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The Rugged Tao Character and Its Concerns
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| On the outlook for wisdom |
In addition to trying to see your situation, fight for justice if you're up to it.
Ascent in consciousness (going deeper into mind) needs firm balancing to work well. Good personal ties may work well, mental balance is hard to come by or do away with without harm.
If the conditions allow you to have a say and have your own home, go for it before it's too late.
After all, one or more of these hints could help you, your future self or your children, even."
Contents
Supporting "well medleys" are presupposed
throughout:The Rugged Tao Character and Its Concerns
Masterly
wisdom may be applied far and wide, but check how well it fits in locally
first
BEING RADICAL and frivolous at times could be a big bait. Besides, needs for
reformed thinking and reforms in general aren't all there is.Hidden talents bring on their own rewards, including distress. Final results of talents have to look as if they hold true worth. If they also can be made lovely to look at it would be fine. You see, beauty attracts, and what attracts is regularly appreciated.
Yet, what may be most wanted in a life could be helped a bit by someone revealing true facets of fabric and structure of the situation. The artist is capable of looking at this and that from vantage points" over and above the immediate situation and circumstances. He can also look at things from above.
You may seek the wisdom of 'master Lao', or Lao Zi, from ancient China. Ancient Chinese historians assert very little about him, and parts are not congruent with each other, and as for the timing of events - see for yourself. The big philosphy primer Dao De Jing is attributed to Lao, or "Old Boy" as his name may be rendered into [See Adj]. Lao Zi has a large audience. Not all will be responsive to penetrating insights from outside the status camps. And how can you integrate these messages into your everyday life? One has to look inside one's heart for relevant, sturdy, personally fit or applicable clues to the meanings. Also, one should stay reliable because that is good for man. Be reliable to yourself first. Much rests on that - to know that should be very good for modern man.
Speaking of Lao, a good reader is supposed to give careful thought or ear to insistent messages, no matter what quarters they might have originated in at first. Over and above that, one should take the best from others - including Lao Zi - and perhaps claim some credit as well, as time goes by. But unless sound discretion is included, well - over-dramatisation may breed stale performance and so on.
In reading world class literature from ancient China, many fine keys may be sought and found through looking for them - and that's one additional option to this address. There are many renditions in English on the Internet today. Preserved key knowledge often paves the way for generations of study. If a special effort needs to be made, one should let artistry go into it. Skills that lead into artistry require no mind taming in the first place.
In reading translations of books from foreign eras and countries, there is a lesson in this: Skating over frozen water (perhaps of much accepted renditions) one is supposed to watch out for cracks anyway. Not everyone can hope for a second chance if they fall. In reading Asian philosophy books, a certain patience is perhaps needed more than briskness of dealings if there are difficulties involved in that. There is a general, great needs to take care and not always take things at face value and become insistent. The balanced mind is in repose even in reading astounding tenets from the Far East in ancient times. But superficial judgements won't suit you all the way homewards.
And if only group pressure or enforced textbook study makes one read Lao, one functions in degraded ways.
There may be some further minor or even bitter disappointments in store for you here. Ancient Daoist practices are now largely forgotten, due to historical happenings a long time ago. Many fine, pregnant ways of wording pertain to them, and are partly figurative. It's well known. It may not pay to settle on just one interpretation of a tenet from those days. There are very many good reasons. So in certain ways that are precious to humble men, to be unsettled is good, and what is good usually demands a lot too. Good things are rarely without a price. Those of precious "unsettledness" when it comes to claims and assertions that serve others and not themselves - many things may work well for them. As a hint to become unsettled if God wills you may ask: What were Lao Zi's true intentions behind what appears to be farce-like and clowning? One had better ponder a bit instead of being taken in.
Still we say: "Enjoy the feast of reading advanced primers, after all. Gifts from somewhere not far from the North Pole are coming." You may find the world is enriched by that. If you also find dear hints for evolving some of your own life-skills - good for you. It may take a handy to man to recognise another.
