Is it the duty of a Taoist to protect Nature?

[Golden Dragon Shining]

What is the meaning of this?

Edited July 13, 2016 by Sionnach

[Cheshire Cat]

Who did it?

[Marblehead]

Beautiful picture.  Too bad the deer is about to die.

 

 

To the statement, the only thing that comes to my mind is:

 

From religion (Hindu) to agnosticism (Buddhism) to atheism (Taoist Philosophy).

[Golden Dragon Shining]

The stag is a teacher the others are students/ seekers. Druids could shape-shift into animals ya? and other accounts.

Edited July 9, 2016 by Sionnach

[Marblehead]

That is a totally different perspective for me.

 

I accept it with conditions.

[Apech]

That is a totally different perspective for me.

 

I accept it with conditions.

 

 

You have shape shifted into a gorilla - are you a Druid?

[Marblehead]

You have shape shifted into a gorilla - are you a Druid?

Hehehe.  That's not one of the conditions.  However, I do very loosely hold to the concept of Animals Spirits.  Mine is the Cougar.

[Golden Dragon Shining]

Funny as we all have animal avatars

[Marblehead]

Funny as we all have animal avatars

 

I had a flower for a while.  I love flowers.  Well, except for the ones on plants I call weeds.

[Golden Dragon Shining]

Weeds are beautiful, many have great medicinal properties too

Edited July 10, 2016 by Sionnach

[rex]

There's no such thing as a weed. A weed is a plant in the wrong place.

[Marblehead]

There's no such thing as a weed. A weed is a plant in the wrong place.

 

Hehehe.  I have been told that numerous times.  It's true, I suppose. 

[Rara]

Weeds are beautiful, many have great medicinal properties too

 

I was going to start my own thread on this but here seems an appropriate place to put my opinion...

 

I am constantly being asked by my landlord to get rid of the weeds at the front of my house. My Dad always used to pay me extra pocket money if I weeded my parent's garden too.

 

I never truly understood it.

 

Then the other day I was at my fiancèe's allotment and the only thing left for me to do was do the weeding. As I sat there doing it, I realised that the reason I never really prioritise this chore is because I genuinely see it as a pointless task.

 

They will always come back, they're just plants and you're right - you do get some really beautiful ones!

 

So why does everyone in the modern world insist they are pest plants and ugly? I don't see it.

 

I think my landlord will be waiting a long long time for these weeds to go.

[Papayapple]

There's no such thing as a weed. A weed is a plant in the wrong place.

I thought there was no such thing as wrong place or time.

[Golden Dragon Shining]

Weeds are said to be the commandos of the plant world, detoxifying/ replenishing the soil. I eat the dandelions in my backyard. I prefer the overgrown/ abundant myself, we really have strayed far from the natural. I lay blame entirely on the religions of Abraham.  Deserts on multiple levels seem to follow these religions.  

Edited July 12, 2016 by Sionnach

[Marblehead]

I "Thanked you" for that post mostly for having the balls to post it.

 

Sad truth in there.

[Stosh]

The image ,to me, suggests that the author thinks monotheism is universal for humans. An incarnation of Moby Dick or some other deity ,to tiny forest dwellers...with a side order of five elements.

As far as the claim about taoism beginning ,buddhism ending, suggests to me the speaker thinks the two have a relationship that puts the two things apart. The sentence could be figured that either one of them is a starting point, for the other. But Im thinking that, in practice they can possibly be juxtaposed harmoniously... Isee it that these faiths have a very broad , or variable span of ideas ,,which makes the such opinions speculative or really just based on what preconceptions one has of ,,those ,,, groups.

Edited July 12, 2016 by Stosh

[Direwolf]

I was going to start my own thread on this but here seems an appropriate place to put my opinion...

 

I am constantly being asked by my landlord to get rid of the weeds at the front of my house. My Dad always used to pay me extra pocket money if I weeded my parent's garden too.

 

I never truly understood it.

 

Then the other day I was at my fiancèe's allotment and the only thing left for me to do was do the weeding. As I sat there doing it, I realised that the reason I never really prioritise this chore is because I genuinely see it as a pointless task.

 

They will always come back, they're just plants and you're right - you do get some really beautiful ones!

 

So why does everyone in the modern world insist they are pest plants and ugly? I don't see it.

 

I think my landlord will be waiting a long long time for these weeds to go.

