daoseeker

Hi Walker, your Nyingma teacher made a good point, but in my point of view I can not completely agree. Daoist in China existed in all kinds of shapes: monks, abbots, wandering daoists, lay daoist masters. And through all times, many of them remained unknown, hidden or out of control of the authorities, whoever that was. You know the story of Bill Porter, searching for hermits in China? I also met daoist hermits on a remote cliff of Huashan. Until recent years all authorities were denying that things like hermits even exist in China! I personally believe and experienced that many treasure keeper can be found in the PRC - and whether they transmit the "entirety" of what...? Who should that be? To the problem of Chinese language and Jiantizi simplified Chinese. I figure it's quite advanced already to read simplified hanzi. Most basic Daoist classics are available already in simplified Chinese. Centuries ago many Chinese claimed that no Western people can really comprehend a such complex task like understanding "inner secrets" of Daoism. Read the article of Michael Saso about the oral transmission... that's quite challenging- But meanwhile even Chinese orthodox Daoist monks believe that it's time to transmit the Daoist "secrets" to western disciples and learn English to be prepared for it.... By the way, Ms. Li Chengyu from Wudangshan died in 2003 at age 117 or 118. There is some footage of her in the documentary " The Kung Fu Dragons of Wudang", you can find at youtube - quite astonishing. I am grateful to have met many treasure keepers of Daoism in China. Each encounter was unique and a turning point in my life, be it the hermit on Huashan, the daoist nuns on Hengshan, Ren Farong of Louguantai before he became President of the Chinese Daoist association, or my collegue in Beijing who taught me Zhanzhuang, my fist neigong basic routine. Shouyi! Hold on to the ONE!

no offense, but Laozi - if he ever existed as a real person - never founded any religion nor did he have any disciples, nor did he think about, wrote or let anybody do something organized in terms of "Daoism", which is as a system, or even as the word itself appear hundreds of years afterwards only... Laozi's Daodejing is the key source and the most profound and worthy foundation of the daoist way of life, the key to re-condition yourself towards a Daoist's life. But he is one among many writers, glorified by early western scholars as a founder of a religion, due to the lack of comparable facets of Christian religion - nothing more BUT nothing less I should read the DAODEJING every day - thanks for reminding me Thanks, Michael. The collection seems to be the case, like it is the case of many primary sources or Chinese religious literature in general. But you are right: it is laying out the foundation of any daoist practice or theory. Many daoist monks I talked to in China always pointed out that studying the Daodejing is the essence of practice and deepening your understanding of the world. Even more, reading the commentaries of e.g. Heshanggong, will lead you to the most useful insights. He who knows the Eternal Law is tolerant; Being tolerant, he is impartial; Being impartial, he is kingly; Being kingly, he is in accord with Nature; Being in accord with Nature, he is in accord with Tao; Being in accord with Tao, he is eternal, And his whole life is preserved from harm. Daodejing 16

This guy is the wandering daoist of all times, without age, without worry... ... only a zip of tea - mmhh I am at the edge of getting old, but look young - I don't know whether my bit of practice is to praise or my ancestors' genes...

a cup of tea -- mmhh -- nothing else Thanks for the good wishes!

mmmhh....