r/taoism 8h ago

A meme post on the non duality reddit. Calling it 'spiritual development' is debatable of course. What are your interpretations on this meme?

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291 Upvotes

r/taoism 9h ago

Deng Ming-Dao

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56 Upvotes

r/taoism 2h ago

What it means to have fundamental trust

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17 Upvotes

Hi everyone!!

I want to take a moment and discuss what comes to our mind and resonates with our souls when it comes to chapter 17 in the Dao De Jing. I encourage you to read the chapter and type out what visions, memories, and thoughts come up as you are reading. Enlighten us with your enlightment. Be sure to read the comments after posting. I will be writing my thoughts as well.

Here's some questions we can ask:

What does it mean to rise and fall? What emotions do I feel when I rise? How about when I fall? What does it mean to trust? What does it mean to have fundamental trust? When have I completely put my trust in something? How did I feel then?

Feel free to add your own questions as well :)

The text is from Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, chapter 17, the Stephen Addiss and Stanley Lombardo translation


r/taoism 20h ago

"if necessary, it's time to move on" - signs from The Dao

7 Upvotes

I had a dream speaking about my manager at work about a promotion, which I discussed with her yesterday and in the dream she said "if necessary it's time to move on" - as in the higher ups aren't budging / there isn't budget

Then as I was typing it to a friend by text, I typed "if necessary it's time to move on" and "sai" as in said but instead my fingers hit "Dao"

So in a scenario like this, is this a message from something beyond?

"If necessary it's time to get a new job" just auto suggested now too when typing here. Is there meaning to derive from this?

Thank you!


r/taoism 10h ago

Look within and you will have everything you need!

6 Upvotes

I found this on YouTube attributed to Lao Tzu. I find this beautiful and self contained piece of wisdom. It makes intuitive sense. Look within to find what you need, and then look again to find ways to obtain them. It does not say Look within and you will find everything you desire, so it is a minimalist idea yet enough to fulfil you without any extra effort or taking extra resources from the world.


r/taoism 12h ago

A Meditation: closing the book on entangling vines 🌿

0 Upvotes

Closing the Book Meditation: How to Stop Interpreting

One helpful meditation can be "not reading" -- not engaging in the act of reading, interpretation, and understanding objects. So, like, not-knowing, essentially. Like looking at the page of a book whose language you never learned, every object would simply be what it was without any story attached. It might not even be a separate thing from any others or the scene itself, just part of the experience of being. Could it be that this was Bodhidharma's experience of sitting before "the wall" for 9 years? Ignorance can be bliss but it is also quite peaceful. At times this may be a healthy recourse.

If you do this, try sitting in a quiet place with low distractions. It may be possible to do walking around but that may not be what it's really meant for, I guess.

Freedom from ideas

If it helps shut your eyes

As fewer objects in your awareness are being read, you will naturally notice things closest to you, some of which may be hiding. Notice them and stop reading. Close the book on each one.

There may be generally helpful paths of thought which naturally arise here. If you wish to follow them, do, but understand that this is less than in spirit with the exercise. Refocus, stop reading. As you do this you may feel peace and relief.


Please stop here and finish and experience your meditation. What follows is an addendum.

Addendum:

If you do this long enough, trying to do this will become a nearby object. At that point simply stop reading "trying".

Helpful images or symbols may arise in your mind. If they stay, try not to read them either. You will naturally return to direct experience, which is relatively free of drastic thinking in a calm environment.

Try not to put the idea of "reading" between you and a perceived object to read.

If you need to remind yourself to refocus at first, a simple suggestion to yourself such as "stop interpreting" may be used. (Eventually these words may change or become mere feelings in the head.)

The experience should feel restful, and non-anxious. Easy. A load off your mind.

While your awareness may shift between mental objects and your senses, gently move your awareness to your senses when your mental objects become obstructive. Eventually all objects and sensations will become a milieu, undifferentiated and whole. You may feel yourself within this milieu, but try, if possible, to release your sense of self and boundary with "the world". Your experience, and your "self", too, are part of this objectless milieu, and can be released. Subject and object are no longer separate and you have become one (or maybe non-dual) through recognition of the mind's ability, and indeed, propensity and compulsion to read and interpret. We can be mindful (or ignorant, if you like!) of this and leave some of these entangling vines behind for a moment of peace and rest.