Tao Te Bums

[Silent Answers]

Hi everyone,

 

I love to ponder over Taoist stories and poetry, and often get inspired to write my own. A little because it helps me to realise and capture insights, and also because I enjoy throwing a few out there to see if they catch the attention of any masters that might be reading.

 

ANYWAY... I'm sure a lot of you probably have written thoughts and stuff down that I and others might enjoy to read, so I thought why not make our own Tao Te Bum compilation..just for a bit of fun...It can be completely new or maybe a famous quote you've adapted.

 

I'll start it off with one:

 

Like looking into a flowing river unable to reflect the images of the world around it clearly,

As is the mind of men.

The mind of a sage is like that of a still valley lake,

Showing reality clearly on it's glistening surface...

The reflection itself is unimportant,

For it would not exist without the water,

And it would not be carried without the light.

Looking forward to reading your insights :-)

[Marblehead]

A comment to yours:

 

I saw that lake! It is in the Swiss Alps Mountains. And later I found a lake in the lower Alps Mountains of Italy that wasn't as clear but in my mind I gave it the clarity of the other. I spent many hours looking down at that lake in Italy (a half hour drive from where I was living at the time).

[Stosh]

I like watching the waves crash the seashore, so I never actually see the sage.

[Rara]

I always did wonder...

 

There isn't a "new" book out there. What about a modern Taoism book? Like TTC or Zhuangzi but with cars and phones. OUR experiences.

 

I started doing some poetry a while ago in my phase of, well, I don't know what that phase was. But I haven't touched it for ages. And I'm older and wiser these days

 

taopoetry.wordpress.com

[Stosh]

I always did wonder...

 

There isn't a "new" book out there. What about a modern Taoism book? Like TTC or Zhuangzi but with cars and phones. OUR experiences.

 

I started doing some poetry a while ago in my phase of, well, I don't know what that phase was. But I haven't touched it for ages. And I'm older and wiser these days

 

taopoetry.wordpress.com

I agree that modernization would be desirable , one does get exposed to rather ancient object lessons and "Ye Olde time" language. After a while , the whole thing becomes imbued with an alien perspective, I have no idea what folks thought about oxen ( Im not even sure I know what constitutes an ox vs a cow ) , or what they would consider a reasonable description of things like oxidation occurring. It strikes me equally weird when christians fall into Old English to do a prayer to god , which-who anyone may have construed , didnt actually speak that language. ( almost as weird as listening to recitations of things in latin which one doesnt understand. ) Dost thou hearken as I sayeth ?

 

Whatd thoust wondredthst ??

Edited May 15, 2014 by Stosh

[Brian]

Oxen are cattle trained to pull. Typically but not exclusively castrated males.

 

A cow is a girl...

[Stosh]

Oxen are cattle trained to pull. Typically but not exclusively castrated males.

 

A cow is a girl...

Then its usually a steer , right, otherwise they can still be ,,, cows ( I thought cow applied to both though when referring to ,, cows)

[Brian]

Yes, but specifically bovine used as a draft animal.

 

Yeah, "cow" is used pretty ubiquitously but is usually misused.

[manitou]

Oxen are cattle trained to pull. Typically but not exclusively castrated males.

 

A cow is a girl...

 

 

Don't oxen part their hair down the middle?

 

Or am I thinking of water buffalo?

[Brian]

I thought they wore silly hats?

 

 

 

[GrandmasterP]

Moo.

 

 

I mean...

Mu.

 

Never a good idea to confuse bulls for cows.

Edited May 15, 2014 by GrandmasterP

[Stosh]

relevant definitions. These are:

