No credit given to Taoism

[electric chi magnet]

I was just thinking about this i seen the movie push and i remember seeing the trailers and thinking awe man this looks cool maybe they will say something about chi cultivation. They even had a youtube clip of john chang in the opening credits! Did they say any thing about chi or chi kung? NO!

 

 

So i started looking into it.

 

The movie the "dragonball evolution" said nothing about chi cultivation. They referred to what goku was doing as air bending. wtf i guess you could consider that chi kung but it is a bit of a stretch that seems to imply that no work is needed to get "powers".......sickening in more ways than one.

 

Infact i could not find one movie that really told the story of a taoist practitioner from beginner to advance.

 

But i did find of and know of alot of movies that some what promote Buddhism and alot more movies that directly promote witchcraft.

 

But why?

 

Why the media black out on taoism. It just seems the media just wants the masses obsessed with getting powers.

 

I am just sick and tired of the media rippen of the taoist community stealing our stuff and then giving us no credit what so ever.

 

After these movies i have seen boosts in Buddhism's and in witchcraft's numbers.

 

The closest thing we have is martial art movies that are about internal fighting arts but even those really dont go into taoism.

 

I dont like the mass medias objective so i started to look into it and this is what i found maybe this explains the media blackout on the taoist arts.

 

watch all 4 parts of this.

 

this just makes you think.

[taijilee]

here's a lil something that has helped me whenever i allow something to make me mad.....Instead of getting upset about it, ponder as to why you've allowed this to anger you. secondly, if you see something to complain about, then by knowing what is wrong you can fix it.

[gendao]

Yup, one of the BIGGEST Hollywood series of all time - Star Wars - is a total, unapologetic rip-off of Far Eastern culture.

Yes, George Lucas heavily ripped off Eastern mysticism (Taoism, Zen, etc) and Japanese cinema (The Hidden Fortress) for his series. That's why Luke wears a gi and Darth Vader a Samurai helmet. The Force = qi, etc, etc...

The only reason it seems so "coincidental" is because none of it is openly credited and no actual Asians were cast in his movies. So much for "diversity." See blatant cultural plagiarism/appropriation...

Look, it's the Last White Samurai in Space!

I just basically boycott Hollywood now. It's creatively and ethically bankrupt.

Edited November 17, 2009 by vortex

[Zenshiite]

There are actually more than a few Asians cast in the Star Wars prequels, but they certainly aren't main characters. However, there are plenty of other elements in Star Wars from other cultures and I don't think you can in anyway call it "blatant cultural appropriation." Obi-Wan Kenobi's robes in the OT look like a kimono, but they also look like traditional Bedouin clothing... no surprise there as they filmed in Tunisia. There's also a great deal of Islamic spiritual chivalry in the Jedi way. I don't think that one's a good case.

 

Were I you, I'd be a great deal more pissed off about M. Night Shyamalan's live action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender. That's blatant cultural appropriation with the title character, Aang the Last Airbender and Avatar, going from being a cartoon character that only logically was Asian... to being a white Texan in the movie. The Inuit characters were cast as young white kids too. And initially the Fire Nation characters, who were Oh So Pre-Qing dynasty China, were cast as white boys and only after controversy amongst the fan base were they recast as Indians and Iranians... a choice I consider to be pretty damned odd considering Shyamalan's ethnicity, but not so odd when you consider who is the current media boogeyman and think of Hollywood's classic racism.

[electric chi magnet]

Im not angry just annoyed. Hollywood has ripped us off long enough. What about that movie the covenant the last fight scene looks like a nejia battle not a duel of witches. We should make a list of all the movies that rip off the eastern culture and give no credit to taoism at all.

 

and im tired of witchcraft being associated with us. As far as alternative energy arts goes.

 

Taoism is not eastern witchcraft! What we do is scientific we use and cultivate our own chi. We do not summon demons and cast spells like witchcraft. Our practice makes us healthier. And in being healthier we develop what some could consider extra abilities but they are a side note.

 

The patriarchs of taosim are immortals!

 

witchcaft doesnt have that.

 

Taoism is amazing and its time we got our due. all im sayin.

[Capital]

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li mentioned chi.

[Aetherous]

Interesting points, electric chi magnet.

 

I think Star Wars is the closest thing we have to the media portraying Taoism somewhat accurately.

 

[electric chi magnet]

Yes but they say nothing of chi cultivation aka chi kung. They talk about air bending and force but not chi kung but they will go into depth about witchcraft.

 

Just look at all the amazing stories and experiences posted on this forum. Taoism has done so much for us.

