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Taoism

yoda_sodayoda_soda Dagobah Explorer
edited March 2019 in Meditation

Has Taoism informed your Buddhist practice? If so, in what way? Have you practiced Taoist meditation? More generally, how do you think Taoism can be practiced?

Comments

  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator

    I don't even consider it at all. That is not to say that I don't respect it, or enjoy its teachings, but my total focus is on Buddhism.

  • VastmindVastmind Memphis, TN Veteran
    edited March 2019

    Hi there, nice to meet you. What about you? Are you into Taoism? ... Are you currently practicing Buddhism or meditation? Tell me about you first. =)

  • yoda_sodayoda_soda Dagobah Explorer
    edited March 2019

    @Vastmind Nice to meet ya. Yes, I am a Buddhist from the USA. I had my first serious religious experience about two years ago. It involved basically living at a temple, learning from a monk, learning about theory and practice, and lots of other (mostly cultural) things. All of which is to say I've learned how little I know. I could go into more detail. Now that I'm in my "second wave" of religious/spiritual experience, I'm reading widely in my own tradition, other Buddhist traditions, and other traditions entirely. I feel that casting a wide net will enhance my understanding of what I find to be true, or at least give me interesting things to discuss at dhamma gatherings. So I don't have a sense of anxiety about going forth and exploring.

    VastmindFinnTheHuman
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    edited March 2019

    I read something from the Tao Te Ching recently in the morning before I shower or in the evening. Sometimes. I have never heard of the meditation instructions from a Taoist teacher though. I've heard lots of Buddhist teachers instructions but never Taoist.

    Have you heard of taoist instructions in meditation?

    I read the Chuang Tzu years ago before I was Buddhist for school.

  • yoda_sodayoda_soda Dagobah Explorer
    edited March 2019

    @Jeffrey Yes!

  • @yoda_soda said:
    Has Taoism informed your Buddhist practice?

    If mindful everything informs or empowers our practice

    If so, in what way?

    An obvious way is in the Chi-Kung exercises, which I combine with yoga

    Have you practiced Taoist meditation?

    ... in the walking meditation used in both Buddhism and Tai Chi practice

    More generally, how do you think Taoism can be practiced?

    As part of dhyana/Chan/zen
    http://www.taoism.net/articles/what_zen.htm

  • paulysopaulyso usa Veteran

    @yoda_soda said:
    Has Taoism informed your Buddhist practice? If so, in what way? Have you practiced Taoist meditation? More generally, how do you think Taoism can be practiced?

    1 question,yes.in what way? nature teaches.zen,cousin to dao,pause and look,peace and beauty and love.

    2 question,through zen...the art of being whole and balence...learning throug trial and error.it can be called idiot zen, a zen master laughs--which is dao--or gives me a break?ya...or na... dont know....but hoping the zen master laughs at this idiot savant(it's a theory).

    3 question,through chan-zen. inner and outer unity with the all....dharmakaya,source,empty and full...semantics of finger pointing the moon,far out...cool,eh?

    yoda_soda
  • yoda_sodayoda_soda Dagobah Explorer

    @paulyso Cool.

    paulyso
  • DavidDavid A human residing in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Ancestral territory of the Erie, Haudenosaunee, Huron-Wendat, Mississauga and Neutral First Nations Veteran

    @yoda_soda said:
    Has Taoism informed your Buddhist practice? If so, in what way?

    Yes. I found the concept of Yinyang and Dependent Origination or Interbeing different ways of explaining the same truth.

    They both reconcile the seeming paradox we face with the illusion of seperation and show that ultimately there can be no true opposition.

    Have you practiced Taoist meditation? More generally, how do you think Taoism can be practiced?

    Oddly enough, the styles of meditation found in Taoism are pretty much the same as we find promoted in Buddhism. Mindfulness of breath and visualisation exercises are virtually identical. In Taoism there is also a kind of stance meditation done by standing straight or in a horse stance and there are also forms like Tai Chi.

    Lau Tsu said "I have just three things to teach, simplicity, patience and compassion. These are your greatest treasures."

    yoda_sodaShoshin
  • yoda_sodayoda_soda Dagobah Explorer

    @David Nice, how do you understand interbeing?

  • ShoshinShoshin No one in particular Nowhere Special Veteran

    @yoda_soda said:
    Has Taoism informed your Buddhist practice?

    Yes

    If so, in what way?

    The Way (Wu Wei )

    Have you practiced Taoist meditation?

    Sort of...

    More generally, how do you think Taoism can be practiced?

    Wu Wei .... ( which I guess Shikantaza is part of )

    lobster
  • DavidDavid A human residing in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Ancestral territory of the Erie, Haudenosaunee, Huron-Wendat, Mississauga and Neutral First Nations Veteran
    edited March 2019

    @yoda_soda said:
    @David Nice, how do you understand interbeing?

    It's a term coined by Thich Nhat Hanh which is meant to incorporate impermanence, dependent origination and the non-self or emptiness teachings. No thing exists without everything else and so all are aspects of the same ever changing process.

    Kundo
  • yoda_sodayoda_soda Dagobah Explorer

    @David Nice.

  • KundoKundo Sydney, Australia Veteran

    Interbeing (the concept and understanding it) has changed my outlook on almost everything. TNH is an awesome teacher.
    _ /\ _

    David
  • yoda_sodayoda_soda Dagobah Explorer

    @Kundo It is a helpful concept, isn't it?

    Kundo
  • KundoKundo Sydney, Australia Veteran

    @yoda_soda said:
    @Kundo It is a helpful concept, isn't it?

    I'd say illuminating is more apt for me

  • JeroenJeroen Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter Netherlands Veteran

    @yoda_soda said:
    Has Taoism informed your Buddhist practice? If so, in what way? Have you practiced Taoist meditation? More generally, how do you think Taoism can be practiced?

    I’ve found Taoism to be very peaceful, and in that way it quite connects with Buddhism. It has a better conception of male and female principles I think, but Taoism is more obscure. Buddhism is a very accessible path, though it requires some effort, whereas Taoism is often seen as a wisdom tradition but not so much a path of practice.

    I’ve never gone very deeply into Taoism, i’ve read the Tao Te Ching and the works of Chuang Tzu and have felt a certain resonance with them, but that’s as far as I’ve gone.

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