taijistudent

Lots of great ideas on this thread already.

For me, I practice taiji. The more you repeat, the deeper the relaxation, the more readily the the energy flows. I would describe it as movement without effort. It is basically moving Qigong where you feel the energy from the outside moving your body. It cannot be willed with intention. It just comes when it comes.

I think it is almost impossible to find common beliefs in Daoism. Fluidity and change are so much part of the nature of Daoism that to find anything fixed is quite difficult. Daoism is also very much favors individualistic paths which means each person is carving out their own belief system which in itself is constantly changing.

With this said, I would hazard to suggest that two common ideas that one finds in Daoism are:

1) Change

2) Opposites

Thanks for sharing. I think it is great that people lend their own understanding and translations. Sometimes a translation that is a little off the beaten track will resonate with someone and start a whole new train of thoughts.

Yes, the concentration of wealth around the world continues to lead to economic pain. I have no idea how this will end as people get poorer and poorer. So much wealth has not been so concentrated in so few people in modern times since the years just prior to the Great Depression. Central banks (which are basically bankers) have figured out how to transfer wealth to the ultra-rich, fair and legally and there is no way to stop it.

So we have a very difficult situation which is getting worse. Europe is in terrible shape and no end is in sight. One can only guess what will happen as this trend continues.

I think the answer lies in that there is a bit of everything in all of us. The problems of all people exist everywhere. There is no escape. It is a matter of learning how to live with all that humans are and are capable of.

What do you think is the punishment for not doing the right thing?

There is probably no right or wrong thing. Actions and affects. We try to use our experiences as best we can, and we try to be skilled in our behavior, but there is no way to predict the affects of anything we do.

I'm assuming this topic will end up in the pit. Just a matter of how long.

 

Question: Assuming we're all straw dogs anyway, does the Dao care if a fetus is aborted? My feeling is No, it doesn't make any difference in the grand scheme of things. As to individual spiritual development, it may be a huge setback in some. I could be dead wrong.

 

Does this type of morality have to be part of the Te, or is this a separate type of morality, not imposed from the outside but from the inside?

We are all part of the Dao. All actions affect in some manner. In which manner? It cannot be predicted, only observed.

My understanding is that Daoism is a feeling that life is ever changing and we are all part of this change. It is indivisible and ever flowing. Thus, we feel what we feel as we flow through duration of time. If someone feels that they can only know himself/herself then that is where that person is as part of her/his journey. If I feel that I am experiencing something with someone else (e.g. a forum discussion) and this is what we can know about each other, via this exchange) then this is my journey. It is just different journeys. Solipsism is just an aspect of the universe that is evolving.

Why don't you share some of your poems and writings on this forum? You may find some clues within your own writings.

Hi everyone,

I am putting together a new Club Directory and was thinking that there are probably lots of Tai Chi, Qi Gong, Buddhist, etc. groups that might wish to be listed. I just started the effort yesterday. If anyone has a group that they would like to list you can just go over to Links.com Club Directory, register and list your group. It is a good idea to include tags but I'll edit if necessary. If you have any issues, let me know because I just began the effort yesterday and there still may be some bugs. Hope it works out well for everyone.

Creativity would be the act of impressing a patterns upon patterns and developing new patterns. If the new pattern evokes some intense reaction, reveals something new, or resolves some paradox, then it may be considered a unique thought, idea, or piece of art.

We all have many teachers in our lives and we thank them for what they have taught us. My most beloved teacher is myself who has taught me much through the years with much thanks to all of my other teachers who have been many beyond count. Each has offered me something to learn and I hope I have done well in my learning.

I have some of the original depictions of Qigong exercises from the Mawangdui Medical Scripts. From my studies, my best guess is that Qigong began as simple stretching exercises, especially for monks who might be sitting around a lot meditating. So they stand up and do some basic stretches.

From there, it just branches out all over the place. There are thousands of different variations all having some basic qualities in common: Relaxed, slow, rhythmic breathing coordinated with repetitive movements and imagery (Yi). If one adds leg movements then one is developing moving Qigong which begins to approximate Taiji (which I distinguish from Taijiquan).

Movements are sometimes large circles, spirals, waves,etc., all designed to move and stretch the physical body while stimulating the internal qi energy movement. Some qigong is more specialized for specific purposes, such as standing or sitting qigong which are designed to increase balance, enhance meditation, or develop stronger and more grounded presence.

I don't think any one qigong is more authentic than another. Results are similar with some differences and different with some similarities. I think one can get a good flavor of the different movements from Youtube videos. If you enjoy doing them in a class then one can look for a class that is practicing with the qualities you are looking for.

Here is a brief description that may interest you:

How To Practice Qigong

9=10 ?

I would consider this all ancient poetry or chants that people might be singing together. They might be saying as a group that 3 in 10 do this, and another 3 and 10 do that, and yet another 3 in 10 do this, BUT there is the one within us all that can do this - that is, to live life, to not to fear the unknown, but to move on and to believe and know of the circle of life. The Yi Jing also speaks to the circularity of life.

