ChiDragon

"Why is there only present tense in chinese language does this not seem odd?" It is Not odd, only, and only if someone knows the language. Of course, there is past tense in the Chinese language. You give me an example in English and I will give it to you in Chinese....!!!

MWD-B 天地而弗能久 有兄於人乎 lienshan: Heaven and earth as likely as being made earlier than one's big brother? Is the about statement logical.....??? WB: 天地尚不能久， 而況於人乎﹖ Heaven and Earth cannot be long lasting, Thus how can even human?

IMMHO Rene did the form gracefully. I thought he was doing the random sequence method of Tai Ji Chuan but I guess not. However, I didn't recognize his form but saw couple of Tai Ji moves. I would say he was only performing Dynamic Chi Kung.

The legend said that Zhang San Feng is the one who invented the Tai Ji Chuan. He may be the first Taoist from Wudong Shan(武當山). He is the founder of the Taoist sect called 武當派(WuDong Pai). FYI The Tai Ji Chuan was not existed in Li Er's time. The primitive form of breathing method was called 吐吶(Tu Na) at the time. In the past history, the ancients were practicing Tu Na with slow movements. In the modern time, the term become 動氣功(Dynamic Chi Kung). If just breathing without the movements, it is called 靜氣功(Static Chi Kung).

Yes, it is confusing with the phonetics. Qin Shi Huang Di: 秦始皇帝; since his existence, all the emperors after his period were addressed as 皇帝(Huang Di). In the Chinese legend, Yellow Emperor (Huangdi) is 黃帝. 黃帝(Huangdi), here, is actually a proper name which is the name was given to the Chief of a Tribe at the time. 黃帝(Huangdi) was interested in medicine by collecting herbs to cure some diseases which his people were having at the time. He was the one who had written the 黃帝內經(Huang Di Nei Ching), a history of his medical record. Btw there was no emperor at that time.

It was understood Tai Ji is a Taoist style, there is no need to specify it is "Taoist Tai Ji". With or without "Taoist" in the title, it is just a plain style of Tai Ji Chuan. Any non -Taoist can practice the art. I do practice Tai Ji, but I follow the principles in the Tao Te Ching without being religious in the Taoist Religion. I do consider myself as Taoist because I follow the philosophy of Lao Tze. The way the Tao Te Ching was written is not religious. It is religious because people want to interpret it in such a way to create the Taoist religion.

希言自然: It is being natural with less words. 希: (adj)scarce 言: (noun) words; speech, decree(metaphor in the TTC classic only) 自然: natural Edited to add: BTW The line does not belong to Chapter 23. It was copied from another chapter by mistake.

Yes, the Tai Ji Chuan was created by a Taoist priest, but the Tai Ji Chuan itself is just a style of martial arts. It is not necessary to be religious.

Perhaps, we should look at it this way. Tai Ji Chuan to begin with was not religious. Traditionally, the art was pledged to be kept as a family secret by not teaching to other families other than the Chen family. Since, someone had broken the family pledge by teaching the art to other families and foreigners, IMO, it is definitely was for business to make a living and other purposes. As you can see, Tai Ji Chuan is a hot potato in making money, in the world, because of the health benefit claims. The students who learned the art and open schools are after making money also. I am not saying that Chen Xiaowang was doing it for the business, but most of his students are foreigners.

May we consider that "Emptiness" was being in the "State of Serenity" which is the ultimate realm of a Taoist......???

Hmmmmm..... Is this a metaphor implicating that the sub-subject should be taken place elsewhere.....???

The thing that is most Taoists do practice Tai Ji Chuan and it was considered Tai Ji is part of their daily life. BTW they do shared and respect the Yin-yang and the Ba Gua symbols which are the universal symbolic signs of Taoism. However, one may exclude Tai Ji Chuan from Taoism; but a Taoist may not be excluded from the practice of Tai Ji Chuan.

Based on what I'd found and viewed from the internet, the former is more appropriate which is so characteristic to your remark.

