"How a Taoist Mystic Knows Truth"

[Immortality]

Hello everyone,

 

The following video discusses Aviilokín K'shi''s understanding of Tao; he feels/experiences his understanding comes form a past-life connection to Taoism. He explains that the Tao should not only be seen as the source of life, but that the ancient Taoists especially used the Tao as a passageway into the secrets of nature; the Tao is the universal essence of all things, and therefore has a bridging/connective functions between all things, including the laws and principles of nature. His work in general emphasizes that this communion preceded and was a cause to esoteric knowledge such as nei gong and Taoist tantra, and that such knowledge should be held more as a symptom of Tao cultivation rather than its essential identity. With this he means that those who practice nei gong, qi gong, etc. without living in a state of actual Silent communion with Tao will not succeed in actually finding that transcendental connection and realization of nature and her laws, whereby one does not transcend ignorance and disharmony. He feels that this aspect of Tao cultivation is hardly ever emphasized in our contemporary approach to Tao, with most efforts aiming at precisely only such efforts as energy cultivation, knowledge of diet, and sexual tantra; or simply looking at Tao cultivation from a socio-cultural and historical perspective (a scholarly approach).

 

The video that discusses this is a bit rudimentary; just text on a black background following the narration, and background music:  How a Taoist Mystic Knows Truth. It is six minutes long.

 

Kindly,

 

Immortality

[Zhongyongdaoist]

The Way a Daoist mystic knows is outlined in various chapters of the Dao De Jing, here is Chapter 21 from the Taoist Text Project:

 

Quote

 

21 道德經:    

孔德之容，唯道是從。

道之為物，唯恍唯惚。忽兮恍兮，其中有象；

恍兮忽兮，其中有物。窈兮冥兮，其中有精；

其精甚真，其中有信。自古及今，其名不去，

以閱衆甫。吾何以知衆甫之狀哉？以此。

Dao De Jing:    

(The empty heart, or the Dao in its operation)
The grandest forms of active force
From Dao come, their only source.
Who can of Dao the nature tell?
Our sight it flies, our touch as well.
Eluding sight, eluding touch,
The forms of things all in it crouch;
Eluding touch, eluding sight,
There are their semblances, all right.
Profound it is, dark and obscure;
Things' essences all there endure.
Those essences the truth enfold
Of what, when seen, shall then be told.
Now it is so; 'twas so of old.
Its name - what passes not away;
So, in their beautiful array,
Things form and never know decay.
How know I that it is so with all the beauties of existing things?

By this (nature of the Dao).

 

 

The Translation is that of James Legge and is a bit dated, but basically reliable.  Knowledge is also developed in other chapters.

 

I hope this is helpful.

 

ZYD

 

Edited December 7, 2022 by Zhongyongdaoist
Original Post contained some formatting that had to be removed.