Crures Posted January 20, 2017 Hey everyone, for a while I am meditating consequently now (every day) and do yoga. I am content with these practices, but I somehow feel like a good “mindset” is missing, a way of going about things. I feel like there’s some sort of flow missing in life, like I don’t entirely do what I want to do, or maybe what needs to be done, but I’m not sure what it is. I am generally interested in buddhism, but I somehow feel like buddhism is more about controlling things instead of letting things (skillfully) run their course (I may be mistaken about this). On the other hand, in zen, spontaneity is praised as a virtue. In general, I tend to want to control things, but it is to a degree that I want to look years ahead in the future and plan everything.. I feel like a naturalness is missing, it feels like I’m approaching life more like a surgeon than a playful person. Having read the TTC and Zhuang Zi, I still feel like it’s not really clear what is meant, how to be more natural. There are some general concepts that are sort of easy to understand, that peace is better than war, that it’s good to aim for contentment. However, concerning day-to-day choices, I don’t really know what the right thing is to do. I tend to approach things with thinking rather than feeling, analyzing a situation, finding the "best solution", and feeling gets no say. I constructed some questions that I think, if answered, may lead me in a right direction, but if you know something else which you think would benefit, feel free to share . Questions on te/wu wei/tao: Does an “accomplished” daoist do something on impulse, does he do some planning, or does he do something inbetween? What role do emotions have? does a daoist “deal with it” in some way? I think it was mentioned in a daoist text that a daoist person does things at the right time, but does this not come forth from thinking / the mind simply understanding cause and effect? If it is the aim of daoists to follow feeling/intuition, does this not come forth from mental conditioning? Is a choice “aligned with Dao” a choice that simply does not come forth from clinging and aversion? And now for maybe the foolishest question of them all… is it beneficial to do some kind of daoist cultivation that will bring one more in sync with Dao? (“the dao that is caught is not the real dao” posts incoming!) If you want to reply, please take these two things in regard: I don’t speak/read chinese, and using chinese language and symbols will probably make things less clear. Also, please make your answer clear to beginners, sometimes when I read posts by some of you, it is from a point of view that is hard to follow, because it is so… beyond beginner . I wish you all a good day Crures Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Marblehead Posted January 20, 2017 Hi Crures, Excellent questions for a person who is trying to find their true self. Wu Wei is generally translated as "not doing" but this is not a complete translation. It leaves out the concept of acting with intent but more importantly acting with alterior motive. A first step here would be for you to learn how to understand your feelings. Your feelings are your true self. And yes, even they can be "wrong". Therefore not only do we need to understand our feelings but also understand why we have these feelings. (They might actually be some one else's that have been planted in your mind.) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thelerner Posted January 22, 2017 Different people ascribe the 'Tao' man differently. To some he's a wizard, scholar or martial artist, to others- simple and childlike. In truth they probably don't follow any stereotype unlike those who 'try' to become them. To me, he is in the world but not of it. He gives complete attention to what he is doing, but cares little for results or acclaim. They can feel things deeply while still remaining detached. They are masters of acceptance, moving towards harmony with there environment and inner selves. 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
awaken Posted January 28, 2017 Does an “accomplished” daoist do something on impulse, does he do some planning, or does he do something inbetween? --> What is accomplished daoist? Why do you imagine one special type of human instead of making desicion by your self? What role do emotions have? does a daoist “deal with it” in some way? ----> I have a lot of emotions before. And these emotions disturbed my life a lot. But after I cultivate in 玄關竅 every day All the emotions vanish Even if I have some emotions in work or family, These emotions vanish very soon. I invite everyone to practice wu Wei with me. But everyone just afraid. What are you going to lose? Nothing. I don't understand why you guys are chasing dao and doubting at the same time. I think it was mentioned in a daoist text that a daoist person does things at the right time, but does this not come forth from thinking / the mind simply understanding cause and effect? ----> Does it matter? Actually, we don't have too many choices in our life. We eat, sleep, work, cultivate..... We are busy.... If it is the aim of daoists to follow feeling/intuition, does this not come forth from mental conditioning? Is a choice “aligned with Dao” a choice that simply does not come forth from clinging and aversion? ---> Don't understand. Think too much. All questiona are one question. You don't do any cultivation. You just keep on thinking and thinking again. You make a maze and live inside. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
