I'm trying to gather a comprehensive list of actions that deplete Chi / Qi.

Breath work and meditation are both good ways to increase Qi. However, we want to conserve our hard earned Qi and limit the actions that 'spend' it. What actions are you aware of that do this?

For example: how about constant thinking / overthinking / day dreaming? frequent orgasming? processed and junk food? -- Do they go in the list?

Note: I'm posting this to various subreddits, to collect a comprehensive list of these actions and will update all posts with the list for the benefit of all.

Hello everyone.

I'm reading Ziporyn's Zhuangzi: The Complete Writings. I already finished the Inner Chapters and started the Outer ones, and the quality has steeply declined. Are there any of these non-chanonical chapters that are worth reading or will I make a better use of my time by completely skipping them?

Thanks in advance :)

I looked through every sub I'm apart of and my intuition told me this would be the best place to ask this question. I am struggling to find surrender with life. I fear that if I surrender fully I will melt away and "do nothing with my life." I'm torn between the notions of living an epic adventure, and accepting what is. I feel as though if I accept and surrender I will do nothing and regret it when I look back at the wasted opportunity to "do something," as though the only way exciting things happen is if I consciously try really hard to make them happen. Certainly sitting on your sofa doesn't lead to very exciting stories - which is something I want.

Another obstacle is a certain fear of spiritual truths, that perhaps the truth is unpleasant. I've dabbled with psychedelics and encountered deep solipsistic perspectives as though they were real, which no doubt left me quite scarred. There is some apprehension to "take the red pill," if the truth is really horrendous.

No expectation for anyone here to solve this for me, but any guidance appreciated. How would you balance the desire of unity with the desire for action, adventure, and more "egoic" things? How does one face the truth of reality with no assurances that it is a pleasant thing?

Greetings, fellow seekers,

I come to you with a humble heart, seeking guidance and wisdom on my journey toward embracing the Tao.

Lately, I've been feeling a deep yearning to connect more deeply with the natural flow of life, to let go of unnecessary attachments, and to cultivate greater harmony within myself and with the world around me.

However, I find myself struggling to fully grasp the teachings of the Tao Te Ching and to apply them to my daily life. It's as if I'm trying too hard to understand, and in doing so, I'm missing the essence of the teachings.

How do you approach the practice of Taoism in your own life? How do you navigate the balance between action and non-action, between acceptance and striving?

I would be immensely grateful for any insights, personal experiences, or recommended readings that you can share to help illuminate my path.

Thank you for your kindness and wisdom.

I´m doing my social service, a request to gradute to the university. I have a lot of hope and illusions about my role there, but I discovered I don´t like, also, makes me feel uncomfortable and annoyed.

Thinking with "cold head", I deduced the expectations about this job are not satisfaced and I suffering, that´s why.

Now, in this era, all people say that "you must to do what you love, work where you feel passion", but this is a fruitless research guided by desire and it´s more suffering. So, do we must to work without passion? More as the Samurai that fight, not for love or hate, just because it´s their mission.

I say this about the samurai because recently I read about the archetyope of the warrior, ascetic, without drama (lol), and well, I don´t know if this is the way to work...

Sorry if I´m not clear with my ideas, English is not my first language and I´m still learning, but hope to be the most clear possible. Anyways, I can make corrections.

Thanks for reading me. See you.

Daodejing 38

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{38i} 上德不德 是以有德. 下德不失德 是以無德.

The high De1 [clings] not to de, and so there is De.

The low de [aims] not to lose de, and so there is no De2.

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{38ii} 上德無為 而無以為也. 上仁為之 而無以為也. 上義為之 而有以為也. 上禮為之 而莫之應也 則攘臂而乃之.

The high De acts for nothing [specific]3, and relies on nothing [specific] for action4.

The high ren5 acts for something [specific], [though it] relies on nothing for action [too].

The high yi6 acts for something, and relies on something for action.

The high propriety7 acts for something, but when people do not respond to it, there is then the baring of arms (coercion/violence) for compliance.

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{38iii} 故失道矣而后德. 失德而后仁. 失仁而后義. 失義而后禮. 夫禮者 忠信之泊也而亂之首也。

Therefore, when Dao is lost, what comes after is De.

When De is lost, what comes after is ren.

When ren is lost, what comes after is yi.