• Cow: a mature female bovine that has given birth to at least one or two calves. Colloquially, the term "cow" is also in reference to the Bos primigenius species of domestic cattle, regardless of age, gender, breed or type. However for most people who work with or raise cattle, this term is not used in the same reference as previously noted.
• Bull: a mature, intact (testicles present and not removed) male bovine used for breeding purposes.
• Steer: a male bovine (or bull) that has been castrated before reaching sexual maturity and is primarily used for beef.
• Stag: a male bovine (or bull) that has been castrated after or upon reaching sexual maturity and is primarily used for beef, but can and is also often used as a "gomer bull" for detecting cows and heifers in heat.
• Heifer: a female bovine (often immature, but beyond the "calf" stage) less than 1 to 2 years of age that has never calved. Such females, if they've never calved beyond two years of age may also be called heiferettes.
• Bred Heifer: a female bovine that is pregnant with her first calf.
• First-calf Heifer or First-calver: a female bovine that has given birth to her first calf, and is often around 24 to 36 months of age, depending on the breed and when she was first bred.
• Ox (plural: Oxen): a bovine that is trained for draft work (pulling carts, wagons, plows, etc.)This is a term that primarily refers to a male bovine that has been castrated after maturity. However, an ox can also be female bovine (cow or heifer) or even a bull that has been trained for the same purpose. In the Biblical times, an ox was a general term used, just like with the term "cows," to a domesticated bovine regardless of age, gender, breed, type, or draft purposes.
• Calf (plural: Calves): an immature bovine (male and female) that is reliant on milk from its dam or from a bottle in order to survive and grow. A calf is known as such from birth to around 10 months of age.
• Bull calf: an immature intact male bovine (since all males are born with testes) that is reliant on milk from his dam or a bottle for growth and survival.
• Steer calf: an immature male bovine that has been castrated a few days to a couple months after birth, and is reliant on milk from his dam or a bottle for growth and survival.
• Heifer calf: an immature female bovine that is reliant on milk from her dam or a bottle for growth and survival.
• Freemartin: an infertile or sterile heifer or heifer calf. Such infertility is a result of being maternally twinned with a bull calf which placental tissues were shared in the womb. During the first trimester, reproductive organs start to form and sexual hormones begin to be produced in the fetus. When male and female fetal calves are twinned together, the testosterone produced by the male inhibits estrogen production in the female. This results in abnormal, underdeveloped or hermaphroditic reproductive organs in the female fetus. This is not so for the male. Freemartins are sometimes referred as "hermaphrodites" if they are born with reproductive organs of both genders. As a result, these type of freemartins tend to develop secondary male sexual characteristics (muscular crest over neck, wide forehead, etc.) upon reaching puberty.
• Cattle: general plural term for more than one bovine
• Cattlebeast/bovine/animal: a singular term for a bovine whose gender cannot be determined, particularly when viewed at a distance. Most people like to call a bovine of unknown (or "unknown") gender as a "cow," simply because it is a much more well-known and popular term to use than "bovine" or "cattlebeast." This, however, is often not the case around experienced cattlemen and cattlewomen or "ranchers" (as some like to call them) who never use the term "cow" when referring to a bovine that is anything but a cow. "Animal," "critter," "creature," or any other term, coarse or not, are most often used over the colloquial word "cow."

Bulls are cows!.

Edited May 15, 2014 by Stosh

[Marblehead]

Bulls are cows!.

I'll tell you what: You try milking a bull and you will get yoruself in a whole lot of trouble.

[Brian]

I agree that modernization would be desirable , one does get exposed to rather ancient object lessons and "Ye Olde time" language. After a while , the whole thing becomes imbued with an alien perspective, I have no idea what folks thought about oxen ( Im not even sure I know what constitutes an ox vs a cow ) , or what they would consider a reasonable description of things like oxidation occurring. It strikes me equally weird when christians fall into Old English to do a prayer to god , which-who anyone may have construed , didnt actually speak that language. ( almost as weird as listening to recitations of things in latin which one doesnt understand. ) Dost thou hearken as I sayeth ?

 

Whatd thoust wondredthst ??

Lest thou wonders, Quakerly simple speech was/is ANTI-pretentious. "You" is the formal pronoun while "thee" and "thou" were informal. George Fox and associates opted to not refer to the Crown formally and nearly lost their heads for it.

[manitou]

 

relevant definitions. These are:

• Cow: a mature female bovine that has given birth to at least one or two calves. Colloquially, the term "cow" is also in reference to the Bos primigenius species of domestic cattle, regardless of age, gender, breed or type. However for most people who work with or raise cattle, this term is not used in the same reference as previously noted.
• Bull: a mature, intact (testicles present and not removed) male bovine used for breeding purposes.
• Steer: a male bovine (or bull) that has been castrated before reaching sexual maturity and is primarily used for beef.
• Stag: a male bovine (or bull) that has been castrated after or upon reaching sexual maturity and is primarily used for beef, but can and is also often used as a "gomer bull" for detecting cows and heifers in heat.
• Heifer: a female bovine (often immature, but beyond the "calf" stage) less than 1 to 2 years of age that has never calved. Such females, if they've never calved beyond two years of age may also be called heiferettes.
• Bred Heifer: a female bovine that is pregnant with her first calf.
• First-calf Heifer or First-calver: a female bovine that has given birth to her first calf, and is often around 24 to 36 months of age, depending on the breed and when she was first bred.
• Ox (plural: Oxen): a bovine that is trained for draft work (pulling carts, wagons, plows, etc.)This is a term that primarily refers to a male bovine that has been castrated after maturity. However, an ox can also be female bovine (cow or heifer) or even a bull that has been trained for the same purpose. In the Biblical times, an ox was a general term used, just like with the term "cows," to a domesticated bovine regardless of age, gender, breed, type, or draft purposes.
• Calf (plural: Calves): an immature bovine (male and female) that is reliant on milk from its dam or from a bottle in order to survive and grow. A calf is known as such from birth to around 10 months of age.
• Bull calf: an immature intact male bovine (since all males are born with testes) that is reliant on milk from his dam or a bottle for growth and survival.
• Steer calf: an immature male bovine that has been castrated a few days to a couple months after birth, and is reliant on milk from his dam or a bottle for growth and survival.
• Heifer calf: an immature female bovine that is reliant on milk from her dam or a bottle for growth and survival.
• Freemartin: an infertile or sterile heifer or heifer calf. Such infertility is a result of being maternally twinned with a bull calf which placental tissues were shared in the womb. During the first trimester, reproductive organs start to form and sexual hormones begin to be produced in the fetus. When male and female fetal calves are twinned together, the testosterone produced by the male inhibits estrogen production in the female. This results in abnormal, underdeveloped or hermaphroditic reproductive organs in the female fetus. This is not so for the male. Freemartins are sometimes referred as "hermaphrodites" if they are born with reproductive organs of both genders. As a result, these type of freemartins tend to develop secondary male sexual characteristics (muscular crest over neck, wide forehead, etc.) upon reaching puberty.
• Cattle: general plural term for more than one bovine
• Cattlebeast/bovine/animal: a singular term for a bovine whose gender cannot be determined, particularly when viewed at a distance. Most people like to call a bovine of unknown (or "unknown") gender as a "cow," simply because it is a much more well-known and popular term to use than "bovine" or "cattlebeast." This, however, is often not the case around experienced cattlemen and cattlewomen or "ranchers" (as some like to call them) who never use the term "cow" when referring to a bovine that is anything but a cow. "Animal," "critter," "creature," or any other term, coarse or not, are most often used over the colloquial word "cow."

