up, I would let it go and meditate. More specifically, I would accept that I have a test in the future and decide to calm myself down and relax for 15 minutes. By acting to what is happening right now, I take care of what is happening right now. If you feel you must study, then go study. But be sure to study what you're studying instead of thinking about what you will have to study after you're done studying what you're currently studying. Because then, instead of studying what you're currently looking at, you'll be instead imagining the future. Now that's what I call wasting time.

Peterminator, I think you are attached to the ideas you feel are stuck in your head. While meditating, if the thought of having to study pops up, that's acceptable. If the thought of studying persists after you've attempted to let it go or refocus onto meditation, then something is wrong. That is, you wanted to focus on meditation, yet you're now focusing on something else. Why? The attachment is not something you ought to sever. There is no should or ought or have to. However, intellectually, you can realize that you are indeed attached to this thought of studying. The next step, in my opinion, would be to ask yourself why you are attached to it. Say you meditate for 15 minutes, and you whole heartedly know that studying can wait. Why then are you worried about what you've already decided is unimportant in this moment? It's because you still believe it's important. Once again, I'm not saying it shouldn't be. But it would seem like it's not if you've already decided it can wait. If that's the case, remind yourself of that and gently put your focus back onto meditation. Any time studying pops up, thank it for being a reminder to get back into meditation. Eventually, after practicing for a while, you will improve your skill of prioritizing. In this moment, you're already good at focusing on something. You're likely close to 20 years old for goodness sake! Where you have room to improve is on your self-understanding. When you learn that meditation while meditating is more important to you than studying when you're not studying, you will see progress.

I don't know if they're becoming more dramatic than in the past, but tonight's sunset was gorgeous. I really enjoyed the pink hue across the sky.

I've taken anti-depressants, and I am in graduate school for psychology. I can tell you that while drugs can help alleviate symptoms, they are no match for whole-hearted efforts to change one's mindset. I can also tell you what has already been said - psychiatrists have no problem dishing out anti-depressants to whoever wants them. The sad part is this: I think many psychiatrists truly feel they're helping. If more people woke up to the natural world and what our ancient philosophers have been preaching for years, these companies would have less business.

I met with a new friend yesterday in downtown Chicago. He claims to follow Zen Buddhism and Taoism. After a lengthy discussion, I started to really get Taoism. Concepts that were originally confusing, such as wu wei and oneness, began to click. On my three hour drive home, I decided to apply what I've learned. Instead of thinking about this being a 3 hour drive with music blasting and thoughts swirling in my head, I considered only the focused moment. I turned off the radio and chose to do what I was doing in each moment. For each moment in those three hours, I was driving. When my mind wandered, I went back to driving. When I started to consider the future, I shifted back into driving at that moment. As this process continued, the thoughts of the past and future became more joyful and exciting. I still shifted back to the present, but my life became more enthralling. I was excited to get home and play guitar, something that had become uninteresting lately. When I came home, I decided to continue this exercise of just doing what I was doing. My mom asked about my trip, so I set down my bags and talked instead of talking and unpacking. I focused on the discussion and nothing else. When I went to get a drink, I stopped thinking about mom and focused on drinking the water. In everyday life, I can appreciate the ability to multitask. I'm also starting to appreciate the ability to focus on the task at hand rather than being a million miles away. The practice of doing what I'm doing and not doing what I'm not doing is fulfilling.

Setting aside the fact that I'm actually 23 years old... I have used this handle for close to ten years now. The number 23 pertains to the day after my birthday, which is on March 22nd.

Thanks. You two and others have been a powerful influence on my life.

Goldisheavy, I find your metaphors and way of thinking to more or less make sense. Surely, killing yourself, or turning that flame off, can eradicate all feelings of offense and indignation. As I read through these posts, a thought crosses my mind. I in no way mean to offend anyone here with this. However, I feel that many of you contradict a few basic concepts of Taoism, as outlined in articles at http://www.taoism.net/html.html. I'm a newbie to this philosophy; so rather than intending to criticize, I'm simply interested in learning. Perhaps I'm misinterpreting what I've read - or perhaps I am correcting noticing a dissonance. For example, I understand Yin and Yang as meaning everything is everything. Pain and pleasure are like waves in an ocean, coming and going. So, instead of trying to erase the feeling of being offended, accept its existence. Of course, perhaps the intention to erase it is also just part of the world and ought to be left to work itself out. Still, I get this feeling that many of you are attached to yourselves. To become offended when someone attacks your home would mean you are attached to your home or some benefit from it. Doesn't this contradict the teachings of Lao Tzu? According to him, wouldn't one who follows the Tao allow an intruder to have their home? Wouldn't one who follows the Tao be unmoved by someone who tries to offend them?

