Reed

Good timing on the thread bump I've just started doing the seated version most mornings for the last couple of weeks, mainly from here: I'm doing each piece a couple of times and will build from there. Something strange has happened with my sleep very recently: it's becoming more normal ie I'm going to sleep at about 11 and waking up around seven-ish. I've no idea whether this is due to the brocade or whether it will last, but it's unusual enough for me to have taken notice.

woohoo! and when Tsai Shen Yeh makes you rich, feel free to spread some of that wealth to the people who helped you with the altar

Nice going! I'm excited to see the final altar set up and arranged, if you don't mind sharing a photo

I have forgotten who your chosen gods are. It might help people give you better advice if you remind us who they are eta: I just saw it again on fb: "I intend to worship the God of Wealth in addition to the Three Stars."

I'm kind of toying with getting Damo's book. I have been looking at various threads on here and I had a couple of questions Firstly, I was curious how people feel about this book a couple of years later and what impact it's made on your practice etc --- Secondly, I've been having a look at his video where he suggests some simple qigong exercises which I thought was quite cool and nice of him to put out for free. I've literally just started doing seated 8 piece brocade and I recognized some movements in that video. Does anyone know if he mentions in his book that his system/exercises work if you're sitting down on a stool or does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Nice going I just found part one. I think that's pretty cool of him to do that.

No worries I think they're quite nice to put on your desktop as a background, as a kind of virtual altar, and just meditate on them.

Here are a couple of fun ones. I'm not really sure who this guy is or what his organisation's like, though. Altar of Jade Emperor God of Health and Longevity http://www.tao.org/temple.html

Yeah, it's been about 20 years since I looked at his stuff so I'm not the best person to comment on your read although it seemed cool from what I remember of his stuff I think that thread could be an interesting discussion. I have various thoughts about TA, your read, and I also think there may be some overlap with Freud, IMO, although definite differences as well. Either way, it could be fun to look at it again, and maybe even see how it might fit with Taoism (whatever that might be ). Ha! Nice try but I'm not going to take responsibility for what you did and play that game with you

I suspect you may be confusing Eric Berne with the 'pool and billiards' author or maybe even Nucentz? Seriously though, games people play is a classic book, IMO. I read it years ago along with other books of his on TA and they were quite influential in me going on to study psychology

Yeah, I have to agree with this although, as you've said later on, it can be fun to exchange ideas as well (depending on who you're having discussions with, I guess). This reminds me a little of Hume's quote although I assume most people on here aren't suffering from philosophical melancholy and delirium

Yes, I thought it was pretty good and interesting to actually see something. She seems to be pretty much in line with Eva Wong's account I quoted earlier:

If it's not a problem, can you stick this prayer on the thread so we can all see it? I'm quite curious as to what a Taoist prayer might be

No worries It might give you some ideas for a home altar. Whenever I've made a little altar, it's usually been with a few favourite stones of mine, feathers I've found, leaves and twigs from favourite trees, maybe a picture of a deity I'm interested in/working with etc but this, of course, wasn't a formal Taoist altar. The interlibrary loan is a good solution but, if it's anything like over here, bear in mind you can't renew it. I got a book the other week and could only keep it for about two or three weeks.

Here is a basic arrangement of the typical Taoist altar of the Hsien-t’ien Tao and affiliated sects. It's from Eva Wong’s book on Taoism, right at the end: pages 235 -237. She's an internal alchemist from what I can remember. --------- At the centre of Taoist ceremony is the altar. The altar is an image of the Tao and the spiritual centre of a sacred space. Although the arrangement of the altar varies among Taoist sects, and different rituals call for special arrangements of ceremonial objects, the significance and symbolism of the objects on the altar are the same. … A sacred lamp: this is the light of wisdom. It is also the golden pill or elixir of immortality. The lamp is usually placed in the centre of the altar in front of the patron deity of the temple or the deity being honoured in the ceremony. The lamp symbolises the original spirit, which is the light of the Tao within. It is never extinguished. Two candles: to the left and right of the sacred lamp are two tall candles. They represent the light of the sun and the moon in nature and the two eyes in the human body. The sun and moon are emanations of the light of the Tao, and the eyes are windows to the mind. If the mind is not tainted by dust, original nature will be bright; the light of the Tao will shine within, and the eyes will not be covered by the dust of the mundane world. Tea, rice, and Water: directly in front of the sacred lamp are three cups. The cup in the centre holds grains of uncooked rice; the cup to the left contains water; the cup to the right contains tea. Tea symbolises yin, or female generative, energy; water symbolises Yang, or male generative, energy. Rice symbolises the union of these two energies, because it receives the Yang energy of the sun and absorbs the yin energy of earth. Five plates of fruit: the five fruits represent the five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Each element is associated with a colour. Wood is green, fire is red, earth is yellow, metal is white, and water is black. … An incense burner: the incense burner is typically placed in the centre of the altar in front of the five plates of fruit. This is the stove, or the lower tan-t’ien, where internal heat is generated to purify and refine the generative, vital, and spirit energy. The three energies are symbolised by three sticks of incense. The burning of the incense symbolises the refinement and purification of the internal energies. The rising smoke and falling ash also symbolises separation of pure energy from mundane energy. … On the altar, the sacred lamp, which is the symbol of original nature, is closest to the deity. Arranged progressively away from the deity are the two candles, the tea, rice, and water, the fruit, and finally the incense burner. This arrangement shows that the entrance to the Tao begins with purifying the three internal energies, reconnecting the body with sky and earth; when the energies are refined they are gathered in the five viscera to nourish the body, a process represented by the five plates of fruit; as spiritual development continues, the Yin and Yang energies copulate -- represented by the cups of tea, rice, and water; when the original spirit emerges, the Tao shines within and a golden light hovers around the eyes -- represented by the two candles. Finally, the original spirit, symbolised by the sacred lamp, is cultivated to return to the void and merge with the Tao -- the deity in the icon.

lol you could be right Good luck with your move and your retirement

I was into S. Suzuki last year when I stumbled onto this site and Taoism in general. Adept was good enough to give me a very helpful answer to a similar kind of question in a thread which was quite interesting. http://thetaobums.com/topic/22643-taoist-criticisms-on-zen/?p=364638

Bad from whose perspective? Presumably ZZ thought Cook Ding (or skilled butchers in general) had an effective Dao and a good goal, although from the perspective of all the oxen he slaughtered the goal was probably not so great

This is a very interesting thread which I've greatly enjoyed reading Yeah, I think the issue/question for me here (as is usually the case with these type of discussions) is not 'What defines a Taoist?' but 'Who defines Taoism?' I don't think you can answer the first question until you answer the second and I don't think the second question has an answer, personally, because then you would just step back a pace and have to ask 'Who defines who defines Taoism?' etc It reminds me of ZZ's chapter two in some ways: http://terebess.hu/english/chuangtzu.html#2

This is superb Funnily enough, Chad Hansen made the biggest impact on me (on the first watching anyway): especially when he was talking about the usefulness of empty spaces in vases and houses and compared it with the 'dao' -- it gave me a real aha! moment. His interview/talk on there is quite interesting as well: http://www.lifeartsmedia.com/chad-hansen-taoism-and-tao-te-ching

I was surprised to read this and the other comments this was part of. I assumed most people on here, like myself, believed that it was real.

I've come across this one before. He seemed a pleasant and interesting guy but his theories got a bit difficult/complicated for me to follow after a while, from what I remember. I'm also interested to see what other people make of him and whether he's worth another listen.

Thanks, that's very helpful