do you carry a copy of the tao te ching with you?

[mewtwo]

so do you carry a copy of the tao te ching with you? why or why not?

[Aaron]

so do you carry a copy of the tao te ching with you? why or why not?

 

For around 20 years I was a Taoist and carried a little pocket sized copy of John C. H. Wu's translation with me wherever I went. I would often read it when I was bored. When I was a christian I carried a pocket sized copy of the New Testament with me, so I guess I just substituted one for the other. On a positive note, I'm well versed in the TTC, the negative is that I no longer practice Taoism, much of the time I spent studying it could be seen as wasted.

 

Aaron

[Protector]

I just want to know, how do you NOT practice Taoism?

[Ish]

I just want to know, how do you NOT practice Taoism?

 

Resisting, forcing, imposing your will, worrying, thinking excessively rather than being etc etc

[Harmonious Emptiness]

I recently entered the "smart-phone" world and downloaded the DDJ to my phone. It's nice to know I can always read it just by opening my phone !

 

My preferred translation is most generously provided for free download here: http://www.life-in-crisis.info/shaman-flowing-hands.htm .

 

I then just emailed the pdf to myself and downloaded the attachment from my phone via wi-fi.

[JohnC]

No...

 

because why would I.

[ChiDragon]

The principles of the TTC are naturally fall into place. It just flows in my heart, I practiced spontaneously, there is no need to carry it around in my hands....

[mewtwo]

internaly yes externaly not always sometimes i do though.

[Aaron]

I just want to know, how do you NOT practice Taoism?

 

I don't intentionally practice as a Taoist anymore. Like any other religion Taoism is practiced or not practiced, if you want to go into semantics fine. How is Taoism practiced? Well by following what's said in the Tao Teh Ching, never striving to be first, being compassionate, and frugal. Working towards being a good man and accepting the responsibilities accorded with being a good man (i.e. the good man is the teacher of bad men, etc.) I would happily go into detail regarding this if you're having problems understanding the concept. It's not as easy as going with the flow, in fact, like any other practice, it requires work and dedication. Those people who say, "how do you practice (NOT practice) Taoism?" Are usually the ones who haven't spent any length of time reading Taoist texts and rather see it as a lifestyle, which it isn't. I'm not even knocking Taoism so much, of the religions I know of, I think it's by far the least invasive to one's psyche and has a lot of benefits, but as a person trying to understand the world without pretense, I find that giving up Taoist philosophy is a requirement. Does that answer your question?

 

 

Aaron

Edited February 19, 2012 by Twinner

[Taomeow]

How is Taoism practiced? Well by following what's said in the Tao Teh Ching,

 

Actually, it's not taoism, it's laoism.

 

As for taoism not being a lifestyle, what do you make of the way I carry a luopan with me (that's not a book, in case anyone has been wondering), and when I travel I take my calligraphy brushes and an ink stone and a copy of the I Ching and a set of yarrow stalks I made and matured and consecrated myself, and I check the taoist almanach and the lunar calendar before scheduling appointments, and do bazi readings, and make talismans, and make offerings to the ancestors and the Three Pure Ones and Xi Wangmu and Sun Bu-er, and use a peach tree wood sword for spiritual self-defense and bells, fans, gourd bottles, talismanic water to work with environmental qi, and design all my practices around my ming gua and my wuxing layout, and haven't seen a Western doctor since sometime in the last century but own and use scores of TCM books and design my own herbal formulas and dit da jows based on what I've learned, and use guasha and cupping and occasionally gold and emerald elixirs, and practice taijiquan and qigong and taoist alchemy, and wear traditional taoist clothes for this though never in public, and even on the beach trace taoist symbols into the sand more often than not, and a bit of female alchemy and the bedchamber arts, and a bit of form-compass/xuan kong feng shui, and all of this I do because not doing it makes no sense to me anymore,

 

and you say taoism is not a lifestyle?

[mewtwo]

lol funny but in case you were serious what makes it laoism and not taoism?

[Taomeow]

lol funny but in case you were serious what makes it laoism and not taoism?

 

Taoism is not derived from TTC. TTC is included in the taoist canon, but not as the first canonized text, and to many most influential schools, not as the most important one. However, even the whole of the taoist canon, the written sources, which is the largest body of written knowledge on any one subject in existence in all of history, constitutes a fraction of what taoism proper is. What is it? Only the most comprehensive approach to reality and the art and science of being part of it in a sensible way in existence. To marginalize it as something derived from one little book Westerners (and some Western-conditioned Chinese) happen to like is cultural imperialism.

