r/taoism

I do not like being like this. And I don’t know how I’m supposed to stop. I’ve posted before, quite a bit. It’s some relief. If you’ve seen me before you know what my crisis is about, summed up ontological nihilism, what if I’m not real or nothing is, the concept of nothingness/nothing.

I was reading a book, doing thing I like to try to live my life, Play It As It Lays by Joan Didion. It’s not existential or at least not in the way that I thought would trigger me. On page 66 or 67 there was a sentence “As if in a trance Maria watched the woman, for it seemed to her then that she was watching the dead still center of the world, the quintessential intersection of nothing.” I don’t know what it means, it might be some silly author writer. The word nothing is of course what got me. She says the dead still center of the world which she relates to the quintessential intersection of “nothing”. Is the world the nothing? I could be completely misunderstanding it, it’s the type of writing I’m likely too.

Another one, “One thing in my defence, not that it matters: I know something Carter never knew, or Helene, or maybe you. I know what "nothing" means, and keep on playing.”

I also read an article: Joan Didion’s ‘Play it as it Lays’ A Meditation on Nothingness. Which certainly elevates my stress.

How ridiculous am I that a horrible days long spiral can be triggered by a single sentence. I was feeling a bit better so I tried to do things I enjoy, tried to live my life but it seems I can’t even do that without stumbling upon a word or a phrase that may or may not be what I think it is. I think about songs too or poems that have or seem to have words or ideas that scare me.

I can calm myself down occasionally. I’ll be doing fine then something happens and I won’t be doing fine. I don’t think people understand me. Others share my fears or at least I think they do but nobody gets as triggered as I do but this stuff by everything it seems sometimes. They want me to just stop and not react to fear and anxiety and I want to but I just can’t. Not for any substantial amount of time. I’ll sometimes set a timer for like half an hour before acting on whatever it is I want to do to alleviate the stress, usually post, but the second my created timer rings I am practically itching to do it.

Maybe some of you know what it is like to go through this. To be triggered by so much and so little at the same time. Basically be searching for something else to upset you.

I just want to ask if following the flow can help me in pursuing my goal? Did you experience following the tao while pursuing your goal?

I'd like to increase my energy levels and have very large reserves, but I don't know of a technique that can help me with that.

What technique could help me with what I'm looking for?

I am new to Taoism, I am already accustomed to its bases, ying yang, wu-wei, humility, abandonment of desires, the aversion to greed, competitiveness and confusion, heading towards emptiness and virtue

I have been using some time a day to decipher the words of the Tao Te Ching, for many times (at least I believe) I can understand much of what is being said, the book I own does not have an explanation of the texts, I would like to know some way to confirm when I am or am not on the right path to interpretation, I do not want to know the answers promptly of course, Reading this book has been a great exercise for my mind, understanding the lessons on my own brings me great satisfaction, but when I reach a conclusion I don't always know if I can trust it. I tried to look a little on the internet and couldn't find anything useful apparently, I've been relying on two different translations to understand the texts, when I can't understand by one I can understand by another, but still, I lack to know how close to the path I am

I would also like to know how Taoism deals with bad feelings such as anxiety (which I have suffered for many years). I understand that the wise can clear their thoughts to avoid sadness and degradation itself, but I would like to know what other means can be taken and what means exist to deal with other varied emotions

My daughter who I so love and cherish walked away from my life in 2020. At a total loss as to why this occurred. Despite my attempts to connect, we’ve had zero contact since then.

A couple of years later I learned from a family friend that she had transitioned to a man which I have no issue with.

All of this makes me so sad. And I’ve since had scores of men reach out to me about a similar scenario of their kids walking away for no apparent reason.

Thoughts? I open to Taoist perspectives as well as raw, constructive feedback.

I have an obsession where I always feel like I might get stomach cancer or bad energy in my stomach just because I keep thinking about it. I’ve had this since I was 13.

I’ve worked on some grounding techniques, like scanning my surroundings and my body, to stop thinking about it.

I also try to think about it and let it be, without shutting down the feeling. It’s not as strong as before, but it’s still there.

I want to practice inner alchemy, but I don’t know where to start. I’ve been on a spiritual growth journey for around two years, and now I’m trying to go deeper and become more aligned.

I want to do some navel energy practices.

Do you have any idea, or have you experienced something similar that you could help me with?

Hey people, so when there is a lot of noise I've noticed my body tenses up and as a sort of escape, I drift off into thinking. It's almost automatic.

When I relax the tense parts of the body, then that rollercoaster of thinking slows down and calmness starts appearing / revealing / happening and I'm back to a nicer space.

So my question is, what do we do other than try to relax again and again in these noisy situations where we can't leave?

Leaving the area of noise or maybe some headphones / noise blockers could be the trick to be honest.

