shanlung

Wonderful! Such forceful answer and such real direction to guide me to be what I want to be. An oasis of light in this miasma of confusion and obsequious obfuscating tangle of words If I am not a Taoist, at least I see the light and finally I have holy guidance to that Path . Er... tell me more and scatter your pearls of wisdom as to the Discipline and Ancient and Principles I assure you I am not the only one seating around you at your feet with great eagerness to learn more that you care to impart. Idiot on the Path

Prior to my next mounting on the back of ox, or modern day equivalent, in a few days time, I kind of wrote a precursor to my next search of the Tao even if I do not know how the Tao looks like or taste like or feel like. But since everything is Tao, maybe what I wrote below is part of the canon of Tao. And if you want to ask, I cannot explain it to you either. With a few extra words here to put what I wrote into context. I last saw Yingshiong about 5 years ago in Jurong Bird Park after I gave him up there a year prior. I flew back from Brisbane, Australia just to walk him into Jurong Bird Park. I and my wife took a lot of photos on that handover. I could not write that handover as that required me to turn the playback in my mind. It was so painful to me that I turned it off. I tried about 6 times. Thinking it would be less painful. It was incredible how that tiny songbird captured my heart and how much he was a companion to me. I rejected offers of blank checks for him so he could fly free in the big aviaries there. Folks could not understand a very happy song bird who could fly freely and interacted the whole day with one who loved him could outsing any other prize birds kept only in a cage. I think I could write that handover now. But sadly, with the fading of the pain, my memories of that no longer that clear now. Maybe thats why the pain faded. With memories not that sharp, neither do I feel like writing that event. and some of his songs shamasong2 Here is a bitter sweet report of him , that might be of him, that I just wrote New camera at Jurong Bird Park // Shades of Yingshiong shanlung: New camera at Jurong Bird Park // Shades of Yingshiong Taoistic Idiot

My report on Taiping meditations and other stuff Taiping thoughts //Camera malfunction at NanHwaShi//Combat Taijichuan -some noteshttp://shanlung.livejournal.com/141331.html

That is wonderful! I hope yuanfeng will be with you and you make good contact and rapport with the Java Magus. I await further development and wish you luck and goodwill. May the Magus speak to us through you at later stage. Taoistic Idiot

I like that. I removed all mention of God/Buddha. I feel word debased them. Extracting and quoting here from what i wrote earlier Tao ke Tao, and where is Godhttp://thetaobums.com/topic/24825-tao-ke-tao-and-where-is-god/ Tao ke Tao , fei chang Tao Ming ke Ming, fei chang Ming The Tao that you think is the Tao, is not the Tao The Name that you think is the Name, is not the Name How many of us read and re read the TTC in all its different versions from the thin to the thick? And read the first couple of sentences, threw them aside and kept digging in the left over bath waters? And kept asking what is the Tao. Even to castigate Chuangtzu for not being a real Taoist as his writings never contained and invoke Tao. For all I know, LaoTzu was only a Pretender as he certaining talked of the Tao , even if his first couple of sentences denied everything he wrote subsequently. When the Tao is beyond immeasurable and beyond infinite, even to think of the Tao and its concept, you cannot but defined the Tao, the Undefinable Tao , within the concept of what you think is the Tao. Likewise, the Name that you try to give to that Name. Imprisoned the real Name into the representation you made in your mind of that Name. The Name so vast and primordial all squeezed into a tiny container of the Name? Perhaps that came from the great East and West divide. The West, be it Chrisitianity, Judaism or Islam, demanded the concept of God. And the East? Godless or the refusal to accept the concept of God. But I have so say Judaism tried to limit the damage by evoking unpronouncable JHWH. Which failed as that became Jehovah, and yet another name. But again, if God is that infinite and everywhere, by giving the thought of God, are people then differentiating anything outside their thought of what God is is then not God? Is God that limited ? That God must exist only within that name, or concept, of GOD? Or the limitation came from the very thinking of the concept God. So those that want to talk of God, tell me then, where is your God. And why do you wish to limit your God by talking of Him , and of his Name. My first posting into here came as a hit on a very old webpage I did about 10 years ago, and based on earlier writings I did on BBS before the Internet. I reproduce that here, what was said by Taoist Master Tseng Lao Weng. http://www.shanlung....taonirvana.html aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ENLIGHTENMENT From: khamba2 - Date: Wed, Jun 2 1999 12:00 am Groups: alt.philosophy.taoism Paul Humphries <[email protected]> wrote: >Hi! >I feel a bit skeptical about enlightenment at the moment, so wish to ask >some questions to anyone who has any ideas.. >When a person reaches the state of pure, total enlightment and absolute >truth, what does this mean? Is it that they are now learning openly to >the greatest of their potential? What sort of knowledge of reality >emerges? What abilities does this give the person? How many truely >enlightened masters exist, do you think? How do they live? Would they >have any preferences in taste in music? >Cheers! Sorry that I am answering with this is an old letter. I do hope the words of Taoist Master Tseng Lao Weng can answer a bit of your question even if he did not mention his preferences for music be it classical, hard rock or heavy metal. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------­---- I have mourned that many of my books stayed back in my home town while I was wandering ,working and staying elsewhere. But a selection of John Blofeld's books followed me. I thought I quote one of my favorite portion from his book 'Taoism, The Secret and Sublime' which may help others understand and decide for themselves if Taoism is a philosophy or a religion. I myself, never did feel that either path is important. He was talking to this Taoist Master Tseng Lao Weng. (now using also his format and capitalizations..) -------------------------------------------------------- Having heard from me of Sir Edwin Arnold's lovely expression for entering Nirvana, 'the dew-drop slips into the shining sea', he exclaimed with delight, but added: 'And yet it does not capture the whole. Since the Tao is all and nothing lies outside it, since its multiplicity and unity are identical, when a finite being sheds the illusion of separate existence, he is not lost in the Tao. By casting off his imaginary limitations, he becomes immeasurable. Plunge the finite into the infinite and, though only one remains, the finite, far from being diminished, takes on the stature of infinity. Such perception will bring you face to face with the true secret cherished by all the accomplished sages. The mind of one who returns to the Source thereby BECOMES the Source. Your own mind is DESTINED TO BECOME THE UNIVERSE ITSELF!' The Taoistic Idiot

