Mig

3 hours ago, CityHermit! said:

He is supposed to be an expert on British royalty, has some organization about it too. But it was recently discussed in news that he's actually an Italian-American from upstate New York. He developed his own British accent, so I guess people didn't know the difference for some time. Despite being an American, he probably does have more background knowledge on British royalty than many Britons. It's kind of ironic, also given that historically America rose out of resistance to the British crown.

https://bmsf.org.uk/thomas-mace-archer-mills/

https://www.youtube.com/user/MonarchySociety

Didn't know about this guy and what kind of dignity and respect does he deserve?

On 6/2/2018 at 10:46 AM, Lost in Translation said:

Kardashians.

nothing to compare, people buy what they offer, kings, queens and nobility have nothing to offer. It has been for centuries and still look at their parades, the magazines that publicize about them, their weddings and nobody say anything about the cost and where the money comes from for such spending. At the end, for me is disgusting to see the spoil and waste while there are other issues to take care.

4 minutes ago, CityHermit! said:

The same could be said for all kinds of people and walks of life besides royalty. I'm not even defending it one way or another but I can see why it has a bearing on national spirit. European royalty is one thing, but Japan's is allegedly unbroken and goes way way back doesn't it? It also would be different for cultures with a stronger sense of filial piety than those that don't. Chinese emperors had to pay homage to their ancestors too, exemplifying filial piety for the rest of empire. In theory at least. All that aside, in recent years I've grown to see more value in filial piety in as far as it can connect one to the genes of their ancestors, thereby affecting their expression in one's life, as well as establishing foundation for future generations that they can tap into the same. Why I say that is a whole other topic, but what I mean to say is that I think that the way societies have practiced things in the past may have been an attempt at getting to something they could not yet understand that maybe we in modern times have a better chance at grasping.

I get that and I think i understand what you are saying about respect to elders and ancestors. Filial piety sounds to Christian to me. Whether is in Europe, Thailand, Japan or Bhutan or other monarchies, all I noticed they live the high life and the money they spend for their luxuries could be used for something beneficial to kids or even education or maybe investing in new technologies.  Let them be the kings and queens and give them the minimum wage to see how they will react or even if they will accept that treatment. Why so much money spent in their life time? Just because they are the monarchs, come on!!

10 hours ago, CityHermit! said:

Lineage and some kind of (unbroken?) connection to the past has an appeal for some, especially for cultural purposes.

I get that and kind of understand the whole ceremonial stuff but the cost in pounds, dollars, money, for me it is just outrageous. These people live the high life and the majority live the low life. Why can't they just work like everyone else? Represent a country is not a job, at least a representative or sales representative gets paid but not even close in years what these people get to live comfortably.

On 6/1/2018 at 12:24 PM, aurum said:

Emmanuel Rodriguez "the Daoist" who gave me the book   "The TAO fully explained"  told me that the author Igor cheats regulary on his Chinese wife, despite that they had 2 kids and have big plans to immigrate to Canada. He even has a newborn baby boy of his Taiwanese mistress in Paris. Igor explained to his pupil Emmanuel that if you cheat regulary on your wife and have many lovers you achieve DAO much faster!

 

 

There are always periods of disappointment on the journey, the trick is to keep moving!

I responded to this posting and now I don't see my response. I said in my previous response, why migrating to Canada? Is it because there is a better living condition than many other places? Why that obsession of achieving the Dao? If all men are cheaters then all men are Dao? I wonder

1 hour ago, aurum said:

Glad you liked it once.yin.once.yang! You'll also like to know this funny thing - Emmanuel Rodriguez "the Daoist" who gave me the book   "The TAO fully explained"  told me that the author Igor cheats regulary on his Chinese wife, despite that they had 2 kids and have big plans to immigrate to Canada. He even has a newborn baby boy of his Taiwanese mistress in Paris. Igor explained to his pupil Emmanuel that if you cheat regulary on your wife and have many lovers you achieve DAO much faster!

wow, finally someone who found the way to achieve the Dao, I guess the majority of men are already Daoist since they cheat on their wives. I wonder why he or they have or want to migrate to Canada? There are enough spaces out there in the world to migrate and Canada today is "the place" to migrate because of the many advantages many other countries don't offer.