 

Just think about it.

 

It almost seems like hollywood is going out of its way to ignore chi. The only american television show that really talked about it was "kung fu" and the sequel series but i wouldnt consider anyone on that show really qualified to speak about chi. Nor did they really go into it.

 

The messed up thing is no matter how much we think chi kung has gained popularity chi kung is still some what underground. If you dont believe go out any where and try to talk about chi and its cultivation to someone. Then talk about witchcraft let me know how it works out for you.

 

Some of these energy arts dont deserve the limelight that they have.

 

I felt like a freak in high school because i cultivated chi. But i attained.

 

I have met people who were into witchcraft, channeling, and all of that stuff and i must say it has nothing on real valid chi kung.

[Ninpo-me-this-ninjutsu-me-that]

It's not so easy to find the balance between entertainment and education. For the most part movies don't educate and when they do it's only in a broad sense.

 

I don't recall ever seeing a particularly Hindu movie either although many films have used the symbols of the gods in one form or another...... a film with Kate Winslett where she goes off to India and joins a cult is one that I do remember..... although the name escapes me.

 

To be honest the Chinese movies do on occasion deal rather heavily in it, but not all of those are seen in the west. So, the main point is Hollywood has to make it relevant to westerners in order for them to make a decent amount of money, hence Star Wars.

 

As for Asians in the movie It still often goes back to audience acceptance, as Bruce Lee was once told after having helped(I say helped, it was apparently his whole idea)developed the idea for the T.V series 'Kung Fu' "you're too Chinese to be a Shaolin monk".....or at least too Chinese to be accepted by western audiences. Some concepts are also too Chinese to be accepted by western audiences.

 

Still, it's not impossible, it could be done and done well with the right angle, Scientology got their movie! Looks like we need a famous Daoist actor to get the ball rolling...once you've got the star everything else falls into place. Once Daoism becomes fashionable in Hollywood it will soon happen..... I'm hoping for Johnny Depp...... who could ask for more?

[lino]

Why the media black out on taoism.

 

Probably because of TCM and five elements theory.

 

Figure if treating a certain part of the body helps a physical or psychological ill then the pharma industry would be losing a revenue stream.

[electric chi magnet]

yup dont you find it alittle odd that none of these movies mention chikung. Pretty weird. Chunli must also practice air bending like Goku lol

 

Just mentioning chi is not good enough..excuse me but i have standards like why dont they explain what chikung is for example? all im sayin it must be the force! lol

 

we all know that if their not talking about chi and its cultivation than it is bs we all know chi is real and that theirs is different methods to cultivate it so why o why is real chikung so underground still?

 

Just look at all the videos on youtube of chikung masters and practitioners! what we do is real and everyone else rips off of us.

 

My neighbor was into witchcraft and he raved and raved about it. Then i showed him the vid of john chang and he was speechless! and i said "what i do isnt witchcraft but it is still pretty amazing. So can anyone in your covenant do that?" his answer was no. He had been practicing witchcraft for a few decades and he had no chi no attainment at all....... sad. I just felt bad for him.

[Nanashi]

There was "Big Trouble in Little China" from the 80s. Though, it was a bit campy and the Chinese actors pronounced Taoism with a "T".

[Ninpo-me-this-ninjutsu-me-that]

There was "Big Trouble in Little China" from the 80s. Though, it was a bit campy and the Chinese actors pronounced Taoism with a "T".

 

 

I love that movie! Green eyed Chinese girls and Kurt Russel wearing a T-shirt with a Japanese sun on it.

 

'The Last Dragon' with Taimak had a kind of Chi thing going on at the end.

[electric chi magnet]

well thats cool but we are real we should have more limelight. Even this forum is in an attempt to bring taosim to the limelight and shine light on real masters. Infact alot of posts here is about finding real masters because there isnt good enough coverage on taosim as a whole.

 

just understand all the movies and tv shows that most taoist practitioners watch is either from the 80's or 90's nothing from this century. All the people out there who knows there is something else but doesnt know what to search for. Then they end up learning something like witchcraftor channeling or what not and expeience problems and all kinds of energy sickness. If the truth was out there they would have found a chikung teacher and they would be more healthy, balanced, and practicing a more scientific energy practice that does provide a real skill in society= acupuncture, tcm, qigong teacher and so on.

 

My point being is deception and lies hurt.

 

The mass media keeps taoism on the down low so that people wont get healthier nor will they develop the mental and spiritual gifts that chikung has to offer. So it makes people alot easier to control.

