Like a Prayer

Trey Smith

Have you ever noticed that blogrolls (with or without the snazzy feature that includes the latest post title plus a snippet of text) is a lot like prayer? It's a mechanism we bloggers use to direct readers to other blogs without having to do much of a damn thing ourselves!

When one of us is going through some sort of travail, it's not uncommon for other people to say, "I'll pray for you!" By golly, that will sure help! Instead of offering some type of tangible assistance, the best they can come up with is to promise to -- who knows how often folks actually do it -- say a few words into the ether on our behalf.

Well, adding the blogroll widget to this blog took about as much time as a prayer -- give or take a minute or two.

While prayers themselves have never been proven to work, blogrolls do work from time to time. On any given day, I can look at our blog stats and find several out clicks to blogs on the blogroll. So, me thinks that adding a blogroll is a more effective lazy action than ether mumbling.

Comment of the Year

If god made man in his own image, then the purest reflection of god in man is the sociopath.
~ by Stan Adermann in response to the post, This Atheist Answers Questions, at On Leaving Fundamentalist Christianity ~

Touching

Trey Smith

This morning I simply want to draw your attention to a very touching post on the blog, The Way Forward: Drawing Your Last Breath Without God.

Spotlight on Diary of a Daoist Hermit

Trey Smith

It has been over one year since I last shown the spotlight on one of my favorite blogs. Today I want to draw your attention to Diary of a Daoist Hermit authored by the Cloudwalking Owl. Here's how he describes his blog:

Life is a strange journey sometimes. I was born into a small-town, farming family in Southern Ontario, in Canada. But I've always been attracted to oriental philosophy. I joined a taijiquan club when I was a young man and a strange Chinese immigrant initiated me into his Daoist lineage without my really understanding what I was getting into. That happened about thirty years ago. The man has since died and I have nothing to do with his temple. But the path he started me on has become my life as I work out what it means to be a Western Daoist in the 21st century.

If you're looking for a blog with short and pithy entries, this one is not for you. The Cloudwalking Owl certainly does not post every day or, sometimes, every week, but when he does post, he writes some of the most thought-provoking stuff on the web! He tackles both politics and the most basic topics of humanity. And he consistently challenges the reader to go below the depths of superficial consciousness.

Here's a sample from a recent post entitled, Infantile Spirituality.

When I analyze my feelings when confronted by injustice I notice two things. First, I feel a lot of empathy in that I always end up imagining myself in the situation I see the other person. Secondly, I feel a great deal of anger and outrage. Sometimes I move to a third stage, which is fear that the world is a nasty, cruel, place that is indifferent to the suffering of individuals.

The more I think about it, the more I think that the first two reactions are attempts to divert my attention from the last one. It's better to feel sorrow for others and anger against whomever is harming them than contemplate that it is just happenstance -- perhaps temporary -- that I am not in the same boat. I notice this fact time and time again when I find out that the world is just not a "warm and fuzzy place". It was this outrage that fueled just about everything that I have ever done in politics. And that outrage ultimately kept me from facing up to the idea that life is inherently tough and I am going to die, probably after a lot of pain.

The path we walk as individuals is ultimately like a mine field. We never really know if the next time we put our foot down it may end in an explosion that may injure, maim or kill us. Our job can disappear, we can get sick, an accident may befall us, or the people we love can suffer similar problems, etc, etc.

Democracy, Consensus and the Like

Those protesters out on the streets who think that they are creating a whole new world and a new way of doing things are right. But not in the way that they think that they are. The radical experiments in formal consensus and citizen assemblies are simply too poorly thought-out to be able to work. And the movement that they are creating is simply too weak and fragile to avoid almost instant co-optation. But the ideas that they are throwing out into the world will spread like dandelion seeds and take root in some of the most unlikely places.
~ from Democracy - Diary of a Daoist Hermit ~

Very insightful essay by The Cloudwalking Owl.

