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Posted by Steve on 3/25/2008, 9:21 am, in reply to "No Apology Needed Among Friends"
69.140.59.X
: Steve,
:
: Having red hair is not a choice. Unless of
: course one dies it. But my point is sound.
: Nature gives us most of what we think of as
: ourselves, including the color of our hair,
: and so on.
:
: But, there are other things that are
: choices. You can choose not to be a slob if
: you are ashamed of being one. It is simply a
: matter of cultivation. One different choice
: at a time until such new choices become
: habitual. I believe freewill in such matters
: is something existence has given us.
: Accepting responsibility for one's life is
: what Taoism is all about imo.
:
: In the ancient Chinese text "Nei
: Yeh" personal responsibility through
: inner cultivation is central. The
: cultivation of Qi is fundamental to Taoism.
: The management of the Heart/Mind is
: essential for the Taoist adept. Excessive
: cogitation or emotion are imprudent. Balance
: is fundamental. Such things require
: practice. Such practice can be as simple as
: sitting down comfortably and following one's
: breath, the swing of one's breath as it
: swings in and out. From there one becomes
: more and more attuned to the natural rhythms
: of not only one's local nexus but of the
: entire field of being. The more we come into
: accord with our own inner nature the more we
: come into accord with Nature herself. Our
: nature and Nature are a unitive one.
:
: Most of us are not firing on all cylinders.
: Inner cultivation is about getting all of
: our cylinders to fire, and in their proper
: sequence. When this happens we enter a new
: gestalt, a new way of seeing reality. A
: synergetic reality greater than the sum of
: its/our parts. A whole that is a quantum
: leap in understanding from the linear life
: of our external conditioning. Within each of
: us lies dormant a godlike being. It is up to
: us whether or not such a being is ever fully
: realized. No one can do it for us. The
: journey of a thousand miles starts with the
: first step.
:
: As long as we breathe it is never too late
: to follow our breath. The journey is the
: destination. Practice is enlightenment.
:
: Butch
---------------------
It's no use, Butch. I'm incorrigible.
In the Laozi, which some suggest is the source from which all subsequent -isms flowed, there is scant reference to cultivation. The Old Boy just wasn't as obsessed with it as you are, Butch.
"You can choose not to be a slob if you are ashamed of being one."
'Shame' is one of the lasting legacies of western religiosity. Its crowning glory, perhaps. You're welcomed to the concept if you find it useful, Butch.
"Excessive cogitation or emotion are imprudent. Balance is fundamental. Such things require practice."
I think Laozi, were he online with us today, would gouge out his eyes at that thought.
Being perfectly human requires no practice. None whatsoever. We all know what to do.
Wasn't it your guy who preached the 'do unto others' thing? He was right, of course. So simple, we just can't believe it might be true.
Saving the best for last...
"Practice is enlightenment."
***
Oh, woe is me...
...woe is me.
Steve
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"The Tao is basically utterly open. Utter openeness has no substance. It ends in endlessness, begins in beginninglessnes".
-Li Daoqun
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