strawdog65

Input ...anyone?

This type of thinking and ability to communicate, to me, is the best direction. Who would want to become a slave to their own limiting actions? Do any of us honestly believe we are best to judge. It is up to us to chose to break free of our own self imposed, societal, and religiously quantified rules of behavior. If an action by yourself, makes you feel guilty, then maybe you should begin to see this is a behavior not in your own best interest.

I thank you all for such interesting responses. On more realistic reflection, and outright dislike of being cold and wet (especially at the same time!) I would say the wandering sage life probably wouldn't work for me, not unless it's in a very mild climate! I do however love the idea of being a sage in the wilderness of wherever we may presently be. Just navigating the trials of everyday existence is it's own kind of wilderness! Afterall, Taoist principles have helped me to stay much more centered and calm, when before I would be giving in to the emotional response purely out of habit. So, let us all be considered Sage's of our own domain! (I can just hear the Seinfield jokes flying now!) Peace to all

Greatly interesting post Marblehead! Fill my cup, so i may empty it. Lie to me, so I may know truth. Kill my self, so I may be Tao. Empty my cup, so I may fill it. Tell me truth, so I may know lies. Tao has killed my self. I agree with Manitou about the brain comprehending the path, but the flesh being stuck with bad habits. I guess that's where the slowing down and being in that moment fully is the discipline coming to fruition. Those moments of clarity are very nice!

Manitou, Better days are always ahead. Hang in there the best you can. The mountain is most intimidating, When seen from the valley below, With every step up, You slowly conquer your foe. Peace

Ahhhhh... the question. Personally I love that question! It was the very impetus that started me down a different path than all of my friends growing up. I have vivid memories of lying in bed at night when I was 17 - 18 years old pondering that age old question. Even with the flow of many years later, and much more experience in life...that is a wonderful question! I feel that life has whatever meaning we give to it. The energy that we give to our lives influences it everyday. It will be easier for me to say what the meaning of life is not, so how about that as a start? It is not about any material/physical thing. Like music...the pauses inbetween often make the song memorable. Life is not about a job, eventhough there are many individuals who describe themselves with what it is they do. If you have a job helping people then it is the deeds you do that matter, not the title of what you do. Life is most definitely not about purposefully causing any being pain or suffering. Some things I believe life is about: Feeling and spreading genuine Love and caring of others, be they animal or human or plant. Respecting all forms of life, and appreciating the beautiful gift that we have all around us everyday. I believe it was Ghandi that was quoted with saying "Be the change you wish to see in the world" This to me is extremely motivating...You mean I don't have to wait for someone else to do what I think is right? I can go and do this myself? You betcha'! The meaning of life is to BE your highest and most complete self, all the while being a positive contributing influence on all of those around you on a daily basis. Love+Peace+Compassion+YOU=fulfillment

Yes, we are truly in a urban jungle. I miss the time I spent in California living at a present day hippie commune. We lived simply. We recycled everything that was recyclable. We ate a total lacto-ovo diet and prepared all of our own meals. There was a sense of commitment and purpose to life. I think it was then that I caught my very first "glimpse" of the true way. I just did not know it at the time. I guess the sage question is a bit unfair... Maybe it just my sub-consciousness urging me to spend more time stopping to smell the roses, to inhale deeply and let go and just BE. The sage in the wilderness is US, for the wild exists within each one of us. I shall endeavour to listen to the stillness and connect with nature more often. Thanks for all your responses! Tao is Love

The ones that finally peaked my interest fully in Taoism: 1:Change your thoughts, change your life. By Dr. Wayne Dyer I know it sounds sappy, but it has a genuine positive vibe.) 2: The Tao of Pooh/ Te of Piglet (because I see them as necessary companions, yin and yang. By Benjamin Hoff 3: Just about anything by Deng Ming-Dao 365 Tao is great! Of course there are so many more! So much to learn...the path is calling. Tao is truth

Hello All! I just joined and am excited to read and learn of everyone's take on Taoism. It has been a long road for me to arrive here. I guess I should say I've always been on this path, only now I know how to explain my path to others. It is of great comfort to be able to access a forum to discuss how to approach our often complicated world and still stay centered to what is most natural. I look forward to learning and being open to do so.

Thanks for the welcome! The path beckons most strongly beneath me.

Thanks for your heartfelt responses! I think it would be very hard indeed to cut oneself off from the society we have all been raised into. In this way I am curiously envious of the incredible insight and determination of the ancients. Tao is truth

Non, I believe the victim mentality is actually a sense of entitlement/ lack of self worth issue. Accepting who we are, and what we are able to become through our own efforts, to instill a sense of value, seems to me to be the only path. Are we not more than the sum of what we are born into? Our choices not only break down the barriers that contain us, but sometimes they reinforce the very prison we seek to escape. Peace

Tough words, true statements. It does in fact to me illustrate clearly why we must constantly hold on dearly to our child-like nature. No matter our physical age, the child remains. Often the only voice seeing to the heart of the matter is my own inner child, gently coaxing me, and other times out right kicking me in the shins to not be hard, to soften and laugh if only to relieve the tension and lament of the loss of our innocence.

Hello everyone, The question of good and evil will always be based on your own moral basis. I would ask is there evil in nature? Are the actions of animals considered and judged based on the moral code of mankind? I humbly submit that even with our large brains and opposable thumbs, that we are animalistic by nature. Good and Evil are only based on our moral code, having nothing to do with nature. An action is just an action, our judgement of that action filtered through our preconception of "learned" good and evil is what determines our reaction. It is easy for me to fall back and use terminology like good and evil as well as the next person. But logically, and intellectually, I know that the existence of evil in this world is just as contrived as the concept of a God.