[gendao]

There are actually more than a few Asians cast in the Star Wars prequels, but they certainly aren't main characters. However, there are plenty of other elements in Star Wars from other cultures and I don't think you can in anyway call it "blatant cultural appropriation." Obi-Wan Kenobi's robes in the OT look like a kimono, but they also look like traditional Bedouin clothing... no surprise there as they filmed in Tunisia. There's also a great deal of Islamic spiritual chivalry in the Jedi way. I don't think that one's a good case.

Lol, I think you'd have to play "Where's Waldo?" to find any bit parts. Let's face it, jive-talking CGI toons got 1000X more screen time than any Asian actors...in a series most heavily-influenced by Asian culture.

 

Yep, Bruce Lee was "too Chinese" to put on TV...but Jar Jar Binks was not "too annoying" to score a lead role in a blockbuster franchise. Only in "liberally diverse" Hollywood are Asian men "too Asian" to play Asian men.

 

And yes, Middle Easterners got left out too. Don't think Muslims are too popular in Hollywood for some reason, either..

[electric chi magnet]

this also further extends to martial arts. I was talking to a long time friend of mine who teaches tae kwon do. And i dont know how it came up but i mentioned the mco and he had no idea what i was talking about! Then we started talking about internal martial arts. I told him in my personal opinion if you dont have any chi (meaning you do not practice to cultivate it) then you are really not an internal fighter because there is nothing internal about you. You just practice forms and apps so does karate, tae kwon do, and others.

 

It even seems like the taoist part of internal martial arts is being moved out of internal martial arts. and i have a big problem with those who practice internal martial arts but do not practice the taoist art that came with it. When these fake internal practitioners go out and represent the internal martial art community they make us all look bad.

 

and you get crap like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0W1ym3yggR4

 

when we know that real tai chi masters with just one touch can send you flying over 20ft and your bones and some of your internal organs are shattered.

 

I remember my master telling me as a child "that a karate master can be beat someone up but they just cant destroy someone like a taichi master can" In 2 moves a taichi master can break bones, dislocate joints, hit cavity points and shatter internal organs and this would happen in an instant. His opponent even if he lived would never be the same."

 

 

i never forgot what my sifu told me.

Edited November 17, 2009 by electric chi magnet

[electric chi magnet]

when i was a kid i was out at the local mart with sifu and a fight broke out with local bonesetter and a towns man. My sifu said "watch this the bone setter dosent know martial arts but im pretty sure he is going to win this fight." and sure enough he won.- that taught me an important lesson on skill.

 

I also remember another time when we were out practicing taiji sword outside and then another master came up and started practicing his routine i didnt remember hm standing there a second ago. But i thought nothing of it as the master went thru his form i noticed that he wasnt leaving any foot prints on the ground as said as much to sifu who smiled and said,"you'll figure it out."

 

i have a grudge against people who think taichiquan is no good and the people promoting taichi who are not real masters.

 

When i sparred with Sifu it was a combination of push hands chi sao and stricking from a distance. He told me that a real taichi master can do contact and noncontact(yin/yang).

 

Sifu always sent me flying sometimes with a touch and sometimes with notouch.

Edited November 17, 2009 by electric chi magnet

[Zenshiite]

Well, keep your eyes peeled for The Last Airbender next year. The cartoon show talked about chi, chi kung, acupuncture, meridians(actually literally showed a big dummy glowing along the meridian lines in one episode), opening chakras(in an episode with a yogi character), there's prominent Ba Gua Zhang usage as well as Tai Chi. Certainly some fortune cookie wisdom here and there. Alot of talk about tea by an old uncle. Hopefully, despite some rather sketchy casting choices, the movie will convey some of the richness of the culture depicted in the cartoon.

 

Screw it, just go rent or buy the 3 seasons of the cartoon!

[NeiChuan]

hollywood is good at well.. Ruining/exploiting history.

 

Im glad they dont know.. or if they do choose not to go in depth.. They'd demolish what I know as art.

[松永道]

hollywood is good at well.. Ruining/exploiting history.

 

Im glad they dont know.. or if they do choose not to go in depth.. They'd demolish what I know as art.

 

In China's past, only on rare occasions could Daoism be considered the state religion. The reason? Daoists don't want the "limelight". Always the king-maker, never the king.

 

Personally, I'm glad Hollywood hasn't sunk its teeth into Daoism, and I'm perfectly happy to see the orientalist fantasy satisfied through pop-Buddhism and feel-good Yoga. No adherent to current fad will do any good to the name anyway - Taijiquan became a major fad in the Qing dynasty and as a consequence many systems are at best misunderstood and more often just empty (not just in the west, where you have more and more wushu college grads coming to teach their pretty dance moves, but this is in China).

