surfingbudda

Like you say, people are raised from the beginning to hand over their power, no offense to anyone but I think the Church and other mainstream religions are all about controlling the masses and teach people from the start that they have no power themselves and must put faith in "God" and the church for their "savior".

I hope your right, America seems to have a good amount of Gullible people who will believe whatever were told and don't think for themselves. A big part of it all I think is the media, which is really all controlled by big corporate and government money, for example my dad's friend went to an anti-Iraq protest at Washington D.C. with that had over 100,000 people and the news did't even cover it. Then theres a Tea Party protest with 5,000 people and the news goes crazy covering it everywhere. Heres some facts from the Wikipedia Tea Party page about the unfairness of the media. Media coverage US News and World Report reported that the nature of the coverage of the protests has become part of the story.[173] On CNN's Situation Room, journalist Howard Kurtz commented that "much of the media seems to have chosen sides." He says that Fox News portrayed the protests "as a big story, CNN as a modest story, and MSNBC as a great story to make fun of. And for most major newspapers, it's a nonstory."[173] There are reports that the movement has been actively promoted by the Fox News Channel, indicating a possible media bias.[174][175] Tea Party protesters walk towards the United States Capitol during the Taxpayer March on Washington, September 12, 2009. According to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, there is a disparity between large coverage of the Tea Party movement and minimal coverage of larger movements. In 2009, the major Tea Party protests were quoted twice as often as the National Equality March despite a much lower turnout.[176] In 2010, a Tea Party protest was covered 59 times more than the US Social Forum (177 Tea Party mentions versus 3 for Social Forum) despite an attendance that was 25 times smaller in size (600 Tea Party attendees versus at least 15,000 for Social Forum).[177]

If America ever becomes like 1984, all the people of Tao Bums should form their own Taoist Country and call it Taobumia

Ya I never use products with chemicals I can't pronounce . Thats why I use natural deodorant, toothpaste and everything else. Actually when I when back home for thanksgiving, I had forgotten my natural toothpaste, so I used my dad's pepsodent toothpaste which used to taste mild compared to crest, however when I used it, it almost made me gag and felt like a car crash in my mouth( not fun ) and I felt sick all night. So the next day I was forced to make a trip to my local whole foods to buy a more natural brand

An interesting article talking about the true tao and how the western take on taoism is only one aspect of it. My link

Its amazing that seemingly the entire Safari trusts him and knows he is there to help them. Shows you how smart animals really are

Point to where I am Finally I have found it At peace at long last

Cold, silent, sweetness Bask in the flavors of life Enjoying the now

Hi Twinner, you make some good points. This response might not address what you are describing, but this is my interpretation of the concept. I think you can combine both the story about weeds and the thieves to explain this. I agree with the stories in that there are many ways to reach the Tao, or to make you understand that you are already one with the Tao; and no one can really show this to you, a good teacher can only provide guidance to your path, which ultimately everyone must make by themselves. I agree with you that everyone has everything they already need to be one with the Tao, but I think most people won't realize this without the proper guidance of a "true teacher". I think if a teacher claims his way is the one true way to enlightenment or whatever, then he is definitely not a true master, however I do think certain paths can definitely be more effective than others. There is more than one river that leads to the ocean.

I made this poll just to show out how interconnected we truly are. No Matter what answer you put, we all cal Earth our home

glad your feeling better . If I was you, I would keep weaning myself off the hard qigong and eventually down the road transition to a more soft style, but thats up you, only you can judge for yourself what is best for you.

shoe laces, untied finally free at long last no need to worry

Well like I said in the beginning, were really just all Earthians . I wonder how long, if ever, it will take before all humanity is united under Earth and there is no more division or labels of borders and separate cultures and we simply see eachother as fellow humans and not this or that. My guess is it will take alien intervention before our race unites under one name, then we'll be dividing us between different races of aliens and the process of segregation begins all over again

I see what you mean, I lived in Savona Italy for a month with an Italian family and that is as much my home as where I live now in California, perhaps I should have made it possible to vote multiple times for this poll.

Ya it seems like on the outside, religions have different customs and rituals, but when you look deeper at the more esoteric mystical levels, all religions seem pretty similar. I read an article once from a Rabbi of Kabbalah and he said that reincarnation is actually a key idea of Judaism, yet this concept never is addressed by mainstream judaism.

