strawdog65

Hello everyone! In the interest of provoking an impartial end to further contention... How about agreeing to disagree? Love it or hate it... it is what it is. Judgment, based on emotion, precludes clarity. Peace!!!

Yes. We are all part of the same whole. We contribute to the destruction of ourselves through our ill treatment of others. Peace!

Welcome! Dolce far niente!

Welcome!

Welcome!

Hello Everyone! adept, I hope you don't mind if I co-opt your thread a little? I was wondering what everyone's thoughts are on a question of : What do you think is the most harmful thing we do, not in a physical way so much but in other ways such as our treatment and judgment of others, wether we know them or not? So... what do you think is the most harmful of human behaviors? My vote goes towards the harm we do with being constantly negative or cynical. It has profound effects on everyone we are around, and believe me it stops being funny at some point and is then nothing but destructive. Thoughts? Peace!

Different strokes folks, Whatchu' talkin' bout Willis? Bald, action hero.

Hello Everyone! Everyday Tao : by Deng Ming-Dao 2. ============================================================= Follow Accept Tao as the supreme description of life, the ancients urged, and life in it's most spiritual form will be revealed. But even among the earliest students, doubt persisted. Should they follow the Tao through flood and famine, earthquake and drought, corruption and invasion, lawlessness and banditry, fear and loneliness? Why did the path the ancients advocated still hold misfortune? In response, the ancients stood up, walked in a circle, and then wordlessly sat back down. This confused the students, as it may well confuse us. What the ancients were saying, in their most succinct way, was that each of us must accept and follow Tao. Good and bad are part of Tao and cannot be avoided. Rather than exhausting ourselves by striking out on our own, or worse, trying to go against the grain of life, we can come to see misfortune as part of the cycle we can both understand and utilize. But we won't learn that unless we follow Tao with complete trust. Just as the word "follow" shows one person following another, each of us can learn to follow Tao as if we were following a trusted friend. Then we will never be lost in the cycles of happiness and disaster. ======================================================================= Comments? Peace!

Hi rene! Only "change your thoughts, change your life", because it is a discussion of the Tao Te Ching .... albeit with a lot of his personal views on what is meant. Still a likable, positive book for me,. Changed my thoughts.... The rest of his stuff is a little too religiously implicit. Writing for the masses he does a decent job of presenting the TTC in a manner that hopefully will create a better understanding of what Taoism is, at least by his translation. I came to this site to fill in gaps in my understanding, and to try and get a more impartial view of who and what Taoist's believe Taoism is.... I'm learning everyday! Besides... where else can I enjoy your pointed Haiku's? Peace!

Eggnog beatnik sleeps. Sugar plum queen, dancing in dream. Pinch me! I'm Awake!

At peace at long last. High arc of rock thrown outward, Splash, ripple, reborn.

Hi Marblehead and Twinner! I have to strongly agree with Marbles on this as far as life experience. The environment we are immersed within can and does dictate the actions of many weaker minded, and non-truth seeking individuals in our society. Just turn on a TV and there's your low virtue tool for the masses. In western society, there are few occasions to get that glimpse of High Virtue. Living a life of ease compared to the lives of the ancients, is probably the greatest contributor to so many people existing in low virtue. Our dis-connect from all that is of a natural source is so complete, that to many, using Nature and the universe as our model, is beyond understanding. But this does not bely what I believe is the innate ability within us to come to the realization that there is more to life then eating chicken wings for dinner and oogling a bunch of Hooters girls. We are what our influences are... we are the actions/non-actions we create. Change of awareness needs to be kindled like a newly started fire, that way as we throw on the heavier and more substantial logs... the flame continues to burn deeper and stronger. We are the keepers of that flame that is the Tao. We are the influence of change in the making... everyday. Peace!

Enjoying the Now. Breathe in, knowing no Master, Point to where I am.