Back then when I was learning buddhism/Alan Watts I had this mis understanding that we should limit or avoid thinking, but as I observed it also is beneficial, Especially when reflecting. Only thing is I fall into rumination sometimes that instead of it being beneficial it’s pulling me into rumination. Im curious how do you guys balance this. I know direct experience and observation is the way of the tao but how do you know when to trust that talking voice inside your head, I would like to know perspectives from you guys TIA

I've read quite a bit of counsel in the Daoist canon, particularly in Neidan texts regarding the necessity for reflection, under many names. Some talk about 'returning the light' or heart-mirroring, but I see very little practical advice, other than that one aught to do it.

So my question is, how do *you* engage in reflection? Whether that be devoting time to close your eyes and meditate on the days events, or by doing gratitude or conventional journalling.

I've also heard say that some neidan traditions treat middle dantian work as a form of reflection, if anyone has some insight on that, I'd be very interested to hear it.

Fractalism is a framework I have been building for noticing how patterns repeat across thoughts, habits, relationships, institutions, and consciousness itself.

It is not a religion or a political theory. It is a way of seeing.

Two concepts in the framework that I suspect might resonate here:

The Void: the threshold where patterns loosen and another response becomes possible before automatic reaction takes over. Seems related to sunyata, wu wei, and the space before thought crystallizes.

The Source: the underlying ground from which persons, patterns, and worlds arise. Not a god, not physical matter. More like the condition of possibility itself.

The framework distinguishes between noise friction (resistance because something is misaligned) and corrective friction (resistance because something old is losing its grip). That distinction has been practically useful.

I am curious whether this reads as compatible, orthogonal, or completely alien to an Eastern Philosophy lens. I come from a Western intellectual tradition and built this alone, so I have no idea how it lands here.

https://fractalisme.nl/the-void

https://fractalisme.nl/the-source

No sales pitch. Just curious.

Just looking for some passages or readings I could look towards that might help find a sense of peace amidst the turmoil of a broken heart.

I found Taoism (the philosophy) as a part of my personal journey in coping with the heartbreak and the loss of friendships that came with it.

I know the over all concepts and it has helped. But sometimes I find a sense of peace if I can focus on a single passage or mantra in a moment of turmoil.

I am buying my first Tao Te Ching book and I am trying to decide between three books one is a James trapp book that I was drawn to because of the traditional binding I am a sucker for nicely bound hardcover books.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1838862730?smid=A37AEE89ZZBSWY&psc=1

The second one is coauthored by Stephen Mitchell which some on on a thread said was the best because he got the spirit of the original right even if it wasn't the most accurate translation

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/9354406696?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

The third authors seem to be highly reccomended in other threads for their good translation they are Stanley Lombardo and Steven addis.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1590305469?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

I just want a nicely bound hardcover book to last a long time luckily I noticed the different authors and started looking into it more any way any help ya'll could give me I would appreciate.

I recently ran across this website https://tao.org/tao/taoism/#Nature which came up at the top of a search for Daoist meditation. It claims to teach traditional Taoism, and is a religious center with a lot of emphasis on deities, and some on magic and so forth. Now I have really just scratched the surface of Taoism, but some of the things in this site surprised me.

For example, because nature is harsh and unkind, survival of the fittest: "Therefore, Lao Tzu insists “the Sage is unkind,” urging the Taoist to avoid the Siren call of Universal Love and instead embrace a mindset of harsh indifference towards all but a few loved ones. Enlightened self-interest would be the best way to describe this principle to modern sensibilities."

The duality of society and the individual: "This duality of Society versus the Individual is another unique Taoist concept that, in many ways, harkens to early America’s rugged individualism."

So it would seem according to this, Taoism is very self centered, shuns society, and it would seem has very little room for compassion.

Interestingly Grand Master Alex Anatole is said to have fulfilled prophecy when he was kicked out of China and fled to the US where he started the Center of Traditional Taoist Studies. I can find no claim of a certain Taoist lineage or anything like that, the claim here is that the teaching is traditional Taoism.

I am curious what others who have a deeper knowledge of Taoism that I do, think about this site and it's teachings.

To me (and to many children) my parents were the main things I put my faith in, but when I was 10 my father died, and I subsequently found myself incapable of believing in them or god. Over the course of my early teens I tried other religions, but once again I lacked that fundamental belief. I did however need something to rely on, and I came to the conclusion that I should rely on unshakable things, mainly ideals (almost exclusively taoist ones), but also on the one person who would always be there, me.

Without even realizing it I began relying on a cult of myself, which in all fairness proved useful as I encountered crisis after crisis. But then the inevitable happened, and the new god I had build for myself fell just like the image of my father did back then. I broke my back and was diagnosed with epilepsy, meaning I had to deal with both my physical and mental fallibility.

A couple months back I suffered a new terrible struggle, and only then realized the damage that had been done, because for the first time I felt true desperation. For the first time since I was a child I prayed, not as a joke and not for something minor, but desperately asking for any help to anyone who might be listening.

Now I'm wondering what to do... I never thought of myself as somebody who needed faith to live, but I'm yet to find a decent substitute. Should I try to rebuild that faith in myself, maybe on more malleable grounds, or should I give it up for good and face the uncaring universe?

I've always thought the taiji represents a moving symbol rather than a static one. But this kinda blew my mind with all the stages inside just 2... what do yall see?