New Voices Along the Path XXV

I noticed that it's been over 6 months since I introduced you to some of the links that have been added to the right sidebar. So, without further ado, here is a brief introduction to some more of the Taoist blogs and websites I've found.

A Taoist Journey to the Stars (added on 3/24/11)
Taoist Rose writes: I am a wandering Taoist who is trying to find her way in life. I am currently pursuing a Master's degree in Psychology and just published my first book on Amazon.com.

Confessions of a Tai Chi Snob (added on 4/14/11)
Studying the art of Tai Chi and sharing my thoughts on the journey. I do not claim to be an expert, nor will you learn anything from this blog. It is hoped that you will add some of your own experiences and comments about Taiji Quan. A journey of a single step begins the search for the perfect form!

TaoChow (added on 2/10/11)
This is a space for an ad-hoc study of The Tao Te Ching as "reacted" to by David Weber. David began posting his responses to each Chapter of the Tao on his blog, The First Morning, and then also shared the notes on his Facebook wall. A few of us who are David's Facebook friends wished for a study group of sorts, so thanks to Wikispaces, here we are!

Tao-How (added on 7/1/11)
I'll be posting lots of old Taoist, and Zen fables. Okay, maybe they're just plain, good advice. Maybe they're teachings that are still relevant today? I don't know. Some are succinct and brilliant. Some are so paradoxical in their logic and method that a headache is bound to follow. Some are just weird. I will be embellishing these tales to give them some length, but the moral, and the point of these stories will not be changed.

Sometimes I'll add my own commentary after each one. I'll be talking through them, sharing my thoughts and explaining the meanings of some of them while at the same time realizing I have no idea what I'm talking about. One thing I'm always certain of is that I'm never 100% certain of anything. Wait that's contradictory. Yeah, welcome to Taoism.

Tao Trucker (added on 6/17/11)
I'm a former Optometry student and a current truck driver. I’m trying to find my voice and share all the new things that I learn either while I’m on the road or while I’m in my hometown of Bloomington.

The Feng Shui Institute (added on 5/6/11)
An international resource and research centre for the promotion of Traditional Chinese or Classical Feng Shui and Chinese Astrology. Showing the difference between traditional Chinese Feng Shui and new age superstition.

The Secular Sadoo (added on 2/10/11)
Sadoo Pipher lives in an artist colony with 2 cats, a home theater, and no job or money. While he has had fat salaries as a banking executive and professor, while he has been extensively trained in the sacerdotal ways of the Judeo-Christian god, while he has lived with 3 beautiful women in sexual caprice and erotic mayhem, he prefers being poor, profane, and celibate. Why is this? What can't you do about it? And why is his life so interesting? In The Secular Sadoo, Pariah Pipher explores all.

The Tao of Autism (added on 1/15/11)
I'm not generally as serious and thoughtful as this blog may make it seem. In fact, if I were, I don't think I'd be a very good Taoist. If you want to contact me, do so in the comment section of my blog! If you would prefer, however, you can contact me on GMail under the same name (please don't expect me to reply right away, though).

Xing Shen Zhuang - RO (added on 4/14/11)
A site about Qi Gong and Taoism from Romania. It's not written in English.

Tao Te Ching -- In Her Own Words

We have all been there. You have a favorite blog or two that you check frequently, then, for one reason or another, you drift away. Sometimes, you lose touch altogether. At other times, you circle back around to find what you've missed.

Today, I happened back to Changing Places and I found that Donna has embarked on an interesting voyage. She is rewriting the Tao Te Ching in her own words. Entitled "The Tao of the Self," she is up through Verse 5.

I have often thought that a personal rewrite of the TTC, by those of us who feel we have been enlightened by it, is a worthwhile exercise. To date, I have chosen a different method by going through the text line-by-line. Who knows? Maybe one day I will write the Rambling Tao Te Ching! :-)

Here is Donna's rendering of Verse 2.

Anyone can see you are beautiful
If they see others as ugly.
Anyone can see you as good
If they see others as evil.

