aintmt Posted February 6 (edited) Greetings from a new member. I have been practicing meditation, yoga and qigong (all at a pretty low level) for a long time. Have been drawn to Taoist writings and principles for almost as long, but - intending no disrespect - do not find personal resonance in magical or religious aspects. I consider myself a Zen student, since that Tao-influenced flavor of non-dual Dharma feels most congruent with principles of natural being and flow. I look forward to expanding my own perspectives by reading many of yours, and perhaps posting a few questions for wiser and better-informed practitioners. Edited February 7 by aintmt typo 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cobie Posted February 7 (edited) On 06/02/2025 at 8:05 PM, aintmt said: … Have been drawn to Taoist writings and principles … but - intending no disrespect - do not find personal resonance in magical or religious aspects. … Hi aintmt. Welcome to the forum. @wandelaar yeah, a philosophical Taoist, I think. Edited February 7 by Cobie Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wandelaar Posted February 7 Welcome. How do you interpret the paradoxes in the Tao Te Ching? For instance in Chapter 2? 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nintendao Posted February 7 Welcome aintmt. Judging by the subject line do you also like computer programming? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aintmt Posted February 7 1 hour ago, Nintendao said: Welcome aintmt. Judging by the subject line do you also like computer programming? Stolen valor, frankly - and also a slight play on the notion of non-duality. I grew up surrounded by computer pioneers,, and attended progressive schools that stressed cognitive method over fact. So never learned civics or history, and am still trying to un-learn the Aristotelean excluded middle and Boolean exclusivity generally. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aintmt Posted February 7 (edited) 3 hours ago, wandelaar said: Welcome. How do you interpret the paradoxes in the Tao Te Ching? For instance in Chapter 2? Hmm... I'm no scholar, and wouldn't presume to special knowledge or interpretive powers. Perhaps more to the point, though Taoism was probably the first Eastern philosophy that I encountered, it was mostly in accessible forms like Thos. Merton's Way of Cuang Tzu. But I didn't dig into the Tao Te Ching, reading closely in parallel translations, until after years of Zen and other non-dual practices. So when I read Laozi in a serious way, I just thought "not one, not two" - and never really experienced paradox there. I would be happy to engage any specific perceived paradox, but after browsin the group for less than a year, and can affirm that many or most posters here know far more than I do, and understand what they know far more deeply than I do or likely could. Edited February 7 by aintmt typo 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wandelaar Posted February 8 Than perhaps you could say if any of the many paradoxes in the Tao Te Ching has some practical application for you in your daily life, apart from the realization of "not one, not two"? Or what effect the realization of "not one, not two" had in the way you live your life? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cobie Posted February 8 (edited) 16 hours ago, wandelaar said: … the paradoxes … I have not seen any paradoxes in the DDJ as yet. I have seen a lot of bad translations, and even more ignorant and pompous exegesists. Edited February 8 by Cobie Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
