ChiDragon
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Everything posted by ChiDragon
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Did you know that having sex burns calories.....??? Doesn't that give you an implication that you are burning up your energy regardless you are promiscuity or not....??? However, just enjoy what was given to you. Don't do it too often in too many days in a roll. Let your body to recuperate and replenish your energy....
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In the earlier versions of the Tao Te Ching such as the MWD-A, MWD-B and GD, both characters 常(chang) and 恒(heng) were used. Lao Tze was using 恒(heng), most often, as a modifier; and 常(chang) as a Noun. However, due to flexibility and unrestricted grammatical usage of the characters. There are some characters can be used as either a noun or adjective or even a verb. Even though synonyms were used for substitutions, the characters were changed but the original idea does not. As in this case, when I first read 『常道』, chang Tao, in Chapter One, it is always meant "eternal Tao" in my mind. I am pretty sure that the initial change from "heng' to "chang", for the above reason, was still convey the same original idea in the mind of the scholars. BTW The uniqueness in the Chinese classic was using a character or a few to signify an idea. Hence, the recognition of the original idea being conveyed is more significant than paying more attention to the semantics. It would be a big mistake for the modern scholars and wast of effort, sometimes, if they are interpreting classic by looking too deeply into semantics. Of course, this is only my personal opinion.
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Zhan Zhuang and listening to/watching other things
ChiDragon replied to estuary's topic in Daoist Discussion
Before going into deep practice of any method, at least, one should know what is the purpose and what to expect to be accomplished. Thus knowing the principle in advance, one will be more appreciative and effective in doing the practice. -
You have my deepest admiration...!!!
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Yes, there is a transcendent goal for Taoism(religion wise). Let's look at the meanings of "True Man/Zhenren" and "Immortal". True hu(man), Zhenren(真人) and immortal: Zhenren(真人) is a real person. What is a real person...??? Well, a real person is always alive and breathing. Now, is a dead body a person....??? According to the given definition, a dead body is not a person. Then, the ultimate goal of a Taoist is to stay in longevity, as long as it can be, to be a Zhenren. Thus the transcendent goal of a Taoist is to be Zhenren, then an immortal. Please keep in mind, a Zhenren is only a real person but not an immortal yet. A Zhenren can be promoted to an immortal only by cultivation to a point that he/she doesn't require to breathe. PS..... The above is only my understanding from the mythology of the Chinese Taoist religion.
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By "Yu comes from Wu" alone is just a phrase and it is really out of context without relating it back Chapter One. Chapter One defines Wu for Tao when Tao is in the invisible state; and Yu is when Tao is in the visible state. Therefore, we may justify to conclude that the "visible Tao" came from the initial invisible state of Tao by saying that "Yu comes from Wu".
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I think whoever says "constant" Tao, in English, for "eternal" Tao is as guilty as, in Chinese, by saying "Chang(常)" Tao for "Heng(恒 or 恆)" Tao.
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I think if you read it carefully, you'll find that the article has identified a few critical points about the difference in the meanings of both characters as indicated in red. 三、 《老子》對「恒」「常」字使用不同 劉笑敢先生曾考察說： 「王弼本中第十九章(筆者案：『第』字誤植，當為十九章)中有二十八個『常』。......但是，帛書本多用『恆』字，在第十九章(筆者案： 『第』字誤植，當為十九章)中用到二十九處『恆』，而『常』就僅在兩章中用到三處。竹簡本中則『常』字一見，『恆』字四見(筆者案：似有誤，應為六見)。今本用『常』是避漢文帝劉恆之諱，其結果是我們看不到『常』與『恆』的區別。」 沈善增先生也說： 「從帛書甲本可知，《老子》古本原是既有『恒』又有『常』的，儘管『恒』較多而『常』較少，但『恒』『常』不同義。漢初為避漢文帝劉恒之諱，把《老子》中的『恒』都改成了『常』，這樣，『恒』『常』就混淆了。」而劉殿爵先生則曾指出作「恆」字、「常」字的重要不同處，他說： 「今本《老子》無『恆』字，只有『常』字，帛書本雖多作『恆』字，但『常』字也並非完全沒有。例如十六章：是胃復"命"常也。知常、明也。不知常，；(乙本作『芒』)"作，兇；(乙本『兇』字殘缺)知常，容；"乃公。五十二章：是胃襲(乙本『襲』字殘缺)常。從文例看，似乎『恆』字只作修飾語用，如『恆道』、『恆德』、『恆名』、『恆善救人』，而『常』字則作名詞性詞用，如『知常』、『襲常』。只有在一種句式中，『恆』、『常』互見。上引十六章：復命，常也。又二章：先後之相隨，恆也。『常』、『恆』都是單字謂語，至於語法功能上有無差異，便很難判斷了。」又，劉笑敢先生乃再將劉殿爵先生的重要發現證之竹簡本《老子》，他也得出相同結果說：「總起來看，竹簡本和帛書本對『常』與『恆』字的使用是一致的。如此說來，『常』在《老子》中主要是名詞性功能，因此可以看作是老子的名詞或概念，而『恆』主要是作修飾語，不是名詞，不能作為老子的思想概念。」準此，既然帛書本與竹簡本《老子》，皆同樣展示老子對「恆」、「常」字使用的不同，那麼原來《老子》中本作修飾語用，而在通行本中因避諱改成「常」字之處，如今可能便需改正回作「恆」字為是，不然其間的區別也只有持續被隱沒。
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I know you are very fond of the article. However, in Chapter one, Heng (恆, eternal) was used in the Tao Te Ching as an adjective to describe that Tao is eternal. Even thought one of the hexagons in the Yi Jing was named as "Heng" but it has nothing to do with the TTC.
