Don't miss the show

I often find it quite amazing that I can touch a solid object. What is this and that that can not go through each other? What makes that possible? This resistance, the way the object resonates and gives out a sound, what gives it this life? Who am I to be looking upon this incredible show?

I'm neither the created nor the creator. I do not experience it nor do I produce it. Tao is before this split occurs.

Behind what is deemed to be important, the latest thing to catch the senses or mind, is this persistent, deeply magical source. Inside each moment, be it spent on the seemingly frivolous or the act which seems of great importance, is the real show.

The world of mind and senses is not discounted as unreal, it is as much real as not. It is seen instead as an extension, another way to view the show, tied to only the mind view though people miss the magic and can claim life to be dull or saddening, unfulfilling perhaps.

To miss the magical side of the show and follow nothing but the mind and senses is average.

To live a simple life and realize this is perpetual bliss.

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Tao Wow | Daily Cup of Tao

Enough pressure and it bursts, this is good.

I really really liked a very clever metaphor at the end of Scott Bradley's book "The Simple Way, the life and teachings of Zhouzi".

The book was approaching its end and after many good simple and funny pointers to the simple life, things got a little more complicated. Troops came to break up the commune as there was suspicion and misunderstanding about the place, was it Buddhist, Taoist, just what was it all about?

By demonstration but only said in the following verse Zhouzi entered the hall and blew the seeds off a dandelion. Everyone cheered at his act but did they really know what it meant?

The next day he announced that the commune was to be disbanded and we saw how clever the dandelion metaphor was. In all of this time the teachings had been learned by all the little seedlings and now was the time they should all spread over the land to take root.

It hit me as to the Yin and Yang in life - We cry at how Tibet is destroyed by the Chinese but a wise man says, 'Maybe'. And then we see how the seeds of this powerful culture are given much more power to germinate as the disbanded leader becomes a world best seller in books, the people and monks take their wisdom to other lands and the teachings of the land are now very famous and sought after.

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Tao Wow | Daily Cup of Tao

Been Enlightened Got the T-Shirt

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Tao Wow | Daily Cup of Tao

My new religion (2)

Here is the rapidly edited wiki entry for my new religion:

Religions Name: Infinity. (trading as the infinite warriors of nee nee nee waaaahooobaa) But best to call it by its real name not the trading name which is reserved primarily as a way to prevent people cashing refunds if they claim their enrollment fees back through court.

Prime Objectives: To be infinite and recognize that all things are just an expression of infinity. To not be surprised by anything as, well, infinity, you know, it contains infinite possibilities. Emotions and all dualities are respected as natural and flowing parts of infinity, be happy, cry when shit happens, but never forget, all things pass. Infinity has no norm.

Religious days: All days are deemed sacred and you must not work on any of them (unless infinity demands it, say you accidentally walk into an office, pull up a chair and begin typing memos to the Director). Your employer, sort of ex-employer now, must respect your religion and so pay you for the rest of your life on all religious days.

Religious Ceremonies: All actions are the infinite so all are ceremonial in nature and your every act must be respected by everyone. Due to infinity you may also get laughed at or ridiculed but this too is ceremonial and all in respect of the great one, infinity.

Religions acts: You are to remain in a hammock at all times unless infinity says otherwise, say it breaks or you need the loo or just have to get up and go buy chocolate as you're bored.

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Tao Wow | Daily Cup of Tao

And now for my new religion

As all religion is made up then I'm quite within my rights to make up my own.

As many religions have special days of the year that are upheld by law to be respected and for followers to be given days off work and other concessions then mine will also benefit from that.

It is a little odd that on religious days (where people are expected to take days off in respect of a God) that the religious leaders work that day.

It is odd indeed that one or a few days can be deemed sacred as that degrades all other days.

My religion has a few rules.

1) All days are sacred so all followers are deemed paid holiday by their employer for life.

2) Anyone asking questions about this faith will be seen as a non-follower and banished.

