DaoVille? A Neijia and Daoist Community

[dwai]

Here's a hypothetical topic of discussion (and knowledge mining) --

 

If you were given the choice and ability to create a Daoist community (let's say in the US), what would you consider to be integral parts of such a community? How would you go about building one? Is such a place even practical or possible in today's world?

 

 

[Geof Nanto]

It's a topic I've thought about in the past. I considered starting such a place for Daoist practice many years ago when I first moved onto an acreage in semi-wilderness country in Australia. I've since dropped the idea for many reasons; mostly personal but also based on the manifold problems such specialist communities I’ve lived in (mainly Buddhist) seem to invariably encounter.  However that doesn't mean it’s not a worthwhile goal. From my experience, I’d emphasise the importance of a gifted teacher at the centre of the community.

 

According to Louis Komjathy in The Daoist Tradition...."pre-modern Daoism has tended to emphasize aesthetics, community, embodiment, place, and so forth. Such values and commitments challenge most modernist and postmodernist mentalities. This does not mean that Daoism is solely archaic and primitive.  Rather, it suggests that Daoists and Daoist communities tend to be rooted in meaning systems and social realities that seem radically different when juxtaposed with the systems and processes of modern life. The question thus arises as to the fate of Daoism in the modern world.”

Edited May 30, 2015 by Darkstar

[Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan]

self sufficiency oriented permaculture, herbs, fruits, vegetables, and above and beyond all else, hemp.

land enough to grow (non psychoactive) Hemp for everything from construction, concrete, and fuel to clothing, consumables, and food.

all the bare-bones basic necessities be taught in workshops of sorts to people of all ages, so all members of the community can contribute in some fashion or another weather it be constructing and repairing homes, tailoring clothes, cooking, or fabrication.


Relying on hemp for everything reduces time spent and materials wasted, allowing for more dedicated focus on the internal and cultural aspects of Daoism and its history and practices.

[dwai]

Interesting point about Hemp...wonder if it grows in the Midwest. This sort of tangentially ties in to the "Life skills" thread, as in that is what triggered my thoughts about such a community (albeit among my taiji friends it has been a topic of recurring discussion). 

 

On a more general sense, what would it take these days to build a self-sustaining community that supports say 100-500 members?

[zanshin]

For Midwest, I'd look to the Amish which seems appealing lifestyle to me- minus the religion and clothes. I guess you'd have to decide how much tech you'd want to use and how religious you'd want it to be. Are we talking community based on philosophical Daoist ideas or is it religious Daoism?

[thelerner]

Or in the city and start small.   Find an apartment building with land around it, either in a small town or failing city where I could get the building and land around it on the cheap.  Start w/ one building, perhaps using a co-op model and start filling it up with like minded people.  Maybe use the land around for hyper productive gardening and/or a coffee shop.   People would still probably need day jobs. Try to expand organically, or be able to stay the same size and be stable. 

 

I've lived in such places.  Burning Man events come close, with camps and towns popping up; no money allowed, radical self sufficiency required yet also the strong principle of inclusion and sharing.   There is a conscious striving to create ones paradise.   But its also artificial, only lasting a week, and powered by the money to pay for all the stuff before hand. 

 

Long term, not an easy trick to pull off.   Many try, few succeed, so my idea is starting small.

Edited May 31, 2015 by thelerner

[Daeluin]

Tis an intersting idea. Huashan used to be like this.

 

I feel it would be most important for it to integrate with nature, with the surrounding environment.

 

The energy would being practiced should not simply be issolated in that one spot, but should be practiced in such a way that the work nurtures and empowers the health of the energy flows on the land surrounding the community.

 

If nestled into the mountains, particular attention should be placed on how the energy flows through the ridges and valleys, such that all come to benefit from the healing potential of the daoist practices, forming an ecosystem whose many participants are all able to become stronger and more supportive of the health of the whole.

 

If nestled into a city, the same principles apply, but the participants now have some interesting social kung-fu to learn. Humans are very attachment an expectation oriented, so whatever is done that has power should be carefully hidden in plain sight, and energy work oriented toward balancing what imbalances are generated by the inhabitants. Classes for beginning qi-gong might be very exposed, as might simple classes on philosophy, helping to lead the inhabitants toward emptiness and healing. The participants might learn to simply walk through the city balancing energy simply through maintaining their own center, without deliberately making any changes to the environment, simply following the course that flows best to them, and coming to learn how this approach results in much greater, all encompassing balancing and integration than conscious directional focusing. But naturally there would be many approaches to living within and balancing energy within a city. If the city begins to change due to the presence of the community, care is needed to recognize this and discern if these changes are sustainable, as the city might begin to draw people in from far away and begin to change more rapidly as outsiders attempt to build upon and leverage the balanced energies nurtured by the community, requiring changes within the structure of the community itself, even as it remains invisible to recognition from the city itself.

 

But as students become adepts, in either situation, it is natural for them to wander, dispersing what is true to what desires greater balance. To keep all contained within a small community is likely unnatural.

 

There are many ways... these are just some musings I've had.

[dwai]

I guess the objective in my mind would not be to create a separate isolated community but to be able to co-exist in "normal" society. Today my Sifu talked about how once we develop enough harmony with the Universe the power radiates all around us and even those we don't consciously try to help get benefit from it.  

 

I remember reading about the Old Daoist master who goes to a new village which was drought-stricken for years. As soon as he settles in there, the rain comes pouring down from the sky. 

 

Can a community not play such a role...relatively unknown, hidden in plain sight yet changing the world around them and radiating the power of Dao?

[Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan]

Interesting point about Hemp...wonder if it grows in the Midwest. This sort of tangentially ties in to the "Life skills" thread, as in that is what triggered my thoughts about such a community (albeit among my taiji friends it has been a topic of recurring discussion). 

 

On a more general sense, what would it take these days to build a self-sustaining community that supports say 100-500 members?

 

 

integral parts of such a community

 

 

and the last line, "what would it take these days to build a self-sustaining community", the answer, again, is Hemp!

 

Short of allergy dangers, hemp is all anyone ever needs for community construction and sustenence.

 

It does all the jobs of all the other materials, timber, cotton, fossil fuel, and even steel, only it does their jobs way better.

 

 

ten times stronger than steel yet also flexible.  Hemp resins.

 

many multitudes more durable than cotton, and when it gets worn it only gets softer with wear.  Hemp threads.

 

Non-toxic emissions from hemp oils for fuel (or cooking ).

 

Flexible, durable fibers in the stalks make it a more viable alternative to timber, it grows in less space at a faster yeild.

 

 

 

Hemp is the ultimatum of human survival.  either hemp or extinction. (choose extinction, please, i want you all to be that stupid. _{^{note sarcasm}}.)