Stigweard

I was writing up some life goals the other day and I became stuck when it came to laying out some action steps towards what I wanted to achieve. Following the advice of a motivational speaker, Dave Dee, I wrote down all the obstacles that I would encounter along the journey. The results I have to say were quite profound. So as an exercise I thought it would be useful here as well for everyone interested to add at least one hurdle or obstacle to the following list. The suggestion is to not worry about solving them just yet ... simply jot down as many possible. By doing this we will begin to see a clearer path to our destination. Obstacles and/or Hurdles: - Lack of money - No idea where to establish it - Don't have a core group of people to advance the project - Don't have clear objectives in place - Your turn

From the point of view of traditional Taoist cosmology, the pairs of opposites and myriad things were spawned from the original oneness of Tao. If our path of Taoist reintegration is one of 'return' then is it concievable that the pairs of opposites, like good and evil, are at some stage dissolved back into the oneness of Tao?

I thought you had shaved! Look at what happens when you Talk about handcuffs!

Still can't find that key! Where could I have hidden it? Garden glades beckon!

Know a good lock smith? Useful when returning home From holy crusades

I guess there are different perceptions of what an immortal is. For instance is it possible to become immortal and have any evil within ? Could "Buddha" be substituted with "Immortal" and say: "An Immortal is an Immortal because there is no evil within them. This is why they are an Immortal. If there was evil, they wouldn't be an Immortal." ?? Are there different grades of Immortals? Is there are difference between a Daoist Immortal and a Buddhist Immortal? Are we wasting our time with such conjecture and conceptualisation? Should we have another cup of tea?

I think we have to be compassionate to the different needs of people and the requirements of our society. For some people spirituality functions more as a form of emotional support; to give them a sense of self-confidence in a chaotic world. For other people it provides a means of social interaction and a sense of communal togetherness. Others approach their spirituality as merely a 'way' to operate effectively in the world whilst they pursue their worldly goals. And still others will approach their spirituality as the fulfillment of their true nature or divine potential. I am quite sure this list can be extended ad infinitum. Every person is at their own level and need different tools to get them to the next plateau up the mountain side. It is my belief that, ultimately, to become effectively independent spiritual beings we must discover the inner resources of our own true innate nature. However, just as we need training wheels when are learning to ride a bike, sometimes we must first shift our dependence upon some reliable teaching and use certain external tools. Eventually these external teachings and tools must give way to the sovereignty of true spiritual authority, but the path is long for each of us and who can really judge what another person 'should' be doing on their individual path. There are many ways to get to the mountain top and it certainly isn't a race or competition to see who has the best climbing boots or who has chosen the 'quickest' route of ascension. So let us perhaps take the time to appreciate our fellow climbers, rejoice in the diversity that we offer and cheer each other on in our progress.

"Stop misquoting me!" It offends me to the soul, I would have you whipped!

Hiya Mak Tin Si, Just want to say thank you for the diversity you bring to our humble, eccletic community. I admire the dedication that you obviously have had to cultivate in order to reach your level of achievement. It is good to have another branch of Taoism being illuminated here to give people a wider spectrum of options and it has been very interesting to see all the new knowledge bubbling forth as people reflect and comment on your valuable contributions. Warm Regards and Blessings,

inward or outward which way is our vision true? to be or be not

Thank you Lin. As always timely and lucid.

You are most welcome !

A rich businessman sought the advice of an immortal sage. The sage demanded the the businessman craft 5 fish out of pure gold as payment for his tutelage. Upon payment the sage threw the fish into the ocean to teach the businessman that even though the fish had the semblance of life they were not alive. Nothing is for free ... every lesson we learn costs us in some way. For the attainment of Tao that cost is the dedication of your entire life (and perhaps even several).

LOL I thinks I like you

Thank you for this xuesheng, I have ordered a copy. Can you provide a basic run down of what Wile has discovered? Cheers, Hi Dwai, I also would like to hear more of your Teacher and what they have to say on this matter.

LOL a tea poll ??!! What would we ask? And green tea with milk?? Has anyone called you a freak before A little twist of lemon coming right up

Welcome home PinupGuru, find a seat, how do you like your tea?

