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By Deng Ming-Dao SEGMENTATION AND TRANSLATION See this block of text? It’s the arrangement of the first chapter of the Dàodéjīng before the last hundred years. If you open an old Chinese version of the Dàodéjīng, each chapter will be a block of text. No punctuation, word spacing, capital letters, or paragraphs. Distinguishing between single words and compound terms remains as much of a problem today as it was in ancient times. Imagine reading chapter 1 without the punctuation added in the early twentieth century. Reading the Dàodéjīng in its old form thus began with a practice called segmentation. You can find red dots, hóngdiǎn, 紅點, in the margins of used books, indicating where past readers began dividing, deciding, and decoding. This practice was called “sentence division,” jùdòu, 句讀, and is still done today when reading the received classics—and with only partial consensus: “Many researchers have tested Chinese native speakers’ word segmentation; a common finding is that participants can only reach about 75% agreement, and have difficulties replicating their own previous segmentation.” (Zhang, 2024) Even after the segmentation process, the text continues to challenge modern readers. The Dàodéjīng lacks plurality; past, present, or future tense; pronouns, conjunctions, prepositions; gendered nouns; or punctuation, word spacing, or paragraph indents. Sentences might not have a subject. Verbs lack conjugation. Moreover, Chinese ideograms are sometimes used singly and sometimes combined to make compound terms. Lǎozì may employ a compound term in one case and then use those constituent words separately in other cases. For example, line 71.1 uses the word for “know,” zhī, 知, four times: 知不知上不知知病. This translates to: “know don’t know superior; don’t know, know sick.” Bùzhī, 不知, means “not know.” Otherwise, zhī, 知, should be read as a single word. If you combine the issues of segmentation with the multiple-meanings of words, you can see that no single, absolutely “right” version is possible. Reading the Dàodéjīng in Chinese is like getting a box of ideograms on tiles, and then trying to assemble them as if it was a Scrabble game. This makes translation an interpretive as much as a critical process. Of course, everybody today will use the punctuated versions, but it’s worth remembering that segmentation is arbitrary and once had to be provided by each reader. Nevertheless, gaining the wisdom of the Dàodéjīng is well worth the effort! That's why it's survived for 2,600 years and has spread around the world.

This. If all one sees is evil, then the world is evil. Turning off the news and not doom scrolling all the time helps to see things as they are. Good and evil are always present. Originally though, good and evil are empty. Now, where do thoughts come from? That's the question that liberates. _/|\_

Scientific materialism is an invasive ideology which tempts you to reduce everything to the banal. Hence qi is oxygen becomes an attractive and unchallenging proposition. Your safe world view remains unchallenged but such safety is actually your prison.

Yeah, and then there's hyperoxia, a life-threatening medical condition caused by too much oxygen. Oxygen toxicity is a well-known phenomenon, symptoms include pleuritic chest pain, coughing, dyspnea, tracheobronchitis and pulmonary edema, to name a few. Whereas there is no amount of qi in the human body that is toxic to the human body. A wonderful taoist rule of thumb: do not define something via what it "is," describe it via what it isn't. Wield that Occam's razor with a firm hand. If too much "something" can do things to the body which no amount of qi can do to the body, that "something" isn't qi. Be it oxygen, chocolate, ice cream, electricity, or what have you. Qi is not interchangeable with anything at all. Understanding qi only starts (sic!) when one stops equating it to something else they happen to be familiar with. There is no something else that "is" qi. Just like there is no other gas that can replace oxygen in the blood, there is no other phenomenon that can replace qi in the taoist paradigm. Oxygen is oxygen. Qi is qi. Every traditionally trained and educated (key word every word in italics) taoist practitioner has heard of "qi leads blood," "qi is the general of blood" in this or that context, whether medical, martial or magical. Blood is what carries oxygen to the organs and systems of the body, but to get oxygen into the blood, one has to have qi to lead and guide it. The general and the army are connected, but most definitely they aren't the same entity. The general leads, the army follows. Qi leads, oxygen follows. Unless one is dealing with a rebellious general starting a coup -- aka "rebellious qi," the term for some pretty nasty health disorders, including mental disorders.

