Basic Taoism Lesson One - What is the Tao, and What Does That Mean to Me? An Introduction to Taoism
The philosophy of Taoism, (pronounced Dow-ism) founded in ancient times by an elusive figure known only as Lao-Tzu (The Old Teacher), holds the key to helping us get rid of the stress in our everyday lives. Taoists throughout Asian history have made a huge impact on the countries they lived in and the lives they touched. They were and are renowned for their ability to triumph over difficult situations without buckling and for their ability to create wholesome and stress-free lifestyles for themselves.
In this preliminary lesson, well be looking at what the Tao of Taoism is, and how we can try to understand it. This will build the foundation of your further introduction to Taoism. The word Tao means Way, with a capital W. It signifies the understanding that there is a Great Way to the workings of the universe. Many people take this to mean a belief in predestination or fate, but this isnt exactly correct. This Great Way is best imagined as a wide river flowing to the sea. Throughout the river are different sorts of flows fast, strong, weak, eddying, crashing waterfalls. Does the water choose these flows? Does it choose where it will eddy, and how, and for how long? No, of course it doesnt. It just is.
The flow of the river, from the day the first hints of a river appeared in that place to the time we encounter it as the wide and powerful thing it is today, has not been designed by the river. Like this river, the Great Way, the Tao, is an organic flow to all of the energy and life in the universe. For the most part, it is a subtle undercurrent, moving slowly along beneath all things. It is certainly possible to swim upstream in a slow current and successfully make it to wherever you are headed without being swept away. You will certainly be conscious of the energy you use up swimming against the current. If you were to pit yourself against that slow river and try to swim upstream, against the current, you would need superhuman endurance to go very far, for the river does not tire or even TRY to move you. Even superhuman endurance is weak in comparison to the power of the slow steady river. The Tao can be thought of as a river of life. All living things exist in and are part of the Tao, part of a greater whole. Individual organisms are all part of the ebb and flow of life within the Tao.
Think of yourself as a swimmer in the great river. If you strive against the current to move around, you will greatly increase the difficulty of getting to your goal. This is not to say that you should just float along, since that would be leaving everything to chance the river doesnt know where it is taking you; it doesnt even know that it is taking you. The more you fight the flow, the more tired you become. Now that you know this, you can begin to observe it as it happens in your life. Through the rest of my lessons, were going to explore the ways that you can use this Taoist look at the universe to change your life and make it how you want it to be.
James A. Kelley, founder of http://www.NinguTrading.com, has studied the martial arts of Japan for over ten years. His passion for the martial arts is equalled only by his passion for the history of Japan. A veteran traveler, James has lived in eight countries and has traveled to many more. He has visited historical locations in Japan and China in his research and training, and has trained in more than ten different martial arts. He holds a Black Belt rank and trains daily. James is an expert on the various philosophies and religions of Asia, as well as the history that has spawned them. In his free time, he handmakes martial arts supplies for serious practitioners, available at his website.
Taoism and Stress - Flowing Like Water Even Under Pressure
In Taoism, we often talk about living a life that has flow or behaving like water. We reach this goal by avoiding and overco...
Sending Email Courses With Autoresponders
Offering freebies to your website visitors is one
marketing method that will guarantee a lot of sales.
Free home study co...
Adopt the Spiritual Paradigm for Re-inspiration
Spirituality is a therapeutic form that is often ignored, but yet plays an important part inhealing. Many religions believe t...
Basic Health Insurance Issues
You should always have health insurance if at all possible. That being said, there are some basic issues you consider and und...
Performance Appraisal System
What exactly is a performance appraisal system?Well,its exactly what the phrase implies. A performance appraisal system is th...
Criticism Gets You No Where
"Do you know someone that you would like to change and improve?
Good! That is fine. I am all in favor of it. But why not beg...
An Introduction To Major Medical Insurance
Major medical insurance is the name given to one particular type of what is normally referred to nowadays as indemnity or fee...
Introduction to Health Insurance
To fully grasp the field of health insurance, it helps to start with the most basic of things.Health Insurance is a form of i...
Introduction to Health Insurance
To fully grasp the field of health insurance, it helps to start with the most basic of things.Health Insurance is a form of i...
Advantages and Disadvantages of Email
With the growing popularity of the Internet more and more people are communicating via email. This fast and efficient method ...
Email Stationery Layout Styles
Everything in the modern world is designed from the chairs we sit on to paper we write on. Nothing is different when it comes...
How to Effectively Use Email Marketing to Promote Your Business
There is a right way and a wrong way to market your products via email. Of course the wrong way is to purchase a list and spa...
Email Marketing Lesson: If You Realize You Made A Mistake After You Press Send, Just Admit It
A few months ago I started getting a bunch of junk Spam messages. All the messages had the same subject line. Thinking that t...
What Is Inspiration?
Time to get inspired with poems and stories. What is inspiration? How do we get it? Where does it come from? These are questi...
What is a Life Insurance Policy Rider
A Life Insurance Policy Rider is aptly named. It is not an integral part of the policy, but it is just along for the ride.A L...
Are Opt-in Email Lists Still Valuable in this SPAM Age?
One of the things that the introduction of blogs has done is to cause an exodus of sorts from email newsletters or ezines to ...
Direct Email Marketing Campaign for "Internet Home Based Business"
Direct email marketing campaign reaches the target audience, bypassing intermediaries. It is very personal, as the decision-m...
Choosing a Health Insurance in the United States and Around the World
Health insuranceWhen you have a health insurance you are insured against medical expenses due to accident or illness.Before y...
Online Life Insurance Protection How Much Do I Need?
There are a lot of people getting quotes for life insurance online. The quotes requested are usually for standard amounts of ...
How to pick the Dream Tattoo Design That You Want Today
A recent survey tells us that 24% of Americans between the ages of 18-50 are tattooed. This is almost 1 in 4. The most popula...