Do you think money really corrupts? If money is merely a neutral commodity what is it that really is doing the corrupting? What do you think money is really? What is the real currency for the exchange of knowledge? Why on earth would you say that someone would burn in a terrible fire? Why do you think you have the authority to say such a thing? Do you think being 'against' something is in any way productive or useful? If we abolish money, what practical alternative do you suggest that could be implemented worldwide in the next 5 years?

Thank you all for your comments here. I love being able to flesh out my own thoughts by reflecting on yours. I agree with Sloppy Zhang, fiveelementtao, and xuesheng that Taijiquan is first and foremost a practical martial art. That is the way I have learned it and that is the way I share it with others. I also resonate strongly with what Darin and dwai have said. The following reflections are entirely my own. No more credibility can be added to them beyond my own exploration and discovery. I can claim no link between them and any traditional or historical Taoist teaching any more than I can claim I can fly through the air (I do also admit to being a wannabe hippy Jedi though ) It is my unproven hypothesis that Taiji movement was present well before the formalised version of Taijiquan came into being. In my imaginings I picture Taoist aesthetics (or shamans if you wish) observing the forces of nature and, in their quest to emulate and become one with such forces, spontaneously began expressing the nature of trees, fire, mountains, rivers, wind, animals, incects etc etc. Perhaps the Five-animal Play (Wu Qin Xi) arose from such early explorations? As research into TCM and Qi 'mechanics' became more developed, organised and sophisticated certain core Taiji principles arose, consolidated, and were formalised into the traditions of Tao. It is my suggestion that it is out of this foundation of Taiji core principles that the martial arts Taijiquan arose. The essence of Taijiquan is of course Taiji, the supreme or grand ultimate, which of course can be known simply as "Tao". As Bao-Xi observed with the Yi Jing, it is through the pivotal action of Taiji that the two polarities, four phases and eight elements arose. Living by the principles of Taiji has been observed to be the most expedient, efficient and effective use of one's life force which applies the leverage of the most gained by the least exertion. To me it simply makes sense, therefore, to design a martial arts that is founded on these principles and that that martial arts would indeed be the "supreme ultimate fist". I have mentioned this elsewhere, and it is pure conjecture on my behalf, but my interpretation of 'quan' or fist is that, just like a formless hand forming a fist, it means the formation of the formless Taiji into something of utility, into something of worldly practical use, into Taijiquan. As such Taijiquan is a physical formalisation of Tao just the same as the Yi Jing is an intellectual formalisation of Tao. Excuse my unabashed lapsing into puppy dog enthusiasm and praise but it is beyond a doubt to me that Taijiquan is in fact the supreme ultimate physical expression. What an incredible gift it is to have a physical art form that is a supreme martial arts style, a potent exercise for health, a profound tool for self-discovery and unparalleled template for universal understanding. In terms of what Taijiquan means to you, I guess it comes down to what you personal think is important and where you are in your life and the demands placed on you from your environment. If you were in a time or place of violence and conflict it would naturally arise that the combative elements would be most relevant. For me, as I sit here at my computer in a peaceful community in a mostly peaceful country there are very few demands upon me to defend myself or my family, I have the luxury or indulgence to explore the deeper implications of the art that I have devoted my life to. And in these meanerings it has appeared to me that the essence of Taijiquan is Taiji itself and that the form, or quan, of Taiji is indeed the template, tool, supreme manuscript or even 'bible' to achieve personal harmony, wholeness and healing.