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Confirmed Taoist Master Wang Liping Guiding RETREAT
ChiDragon replied to kathyli's topic in Daoist Discussion
hmmm.....The latter is something new...!!! I wonder how that was done....!!! -
It was only the thought that counts.....
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chenping..... Thank you...!!! I'll take you word for it.......................
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May be you would like to take a look at this about how the character 恆(heng) came about: Heng(恆) and chang(常)
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Do you think it was innate or nurtured....???
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Zhan Zhuang and listening to/watching other things
ChiDragon replied to estuary's topic in Daoist Discussion
Estuary... To save you some time, here are some discussions which took place in this forum. Please ignore all the nasty remarks; they just come with the package.... Zhan Zhuang Jin related to Zhan Zhuang -
It is true but, at that time, the "Dao" was referred as "morality". That was the teaching of Confucius before the "Tao" that was mentioned in the Tao Te Ching. “Family of the Dao”, 道家, this is where your western mind kicks in which causing some misunderstanding. The 家, in this case and in the Chinese language, it is equivalent to "...ist". For example, a scientist. Therefore, 道家 is Tao + ist = Taoist. 道家 means those who study the principles of Tao. All depends who you are talking to. To a Confucian, it is the "morality of conduct"; to the Tao scholar who studies the Tao Te Ching, it is the principles in the Tao Te Ching. Since we are in the TTB forum, it was understood that 道家, Taojia is referring to those who study the principles of the Tao Te Ching. Please keep this in mind, at all times, as long we are discussing the Tao in the TTB forum to avoid repeating ourselves with the unnecessary challenges, we are definitely not talking about the Dao that was referred to the Confucian philosophy. Indeed, this will save us lots of time for discussing something else. Well, of course, there is room for additional explanations for you....!!!
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First of all, a true Taoist is one who dedicate his full life by seclusion in a Taoist shrine(道觀), up in the mountain, where there is close to Nature. The highest realm for a true Taoist is to be an immortal. It may be considered integrating oneself with Nature. To be an immortal, a Taoist will practice Chi Kung to preserve his life for longevity. The highest form of Chi Kung, in the Taoist world, is the alchemy or neidan. The reason that Taoist called it neidan is a long story. Did you miss something I said....???
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The keyword notorious in "a notorious threat to my privacy." was a dead give away..... In the Chinese cultural philosophy, if one admits something bad to degrade oneself one level below another, then the one was considered to be modest.
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Why are you picking on this character with special interest....??? I think I know what you are talking about but can you elaborate on that. Let's see if we are coping with the same idea.....???
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dawei... You should have asked a scholar instead of the Taoists from the temples. The Taoists in the Taoist religion do not pay much attention to the definitions of the terms. They tend to claim anything that is relating to Tao into their beliefs. These terms are still holding now and the past. Here are two good references. http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%81%93%E5%AE%B6 http://www.confucius2000.com/taoist/hldjjdjl.htm
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The sounds of Nature to the ear of the Taoists are the sacred art of music. The whisper of the winds, the sound of the waterfalls, the birds calls, and etc. All these sounds have a peaceful touch added to the tranquil mind of a Taoist while observing the natural beauty of the universe.
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Stosh..... Please don't take it the wrong way. I know where you stand; and I know you are trying to be impartial and objective since we have begun to discuss the subject. However, one just cant see things in any other way without crossing the other side of the line.
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Welcome...!!! My modest one.....