Then the devil played another trick; convincing the the world there was only one devil. Ah folks see it. How could it be invisible? It's been broadcasted non-stop to the point, folks have become desensitized to it. "Rocking the boat" causes collateral damage as well. It isn't that folks are scared and weak, it is a sobering situation, and needs addressed in a way not rushed, which plays into the elites hands. Oh, shit, did I equate elites with evil?! Not necessarily, although,,, Don't hold your breath on everyone uniting as one. There are small groups that have stated objectives of holding accountable the ones who are dangled by the strings. The ones dangling and tugged by those strings are the truly weak. These intrigues are often inside jobs and border on the political fringes What usually happens in times like these, when the curtain has been drawn open and evil takes off its mask, is the world is dragged into major war. The 4th generation theory Because it is held by the elites that after a big war, folks can be controlled for three generations. Civil wars prevent revolution. Evil has carefully constructed presumably safe haven hideouts to weather the coming storm and the rest of us face horrendous odds of merely surviving. Let alone, feel good about it. There was a mural I was shown in 1978, in an air force hardened bunker,9 forecasting today's landscape and the coming aftermath; there was a caption: "The living will envy the dead" Apologies everyone for posting this. And, sometimes perhaps, predictive murals get it wrong. There is always hope. There are already places where there is no room for the faint of heart. Perhaps coming soon to a location near you. So, there could be some facsimile of a grand uprising. They do occur, rarely. Civil wars, mixed with the larger war mostly. Every now and then a true revolution. My approach is on the side of choosing to be Meek. Not to be confused with weak. A holistic grass roots effort, emphasizing kindness and service to the poor and downtrodden.i deliver meals to disabled seniors it is a little thing. But enough little things by those on the other side of the spectrum than the elite, do add up.

There´s plenty of bad around if you look for it. And yet the sun still shines and the grass still grows. Look around and you´ll discover people painting, writing books, eagerly awaiting the right time to plant spring flowers. Kindness is everywhere. To see the good is not to deny the bad; on the contrary, our awareness of the good will give us the strength we need to deal with the darkness.

Annnon, While I appreciate your sentiment, threads such as this are no longer welcome here - not due to any particular political allegiance. Please read, or re-read this thread: After consultation with the various mods, this thread is now permanently locked. _/\_

Mixing practice is bad, under the context of many people are without physical/good teachers, depend on free online material, forums and lack of reading and exposure. Yet if there is a community of cultivators, even different lineages, beliefs, and with some medical support, then trying out other practices when one has some experience is quite natural. So it was how many cultivators received their training from a number of teachers.

Ah... phew! Thank goodness I'm not doing any of that.

An evil foot? Where? (Looks wildly about in terror).

There is a story they tell in the lineage I follow, about WW2 being caused by literal demons possessing the minds of German leadership, shaping the way they thought and saw reality. I have absolutely no idea if that is true, but it is an interesting story. I can say I have met with people in real life, and recently who told me they were salivating (their words), to start killing certain groups of people. Those comments, that they were hungry to kill other people, makes me wonder if there isn't more to that story.

Did you add lemon with the tea? Was tea hot, cold, if we're going to be scientific, details matter. On an empty stomach?

-- Paul Reps

The question is: have you rooted out the evil in yourself? Plenty of dark side in all of us.

Why did the ancients develop Neigung/Neidan/medicine/martial systems to get more oxygen? They have more oxygen than now.

I wonder what value there is in ascribing the negative characteristics and manifestations we see as “evil” as opposed to human? It feels to me that it is a way to distance ourselves or absolve ourselves of responsibility, a form of dehumanization such as is used to normalize atrocities.

Think of walking an unknown path, navigating in the dark. The odds of getting stuck and getting nowhere are at or infinitely close to 100%. Or walking the path that dozens/hundreds of other people walk, where, as you walk, you can find those ahead/behind you, refer to the qualified guidance and peer experience, where the trail itself is visible. Once you reach the end of the explored path, exploring further requires a very serious skill set, and it is much harder work. It is not something a normal person can do. Telling random people online that they can do that themselves is no different from recommending to commit suicide. If things were that easy and banal, cultivators with siddhis would be as common as grass. Emptying your mind or procrastination is not a legitimate training method.

I mean THIS one: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zuowang Done properly, you could have your hands wherever you like and still experience 100% presence and stillness. Such practice is complete being-ness, and is not different from enlightenment or the Dao itself, which is the point of the practice. With some pointing from a realized teacher, it is possible to completely realize the non-dual nature of reality in such practices. - I remain curious about your direct answer to my questions. I hope you will consider answering them.

