Peace to all, I practise Daoism because I like it, and because its full of wisdom. However, it's unlikely that you'll find me in a temple or practising with other adepts unless it is strict martial arts. Why? Simply because the natural environment has more to offer. I rather meditate at night on top of a high mountain under a sky covered with stars that will charge me up with pure cosmic qi and develop my spirituality to the infinity of the cosmos; or practising Taiji/Qigong on a beautiful lonely beach. Got the point. I don't care about the origins of Daoism because I think it's irrelevant, I care about know, the present time. My view about sex: moderation. Just keep the battery of life going. However, I rater being a celibe than wasting jing in countless masturbations in order to satisfy my sexual cravings. About yang foods, it's not a problem for me since 80% of my diet consists of fruit, vegetables and grains/nuts. Gerard.
...proclaimed with the same confidence as : " The earth is flat We are in the center of the universe There are only 9 planets in the solar system We cannot travel faster than the speed of sound Man will never reach the moon . THe world only needs 5 Computers ( CEO of IBM, 1950 ) " http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/03/06/1078464694855.html http://news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,8869266^13762,00.html Not everyone is content with mediocrity. Not everyone is mimited by ( current) knowledge. And specifically, from the Tao Te Ching: ‘ Those who know a lot, often understand little” That’s the difference between knowledge and wisdom.
Originally Posted by soggycat You and I will always disagree because you see it thru western social norms and I thru eastern. ADC:Why do you always seek to create a dicotomy when one may not exist?What exactly defines Western thinking and what exactly is eastern social norms? SC: 1.Western science: Analyse,prove,then explain connection between Cause and Effect. Otherwise reject the conjecture. 2.Taoist science : Observe natural phenomena and replicate. Document procedure if replicatable. Little if any analysis .Hide it under " secret arts" Originally Posted by soggycat Your statements do not explain why 1. IMA practioners live longer than EMA practioners 2. Taoist hermits who are celibate outlive Iron Men athletes ADC: Surely this is just your opinion(derived form where I don't know),what study or information gives you such specific comparasions? SC: If you don’t already know this as commonly accepted fact, I think you need to delve a little deeper into IMA philosophy outside of books written by people living in the West ( including Asians). Homework for you. Look for 10 Taichi, Bagua, HsingI masters, check when they died, do the same for 10 professional atheletes and 10 EMA masters. Originally Posted by soggycat I excessively avoid smoking, drugs , presavatives, dangerous sports any any pointless physical activity. ADC:How can any activity be pointless?That sounds very restrictive,limiting and very very boring,guess you don't cross the road much. SC :I agree. It can be boring, but only if your DESIRE is untamed, the heart is not STILL, and you have not been able to separate ILLUSION from REALITY. Avoiding Pointless Activity is a VERY VERY big thing in Daoism. We are cautioned not to overstimulate the 5 senses ( also called 5 thieves of energy) and to protect the 3 Treasures ( Ching Chi Shen ) Examples of Pointless Activity : Rugby,golf, computer games, collecting fridge magnets, parachuting, smoking, car racing Briefly it is described as any activity that does not produce a benefit. Excitement is NOT considerd a benefit in Daoism. So while Rugby is exciting, it carries more injuries than benefits, any health benefits gained could have be obtained by safer alternatives such as swimming ( not a pointless activity )
I really can't believe you have so much faith in the above statement.Just for the record I believe that many health practises can help to extend one's lifespan but that there are many factors to consider.Once again its just not this cut and dry.This sort of Blanket statements do no ones cause any good. The book Kat posted is written by a mainland Chinese person I really recommend you read it. Swiming can be exciting.You are just giving me your opinions SC,lol about the fridge magnet collection you elitist(I am sure some people find it far from pointless).Any way when you want to meet up for a cup of unexciting full of "pointfull" activity in a cup of cha? Temples can be in the natural enviroment,your logic seems to jump around a bit,I am not worried about your practises I am sure they are sincere,I was interested in who you trained with as most into Daoism attach themselves to a guide/sect/ school.Apologies if those questions agitated you. The actual orgins may be irrevelvant to you but the many writers that come after I think you would find interesting,there are many other Daoist literature then just the Dao de Jing,as I said many different focus's but worth reading and researching none the less.
I think this thread should be closed, why? Easy, pointless discussion sooner or later leads to anger. Following anger leads to mental deterioration. What to do? Moderation and giving up when yang arises are the keys to success. Gerard.
See, Adc, you don't seem to realize that your tone seems like an attack. Why don't you tao down a little bit.
Its not my attention to present this sort of tone but if you feel it is attacking you then I would suggest that some of want I have said has caused you to question things. In all truth in reviewing my words I have no idea why you would be angry.Nor the pointless of it.Maybe you should look into why anger is caused. "Any tension you feel may well be coming from yourself" Sorry if my response's don't follow your's perhaps I have a different background/ perception of these topics.
Look: A: No one is offended here-- I don't think it is the content of your posts that are getting folks annoyed, I think it is the way you're framing them. D: Re-read your posts, and think about how you point out what you perceive of as inaccuracies--generally, you frame it in an unpleasant, personal manner. For someone who seems to be so versed in Taoism, you certainly don't write like a taoist. C: Were we not talking about sex (or lack of it)? Maybe you should start a different thread about how to practice taoism correctly. And K.E> my wife likes your rodent. Sooty no longer has to live the life of a monk.
Yes, well I am reading,no lack of tone there?? My way of framing the post is not disimular to yours.Any personal notes can only be matched by yourself's SC and Gerads. What do Daoist write like?I will try and be more aware of the format in which I write when replying to your posts. Your're quite right the topic is no longer about abstaining(although many good thread naturally goes off topic) but as I pointed out on page 4 I felt compelled to highlight misconceptions about sects, monks and Daoism in general as presented in several posts.If anything I think it would help if several posters(SC in particular) used phrases like"I believe....." or "I feel this to be true...." rather then presenting some contenious issues as fact or truth.
i don't get this...you're avoiding something AWESOME in order to cultivate something that doesn't exist? this thread sucks.
As is said on another forum Find your peace in your practise Religons and Philosophies generally have a myrid of interpretational and cultural qualities.Your actions can make a difference in the understanding, you can ofcause learn from each other.
Sorry for writing what follows (as I'm not a moderator): This thread has just become a battle of individual positions. Me against you. As nothing productive can be extracted, I think that this THREAD MUST BE CLOSED ADC, my name is GERARD and not GERAD??
Yes Hwardo I agree, Adc's tone seems a tad belligerent ( inadvertent ) and warrants a similar response. But I will endeavour to not let that disrupt the STILLNESS I seek in achieving the Tao.
Yep you are Daoist's ,get nice and upset.SC anytime we got a chat getting organized at the moment I'll PM you if interested.
God, the amount of useless energy I've spent on this thread... I could be having loads of sex instead
