Stigweard

OMG ... Only one day to go! Great questions Michael ... when you see my little contribution to the online world of Taoism keep in mind that it grew out of the TaoBums FAQ that I started. I was feeling hampered by the limitations of the BB code and the thought struck me, "Hey why don't I just set up a website that could run alongside TaoBums?" A kind of repository for the best online resources uncovered by the good folk here was what I initially had in mind. It just grew in scope from there because I also agreed with a common sentiment of "Why don't we have our own Wiki for Taoism?" Sure Wikipedia is a great resource but it does have its limitations. Many entries are incomplete and some downright misleading. So hence the Wiki side of it was put in place (still a lot of work to do there ... have only got half the entries tidied up enough for this initial launch ... any volunteers??? ) "How do I balance it between religious & historic Taoism and the philosophical & alchemical Taoism that is more widely practice here?" My study of Taoism integrates the religious, historic, philosophical and alchemical aspects as one ... each are interdependent with the others. As I have debated before, to isolate one from the others is to detract from the tradition to the point that you could barely call it Taoism anymore. I am sure you will see that reflected in the framework I have provided. Ahh but don't ya just love putting yourself on the line

Yikes 2 days to go! I feel like I am cramming for an exam

Sounds like a great project Here's basic list of schools * Tianshi Dao 天師道 (Way of the Celestial Masters) * Shangqing School 上清 (Supreme Clarity) * Lingbao School 靈寶派 (Numinous Treasure) * Quanzhen School 全眞 (Complete Reality) * Longmen 龍門 (Dragon Gate) * Huashan 華山 (Mount Hua) * Wudang 武當 (Mount Wudang) * Zhengyi 正一 (Orthodox Unity) * Popular Western Taoism We would have to profile the basic beliefs for each ... big project but it could be fun ... some good learning involved on the way.

Was wondering about that myself So that makes you: 1. Agnostic Ambivalent (100%)

I wouldn't have it any other way my friend. Blessings

Yup ... more like months LOL

6 days to go Cheers for the supporting comments.

Another quiet bump for virtue

Seven days to go

Nine days to go

_/\_

Erm ... are we still talking about a Chicken or an Egg?

I enthusiastically agree with everything you have just said !!!!

_/\_

The gull escapes From life of a scavenger And soars to new heights

I am more than happy to agree with this ... it is absolutely true that you do not have to go into the traditional practices of Taoism to receive benefits. You can certainly enjoy the wonderful philosophy of the sages and improve your life thereby. However please do not try and fallaciously assert that Taoism is a philosophy and not a religion and that the religious aspects of Taoism were in some way a denigration of the philosophy. Unless of course you can provide irrevocable proof from authentic sources to prove your statements. I am always willing to adjust my perspective in the presence of conclusive evidence and so far all I have seen is personal opinions. Just in case you jump up and down indignantly with cries of "HYPOCRITE!!" ... once again I present you with "The "Taoism" of the Western imagination". And once again I refer you to the works of Ni, Hua Ching who is a modern day Taoist priest of the Quanzhen tradition.

Nice

"Harvard University Chinese Taoist cognitive psychotherapy (CTCP) combines elements of cognitive therapy and Taoist philosophy. Empirical evidence of its efficacy and mechanisms of action is lacking. This study compared the efficacy of CTCP, benzodiazepines (BDZ), and combined treatment in Chinese patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). In total, 143 patients with GAD were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups: CTCP only, BDZ only, or combined CTCP and BDZ treatment. Patients were evaluated at intake, and re-examined one and six months after treatment. The results indicated that BDZ treatment rapidly reduced symptoms of GAD at one month, but its effect was lost at six months. CTCP reduced symptoms more slowly and its effect was significant after six months of treatment. Combined treatment led to acute, as well as enduring, symptom reduction. Unlike BDZ treatment, CTCP reduced type A behavior, improved coping style, and decreased neuroticism. It is concluded that CTCP with or without BDZ treatment is a more effective, although slower, method for the treatment of GAD than BDZ for GAD patients in urban China".

The egg is the Yin counterpart of manifestation, it needs the Yang sperm to become fertile. So the egg cannot be Tao on its own. Only when Yin and Yang have intercourse do the myriad things arise. What came first? A single cell organism swimming in the pea soup of evolution. Through its natural process of self progenation it divides of itself. There is no chicken without an egg and no egg without a chicken. They are the one being. The better question perhaps is: What came before there was even such a thing as a chicken or an egg? This process of merging distinctions and appearances is the path of subtle integration, the integral way of Tao.

May I ask why on earth anyone would find such self mutilation desirable?

What does it all mean? Foreigners riding ninth wave, Sound the battle drums.