Could anyone introduce me to the basics of daoism?

[NaturaNaturans]

15 hours ago, ChimpSage said:

Daoism in its most basic form is simply the way of infinite light and virtue.

 

A Daoist is someone who is on the pathway towards removing all vice and darkness and becoming pure virtue and light.

 

Everything else is not Daoism. May call itself Daoism but it’s not.

 

Similarly, a Daoist may call themselves a Buddhist but if they’re on the way, they’re a Daoist.

 

Just a label that points us to a pathway up the mountain towards embodying divinity. Embracing God rather than animal within us.

Hmmm… i have no clue, but i was under the impression that it was about embracing or at least accepting the… realities of life, and not binary in its approach? ☯️

[ChimpSage]

54 minutes ago, NaturaNaturans said:

Hmmm… i have no clue, but i was under the impression that it was about embracing or at least accepting the… realities of life, and not binary in its approach? ☯️

It’s about reversing the course and becoming pure Yang rather than stuck in duality 

[Cobie]

37 minutes ago, ChimpSage said:

It’s about … becoming pure Yang rather than stuck in duality 

 

The DDJ is rooted in the yinyang concept, so dual. It prioritises yin, not yang (Ch 28: know the male, stick to the female).

 

 

Edited December 25, 2023 by Cobie

[ChiDragon]

This the duality principle of yin-yang.
陰中有陽 : There is yang within yin.
陽中有陰 : There is yin within yang.
陰極陽生 : At the extreme state of yin, it will return to the yang state and vice versa.
陽極生陰 : At the extreme state of yang, it will return to the yin state and vice versa.

Most of the time, at the end state of yang always returns to the yin state. For example, when a moving(yang) object falls to the ground, it will rest in a static(yin) state. In addition, an automobile comes to a stop. It's state was from yang to yin. When it starts to move again, it is from yin to yang. From life to death, it was said from yang to yin. Thus everything begins with the perpetual principle of yin-yang.

[ChimpSage]

16 hours ago, Cobie said:

 

The DDJ is rooted in the yinyang concept, so dual. It prioritises yin, not yang (Ch 28: know the male, stick to the female).

 

 

This is why DDJ is overrated. This is a misinterpretation. The goal of alchemy is to shed all Yin. 
 

Most DDJ quotes are meant to be applied to stages of alchemy. They are only so good as the people reading them.
 

We shed vice, darkness, and delusion in favor of their Yang opposites.

 

We become spirit of pure Yang and cultivate Yang body. Infinite Yang with no yin. Infinite light. Infinite virtue. All positive with no negative.

[Cobie]

 

 

 

Edited December 28, 2023 by Cobie

[ChimpSage]

2 hours ago, Cobie said:

Really? Let’s ask someone who actually knows about the DDJ  @ChiDragon

 

 

You can become an immortal without ever taking a glance at the DDJ IMO

 

It’s just a key that goes along with practice. Without legit practice, you can’t understand DDJ fully

Edited December 26, 2023 by ChimpSage

[NaturaNaturans]

4 minutes ago, ChimpSage said:

You can become an immortal without ever taking a glance at the DDJ IMO

What is an immortal in this setting?

[ChimpSage]

1 minute ago, NaturaNaturans said:

What is an immortal in this setting?

Elixir. Di Xian

[Maddie]

17 minutes ago, ChimpSage said:

You can become an immortal without ever taking a glance at the DDJ IMO

 

It’s just a key that goes along with practice. Without legit practice, you can’t understand DDJ fully

 

Maybe so because very little of that book makes sense to me. 

[ChimpSage]

3 minutes ago, Maddie said:

 

Maybe so because very little of that book makes sense to me. 

Exactly why I think it is overrated  

 

No one can understand it so what’s the point. A true master can outline it clearly and simply with 0 room for misinterpretation 

[CityHermit!]

On 12/15/2023 at 7:21 AM, NaturaNaturans said:

Apoligies, I know this is a little lazy, but I come from Europe and know basically nothing about this philosophy (is it a philosophy?).

Would anyone mind giving me a quick insight of the essence of it?

 

Why would you ask strangers online instead of just reading key texts, which are free, and figuring out what you can on your own, before you find a teacher, if you want to, or can?

[CityHermit!]

On 12/15/2023 at 7:21 AM, NaturaNaturans said:

Apoligies, I know this is a little lazy, but I come from Europe and know basically nothing about this philosophy (is it a philosophy?).

Would anyone mind giving me a quick insight of the essence of it?

 

https://terebess.hu/english/tao.html

 

Here you go. Dig in.

[NaturaNaturans]

On 15.1.2024 at 4:59 PM, CityHermit! said:

Why would you ask strangers online instead of just reading key texts, which are free, and figuring out what you can on your own, before you find a teacher, if you want to, or can?

