TonyTao

Hey, did you notice that in this little story it is still the woman who is being assertive, making the choices and making the moves? The guy is just behaving passively and beligerently... just an observation We need to be careful here. Sexism is the exploitation of one sex by another, as racism is the exploitation of one race by another. Obviously there are behavioural differences between the sexes and there are probably innate male and female roles in our relationships, but that does not mean sexism - ie exploitation - is natural. Sure, many women want a man who is assertive and strong, but IMHO they are not looking for mistreatment or a man who behaves like a pig. Taoism is about a yin-yang balance in ourselves and our relationships. I think conventional male/female role models based on social expectations are not always helpful. I would suggest the answer is for us to explore our own sexuality and relation with the opposite (or same!) sex for ourselves. Remember: Know the masculine, but keep to the feminine: and become a watershed to the world. If you embrace the world, the Tao will never leave you and you become as a little child. Laozi chapter 28.

The great thing about taoism, is it is a way of living in a world that sometimes treats you well, sometimes badly (we're all "straw dogs" as LaoZi says). I think it's possible to learn to live in a balanced way in the world, giving and receiving, closing and opening up, when it feels right. When it comes down to it, I don't think that we can be guided by books in our lives, but by how our experiences and actions feel. ...having said that, I find the Barefoot Doctor's book Urban Warrior a great resource as a humorous and modern taoist approach to living in the world. It does have some deep practices too, but delivered with a light touch.

That would be cool - if you do, be sure to let the BTA know how you get on.

Thank you for your welcome. I try to keep my own daily meditation practice (watching the breath) and also meditate regularly with a Tibetan Buddhist group. I've also practiced Dao Yin and some specific Taoist meditations given by my teacher Shijing. I've recently taken up tai chi chuan too and am getting a lot of benefit out of it (i think i needed to move about a bit!). I'll be looking out for some inspiration for practice and new ideas on this forum, so thank you for providing it. Tony

Well, I should confess that I'm still wrapped up in rational thinking! It's not easy to let go of it of course. Not that I want to dis the rational mind too much, though, since it keeps me alive and alert in the world much of the time. And it seems to me it's manifest by Tao in us naturally and for a reason. I just think it can sometimes get too intense and wrapped up in itself. One way of getting over a rational belief system is to use it against itself, zen-like. Have you ever read Fritjof Capra's Tao of Physics? I found that reading this book was a good way of loosening up that old Newtonian belief system. It is well-written and presented scientifically (so keeping Rational-Mind happy!). It shows that what is going on in the universe is much more than a bunch of particles banging into each other deterministically in linear time. It certainly got me thinking more openly and imaginatively about how things are. Tony

This is beautiful. It conjures the idea of nature merging in itself (eg "wind blends", snow melting into the sky) and the idea of "firmly gentle" is sensual and draws the tension of opposites manifest by the tao. Hope that makes sense! And I'm a bit of a sucker for repeating lines in poetry so I liked the "i am not" twice. From a taoist perspective, it draws in all the stuff about repeating patterns, seasons, etc... I vote for you to stick with it as it is!!!! Great, your poem was the highlight of my afternoon, Tony

No, I was brought to it dragging and screaming, after disbelief and many tantrams by my "rational" mind! Once I discovered Tao Te Ching, everything changed - resistance ended. Then only after much meditation practice, did I start having experiences of myself as more than ego and body. The curious thing is that this rarely happens during meditation. But during everyday activity it happens when quite suddenly and spontaneously the world seems to flip on itself and I get a much bigger perspective. These experiences quickly dissolve once my mind tries to attach to them, but I reckon that's OK. I enjoy their beauty and serenity even though they are fleeting insights. And, for me, they are absolutely relevant. It's experiencing my world just as it is! Tony

Hi, I've been interested in taoism for a long time... sometimes I'm with it, sometimes not... Great to come across follow Bums to share practice, ideas and questions. Cheers, Tony (Edinburgh Scotland)