It is fun being a part of the genetic mutation process in the evolution of Tao Bums. A warm hearted "Thanks" and many blessings for your valuable contributions. Inevitably there is much discussion on what is 'right' and what is 'wrong'. Venerable Master Chin Kung from The Pure Land Learning College said to his students: "Always treat people as if they are right. Even if they are wrong they are right." I will offer my 'take' on this. I could be wrong ... the good spirits know I often am, so I would be very interested in hearing your views as well. I see both a Universal and personal implication in this teaching. On the Universal level, Ch 1 TTC says: ...Nothingness and Beingness and other conceptual activity of the mind all come from the same indescribable subtle Originalness. So any conception of right and wrong is merely the extremity of Universal expression; like the leaves on the tree that appear separate and distinct from each other and yet all the leaves have the trunk in common. And as alluded to in the Zen Koan: "Does a dog have Buddha nature?" The Master answered: "No" On a personal level, distinguishing 'right' and 'wrong' is perhaps the biggest malcontent of harmonious inter-personal relationships. When we say someone is wrong we invalidate their perception of reality, we deny them their rightful expression in an infinite Universe. But we also create opposition and contention because people will very rarely admit they are wrong. Let us say for example we are 'right' and the other person does indeed need to adjust their position. Even if we prove they are wrong through strong words or 'irrefutable logic', due to pride it is the common tendancy to dig one's heels in and defend one's position regardless of being right or wrong. This only serves to create further opposition and separation. So to say someone else is wrong is simply poor diplomacy and ultimately will result in everyone being 'wrong'. Instead of saying to someone, "You are wrong", the suggestion is to confirm something 'right' about the other person. For example in Tai Chi push hands, if our partner makes a foray into our defences we don't oppose their efforts, we don't say "You are wrong" and try and fight against their position by trying to establish ours. We yield, follow, and only then do we lead. In effect we are saying, "Yes your current direction is right, if I was in your position I would be doing exactly the same thing, and have you thought about going in this direction?" The subtle distinction is using 'and' instead of 'but'. Often we will say, "Yes I hear your point of view, but this is how I see it." Whilst that does make a paltry attempt at union it still creates a contrary and opposing position. What could be more productive perhaps is saying, "So if I understand you correctly you are saying that the moon really is made of cheese. I think that is a facinating perspective, and I agree that it certainly looks like a big round hunk of swiss cheese and many knowledgeable people in the past have thought exactly as you do. That was until of course modern science proved otherwise, but true enough many scientific discoveries have been proven wrong before. Tell me how you came upon your unique persepective." So even if someone is wrong in our view, it could be perhaps a wise suggestion to allow for the possibility that we don't 'know it all', embracing Emmerson's ideal that "Every man is my superior in some way in that I can learn from him!" And even if they are most definately wrong, first find and express the way in which they are 'right', present an alternative perception for consideration and give them a chance to 'save face'. Much unnecessary noise and bad vibrations could be averted and the process toward wisdom would be faster, alot more fun and infinitely more interesting. Blessings,

I have been discussing the original post with a few friends and there was interest in the Zen Koan. In hindsight I should have included the relevant commentry on this. Zen Koan are riddles as such ... they are created to make you think and find your own insight ... sometimes they don't even have a right or wrong answer. Sometimes no answer is required at all. For this one the hidden meaning is that the Master knows that all concepts of the mind are but branches of the one universal truth ... 'yes' and 'no' are merely two sides of the same coin and thus, from this universal perspective, the duality of yes and no disappear. As such, to the question of, "Does a dog have Buddha nature?" both yes and no are completely irrelevant which is why the Master answered, "No". Buddhists indeed believe everything has 'Buddha Nature". As Venerable Wu Kai, a buddhist nun friend of mine from the Pure Lands Learning College said: "All beings possess the same Buddha-Nature and so, we need to respect all living beings, including tiny little creatures like ants, mosquitoes, spiders etc. If you observe them carefully, they live the way as we human beings are. They need food, shelter and they even live in groups. They were born as little creatures due to one main reason - ignorance. Other than this, we are all the same, "We are One"." Another friend of mine, Russell, in his infinite wit added: "In terms of the question 'does a dog have Buddha nature?', can the eye see itself? Is it the dog that has the Buddha nature or is it the Buddha nature that has the dog?" Another friend, Heather, added: For me in my awakening perspective ... the question is now ... "what choice would give me a sense of Peace"? Rather than the ego question ... about who or what is right?? In the world of form (separate ego consciousness) we will never truly experience a 'peace that passes all understanding' ... Until we fully experience that everything that appears outside of us ... is a mirror/reflection of our own mind. Our intellect/ego sense of Self can't possibly accept this ... because this requires us to be completely responsible at the core level for everything I see and perceive as 'real'. "Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists ... and herein lies the Peace of God" And finally from Vikki: I think a lot of the time a persons view of right and wrong as based on their perception of reality usually arises from their own set of intrinsic values that have been built from birth so by damning their perception we are also threatening their values and belief systems..... Cheers all,

"Time is a very bankrupt, and owes more than he's worth, to season. Nay, he's a thief too: have you not heard men say That Time comes stealing on by night and day? If Time be in debt and theft, and a sergeant in the way, Hath he not reason to turn back an hour in a day?" The Comedy of Errors Act 4, Scene 2

Ahh ... Oolong tea, one of my favourites! Here you are with a smile