For many years, I have been wondering why at this time of age, what in the hell people care about kings, queens and monarchies. Why still people allowing a group of people living the big life, luxury and being a parasite of the state, government or from those who work hard their whole life for these people? How is that possible? With all that money spend for them, it could be used for better social or communitarian purposes. Your thoughts?

1 hour ago, Aaron said:

It's been about a month since my mother passed away. It was surreal. I almost got killed the day after by an angry semi truck driver that tried to drive me off the road as I drove up to get her belongings from the nursing home. I had grown distant from my mother over the last few years, but a couple months ago I found out she was dying from cancer and reached out to her to make my own amends. I was able to do all of that, which made it that much easier when she finally did pass. 

 

So this is the thing, I don't believe in heaven or an "after life", nor do I believe we can without a doubt prove that reincarnation exists. I'm agnostic at best, maybe I lean a bit more towards the atheist side, however, I don't grieve for her. The reason being that I know, regardless, she's not suffering and she was suffering. People can argue the "sanctity of human life" but until you see someone suffering immensely you don't realize how much of a blessing death can be. My greatest and only regret, was not being there at the end. I didn't want her to be alone in that moment, not because I wanted to spend those last minutes with her, but because I didn't want her to die suffering and alone, I wanted her to know she had people that loved her at that time. Again that's my only regret, and If I could've been there I would've, however I had surgery the week before she passed and was still suffering from complications.

 

The night I found out she had passed there was an odd peace. It's hard to explain, a bit of sadness, but more of an emotional silence. I loved my mother, but my time as a Taoist/Buddhist/hindi/etc. has taught me that even though I think she's gone, she's not really gone. She may very well never have been here in the first place, so putting the time and energy into grieving for her does nothing to bring her back and does nothing to ease my own suffering, nor does it somehow quantify how much I cared for her, so if I am truly being compassionate towards her and myself, then learning to let her go and let myself move on should be my goal.  

 

So, how was this different from my father's passing? Well he passed when I was much younger (twenty-one) and I had only just begun to read about Taoism. Attachment was the norm and compassion, especially towards myself, wasn't something I  really understood. I was devastated when he passed. I had been living with him at that time and had actually argued with him the night before. My greatest regret at that time was that I thought he had died thinking I was angry or hated him. In retrospect I realize that he knew better. However the memory of those emotions, of that feeling of loss, comes back even now, which is strange, because he was also dying from cancer, he just never told anyone, and you would think I would feel relieved for his passing.

 

So the difference, I guess, is that knowing my place in this world and my relationship to other people has allowed me to accept this as not a loss, but a blessing for my mother. Whereas my still undeveloped mind was unable to accept the death of my father, due to my inability to understand the nature of death at that time. Both deaths were blessings, and if anyone suffered from those deaths, it was not my parents, but their loved ones, and of course, me. 

 

Oh that's the other thing, both my parents passed away from lung cancer. You can guess what habit I gave up. 

 

I just thought I'd share, because this is one of those universal experiences and I thought maybe these observations might help someone else.

So sorry to hear about both losses. It is a loss and we all feel something, a void or something because that soul is no longer here. What I am finding out as we age, is that each loss is more of a loss for those who still live in this world and I realize once we are gone, we are gone. It is nice to hear all the religious excuses or tales to make us feel better but at the end of the trip there is no purgatory nor heaven, it is the end of the cycle and the beginning of a recycling process. Some are gone at early age, some later and some when they get old for different reasons and the process has been the same since we know we have existed in this world. IMO you shouldn't regret anything, you did what you only knew and what you could.

On 5/31/2018 at 9:17 AM, once.yin.once.yang said:

 

Why truth seeker? What kind of truth? Does truth exist? And who's Master Meng?

On 4/4/2018 at 9:24 AM, Harmen said:

 Liu Yiming's Zhouyi Chan Zhen 易理闡真 in itself is okay but Cleary's translation isn't. Years ago a few friends of mine wanted to translate Cleary's book to Dutch and asked me if I had the Chinese original so they could check Cleary's translation. When I pointed them at the errors that I found in Cleary's translation they tossed it aside and worked from the original Chinese text, occasionally glancing at Cleary when in doubt or sending me an email to ask for my opinion. The problem with Cleary's translation is that he does not explain or motivate his translation and the choices that he made. Neidan terms are not explained which means that the higher esoteric meaning goes wasted on the reader. Neidan texts always need a commentary to explain the important keywords. Cleary never bothered to give these which renders his translation almost useless. Even worse, he did not translate Liu's introduction in which Liu lays the framework for his translation, including images of the Hetu and Luoshu etc. This introduction can be found here http://www.qztao.url.tw/download/周易(上).docx, for those interested.

