Taoism

[Dzone]

Re: Taoism

here's your sign, you've know entered the thinking for yourself zone

what u said is what i decided 20 years ago, it's a power thing, and calms the natives, i don't think it's bad just be honest folks

i had nine years of catholic school, ya know where they hit us and damned us too damnation, very holy stuff, NOT

Ya, trip, I have to admit, I agree...its been a long journey of exploration...it's hard for me to say there is no god, it just feels so weird... but it is harder to believe there is a god as described by organized religion....I have so many Christian friends that wish i lived the way they want me to live...the way I used to be...kind of embarrassing actually...I was a hard core evangelical..witnessing on the street...wow, how people can evolve is fascinating...Im so more open minded now and accepting of others...in my past, I was trying to convert EVERYBODY to Jesus....ya religion isnt necessarily bad, it just makes people do bad things sometimes...it fosters hatred in many

[straydoglogic]

Re: Taoism

im beginning to think that alo religion is man made in an effort to explain the unexplainable..what do you think?

i think that this is one reason..yes...and no offense to anybody else...but dzon..welcome to rational thinking...lol

[straydoglogic]

Re: Taoism

heres a bit more...
The ultimate reality in Taoism is the Tao, or Way. Broadly defined, the Tao is the mysterious natural order of the universe. But paradoxically, what the sages have most often said about the Tao is that nothing can be said about it. As the Tao Te Ching puts it:

The way that can be spoken of
Is not the constant Way;
The name that can be named
Is not the constant Name.

The nameless was at the beginning of heaven and earth;
The named was the mother of myriad creatures.
Hence always rid yourself of desires in order to observe its secrets;
But always allow yourself to have desires in order to observe its manifestations.

These two are the same
But diverge in name as they issue forth.
Being the same they are called mysteries,
Mystery upon mystery -
The gateway of the manifold secrets.
The Tao-Te Ching goes on to say the Tao is

something formlessly fashioned, that existed before Heaven and Earth....Its name we do not know; Tao is the byname we give it. Were I forced to say to what class of things it belongs I should call it Immense.
In Chinese thinking, to give something a name (ming) is to assign it a place in the universe. This cannot be done with the Tao, as it pervades and encompasses all.

The Tao has no characteristics, yet it is not nothingness. In fact, it is better understood as "everythingness," as it contains within itself all potential characteristics. It encompasses both Being (yu) and Non-Being (wu). "In its mode of being Unseen, we will see its mysteries; in the mode of the Seen, we will see its boundaries."

The Tao encompasses all opposite and complementary forces, which are collectively referred to as yin and yang. As represented in the familiar Great Polarity symbol, yin and yang are interdependent and contain within themselves the seed of the other. Yin is associated with darkness, femininity, passivity and water, while yang is light, masculinity, activity and air. Yin and yang are always in perfect balance within the Tao. The goal of the Taoist, therefore, is to keep these opposites in balance within his or her own life.

The Tao is further characterized by tzu-jan, which is difficult to translate directly but is usually rendered "spontaneity" or "self-so." The self-so is unconditioned and uninfluenced; it is nothing other than itself.

This, in turn, is the ideal of the sage-ruler in the Tao Te Ching. He does not strive, he does not intervene, but acts in such a way that "everyone throughout the country says, 'It happened of its own accord' (tzu-jan)."

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/80/story_8059_1.html

[straydoglogic]

Re: Taoism

also please keep in mind that the tao of old...which is the tao i try to follow..the real tao..differs from the new age tao...slightly

[trip]

Re: Taoism

dzone,

imagine your brain is a computer with a billion lines of code, maybe 10,000 are religion related, ur case might be higher

all those 10k are connected to the leg bone and thigh bone, lol, really, the 10k is connected with all the others

it's not easy to get rid of just the old lines but connections, it takes time

i have a major disconnect with many religions saying one thing and doing another, if we are all children of god, we should be treated with dignity, respect and kindness, not barraged with fear and fear and more fear, for not accepting oh my lord an idea, which is what it is, doesn't our characters and actions count

i've had many say i will never be saved, oh me oh my, now of course i've never ever said that to them or even thought of it, i've just gone about my own business helping other folks

if there's a pearly gate, i doubt god will condenm me too hell because i didn't accept an idea, yet, lived by principles of doing good and acting good

i find criticism of others who are not doing harmful things, mental abuse, plain and simple, and that is creating stress and pain for others rather than helping them do better