3) No more rules are required but those choosing to spend most of their time in hammocks will probably go to heaven and will be seen in a good light by God.

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Tao Wow | Daily Cup of Tao

Origin of God and Devil

The oldest written origin of God and Devil is in relation to Good and Evil incarnations of man. Not any other worldly beings. Only in folk lore have they become extraterrestrial.

Then the origins of Good and Evil are the mind itself which then confuses itself over attempting to solve a problem it invented.

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Tao Wow | Daily Cup of Tao

We are one world

We are one world!!

United by our almost unanimous inability to see that fact :D

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Tao Wow | Daily Cup of Tao

The Secret - Book - Is crap

I knew this on first smell and I have written about it before but for some reason I felt like I've not got my reasoning perfectly tight and so must revisit.

In the book The Secret they say how ancient wisdom tells us of a great secret that only successful people have lived by and the rest of us must get wise to if we are to get anywhere.

Smells fishy already but genius in marketing skills, hats off.

The secret is....... To visualize the future you want, emotionally, financially, in love affairs, and naturally life and your decisions will guide your future into line with these visions.

The book, but especially the movie version, of The Secret spends far too much time then pointing people towards materialistic visions which are naturally completely unfulfillable for all 7billion of us to all realize. They then call us to examples of people who've used this secret to attain comfortable materialist living conditions.

The idea that a bad outlook leads to bad seeing and bad being and that a positive outlook leads you to better choices has a logic, but that this can extend to "Drawing, from the inner cosmos, material things to make you happy" are smelly indeed.

The reason the book and the theory totally fail is that they point humans towards their greatest source of pain and massage their greatest flaw - desire.

The Secret tells people to live on hope and desire and dreams of the future. Desire is though the gateway and the path of despair.

The real secret is: There is no secret.

The addition to that is that: There is no future and Now Is It.

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Tao Wow | Daily Cup of Tao

India is ALIVE

It is fascinating to see India living to a poetry laid down by ancestors high on intoxicants who made a creation story that so permeated all aspects of life that everyone knows what to do, life is a celebration, and all the necessary work gets done by this dance.

Most are aware that this is only a story which beyond and above, once your duties are done, it is then your goal to find liberation through wisdom before death.

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Tao Wow | Daily Cup of Tao

Waterfall Awake Nature Pt47

Why seek happiness,
When the quest only defines sadness?
Breathe deeply thrice,
And realise this moment suffice.

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Tao Wow | Daily Cup of Tao

Buddha boy to emerge this year

Preface: I have have absolute respect and a great interest in anyone who can meditate so deeply and who's messages to date are of peace. But this is a critical piece.

Later this year if all goes to his rough plan and the desires of his followers are fulfilled the Buddha Boy (who doesn't like being called that) will emerge after years of meditation to teach his message. He is of the school of the Grand Vehicle - enlightenment for all.

I am of the school of the small vehicle, the enlightenment of the the individual to the recognition of their being no individual.

People will see the Buddha boy in one of 3 broad ways.

1) as a wonder and inspiration
2) as a modern day hoax or hark back to foolish times
3) as a conspiracy by the New World Order

and I have a 4th view.

First view 3) That the buddha boy is an MKULTRA victim being used by a New World Order attempt at unifying the world by a modern day messiah.

View 2) Obviously many people are skeptical of such tales of people going days without food and the benefit of long meditation. It has however been documented, on camera, that the boy went at least 4 days with no sustenance and not moving more than a shuffle from his mediation pose. He has by any standard an incredible ability for single pointed meditation.

View 1) Following on from the points raised above, there is a serious credibility to much of the story that does, in anyone, rouse curiosity and this expands unfortunately to such fairy tales as him not eating ever, surviving self combustion and so on which are poor hoaxes made not by him but by natural hangers on and profiteers.

View 4) is mine that he is a genuine caring wonderful person with a gift but while most welcome in my world is taking the dangerous path of one rule for all.