Therefore having friends and not having friends arise together.
Difficult and easy relationships complement each other.
Long and short friendships contrast each other:
High and low emotions rest upon each other;
Your voice and the sound of others harmonize each other;
Being in front of and behind others follow one another.

Therefore the sage goes about doing nothing to force relationships,
teaching not gossiping about others.
Thousands of conversations rise and fall without cease,
Creating relationships, yet not forcing them.
Working with others, yet not taking credit for their work.
Great work with others is done, then forgotten.
Therefore it lasts forever.

A Cool Top Ten List

Want to see a really insightful and funny Top Ten list? Head over to Thurman's Notebook to read the Ten Reasons Why Gay Marriage Must Never Be Legal.

To whet your whistle, here's #2 on the list.

Legal gay marriage would encourage people to be gay, the same way that associating with tall people will make you tall or being around blue-eyed people will change your eye color.

Sharing Pearls

“What is the difference between a good Tao student and a bad one?” asked a new student. Master Li said, “The bad ones make distinctions about other students.”
~ from Roshi Hogan's Teachings of the Tao ~

A Redundancy

Over at Notes From The Outside, Brandon put up a really good post last night about the situation in Wisconsin and unions, in general. A good read, in my opinion.

One point he made bears repeating.

I also think the term "collective bargaining" is redundant. Without the collective, there is no bargaining. There is only groveling before the boss, a sort of tyrant of the economic world. You can ask for a raise, but there's no negotiating. You are free to find work elsewhere, but of course all the other factories are paying the same, or less maybe, and you know, you aren't getting any younger. I actually find it amazing that a society that loves to talk about democracy is terrified of democracy in the workplace...

He's Back

For anyone who is interested, Keith Olbermann is back...sort of. Since his departure from MSNBC, it has been speculated that part of his severance package included a clause keeping him off TV for a specified period of time.

Soooo, he has established a website called FOK News Channel (FOK stands for Friends of Keith). It went live tonight.

Damn Good Video

In place of tonight's Tao Bible post, I want to urge you to visit Thurman's Notebook to watch a 10 minute video of Thom Hartmann. The subject of the video is evil afoot in the US today.

Bruce Is Back

For all you Bruce Gerencser fans out there -- I know there's a lot of you -- Bruce is back blogging again at Fallen From Grace. While I'm still a bit bummed about having no Keith Olbermann to watch each weekday night, having Bruce back in the saddle really take the edge off of it!

Could there be a connection between these two occurrences? :-D

Here Is a Gem

There are a slew of great blogs out there that deal with life through the use of Taoist themes. Today I will share a post from the blog, Taoish. This particular post, "Symmetry," made me smile and nod my head in affirmation!

I took my 6 year-old granddaughter to an indoor playground Wednesday.

At the playground there was a young boy about her age who was not symmetrical.

His features were not symmetrical, his physical movements were not symmetrical.

His behavior was not symmetrical, his speech pattern was not symmetrical.

His eagerness to attract a playmate shown in the ear-to-ear crooked smile he flashed at anyone who came near. Adults and older children regarded him with curiosity and pity, so he was left alone, except for his mother.

He was sitting on the ground near the jungle-gym when a little girl, maybe 2 years old, baby-staggered up to him and held out a toy. The asymmetrical boy smiled an asymmetrical smile and gently took the toy from her, examined it and handed it back. The little one smiled back at him, retrieved her toy, and staggered off.

Verse Two of the Tao Te Ching says that by defining beauty you have defined what is ugly.

Another Story

I have been remiss in alerting those readers -- I'm assuming most of you -- who eagerly read each day Scott Bradley's Taoist tales. One of our favorite blogging compatriots, Ta Wan, is posting an intriguing story of his own on his blog, Tow Wow. The series of posts is called "Waterfall Awake Nature" and, if you'd like to start at the beginning, go here and enjoy!!

Tao Wow on Worship

The worship of Gods then is nothing but a fear based one or an egotistical pacifier. The worship of something truly essential to life, say air, is more tangible yet pointless as if there were no air then the worship itself would be impossible. Worship either way adds nothing to the relationship of man and air.

