MassTaoism

In an attempt to learn more about the members of our great little forum here, I was wondering as to what kind of Taoist you feel you are and where you would place yourself and your knowledge/connection to The Way and Taoism as a whole? I'm sure some of you have been a devout Taoist for decades while some of us have only started down the path to enlightment, so I would imagine that the answers for this poll will be quite diverse and I'm looking forward to reading them, but please be honest in your answers so that others know who to seek out for further knowledge and discussion for topics relative to Taoism. Personally, I think I would fall under Taoist Initiate because I have just started to get involved and still have a lot to learn of The Way and Taoism as a whole. I'm eager to learn and am even thinking about visiting some temples to seek out further guidence from those who may be willing to teach, I know of a temple in MA and one in CT that I could (and probably will) visit, so that's kind of exciting to me. Well, I look forward to reading your answers to the poll. Happy voting!

I think after a little more reading and some more studying both on here and through books I will be able to consider myself a Taoist Journeyman, I feel as if I'm learning more and more everyday and that the meditiation is helping me and cleansing me in ways I can't really explain. But then again, nobody can really explain the Dao....

Another great post Marblehead, keep them coming! These have become some of my favorite posts to look forward to when coming here, they actually give you a little food for thought despite having never really taken place, it still makes for a fun and interesting read thought.

"Fortunately for you", replied Lao Tan, "you did not meet one of those rulers who want to put the world in order. The Six Classics that you speak of are but like footprints left by the ancient kings, and not the persons from whom the footprints come." The above is my favorite line from this offering, I enjoyed the entire post but this specific line really got me thinking about all literiture that is hundreds of years older than we are and whether or not what we read is what the original author had really written.

Eh, I'm of the opinion that earth is the only planet with any intelligent life on it and if there is anything else on other planets the creatures are not human-like and aren't evolved like humans are. I have nothing concrete to base those opinions on but it's just how I've always looked at the universe as a whole, I just think that if there was concrete proof of other beings alive in the world that we would know of it it by now instead of National Inquirer photo's and whatnot.

One of my favorite things in the world is hearing the sound of the ocean and the sweet crash of the waves against the rocks, since I'm going to be on vacation starting tomorrow I figured I would take the time to meditate by the ocean and let go of my troubles and find tranquility through deep meditation by one of the most relaxing places that I know of. I'm really excited for this and I was actually wondering how many of my fellow taoists meditate by the beach or ocean as a part of their normal routine? I will not be very active over the next several days so I just wanted to say thanks for everything everone does here at the Tao Bums and I look forward to coming back and discussing my thoughts on experiencing meditation by beachside. Take care!

Well, I'm back from vacation and I really enjoyed my stay at the beach and I made sure to get in a couple of really good bouts of meditation, it was relaxing and quite healing in a way. The first period of meditation took place in the evening, around 7:00, and I sat on a rock overlooking the ocean and meditated for about 20 minutes, when I was done I read the first 10 entries in the Tao Teh Ching. The 2nd period of meditation took place at night on the same rock overlooking the great sea, I did about 15 minutes of meditation and read another 10 entries of Master Laozi's Tao Teh Ching. When I was done I sat there and stares at the half moon and thought about some great people I once knew who are no longer around, people like my father and a close friend of mine who passed last year due to addiction to heroin. I cried a little bit when I was done and felt vulnerable, but I felt good after a while and somewhat cleansed in many ways.

He could have lost his sense of humanity for a brief period of time and in doing so felt that teaching the ways of humanity to others would brand himself slightly hypocritical?

I wonder if Confucius and Lao Tzu ever truly had any discussions with each other during their lifespans, or if they've even heard of each other through word of mouth? I'm kind of ignorant to that whole era of living so I don't even know if they even existed within the same period of time as each other, but its certainly something I would like to learn. Confucius could have learned a lot from Master Lao Tzu back in those days, heck, anyone who had the chance to even talk to Lao Tzu could have learned a lot from him by just making communication with him, sometimes I wish I was alive back in those days if not just for the conversations alone.

I think once I have a full grasp on Tao Te Ching I will probably move on to a copy of I Ching, I think that anything that has to do with Daoism should be studied and learned since you never know when you may need it down the road. There are lots of Masters both here and elsewhere in the world that have used the knowledge within the I Ching and it wouldn't hurt to brush up on it I suppose. I certainly will be.

I just read the initial post within this thread and am totally blown away, wow, that was quite the read and I got to say that I agree with quite a bit of it if not all of it. Great topic, I truly believe that the Tao and virtue are both intertwined if not linked to eachother, especially since the Tao and virtue both exist within all concrete things.

