lutanist@EBay.Sun.COM (Dennis Richards Montgomery) (03/15/90)
I'm just beginning in Taoism...many things appeal to me so far... 1) Letting the natural order run it's course 2) Accepting environment rather than controlling it 3) Showing the same face to all (being myself without pretense) 4) Striving for simplicity rather than complication I was taught in traditional Western Catholicism and have reached a point where the concepts are unacceptable for me...I don't doubt a power greater than myself but I choose not to believe in a malicious, punishing one. Taoism appears to offer me an alternative... I'd enjoy seeing further viewpoints of Taoism... Dennis
markm@cs.qmw.ac.uk (Mark Magennis) (03/19/90)
>I'm just beginning in Taoism...many things appeal to me so far... > As Tom Simmonds says (article 12-ish, this bb) Zen is not a philosophy or a religion, it is a way of life. It is a practice based on certain attitudes. Taoism encompasses those attitudes. Without the practice however, the attitudes are useless. It is of course impossible to do anything at all which is not afected by your attitudes, particularly those concerning the nature of reality and of the self and the interrelationships amongst the whole is-ness of it all. It is precisely these concerns which are addressed by Taoist attitudes so just thinking about these things, reading, talking etc. and letting it all sink in is bound to change your own attitudes and thus the way you act in your everyday life. You can do more though. Ultimately you could take up the institutionalised life of a Zen monastery but, more practically (or rather more popularly) you can practice such things as martial arts (notably Aikido, Tai Chi, Iaido or Kendo), Chinese drawing and painting, flower arranging, Zen archery, the Zen tea ceremony etc. (getting a bit esoteric). It would be possible to practice anything in accordance with the Tao and of course ultimately we would like to practice EVERYTHING in accordance with the Tao. Probably best though to start off with something which you can be taught by a respectable master. Read 'Zen In The Art Of Archery' by a German fellow whose name escapes me right now. It's a famous book so it shouldn't be at all difficult to find. I think you'll also find it the best introduction to Zen there is too. Not by explaining things in detailbut by giving the esence, the feel. In fact this is a very Zen way of going about teaching. Also read anything about the spiritual side of martial arts if you are considering taking any up, otherwise you might find you are practicing them as a sport, a physical exercise, for self defense, or worst of all to fuel your ego, that nasty beast which we're all trying to transcend. A very good book on martial arts for beginners is 'Martial Arts - the Spiritual dimension'. Again I don't have the details to hand but I'll post them on later. It's an A4 size book. Or do you have A4 in the States? Erm, foolscap, about 8inch by 12 inch. So, get some practice in with your new found ideas and have a good journey. -- UUCP: markm@qmc-cs.uucp | Computer Science Dept, ARPA: markm%cs.qmc.ac.uk@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk | Queen Mary and JANET: markm@uk.ac.qmw.cs | Westfield College, Voice: +44 1 975 5243 (Direct Dial) | Mile End Road, Fax: +44 1 980 6533 | London E1 4NS