Movies That make reference to the Tao Te Ching?

[Albion]

The only movie that I could think of is 'The Tao of Steve'.

 

It's all filmed in New Mexico (around Santa Fe, mostly) where I used to live.

 

I *think* that the main actor's name is Donel Logue, and Greer Garson plays his love interest.

 

Logue develops what he calls 'The Tao of Steve'. It's his way of incorporating a little bit of the Tao Te Ching, into a sort of manual to "pick up chicks".

 

The TTC is quoted from (mostly out of context) in this movie, but it is quoted from, which I found interesting.

 

Logue plays a late 20ish guy who has a pretty hefty sexual appetite, until he meets a gal (Garson) who is friends with his neighbors, and who is pretty much hip to his tricks, I could tell you just why this is so, but it might be a spoiler, and as I'm a real movie freak, I don't wanna do that!

 

The beauty of New Mexico, and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, is a real strength to this movie. A motorcycle ride in this movie, down N.M. North 14, came within only about a mile or two from where I used to live, on the Eastern side of the Sandia Mountains.

 

This is actually 'the back way' into Santa Fe, New Mexico (but only 'the locals' really know this).

 

The great beauty of New Mexico is worked out as an awesome back drop to to this movie.

 

It's a pretty good comedy, a bit raunchy, with a kind of happy ending, and the references to the TTC are all pretty funny, and are well done.

 

I would give it a maybe six and a half, or maybe a seven, on a scale of 1 to 10, on my "really good movie list".

 

Some of the comedy is a bit slow, and you can see it coming from a long ways off, but it still manages to give us a laugh, and helps us to remember, when we were kind of where 'Dex' (the name of Logue's character in the movie) was, in our own lives.

 

Check it out, it's worth a watch. It's sometimes still on HBO, usually in the mornings.

 

Keep on Daoing, Different Abled Daoist

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Edited August 31, 2016 by DifferentlyAbledDaoist

[Firedragon]

I think that "Nerve" is also Daoist. A sentence of the first chapter of the Tao Te Ching can be translated as "Therefore, always without desires or deep mental patterns to see its essence. Always with desires and deep mental patterns to see its appearance". In the movie, the game makes the characters act outside their limitations, changing their mental patterns, and the main character discovers herself as a result.

[Firedragon]

I´m not sure where should I post this comment. In Chaoism and Thelema there are practices to change mental patterns, like metamorphosis (changing habits) in Liber MMM, or paradigm shifting in Chaoism (changing your worldview), or a practice that Crowley did to have one personality when he was wearing a ring in one hand, and another personality when he was wearing it in another. There are also Buddhist and Bon practices that can be used this way, such as Tibetan dream yoga and Chöd. Do Taoists use these practices? What practices do they use?

[Lao Sun Tao]

I actually learned about TTC through the Tao of Steve, now that I think about it. Cool movie.

[turtlehermit]

The Forbidden Kingdom - Jackie Chan- "Those who speak do not know, those know do not speak"