ancient man imbibed dew and fed on primordial breath

[Golden Dragon Shining]

The Confucian’s viewed primordial times as period of starvation, of violence and wilderness, to loosely paraphrase and translate Levi (1982), contrasted to the Daoist view of a golden-age of uncontrived Eden-like bliss. “Zhuangzi praises that idyllic age with these words: ‘Spirits and gods show their good will and nobody dies before his time’” (Levi 1982). This is anathema to the Confucian view that it took a civilizing divine-potentate to rescue humanity from it’s own ignorance and helplessness in a brutal wilderness. This expresses a fundamental cosmological orientation that is the foundation for much of the social movements in China, perhaps even into modern times. “Ancient man imbibed dew” and “fed on primordial breath and drink harmony” and ate not the toilsome, vulgar crops of the red dust that are exemplified in the Five Sacred Grains (wu ku). https://sites.google.com/site/delawareteasociety/yoked-to-earth-a-treatise-on-corpse-demons-and-bigu

 

Edited February 6, 2017 by Sionnach

[Marblehead]

Yeah, different views of ancient times dictate what we think should happen in order to fix the problems of today.

 

I don't care for the Confucian philosophy because it is too dictatorial.  I want to be able to make my own choices.

[thelerner]

The Olden days were always better.  One day these will be the Olden ones and people will tell stories about how amazing things were now, and how they wish they could go back.   suckers  

[Rocky Lionmouth]

Sounds like another strike for The Vinegar Tasters

 

I read somewhere (and cant find it again atm) that ever since recorded history there has been talk from highly regarded grouches of how stuff used to be better and that today morals are going down the drain along with decency, respect and the general standard of quality of the younger generations...

[Golden Dragon Shining]

I read texts from 1800-1900, or ancient Greek, compared to today those texts seem far superior, more dignified/ higher in thought than the trash peddled today as "progressive", lacking emotional and intellectual development - that primary school texts decades ago were more advanced than university texts today. I have seen videos of chimpanzees out performing some people in memory tests ha. Judeo Christianity made things pretty miserable for awhile so we are moving out of that somewhat...and just as we are they flood Europe with Islam, interesting no? it's like international finance want to keep people in a perpetual dark age. That of itself was a fall. We are still struggling to figure out how the Pagan ancients achieved some of the feats they did. Doesn't make things easier when you have the religions of Abraham burning everything to the ground in their religious mania.


 

Edited February 7, 2017 by Sionnach

[Golden Dragon Shining]

Was wondering of other texts mentioning "imbibing dew and feeding on primordial breath".

I noticed Norse mythology speaks of a new world in which surviving/new man is advanced/evolved, whose food is the morning dew, amazing to find that + the Taoist.. ancient Scandinavia to ancient China. 

Edited June 29, 2020 by Golden Dragon Shining

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The more good things in live we have,the easier life is. But the easier our life is the smaller intent to become stronger, more smart etc. we have.

Why do I need to calculate numbers? There is a calculator for it.

Why do I have to remember my plans? There is an electronic adviser with reminder system.

Why do I need to grow plants for food? There is a shop, mechanic machine etc.

We lose smth with every step in technical progress ad it will last on and on untill we become absolutely dependent upon machines, mechanisms and comfort conditions.

[Marblehead]

And then the electrical power goes out and we are up shit creek.

[Pilgrim]

The more good things in live we have,the easier life is. But the easier our life is the smaller intent to become stronger, more smart etc. we have.

Why do I need to calculate numbers? There is a calculator for it.

Why do I have to remember my plans? There is an electronic adviser with reminder system.

Why do I need to grow plants for food? There is a shop, mechanic machine etc.

We lose smth with every step in technical progress ad it will last on and on untill we become absolutely dependent upon machines, mechanisms and comfort conditions.

Too late already.....

[thelerner]

Yet using tools to get comfort is not only something we're all guilty of, but should we feel guilty for it?

 

I'm willing to bet, if you put any of us in a successful homesteading environment, ie no electricity but set up, cabin, gardens, chickens etc., and we had a decent mentor, even part time.  We'd do fine.  Our ancestors were tough and if shit hit the wall, we can be tough too.  I don't think we're lazy or dumb, its just we're adapted to the environment we live in.

 

Probably not so fine if we were suddenly competing with a 100,000 people flung into a non-tech environment, but given a few acres and intelligent supplies and a little instruction; I think we'd learn a whole new world of skills very quickly.  Intelligent foraging and gathering including snares, skinning, all manner of wild craft etc.,

[rex]

I've heard similar accounts from Buddhist sources. When this world system was forming beings had spiritual powers and lived off meditation and the power of the life force. As negative emotions grew stronger they lost their power of concentration and meditation and had to start eating food. As the food got coarser beings lost their luminosity.