Taokuoh

The Tao: The Way

thetaotheway.org

The Eternal Tao

theternaltao.com

The Tao cannot be defined. If the Tao is defined then this isn't the eternal Tao.

hmmn, probably easier to invent the opposite device.  ie if you can't achieve a higher conscious level then others, a machine that helps man achieve a lower conscious level.  We can call it TV..

 

back to OP

They've had goggles that flashed lights and had biaural sound effect programs in them for decades.  They never really took off though.   I think the closest might be some guided meditation programs like The Monroe Institute. 

I've been interested in The Monroe Institute for some time now, I might have to pick up one of his books when I get the chance.

I know if I'm really tired I will hear voices in my one ear and it used to freak me out, now I try and listen to what the voices tell me. I heard this happens when your on the verge of dreaming though. Other than that I don't think I've done any telepathic messages except from receiving energy and such.

Welcome to the forum  and thanks for the diagrams there gendao, they are interesting to read and look at now and again for reference.

I have a bunch that I write down from reading, but here's one of my favourites:

"A truly good man is not aware of his goodness, and is therefore good. A foolish man tries to be good, and is therefore not good. A truly good man does nothing, yet nothing is left undone. A foolish man is always doing, yet much remains to be done." - Lao Tzu.

The universe is very crazy and mystical. I personally would like to be some form of a spirit guide when I pass on or a spirit that helps people along the way.

I like to think that animals think alike to us humans. We choose to eat what we want to eat and animals think the same, bit mind bending but perhaps its just a stereotype that all animals eat each other, such as Lions, there is probably a Lion out there who is a vegetarian hahahaha

Yes I have saw online from what some Taoists are portrayed like, and some of them are very spiritual and connected to the spirit world but will still eat meat like a roast duck.

So the Qigong master said she could see most Americans part chicken? If she saw me as part chicken, would there be anyway to change back to fully human form?

I also heard that by eating meat you are letting other entities enter your body, is this true? Is it harmful?

Yes that's true, the poll would not be 100% accurate. Going to be contradicting myself here but I get put off different types of meats for different reasons. Yet my favourite meal is chicken fried rice haha or egg fried rice.

Just out of curiosity, but do any of you guys here eat meat? I personally still eat meat but I'm starting to come off it such as like chicken nuggets, some of the videos I see are so sad that it makes me want to cry.

A machine that will help man achieve a higher conscious level that others can't. By being hooked up to this machine you are able to contact your spirit guides with ease; increase your ability of astral project and OBE. The machine would also help increase your imagination as it would unleashed the full capacity of your brain. However this idea could back fire as it would more than likely be powered by artificial intelligence rather than natural intelligence.

Hi Rascal welcome to the forum, don't worry I'm still on the path at the moment of understanding what the Tao fully is. The Tao is very mystical but the more you dig deeper the more it comes clear to you what the Tao is.

Your life is like my belief I go by; those who suffer at the start of their life lead a happier one later on in life (and vice versa).

Enlightenment can be a lengthy process for someone who doesn't want to let go and believe like myself, but I'm glad you found it.

If the local program is run by a good teacher, I'd HIGHLY recommend classes over videos.

Yes I'll have to investigate it further.

Hi CoolBreezy. The difference between Tao, Taoism, and Dao, Daoism is that they are all valid spellings, but using different transliteration systems to convert from Chinese to Latin alphabet characters. Tao and Taoism are the spellings derived using the Wade Giles transliteration system, which was often used in older texts, and Dao and Daoism are using the Pinyin transliteration system, which seems to be more commonly in use these days. Pinyin is commonly used to convert from the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese to the Latin alphabet.

Oh right I see, well I'm going to keep using Tao and Taoism as I prefer to use those words instead of Dao and Daoism.

Hi CoolBreezy, my suggestion is don't worry about if Daoism is a religion or philosophy. If it resonates with you then dive in and see what it has to offer.

Yup, exactly what I'm doing. Believe it or not I was interested in Taoism from the Tao Te Ching book, but the main reason was the inspired wisdom from mainstream films showing Taoism. I've felt like I have always somehow been connected with something like this, whether its spirituality I don't know. For example most of the text I read comes under what I am actually like. Personality wise; calm, relaxed, not worrying about the future, and I've always been caring and generous etc.

Thanks for all your help, but what is the difference between Taoism and Daoism? Are they both the same words? Or are they words to separate the Western and Eastern world? Like the word Daoism sounds like a word the Western world would use.

Many people in the West seem to prefer to believe that what is written in the tao te ching is some sort of complete work of 'Taoist' thought that existed in that time period, but there is no real reason to assume such a thing.