I wonder if that might not be a reference to some- then current traditions -some of which Lao doesnt approve of etc?

It is impossible to say. One can only speculate based upon their own experiences and understanding. Every translation will necessarily have such biases. What I look for in translations is new ideas and possibilities. It is impossible to say what they were thinking, just as a good Shakespeare play will have many layers of meaning, but whatever they may have been thinking, our own interpretations are worth discussing.

Just seems like one in ten is a bit on the high side.

Lol. |

Maybe back then they were more optimistic.

 

I'll add my take on the written characters of this chapter, not to say this is the only or definitive way to grasp their poetry:

 

 

出生入死

With the appearance of life there is also death

生之徒十有三

those who pursue life are three in ten

死之徒十有三

[thus] those who pursue death are three in ten

人之生動之死地亦十有三

Those who live dangerously while pursuing life are also three in ten

夫何故

There is one who is unlike these others (3+3+3 =/= 10)

以其生生之厚

because he thrives on deep and magnanimous 厚friendship blossoming [in his heart]

蓋聞善攝生者

Affixing, and protecting within, the good善 known by all, he grasps and understands the secret of all life

(lit.: cover, understand, great good, absorb, life, + particle to create adverb)

陸行不遇兕虎

Walking the earth without encountering tiger or rhinoceros

入軍不被甲兵

Passing through a battalion without wearing a soldier’s armour

Very interesting translation. Thanks.

Yes, I like talking about the cycles that can be seen throughout the universe. And reversion is a part of these cycles. We are born into life. We are supposed to live it to its maximum potential. (To our, each individual, maximum capacity and capability.) The cycle is complete when we die. We must never fear death otherwise we will not be able to live to the fullest. But that doesn't mean that we should be reckless. Not being reckless is why the Sage can walk amongst the wild animals and not be harmed or go into battle and not be killed.

Yes, I agree. The translation that I just added discusses how to cycle continues life -> death -> life. Not too dissimilar to the awake -> sleep -> awake cycle.

Could you go a little deeper into your thoughts on this? I'm looking for a different translation to help us triangulate but not seeing it on my desk right now - I'll find it later.

Thanks for your comments.

This is and interesting translation which explicitly discusses the cycle of life. Again, it reads like a group hymn or chant:

Death arises from life itself.

For every three out of ten born

Three out of ten die.

But why in the face of death

Should any three out of ten go breeding,

When all they produce is more death?

Because of the wild obsession to multiply.

But there is only one of ten, so they say, so sure of life

That the wild bull cannot find a place in him to pitch its horn,

The tiger cannot find a place in which to dig its claws,

The weapon's point can find no place in him to pierce.

And why?

Because when he dies he does not die.

I it really comes down to the rest of the chapter too, since all of this is explained clearer and clearer as the chapter continues.

 

I like your wording though. They work as a stand-alone stanza, which most stanzas do in the original words of the DDJ.

 

Sometimes I realize that the fun I have with translating is like when I played tetris as a kid. Flipping the English sentence around until it fits what was already there, while keeping future structure in mind, and leaving space open for different contexts when possible.

Keep up the great work you are doing! I think we need more of these kind of ideas and insights.

I have a question regarding what the ultimate goal of Taoism is or even if there is a single answer to that question considering the variety of forms Taoism has taken across the expanse of time.

One may think of the Dao as The Way.

But what Way? This is the discussion. Whatever you decide, what ever path you choose to follow, is Your Way. We choose our own paths in life.

But how do I choose? I follow the path of health and good sleep. This path speaks to me. It allows me to flourish. I dance, I sing, I play music, I meditate, I exercise, I write, I read, I play sports. And when I feel unhealthy, I stop and reconsider. Maybe slightly alter my path?

How many Ways are there? As many as there are. You may choose this Way or that Way. The Dao is the flow of time within you, the creative impetus, the memory of the experiences, and the goals we seek.

How to choose? This above all: To thine own self be true.

I always tell my students to listen carefully to the signals of their own body (spirit, mind, emotional, physical). If it feels healthy then it is healthy. If it feels unhealthy, then it is unhealthy. Unhealthy use of will power will lead to unhealthy conditions.

Okay, so here's a better way to say lyrically what I had above, which fits the meaning.

 

道可道

The Dao that can be taught

非恆道

is not the eternal Dao

名可名，

terms and concepts, honourifics and explanations

非恆名

can never be that which is glorified

Yes, I think this version maintains the concepts and the poetry. Building on your ideas:

The Dao we speak of

Is not the Great Dao

The Great Dao is more than the words we utter

Words are not what we seek to glorify.

Yes, we are navigating through life and things happen. There are words, sentences, chapters, the novel. Maybe novels within novels. But there is a story. We just have to see it. We are Playing within the Play.

You might want to meditate using the I Ching, possibly using an online service such as this IChingOnline.net. It would be a way for you to begin studying Chinese philosophy in a way that may have meaning to your every day life.