[mewtwo]

Taoism is not derived from TTC. TTC is included in the taoist canon, but not as the first canonized text, and to many most influential schools, not as the most important one. However, even the whole of the taoist canon, the written sources, which is the largest body of written knowledge on any one subject in existence in all of history, constitutes a fraction of what taoism proper is. What is it? Only the most comprehensive approach to reality and the art and science of being part of it in a sensible way in existence. To marginalize it as something derived from one little book Westerners (and some Western-conditioned Chinese) happen to like is cultural imperialism.

 

If i am reading your post right thr ttc is not the first book on taoism? Then what is?

[Taomeow]

If i am reading your post right thr ttc is not the first book on taoism? Then what is?

 

The I Ching, which predates Laozi by at least 2000 years, was the first one included in the taoist canon, but it wasn't the "source" either, since original taoism is much older. Here's a good article by Derek Lin written circa the time we used to discuss this aplenty, years ago (he published a couple of taoist books since):

 

http://www.taoism.ne...origin/home.htm

[mewtwo]

I will stick to my own varient of stuff.

[Taomeow]

I will stick to my own varient of stuff.

 

I thought I was answering your questions, what did you think I was doing? Recruiting?

[Protector]

I asked since "not practicing Taoism" is a complete oxymoron to me

[mewtwo]

I thought I was answering your questions, what did you think I was doing? Recruiting?

 

And thank u for answering them its just your answers imho seemed vary "i have it and u dont" like westerners cant learn tao from the ttc.

[Taomeow]

And thank u for answering them its just your answers imho seemed vary "i have it and u dont" like westerners cant learn tao from the ttc.

 

The "it" I have is respect, interest, eagerness to approach without preconceptions and to learn, and love for the awesomeness of the world of taoist arts, sciences and practices -- no more, no less. I've claimed no other advantages.

 

"Westerners" can learn tao from a doorknob for all I know. But whenever someone says that "taoism in its entirety is what the doorknob has told me, end of story," I occasionally feel compelled to put in a good word for taoism. Just to be fair to a culture that has given the world sliding doors (doorknobs are bad feng shui, and sliding doors are a taoist invention based on this bit of non-laoist, taoist proper, information).

[zerostao]

"Doorknobs are all very well, but they're not family. I count them when I'm lonely, but somehow today, you know they didn't seem to do the trick. "

aunt clara

also this [runs into the wall]" I used to go through a wall just like butter. I think I'll try the front door."

[steve]

so do you carry a copy of the tao te ching with you? why or why not?

No.

I've never found a single book that I wanted to give that central a role in my life.

I've tried a few, they never stuck, but they all contributed to where I am now I guess (for better or worse).

[Fu_dog]

I carry the Tao te Ching, but very seldom refer to it. I carry the I Ching and do refer to it, prolly a couple times per month.

 

I've never found the I Ching to be wrong, but you have to be ready for what it tells you...it's not always pleasant.

 

The ebook makes carrying any book pretty easy to do. I have 3 versions of I Ching on my Nook. Also one older translation of Tao te Ching translated by Charles Muller in 1991 that's not particularly good IMO (I bought it because it was cheap).

[Taomeow]

I carry the Tao te Ching, but very seldom refer to it. I carry the I Ching and do refer to it, prolly a couple times per month.

 

I've never found the I Ching to be wrong, but you have to be ready for what it tells you...it's not always pleasant.

 

The ebook makes carrying any book pretty easy to do. I have 3 versions of I Ching on my Nook. Also one older translation of Tao te Ching translated by Charles Muller in 1991 that's not particularly good IMO (I bought it because it was cheap).

 

My kind of book "attachment." (A concept for which my non-ambitious but traditional use is limited to analyzing the virtues and dangers of the Li trigram, its double-strength hexagram, The Clinging, and a few other hexagrams ignited by its tenacious fire-light.)

 

I'm seldom found without this or that version of the I Ching close by -- not necessarily among whatever belongings I carry but within reach the same day, at least. If I travel far, before I do I ask her, do you want to go on a trip? If she says yes, I take her, if she says no, she simply waits for me at my destination.

[mantis]

My kind of book "attachment." (A concept for which my non-ambitious but traditional use is limited to analyzing the virtues and dangers of the Li trigram, its double-strength hexagram, The Clinging, and a few other hexagrams ignited by its tenacious fire-light.)

 

I'm seldom found without this or that version of the I Ching close by -- not necessarily among whatever belongings I carry but within reach the same day, at least. If I travel far, before I do I ask her, do you want to go on a trip? If she says yes, I take her, if she says no, she simply waits for me at my destination.

 

Do you have any idea why Fu Xi and Nuwa are depicted as snakes?

[Elliot]

My books tend to stay at home!