mewtwo Posted May 2, 2011 huh i have never heard of the story variant that says they were tasting tea i had allways thought they were tasting vinegar. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jetsun Posted May 2, 2011 If Taoism is all about acceptance why do many Taoists spend all their time trying to transform their bodies and transform their Qi? Trying to change something is the opposite of accepting it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Marblehead Posted May 2, 2011 First, Excellent post Non Tien!!! If Taoism is all about acceptance why do many Taoists spend all their time trying to transform their bodies and transform their Qi? Trying to change something is the opposite of accepting it. That is an excellent question. Fair too, I think. The answers, I think, can be found when speaking about bettering conditions for our self and others when the opportunities are present. Acceptance of conditions that cannot be changed does not indicate nihilism - it indicates wisdom, I think. But all things change. Perhaps tomorrow yesterday's impossibilities will become possibilities. Today we do not act. Tomorrow we may be able to act. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
doc benway Posted May 2, 2011 If Taoism is all about acceptance why do many Taoists spend all their time trying to transform their bodies and transform their Qi? Trying to change something is the opposite of accepting it. I agree - excellent question. I'd like to offer a response. First - the vast majority of Daoists do not practice formal cultivation. They treat Daoism much as other folks treat their various religions. Lots of superstition, ritual, habit, ignorance, obedience, worship, and so on... Only a very small group of folks practice Daoist cultivations methods and the majority of those in the West study from Western interpretations of the original methods through book and videos. Many have no direct contact with credible teachers and the true intent of cultivation is often absent. Second - living one's daily life with the intention of going with, rather than against, the flow of what transpires in nature is a core component of Daoist philosophy - Wu Wei. Cultivation, in my experience, is not inconsistent with this. The process of cultivation as I practice it is more about developing awareness and intent to a very sensitive and skillful level in such a way that one is able to fully explore and experience human potential physically, mentally, and spiritually. One is not so much looking to be transformed as more fully realized as a human being. It may sound like a semantic distinction but I think it goes beyond that. What we are changing is not the natural state of the human but rather the incompletely developed and often corrupted human that is a product of a variety of social, cultural, political, and economic stressors. That's how I would reconcile this apparent paradox. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
三江源 Posted May 2, 2011 (edited) . Edited March 22, 2015 by 三江源 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Marblehead Posted May 3, 2011 ....the 'change' is like removing a thorn from a rose before you hand it to someone. You love the rose, you love the person you are giving it to, you love the thorn and know it can be stripped away now. I like that! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
