http://www.centertao.org taoism, taoist thought, buddha, yoga, tai chi, shakuhachi, Wed, 01 Feb 2012 21:57:36 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en As a child, I recall marveling at how everything seemed to work so well. The logistics blew my mind—even though I didn't know that was the word for it. I also worried how the powers-that-be dealt with all the sewage and garbage my hometown produced. I am still awed that 'it' ... http://www.centertao.org/blog/2012/02/01/really-have-we-no-clue/ Some say "love" is the greatest word they know. Others say "God". Various words have been favorites of mine over the years, but "why" is the greatest for me. So I must ask myself, why continue posting these observations? It's certainly not for money. Is it for fame? I actually ... http://www.centertao.org/blog/2012/01/17/why/ [caption id="attachment_6472" align="alignleft" width="203" caption="Me, age 3, actually fishing... sort of."][/caption] The fish are biting and I'm reeling 'em in, I'm just not posting 'em. Posting requires so much clean up to make 'em fit for reading. Finishing the last chapter of the Tao Te Ching was the catalyst I guess I ... http://www.centertao.org/blog/2011/12/10/gone-fishin-back-soon/ ≈ Click Here for Translation & Commentary ≈ Check One Off the Bucket List This is chapter 81, the last chapter of the Tao Te Ching. My journey on this Taoist path began almost 50 years ago in Vietnam, as did my learning to read and write Chinese. Over the ... http://www.centertao.org/blog/2011/11/18/chapter-of-the-week-81/ Karl Marx had is wrong. It is prosperity, not religion, which is the opiate of the masses. The United States has experienced decades of surefire prosperity. Most have lived their whole lives accustomed to what is actually a historically rare era of unusual affluence. Now, much of the population is going ... http://www.centertao.org/blog/2011/11/04/an-opiate-of-the-masses/ I sometimes wonder why rich people often keep upping the anti, buying increasingly more expensive things. It follows a progression I first noticed when I experienced my own wealth upgrade after arriving in Japan (see Peaches and Pleasure). It is a fact of life; we soon convert any upgrade in ... http://www.centertao.org/blog/2011/11/04/the-wealthy-poor/ ≈ Click Here for Translation & Commentary ≈ Dreaming the Way Last night I dreamt I was explaining the 'way' to a group of people.  I was talking to someone and other people overhearing us actively started listening and asking questions. My smooth and coherent delivery felt unusually satisfying. That's ... http://www.centertao.org/blog/2011/10/31/chapter-of-the-week-80/ For years, up until my early forties, I was drunk on thought fortified with the certainty of belief. Fortunately for me, I found a way to help detoxify myself, but it is still a moment-by-moment affair. Recovering alcoholics continue to say, “I’m an alcoholic”, even as they stay on the straight ... http://www.centertao.org/blog/2011/10/24/sobering-up/ I have always been a 'more is better' kind of person. I see that trait in most others so I figure I am normal. However, I have always pushed the 'more' to the limit, often to the breaking point. So, I imagine in this regard I am less normal. Becoming ... http://www.centertao.org/blog/2011/10/21/oh-my-aching-bones/ ≈ Click Here for Translation & Commentary ≈ The Utility of Knowing What You Don't Know What an odd thing to say. Yet, I don't know how else to say it, so here is an example: For about ten years now, son Luke and I have been fleshing out a ... http://www.centertao.org/blog/2011/10/19/chapter-of-the-week-79/