Take air away from one man and God [a]way from a believer, they will both thrash, both go blue in the face but only one will die from the asphyxiation.
~ from Tao Wow ~

My brain may not be working as well as I would prefer, but Ta Wan's is doing quite fine, thank you. He has a very interesting post today that I recommend you check out. It provides great food for thought!

New Voices Along the Path XXIII

I'm almost caught up on introducing you to the links added to the various sections in the right sidebar. This post will cover those in the Sites of Interest section as well as 2 others from the Fellow Wanderers.

Fellow Wanderers

Mr. Avenged and NonStampCollector are YouTube channel pages for two of my favorite video authors.

Sites of Interest

ChristWire
(Note: This is a spoof website.) Dear friends, we are living in cruel days. Evil hours. Yes, these are certainly dark times and it’s time for the moral majority to once again step forward to bring freedom and liberty to the world. Our culture was built on the guiding principles of conservatism and Christianity, from which all morality is born. As such American heritage was meant to be passed on from generation to generation, ensuring that our principles…our values…were never compromised.

But alas, the Left Wing Conspiracy and Liberal Agenda is spreading like a plague not only through our fine society, but through lesser cultures as well. Their sinful antics and attempt to pass off their wanton carnal desires into mainstream culture is destroying society and mankind. That’s where we come in. Together, in this community, you and your Moral Leaders will combat the evil liberals of this world and once again ensure that a bit of freedom and righteousness once again permeates every country, and let those who don’t abide by our teachings know the eternal pit of hellfire shall be awaiting!

Epiphenom
I want to know why some people believe in gods, and what the psychological and social consequences of those beliefs are. I read the research, and when I find something juicy I write it up and post it here!

Religious Right Watch
Religious Right Watch is an Internet-based project dedicated to educating people about one of the most important political movement in America in the last 30 years: the Religious Right, which is also known as the Christian Right because the vast majority of the Religious Right's leaders, members, and institutions are Christian.

This web project is essentially a blog; but, in addition to its regularly-posted news, narrative, and commentary, RRW will offer helpful resources, such as a glossary (just what is the difference between an Evangelical and a Fundamentalist, anyway?) and links to important perspectives and information concerning the Christian Right.

Right Wing Watch
Right Wing Watch is a joint project of People For the American Way that monitors dozens of broadcasts, emails, websites, and the activities of Religious and Radical Right political organization. RWW analyzes and distills information that would otherwise circulate widely only within the Right, using our expertise on the radical right to expose risk their agendas and activities present to the country.

Singing Dragon
Authoritative books on complementary and alternative health, Tai Chi, Qigong and ancient wisdom traditions for health, wellbeing, and professional and personal development.

Shambhala Publications
Shambhala has specialized in books that present creative and conscious ways of transforming the individual, the society, and the planet. The notion of translating spiritual insight into action in the world is embodied in the company's name: "Shambhala" is a legendary Central Asian kingdom that symbolizes an enlightened way of life harmonizing the inner and outer worlds. Thus, the Shambhala worldview enables us to publish in a wide variety of subject areas, including psychology and the sciences, the arts and creativity, business and economics, and health and healing. Still, religion and philosophy remain the heart of our publishing program.

Talk to Action
Talk to Action is a platform for reporting on, learning about, and analyzing and discussing the religious right -- and what to do about it.

There is an editorial framework for this site than that is different than you will find on other major blog sites, so please read this carefully: We are pro-religious equality and pro-separation of church and state. We are pro-choice, and we support gay and lesbian civil rights -- including marriage equality. Therefore, debates about the validity of abortion and gay rights are off topic.

We understand that some people who share our general concern about the politics of the Christian Right may not agree on all of these matters. That's fine. Anyone who agrees with the general mission of this site is welcome to participate -- but bearing this in mind.