Distinctions like this don't exist where there is realization. Do things change after realization? Of course, but ONLY in the aspect that they deepen insight - not that the practice changes the realization, it only deepens it. Nonsense. I have seen tummo taught by Tibetan masters that walked from Tibet to India in the 50's. Tummo is still being taught. Either way, it is not a central teaching. No amount of energy teachings will result in realization. There ARE teachings that are suggested after realization, but they don't change the initial insight, they only deepen it.

Bit of a weird one. Wondered if anyone has encountered anything similar. Throughout my life, I've had moments that feel like an intersection, where I come into contact with the mindstream of a future or past self. These are very strange, half-waking dream moments where I feel like I'm able to ask questions of a future self, or else send reassurance and answers to a past self. They don't last long. I like to think I'm a fairly down-to-earth person. I'm a middle aged Brit and a dad, I work an ordinary job. I meditate, but not for altered states of consciousness, but rather to bring myself closer to tangible reality. But I did do a lot of acid in my teenage years. Which has either opened me up to paranormal stuff like this, or else has given me latent schizophrenia. I normally dont think too much about this, it's just a weird little quirk of my personality that I've never felt the need to tell anyone about. But recently what I feel like is a future self said that 2026 will be a particularly challenging year for my health. It has suggested I practice a specific type of qigong, and stop taking some supplements and peptides I've been dabbling with. It's a bit of a worry because I'm 42 in April, which I've since learned is my yakudoshi year (basically ill fortune year in shinto belief). I also saw recently that it's also not looking great for my health in Chinese astrology (wood rat). So while I'd normally brush it off as my weird little mind, I'm not sure if I should perhaps take the suggestions of this internal voice seriously. Or whether that way lies madness. Has anyone else heard of this sort of communication across time with future/past selves? I've not been able to find anything mentioned anywhere similar.

In fact, since the checkpoints for all lineages are often the same, the inner core of all practices is often identical. At a basic level, it's possible to empty the mind for 3-4 hours. Same with Wang Liping, vipassana, or Mo Pai. The only difference is in some external movements and rituals. And most of those gurus who advocate not mixing different lineages are actually concerned with monetizing spirituality and their bank accounts.

Oxygen is not a form of qi. It is a manifestation of qi. It is not qi. You have to discern laters of phenomena this way. The daoist sciences discerns the causal chain of the dao to wuji, to yin yang permutations, into the elements, into physical existence. Everytime you mention phenomena, you have to respect this framework and causal chain. If you don't, and just casually say oxygen is Qi, you depart from the entire daoist science.

How wonderful that your future self is taking such an active interest in your present! Very cool. I would take the suggestions under advisement, evaluating them as you might any other advice. When I go to the doctor, I see myself as getting an expert opinion which I then research and make a decision about. I don´t automatically do what anybody tells me but rather figure out what makes sense to me. So the question is: do the suggestions your future self is making make sense to your present self? If so, I´d take them. If not, you can still tuck them away in the back of your mind and see how things develop. my two cents, LL

In many Asian languages, the number 4 sounds like the word for death. And the number 2 sounds like the word for easy. So 42 is a number to be weary of as it is easy to die. Superstition as far as I am concerned. But, if you feel that there is something to seeing or hearing things from the past or future then do what you must. For me, it is about being here, now. It is about being concerned for the things in my control here and in this present moment. For me the problem with getting information from the past or future is that one never knows the value of that information. What if the information from the future was false. Then all your present actions are based upon those false information. Which then leads you down the wrong path. But, keeping the mind in the present then one's actions are based on present information or what is really based on what is known to be true. Worrying about stuff that you believe to be from the past or future only seems to be adding to the issues you are having. It isn't simplifying the your life. It isn't making you happier. Yes, make notes. But don't let it rule your life. Well, that is how I feel about this. My opinion.

real good/Spirit is always present but relative good and evil come and go

I reckon most of us have bumped up against The Unexplained. I know I have. My experiences wouldn´t pass scientific muster but they were personally compelling.

I suggest wide reading, agree or disagree on the contents, but at least one can know there are so many things outside.

This is the general views in the East, where there are worlds, our world, and other worlds with numerous entities and beings, some benevolent, some vicious or different from time to time - just like us. There is not a single and only source of evil which emanates out. So no evil running wild in the world. Both worlds and perhaps many other worlds mingle and is a big ecosystem. I believe the concept of a single evil stems from Abrahamic religions - one God one evil.