The Grand Vehicle is the path of Tibetan Buddhism and many other schools that is looking, very compassionately indeed, for enlightenment for all sentient beings, even Gods.

Buddhas sit above Gods even advising them how their desire that gives rise to universes is the cause of suffering, they want instead to enlighten all, even Gods. Certainly they wish for the enlightenment of all humans and all beings.

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Imagine though if one person says to the world - "You must all now live in peace with respect for all life". This is a wondrous saying and sentiment but - it is the rule of one over the many - which is an absolutely dangerous idea whenever and however and whoever says it.

There will always be this endless intertwining of all things, as we are infinite.

It is your own path that leads to realization - don't follow without first investigating.

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Tao Wow | Daily Cup of Tao

Brilliant

I leave it to you to Google this yourself

"The Story of India"

find either YouTube or better still the torrent of the whole series. It is a great documentary by the BBC on India and our own history, every single one of us, dating back to times 10-15,000 years ago, with wheeled vehicles, horses, complex written language and, surprise surprise, people taking a concoction of Opium, Cannabis and Ephedrine to induce spiritual dimensions.

From this came the writing, the oldest known historical text, the Rig Veda a text that had been passed on orally previous to the writing and one that combines the spiritual past of man and the historical bricks-and-mortar past too.

An amazing history that was kept alive and lives on in India today! over 10,000 years later!

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Tao Wow | Daily Cup of Tao

The non-fix

I've said this so many times and even heard that it is not so original at all, recently on a new recording (to me at least) I've head Alan Watts quoting someone saying similar in 1945.

The idea is, and I just restated it yet again over on The Rambling Taoist in a comment;

"It is those who attempt to shape the world who make such a mess of it. My choice then is to not attempt to fix the world, lead by example in doing this, and just wait for nature to correct the balance (as she does so well). Interference no matter how well intended always, no exception to date, messes things up more."

I prefaced the statement with a question "Is the following an excuse or wisdom indeed?" and after posting I went through a routine in my head.

A) States the above " "

B) "The fact you began with a question means that you are unsure of yourself and my answer would be; yes, it is an excuse, and further that your method of not-fixing is a method in itself so also fails by its own definition."

A) "Ha, well done, but my non-fixing is wu wei and right along side Tao, I do not do I just allow her flow, and trust the solution will come."

B) "The fixer is also going with the flow and maybe it seems cross grain to you but this is the very fix Tao has in mind."

A) "Indeed we can say of the Amazon that the destruction is a great thing as all that needs to be reborn must first die, all that is to grow a new must first be destroyed. I am however talking of the path of nature. While man prevents one forest fire, thus saving that which should never have been saved, he also destroys another patch of land for financial gain and this land should not have been destroyed. In either way it is the great way of nature to redress balance and grow back. This, natures way, is the Tao I will not stand in the way of. The fix for me is to let her be the clock for what perishes and when regrowth shall come and let man find wonder in that so he does not need to seek wonder in destruction. Destruction that is an outward expression of inner disharmony."

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Tao Wow | Daily Cup of Tao

Everyone does something and this is the world

It seems to me that everyone does something and it may well be that the daily routines of a materialistic day-to-day person are not different to those of a sage or nun who follow routines to keep them focused on what they believe to be real over what they believe to be not.

I accept all of these ways as being the way in motion but I am inclined to think that those who live more simplistic lives are less troubled by the world and so live in a more sustained and comfortable manner.

This is what these people MAY do on a daily basis.

"Enlightened" (not that we really know)

Sit in silence, smiling or content. May answer questions when asked.
Eat minimally. No intoxicants. Likely to have a base they rarely stray from. Pleasure is from being itself and having no distinctions to trouble the mind.

Set routines may involve a rarely changing pattern of sitting in contentment. Likely to have people bring offerings of food and so on.

Sage

Happy free, learned. May live mainly alone, may have followers and visitors they answer questions of or guide. May often wander may have a base.
Will eat light or in some cases eat heartily if circumstances say so. May use intoxicants. Likely to eat from nature and gifts.