WMJ....... If Wu Wei is not even be an intellectual concept or philosophy, then how one acts in the state of Wu Wei all the time....??? Lao Tze wrote the Tao Te Ching based on the whole Concept of Wu Wei. What does Lao Tze or you mean by the state of Wu Wei then....??? Nature may not benefit its self, but it does so for others by providing foods, air, and dwelling shelters for humans.... Don't you think.....???

Yes, you are correct as ordinary thinking. If you follow Lao Tze's philosophical thinking, then it would be a different story. You see, with his wisdom, he likes to look at things in a negative sense to present his positive view. This is why many people read the Tao Te Ching paradoxically and misunderstood him. Would you like to put some thoughts into this and test your mental power...???

Wu Wei does not mean "non doing" anything at all. Philosophically, it simply means do not do anything adversely.

LaoTze was born around 571 BCE and wrote the DDJ in his seventy's. 孔子(Confucius): 551 - 479 BCE. Tao Te Ching Time table 老子 LaoTze Born: Around 571 BCE. 道德經 Wrote DDJ: 500 - 491 BCE. 郭店 Guodian 476 – 278 BCE; Unearthed:1993; Published: May 1998 馬王堆-甲本(MWD-A) 206 – 195 BCE; 篆書(Seal style); Unearthed:1973 馬王堆-乙本[MWD-B] 194 – 180 BCE; 隸書(Official Style); Unearthed:1973 河上公(Heshang Gong) 179 – 157 BCE 王弼(Wang Bi) 226 – 249 CE 傅奕(Fu Yi) 555 – 639 CE 漢朝 - 皇帝 Emperors of Han Dynasty 高祖 - 劉邦 Liu2 bang1 206 – 195 BCE 文帝 - 劉盈 Liu2 ying2 194 – 188 BCE 惠帝 – 劉恆 Liu2 heng2 180 – 157 BCE Note: These two characters 恆 and 恒 are the synonyms.

To an ordinary person, a peace of mind is to have a mindset which something will not adversely happen to oneself. Thus the mind will be at ease. To a Taoist, to have a peaceful mind is being having the mind to attain the state of serenity at all times. It is different from having a peace of mind as a temporarily wishful thinking. As oppose to the state of serenity, it is permanent. Mentally, by knowing the facts of things will eliminate the uncertainty of the truth in all matters. Thus no wishful thinking to cause any doubts in one's mind which gives a less chance of interrupting the state of serenity. In deed, any interruption in the state of serenity will cause mental problem which is anxiety or worries. Mental problem is the worse thing that could happen to one's health. To prolong one's life can be done mentally and physically with exercise. To begin with is to have a state of serenity in the mind, then improving the heath of the body. Both condition can be done simultaneously by practicing Chi Kung. Chi Kung has been known as the ultimate method of breathing to a Chinese Taoist(please, no racist remark was intended, Taoist's honor). Edited to add: PS..... This post was intended for the OP and was not addressing to other issues by others in this thread.

Hi, alleswasderfallist Yes, you are right about that. In the example below, Line 1 with the 也, it would make the two phrases become an IF-THEN statement. 1. 道可道也非恆道也 If Tao can be spoken, then it is not the eternal Tao.

The OP is not looking for Tao but "what a Taoist does physically that makes him a Taoist.".....

How many straight answers should there be.....???

Universal......??? How come informer24 cannot find his answer anywhere and no one gave him a straight answer....??? Let's face it, I'm only trying to be realistic and bring out the truth in reality.

That is why this thread was created due to lots of misunderstanding or no info was readily available. Based on my intuition from staying here in the forum long enough, it seems to me only a Chinese Taoist would know what the "N" word means.

Living with Nature doesn't mean to find a cave to be lived in. It simply means eat the right foods and breathe the air which provided by Nature and be natural going about with things. Again, Wu Wei is the key to be a Taoist. Taoist cannot run away from Nature whether one likes it or not. PS..... I am only answering the question pertaining to the OP as a Taoist. Any response from a non-Taoist might be distracted or distorted to the thread.

自備, self-providing or preparing 自得, self-attaining or obtaining 自極, self-ultimate..........................??? 自正, self-correcting 自定, self-determinate 自名, self-naming 自化, self-influence or digest 自極 has multi-meaning