The Big View
If life is a journey, then philosophy is like a compass. It helps us to find our way through the jungle of possibilities that life presents. This website is about philosophy in the widest sense. It includes science, religion, mythology and other fields of thought that are not within the traditional scope of philosophy. However, it makes not much sense to treat these fields separately. Everything is connected. If one views anything from any possible angle, it can only increase understanding.

The Radical Academy
The Radical Academy is an analysis of the human condition as seen through the eyes of classical and contemporary thinkers in the areas of philosophy, politics, religion, science, and education. We define philosophy as the science of all things knowable to man's unaided powers, in so far as these things are studied in their deepest causes and reasons. We define politics in its widest sense to include the study of government, economics, and social theory and policy.

We discuss traditional and contemporary philosophical, moral, and religious questions; contemporary political, social, and cultural problems and policies; current scientific and technological issues and speculations; challenges to the "conventional" wisdom, "popular" ideologies, and "accepted" paradigms of our culture.

Why Won't God Heal Amputees?
Is God real, or is he imaginary? It is one of the most important questions you can ask yourself. If God is real and if God inspired the Bible, then we should worship God as the Bible demands. We should certainly post the Ten Commandments in our courthouses and shopping centers, put "In God We Trust" on the money and pray in our schools. We should focus our society on God and his infallible Word because our everlasting souls hang in the balance.

On the other hand, if God is imaginary, then religion is a complete illusion. Christianity, Judaism and Islam are pointless. Belief in God is nothing but a silly superstition, and this superstition leads a significant portion of the population to be delusional. But how can we decide, conclusively, whether God is real or imaginary?

Since we are intelligent human beings living in the 21st century, we should take the time to look at some data. That is what we are doing when we ask, "Why won't God heal amputees?"

New Voices Along the Path XXII

Here are some of the recent (and even not so recent) additions to the Fellow Wanderers section in the right sidebar.

AncienTrails
Our lives, even the most idiosyncratic, follow paths worn deep by generations before us. One ancient trail is the simple human story, my story passed onto my children and grandchildren. The blog part of this website is that trail, byte-crumbs laid down so those who know me now and those who do not know me yet will have some sense of who I am; and, eventually, who I was. There is, too, the trail itself, travel; for some nomads it is a constant trail, for others an occasional one.

What are the ancient trails on which you walk?

Bamboo and Plum Blossom
A lot of my endeavors wind up in the East, but my favorite poems are in Phantom Verse And Free, 4 blogs, 4 points of view. My wish is that you find something to your liking.

Borderzone
Borderzone may be of interest to those whose inner sense suggests a reality open at both ends — in the heights and in the depths: angels above and agents below the enzymes, as it were. The posts are exploratory and philosophical; they point to horizons not typically reached by ships or planes.

Illusory Flowers in an Empty Sky
This blog contains journal entries, Zen teachings, poetry, fiction, and commentaries on politics, urbanism and sustainability. The author is the Abbot of The Sitting Frog Zen Center.

On the Other Hand
On the Other Hand is about re-examining what one believes and how one lives. Some of my ideas are fairly common; others are most definitely not. We may not always agree but what really matters is the willingness to push past assumptions about the ways in which we live that are no longer working.

Ox Herding
Zen teachers sometimes use the Ten Ox Herding Pictures to describe the path of awakening. Within this metaphorical framework, the ox symbolizes the secretive, unruly human mind. This weblog reflects my ongoing struggle with the ox.

RealityZone; A New Era?
We are entering a new global, and cosmic era. Do not fear it. Welcome it with open hearts and minds. All beginnings evolve from an ending. Ask your self; the sun i am seeing, is it rising? Or is it setting ? Can it possibly do both simultaneously? (Note: If you read the TRT Tumblr Blog, you will see a slew of links to this blog!)

The Stroppy Rabbit
I love cats, people, the Earth, the Moon and stars, and the simple pleasure of being alive. Everywhere is sacred, everything is part of the dance.

The Zen Parent
This is Bill's blog about Zen, which is to say, everything. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and children, and two very Zen cats.

