From the great Tao flows everything, but everything also has its own Tao, its own way. The Tao of the human body, and its possibility of extraordinary discipline, is wonderfully evident in the martial arts and Tai Chi, both inspired by Taoist ideology and practice. But the same principles are equally demonstrated in team sports. Read more . . . Taoism, as a set of tools for living your life, can help you cope with relationships, problems at work and the strains of family life. The extremes of life, however, visit us all from time to time. How well does Taoism stand up under such circumstances? Read more . . . An interview with Tea House member AliciaG about her experiences as a newcomer to Taoism and the applications she has discovered for it in her busy life as a wife, mother and professional. Read More . . . It is often said that in Taoism we are urged, if we are urged toward anything, to not make distinctions between one thing and another. On that path, it seems, lies delusion, suffering and (it is rumoured) dragons. Read More . . . I have heard it argued, more than once, that a Taoist should never make moral judgments. It is said, by some, that it is not our place to decide what is right and what is wrong. Read More . . . The I Ching can look very intimidating at first. It's a big book with lots of strange-looking symbols and cryptic messages. But it really is not so difficult to use or to understand. Read more . . . Lao Tzu's Sacred Message by Antoine Read. What is enlightenment; and how attainable is it for Taoists? Read more . . . I lost my grandfather a few years ago. I flew to Italy where he had lived with my grandmother who had died a decade before, and found it very sad to walk into his flat, which I knew so well . . . read more. In cultivating the Tao, we are all for planting a good seed, getting a good foundation, so that we can allow spiritual growth to take place, and bear some pretty amazing fruit . . . read more. A popular spirituality in the West says we are all essentially the same. Anyone who sees the differences between two people is accused of buying into the illusion of separation and therefore creating unnecessary suffering in the world . . . read more. Taoist Meditation, by Steve Grey. Meditation lies at the foundation of all spiritual paths and it is the basic ingredient in Taoist practices as well . . . read more. In Taoism, there is much emphasis placed on stillness. I believe this is a mistake. True, stillness is an important state; but it is not an end in itself: it is a beginning . . . read more. Newcomers to Taoism — and even a lot of old hands — often want to know what it says about something specific: marriage, promotion at work, dealing with difficult people. There are a number of Taoist principles that fit universally, regardless of the situation, with moderation, compassion and non-contention being just some of them . . . read more. Artists, poets and philosophers throughout the centuries have striven, through words and brushstrokes, to describe that which words and brushstrokes simply cannot capture . . . read more. Recently, I had the pleasure of visiting the I-Kuan Tao temple in El Monte, California, and meeting my old friend, Derek Lin, for the very first time . . . read more. Taoism is full of subtleties. There are many fine lines that are easy to unwittingly cross. One such example is the difference between harnessing nature on the one hand, and seeking to dominate it on the other . . . read more. When people read the ancient Chinese classic, the I Ching, they are not always aware that what they hold in their hands is a collection of texts from different periods and unknown authors . . . read more. Taoism, as a set of arts and practices, offers tools for the refinement of all aspects of our experience. Reading and writing is no different . . . read more. We are often told by others to live in the present. I am sure it is a piece of advice we have often handed out, too. But what does it actually mean? read more. Tao Fa Ziran is commonly understood to mean Tao Follows Itself. But Derek Lin, translator of the Tao Te Ching: Annotated and Explained, says in his blog that this is not quite so . . . read more. "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players." Or so says William Shakespeare in As You Like It. And let's face it, he'd know. This is perhaps one of the most famous examples of a metaphor . . . read more. A key concept within Taoism is that if you reduce something that is complex to its component parts, you will then be able to understand it. The I Ching uses the analogy of a tree whose development is traced back to its seed . . . read more. The Tao of Star Wars, by Steve Grey The Star Wars series is a classical warrior story, but it's not generic. The movies were specifically modelled on Taoism with special emphasis on Taoist Chi Kung training and philosophy . . . read more. Quite correctly, it is said that the Great Tao cannot be captured in words. It is something to be experienced, not explained. But within Tao, as Lao-tzu tells us, there is substance and there are images . . . read more. Many aspects of Taoist arts and practices do not fit well into the modern world. Take divination as an example, and, particularly, its role in seeing us fulfil our potential as co-creators of reality . . . read more. “Words, words, words,” is often the lament of Taoists in the West who, when coming across a discussion of some aspect of Tao, shake their heads and tell us that the sages knew better . . . read more. What is wu-wei? Wu-wei means, literally, without action. This is difficult for many beginners to understand, especially those in what is increasingly loosely called the West; but, in fact, it is not such an alien concept . . . read more. The most commonly held belief regarding the origin of Taoism holds that Lao Tzu, the author of the Tao Te Ching - the Taoist canon's most well-known work - is its founding father. However, even Lao Tzu in the Tao Te Ching spoke of the "Tao masters of antiquity." To whom was he referring? Read more. |