When yi is lost, what comes after is propriety.

Yet propriety is just a flake of loyalty and trust; it is already the precursor of chaos.

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{38iv} 前識者 道之華也而愚之首也. 是以大丈夫 居其厚而不居其泊 居其實而不居其華. 故去罷而取此.

Hence those with foresight, [perceiving] façades of dao and precursors of foolishness, would as a great person dwell in the thick [of Dao] and not its flake, dwell in the essence [of Dao] and not its façade, therefore forsaking that [of the flake and façade], and choosing this [of the thick and essential].

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1. De (德 de) means virtue/attainment. In the context of this text, especially when paired with adjectives like high (上 shang), it refers to the virtue that attains to Dao. Therefore the virtue that is high is that which attains to Dao, by paradoxically not clinging to being a virtue.

2. This reminds of {5i} where it is said that “heaven and earth do not hold on to ren, regarding the ten-thousand things as straw-dogs”. Because when virtues like ren are named/defined into an ideology to be held on to for discriminative purposes, they become low virtues that do not attain to Dao anymore.

3. Acts for nothing [specific] is 無為 (wu wei), which as taught in Section {2}, is about not engaging in deliberate actions that are driven by discriminative knowledge and craving.

4. Relies on nothing [specific] for action is related to 自然 (zi ran), which as mentioned in the footnote to {25v} is that which moves and happens independently by-itself.

5. Ren (仁 ren) is a key teaching in Confucianism. It can mean benevolent social love, and is usually regarded to be a virtue of humanity. Although said to arise naturally in human from within, it was also promoted and taught by the followers of Confucianism. It was defined mainly in terms of familial relationships and kinships, probably for the purpose of supporting the rigid propriety and social hierarchy of Zhou dynasty. In contrast, even though the followers of Mohism agree that the lack of ren (social love) is a primary reason for the ills of Zhou dynasty, they argue that ren should be non-hierarchical and non-discriminative. It should be a virtue of all-encompassing social love which extends equally to everyone, favouring no one of any particular status or familial relationship/kinship. What Daodejing advocates, however, is simply and radically that of not clinging to ren or even any virtue at all, as stated in {38i}.

6. Yi (義 yi) is another key teaching in Confucianism. It generally means righteousness. Yi acts for what is right based on a person’s moral sense of what is right and wrong.

7. Propriety (禮 li) can also mean ritual/rite and protocol. It was a sort of code of conduct in Zhou dynasty for the nobles to follow, and was supposedly a key factor in initially holding the land together in order and harmony. But as the power of Zhou rulers waned, while that of the dukes and kings of other states/countries grew, more and more of the protocols laid out in the Zhou propriety were ignored by the nobles (dukes and kings).

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I want to get the Zhuangzi, what translation would you recommend?

A 1940s translation by Witter Bynner, the Brooklynite poet whose rendition is considered questionable by some scholars.

There is no need to run outside For better seeing, Nor to peer from a window. Rather abide At the center of your being; For the more you leave it, the less you learn. Search your heart and see If he is wise who takes each turn: The way to do is to be.

Derek Lin’s translation - (2006)

Without going out the door, know the world Without peering out the window, see the Heavenly Tao The further one goes The less one knows Therefore the sage Knows without going Names without seeing Achieves without striving

I just went a'googling to remind me what the term De is widely considered to be about, and encountered lots of explanations of what 'Dao' is. Weirdly, I kinda thought the first rule of fight school was that is you can say it then it's not the Tao?

To my mind, I figured this was akin to there being no actual number for infinity. I even told this to my kids (amongst some other pretty hefty ideas) when they were curious about god, that's it's a word people use to describe the everything and the nothing that ever was or will or could or couldn't be, and then some.

But in my brief recent internetting, I read that it's a force, like water that permeates everything in the universe, or that its something that's inside everything, or even that it's just a way of being.

I was always of the mind that it was obviously what I understood (but can't possibly comprehend) it to be. I was quite taken aback to see so many, much smaller, concepts of it.

What kinds of understandings do you guys have of it?

Dude, I'm a Christian, but I have a lot of sympathy for Taoism due to the fact that I've found it to be a true philosophy that helps a lot of people. I would like to know how taojism helped you to stop having unnecessary worries that even leave you with a headache. It would be interesting to know your tips because Christianity helps me and Taoism also gives me impressive support

Which anarchist ideology or ideologies are closest or similar to taoist anarchism?