I wonder if I will go back again to Ching Cheng Shan. Especially after I been told by YMWong most of the temples there were flattened during that 2008 earthquake. Temples might have been rebuilt. Perhaps it might be better I rest on my memories on those earlier days. When very few tourists were in CCS. I am not sure if I can handle it or accept CCS to be a chinese Disney land with karoke bars and such. Taoistic Idiot

When John Blofeld was walking the walk in Taoist monasteries and talking with Taoist Masters and Abbots, and nicely written in English, you neglect to read MOST of his books? When Blofeld is a RECOGNISED expert in Taoism, you read only some of his books? You did not mentioned his books on Taoism , and I must conclude you never read those books. Spending time in this forum will be enough for you to know about China, Chinese and Tao? You have not known how he prepared himself, his study of Chinese and his earlier travels about China as if that is not at all important as to how that opened the doors later for him? You think in one or two moves, all the temple doors in China will be open to you? When you do not even know Chinese. And those who do not open the doors are therefore racist to you. If the abbots do not bother to learn English to talk to you that therefore you are being deliberatly excluded? I am Chinese, and I do believe my Chinese knowledge is better than what you ever hope to be. I have stayed in over a dozen temples in Taiwan and China for a few nights at a time. I knew I was an outsider, and I remained respectfully an outsider content to listen to their temple bells before the break of dawn, to watch their assembly for prayers and rituals satisfied they let me lived with them for a nominal sum and to join them in their meals. Do I take offense the abbot did not talk to me? I was sure he had better things to do. I was not sure if I was ready to talk to him even if I stayed a few nights over. If I was ready to talk to him, he would have talked to me. I was not , and did not care to be a dilettante. To amuse myself by making him talk to me when I knew I was not ready then, or now. Maybe reporting that in some forums or later writing a book on all that. What wonderful self fullfilling proclamations that you make. When other like Blofeld could open the doors, you getting ready excuses for doors being closed. Or is Blofeld not Westerner enough for you? And you not even interested to find out how he got doors to open for him? That that was long time ago and therefore you have no time for that? You have that kind of mental insight things like that only happened then and not now? I withdraw from this conversation. Since you do not care to take your notes from Blofeld, neither do I think you care to take your notes from me or others for that matter. Whatever you are searching for, when you do know what you are searching for, I can only wish you luck. Idiot on the Path

