Worship

[Jim D.]

"When you move your mind by creating the sentiment of worship, you fashion something outside of the mind as the object of your worship. By so doing, you trap your mind in the illusion of duality which is against Tao.

 

Rather than invent an outside sovereignty to act as his authority, the Toaist perceives the worshiper and the worshiped as one. When a Taoist engages in worship, he is revering the objectivization of his own true nature...(Ultimate Guide to Tai Chi, pg. 280, copy right 2000, Master Ni Ua-Ching).

 

I was raised Catholic from a very early age. Eight years of indoctrination into a system of worship and adoration of something outside of myself. I was trained to give over responsibility for me to this entity that never had an office I could go to to check in about how things were going. This entity had many wives and a support system of adoring priests that had "its" power, while we commonors didn't. The idea of sin kept me coming back. The coming back benefited their staying in business and in control of me. And I only had to give over money to ease the penance assigned to me (there idea of a good life), only to turn around and go right out there and sin again. I was never going to get away from sin. Confession was a respite from the sins of that past week. But once I hit the bricks and I had an "mpure thought" there went that feeling of purification and holliness. After years of this, I finally gave up and got into what paid more dividens...sex, drugs, and rock & roll...at least for a time until my body, mind, and spirit gave way to insanity.

 

The thing I like about Taoism is that there are no rules and no one is in charge. And there are no guilt trips and a fear of Hell to be afraid of if I mess up. I have only me to contend with, and that can be difficult at times.

 

I once saw a guy wearing  a jacket that read, "I am not going to Hell because I have already been there." He was a Vietnam Veteran. Hell for me is being told what to do, how to do it, and when to do it. If I am not working for you, you don't have a right to live my life for me.

 

JD

[thelerner]

True of philosophical Taoism, but religious Taoism with its pantheon of gods, rules, hells and superstitions seems to me every bit as controlling as any in the west.