 

"Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you."

 

I'm not the biggest Bible fan, and I even use to detest this quote. However, I understand it now. Fads and fame are fickle things - it's best to stand behind the king.

 

Be glad we don't have more limelight. That's the last thing real masters want.

[nac]

My answer: Hong Kong/Taiwanese cinema.

 

In China's past, only on rare occasions could Daoism be considered the state religion.

Certifiably false. The later emperors, most of whom were Confucians or Neoconfucians, regularly denounced both Taoism and Buddhism as heretical teachings but allowed them to continue teaching since they supposedly promoted virtue. Among mystics and religious thinkers, Taoism was relatively more popular. Among the laity, Buddhism.

 

The reason? Daoists don't want the "limelight". Always the king-maker, never the king.

Non-interference with human society may be important in Taoism, but the old Chinese imperial hierarchy is probably inspired by Taoism. The Temple of Heaven may be called an old Taoist temple. (traditional Chinese religion, actually, which was later absorbed into Taoist schools) Besides, a lot of Lao Tzu's teachings are political. It's more appropriate to say that Taoists weren't enthusiastic about having a priest-king or a mystic-king.

Edited November 17, 2009 by nac

[松永道]

"In China's past, only on rare occasions could Daoism be considered the state religion."

 

Certifiably false. The later emperors, most of whom were Confucians or Neoconfucians, regularly denounced both Taoism and Buddhism as heretical teachings but allowed them to continue teaching since they supposedly promoted virtue. Among mystics and religious thinkers, Taoism was relatively more popular. Among the laity, Buddhism.

 

Meaning it wasn't a state religion. Was my wording confusing? For example, Buddhism was a state religion throughout much of the Tang dynasty (though there was a brief flirtation with state Daoism near the end). State religion means a religion sponsored by the state. In other words, though Daoism was certainly tolerated and a good many scholars where influenced by Daoism (not just in religious or mystical sense but also in matters of warfare, government and science), Daosim was by no means the state religion throughout the majority of Chinese history. However, as scholars, the vast majority would either be considered Daoist-influenced Confucians or, at least, Daoists raised with Confucian education.

 

Non-interference with human society may be important in Taoism, but the old Chinese imperial hierarchy is probably inspired by Taoism. The Temple of Heaven may be called an old Taoist temple. (traditional Chinese religion, actually, which was later absorbed into Taoist schools)

 

In what way can the old Chinese imperial hierarchy be considered Daoist? The imperial state pre-dates Daoism, at-least Daoism as a formal religion. It certainly predates Daoist temple culture, which was only adopted after China received Buddhist monastic influence. Like you say, traditional Chinese religion, if you can even call it that (with ancestor worship, the Jade emperor, etc), was later absorbed into Daoism as Daoism evolved as a religious establishment. And, along with them, Confucianism for that matter. Quanzhen and Zhengyi, both show obvious Confucian influences both in their mythology and their organizational hierarchy.

 

Besides, a lot of Lao Tzu's teachings are political. It's more appropriate to say that Taoists weren't enthusiastic about having a priest-king or a mystic-king.

 

For Laozi, I'd say he pretty obviously supported the idea of a "mystic-king" who kept the people simple and ruled by non-action.

 

As for later Daoists however, it would depend on the branch. Quanzhen, probably the school most influenced by Confucianism, was pretty keen to work with the government (and continues to do so). Hermits, however, would most likely side with Laozi and simply prefer to be left alone and removed from human affairs.

[宁]

Good quality knowledge will always remain un-marketed.

And even if it is marketed, it will still remain hidden, mostly because the people interested in it are too few...

 

Song Yongdao, have you visited the Chinese side of TTB? You're one of the guys we would like to see dropping a line or two there...

[松永道]

Good quality knowledge will always remain un-marketed.

And even if it is marketed, it will still remain hidden, mostly because the people interested in it are too few...

 

Song Yongdao, have you visited the Chinese side of TTB? You're one of the guys we would like to see dropping a line or two there...

 

Didn't know it existed until just now, I'll go check it out.

[thelerner]

The Matrix series, particularly Morpheus was a good 'Taoist' character.

 

Maybe we're lucky there's not a major series of Hollywood movies showcasing Taoism. There's enough New Ageisms and Charlatans in the business already. Better to keep it real then look to Hollywood fantasies.

 

 

Michael