Is it strange?

[artvaughan]

Greetings to you all

 

Does it not seem rather strange to join a discussion group about Tao when it is beyond words?

 

 

[Apech]

How can we respond without words?

[Marblehead]

Yep. We must begin with words. Once the concepts are understood we can forget the words. But if we wish to communicate with others we must use words. (I'm unable to reach out and touch you.)

[Chang]

“The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name.”

 

But it will just have to do for the Tao Bums.

 

Welcome.

[Jainarayan]

And... it's not necessarily about trying to talk about the Tao itself, but our relationships and place in it and with it and each other.

[artvaughan]

A pleasure to read your responses.

 

And thank you for the welcome.

[artvaughan]

& to Apech

 

as the old boy said:

 

"How do I know?

 

By means of this!"

 

(I rather suspect that a well meaning student got boxed around his ears!)

[Basher]

Hi artvaughan & welcome...

which particulat "Old Boy" were you referring to ?

 

As I used to Know a Professor Chee Soo, who taught the various Li / Lee Family arts.... his students often referred to him as Lao Ba (or the Old Man). guess the correct translation is something more akin to the Venerable / Wise (ie Old) Gentleman ?

 

Basher

 

PS: I belong to a great new Taoist Forum, it's called the " " & nobody can post anything except telepathically !!!

[Marblehead]

PS: I belong to a great new Taoist Forum, it's called the " " & nobody can post anything except telepathically !!!

Hehehe. I have some work to do but you are going to be seeing me there soon.

[artvaughan]

Hello Basher

 

Thank you for the welcome.

which particular "Old Boy" were you referring to ?

 

Lao = old

Zi = child/son/ boy

 

Something like your Lao Ba

 

But you would already know this from the telepathic posting on the " " forum.

[silent thunder]

PS: I belong to a great new Taoist Forum, it's called the " " & nobody can post anything except telepathically !!!

 

 

Hehehe. I have some work to do but you are going to be seeing me there soon.

You guys are late... I'm posting like crazy...

[footprint]

True enough Artvaughan!

And I´m kind of glad one of the teachers

here can´t reach out and whack me with a stick

for my obtuseness..

Though I would like to relate an awesome and

unprecedent thing that happened to me the day

after I signed up to the site. I had contacted Master T. Dunn,

and he pointed me to this site. The next miorning while driving to work,

and I´m sure it was him, he started tikling me in the Dan Tien and

then began poking me, that I had to sparr against it!. I will never forget it!

Cheers

[Hilarious Username!]

I didn't used to know about the Tao, then I read and heard words, and now I am beyond words. So words are that middle step that disappears once use it to cross

[Jadespear]

Words are the use of symbols to communicate. The Great Tao is not limited by them, but is partly understood through them.

[Basher]

Indeed. To use an oft quoted analogy....

 

You can read a book all about swimming, I can describe how you could learn to swim.

But you'll only "experience" swimming for yourself, once you're actually in the water.

Better with an Instructor there with you, showing you the basics.

Until you can relax & enjoy the experience.

Else you'll also need to learn about "not-drowning"

[sillybearhappyhoneyeater]

读老子

言者不如知者默
此语吾闻于老君
若道老君是知者
缘何自著五千文

 

those who speak do not know

those who know do not speak

these words I heard an old man say

but if the old man really does know the way

may i ask how he felt confident to write five thousand words.

 

poem by Bai Juyi , tang dynasty poet.

 

 

thank you for reminding me to brush up on my chinese poetry again.

[id05245]

This is absolutely lovely to see so many people that know about the Tao. Without words novices like myself would not learn the simplest of things. It's necessary in the beginning at least. After some manner of experience has been reached words become different, they're still needed to communicate and such but the experience at a certain point isn't one that can be spoken about to others.