This is a beautiful new book:

Taoist Inner Alchemy: Master Huang Yuanji's Guide to the Way of Meditation

https://www.shambhala.com/ten-discourses-on-daoist-alchemy.html

Taoist alchemical practices are renowned for their mental, physical, and spiritually transformative benefits—including longevity and increased connection to the world around us. In this guide to Master Huang Yuanji’s Taoist classic, Ge Guolong presents the basics of inner alchemy and the tradition’s most essential meditation practices—along with explanations of the fundamental theories and methods one needs to actually start walking the path.

Historically, Taoist teachers borrowed complex terminology from astrology, numerology, and metallurgical alchemy to describe the process of individual transformation that occurs as a result of long-term meditation practice. Ge Guolong demystifies that classical terminology, illuminating Taoism’s straightforward and eminently practical philosophy. These vivid explanations of Huang Yuanji’s discourses—a Taoist master from the late-Ming, early-Qing Dynasty (1636–1912)—are particularly striking for their clarity, relevance to day-to-day life, and close relationship to the philosophy of such works as the Tao Te Ching and Chuang-tzu. Synthesizing numerous streams of Chinese philosophy and elucidating their lived practice, Taoist Inner Alchemy is as an excellent entry point to discover the riches of traditional Taoist thought and meditation.

Hello fellow Daoists

This topic may be very familiar too you. So as the title says i have my final exams in Photography in May. Now school is something that i really hate and i had really bad experiences in the past of failure and such.

I try to be as meditative as possible with this topic but somehow this strong fear is always with me and i cant enjoy living in the now. I think only if i successfully finish the exam i can enjoy living. Thats of course an Illusion.

The fears contain being a failure, being judged and fear of my future. I know that these fears are unreasonable and that i know my strenght but i seem to be so programmed of my past experiences that my brain runs these fears on autopilot. Even if i would fail some of the exam i could try again half a year later. This thinking of everything has to be completed in perfect order is delusional.

Daoism is now a while in my life and i always try to go with the stream of Life. But some help once in a while is not bad i think.

I wrote this also for some of your opinions who have maybe already moved past the School Life and share how it affected your Life afterwards.

This is my debut post in this sub. As a person born and raised in a culture inlined with substantial Ruist, Buddhist and Daoist influences (although to a lesser degree) that were syncretized into local folk beliefs, I would like to share my understanding and personal compass in approaching the matter of Dao.

• Yi-jing (易经), in its essence, is a guideline into perceiving the most elementary of nature's operation. Therefore, all of its intepretations, in one way or another, stress the futility of attempting to exploit knowledge to selfish ends. One is to know it in order to "slither" - so to speak - one's way along those dynamics to live in harmony with that rhythm. For there are "three thousand paths of the Grand Path" as the writers would say, thus yours is no less nor it is more sacred than any others. There is no pre-destination but the fact that one will meet their expiry one day so make peace with that fact and know that even the Sages live with this truth always. There is no cheat code against nature, ultimately. You can't sway the gate of your house to change a behavior or turn a luck anymore than you can invite good fortune by installing golden 三星 in the right direction.
• The deities (Three Pures, the Father of East, Mother of the West, Lady of the Nine Heavens, etc...), where they are concerned, are expressions of the Grand Dao reflecting a limited view as well as the social-economic drive behind it. Nevertheless, they bear significance to those that focus upon them so pay respect not to them but to the sentiment and the history of whole generations of those that rely upon them for solace in times of turmoil. Yet if you're not comfortable with offering obeisance, cease doing so entirely since "天地不仁" after all.
• The Grand Dao is, ultimately, a PATH. Grand as it might be, it is not a final destination nor any semblance of afterlife. Even in the most fantastical of settings, those that go further than everyone else are compelled to keep going and constantly transforming into newer selves and the same is applied to real life practice. There is this view that envisions Dao as the ultimate focal point and settlement into which all things enjoy the all-unifying glory as if a cosmic cauldron and it a way, it is not incorrect an understanding, but it is still entirely insufficient and narrow. Take heed that even the most enlightened of Sages cannot linger forever for the movement/motion (易) will send all beings out on to the Path. This is the ultimate truth that perhaps clashes the most with the liberation of conventional Buddhism. On the Grand Path, even the Pures will have to move along and the ultimate liberation is the acceptance of that truth.

