Silent Answers

So over the last 4 years, although you haven't obtained the powers you were searching for...have you noticed a change in attitude? Reading over the last 6 pages just now and getting to your most recent comments, there's definitely a change in you. I admired your strong character previously for knowing exactly what you wanted...but also the desperation that was holding you back. Do you feel slightly refocused now? More in a state of acceptance?

From what I've experienced...They are in constant exchange, so much so that you might think of them as one, as neither can exist without the other. Someone can correct me if they know better: Space is Yin, while Stars are the manifestation of Yang, in consequence giving rise to Yin (planets and other matter) and combined give rise to life, which can be either and support one another. There are infinite modes of Yin and Yang which is why it's impossible to fathom as they dance around. That's why we can only really attempt to group most into one or the other... but within each group there are also levels of Yin and Yang...so it's easy to get confused. As for you feeling Yang at night, our sun is not the only source of Yang and you might be drawing it in from elsewhere... but that's not to say that you cant still receive the Sun's Qi just because your part of the Earth is currently facing away from it. The moon is reflecting some of that back onto the Earth at night and light reaches us from distant stars, even if it is faintly.. Bottom line, it's an endless subject with no definitive answer...feel it rather than try to know it.

Ego.

I've had very similar letting go experiences..I also had pent up anger and judgmental tenancies until I saw them in myself for what they truly were. All of that negative energy, the anger and judging...the only one person it really matters to and affects - is YOU. By allowing you're mind to run away with those emotions, you're effectively criticising and attacking yourself.

While humans have been a pain in the ass for the Earth...here's some good news to keep you going.. For starters Nature can never be destroyed...while we might be damaging the planet, don't think of her as helpless..She's a GIGANTIC being and will wipe us out in the blink of an eye if necessary. BUT ...We are her children, her protectors...and while those in power might appear to be destroying nature - we're actually heading in the right direction. Take a look back at the last few centuries, especially in the West. We've already made it through the hardest times and eventually, hopefully, we'll come full circle and begin a more loving way of existence. In the meantime you can do your part to do good and help that process. To quote Jurassic Park (haha) Life will always find a way...the planet has seen massive extinctions time and time again. But the rise of life is ESSENTIAL here and will continue...nothing can stop that, even if it takes a while to "start the engines back up".

Should the Dao be spoken? At which point does knowledge meet wisdom? True wisdom only flows when all knowledge is cast out To speak of the Dao is in itself a distraction from accomplishment Those who seek to teach remain fixed in the classroom The Dao, like light, contains a spectrum But the spectrum is not the Dao The Dao is the master of the laws it creates Untouchable through its infinite choice To know the Dao, many questions arise Continuous cycles of learning and relearning We seek others out in a quest for understanding Yet, the final answer never comes and cannot be taught with words The Dao in it's purest form requires no thought It's many levels triumphed in silence Once you know this, you need ask no more As a student of your own

Haha I like that

Just a regular 4g dried - I've tried them 4 times and I probably will try them again at some point later in life...For now though, I'm opting for a more self controlled connection and that really is the only way forward in the end.

Strange you should mention that...In the house I grew up in, opposite my bedroom was an airing cupboard with towels. I would often sense spirits along that hallway and dwelling in that cupboard. Most memorably my great Nan - who although I didn't have that strong of a relationship with, began to be an emotional subject for me months after her passing when I started to sense her there. I really hadn't spent much time with her so there was no real emotional attachment on my side, although of course I was saddened by everyone else. I didn't attach any real importance to those happenings, until you mentioned this.

Shrooms are a wake up call for many. I was already on the right path before I had the urge to try them (which I think helps)...and I definitely don't regret it. My first shroom trip just opened my eyes so much more. You connect so effortlessly - and although some say this is a mere imitation - I really don't think so. The difference is that when you use a tool like that to reach such heights of understanding, you'll get lost within it and because you didn't wind up there naturally by your own accord, you don't have true focus or intent. However, the experience is real...and it can help people in the right mind reach a new level of understanding - it's just frowned upon because it's a bit of a cheat. ** I don't recommend shrooms for everyone and if you do try them, make sure you have an experienced friend with you to guide you into a blissful state.**

I know exactly what you mean..Seeing what makes you, you.. Having the perspective to analyse yourself, deciding what you do and what you don't want to be a part of the future you.

Hi everyone! I'm reaching out to you from China, but I'm originally from England. I'm bored so I'll go into detail for anybody interested...for everyone else, brothers and sisters, it's nice to meet you. I've been living in China for about 5 years now and honestly it destroyed me at first. There's so much BS that you have to put up with here and its easy to lose yourself in negativity. I literally started to hate everything - nothing could impress me - until one day out of no where I woke up. I hadn't really been very spiritual or given it much thought for 15 years but all of a sudden I was having out of body experiences and saw everything much clearer. These were some very extreme experiences in which I was one with everything...it was pretty confusing at first and it felt like I was being torn in every direction. I was hooked. I had to know what I was going through. It was as if a light had been turned on, allowing me to appreciate the world and other people...Wow, I was so judgmental before, but now I saw that none of that really mattered anymore - it was all beauty. That led me to Taoism - it spoke to me and fit in with a lot of what I was feeling / doing...the oneness...the self analysis...the understanding and quietening of the mind, which complemented everything else. I cut meat out of my diet over night and started to listen to the thoughts I had been repressing. I opened myself back up to the world and could see the light. I felt and still do feel amazing. I suddenly had extreme will power to do whatever I wanted. Along with my negative mindset of the past, I also had wayyyy too much sex...I wont go too into detail on that, but overcoming that urge was a big step for me. I now very rarely indulge those desires and use any idle time to either meditate or learn. I feel like I've come such a long way in a short amount of time, but then at the same time it's like I always knew. It took a bit of practice but now I'm able to live most of my life *in the moment* with a feeling of being present. There's more but I'll leave it there for now! Sorry not everything here was completely Tao related. I hope to make some new friends on here and read more of your journeys. If anybody has questions, feel free to ask!