Surfing budda, I really appreciate your posting of these stories. It always amazes me how the telling of a story is so soothing and beneficial to the learning of key points. It is especially relevant , to me, that in the process of self-cultivation, we do not lose our ability to empathize with other people. And are able to also cultivate the ability to make choices that are wise because of the positive effect they are capable of generating. What is the sense of self-cultivation if we pull away from society in the process? Cultivating within the society you are immersed in seems to be more beneficial. Using the knowledge to help others and be an example of impartiality and acceptance, a path without turmoil and violence, a path with a deeper understanding that all things will come to pass as they are meant to be and that nothing need be done with the exception of just "being". I do wish I was younger and able to have a teacher that would illuminate the path better for me. Even so, everyday is our ongoing opportunity to exercise what we have learned, and use this information/knowledge in our actions/non-actions everyday. Whenever there is a difficult situation in your life... it is a life/Tao lesson. From everything such as disagreements, to stress, to how we fall into the same judgmental patterns... all are opportunities to employ the knowledge of Taoism. For this reason... I can not possibly see any greater teacher then Life itself. There are many, many people who are unable to find or afford a teacher. In those situations the path of Tao is still open to them, through people as examples, through books and the internet, anyone who is asking themselves "why" about the nature of being will eventually arrive at the door of Tao. All that is required is an open mind and a penchant for what feels true. I treasure the wisdom imparted to us through parables and stories as told by the ancient sages, they are more than a widow back in time, they are a window into a different Way of thinking and responding to our very world!... they are enlightening! Thanks for the great post! Peace!

Eat cold plum on porch. See your breath floating in air, Cold, silent, sweetness.

Who did what between? Space, molecularly bound Shoe laces, untied.

Bump... Anybody? Surely someone would like to comment?

Hi surfingbudda! Dude.... wow! I always look at Tao this way. Tao encompasses all paths, they are all just different facets of the whole. Being so... all paths lead to and originate from the same original, universal source. Tao is a many faceted Gem. Cool site... Thank you! Peace!

Stretched out on the surf. Tiny clams surface for air. Universe of sand.

Peelings at my feet. Flakes of a bygone time, Teardrop falls, wistful.

Hi Manitou! This is great stuff! We live in such a cynical world, kindly tolerance generated by a high minded approach to life would be considered foolish to many people. But to me, Sometimes, being seen as the fool is better. Detachment from the world of 100,000 things, impartiality of judgment concerning all things coming to pass, a life without expectation.... all things that not only make life simple and more enjoyable but show our true nature as part of the same. Contentment is to be found in every moment... especially when we remove the judgment and expectation for this moment to be anything other than what it is. Peace!

Hi adept! Yes... Do no harm. We are the decisions we make. Purposefully doing harm to others is to me the destruction of the self. We can not possibly be on the right path if we are living a life of callousness towards suffering and ill regard of own action/non-action. Peace!

What change will this bring? Insight of the world, I Ching Many storied page.

Hi surfingbudda! Money is irrelevant to True spiritual development. On the flipside of that is people needing to make money to survive. A donation would be more understandable... as far as the teachings, how does one place a price on what is beyond a value system? Spiritual development/ enlightenment, whatever you want to call it, is open to everyone. And I personally do not believe an instructor is necessary. Life is our greatest teacher, we only need change our perspective from seeing adversity in our lives from that of a problem, into that of a challenge. Challenges in our lives are opportunities to do and be more, than we were before. Opportunities to remove our judgments and expectations and to flow with the situation as best we can. So, as far as teachers charging crazy amounts of money, and why.... it is because people are willing to pay for what they believe can be achieved by paying for it. The act of seeing something formless and without shape, something that is part of all of us, something that is most natural and ever present, as any other material good to be purchased if you can afford it, is nonsensical. You can pay all you like... but how do you purchase what is already there? Yes teachers serve an important function.... yes they need to survive, and live so they need income. It is the lack of Virtue in charging so much money to teach what is open to all, and that issue is because we accept it. Peace!