The question of “What is Taoism?” is often times the question of “What Types of Taoism are There?” You will want to read the post on what types.
Taoism in a nutshell is thousands of years of collected and distilled human methods for the pursuit of enlightenment. In other words, Taoism is the methods of gathering and using divine truth. Since these are human methods, they have changed over time and will continue to change over time.
This is a simple statement. However, it is also an essential division between Taoism and other religious traditions. The statement is defining Taoism’s position as it relates to text and how spiritual truth is conveyed.
Most religions claim that their writings are divine, and have been provided by divinity itself.
With Taoism, our methods have emerged from trial and error. They were created by humans on the spiritual journey for other humans on the spiritual journey. For that reason, the methods, the Taoism can be carefully changed based on new information and new needs.
We are not obligated to be stuck with a text generated thousands of years ago, for a people in a radically different time and place.
Warm Regards,
Keeper of the Gate of Man and Heaven
Lineage Holder of the 4 Ascendant Sphere Tradition
www.the-taoism-for-modern-world.com
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3 Responses
Hello,
Thank you for your question. Your question is above the level that the course was designed to address, while entirely valid. What I will do is give you a quick response here, but since I have received similar questions from others, I will shoot an updated video and include it in the course as optional information.
Here goes. Meditation is when you are directly acting on your mind or yourself. The value of it is that it allows you to move beyond the limits of your personal history, in a way that is under your control. Small amounts of meditation move you with small steps. Big amounts move you with big steps. Besides that tremendous value, it also allows the Tao to directly interact with you. The degree of that interaction will vary according to your current self, but it is vital even if it’s small, since it is the pure Tao.
For neutral karmics, meditation is also the means by which karmic energy is harvested.
Also, I know meditation helps free you from Social Mind. (forgot to write that in the above question)
Master Mike,
I am trying to get a grasp on the significance of meditation. This is because I dabbled in meditation during some periods of my life and never saw any benefits (though I did have a significant spiritual experience another way). As a result I didn’t continue to meditate.
To my current understanding, meditation helps free you of attachments (which pin you down and prevent escaping the nursery). Am I correct?
And meditation helps you gain in strength somehow (and the strength is necessary to face yourself?). Is that correct?
Perhaps I never gave meditation enough time? Perhaps because I didn’t know the goal of meditation (other than calming & relaxing)?
I am trying to find a reason meditation will help me this time.
Are there additional benefits to meditation?
Of course I am willing to do what it takes to grow in the 4 Ascendant Method; that’s not the issue.
It’s just that doubt tends to creep in that it won’t work on me, and do what it’s supposed to do. I need encouragement.