Steven

@singing ocean
I agree totally. Why not also consider these other texts
on internal alchemy? My feelings on this are reflected
below in my response to bagua.

@bagua

While I agree that identification and realization of the
true self is the most important task a person can achieve,
and moreover while I agree that the Tao Te Ching is…[Read more]

>>I remember once I tried to explain MichaelW’s work in retreat, I think on Huashan, >>There’s really no way to explain that, no, he didn’t do it as some kind of penance, no, he’s not disgusted by the ways of the world, no, he didn’t need time alone. It’s hard to explain, there’s actually something *in* the cave that’s genuinely interesting and…[Read more]

I quite enjoyed that video actually.
Huston Smith is very insightful.

BTW, did you catch the bit near the end of the video
about Christians believing in reincarnation for the
first few hundred years until deemed a “heresy”? This is
ironic considering the post I made below!

It’s funny how the deeply religious–like the…[Read more]

>>I mentioned once I’d like a peek in the vatican library one day, by one means or another…

We would all expect a full report, of course 🙂

Steven

. . . from this discussion is whether
or not Taoist internal alchemy and some of the advanced
beliefs of attainment of spiritual immortality/energy body/oversoul
etc. is “external” to the Tao Te Ching.

While I personally believe that the practices/beliefs of
Healing Tao are, in fact, consistent and hinted at in the Tao Te Ching,
let’s…[Read more]

I once had the fortune to speak at length
with a woman who had once been a Carmelite
nun in a monastery that left shortly before
taking final vows of commitment.

Among many interesting things that were related
to me, I was informed that the version of
Christianity practiced behind closed doors
by the members of the upper echelon is…[Read more]

I went to the website and played their trial version
of the game. It was fairly addictive and fun.

I had to smile when one of the game choices is “grow your chi” 🙂

Steve

I agree with pretty much everything stated here, and I think
Rawn Clark’s concept is a fairly accurate picture.

Ultimately the goal is one and the same.

The only real difference lies in the actual method of how
to achieve it, and how one should approach life to that end.

The only difference I see in the Buddhist approach versus
the…[Read more]

I responded to your first response before seeing this one, so
just a quick comment before I respond to this in full:

“I fully understand the taoist idea of unity as ‘continuous becoming’; what I’m saying is this does not in the least contradict the ideas of Bagua or of Buddhists that ‘it is already there you just have to realize it’. ”

If…[Read more]

The problem with the argument is that you have not
provided a precise definition of the word “unity”

According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, the
first definition of unity listed there is:
“the quality or state of not being multiple : oneness”

Thus my statement: >>Unity implies everything is the same.<< is valid.

J: No it…[Read more]

This is an interesting question that I think
Michael would do a good job of answering.

Nonetheless, I’ll take a stab!

I would say that Taoists don’t really believe
in a “final completion of unity” in the strictest
sense of the phrase.

Unity implies everything is the same.
Final completion sort of implies no further change…[Read more]

Why do you say that you will never do any Taoist practice?

Is it because:

1. You already have an arsenal of techniques that work well, and you
don’t feel the need to add others.

OR

2. You have tried some of the practices in the past and they didn’t
work for you.

OR

3. There is something about the nature of the practices…[Read more]

There is no such thing as total control.

Total control implies a rigid unchanging structure.
However, the only thing unchanging is change, i.e.
the Tao path as directed by the life force.

Furthermore, according to Tao principles, the easiest
way to destroy a quality, is to take it to its extreme.
In the extreme, the opposite must be…[Read more]

Again, posting tally has no reflection on “how Taoist you are”,
just measures how active of a poster you are . . .

But if it makes you feel better, go for it 🙂

At least you picked something really clever!

Smiles to you,
Steven

Dude, relax.

As for #1, Michael doesn’t post on here *that* often, so what difference does it make? It’s only a measure of how active a person is.

As for #2, again–what difference does it make? As long as a poster is ultimately
helping to create foster an environment where spiritual thought is enhanced, that’s
all that matters. Also,…[Read more]

It’s billed as a “haunted house” movie, but that’s not
what it is at all.

Adorably cute actress Kate Hudson takes on a job as a hospice-type
nurse for an old couple that live in an old mansion buried away
in the remote Louisiana bayou. As she begins to explore the
house–in the form of sealed off type rooms–she uncovers that
a “long…[Read more]

Control is about rigidly forcing things into a fixed structure to prevent
unplanned change.

Life is about allowing things to unfold naturally in a flowing manner and
following changes as they occur.

Thus control=anti-life

Those that try to control things are individuals resisting life due
to a fear of living in the present moment.

S