Haha reminds me of that Tao text: "The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao".

CoolBreezy, to ask if something like 'taoism' is a religion is a loaded question, as people have different ideas of what 'religion' is for one thing.

Here is a dictionary definition of religion:

"the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.

a particular system of faith and worship.

a pursuit or interest to which someone ascribes supreme importance."

 

There is a fair bit of room for intepretation in such a definition.

 

Also, on internet forums you are almost certain to get all sorts of biased and incorrect answers to a question like this because the fact is people often respond with what they would prefer to believe/think rather than what can be confirmed with actual facts. That is human nature. People's views are greatly influenced by their belief system; much more so than many people would ever realize/admit. As an example, the first *known* formal Taoist religious sect (there may possibly have been various others prior to this but historians don't have solid records to confirm or not) was the Five Pecks of Rice sect which was formed around 142 CE. It is most likely that this time period is quite a bit before there was any significant influence from Buddhism in China. So it would seem that Taosim as a formalized 'religion' was in evidence going back at least to about approx. 2000 years ago, and maybe much longer. Just because there are no clear official historical records found of formal Taoist sects existing prior to this time period, it certainly doesn't mean that such could not have existed.

 

I think really there is no clear cut answer to your questions, but in general 'Taosim' is actually a term that is used to describe a whole range of practices and belief systems which originated in the region of China, and included under this name are most definitely religious beliefs and practices, philosophy, personal cultivation practices, divination practices, etc. Different sects in Taoism tend to mix these different aspects to different degrees. No one really knows what things were like during the time period in which the tao te ching was written as there are very few historical writings from that period and earlier. Anyone who tries to draw conclusions about what various forms of 'taoism' may have been in existence in those time periods and earlier is most definitely employing a lot of speculation. We really just don't know. That's my point of view on the matter anyway.

Yes forgive me as I am still in the understanding of the Tao. However I am feeling more connected with it everyday as I continue to read texts here and there.

Yes that is true that everyone's opinion is going to be different and biased, but as I previously mentioned that I am still new to Taoism, I figured everyone would generally have the same answer. It can be difficult to fully understand the Tao.

Forgive me if I didn't return a reply with as much detailed as yours, it was just that what you said was an interesting read.

This will probably go against what you have said, but I did also find online that it is only in the modern day that Taoism is considered a religion, whereas back in around about the 4th century it wasn't considered a religion. Do correct me if I'm wrong.

Well, I haven't read the Tao of Pooh for many years, but.. it's not in the required reading as far as early texts go!

 

Reading the TTC once or even a few times is most likely not enough. And there's no single really good translation of the text, so I always suggest reading at least 3 different versions.

 

http://terebess.hu/english/tao/_index.html

There are a lot here. My favourites are John Wu's, Gia-fu Feng's, and Stephen Addiss's.

People also commonly refer to D. C. Lau's and Lin Yutang's, though I haven't read them myself.

 

Also, importantly, the Chuang Tzu / Zhuangzi

http://terebess.hu/english/chuangtzu.html

is equally as important as the TTC, really, though I must admit I haven't read it in its entirety yet

Yes the Tao Te Ching book I read was by Gia-fu Feng, which is the book I have ordered for Christmas. But thanks for the suggestions, I shall read the other two versions.

And I was going to read the Tao of Pooh as many people have said it gives you the basic understanding of what the Tao is. Although at the moment I prefer Tao Te Ching having not read the Tao of Pooh.

oh, I tricked you, sorry. I'm an ex-pat yank, been in Germany since 1995

You're a master of disguise. And I've been born since 1995.

Taoism, the term by itself, is not a religion; but it is composite term which include all aspects about Taoism. This include the Tao philosophy and the Tao religion. The religion was derived from the interpretation of the principles of the Tao philosophy by some people. Those who study the Tao philosophy are scholars which are not necessary religious.

I come under the Tao Philosophy then.

I suggest reading as much of the earliest text you can get your hands on. You will be asked to change what you are doing there.

That is where the stuff is.

 

The rest is commentary by people who aren't trying to change but are more interested in seating assignments.

 

Never sit down.

Yeah the next book I will be reading will be either "The Tao of Pooh" or "Tao: The Watercourse Way" unless you have any other suggestions? I have already read Tao Te Ching as well, and that's the only Tao text I have read.

Haha glad to meet another German, having met some on other past forums.

I'm hoping to start Tai Chi soon as well. There's one local in my area, just a few stops on the train and I'm there, either that or find some online teaching videos or something similar.