Is Cleary work not good because of mistranslated terms or concepts aside of omitting important texts?

Has someone read or heard about this book? Is it worth reading? Can any chapters of the DDJ apply to parenting?

Thanks

3 hours ago, steve said:

 

One way to exercise patience -

 

When I feel impatient, I notice that and let it be just as it is.

I feel it fully, not pushing it away or suppressing it, but don't engage with it, don't add to the internal discussion.

I simply feel impatient and rest in that feeling.

In due time, it's gone.

 

Reflecting on that, I pay attention to what brought it up.

What aspect of myself was irritated or stimulated and why was there a need to change what is?

Something in me, something I over-identify with, was the source.

If I can let that go and see that it is nothing more than a thought, an idea, I do not need to be disturbed.

 

So in the case of postings that are far from reality or come from a new age positive mentality...

What in me is bothered by that?

The practitioner? The critic? The purist? The fundamentalist? The expert?

It is some role in my life that I identify with that gives birth to that irritation.

Is it my role to eliminate those posts, that mentality in the world?

Is that even possible or necessary?

Perhaps, even though I find it foolish, it is supporting and helping someone in a very difficult time in their life and it's all they have access to.

Are there other things in the world that are more worthy of my time, attention, and effort?

Can I see that the problem is in me and my inability to simply allow it to be as it is?

 

While I certainly do not "need" to tell myself to be patient, I also do not need to punish myself with impatience because the New Age mentality exists. I can let it be and perhaps even offer the New Age person my friendship and support while sharing with them my own views, rather than attacking theirs.

 

Just one approach and the one I play with. It takes a lot of practice but can be very effective.

 

 

 

Excellent and I appreciate your input. It is very important to know what you mean and elaborate. Now, what do you do when you don't agree with the system you live in? Do you just accept and be patient until changes?

On 5/20/2018 at 10:41 AM, Taoist Texts said:

One  gets guidance from a real teacher.

 

Here is a FAQ on teachers and teaching.

 

 

Worth reading about misconceptions and very educational, thanks again. Any PDF available on this topic of misconceptions of qigong, neidan, alchemy 2.0?

40 minutes ago, moment said:

This may be his most famous quote.  Most of us have seen it before.  But I, for one, need to be reminded now and then.

 

A good traveler has no fixed plans
and is not intent upon arriving.
A good artist lets his intuition
lead him wherever it wants.
A good scientist has freed himself of concepts
and keeps his mind open to what is.

Thus the Master is available to all people
and doesn't reject anyone.
He is ready to use all situations
and doesn't waste anything.
This is called embodying the light.

What is a good man but a bad man's teacher?
What is a bad man but a good man's job?
If you don't understand this, you will get lost,
however intelligent you are.
It is the great secret.”

― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

What is that it needs to be reminded?

On 5/11/2018 at 2:27 PM, Lost in Translation said:

Failure is an excellent teacher. Whether on this forum or in life you will meet disappointment, but that does not mean you cannot learn from it. I suggest you exercise patience in this matter.

How do you exercise patience? Let's say many postings are far from reality but mostly this new age positive mentality, do i need to tell myself be patient?

Are you talking about formal logic. Check this out, it may help

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/chinese-logic-language/

On 5/18/2018 at 4:51 PM, CityHermit! said:

I'd like to visit the Pacific Northwest myself.

On 5/18/2018 at 4:51 PM, CityHermit! said:

I'd like to visit the Pacific Northwest myself.

walking, cycling or driving?

On 5/17/2018 at 4:06 PM, Starjumper said:

OK kids, I found a sage for you, only problem is, he isn't a Taoist, he's Hindu.  However a true mystic, which is what a real sage is, transcends these kinds of petty divisions and sees further.  In addition Taoism and Hinduism have quite a lot in common when it comes to cultivation of high level stuff (not power yoga).  Here we have a sage who likes to have talkfests, something that is more rare in Taoism and more common in Hinduism.   I suppose talkfests are useful if it gets people to meditate, also, he speaks Engrish.