 

 

Stosh, this is downright anal.

[Marblehead]

Stosh, this is downright anal.

It's bovine too.

[NotVoid]

[if people actually read the first post in this thread by Silent Answers, you might realize that you are blatantly spamming his thread... ]

Chatter boxes chatter
water follows nature
Be like water, my friend.

Edited May 16, 2014 by NotVoid

[Stosh]

I'll tell you what: You try milking a bull and you will get yoruself in a whole lot of trouble.

Ive never had the opportunity to do either , so Im not concerned about that , but if one of those horned things was off on a hill, and I was unaware of its age gender and breeding status , Im thinking it would be correct to point out that 'cow' over there rather than get excessively vague and call it "the animal',, because the other person would likely say, What do you mean? The cow?

[Stosh]

Lest thou wonders, Quakerly simple speech was/is ANTI-pretentious. "You" is the formal pronoun while "thee" and "thou" were informal. George Fox and associates opted to not refer to the Crown formally and nearly lost their heads for it.

Thats interesting , but I wasnt condemning it for pretentiousness, (which it could be, amongst non quakers which speak colloquial english.) Instead what I was getting at was that the adoption of the antiquated speech appears to indicate a personal disconnect between ones regular life and the spiritual associations they have.

[Stosh]

Stosh, this is downright anal.

I found it interesting myself, it was on a web page which was trying to do a service by explaining very precisely the use of various bovine related terms ,, a sort of disambiguation. So the point of it was precisely , as you say, to be 'anal' for the moment.

[Stosh]

It's bovine too.

Cute use of language there. ( though I disagree that it was boring, since it was pertinant)

[Stosh]

[if people actually read the first post in this thread by Silent Answers, you might realize that you are blatantly spamming his thread... ]

 

Chatter boxes chatter

water follows nature

Be like water, my friend.

 

Spam is most often considered to be electronic junk mail or junk newsgroup postings. Some people define spam even more generally as any unsolicited email. However, if a long-lost brother finds your email address and sends you a message, this could hardly be called spam, even though it is unsolicited. Real spam is generally email advertising for some product sent to a mailing list or newsgroup.

 

But yeah, its wandered off point. ( as water is wont to do)

Please carry on

[Brian]

Thats interesting , but I wasnt condemning it for pretentiousness, (which it could be, amongst non quakers which speak colloquial english.) Instead what I was getting at was that the adoption of the antiquated speech appears to indicate a personal disconnect between ones regular life and the spiritual associations they have.

Oh, I totally agree! (And I got your point -- just thought I'd throw the "thee, thou, you" thing in for interest...)

 

The adoption of unfamiliar behavior (speech, dress, mannerisms, etc.) as part of a spiritual "act" is just an act. There's the possibility of it evolving into something meaningful but that seems exceedingly rare in my observation.

 

One of my personal pet peeves is the "Lord's Prayer." Yeshua must have done a face-palm over that one.

[GrandmasterP]

Lest thou wonders, Quakerly simple speech was/is ANTI-pretentious. "You" is the formal pronoun while "thee" and "thou" were informal. George Fox and associates opted to not refer to the Crown formally and nearly lost their heads for it.

 

I was brought up thee thouing.

It is familial as per the French 'Tu'.

Hence the old put down for someone presuming unwelcome familiarity by using 'thee- thou' in conversation to -

" Thee thou them as thous thee!"

 

[NotVoid]

[still the spamming continues... When even moderators are active in this spamming,

I am reminded of the (translated) words of Dante ]

 

Before me things create were none, save things

Eternal, and eternal I endure.

All hope abandon ye who enter here.

 

 

Edited May 16, 2014 by NotVoid