With all your professed desire for the Tao, have you ever read the books by John Blofeld, an acknowledge Western expert with travelled and lived in Buddhist and Taoist monasteries and temples in China in before WW2? If you have not, you are NOT searching for the Tao, and at best, you just a wannabe. If you have read his books, then you would have known top Taoists in China during the time of Blofeld stay received Blofeld with open arms and taught him as much as he could received. Perhaps you yourself think too much of your being a Westerner, a superior kind of Westerner, and that you may be a racist and think others are racist like you. I think you closed the doors yourself, and not that the doors are closed on you. Idiotic Taoist

China is VAST. I travelled widely from mid 1990 to 1999 in China. If you go to the dirty, noisy crowded polluted places, you get the dirty noisy crowded polluted places then. You also get hauntingly beautiful places as well. You get what you chose. I was at Wudang Shan, Tai Shan Omei Shan and Hua shan (when they did not put up those safe walkways yet and you depend on chains, steps cut in rock face and a lot of prayers and curses why in hell you went there?) and ChingCheng Shan. I do not know about now as obviously 15 years ago, a lot lot less tourist (especially Chinese tourists). I guess now a lot more charlatans will be there in robes, rosary beads and all. Where money can be made, crooks will be there. Baguakickass is right. Go do trial runs and check out your own state of mind, where it is cheaper and easier to get back home to. I did a 3 weeks trial run of checking Taiping, Perak Malaysia as retirement home before actually going there to retire. Taiping a beautiful place to contemplate the Tao and retirement, but not a place that I will retire in. I decided I be going to many more places to contemplate further. Eventually might even be a Taoist temple somewhere. So I be on that back of an ox (or equivalent) in a couple weeks or so. Taoistic Idiot.

CT, If you read my earlier report on the eve of departure to Taiping, http://shanlung.livejournal.com/141112.html you will have found references to Maxwell hills which would have answered your question. I was rhetorically asking if the plagiarising of Blofeld works was ethical or not. That was not meant to be a real question. It was clear what was written by Deng was not just a fiction, that was outright fraudulent and theft. Especially if you fire up Google, you find seminars on chi kung and martial arts , and Living Taoism even, being conducted by Kwan Sai hung. No idea if what he was teaching was based on the D grade rubbish fiction that he was reading in addition to good works by Blofeld and others. I do hope folks of the Tao take pride in ethics too. And denounced in any language plagiarisation of any kind. None of those 0h! - that read better written by him If so , you must be saying Nouel Alba did a great job too! Her writings was apparently a lot better and more heart rending. BBC News - NY woman in Newtown 'charity scam' And same for those who took from church poor boxes. Maybe I am just an Idiot and do not know the other wonderful ways of the Earth and actually admired by some. What am I to say. I can only say to each their own and their own path. Please do not mind me being an .anachronism in your world. Idiotic Taoist

Extract from http://www.shanlung.com/oldtaonirvana.html aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ENLIGHTENMENT From: khamba2 - Date: Wed, Jun 2 1999 12:00 am Groups: alt.philosophy.taoism >When a person reaches the state of pure, total enlightment and absolute >truth, what does this mean? Is it that they are now learning openly to >the greatest of their potential? What sort of knowledge of reality >emerges? What abilities does this give the person? How many truely >enlightened masters exist, do you think? How do they live? Sorry that I am answering with this is an old letter. I do hope the words of Taoist Master Tseng Lao Weng can answer a bit of your question ---------------------------------------------------------------------------­---- He was talking to this Taoist Master Tseng Lao Weng. (now using also his format and capitalizations..) -------------------------------------------------------- Having heard from me of Sir Edwin Arnold's lovely expression for entering Nirvana, 'the dew-drop slips into the shining sea', he exclaimed with delight, but added: 'And yet it does not capture the whole. Since the Tao is all and nothing lies outside it, since its multiplicity and unity are identical, when a finite being sheds the illusion of separate existence, he is not lost in the Tao. By casting off his imaginary limitations, he becomes immeasurable. Plunge the finite into the infinite and, though only one remains, the finite, far from being diminished, takes on the stature of infinity. Such perception will bring you face to face with the true secret cherished by all the accomplished sages. The mind of one who returns to the Source thereby BECOMES the Source. Your own mind is DESTINED TO BECOME THE UNIVERSE ITSELF!' The Taoistic Idiot