 

I think often enough we overlook the beauty and usefulness of those weeds too.  Often times those weeds were beneficial to earlier people in the regions where we live for medicinal or for food purposes. Sure enough, some of them have no direct usefulness for humans, but they may have other usefulness in nature.  I guess one could also ask what usefulness does a lawn of grass have other than to look nice when compared to another person's lawn. Why is one better than the other, in a sense.   Nature itself is diverse, you rarely will see a field of grass without a variety of other things as well.

[Marblehead]

Yeah, but I'm still going to pull the weeds when I see them.

[Rara]

I "Thanked you" for that post mostly for having the balls to post it.

 

Sad truth in there.

I think we need a "like" button back. "Thank you" still has it's own purpose but maybe there should be both.

[Golden Dragon Shining]

HA!

//

Is it the duty of a Taoist to protect Nature?








 

Edited July 13, 2016 by Sionnach

[blackstar212]

Nature protects itself. Nature will self correct, if that means it takes out that which throws off balance then it will. Man is nature, I do not see man as separate from nature. It may take time for nature to balance but it will follow the course of itself.

 

An example would be "over population" of a species. If there is enough food for 100 creatures and there are 200 creatures balance will happen.

[Zhongyongdaoist]

Duty is far more of a Confucian concept than a "Taoist" one, though by "Taoist", I don't necessarily mean Daoist.
 
The Western Inscription of Zhang Zai is a beautiful statement of this duty and its ontological roots:
 

Heaven is my Father
and Earth is my Mother,
and even such small creatures as we
find intimate shelter in their embrace.


Therefore that which fills the universe
I regard as my own body,

and that which directs the universe
I consider as my own nature.

All people are my brothers and sisters,
and all things are my companions.

...

Wealth, honor, blessing and benefits
are meant for the enrichment of my life;
while poverty, humble status, worries and sorrows
are meant to help me find fulfillment.


In life I follow and serve Heaven and Earth;
In death I will be at peace.

(Portal Page to Professor David Mason's San-Shin Site)

I'll bet you didn't think that Confucians had that type of stuff in them, did you?
 
And what is Professor David Maon's San-Shin Site about?  Well, in his own words it's:
 

all about Korean Mountain-spirits and their shrines,
Korea's sacred peaks and mountain-worship traditions

Some people here may find it an interesting place to visit.

[Golden Dragon Shining]

Nature protects itself. Nature will self correct, if that means it takes out that which throws off balance then it will. Man is nature, I do not see man as separate from nature. It may take time for nature to balance but it will follow the course of itself.

 

An example would be "over population" of a species. If there is enough food for 100 creatures and there are 200 creatures balance will happen.

Man was Nature,  now for the most part separated from it, and so suffers. "Humanitarianism" prevents this balancing, if 100 are starving they transport food from elsewhere, 100 becomes 1000 and that 1 million... then they start working on GMO crops to "feed the world" or something... misguided compassion? something more sinister?  Too many artificial systems, I am considering now 1 artificial system is 1 too many.

 

Then everyone on the planet is shopping at Buy N large, they call it diversity, disease and unhappiness increases with the consumption of lifeless food. Man should be gaining nourishment from

 

 

Not

 

 

which turns the world into

 

 

and Man into

 

 

and they call it progress?

 

Apparently my ancestors were barbarians and sun worshipers hm? With silly superstitions like sacred trees and rivers. Silly Pagans, they need Yahweh, Jesus and 10% tax to the Church/Government,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 14, 2016 by Sionnach

[WisteriaWinds]

None of those things separates us from nature. Its just humans making stuff that works for them at the expense of others. All other species do it too, we just don't notice it when it's on a smaller scale. When it's on a larger scale we do notice it. Elephants have been a serious problem for African forests and beavers will dam up the circulation of entire ecosystems completely displacing the species around them.

Having a cerebral cortex and opposable thumbs just lets us do it bigger, but it's still nature.

Theres no inherent morality in nature.

 

Man was Nature, now for the most part separated from it, and so suffers. "Humanitarianism" prevents this balancing, if 100 are starving they transport food from elsewhere, 100 becomes 1000 and that 1 million... then they start working on GMO crops to "feed the world" or something... misguided compassion? something more sinister? Too many artificial systems, I am considering now 1 artificial system is 1 too many.

 

Then everyone on the planet is shopping at Buy N large, they call it diversity, disease and unhappiness increases with the consumption of lifeless food. Man should be gaining nourishment from

 

 

Not

 

 

which turns the world into

 

 

and Man into

 

 

and they call it progress?

 

Apparently my ancestors were barbarians and sun worshipers hm? With silly superstitions like sacred trees and rivers. Silly Pagans, they need Yahweh, Jesus and 10% tax to the Church/Government,