So take these to hearts and get going!!

Hello!~ I’ve been on a bit of a spiritual journey this past month. I recently left Christianity and have been figuring out what I believe. I found paganism and pantheism, or pantheistic paganism, and that seemed to align with my beliefs! I recently also got into Taoism and I read the Tao Te Ching. I love the philosophy—“go with the flow” has always been a quote I really liked, even long before I knew of Taoism, and try to live by. And I can see myself believing in the Tao. My question is can one be a Taoist and a pantheist pagan?

Hello my question is: How good is the translation of the Tao Te Ching that Wayne Dyer read in the audio?

I am thinking in terms of many of britain's native animals (Lynx, bears, wolves, boar) that were hunted to extinction. one of the consequences of hunting wolves to extinction is an overrunning wild deer population, for example.

i'm not imagining a reintroduction of wolves anytime soon either way, but as a woefully uninformed person interested in taoism, it presented something of a philosophical dilemma.

Would a reaction (fixing the issue by reintroducing wolves) to fix a state-altering action (hunting wolves to extinction) be appropriate in taoist thought, or is the correct path inaction (simply accepting we have too many deer, despite it being a man-made problem that causes wider issues)?

Or in other words, when order is mindfully disrupted and creates a problem, is the best approach to do nothing, or to move with purpose to restore what was?

Section 55

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{55i} 含德之厚 比於赤子. 蜂蠆虺蛇不螫 猛獸不據 攫鳥不搏. 骨弱筋柔而握固.

[One who] has the thick of De within, is comparable to a newborn son.

Stinging bees and poisonous snakes don’t harm; ferocious beasts don’t paw; birds-of-prey don’t claw1. [Though] bones weak and tendons soft, his grip/hold is firm.

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{55ii} 未知牝牡之合而全作 精之至也. 終日號而不嗄 和之至也. 知和曰常 知常曰明.

Not yet knowing the copulation of female-and-male, [his penis] is fully erect. This is essence at its ultimate.

Crying throughout the day, [his voice] is not hoarse. This is accord/harmony2 at its ultimate.

Knowing accord/harmony is said to be constant; knowing constant is said to be enlightenment/discernment.

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{55iii} 益生曰祥 心使氣曰強 物壯則老 謂之不道. 不道早已.

[Even though] discriminative-addition to life is said to be fortunate/blessing and wilful-employment of qi (energy) is said to be strengthening, when things become robust/strong/forceful, they age instead. This is called not-Dao3.

[What’s] not-Dao, ends early.

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1. Probably related to the idea of death-ground in {50ii}, because newborns supposedly have not made any contrived activity that would plant the seeds of future death.

2. It is taught in {42i} that accord/harmony (和 he) is achieved when qi/energy is emptied/levelled, when things which bear yin energy embrace yang energy.

3. {30v} also states that when things become robust/strong/forceful, they age instead, thus not-Dao (不道 bu dao).

I enjoy looking at the dailytao.org website every day. Today’s chapter was chapter 19 and it read like this:

Throw away holiness and wisdom, and people will be a hundred times happier. Throw away morality and justice, and people will do the right thing. Throw away industry and profit, and there won't be any thieves.

If these three aren't enough, just stay at the center of the circle and let all things take their course.

I decided to compare this with the kindle Tao Te Ching translation that I have (Rendered in contemporary language by Sam Torode based on a 1919 translation by Dwight Goddard) and it read like this:

19 FALSE AND TRUE RELIGION Abandon the pretense of saintliness and asceticism, and the people will pursue virtue. Abandon ostentatious benevolence and conspicuous righteousness; then the people will return to the core virtues of love and respect. Abandon cleverness and greed; then thieves and robbers will disappear.
Here are the four fundamentals of true spirituality: recognize simplicity, cherish purity, reduce your possessions, diminish your desires.

I cannot believe the differencs between these two renditions. They seem so dissimilar I’m so many ways. Is it really that hard for people to translate the TTC? When I see such differences in words and even concepts, it makes me wonder which translation I should even trust. I don’t consider the TTC to be a sacred, infallible text. But it would be nice to get as close to the mind of Lao Tzu as possible.