Seems to me that Steve´s view of seeing the qualities attributed to Gods and Goddesses as human is useful in a practice context. Such an understanding helps to avoid the error of projecting out our negative (and positive) qualities. By keeping the focus on a human level, we´re able to work with the qualities as they show up in our lives -- everything is within our "locus of control." A great advantage of TRW´s teaching, in my limited experience, is that the practices are always brought to bear on particular lived contexts. So practical! And yet I´ll admit...the ghostbuster in me likes to imagine a world inhabited by a plethora of not-entirely-human spirits, some benevolent, others not so much. Is this actually the case? Sadly, my limited powers of perception prevent me from saying for sure. But the idea of such beings adds an aura of numinous mystery that appeals. Ultimately, of course, the point is to collapse the illusory sense of separation between world and self. It´s often said that the "separate self" does not exist, and I suppose this goes for the self of Gods and Goddesses too. If Gods and Goddesses do exist then, at least on some level: they are us and we, them. All this is above my paygrade, but you know how it is with Bums like me -- we love to talk.

Ha, on Thursday, while on my route delivering meals, after stopping by the house to pack a bowl full of frosted sherbet, I listened to the full album Weasels Ripped My Flesh, I had a little grin on my face as I drove by the farms. Friday's route was Abbey Road. The madness of evil is spreading, not only to cities, but out in the woods too. Not sure which is scarier; the wolf or Red. Here, I am guarded by the remnants of a cat clan and a trio of opposums. Such sweet innocent creatures and yet, they do not cower away from evil. Facing forms of advancing evil probably wasn't on any of our things to do list,,, For those that feel they are tucked away is a safe Haven, Remember this, things change.

I object. I think you can stand proud. Also it’s a human right to change your mind. I do it all the time.

I’m having a really hard time processing what’s happening. To me, it feels like this is a supernatural level of evil that’s invisible to almost everyone. Even for the people who notice it, the truth feels so dim and distant. It’s like living through a Rick and Morty plot there’s this total disconnect between what should be possible and what I’m actually witnessing. Yes evil is growing rapidly like a cancer.

Bonpos with demon denial problems, smug non-dualists, Bud Lite tipplers, torch-wielding villagers -- this thread really has something for everyone. And to think that some mods (bows head in shame) thought it should of been locked.

If you use THIS definition, then yes: I'm a big fan of this description. It is clean, clear, and doesn't get lost in lists of specific behavior, or adopted ideas. Evil is typically a conceptual designation most people use for a lumped-together bunch of actions or philosophies that they fear or disagree with. I don't believe in evil as some entity that acts on people or has any particular personifications. I DO believe that there are people who will do anything to protect themselves from the ideas or things that they fear, or in a misguided attempt to make themselves feel happy or safe, often at the expense of others.

Yeah, I've probably got it all wrong. Peace

@steve that's interesting but I believe you may have made some category errors. Some representations are anthropomorphic but that does not mean that the thing being represented is 'human' (depending on what human means I suppose). There are entities at all levels of reality but we see them through human eyes and with human minds. Also natural phenomena are not 'unexplainable' but may be 'unexplained' in some cases. I suspect you think that the world populated by non-human entities is a fantasy of primitive thought because it does not equate to your scientific preconceptions. Actually it is the more normal view and truer for that. Given the practice which I know you follow you might want to revisit how you are conceptualising all this. Peace. A.

Been taking turmeric for a couple of months now - I can report some mild positive affects - less muscle and joint pain and more general ease. So I’m carrying on with it. Have been drinking a commercial brand of kombucha called ‘the gutsy captain’ which is produced in Evora near to me and is very pleasant taste. I have no idea about the health claims for kombucha (anyone?).

"Ah folks see it. How could it be invisible?" “The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.” -George Orwell 1984 “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” ― Soren Kierkegaard It happens when people value their feelings over facts. As Kierkegaard suggested, we are fooled not just by lies, but by our refusal to see what is true. Most people lead with emotion. They decide how they feel first, then find reasons to justify it. Historical examples, like the manipulation of the German public through the Lügenpresse narrative, show how easily people can be trained to ignore reality. When you are told the truth is "disinformation," you stop seeing it entirely. “If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.” ― Malcolm X I lived through this when a coworker used DARVO (Deny, Attack, and Reverse Victim and Offender) to flip the script on me. After I requested a witness for our meetings, they painted me as the harasser. The lie took hold instantly: HR kicked me out without a hearing, my friends blocked me, and even the woman I was dating disappeared after they spoke with her. This is the power of a charismatic false narrative. It creates a self-reinforcing loop where the crowd becomes certain of a lie, rendering the actual truth invisible to everyone but the person being silenced.