[daved150]

Re: Taoism

i resent that klash, I'm a proud Davidist, we are irrational but we are not false, although we have no stance on falsies, to each his own, and hers, although personally some falsies look good

wow...good job bro, but ease up a little...klash is a member. and we dont wanna get offended by peoples stances on religion anyway. we'll all end up in the same place when it's all done

[trip]

Re: Taoism

gosh dave i was upholding to the principle of sarcasm man, was pulling klash big tree trunk leg

klash got it i am sure

[Klash]

Re: Taoism

Ya, trip, I have to admit, I agree...its been a long journey of exploration...it's hard for me to say there is no god, it just feels so weird... but it is harder to believe there is a god as described by organized religion....I have so many Christian friends that wish i lived the way they want me to live...the way I used to be...kind of embarrassing actually...I was a hard core evangelical..witnessing on the street...wow, how people can evolve is fascinating...Im so more open minded now and accepting of others...in my past, I was trying to convert EVERYBODY to Jesus....ya religion isnt necessarily bad, it just makes people do bad things sometimes...it fosters hatred in many

For people not where your at this might sound weird but there is a subtle difference in the words you use but a huge psychological impact. That's why I'm always trying to articulate my beliefs in the most concise and rational way possible.

I do not proclaim "there is no god" (imo, it implies, to a degree, that you know the alternative to god); I just admit the fact that I have no belief in any god. It is a hard position to come to terms with; especially when your environment is dominated by theists.

[Klash]

Re: Taoism

dzone,

imagine your brain is a computer with a billion lines of code, maybe 10,000 are religion related, ur case might be higher

all those 10k are connected to the leg bone and thigh bone, lol, really, the 10k is connected with all the others

it's not easy to get rid of just the old lines but connections, it takes time

i have a major disconnect with many religions saying one thing and doing another, if we are all children of god, we should be treated with dignity, respect and kindness, not barraged with fear and fear and more fear, for not accepting oh my lord an idea, which is what it is, doesn't our characters and actions count

i've had many say i will never be saved, oh me oh my, now of course i've never ever said that to them or even thought of it, i've just gone about my own business helping other folks

if there's a pearly gate, i doubt god will condenm me too hell because i didn't accept an idea, yet, lived by principles of doing good and acting good

i find criticism of others who are not doing harmful things, mental abuse, plain and simple, and that is creating stress and pain for others rather than helping them do better

That is no doubt. I remember falling back into a theist perspective, unintentionally, for several years after I embraced logic.

[trip]

Re: Taoism

another thing me and klash agree on that makes 2 and a half

[trip]

Re: Taoism

i still do at times klash also, les and less over time

[BABY1]

Re: Taoism

http://www.religioustolerance.org/taoism.htm






We believe in the formless and eternal Tao, and we recognize all personified deities as being mere human constructs. We reject hatred, intolerance, and unnecessary violence, and embrace harmony, love and learning, as we are taught by Nature. We place our trust and our lives in the Tao, that we may live in peace and balance with the Universe, both in this mortal life and beyond."

Stray, your beliefs in the tao kind of contradict your words and feelings in regards to Mccain/Palin. Don't you think?

[straydoglogic]

Re: Taoism

Stray, your beliefs in the tao kind of contradict your words and feelings in regards to Mccain/Palin. Don't you think?

therein lies the duality ...lol
its not contradictory....no man can live at perfect peace with the tao...
and by your statement im assuming you mean the rejection of hatred and intolerance...
that statement..and the original post that started this thread is not entirely true...it is the creed of the Reform Taoist Congregation....
and as i said in an earlier post..i try to follow the tao of old..not the new age tao...
without hatred there is no love...without intolerance there is no tolerance...everything has its equal opposite..without it one cannot exsist...
its dualism...

[PL456]

Re: Taoism

klash,

human logic..from the same logic that had the best scientists in the world believing the world was flat, the earth was the center of the universe, that the body had "humors" that had to be balanced to maintain health--all this was considered "science" and "fact"; man's "logic" is only as good as his current status of understanding. How can we know all the answers when we don't even know all the questions? to assume that human logic, understanding, will lead you to truth is the epitome of arrogance...hmm..

Ill go with faith.

Eternity--smoking or non smoking??

[straydoglogic]

Re: Taoism

i dont think those things easily compare in these days...science has evolved considerably in 400 years...
i think thats a bogus argument..