Over and above reading strange-looking tenets: Study well: learn to trim off non-essentials to get to the great items as they are recognisable to you. Yet there is reason to forewarn - if "forewarned is forearmed": Live consistently along with your own inwardly sensed truths and you may come to a sad end, but with much integrity intact. Yet, rise over and above that and succeed. Maybe facets of Indian tantric training could help you. but since it is a medley and not wildly welcome in Norway, we have skipped tantra teachings here. €
MAKE YOURSELF yourself receptive to the world as it really is. And if you need to rely on someone, try to rely on the best ones you find. it may not be Lao. According to legend he stayed a bit too long in his mom's womb to seem fit for that. Over sixty years! Could that be a dear sign of life-skills? [Adj 6-12]
Rugged character can be found in the school rooms or lives of lots of artists and well accomplished men and women. Preparing well for success is not having it, but then again - life is in the living all along through its stations and periods. One is meant to try to live full well and that's not little.
Remain steady if you can. Go for and cultivate real wisdom with enough hold. It may not be Lao's thoughts, but it may be such insights and skills as are implemented in the business world! And interestingly to some, perhaps, Zen is highly welcome is such circles both in the United States and other countries outside Japan. According to Dr. Daihatz Suzuki, "Dao is Zen and Zen is Dao". He also taught the famous, very good author Horace Reginald Blyth well. Advancing Zen training may be seen through this: "Agree to see, not just look". Yet we can't deny there could be something better than that in store for firmer, good women. As a matter of fact, it could be much savoury, sexual "tantra" over years, just as the Bible indicates in important places. Speaking a bit further on this subject: Fun is had by skill at times. Dao lore has its love-making manuals, and then there are other books that are nice to look into. Yet, one is meant to cultivate real wisdom with enough hold. Itæ's much rooted in skills to stay alive. That comes over and above sexual dalliance for most persons. [Jc].
Maybe the rich medley of recipes in books like the love manuals Kamasutra [See Karl] and the somewhat explanatory The Perfumed Garden by a certain sheikh seems fit in addition or on top of that again. Yet, healthy sexual intercourse requires nothing but real interest, basically. We should never refrain from that outlook in the first place, in part out of the wisdom in sayings like "First things first", "Where there is a will there is a way" - both of these were used by the Indian guru Paramahansa Yogananda too in his time. He too took to British wisdom.
If you work as a brick-layer, you should seek to be an expert in it. Then you may see that one should get rid of bogus items - all of them. For if not, maybe trimming this and that a lot to the best of your ability may not work. You may also come to realise that the happy time is a time for eating, and pleasure of eating remains throughout life no matter what Buddha said about this. He really thought pleasure is lightning quick and suffering all-lasting. Not so. The joys of having healthy, tasty meals remains with us if we steer well and have enough command. There is a need to adjust quickly - in time.
After showing that Gautama Buddha was not really right in his basic outlook on the evanscence of pleasures, you can also harvest applause from "There is much skill involved in making music, and solid pleasures in wait for those who care to find good music for their hearts and minds as well. Talent in catching musical notes and bringing them into sweet melodies is a delightful talent that birds share with us."
But this line of thinking is not new. It ties in with thinking as found in Vedic literature, that is ancient Indo-Aryan thought as found in Hindustan. Ancient works from that era happen to be regarded as the holiest of books among Hindus. And these hoary literature give examples of folks that prayed for cattle and horses again and again, lots of them. They found means to make life savoury in their time - let us hope that. And they surely tried to filter out negative things and maximise good ones. Their regulations were for that, at least ideally.
So if Gautama Buddha had accepted Vedic thinking, he could have come to appreciate these facets of the culture he was inside, the Vedic, "Pan-Indian" one. Pleasures were not denied, the world was hardly renounced in puberty-like withdrawing ways, and ardent fighting skills were much welcomed too. Besides, Vedic people ate meat and some liked living. Vegetarianism is not so bad anyway ... In order to get rid of bad encounters, very many wise men lived alone as anchorites or settled in lax, nature-allied "hermitages", ashrams. One should try to look into some deeper purpose of these things, for they can be much valuable in the right hands and in not too bad conditions.
One of the main goals in Vedic India was through the art of love, and another in finding deep, rippling joy inside oneself. None are helped by taming. We have reasons to think that. [See Fro].
But to see a lot with a Master's Eye where you are, attain your inner core and alter atrophic circumstances. [See Giant's Eye in glossary]
But what will be done with this information we have freely shared so far? Help yourself as far as you can.