I will say go to Taiwan for your initial immersion into the Chinese language. You will be among the most friendly of folks in Taiwan, delighted that you are trying to learn mandarin and will go all out to assist and encourage you. In Taiwan, you will be learning the classical chinese, the FanTiJi form. Later on in your travels in Mainland China, you will find all the letters cut into rocks and older books to be the FantiJi. I was very devastated when I found I could read those old steles better than an University graduate I engaged in China to be my translator as she was brought up in the JianTiJi and could hardly recognised the Fantiji. Taoist notes and older books will be written in the FanTiJi. There are many old Taoist temples in Taiwan. More likely than not, you find better yuanfeng in Taiwan and might just spend all your time there. And more likely than not, if you seek Mainland China after Taiwan, you will be given letter of introduction to those mainland china temples. You will find your first step in Taiwan to be the best step you can take. And do visits to Ching Cheng Shan. I dont know about now. But when I visited that place in 1990s, I was really taken up by that place a lot lot more than Wudang Shan. Idiotic Taoist

I thought I will just kick this up as companion to what I just written in Deng & Blofield works, is it ethical? http://thetaobums.com/topic/27637-deng-blofield-works-is-it-ethical/ Idiotic Taoist

So those who left their country of birth from war or prosecution , or because they want a better future have no escape. With that righteous mealy mouth reply, I decided the best place for chenping in my life will be at the bottom of the dustbin of ignore. I was already thinking of that before on reading the self adorating stuff he wrote of himself and the innuedoes of his wealth. It might amuse folks here that Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore commissioned another report from a think tank stuffed by well paid monkeys of his chosing that Singaporeans are indeed the happiest people on this planet. LKY has plenty of money. He amassed from the hapless Singaporeans 700+ Billion USD into Singapore Sovereign Fund, to use as he please. I think Chenping was one of those in that think tank or similar. It was a good 3 weeks in quietude in Taiping. I spend much of that by the lakeside or up the 1000 meter Bukit Larut or Maxwell hills overlooking Taiping. You all here had been the first to be notified by me. I wrote of the start of that journey to the rest of my birdie/beastie friends a day later, which meant I was already there in Taiping, and a bit further than what I wrote here before I went. The start of my next chapter http://shanlung.livejournal.com/141112.html I never got to know the Tao better. Maybe I tried too hard to find the Tao and therefore could not find it that way. I found Taiping to be a delightful happy town. A great place to be in with cost of housing and good food, a fraction the cost of Singapore. But I still have many other places to check out in other parts of the world. I will be around a few weeks to feed the kitties and to take care of their litter. And to decide where next should I go in my search, of whatever I am searching for. I came back to find that neither are folks here that much closer to determining what is the Tao or Taoist. Perhaps we all ask the wrong questions. Problem is that I do not know the right questions to ask either as I am just the idiot. The Idiot on the Path

I have met with an Immortal. That was when I was in Taiwan and about 20++ years ago on a rain swept road. He did not have a rainbow body. But he altered my life since then. Why he came to me I did not know. I guess I never ever will know. Try to find time to read of that account. Your guess is as good if not better than mine. Fragments of earlier memories of Taiwanhttp://shanlung.livejournal.com/111670.html Idiotic Taoist

Even better will be to do what I have done. I threw chenping into my dustbin of ignore so I never have to see him and the rubbish that he sprouted anymore. He and chidragon go well together. From time to time bits of his stuff came through in quotations of his stuff. I am glad I did what I have done. I feel closer to the Tao that way.

Come to think of it, there was at least a Nazi Jew. Except they had to be very discrete about it, especially Adolf himself.

