Taoist culture

[Guest jin979]

i am Taoist which means think of others first, this reflects in actions. its respect to others. family culture (group/country). it is deep thing which means respect to us.

Do you understand that what if you disrespect ?

[warpedbored]

Sounds interesting Jin, tell us more. Westerners sometimes have a hard time understanding eastern ideas. Is this a religion or a philosophy? When I was married to my ex who is Japanese I became interested in the ancient Japanese religion of Shintoism. I read everything I could find on it and ended up more confused than I was at the beginning. It's a religion that isn't a religion that is bound up in ancestor and nature worship. I came to the conclusion that you have to be Japanese to understand it.

[Guest jin979]

Sounds interesting Jin, tell us more. Westerners sometimes have a hard time understanding eastern ideas. Is this a religion or a philosophy? When I was married to my ex who is Japanese I became interested in the ancient Japanese religion of Shintoism. I read everything I could find on it and ended up more confused than I was at the beginning. It's a religion that isn't a religion that is bound up in ancestor and nature worship. I came to the conclusion that you have to be Japanese to understand it.

 

we are born human. good.taoist is to think act human. not be selfice. be balanced. have relaxed life, simple. easy. good taoist is to be good not like animal. its in mind and reflects body and actions, bring positive to world and others.

 

i cannont speak for all chinese

[samsong]

I don't know much about Taoism but I know it is a venerable discipline.

The only thing I do know about it is what I read in Hung Lou Meng about the Taoist priest and the Buddhist monk.

 

Thanks for the thought, Jin.

[Don]

I don't know much about Taoism but I know it is a venerable discipline.

The only thing I do know about it is what I read in Hung Lou Meng about the Taoist priest and the Buddhist monk.

 

Thanks for the thought, Jin.

 

 

 

The US has always been a blend of religions and people. There is room for Taoism, Buddhism, Hinduism and the rest of the Asian religions in the US. You will find great ignorance of the Asian religions, and some acceptance pains. Already you can find good communities of each of these thoughts in the US and the numbers for each are growing at rates faster than just because of immigration. Look at book sales, you will find many books on these eastern religions.

[Zhou Zhou]

English translations of the,"Tao Te Ching" (The Way) can be found in all good locally owned book stores. Lao tzu, wrote the 81 verses back in the 6th century and they are good for all to live by today. ZZ

[david_dawei]

Is this a religion or a philosophy?

both and neither. if you understand that, your on a transition from Shintoism to Daoism

 

I prefer and study the philosophical side, which LaoZi was already mentioned as writing the most famous daoist book.

 

Historically, daoist priests were into a range of esoteric ideas which could include alchemy, magic, and immortality... not necessarily in that order For this reason, you tend to see the people who label themselves as "daoist" as also often associated with the martial arts or healing aspects of Qigong.

 

Although, LaoZi documents one of the earlier references to Qigong, he is venerated as one of many 'immortals' in the religious sects. So, he straddles both sides, although some [in the west] don't like allowing him such dual priviledge; as if religion and philosophy do not intermingle. I see nothing wrong with it. It's a tradition I would not try and rewrite.

 

I have always argued daoism is much broader than most anyone gives it credit; and find feng shui, martial arts, traditional chinese medicine and other aspects of early chinese life and culture as coming under it's influence; it was not systematized as a philosophy or a religion till LaoZi appears on the scene in the 5th Century BC (some claim he is mythical and not real--and stories exist of his going east to India to produce what comes back later as Zen).

 

In a nutshell, I say daoism is: naturalism; a catch phrase is, "do no harm". What greater ideal captures, respect for others (and all things).

 

Nature is impartial, thus it is not self seeking as well. It operates according to "self-so"; a self-nature. Nature operates within all the other surrounding elements in such a way as to alway seek harmony and balance. The daoist felt that man, likewise, should follow this 'way'...

[warpedbored]

This is interesting stuff. Thanks for starting the topic Jin. Some of the aspects as David explains it are similar to Shintoism but the overall is very different. I suppose there are similarities in all religions. If my memory serves me well Buddhism was brought to Japan via Korea about 600 AD. I have heard Japanese say Shinto for the present life and Buddhism for the here after.

[tonado]

http://factsanddetails.com/china.php?itemi...amp;subcatid=10

[Guest Pommey]

Tony... thanks for the link

[Guest Tony n Terrific]

Shintoism in Japan was banned by the Allied Command after Japan surrendered in World War 2. Shintoism became a main force of militarism, and made the Emperor a god. It finally came to an abrupt end in August 1945 when Japan lost the war in the Pacific. Based on the Japanese high command they did not practice the morals of any Eastern or Judeo-Christian religon as they murdered millions of innocent Chinese people in World War 2 and millions more in the areas they occupied. The bigoted Japanese have yet to apologize for their atrocities of World War 2. This is a historical fact.

[Guest Pommey]

The first Taoist CFL gathering ?

 

In pursuit of naturalism some Taoists in the old days let their hair grow as long as possible, refused to talk and expressed themselves by whistling. Others took off their clothes and lay on the ground and drank large amounts of wine, in part to thumb their noses at Confucian manners and codes

[warpedbored]

Shintoism in Japan was banned by the Allied Command after Japan surrendered in World War 2. Shintoism became a main force of militarism, and made the Emperor a god. It finally came to an abrupt end in August 1945 when Japan lost the war in the Pacific. Based on the Japanese high command they did not practice the morals of any Eastern or Judeo-Christian religon as they murdered millions of innocent Chinese people in World War 2 and millions more in the areas they occupied. The bigoted Japanese have yet to apologize for their atrocities of World War 2. This is a historical fact.

Shintoism is still alive and well in Japan Tony. It wasn't banned it just ceased to become the state religion. Seperation of church and state. I've been to several Shinto shrines.

 

This thread however is not about Japan's war record. It is about Taoism specifically and Eastern thought and religion as a side drift. WW-2 was 65 years ago. Japan isn't the same country it was then.

[Guest jin979]

Sounds interesting Jin, tell us more. Westerners sometimes have a hard time understanding eastern ideas. Is this a religion or a philosophy? When I was married to my ex who is Japanese I became interested in the ancient Japanese religion of Shintoism. I read everything I could find on it and ended up more confused than I was at the beginning. It's a religion that isn't a religion that is bound up in ancestor and nature worship. I came to the conclusion that you have to be Japanese to understand it.

 

 

i dont really mean it as either but as a insight into how some of us think and behave. the reason is to help you understand us better in how be towards us.

some of you have expressed this before, example when you show through your behaviour that you are thinking/respecting us first. in contrast if we perceive selfish acts then this is hard to understand/accept as its disrespect.

example self before family. not looking after your elders is wrong to us. this would be considered as big disrespect.

 

found the spelling checking

Another example friends. friends in china are much closer, will help you with anything selflessly and once friends it lasts forever. contrast friends in west seem like shallow, will be friend if convenient will even betray friend. again disrespect.

on a simple level you met with friend/family on street first thing you ask is have you eaten. if not you buy them meal. no expectation they pay there share, selflessness.

these are just examples of how Taoist is is a part of living.

Again i don't talk for all Chinese

Edited May 19, 2009 by jin979 (see edit history)

[Zhou Zhou]

The thread was Taoism, does it fit in the US.

 

The Taoists teach patience, peace, compassion, understanding and putting ethics before materialism. Will it fit in the US? Of course like the teachings of Christ it would be accepted by some, but these beliefs (like Christ's) would never fit with the greed, violence, racism, power capitalism of a militaristic nation like ours.