What does the Dao say about fighting?

[Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan]

Morality is not absolute.

 

Instant failure.

Free will is absolute.

 

Prove me wrong, that the rock does not seek to be as a rock and do as a rock, that the free human does not seek to be free and humane.

 

 

 

 

Respecting the free will of your environment, persons, places, and things.

 

That is universal morality; that is omniversiality.

I have it.

 

 

Prove me wrong.

 

Edited July 20, 2013 by Northern Avid Judo Ant

[林愛偉]

Hence the Bodhisattva Who Regards the World's Sounds' 11th face. When kindness and soft compassion do not work, you reveal a face of demons to scare the demons, put them back in their place so as to teach them never to do negative things again.

 

Its called Hard Kindness, and works like a charm

 

Firstly, when it comes to violence I know nothing of the sort (I'm a Daoist, not a Buddhist, and you might find it useful to read up on both). The old cliche "violence never solved anything" is garbage on the face of it. Violence frequently solves problems. Often with a morally desirable outcome, and when nothing else will. This is the case almost every time a police officer has to use violence to subdue a criminal.

 

If you must fight, kick ass. What alternatives are you contemplating? Newsflash from the real world: turning the other cheek just gets you hit on the other cheek. Submitting over and over again just gets you hit over and over again, until you die in agony, at the hands of an assailant who will then walk away with all of the marbles, never to be punished in any fashion for his misdeeds, in this life or any other. And you will get no prizes, in this life or any other, for your forbearance.

 

If you want to learn a martial art then by all means do so. Just realize that it takes a lot of time and effort to become proficient, and is no guarantee that you won't get the **** beat out of you. You might also think about carrying a gun. Regarding karma, as far as I know there's no concept of karma in Daoism. That's a Buddhist thing.

 

Of course you should fight back if necessary. The word "necessary" implies that you have no reasonable alternatives. Why would Laozi, or whoever we attribute with the creation of Daoist doctrine, want you to stand quietly by while you get the **** beat out of you? What possible purpose would that serve? I know that there are some who think that engaging in violence for any reason at all causes a form of "spiritual contamination" that dulls your spiritual senses (or something like that). Personally, I find that being kicked in the head repeatedly by a violent criminal, until I have permanent brain damage, is far more destructive to my spiritual senses, and I recommend avoiding it by any means available, including violence.

 

Daoism is no excuse for not using common sense.

[Protector]

Tao says knock you out

[ChiDragon]

I'm a BAD Taoist !!!!

 

No Taoist is a bad Taoist. That is why Taoist carries a sword. Sometimes the sword has to be withdrawn from the sheath to defend oneself.

[silas]

 

Instant failure.

Free will is absolute.

 

Prove me wrong, that the rock does not seek to be as a rock and do as a rock, that the free human does not seek to be free and humane.

 

Respecting the free will of your environment, persons, places, and things.

 

That is universal morality; that is omniversiality.

I have it.

 

Prove me wrong.

 

 

 

New York Times Article: Free Will: Now You Have It Now You Don't

 

Classical Taoism posits encumbered will.

[baiqi]

We all know that non-violence is the key... but what if we are put in a situation where we must fight? Is having the knowledge of martial arts beneficiary to our karma when in need or no?

Basically what I am saying: Should we fight back if necessary?

Namaste, Mateo

- If we are in a situation where we must fight...we fight! (The hard thing is to know when we REALLY must)

- Is having the knowledge of martial arts beneficiary to our karma when in need or no? Depends what you do with this knowledge.

- Basically, we should fight back if necessary. There is no point in letting the bad guy win.

 

The DDJ is quite clear about this: " weapons are not the instruments of the Sage, he uses them only when he needs them."

[silent thunder]

Either I am a living mockery of my ideals...

or I have set them too low.

Charles Ludlam

Edited July 22, 2013 by silent thunder

[dawei]

 

survive 生存

 

[Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan]

New York Times Article: Free Will: Now You Have It Now You Don't

 

Classical Taoism posits encumbered will.

 

 

Where do I sign up for "will testing"? cuz I can verify without a shadow of a doubt that I do possess free will.

 

 

Free Will is not a continuously active power, like the breath, or heartbeat, but an act of employing conscious effort to a task.

 

 

Honestly, is it really so hard to understand how people are capable of forming unique and individual opnions through independent experience, regardless of how alike two experiences may be?

 

 

I'm certain there is an autonomy. DO NOT DOUBT IT A BIT! Humans can be just as autonomous as they can be willful.

 

I think there is a certain amount of evidence to suggest that civilized and social paradigms are autonomous humanity, while music, art, and storytelling are purely creative and willful acts which have no masters but the artists themselves.