Taoism, a mor advanced way of life.

Gazrok
Actually I saw that as a compliment. Fortune cookies are always either little bundles of wisdom or corny jokes wrapped in sugar crust. I sort of aspire to that. I didn't take your statement wrong at all, but thanks anyway for the clarification. What's not your bag? The philosophy or the discipline? The language is hard, but well worth the time. I'm curious as to what your reasons are, because that's a question I've never asked of anyone before. I guess I never thought to. What is it about the Tao that didn't appeal?

Indigo
You're right in that there is something paradoxical about the tale, and the Tao, but that's certainly not the point of the story, nor is it the sole foundation of the Tao. The point of the story deals with man's relationship with the energy of the world - The correlation between actions and results.

It also deals with the impossible becoming possible, and nothing becoming something. The message contained within is ancient, and powerful enough to be universal throughout all the oldest religions and myths. When unlocked by man it will transform him into the gods that once tutored us.

We were blessed in a way, with the potential to literally transform the physical universe with thought and belief. We were also cursed, in a way, with the mind of a beast that yearns for earthly pleasures and intoxications. The key to spiritual growth and increased understanding in my experience, is a liberal mix of both for sheer volume of learning.

I'm not going to be able to provide the answers you need, because I'm not qualified or approved to teach them. People of this calibre are fading too fast, and there are few to replace them. Some are national treasures in Japan, others live in seclusion in the wilderness. Some are found by word of mouth and consulted by the people, like the ancient Desert Fathers. Many sought refuge in Tibet and the mountainous regions of central China. They are grouchy at best, and downright dangerous at worst. Others were taught long ago and moved on, forming nomad groups that stretched deep into Siberia. Their descendants still survive, and new hermits arrive daily. Many of them are insane, most are distrustful of outsiders, and all are generally much more concerned with thinking than with talking.

There are many other cults/religions/faiths that teach the same principles in different language, but all of the others are, to my knowledge, contructed to control with knowledge. The Tao was never about control, and that's why it hasn't flourished in the same way as the others. The answers are of course out there, but if you think doing a four hour google search is difficult, try slogging through the snow for a few days to a cave in the Himalayas, only to be told the guy living inside doesn't want to talk to you because you smell like beef. .

I don't think there is any good framework in place for placing masters with students, it's generally a relationship that occurs naturally and without effort on the part of either. Be warned though, you're only going to get more riddles and more questions, and a whole lot of excercise for the body as well. Qigong is a little like Tai Chi meets DragonBall Z, it can be quite spectacular if practiced dutifully and understood properly. I hope your continued interest in the past serves you well in the future.

I enjoyed the information you provided, is that your hobby or your profession?

Originally posted by WyrdeOne
[...]
I'll tell you the story of Lu Dongbin, i

[...]

His master deigned to answer him, because he felt his pupil had realized his weakness, and was ready for the greatest wisdom. The answer to that most important question was this, "He should realize emptiness, that is the only wisdom that goes beyond both skill and knowledge."

The master knew, and Lu Dongbin understood then, nothing is the source of everything. Everything is contained in nothing, so that nothing is always pregnant with something.

That is one of the fundamental connections between Quantum Mechanics and Taoism, but much of what is taught remains hidden in verse and parable, inscrutable to all but dedicated monks and scholars.

This has concurrency with the principles in the Heart Sutra: 'Form is emptiness, and emptiness is form'.

I guess that there is a certain inevitability in that, as the later text could well be influenced by the earlier.

I don't know what exactly the relationship is between the older practices, but I know there has been a huge amount of cross polinization and idea sharing between hindu, budhist, taoist, shinto, and other assorted eastern monastic religions/creeds. Oftentimes friends and students of one master ended up eventually under the tutelage of another, and these students combined the teachings of both masters into a sort of hybrid. There is also evidence that the main eastern religions share a common ancestry in one of the mysteries.

I think the flexibility of asian belief systems is their chief accomplishment. The fact that the teachings are somewhat hard to decipher by common men makes the necessity of their re-re-translation obvious. If a student is not understanding, it is sometimes the master's fault. Changing the way you teach will often have miraculous effects, any high school or college professor can tell you that. Biblical parable is retold and retold again, all with the intention of imparting a story or meaning to the readers. Eastern religions work the same way, they attempt to teach through many examples the virtues and pitfalls of mankind.

In a way, the masters talk to us as parents talk to their children. They use examples, familiar themes and plots infused with the original message. There is some of every religion in every other, it's inevitable when the human mind controls the parameters and writes the dogma. Mix and match religion is not a new fad, it's been going on for millenia; a bit of this, a bit of that, a touch of this, some of that, voila, your very own theocratic personality matrix.