Missed this part out - I don't teach, although it can be good money if you have the right qualifications under the tougher foreigner employment laws. (China isn't as willing to let foreigners live in China for long periods anymore - it can be done but it's not as easy as it used to be)

Yeah, it's very distasteful and repulsive. Seeing the expression of your 20 year old colleague / intern in the arms of some 60+ married, drunk guy. However, it's the culture. Or at least was the culture. There's some big changes going on right now meaning that all the old partying, splashing out on fancy dinners with hookers and bribery are now a thing of the past.

Reading the page now.. 4. Fake meat - YES that's true...money not being accepted back into the ATM though is likely just because its crumpled. I've ordered beef before and received pork with flavour and colouring to make it seem like beef. 3. I hate drudging up these feelings...but this one is true. Where I am in GD, people are extremely slow at most things which can get on your nerves if you need something done quickly. A lot of people here have IMMENSELY big egos and can't see how their actions effect anything a few seconds into the future - I blame it on education. Driving is another one - you can be stuck in traffic for ages - not because there's a problem but just because it takes a LOT longer for the average Chinese person to pull away from the lights... more often than not only several cars are let out before the light changes back to red, when in the same time someone from the west could have expected the whole line of cars to clear. Driving in China is not for those with a short temper. 2. The guy that wrote this clearly has felt the culture shock, he's not in a happy place .. He's exaggerating on the claims of point 2, or perhaps this was written 10 years ago when it would have been true. Today's China does still idolize white people to some extent but then again there's a lot of resent. However, yes, rural people are always amazed by the presence of a westerner and you can get offers from people who want to hire you just based on that. Now with China playing a more dominant world role though, there's a slight sense of "we don't need you any more". 1. Yes the government does control everything but the writer of the article is biased in his views of what is normal - judging the system by his own beliefs. The fact is - all governments are corrupt and have total control over you. The only difference is that in China, its an open book. They don't try to hide what they want you to do or play cloak and dagger with policies. Most of the time you just get told "do this" and you have to do it. But I actually respect that. I also respect policies like birth limitations - without them China would be even more populated and out of control. As a world we are already WAY WAY WAY too over populated to support ourselves. Although it's not very nice that you don't have a choice in the matter, the majority of people need to be led or else there'd be utter chaos.

The thing is, I grew up with a lot of Asians...I speak the lingo and I thought I understood it all before falling into the culture shock trap. My first year was awesome...but it's after that you begin to build up a quota of BS that boils over every now and again. With my job I get to meet a lot of different people and I'm married to a fairly influential family here so I was thrown into those circles..in fact I think that was the problem for me..I saw everything at surface value.. Take for example - dining with officials - I used to dread those dinners. Sitting around a table getting asked the same old questions, being forced to drink excessive amounts of alcohol while the female employees are used as tools / prizes expected to flirt and appease the higher ranking males. Or just small things, like how you might expect someone to say thank you or even acknowledge you for holding a door open for them - not at all - 70% of the time people will almost barge you out of the way, unless they know that you hold some kind of power over them, creating a need to be nice out of fear. These are common place and take some getting used to...but like i say...you have to look beyond the surface things you confront day to day.

Hey Jon, I'm new here myself, so I can't really welcome you as such...but through your words I can feel that what you've experienced is very similar to my own wake up call. Seems like you've directed yourself on the right path...one bit of advice I can give you: Having everyone in a community like this is great and getting answers that make sense given by other credible people gives us a feeling of satisfaction, sureness....BUT... all the answers and directions you'll ever need are already part of you. Learn to trust that voice within that's telling you to do something important. If it's saying help others - get out there and help someone - Those are the times you'll be truly full of love.

Thanks for the replies I live in the Guangzhou city to the south of China. When I was around 16 I went to HK for the first time with a Chinese friend. Stayed with his family, I fell in love with the place and culture (I had been into Asian culture in my early childhood too like most kids of the 80s.) The technology they had there at the time blew me away and didn't appear in England until about 8 years later. Anyways, lets keep this short and sweet so I don't bore you with the details. My wife is Chinese but spent a lot of time in England. We moved to China when I was 23 because she was feeling homesick. I was excited at first and the job I have here is pretty awesome..it felt like my dreams were coming true - and I feel like an idiot for letting that feeling go somewhere down the line. I'm glad to have it back though. So why did I lose that excitement? I'll try say this without being overly negative...but there's just a massive culture gap. No matter how into Chinese culture you are, you'll never be ready for it unless you've lived here a few years. It's the little things which are burned into your own set of morals which are completely overlooked here that get to you at first. Slowly you can really start just hating a lot of their culture because it conflicts so much with our own. You have to keep reminding yourself that everyone has their own way. A lot of foreigners that come here get caught in the same trap and begin to develop a habit of looking down on the locals because they're too caught up in their own egos. (like I was starting to be)...Then when you think you start to understand it - often what you're seeing is just the surface. Understanding the hearts and minds of the Chinese, even the youth sometimes despite them being much more westernized, is a huge challenge that takes practice. They often look and treat white people as aliens from another world - that was perhaps one of the biggest hates I had early on - but now the more I open up, the more I see we really were worlds apart back then. I see now that it was a test...without being in China and having to constantly challenge and analyse who I was, I don't think I'd be writing here to you now.