The Taosit practices that are avalible?

[AstralProjectee]

OK, so my question is. How good is the information that is available out there to the general public about Taoist practices?

 

Another good related question is. Does your guru or teacher tell you things that your pretty sure are not available to the general public?

 

 

Thanks.

[Disabled Not Broken]

How good is the information

Define: "How Good"

[eye_of_the_storm]

how good = true and working method that benefits the practitioner

[Jetsun]

OK, so my question is. How good is the information that is available out there to the general public about Taoist practices?

 

There is a lot of information if you look in the right places, but I wouldn't say it is systemised in any coherent way to provide a clear path for people, if you compare it to say something like Buddhism which has been presented in a linear way so you can track and map your progression then Taoism appears to be generally in a bit of a muddle, unless you are lucky enough to have a teacher who still has a living lineage to keep you on the right track.

 

If you read a text like the Yellow Emperors Cannon then it appears that "the ancients" had a much more complete version of Taoism than we have today, of which TCM and Taoist energetics and alchemy were just parts of a wider system including many other areas like geomancy, astronomy, feng shui, which asks the question whether studying a fragment of s system is that useful without the whole picture.

[konchog uma]

the info in the public sector has the potential, when practiced diligently, to take a student to the point at which they will encounter a teacher.

 

believe it or not, thats how the spiritual path works. i met one of my teachers in a dive bar. it doesn't matter where you are or what you are doing, when you are ready, the teacher will approach.

 

beware of the danger of egotism in thinking you are practicing something "hidden" or "esoteric". You can feed the ego with spiritual practices as easily as you can feed it with material possessions or social status. Dissolve the idea of self and teacher and sit in emptiness and profound absorbtion in the clear light of being, tao, whatever you want to call it. god guru and self are one.

 

edit: you don't need hidden practices or oral lineage to realize this

Edited July 24, 2012 by anamatva

[thelerner]

Also note that most of us here are in the philosophical taoist camp; a respect for taoist perspectives and for many of us there meditational systems. So, we're in most respects we're not 'True' Taoists, who'd follow the Taoist religion with there pantheon of gods, religious days, buying Fu's, supporting a Taoist temple, and believing in there versions of heaven and hell, etc.,

 

There is an intersection between philosophical and religious, but there's also a wide cavern in beliefs, so much so that a religious taoist, say a monk would in no way consider even respected American Taoist teachers here to be taoists much less the vast majority of people on this board.

 

Until you have decades of experience I'd drop the thought that there is a secret technique that will give you super powers. There is much gold be to found in taoist learning, but not so much krytonite or unobtainium (imo)

Edited July 24, 2012 by thelerner

[Thunder_Gooch]

OK, so my question is. How good is the information that is available out there to the general public about Taoist practices?

 

Another good related question is. Does your guru or teacher tell you things that your pretty sure are not available to the general public?

 

 

Thanks.

 

AstralProjectee,

 

99.9999999999% of all information available on taoist practices is disinformation.

 

That is assuming your goal is to become a taoist immortal.

 

If you are just looking for practices for health there are some legitimate teachings available, but really basic meditation, and physical exercise and a good diet will deliver most of the same benefit.

[AstralProjectee]

I would imagine that some books in china have been more valuable for Taoist practices than western books.

[Thunder_Gooch]

I would imagine that some books in china have been more valuable for Taoist practices than western books.

 

I am sure all the higher teachings are in plain sight, it's just the signal to noise ratio sucks.

 

Out of every million books on the subject, one might have some grain of truth to it.

 

You'll have to wade through oceans of disinformation to find something of value, and when you find it, how exactly will you know it's legitimacy?

 

It's beyond frustrating.

Edited July 24, 2012 by More_Pie_Guy

[thelerner]

I would imagine that some books in china have been more valuable for Taoist practices than western books.

Maybe, but guys like Thomas Cleary have translated many of the most famous classics. Still its a translation, and who knows what lies untranslated.

 

From what I'm told the oldest stuff tends to be both poetic and cryptic; not a how to manual by any means.

[konchog uma]

Nice post, a.

 

Curious. What was your "dive bar" teacher drinking when you met him/her?

 

scotch, glenfidich<sp> if i remember correctly. Thats my ninja teacher.

 

i've only seen him slur his speech once, and that was after 17 beers and some shots. it was so funny to see him drunk, cause he used to drink me under the stupid table and never show effects of intoxication such a character

[zerostao]

choose your drinking partners wisely(i reckon)

didnt a couple of Taoist immortals meet in a similar way?

show me the way(to the pub)