I wish more people were familiar with the Tao. Did you know when the Communists took over China, they specifically targeted TWO religious groups - Taoism and Christianity. Seems strange to me...
Yeah I've heard they liked Confucianism but hated Taoism. It is because Confucianism with its social hierarchy was perfect for Commies but freedom loving anarchist Taoism wasn't.
I should have mentioned Buddhism as well because of the invasion of Tibet that served absolutely ZERO purpose but did not because there are a lot of 'Buddhist' temples that are really fronts for black magick cults. But yeah, they adore Confucius, or as I like to call him, 'Confuse-Us'. His doctrines at the surface seem fine but once you dig in, it's just like you said - social hierarchy bullshit. The Taoist, the real ones - not the weird version that developed centuries after Lao Tzu's death full of rituals and demons and deities etc, they just want peace and quiet and to exist. They live the way God intended. Imagine the world we would live in right now if Taoism was widely spread and revered?
'Confuse-Us', very nice and funny! Yeah Confuse-Us speaks of family values but all his 'family values' is also just a social hierarchy - wife should obey husband, son - father, and so on. Obedience to the ones higher on social hierarchy and forced social order as opposed to a natural order like in Taoism is a core of Confucianism.
I think you mentioned Buddhism briefly too? I like Buddhism too, especially its Zen version which is close to Taoism, but yeah there are many dark sects inside of Buddhism too.
Yeah, I also don't like later Taoism with a lot of deities, rituals and insane quest for immortality. I wonder where did it all even come from? Tao Te Ching doesn't have any deities, and Tao isn't deity, it's the Way. Lao Tzu doesn't speak of immortality either. There's passage in Tao Te Ching which says that when you're on the Way, you're invincible, but invincible not immortal, it's just means that when you're doing everything right, nothing will harm you, but we will still all die when time comes, and death is a part of life, they're Yin and Yang together.
Yeah, if more people read and understood Lao Tzu, this world would have been much better place but sadly outside of China not so many people even know it, and among those who do even less people understand it..
I have a theory about the 'other' form of Taoism. There are beings in this world, call them fallen angels, demons, extra-dimensional parasites - whatever - that have subtly influenced the world since basically day one and Taoism was just too damn close to the way God wanted people to live so they created this 'other' form and turned it into a way of siphoning worship for themselves. I think the same thing applies to every world religion personally. That 'Mystery Babylon' is always out there manipulating people into worshiping their false god call him Lucifer or whatever you want. It doesn't matter. It is EVIL.
Oh, you know we are not fully agreeing here. I don't really believe in deities and demons, I think evil is in people's heads. It's hard for people to live correctly according with nature and follow the Way, it's easier to invent deities, create rituals and make sacrifices and then expect bounty from the gods they pray... Christianity as it is no better. Just mindlessly obey every Bible word, observe Church rituals, worship saints and expect God answer your prayers...its not really what Jesus wanted from people. People don't want to take responsibility for their lives as Jesus and Lao Tzu said, they want to obey rules and buy their way into whatever afterlife they believe with rituals and sacrifices.
A very wise article calling to find balance in our insane world! Thanks for bringing wu wei here especially!
I wish more people were familiar with the Tao. Did you know when the Communists took over China, they specifically targeted TWO religious groups - Taoism and Christianity. Seems strange to me...
Yeah I've heard they liked Confucianism but hated Taoism. It is because Confucianism with its social hierarchy was perfect for Commies but freedom loving anarchist Taoism wasn't.
And Christianity was targeted in USSR also.
I should have mentioned Buddhism as well because of the invasion of Tibet that served absolutely ZERO purpose but did not because there are a lot of 'Buddhist' temples that are really fronts for black magick cults. But yeah, they adore Confucius, or as I like to call him, 'Confuse-Us'. His doctrines at the surface seem fine but once you dig in, it's just like you said - social hierarchy bullshit. The Taoist, the real ones - not the weird version that developed centuries after Lao Tzu's death full of rituals and demons and deities etc, they just want peace and quiet and to exist. They live the way God intended. Imagine the world we would live in right now if Taoism was widely spread and revered?
'Confuse-Us', very nice and funny! Yeah Confuse-Us speaks of family values but all his 'family values' is also just a social hierarchy - wife should obey husband, son - father, and so on. Obedience to the ones higher on social hierarchy and forced social order as opposed to a natural order like in Taoism is a core of Confucianism.
I think you mentioned Buddhism briefly too? I like Buddhism too, especially its Zen version which is close to Taoism, but yeah there are many dark sects inside of Buddhism too.
Yeah, I also don't like later Taoism with a lot of deities, rituals and insane quest for immortality. I wonder where did it all even come from? Tao Te Ching doesn't have any deities, and Tao isn't deity, it's the Way. Lao Tzu doesn't speak of immortality either. There's passage in Tao Te Ching which says that when you're on the Way, you're invincible, but invincible not immortal, it's just means that when you're doing everything right, nothing will harm you, but we will still all die when time comes, and death is a part of life, they're Yin and Yang together.
Yeah, if more people read and understood Lao Tzu, this world would have been much better place but sadly outside of China not so many people even know it, and among those who do even less people understand it..
I have a theory about the 'other' form of Taoism. There are beings in this world, call them fallen angels, demons, extra-dimensional parasites - whatever - that have subtly influenced the world since basically day one and Taoism was just too damn close to the way God wanted people to live so they created this 'other' form and turned it into a way of siphoning worship for themselves. I think the same thing applies to every world religion personally. That 'Mystery Babylon' is always out there manipulating people into worshiping their false god call him Lucifer or whatever you want. It doesn't matter. It is EVIL.
Oh, you know we are not fully agreeing here. I don't really believe in deities and demons, I think evil is in people's heads. It's hard for people to live correctly according with nature and follow the Way, it's easier to invent deities, create rituals and make sacrifices and then expect bounty from the gods they pray... Christianity as it is no better. Just mindlessly obey every Bible word, observe Church rituals, worship saints and expect God answer your prayers...its not really what Jesus wanted from people. People don't want to take responsibility for their lives as Jesus and Lao Tzu said, they want to obey rules and buy their way into whatever afterlife they believe with rituals and sacrifices.
By the way- this is so much easier when you are 67!!
Nature…a true balm for all that ails us.