Set routines could be strict, such as waking, eating, meditations, praising, mixed with seemingly random fits that follow nature.

Saint

Eats light to normally, no intoxicants. Gives and gives. Always looking to help others. Lives frugally, moves frequently, rarely a fixed base. Sole aim to help others.

Set routines likely to involve prayer, reading of scripture, giving respect to images and or places in nature.

Mystic

Likely to live alone and only mix with similar folk. May interact with day-to-day people to give medicine, healing advice or so on. Eats light, from nature and some gifts. Likely to use intoxicants to enter states and explore realms not normally seen. Likely to wander and have a number of places to stay which are likely nature based.

Routines could well involve intoxications, nature based events such as events defined by star positions, seasons. May follow pilgrimages to set places at set times.

Master

Likely has a base, may wander. Strict diet. Likely to want to give out teaching and likely direct in methods. Probably reads, may write or use art such as painting, carving or gardening to display creativity and to occupy time.

Routines likely strict such as waking, meditation, worshiping of past masters, teaching times, eating times.

Monk/Nun

Strict diet, perhaps strictly enforced exercise, culturally related say tai-chi, yoga, martial art..

Usually a very strict routine of devotion. Much time spent following set patterns of wake, prayer/meditation, eating, and routines defined by the master.

Religious

Religion a key part of life and time spent but also involves family. Time spent in contemplation. Not so strict diet but some restrictions. May restrict intoxicants or use a select few. Likely to pray quite often, likely to seek and take advice of leaders and attempt to adjust inner cravings into line with defined betterment.

Routines will involve daily routines of work and family mixed with weekly and yearly cycles of key events.

Half/Half

Lives a normal life of work, family friends. Has a calling or tradition to uphold but this is not the key drive in life. Eats freely and intoxicates as defined by the law of the land.

Routines are to wake, work, eat, shop, seek release, seek entertainment, seek self gratification by betterment over people in similar places to them and seek to change their life on a scale as defined by material ownership, external looks and money.

Not really

As above but spirituality is likely to be rarely fulfilled bar for occasional interest in self improvement books and systems pointing to increasing material gain by spiritual half-truths. Most pleasure taken from material goods and intoxicants.

Not at all

Completely involved in daily routines of work, family, entertainment, material goods. Distaste or no interest in a spiritual outlook finds the material world enough of a distraction and only growth seen is in material ownership, status gains and dull intoxicated highs.

No path

Wanders out of society with no spiritual calling. Eats by availability, intoxicates by necessity, also by availability and solely as escape. A wanderer with no path. Generally a life of suffering.

Routines involve set patterns of wandering, scrounging.

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Tao Wow | Daily Cup of Tao

Waterfall Awake Nature Pt46

Live first at peace with yourself. Discover your spirit, then your true nature, work from the inside out; arrive at your new ego last with a new realisation of oneness and compassion for all life. The new you and new others will come together to form new influence over anyone you interact with. By understanding your own true nature first, you discover the nature of all and you will carry this with you in every act until with a world of newly awake people we will have evolved into a heavenly reality and not the hell most people claim to see on earth now.

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Tao Wow | Daily Cup of Tao

A tidbit

America spends more on prisons than schools and a majority behind bars are there for drug crimes.

What that means is that society has chosen and embraced tobacco and alcohol as intoxicants and anyone choosing another intoxicant (although many of them are not intoxicating but spiritual in nature) are worthy criminals worth more than educating the youth.

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Tao Wow | Daily Cup of Tao

Shaman Documentory

On the subject of documentaries I'm revisiting one I had watched before, it is also (along with the one recommended down the page) very good.

Shamans of the Amazon

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Tao Wow | Daily Cup of Tao

Best Documentary I've seen in a long time

Holy Men and Fools by Michael Yorke

Here is Dr Michael York discussing the movie after a screening.

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Tao Wow | Daily Cup of Tao