forestofclarity Posted September 9, 2012 A question for the scholars and scholar-warriors: According to traditional Taoist sources and teachers (traditional or modern), is the source of the world the same as the source of one's thoughts? Either way, can you point me to the teachings? I'm more curious as to what Taoist texts and teachers have to say than personal opinions as to this point. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lifeforce Posted September 9, 2012 A question for the scholars and scholar-warriors: According to traditional Taoist sources and teachers (traditional or modern), is the source of the world the same as the source of one's thoughts? Either way, can you point me to the teachings? I'm more curious as to what Taoist texts and teachers have to say than personal opinions as to this point. Any text, ultimately, is a form of personal opinion/bias. Whether it comes from the mouth of a master or a scholar, it's all opinion. Personal experience has got to be your only answer. Look within. The texts are merely pointers. They can be of great benefit, but if we rely too heavily on the written word and the experiences of others, the answers (if in fact there are any !) to all life's BIG questions will elude us. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zanshin Posted September 10, 2012 Is the source of the world different from the source of the universe? Taoism does teach everything came from the one, not just the world, but the universe. So our thoughts are part of the universe, so somehow they do come from this original source. The part I am not sure about is how directly. Probably a lot of filters and time warp between thoughts and the mother of the universe. Our individual reference points and experiences that shaped our thoughts came from that source too, yet we all have different thoughts. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HandsInTime Posted September 10, 2012 Is the source of the world different from the source of the universe? Taoism does teach everything came from the one, not just the world, but the universe. So our thoughts are part of the universe, so somehow they do come from this original source. The part I am not sure about is how directly. Probably a lot of filters and time warp between thoughts and the mother of the universe. Our individual reference points and experiences that shaped our thoughts came from that source too, yet we all have different thoughts. The source is the source of all. The Tao is all. Although our connection to this source may seem convoluted by time, millenia, forces of nature, etc, these are all manifestation of the energy of the source. We, and our thoughts, literally, are of the stars. I sense you are thinking quite a bit about the nature of your thoughts. An experience of the source cannot be broken down and understood through thought. Dualism may be an illusion, but it is our reality. I suggest dancing. : ) 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zanshin Posted September 10, 2012 When it comes to poetry and art finding inspiration certainly can be elusive and tricksy. But isn't it weird how sometimes with even more objective things our minds know things we aren't likely to know. I have a child who can usually look at math problems and write the correct answer down, but when they make him go thru steps of The Way To Solve a Math Problem, he doesn't understand and gets frustrated. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HandsInTime Posted September 10, 2012 There are many ways to experience reality, and all of them relate to how you perceive reality. How does your son know the answer to these problems? Isn't the logical steps of solving math the only way to get the right answer? There are many other ways of knowing besides logic, perhaps your child has not been told that there is a rigidity to math and the steps are the only way to the solution. His mind is still open to many possibilities. There is a connotation of "opening your mind" as some kind of drug induced or radical experience that leaves you so shocked and ungrounded your life is not the same. This may be the case for many, myself included, but there is always the task of challenging and channeling your day to day perceptions and experiences as products of your own mind. To truly accept and sit with new concepts, new feelings, new actions, new experiences, that is expansion, that is opening yourself to the (im)possibility of everything. Change your world, and you change the world. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mokona Posted September 14, 2012 See, I don't see how that can be, I've found through practice that thoughts are great as affirmations and helping the body through certain routines or breaking habits, but everything energy related worked better with feeling. Thoughts broke the energy train so to speak. If your searching for the source, you'll want to work more with emotion and feeling I suspect. Good luck. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
et-thoughts Posted September 14, 2012 See, I don't see how that can be, I've found through practice that thoughts are great as affirmations and helping the body through certain routines or breaking habits, but everything energy related worked better with feeling. Thoughts broke the energy train so to speak. If your searching for the source, you'll want to work more with emotion and feeling I suspect. Good luck. The search for the source thought feeling, experiences, thoughts depend on specific instances of such domains Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