There are
occasional, staggering sights, and they may cause thinking and wrong efforts unless you
gather essentials for the good life, outfit and comrades to trust
BECOMING better centred in truth involves a gain of practical wisdom in the long
run. Being good at it makes a difference. It helps to connect with loved ones again and
again where good bonds bring people together and hold good people together. Solid actions
count more than impressive words. Normally one does well in sticking to your one's
inherited, good forms and traditions. Yet there are times or occasions when one can tie in
some of them with the cream teachings of likable, other countries. We look primarily into
that sort of handed-over wisdom from ancient China, and in part ancient India, maybe
Japan. There are occasions where this brings about alarm, concern and shocks. Not all
their adaptations are like our. At times cultural encounters can lead to better views, at
other times to some self-purification and better, which is handling things
better.Anyway, one is supposed to gear up and look nice in a life, even if outright self-gratification is not thought highly of by Lao Zi. Still, very good ideas can be made use of in practical ways. And the modern society offers many rewards to guys that reveal much self-confidence, healthy or otherwise. Thus, there is no need to be naive and gullible where the wisdom and routines of excellently inspired men and women don't count a bit. Good and bad words may be counteracted, and many deeds live on.
The wise man learns to adjust so as to stay alive, come what may. At times he stabilises a little in the immediate surroundings, at other times he doesn't. What is more, great inner stability in someone may lead him to stabilise little in the immediate surroundings. It's often found in the lives of fine artists. All along, excellent simplicity is a good thing for most part. The cream of artists strive for that too, much in accordance with a saying of Johann von Goethe on the value of sound moderation.
MANY OF these pages give fine help to ponder along - but it should be within limits. Basic ideas need neat presentations, core items, and well arranged schemata (a sort of schemes). After some time of trial and error them may be locally accommodated. That means adapted and/or adapted to - more or less, in some way or ways, and so on. €
Modern man needs to see through big business-ridden tricks that make folks into fiendish consumers at last. One should be better able to see through sham, clique facades and several layers at once and into the structures of things by making right efforts to stay neutral and keep one's way of life if it fits oneself ideally, no matter what is told against it by some of those who feel they're better served otherwise. Yet, stubbornly and inadequately believing that one can get away with things through acting naively and childishly is not fit. Better stay on the safe side: Get your home and thrive in it is a message for all and sundry - one over and above an awful lot of others in the long run. Unless there is a dire need to be martyred one should do well to heed this hint.
Go for solvency over and above anything great personages like Lao Zi decrees, or the means to live on may flounder.
Speaking of ancient China and ancient lore, many over-all conditions have changed. The large society has changed. Nature is still blooming, but it is strictly lorded over by folks and men these days. It was different in times that are now long gone. If conditions change, our major adaptations have to change. It's that difficult. Yet, some basic arrangements from ancient India and China could be fit - it means: they could help prosperous, handy deals and ways at large. Let there be no doubt about that, and that larger realities bring about brand new perspectives too.
Besides, there are many conform ways. Not all ways and good ways, not all ways that are called bad are bad anyway, or really. Now, much depends on the setting and its influences, less on the scenery. There is no real need to acclimatise a new seed if the local ones are up to snuff and work full well - except for a felt need to preserve variety, good variety. That is legal. Good thoughts may enlarge one's perspective. You see it growing as the alarm over lost biological variety increases as the rain forests dwindle by shameless enterprises in our days.
One should have very pretty things to look at, and women find their values in things like that. To master things is greater than hearing of them. To look pretty yourself and marry rich may lead you into a good house and garden. That's how life is in general. Basically, good study helps too, and many white-collar shady deals - but we happen to refrain from that due to enlarged perspectives.
We also suggest that you learn to care for your valid possessions. They won't care for you, but are rather sure to help and assist you as time goes by. Till your old age, save money and assets to be on the safer side if that can be done. You may not know what degrading circumstances that set in next unless you do that. Be well prepared ahead of the troubled times, and do what you can for it, is the counsel. But what appears to be good for facades and money-served business only, is too shallow and cramped for a tiger and also for a good man. Futile pretences won't help. But please some of those of your own spheres, to have your heart there.
Conditions have changed. Live with them. In murky waters ahead.
Better
schooling often stems from or ties in with detachment, and aloofness is a
danger
UP TO A certain point general counsel can help or assist you. From that point on,
you need personal guidance and better schooling, is the bet. It could also help to remain
uninvolved, if that is fair and fit.
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