Everybody encounters lack of motivation or concentration from time to time, it's a part of life, but when it happens to me sometimes a simple glass of water will put me back on track. I know that sounds weird but water seems to highten my concentration, if I'm doing some creative writing and am trying to really make a dent into what I need to do but I find my attention drifting I will usually grab a tall glass of water and take a few sips and before you know it I'm off and writing again. This won't work for everyone of course but it seems to do the trick for me, but personally, I believe motivation to be a huge key when it comes to concentration because if I've got nothing to motivate me when I will surly have a tough time keeping my focus on the activity at hand.

"Fame or life, which is more intimate"..... Well, fame of any kind brings a lot of people into your life and if that's okay with someone then maybe that's what they would consider to be their "intimacy", but for me I would much prefer "life" because I can make of it what I chose instead of having other hands in my bowl of M&M's....if you catch my drift. Just food for thought. Also, my copy of Tao Te Ching has it listed as the following.... "Which is more important, you honor or your life? Which is more valuable, your possessions or your person? Which is more destructive, success of failure? Because of this, great love extracts a great cost and true wealth requires greater loss. Knowing when you have enough avoids dishonor, and knowing when to stop will keep you from danger and bring you a long, happy life."

Thank you Stan, maybe once I feel I've reached a level I'm comfortable with as I pertains to The Way I may go ahead and check out those books you recommended. As for the poll, 21 people have voted so far! Wow! Keep it up dear friends.

Great lesson and a fantastic passage. I've learned a long time ago when to stop in certain situations when I found myself fall into some trouble due to personal greed and the desire of possessions, with that said, we all desire things but I think we need to prioritize and strip ourselves down to the core to define these priorities. I've done that and I've decided that the love of my family and personal health has become the most important thing in my life and material possessions have become a much lower priority over the past several years.

I think once I've read enough material and have spent enough time living these values then I could promote myself to another level, I just feel like I have so much learning to do before I believe myself to be anything other than an initiate. Anyone know any other books other than Tao Te Ching that I should be reading to become one with The Way? I'm open to pretty much anything....

Which one of these three entries is the most accepted among the Taoist community, or which one was the closest interpetation to Laozi's original writings? I would think the first entry would be, the way it was written most certainly sounds like something that could have been penned quite some time ago and it feels a little less "modern". Still, it's a great study and lot's could be learned from this chapter, I will meditate on this tonight at some point before I bed down for the night.

Lovely piece, Marblehead. You truly are quite the being. If I may ask, was that based off of actual events, or what that a story that you created on your own? Just wondering.

Marblehead, could you drop me a link to that thread that took place a couple of months ago? It would be greatly appreciated. Wow, 7 votes for Taoist Follower and 3 votes so far for Taoist Initiate, this is good information for people who may want to seek someone with more knowledge of The Way and Taoism as a whole for guidence or information. Keep it up guys! I've ordered a couple of books on Taoism today and I'm reading every last piece on information I can so I hope to someday not feel like an Initiate, I really want to grow with this way of life and like many have told me in the past, "you only get out of it what you put into it".

Goldisheavy, Great post! Very well written and well researched, you truly are an enlightened being and it shows through your hard work and dedication with posts like these. I loved the first pragraph, that really opened my eyes to the 3 levels of enlightment and really kinds of hits you like a ton of bricks if it's something that you have not researched or thought about previously. Also, I totally agree with the 2nd paragraph as well, when observing a person or encountering a person as a whole we don't have complete access to them to understand them on the deepest level, I never thought about that before. Very cool.

I feel the complete opposite, I'm 30 years old and yet there are times when I feel like I'm 15 or 16, its weird to me but I think a part of me will always have boyish tendancies even as I continue to age. There are times when I'm struck by the feeling that I'm wise beyond my years but for the most part I feel fairly youthful, I guess that's not really a bad thing when I stop to think about it, but still.

Well, I've been looking far and wide for a place on the web where I can connect with other fellow Taoist's and it looks as if I've found my new home, I'm so pleased to meet you all and I'm very excited to be here. I consider myself a "Taoist Initiate", I'm new to the way of life and find that day by day I'm making myself a better person who is as "at peace" with the world as I think I've ever been, I'm excited to grow and learn more of this lifestyle as well as read more books based on Toaism and am even thinking of seeking out Alex Anatole for more guidence. Hopefully there are lots of great people here to talk to and I look forward to joining discussion with other Taoist Initiate's and Master Taoist's alike, this truly is an exciting time in my life.