Because it is so foreign to me that I dont even have a mental picture of it. Not to mention the lingo; the terms used means absolutley nothing to me, it is just sounds and  letters. Thats why it would be helpfull with a brief intro or reccomendation to further readin, as i did not know where to start. And I got that, so thank you all.
 

It is like university: everything you learn in class available online, but you need a proffesor to tell you what to read, where to begin and to clarify. In addition to that, I prefer conversation with humans to wiki articles.

 

Anyway, enough justification now : )

[Maddie]

 

I just saw this on YouTube

[silent thunder]

Benebell Wen is fantastic!

 

I've been a subscriber for a couple months now and am working my way through her archive.

 

She seems a potent scholar and one of the more resonant and effective bridges/presenters of classical chinese to western modern modalities that I've encountered.

 

I just received her translation of the I Ching before an unexpected trip arose.  I look forward to returning so I can delve in with focus.

 

But she is a gem.  Her insights and scholarship are deeply impressive.  I was particularly impacted by her sharings of the Guan Yinzi and of the Dragon culture of her Father's side of her family.

[Elysium]

On 26.12.2023 at 10:57 PM, Maddie said:

 

Maybe so because very little of that book makes sense to me. 

 

On 26.12.2023 at 11:00 PM, ChimpSage said:

Exactly why I think it is overrated  

 

No one can understand it so what’s the point. A true master can outline it clearly and simply with 0 room for misinterpretation 

 

 

Glad someone else thinks so. I have tried to read it five times, some parts are interesting but that is all.

[silent thunder]

On 12/26/2023 at 2:00 PM, ChimpSage said:

Exactly why I think it is overrated  

 

No one can understand it so what’s the point. A true master can outline it clearly and simply with 0 room for misinterpretation 

No need to project your personal experience onto the world.

 

Some aspects of deep philosophy and esoteric content require time and rumination to bring understanding.  Some also require more life experience, so revisiting these texts over time will reveal more as one's depth of engaging in life expands and deepens.

 

There were aspects of the DDJ and the Chuangze that were utterly mysterious in my teens and 20's.  And now in my mid 50's the relating has broadly shifted.

 

In 2012 my subconscious gave me a strong imperative of deep study of the DDJ which I listened to and undertook in depth amd sincerity. 

 

I took a dozen versions and spent several days/up to a week with each verse reading and rereading, sitting with it and ruminating on it throughout my days until I could rework it in my own words comfortably and fully.

 

It was rather intense what arose at times and what stood out in my neighborhood and daily life while engaging in this process.  Aspects of my neighborhood and relationships that lay beneath the threshhold of conscious notice due to familiarity suddenly drew focus and would reveal insight into what was pertinent to the intention set by consciously seeking the meaning behind the words.

 

It was a paradigm shifting process and while some verses of the DDJ spoke to me on first reading in my teens, by the end of my nine month playful engangement, the text had seeded and grown in mind and heart and the flower bloomed full for me.

 

I ended up further refining my prose version of daily vernacular into haiku form... spending another few months refining and synthesizing each verse again into the minimum possible words to simplify and convey meaning.

 

It was a year of intense revelation and joyful discovery of self and how i relate to others and environment.

 

So I would encourage anyone struggling with relating to the text but drawn to it, to gather several translations and try putting them into your own language as sincerely as you can... it's sure to broaden and deepen your relatability, or at least fill a few enjoyable afternoons and evenings with some classic poetry.

[steve]

A few thoughts, FWIW.

Meaning occurs in us, not in words on paper or scrolls,.

I think the idea that there is inherent and absolute meaning in a text like the DDJ is a bit misguided and can be a source of frustration.

This idea has us looking outside of ourselves rather than where the meaning actually resides - inside.

What these types of esoteric concepts and instructions mean to us is related to how we are disconnected from our source, related to what blocks us, to what our current misconceptions look like.

This is one reason why our relationship to the teaching and understandings change over time.

The greatest and clearest teacher and the most perfect of teachings cannot penetrate if we are not open and adequately prepared to receive. Three things must come together in synergy for transmission of wisdom to occur - the right teachings for our needs, an experienced teacher, and the ripe pupil. 

An important lesson I learned is that when I don't understand or agree with a wisdom teaching it is OK to leave it alone but it is an error to discard or denigrate it. Better for me to remain open to the possibility that a time will come when they resonate and support deeper understanding.

 

[steve]

On 12/15/2023 at 8:21 AM, NaturaNaturans said:

Apoligies, I know this is a little lazy, but I come from Europe and know basically nothing about this philosophy (is it a philosophy?).

Would anyone mind giving me a quick insight of the essence of it?

 

I can offer you some sense of my insight into the essence of it, fwiw.

Not saying this is what Daoism is but simply what it has come to mean for me over the past 25 years or so.

My relationship with Daoism has been primarily through martial arts, qigong, and Daoist meditation.

While I've studied many of the texts available in the West, I am no scholar and my knowledge is limited.

After about a dozen years of practicing Daoist meditation, my karma brought me to Bön dzogchen practice.