 

Anyway, here I present to you a true sage - TADAAAA - Sadhguru.  Just about the only guy who's wisdom I am willing to watch.

 

He has a ton of videos:

 

 

 

It seems a good marketer to sell ideas and using big words, it is the reaction after watching his site and his Youtube videos

IMHO, I never understood Legge and Lau seems a good start. Maybe should I ask, what is the purpose of your study of the DDJ?

I can only recommend what I have found useful as translations from Chinese to English:

Wang Keping. The Classic of the Dao: A New Investigation. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press, 1998

The Tao Te Ching: A New Translation With Commentary. Translated and edited by Ellen M. Chen. New York: Paragon House, 1989

Tao Te Ching : Tao and Virtue Classic. Translation by Derek Lin

Others are okay but mostly for the English style and few have explanations or full commentaries. At least all those 3 authors have good command of both languages, Chinese and English.

2 hours ago, Eric Woon said:

When you run into someone who opposes or does not want to follow your order, it is about time to draw upon the principles of leadership and deploy them diligently.

On the other hand, when you run into someone who does not have the will to follow your order, you can also draw upon the principles of leadership and apply them assiduously.

Could you give some examples on how to draw upon the principles? and how to apply them?

On 1/5/2018 at 1:58 PM, thelerner said:

Looking on The Dao Bums Member Map reminds me that its a big world, so much to see.  I wanna visit the Islands off the West Coast.   Santa Rosa, The Channel Islands, Catalina, San Clementa, Isla Cornado..

 

I'd like to rent a sleep-in Van, ride from Washington State, down to Tijuana.  Take my time, zig'n zag, see the sites.  Wonder if I can buy one from CarMax drive it and resell it all in a couple weeks? 

 

Or this place has relatively cheap rates. https://www.cruiseamerica.com/

their Compact RV, with toilet, shower, 2 burners, furnace, AC.. looks pretty nice.  If I could wrap it up with enough floaties I could probably paddle it out to the islands  <kidding>

 

addon> What about you guys.. where are your dream spots?

You don't need a van, a car and a tent is good enough, it is easier and faster and convenient. Catalina Island, I was not impressed, it is $100 ferry trip and there is no much to see there. Other islands are okay, IMO.

On 4/10/2018 at 7:27 PM, 9th said:

 

I dont agree with this perspective.  In most martial arts of todays world, the exclusively traditional ways are very few and far between.  Actual fighting techniques have continued to evolve along with the fighters that practice them, incorporating various ideas and knowledge from many forms.  Thats why MMA is so popular - it is literally the future of martial arts.  Bruce Lee is still the most popular modern example.

 

 

Is that really a fight? It was better than the kumite type but not close to a fight or street fight

On 4/28/2018 at 2:44 PM, Nungali said:

 

Why 12 animals ,  12  houses ,  12 hours  ?       because   3  4s   make 12     

 

 

and 12 is an 'easy' number to work with .

I thought because 10 has limited possibilities while 12 has more prime numbers to work on it. The duodecimal systems seems to be more efficient than the decimal system. Any thoughts from mathematicians?

5 hours ago, wandelaar said:

 

Compared to other translations he comes up with explanations that add to my understanding of the TTC. I can not personally verify whether his translation is also close to the original (for I can't read Chinese), but I guess if Lin made large mistakes there it would have been noticed by people who can read Chinese. I haven't found criticisms attacking Lin on that point.  

 

 

That is exactly the question I am asking...

May be you don't need to know how to read Chinese and may be a good place to start here in this site is to check the Tao te ching study chapters as well as  DDJ meaning contributions. As an example for what I say close to the original here below:

Chapter 5 Derek Lin

Heaven and Earth are impartial
And regard myriad things as straw dogs
The sage is impartial
And regards people as straw dogs

That's very close to the original and if you compare to other translations you may find some differences. Of course, there are other chapter that may present some difficulties for the translators and Lin does well at least much clearer than many I have read where I didn't understand the message and too vague to understand the meaning.