Let's say a guy named Bob values honesty, and someone lies to him. Bob does not get upset because while he values honesty, he has developed the skill of accepting reality. He will react in some way to the lie - for example, he may decide to reach out to his more honest friends instead. But is it not possible for him to do all of this without feeling the negativity that can come with being "offended"?

Thanks.

We are to let go of the ego and follow the Tao. Isn't the motive for this to improve ourselves? Hence, are we not attempting to improve the ego by letting it go? Many articles regarding Tao discuss people who paint and create art. Isn't the idea of creating art based on a desire for the pleasure these pieces bring about? And if you say the painters paint naturally without an egoistic desire, then what pleasure can be obtained? I get these feeling that much of the effort put into following the Tao is based on quenching an egoistic thirst. I am a guitarist who struggles to see the point in playing anymore. Am I not merely attempting to please myself by plucking the strings? Isn't this going against the Tao? And let's say I decide that I am providing a service by going out and playing the guitar for other people. Aren't I simply pleasing them? This seems very egotistical to me. What's the logic in working out? When I lift weights, it hurts my body.. isn't this going against the Tao? Shouldn't I go with the flow and do what feels good? It would seem that exercising is an effort to improve the body so that I can feel better about myself, which I feel is contradictory to the Tao. Can anyone shed some light on these dilemmas? Thank you.

Does the position truly matter? Do I have to sit up with my legs crossed? I ask because my right leg gives me a lot of pain when I try to sit "Indian style." I would prefer any other position than that.

I'm in. All I do to meditate currently is to sit and focus on my breath and / or the darkness in front of me.

When I focus on my negative feelings to the point where I begin to zoom in and really examine the feeling, there comes a point where I break through. I zoom in so far that I notice the holes, and thus the lack of strength, in the feeling. Often, negative feelings that stay with me are due to me not wanting them to go away. When I let go, they pass. When I let go, however, a new negative feeling may arise. It's like unfolding layers of negativity. Peel away one layer, and 500 more sit below. The good thing is that if you continue to cognitively and emotionally deal with this, you can resolve yourself of a life-long pain. For example, if I sit and think about my ex, I feel guilty. I allow myself to feel this, to accept the feeling. Eventually, its strength weakens, and it fades. But now, I feel insecure... why? Because I have removed the guilt which was stemming from and masking insecurity. So now I allow myself to feel the insecurity, and it fades. Now, I feel fear, for I'm afraid of what I'm going to spend my time doing now that I no longer have insecurity and guilt to expend my energy on. I allow myself to feel the fear, and it fades. Suddenly, my energy starts to rise to higher levels, simply because I've peeled away negative layers. To answer the original question, yes. I have faced my demons.

More frequently in the past, I experienced a feeling while laying down. I would be in a meditative, dream-like state where I would imagine all sorts of scenes in my head. There was one feeling I would get when a large geometric object was coming at me or when I was seemingly going down a roller coaster. It was a feeling of my entire body feeling almost a sense of weightless, a pressure akin to free falling. It's hard to explain. Perhaps it's more of a pleasurable pressure placed on my body. I was wondering if anyone else has experienced something like this? Would this be considered feeling your chi?

What do you think? Many of the comments question the legitimacy. I too wonder why only the students were used in the demonstration.

Hi. I am new and have many questions about Taoism. For this topic, I'm interested in issues surrounding dualism. I've watched several videos and read some articles about it, but I am still confused. So, there are two sides to every coin. There is a good and a bad for every situation. Does this mean: 1. When I help someone, I'm hurting them? 2. When I read a book, I'm not reading it? 3. When I study for class, I'm not studying? 4. When I make a new friend, I'm making an enemy? I'm confused about the practicality of erasing dualism. Also, a video I watched began to discuss the implications surrounding the removal of good and bad. That is, if I stop looking at things as good and bad, how will I know how to act? The video, however, did not do a good job of explaining how to correct for this. How am I to know when I'm doing something good or bad? Is it wrong to want to be happy? For if I want to be happy, don't I want to be sad? By thinking positive thoughts, am I not ignoring the negative side? Some advice / opinions would be great. Thanks.

Thank you for that link. Does anyone still think it's still truly possible to perform Jedi-like actions on external objects, or at least actions related to those discussed in this thread?