To folks of the Tao, even if we cannot agree as to what the Tao is. I beg absence of leave for some time as I embarked on my own journey on the Path. I am seeking for a place to retire in. I wrote of that a bit earlier in my blog. http://shanlung.livejournal.com/140773.html Definately not in Singapore where I have the misfortune to be born in and holding the passport here. Which has the distinction of being the most miserable country in a Gallup polls finding. It also has the distinction of the most unemotional country in another Gallup polls finding. Even when compared to folks of basketcase countries like BanglaDesh or Phillipines. Even when compared to folks in war torn counties like Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. Or even both in one such as in Somali Read that in a blog below. Singapore. The most miserable people in the world, says Gallup poll http://singaporedissident.blogspot.sg/2012/12/singapore-most-miserable-people-in.htmlMuch unlike what the regime here portray as very happy people and all blessings including rising of the sun and falling of rain and blossoming of flowers entirely due to the wise leadership of the government of Singapore. Might amuse you the world 30 top highest politicians are all found in Singapore. http://mysingaporenews.blogspot.sg/2009/04/top-30-highest-paid-politicians-in.html So before you bad mouth your politicians, think how lucky you are compared to folks in Singapore. They cannot be voted out. So I vote with my feet. To find that place to retire in, I cannot rely on what others say. I need to go there, and live there for 3-4 weeks to see if I will fit in. I live simply and worked long enough not to have to work anymore. I will be going to a few places to check them out. So I will eventually be going to Pokhara, Nepal. To Laos and China. Probably to Spain and Central America and later to Ecuador. I dislike cities, preferring hamlets and small towns and close to mountains or the sea. This evening in about ten hours time, I have a bus ticket that will take me to the first of that destination. Taiping of Perak in Malaysia. To be there for 3-4 weeks, followed by XYZ or where ever the Tao lead me to and that I can feel closer to the Tao even if I cannot know what the Tao is. If LZ would have his rathers, I think he probably would rather sit in a bus instead of the back of an ox. Obviously I might not be in the Internet , or in it for brief visits. I feel that when I get back here, you all will not be any closer to defining a Taoist , or the Tao or even what fa jing is. Or find you all making a wiser choice of just sitting around and enjoying tea. Idiot on the Path

There were Nazis who were Catholics and Methodists and Protestants. I guess even Buddhists too. People hijacked left and right whatever symbols to feel better. And why should skulls be bad? Because you think skulls are bad? In Tibetan Buddhism, ritual drinking cups were, and are made from top of skulls. Among other things, to signify the impermanence of life. Ritual flutes were , and are , made from thigh bones of humans. And for all I know, Satanism might be given a very bad rap from Christianity. Good holy symbols were made devilish by Christianity as they seek to destroy all other beliefs so that only they remain, in the worse cultural genocide seen on Earth. And not that long ago, Christianity chucked Taoist, Buddhists , Hindus with all Heathens and Pagans and said we all worship Satan and should be burned as we do not worship that man who got himself onto the cross. Idiotic Taoist

Fa jing is real. Sadly frauds and charlatans are real too. There were already far too many of them in my time and looks like they bred even more in your time. The worse of the lot will be the kong jin , that they can fah without touching. I wish you you well and that one day, you meet one of those MASTER as against a mere master no matter how loud that dime a dozen master proclaimed himself to be. Nothing I can write, or you have read, will prepare you enough for that. I promise you, you will find it real fun, even if you cannot believe whatever is happening to you. Idiotic Taoist

If he ask for money, I will hand over my wallet. No point to quarrel over mere money. If it is not money, then it is a very different matter. That depends on which side of the bed I got off from that morning. Go blame the bed if harm fell on the other. Why do I care about the opponent. It is his role and duty to think of his own well being. Not go find trouble and then expect the other to care and bother of his well being while the trouble is being resolved. Idiot on the Path

I drink to that! You provide the tea. I bring those delicate titbits, and Liuligongfang pieces to be admired.

If a Nazi thinks he is a Taoist, then you get your Nazi Taoist. No one ever think that they are evil, even if what they are doing is evil and obnoxious to the rest of us. They all felt they have a Greater Good to work to, and that the world misunderstood them. Be that Lebenstraum, or Purity of their race, that what they were doing was fundamentally good. I do not think those who blew themselves up in markets and in religious parades, those flew the planes into the Twin Towers, Pentagon and that lonely field felt that they were evil doing dastardly deeds. They felt they were on a holy missions. They felt they were on a noble crusade and surely Paradise and the virgins there would welcome them. You are free to think otherwise. Idiotic Taoist

After which we evoke the unexplainable to explain the God so created. How nice! So clear to me. But then, I am the Idiot here. Taoistic Idiot

I should add the following. But I think that is self evident from the way I wrote. That trouble should be ended to your own satisfaction and not to the satisfaction of the one who started it or the satisfaction of others who came only to judge later. But it will be good to have witnesses that was forced onto you. And the consequences on the head that forced it on you. Taoistic Idiot