Following the Way

[voices that carry]

good morning !!

I am new to this forum

I have been reading alot of the posting and I'm not sure that we view Taoism the same way.

I joined this site to discuss applying " the way" in a world that seems to have gone mad.

It is quite diffacult when I was conditioned to strive in this life to attain more and more to be viewed as "a success", "a man", " a winner".

I have a family that depends on me. children to help along their way.

The society we live in does make some basic demands of us, that we really can't ignore.

I'm only speaking of the basics here; employment, shelter, food.

Of couse there is all that pressure to "keep up with Jones"

I am not by any means judging the members here or there spiritual path. Just confused.

I have been a Taoist for 25 yrs. and find alot of over complication in the posts on TBB.

I have found that the more I try to grasp the Tao, the more it slips thru my fingers.

I was hoping to find like minded FRIENDS to converse with towards staying on the path and life in general.

I'm very curious as to how the members of this board define Taoism & if there are members here that aren't looking to define Taoism but live it.

 

"To know the way,

We go the Way,

we do the Way,

The way we do,

The things we do,

It's all there in front of you,

But if you try too hard to see it,

You'll only become confused,

 

I am me,

And you are you,

As you can see;

But when you do,

The things that you can do,

You will find the Way,

And the Way will follow you "

[Tabula Rasa]

thank you for your post and poem, nice use of your voice....

 

welcome and enjoy!

 

Peace,

 

Carol

[Trixter Streetcat]

I agree. a place created to talk about the Tao when " the tao that can be spoken is not the true tao." ironic, as you say. amusing, perhaps.

 

but as good a reason as any other to get together.

[Lucky7Strikes]

I am not by any means judging the members here or there spiritual path. Just confused.

I have been a Taoist for 25 yrs. and find alot of over complication in the posts on TBB.

I have found that the more I try to grasp the Tao, the more it slips thru my fingers.

I was hoping to find like minded FRIENDS to converse with towards staying on the path and life in general.

I'm very curious as to how the members of this board define Taoism & if there are members here that aren't looking to define Taoism but live it.

 

Hi Voices!

 

This isn't a forum just on Taoism. There are people who have posted here who come from different traditions and share their wisdom regarding practices, philosophy, teachers, etc. In your case, doing some basic search with phrases like "what is taoism" will yield enough quality results to shift through for days. In my experience, going through some of the lengthy threads have been tedious but rewarding because the posts are often sincere and share a wide range of knowledge.

 

As for the distinction between defining Taoism and living it, the line is very thin. The various aspects of the Path, whether it is meditation, "defining" Taoism (I assume you meant more of a philosophical approach), or leading a mundane life, should be balanced. Each shouldn't be seen as a separate practice but an integral part of cultivation/enlightenment itself.

 

Good luck!

[Tabula Rasa]

I joined this site to discuss applying " the way" in a world that seems to have gone mad.

It is quite diffacult when I was conditioned to strive in this life to attain more and more to be viewed as "a success", "a man", " a winner".

I have a family that depends on me. children to help along their way.

 

Sri NISARGADATTA MAHARAJ wrote:

 

"I trusted my Guru..........He told me to concentrate on "I Am" - I did. He told me that I am beyond all perceivables and conceivables - I believed. I gave him my heart and soul, my entire attention and the whole of my spare time (I had to work to keep my family alive)....."

 

http://www.thecourse.org.uk/nmq.html

Edited June 20, 2009 by Tabula Rasa

[Iskote]

I have been reading alot of the posting and I'm not sure that we view Taoism the same way.

 

Welcome. The ways people view Taoism are many. As many as there are blades of

grass upon the Earth. Maybe more... It only starts becoming a problem when people

forget that views are just views, and actually start taking their views seriously.

I talk here, sometimes quite a bit, but I usually don't have anything much worthwhile to say,

so I usually just talk as a way to express my current thoughts and to see how those thoughts might

elicit other thoughts from others. Once the thoughts have passed I try not to cling to them though...

It seems to me that such is the way it is both within this forum and without... People express their

views, but our views are always in a state a flux, even though we may not realize it...

 

Best wishes and thoughts from Iskote...

Edited June 20, 2009 by Iskote