Heres a very nice story from the site above, to give a solution for cultivating positivity in one's life. Tao Living The Weeds by Derek Lin Once upon a time in ancient China, there was a sage who taught the Tao to three disciples at a distant temple. Once every few months, they would make the long trip into town to purchase supplies. On one of these trips, they paused by a field overgrown with weeds. The sage said to the disciples: "This field is like the human mind, and the weeds are like negative thoughts. Tell me, what do you think is the best way to get rid of the weeds?" The first disciple was quick to answer: "Just pull up the weeds with your hands, Master. What can be easier than that?" The second disciple disagreed: "That is not very effective. Look at how many weeds there are. You can only do so much before you get tired. The best way is to use tools like the shovel to uproot the weeds. In the same amount of time, you can do a lot more with less effort." The third disciple shook his head: "Even that is not effective enough. Look at how big this field is. Even with tools, it will still take quite a while, and it will still be exhausting. The best way is fire. Set up a perimeter around the field, and then burn the whole thing. It takes some effort to preapre, but once that's done, you just stand back and watch the fire do all the work for you." The sage smiled approvingly: "You've given three answers that are quite different, but all interesting. Tell me, how does your answer correspond with the Tao?" The first disciple was again the quickest to respond: "Pulling up the weeds by hand is like confronting each negative thought directly, getting a firm hold of it, and then having the satisfaction of uprooting it from the mind. I believe this is the Tao at the purest and most personal level." The second disciple thought for a moment: "Just as this field has too many weeds to clear by hand, the mind has too many negative thoughts to eliminate one by one. I need the tools of cultivation, such as meditation, mantras and sutras. These spiritual tools are standard not only for us, but also for other followers of the Tao, so it is quite obvious that my idea is much closer to the Tao." The third disciple was also thoughtful: "My method is like establishing communion with the gods and the buddhas. Burning the field with fire is like using the sacred powers of the divine to sweep the mind completely clear of negative thoughts. This is the most powerful method, and therefore must also be the closest to the Tao." Again the sage smiled in approval: "These are all valid comparisons. We can continue on our way now, but I want all of you to keep this discussion in mind, and think about your solution some more." Months passed, and soon it was time to go into town for supplies again. The sage and the disciples passed by the same field as before, but this time it was different. They saw that farmers had turned it into rice paddies. The sage turned to them and said: "This is the reason why I did not name any of your answers as the correct one. None of you touched the level of the Tao." The first disciple was curious: "What was wrong with our solutions, Master?" "They were all temporary measures." The sage pointed out: "The weeds will grow back after you have cleared the field, regardless of your method. The only way to ensure that won't happen is to replace the weeds with something else - like the rice crop you see in front of you. Similarly, it is not enough to eliminate negative thoughts from your mind. You must also plant the seeds of positive thoughts. That is the only way to ensure that the negativity will never return." As the sage said, all three disciples offered valid answers. There are many ways to practice the Tao, and different techniques come in handy at different times. They also vary in effectiveness depending on individual personalities and preferences. Perhaps the most basic of all is the instrospection described by the first disciple. For all of us, Tao cultivation starts when we examine ourselves. Instead of looking outward, we focus inward. This is fundamental because the answers to the most important questions in life are in the heart, not in the external world. The second disciple pointed to methods that can be quite helpful in this internal quest. Reading is one key activity. In ancient times, Tao practitioners studied sutras and often committed substantial sections to memory. Nowadays, we have access not only to ancient texts but also to a wealth of additional material. We are able to learn from others' thoughts and experiences on all aspects of the Tao culture. Meditation is another key activity. This includes not only the common forms of sitting meditation, but also the dynamic forms, where the body is engaged in an activity like Qi Qong or Tai Chi while the mind remains tranquil. In Chinese, this is called dong zhong chan, which literally means "meditation within movement." The third disciple spoke of communion with gods. Beginners in the Tao may see this as a ritual of prostrating oneself and worshipping deities. Those who have devoted time to study the Tao may realize that the gods and immortals in the Tao are simply avatars of virtues. To commune with them is to make use of their symbolism - their divine powers - in deepening one's practice in a particular area of life. There are those who have spent years learning the above, and either remain stuck at the same level as before, or find themselves repeating the same process over and over again. This usually happens not because they have imperfect techniques, but because they are missing the crucial element that the sage pointed out - they have done some work to get rid of the weeds, but after a while, the weeds grow right back. Weeds are no different from any other plants in being part of the Tao. It is perfectly natural for them to grow. Negative thoughts in the mind are the same way. As long as you live and breathe, you will have such thoughts from time to time. Some may point to this and say that since detructive emotions are perfectly natural, they don't have to do anything about their temper in order to follow the Tao. That's like saying it's perfectly fine to let the weeds grow out of control in your garden. Nature will not have any issues with it, of course, but before long you will also not have a garden in which to rest and relax. This is the most valuable lesson taught by the sage. The way to deal with negative thoughts is not to deny or suppress them. The best way is to crowd them out with positive thoughts. The same Tao is true in other areas of life as well. For instance, the best way to deal with ignorant opinions is not to censor them, but to present rational, well-reasoned opinions alongside them. Before you know it, misinformed ideas will be edged out, without any need for condemnation or criticism. It is just as easy to apply this concept to the improvement and cultivation of the self. If you want to build a healthier and stronger body, the best way to do it is to maximize smarter lifestyle choices in terms of diet and exercise, and let them naturally minimize unhealthy choices. If you want to become a kinder and better person, the best way to do it is to maximize kindness and goodness in your heart, and let them naturally minimize thoughts of darkness and cruelty. Just as the Tao is eternal, the results your create this way will last. They will be permanent changes in your life, rather than temporary benefits from temporary measures. There is no going back to the way you used to be... when you use the Tao to cultivate the Tao!

teardrop falls, wistful a new beginning begins on the road again

Thanks Twinner Maybe I'll check it out sometime when I get a chance, and I read the pile of books I've gotten that I still need to finish

Thats cool! what instrument do you play, I recently began getting into the Ukulele . Would you happen to have any CD's or recordings of your music that you would like to share?

Great thread. Ya I've actually recently become really interested in the barefoot running. An important note when starting out is to slowly build up to where one can run great distances while barefoot. It takes time to relearn and retrain the feet to run barefoot, people get injured when they rush the learning process and jump right in, as with anything. Heres a nice website I found My link, I don't know if its already been posted. The guy from the site says the most important thing to barefoot running to practice "listening" like what Ya Mu always says; the article says your feet are your best teachers and just listen to them and go at the pace they are willing to do. The article also says that shoe like Vibran Fivefingers are great, but one should first learn to run barefoot and then transition if one wants to, on account shoes give one a false sense of support which can lead one to overdoing it and injuring themselves. The article says its better to start out barefoot and learn how much one should be pushing themselves. I'm really interested in barefoot running to better reconnect my self to the earth chi below us

I agree with you Rookie, I think reading people's personal experiences has been of the greatest benefit to me. Theoretical concepts are great, but I think they are best when paired with people's experience bringing the theoretical into their everyday life.