Boundless lesson

[Protector]

Now that Tao Teh Ching is completely translated and on the site, I would like to share some of my understanding of Tao and put it to discussion. To explain I will use fancy technical words like chakra and ego and such and I'm not all that enlightened, some additional info from the members would be nice for my development.

 

 

 

Tao cannot be spoken or it will stop being true. Tao is the natural movement/being/nonexistence of all things. It is the way even God follows. At times I even find it to contradict itself, but by being a contradiction, it still works.

How about a story, it's easier for me to explain with a story.

 

[1]Once upon a time, there was a thing. The thing was the most beautiful wonderful thing ever. People all over the world wanted to obtain and own the beautiful thing. But when someone tries to touch it, their hands start to burn. When they look at it, they go blind. When they try to look for it, they loose it. No one could touch it so it was forever lost from everyone.

[2]When the thing was lost, the world was lost also. There was only war and suffering. Everyone was so hungry for the thing but never knew what it was. They never seen it but they knew it existed. They didn't have it, so someone else must have it. So they looked and fought for it. When they covered the globe and looked everywhere, they felt even worse when they couldn't find it. Looking down on the seas of blood and blood on their hands, they felt pain for the first time. For the first time they screamed and the heaven and their screams gave the thing a name.

The name brought them closer to the thing and the thing stopped existing and it became the name. The name made them able to touch it and see it. When they knew the name, they could tell where it was and why it was. It made them understand everything. The name was everywhere and everything could hear it. They chanted the name until the thing appeared in front of them.

[3]The moment when the thing appeared was also the moment when someone touched it. That was when the pain and past suffering came back. Their arms burned off, eyes fell out of their sockets and they wouldn't dare speak it's name ever again. The name was lost and forgotten.

[4]Many years later, the name was remembered because it was written. The person who was reading it had turned into fire, his eyes into light and he became the thing just like the thing was before. His friend saw the transformation and took a sword(or a bazooka, sword is more poetic) and destroyed the name because it was evil. Soon everyone else took a sword and started looking for the thing again.

 

 

I just made up a story and you can get a lesson from it if you want/can. No one can touch the thing because it can't be described... actually... *silence*

that was Tao

 

Some things cannot be described because they will get tainted and stop being the truth. In the story, when someone touched the truth, the time stopped for them. The truth is only one and the world is many. When someone touched the truth and was stuck to the name, time stopped. But the time stopped only for them, the rest of the world moved so fast that their hands turned into fire from friction .

 

If you want to touch it, do it by not touching it.

 

Tao Teh Ching, let's use chi for example. You try to touch something and create resistance, chi can't flow through resistance(normally). Chi is like water in the river, it has to go around rocks and follow the shape of the river. Don't try to force river to flow, it already knows how to flow and been doing it since ever. Just let go and let it be what it is and you can sail it easily(+points for Wu Wei reference). Tao Teh Ching doesn't give you Tao but gives you space for you to find it.

 

Now let's look at taiji

 

 

How convenient, it's made of 4 parts

Do you know how energy works? Have one thing, add more of the same thing, and get a different thing.

 

I'm tired of writing let's talk already

[Marblehead]

Well, I enjoyed doing the TTC here.

 

Yes, Tao is unidentifiable. Same with the essence of all things. The is why I can never point to "I" when discussing my existence.

 

Same with Tao. Can't point to its essence. But we can point to its manifestations. And we can ponder the Mystery (the unmanifest).

 

That said, I still hold to the understanding that the Tao Te Ching is an excellent guide book for living one's life. I think that if we follow the recommendations of the TTC we can live a much more fulfilled life, have few contentions with others, and be able to find contentment in nearly any circumstances.

[ChiDragon]

Now, we had finished the study the Tao Te Ching. I had learned that Tao is identifiable with one word "Tao" or "tao" and many chapters of the Tao Te Ching.

 

The simplest principle to follow is "Wu Wei", 無為. Wu Wei is to follow the course of Nature or let Nature take its course. Hence, we can go a long way from here begin with the first step.

Edited October 17, 2011 by ChiDragon

[starhawk]

I like when taiji rotates

[XieJia]

 

If you want to touch it, do it by not touching it.

 

How convenient, it's made of 4 parts

Have one thing, add more of the same thing, and get a different thing.

 

 

Hey! Stop teaching us ways to be attractive to womenz.

And Where is the comic version?

 

Just for you pleasure:

Here's what you may like, some member posted it on the forum before:

Cow Teh Ching

 

Remember that the Taiji is just a Taiji.

It may have 4 parts but it's just a Taiji.

[Protector]

my drawing sux and being attractive to womenz is important

[Aaron]

Heh... I would consider this the anime guide to Tao Teh Ching... not an insult, just has that feel to it. I can almost see the characters playing their parts.

 

Aaron

[Informer]

Hey! Stop teaching us ways to be attractive to womenz.

And Where is the comic version?

 

Just for you pleasure:

Here's what you may like, some member posted it on the forum before:

Cow Teh Ching

 

Remember that the Taiji is just a Taiji.

It may have 4 parts but it's just a Taiji.

 

Hi XieJia!

 

"Therefore the sage wears rough clothing and ignores the attractions of the heart."

 

Why wouldn't it be better to say: Therefore the sage wears rough clothing and avoids attachements to the heart. ?

[Protector]

Wait, explaining Tao? What's this, was I high?

[XieJia]

Hi XieJia!

 

"Therefore the sage wears rough clothing and ignores the attractions of the heart."

 

Why wouldn't it be better to say: Therefore the sage wears rough clothing and avoids attachements to the heart. ?

 

Hi Informer;

 

Depends on location and circumstances.

 

One could say;

 

"Therefore the sage wears fake rolex, and Ralph Laurens and avoids any dwelling of the heart."

 

Wait, explaining Tao? What's this, was I high?

 

Told you, about overdoing it on the Tea!

[Protector]

Now I know that Tea that can be drunk is not eternal Tea

You drink it and it's gone... I should get more

[Marblehead]

Now I know that Tea that can be drunk is not eternal Tea

You drink it and it's gone... I should get more

 

You should stop spiking it with Jack Daniels though.

[Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan]

Tao is only as clear as the mind; the definitions of the tao are clear only in the mind before the intellect tries to define it.

 

Tao is plain, complex, simple, complicated.

Tao is, Tao is not.

 

Why waste words? Just be.

 

 

Being, in perfect isness, reaches greater clarity than... everything we're doing right now, everything on this site, everything we can say or think to say, everything we've done, everything we plan to do.

 

Being, in perfect isness, is simply Human:

 

 

 

I am not a civilian, a citizen, an american, an 'earthling', I am not a stock/grocery clerk, pump attendant, cashier, janitor, I am not a police officer, fire fighter, paramedic, soldier, I am not a christian, buddhist, taoist, muslim, jew, hindi, I am not a judoka, ninja, karateka, or yogi, I am not what any path I walk entitles me to call myself, but I am a Human Being entitled to walk all paths.

 

 

Another waste of words.

[Protector]

Taoism ain't noise pollution

Taoism ain't gonna dieeee