Warp, Weft and Way
Warp, Weft, and Way is a group blog of Chinese and Comparative philosophy. Its primary purpose is to promote and stimulate discussion of Chinese philosophy and cross-tradition inquiry among scholars and students of philosophy, whatever their level of training.

What Is Really Good?
An empowering and inspirational look at what life really is. A blog that challenges the reader to take a look at the way in which they view the world and themselves; and determine what it is exactly that sets their standards in labeling something as 'good' or 'bad'. It's all about perspective.

New Voices Along the Path XXI

It's been awhile -- over 3 months -- since I last introduced some of the new links added to the Taoist Wanderers section in the right sidebar. One of the reasons is that I haven't added as many as usual. So, this list won't be as long as some of the previous ones.

Daoyin Chuan (added on 7/3/10)
The Daoyin Chuan Study Group was organized in August of 1998 for the purpose of providing an environment for people to explore and practice the Chinese Internal Martial Arts and Qigong. Currently the group meets in the South Davis County and Salt Lake City areas.

Just as the rosebud contains within it the innate form of the perfect flower, so do we all contain within ourselves the innate form of our own perfection. Under the proper conditions of sun, water and nutrients, the bud unfolds to reveal the rose. Likewise the simple conditions of the practice helps us break through a lifetime of old habits and programmed patterns of posture and movement, allowing what is essential in us – physically, mentally and spiritually – to naturally unfold.

Qigong Research & Practice Center (Added on 7/3/10)
Qigong is a powerful and enjoyable way to enhance health, vitality, awareness, and athletic performance. Qigong includes both personal wellness training and Therapeutic Touch-type therapies to treat clients or patients. The Qigong Research & Practice Center was founded by renowned Qigong Master Ken Cohen (Gao Han) in 1981 in the Indian Peaks Wilderness region of the Colorado Rockies. The Qigong Research & Practice Center offers lectures, workshops, classes, and teacher training both in Colorado and throughout the world. We also offer consultation, referrals, and educational materials.

Tao Teachings (Added on 8/7/10)
Taoism is not Religion with God removed: Taoism is God, with Religion removed.

The Journey Within (Added on 7/3/10)
Every journey begins with the first step. And every step may carve out a new journey. I think we all started our Journey Within us a long time ago, probably as early as when we were born! We struggle to open our eyes, we struggle to crawl, to stand up, to walk…At each instant of struggle, we took a look at ourselves and instinctively understood why we fall, and we try again until we got it. Somehow, as we grow older, we stop taking this Journey. We stop reflecting on our actions. We stop looking at what we’re actually doing and do the things we do blindly. I want to remind us in my own small way that the Journey Within is worth it. I want to remind ourselves that we can take this Journey anytime we choose to. The trigger is everywhere! We only need to know where to look. We need to look not just with our eyes, but with all the senses that we have. We also need to look at the things that’s not there rather than just seeing the things that are right in front of us.

Way of Complexity (Added on 10/2/10)
My discussions here will all be related to how one can achieve effectiveness in this complex world we live in. Who am I? I'm just a guy striving for simplicity in an unnecessarily complicated world. Even if you find the smallest piece of what I write to be useful, I will have achieved my goal for creating this blog.

Non-English Blogs
Chantao's Blog - German (Added on 7/3/10)
YodaL's Welt - German (Added on 7/3/10)

You Might Be...

I received an email today from a fellow named Andy. He has started a new website called You Might Be a Taoist. His blog is Taoish. Both have been added to the right sidebar.

Here's a snippet from the aforementioned website:

If you think that pretty much all religions are full of baloney ...you might be a Taoist.

If you don't think that there's life after death... you might be a Taoist.

If you don't believe that there's an all-powerful, all-knowing god who listens to your prayers and responds to them... you might be a Taoist.

If you see going to church as a waste of time... you might be a Taoist.

If you think Thoreau should have only said, “Simplify.”...you might be a Taoist.

If you think that you are just another part of nature... you might be a Taoist...

Check it out to read the rest and, who knows, you too might be a Taoist. :-)