I chose the side of the 'White Lodge ' '' LET IT BE KNOWN that there exists, unknown to the great crowd, a very ancient Order of sages, whose object is the amelioration and spiritual evolution of mankind by means of conquering error and aiding men and women in their efforts of attaining the power of recognising the truth. This Order has existed already in the most remote times and it has manifested its activity secretly and openly in the world under different names and in various forms: it has caused social and political revolutions and proved to be the rock of salvation in times of danger and misfortune. It has always upheld the banner of freedom against tyranny in whatever shape this appeared, whether as clerical or political or social despotism or oppression of any kind. To this “secret order” every wise and spiritually enlightened person belongs by right of his or her nature: because they all, even if they are personally unknown to each other, are one in their purpose and object and they all work under the guidance of the one light of truth. Into this Sacred Society no one can be admitted by another unless he has the power to enter it himself by virtue of his own interior illumination, neither can anyone after he has once entered be expelled unless he should expel himself by becoming unfaithful to his principles and forget again the truths which he has learned by his own experience. ''

Beer drinking is a mostly peaceable activity -- as long as nobody brings Bud Light.

I'm no Buddhist, isn't there a quote along the lines of "With our thoughts we make our world" ?

But I tried drinking tea to stop the war .... didnt work .

My dear Robert, they are not platitudes, they are highly practical instruction IF pragmatically practiced. They are only platitudes to those too fearful to try.

One definition of "doing evil" from a Buddhist perspective:

Every experience is mind experience. It cannot be "outside" of mind's phenomena. Whatever we perceive as external, is still an internal experience within the mind. Nibbana is a different thing. It is the unconditioned, where something like "life force" cannot be. It is beyond the idea of life itself. The end of birth aging sickness, and death.

I have to say, I am pretty happy in the world I live, and I don't think evil is running wild.

It seems you are being 'hunted ' for any hint of something that 'someone' ( that reports people a lot ) does not like . IMO its in the eye of the beholder . My eye sees your question as 'is evil running wild in the world' . Yep ... always has been . Ya know , war was always evil ( yes a human judgment indeed , but these are human affairs ) , nasty, death dealing , horrific . violent .... but it wasnt until Vietnam War got blasted via TV into our lounger rooms that people started realizing how bad things were in the modern world . ( Excepting the unfortunate who had to live through such things ) And with the advent of modern 'improvements' in communication , I think we are certainly now more aware of what goes on - outside of our insular , air con , electronic environs . The safety of western civilization is collapsing and will effect more 'safe ' people as time goes on ...... regardless of who runs things ( some may invoke more of it some less ) .... its an inevitable collapse due to the false foundations it was based on ( ie. ideas of unlimited resources and economic formulas of ever increasing expansion ) . .

Haha, agreed Generally simplicity carries more truth than endless layers of method and theory. And for me in my Taiji journey, the practice feels simpler and simpler the further I go. So in my understanding, the purpose of the methods isn’t complexity for its own sake, but to create the framework that allows one to discover that simplicity firsthand.

I agree, anonymous strangers online may not be the best resource under the circumstances.

I caution pervs and flashers due to the upcoming Chinese year . More fire horse fun ; Aries fire horse was also a singer in a band . I went to watch them play at a pub once . She was out the front singing and had a tambourine ; sing sing sing, she does a little spin around ... two beats on the tambourine , .... sing sing sing , turn around . two beats , ... and so on . The crowd was pressed right up to the stage . Sing sing sing, turn around .... guy reaches up and grabs her arse .... two beats on the tambourine - hard , up either side of guys head .... sing sing sing - didnt miss the beat . We are crossing the road at a pedestrian crossing , car stops half way over the crossing , annoyed people are going around it . She instructs him to move the car back , he doesnt ( she is very tall ) , takes one step up onto his bonnet , walks across it and steps down on other side . Car full of hooligans calls out to the other one ( Sagg fire horse ) one night ; ' Show us yer tits ! ' I am signalling to them 'NO! ... drive away ! '' but they dont . She goes over and ''So, you want to see my tits do you ... and other stuff but somehow has them transfixed . While she is talking she has twisted the car aerial off casually , pulled of their side rear view mirror , bent the wiper ... car full of big guys sitting in thee looking intimidated .... WTF ????