Having practiced in each tradition for over a decade the parallels are unmistakable for me in terms of view, practice, and result.

 

Daoism for me is a description of the way things are, the way I am, and the relationship between the two.

It describes reality more as process and relationship than as a collection of independent things. 

It emphasizes the wholeness of existence and the inherent balance, and imbalance, that comprise the whole, as well as the fundamental essence that serves as the basis. The concepts of wuji, taiji, and wanwu thus describe characteristics of the nature of reality that coexist here and now as opposed to changes that have occurred in reality over time.

 

Daoism suggests to me that abiding reality is inherently perfect, just as it is - ziran.

When I am connected to my own essence I am also perfect, just as I am.

The problems I encounter, and those we experience collectively, are inherent in me/us due to my/our disconnection from the source.

To the extent I can release all of the ways in which I disconnect, ways in which I interfere and impose my dysfunction and conditioning on reality, the closer I come to that inherent perfection (wu wei).

The path towards this re-connection is that of integrity and virtue (de). 

The ultimate result is a return to what I already am and always was - immortal (xian).

[RobB]

13 hours ago, steve said:

 

I can offer you some sense of my insight into the essence of it, fwiw.

Not saying this is what Daoism is but simply what it has come to mean for me over the past 25 years or so.

My relationship with Daoism has been primarily through martial arts, qigong, and Daoist meditation.

While I've studied many of the texts available in the West, I am no scholar and my knowledge is limited.

After about a dozen years of practicing Daoist meditation, my karma brought me to Bön dzogchen practice.

Having practiced in each tradition for over a decade the parallels are unmistakable for me in terms of view, practice, and result.

 

Daoism for me is a description of the way things are, the way I am, and the relationship between the two.

It describes reality more as process and relationship than as a collection of independent things. 

It emphasizes the wholeness of existence and the inherent balance, and imbalance, that comprise the whole, as well as the fundamental essence that serves as the basis. The concepts of wuji, taiji, and wanwu describe characteristics of the nature of reality that coexist here and now as opposed to changes that have occurred in reality over time.

 

Daoism suggests to me that abiding reality is inherently perfect, just as it is - ziran.

When I am connected to my own essence I am also perfect, just as I am.

The problems I encounter, and those we experience collectively, are inherent in me/us due to my/our disconnection from the source.

To the extent I can release all of the ways in which I disconnect, ways in which I interfere and impose my dysfunction and conditioning on reality, the closer I come to that inherent perfection (wu wei).

The path towards this re-connection is that of integrity and virtue (de). 

The ultimate result is a return to what I already am and always was - immortal (xian).

 

This is great Steve - many thanks.

[DynamicEquilibrium]

 

 

Classical chinese philosophies and medecine

Edited May 13 by DynamicEquilibrium

[thelerner]

I like to think of Dao (the philosophy, not the religion) as the study of nature and it's cycles.  How things ebb and flow using the tools of yin and yang and the 5 elements.  The Dao seems to like things simple and quiet though it has few rules.  When one follows the Dao, one flows with the circumstances of life, accepting and adapting.    

Edited May 16 by thelerner

[Taoist Texts]

oopsie

 

Edited May 14 by Taoist Texts

[NaturaNaturans]

On 12.5.2024 at 7:26 PM, steve said:

 

I can offer you some sense of my insight into the essence of it, fwiw.

Not saying this is what Daoism is but simply what it has come to mean for me over the past 25 years or so.

My relationship with Daoism has been primarily through martial arts, qigong, and Daoist meditation.

While I've studied many of the texts available in the West, I am no scholar and my knowledge is limited.

After about a dozen years of practicing Daoist meditation, my karma brought me to Bön dzogchen practice.

Having practiced in each tradition for over a decade the parallels are unmistakable for me in terms of view, practice, and result.

 

Daoism for me is a description of the way things are, the way I am, and the relationship between the two.

It describes reality more as process and relationship than as a collection of independent things. 

It emphasizes the wholeness of existence and the inherent balance, and imbalance, that comprise the whole, as well as the fundamental essence that serves as the basis. The concepts of wuji, taiji, and wanwu thus describe characteristics of the nature of reality that coexist here and now as opposed to changes that have occurred in reality over time.

 

Daoism suggests to me that abiding reality is inherently perfect, just as it is - ziran.

When I am connected to my own essence I am also perfect, just as I am.

The problems I encounter, and those we experience collectively, are inherent in me/us due to my/our disconnection from the source.

To the extent I can release all of the ways in which I disconnect, ways in which I interfere and impose my dysfunction and conditioning on reality, the closer I come to that inherent perfection (wu wei).

The path towards this re-connection is that of integrity and virtue (de). 

The ultimate result is a return to what I already am and always was - immortal (xian).

Thank you for sharing your experience. It does make some sense for me. To all the others: sorry If anyone has engaged me directly and i have not responded, I have simply been very little active recently