A Greased Scotsman

I've been reflecting on monasticism as practised by groups like the Celestial Masters and their spiritual successors and a thought occurs: the core belief of Daoism is that we should 'master' The Way by becoming like it - by taking no action that is contrary to nature. Since humans are by nature social creatures, is isolating oneself from society for extended periods of time not an action which runs contrary to the Dao? To be clear, I don't mean the caricature of the ragged Daoist master laughing contentedly, having recognised social mores as ultimately meaningless and thrown them off. Such men can still live in society but not be part of it. I mean those who become renunciants and physically remove themselves from human society. I'm curious to see how other Daoists requite these seemingly exclusive concepts.

Hey all, thought I'd create a new thread since I've been formally accepted here. I'm just trying to expand my frame of reference. I keep seeing references to Qi & Jing. From what I can gather, these are types of life-force energies; presumably vital to Taoist thought. I was wondering: what are the differences between qi and jing? How does qi relate to the Tao? My initial impression is that qi is a localised phenomenon (localised in lifeforms) whereas the Tao is non-localised (since it pervades everything). Would this be accurate? How does jing relate to the Tao? Thanks to everyone who answers and helps alleviate my ignorance; I'll try to come up with other questions based on any answers I get.

Okay cool, thank you. So if qi and jing are more like refinement levels of energy, what animates the animate? The Tao? Do lifeforms possess inherent levels of qi and/or jing to start with (i.e. when they are born)? Are there natural, unconscious processes which allow them to accumulate more or refine what they already possess? Also, if jing is physical body energy, what is qi? Wow, thanks. I didn't think the verse was intended to be taken quite so literally. Is shen a term for spirit in this context?

Hello all, I'm A Greased Scotsman. I found my way here thanks to the Taoist WikiProject (I'm not a contributor, I just stumbled on it). I'm a Scottish Pagan who has always held the words of Master Lao in high regard; I've recently become more & more drawn to the philosophical side of Taoism but I'd also like to learn about the history of religious Taoism starting with the Tianshi Tao. Just trying to figure out how to alter my profile to say more about myself. Watch this space!

Thank you both!

Welcome to the community! I'm new too Could you tell me a bit more about NoFap please? I can't find much on it that isn't Reddit.

Thanks for the warm welcome, Marblehead & OldAngel. I've come from a multi-faith forum where there are only a handful of Taoists, if that. I wouldn't go near that sort of talk with me; it's a rather slippery subject I'll have a look around and see if there's any threads that answer my questions before creating any of my own.