Altruism is a theory. If one is to pursue anything, let it be that member of the opposite sex that completes them. That way, in doing for themself, they do for the other and true oneness is obtained for true love, the core of happiness, is the meaning of life if there is to be one :D In such a way, one overcomes the natural and neutral state of selfishness that life that is sentient uses by being rather than lying and denying.
this quote reminds me of Dumbledore when he told Harry: It is not our abilities that make us what we truly are, it is our choices. Everyone has thought something horrible nasty and selfish before, its ok to acknowledge that part of the self, and not be afraid of it, or ashamed, all we need do is chose not to act upon it. no need to stress out.
@yacket Indeed. Wisdom not confined to just one teaching, art or religion. The truth is only the truth when it can be seen everywhere and by all people - even in mainstream film. That has been my experience anyway. (Alias YinYangNature)
life as we see it is full of happynes but without life we see darknes in are self but fear is like darknes we walk in fear of darknes happynes in life like a flower blossing but life is more pressly than ever but no breath no life no life no breath the power in you is the power of your heart and soul around you and other resecpt all living thing around you the are my wisdow on life
"Of course trying to defeat evil, whether real or imagined, is the cause of most of the conflict in our world today. Although we are quick to judge the actions of others as evil, we are often unable to see the malevolence that resides within ourselves. Yet it is only by accepting this negative aspect of ourselves we are able to see the benevolent side of our adversaries. This is the beginning of genuine compassion and the only way we will ever realise a lasting peace. "
True, and they will have a long journey. For the love they seek is inside our very own hearts. We judge others because we judge ourselves; we can never accept an others love until we can accept and love our own true self. Namaste.
It is about choice. Isn't it? Although I've never seen the world in such a dichotomy as good versus evil, there is plenty to be said about a world where individuals are fulfilling their own secret needs.
If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of their own heart?"
Alexander Solzhenitsyn.
I have learned silence from the talkative; tolerance from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet, strange, I am ungrateful to those teachers.
Solzhenitsyn's words are so powerful in this age gripped by fundamentalism and terrorism.
I heard someone say that what characterizes a fundamentalist most is projecting evil away from oneself onto another, for example, someone who believes that dropping an atom bomb on Iran would "fix things", or another example being al-Qaeda soldier believing that all Americans are evil and worthy of destruction.
I wish heads of state would remember the nature of evil before declaring "War on Terror".
I like your definition of 'fundamentalism.' It doesn't quite encompass and explain the whole of the concept, or fully address the (seemingly universal) attitudes and outlooks that drive the behavior, but does take a large step towards defining what is going on.
@geonerd Well, to define exactly what fundamentalism is and why it's such a problem in this day and age would take a nice, thick research paper to answer. But thank-you for the compliment on my half-baked explanation in any case. :)
@datalal624 Fundamentalism is the belief utopia can be achieved by the strict adherence of code. This code can be derived from divine intervention or experiences, but the result is always the same..Fascism. Yet when physicists look at that which is the most fundamental, the deep subatomic, they have found no certainty at all. All we can ever know is probability, but there are no absolute truths. Therefore Nature is flexible, while we are ignorantly trying to make everything better by rigidity.
@yinyangnature Well, that's a pretty apt definition, I'd say. I like how you expanded "fundamentalism" to include any kind of rigid, code-based thinking, not just the religious kind. By this definition, anyone who lives by fear and absolutes can be a fundamentalist. Correct?
@datalal624 The recent climate summit was an example of monetary fundamentalism. Its evident our environment is quickly dying & yet we heard no talk of renewable energy. All that came from Copenhagen was a continuing commitment to fossil fuel and tax. This is simply because fossil fuel are the bases of our global economy. The US dollar is the worlds base currency and it derives most of its value from oil. Only highly irrational people would put our corrupt economic system before our planet.
@yinyangnature Pardon me, but on my simple understanding the absolute truth does exist. It is hidden but yet obvious on your explanation as this saying goes "there is nothing remain unchange in this world but the change itself."
Probability, uncertainty, flexibility, on my humble opinion are just view words to express the true absolute. Like the bible says, there is time for everything under heaven....meaning there is always ever-changing circumstances in our live. let's be in harmony with it.
@tomjohn1817 Indeed, the words we use will always be inadequate as they are derived from sensory awareness and not of the spectrum beyond.
It may surprise you that the Biblical book Ecclesiastes parallels the Yin-Yang of the ancient Taoist text "Tao Te Ching".
Of course there are many ways to define absolute truth, but if we were to define it as the fundamental essence; we must look to quantum physics. Here it has been found that reality is actually energy in a unity of vast emptiness.
We cannot fight evil in ourselves, but can we fight evil in others? If others do evil deeds, are we to try to stop them or ignore them? Does it not make us hypocrites if we do not fight our own evil, but fight others evil? But if we do not try to stop the evil that certain people spread, wouldn't that allow evil to grow unchecked? And isn't a man who understands that we can only be good because we can be evil, yet chooses to be evil, more dangerous than anything else?
Who decides what is "evil"? the law? You? what is considered evil to one man, may be considered good to another. For example, it is considered evil to kill a man, but if that man were trying to kill 100,000 other men, wouldn't it be considered good to kill him? But what if those men, were going to kill 1 mil? There are no absolutes, and those that try to use them, to hold people to "the letter of the law" may in themselves even be doing evil, even though their motives may be for doing good.
I agree, Zatoichi444, but may i ask you this, do you think "evil" is the suffering we cause, and "good" the happyness and peace we create. I do agree that in people they can cause suffering by thinking what they are doing is good, it explains how some people do the things they do.
Badboy3455...I don't have an answer....after all...evil and good are just words....and there is no true definition of either....it is different for every person....I think the best thing is to do what you believe you should do...and only do that which you feel is absolutely necessary in your own mind. Other than that, I really don't have an answer. We are all just "hurtling" through this world...with no owners manual. So we have to just play the game the best we can and try to get through it.
I think the problem is we look for a single truth, but there are many. Its true good and evil are just words, it is also true that the physical actions of man which are labeled by these words are not words as they are physical interactions. All we know is we are here, that we can be happy, we all want to be happy but we go about it in different ways. We don't know why suffering does not bring us happyness or why peace does not bring people death, why life is the way it is.
so true....someone told me the key is to neither take pleasure in happiness...nor be upset by sorrow...maybe that's true...but it's damn hard to achieve....I'll keep trying though....as I'm sure you will too..treat people well and generally they will treat you well back...but not always...if they don't, let them go...who knows what goes on in another persons head? I sure don't!...haha..good luck!
@Zatoichi444 - You know when somebody is being a bully and the victim acts more as a victim. The bully is bullying even more and the victim is more of a victim. I don't find peace in giving to any kind of polarity strength or weakness. But I do notice that whatever we belive, think, do or say - we become it. So for me it's more of what do I'm becoming. We are becoming all that we are allowing - consciously or not - but 99% is just automatic (as some say subconscious and I call it dishonest xD).
I don't know...I don't pretend to know....all I do know is that I see people being bullied every day....and some of them let it pass....some of them don't....who is right? I really don't know..
@Zatoichi444 There is no right and there is no wrong. There only is. Right and wrong, are perspectives. They are complements, like Yin and Yang. But Benevolence is a virtue of martial arts. If it behooves you, try casting your ego aside, and instead of pitying the victims of such hostility, give to them kindness and warmth. Compassion and Benevolence. Remember.
A swordsman asked an ancient Sage, "Does Heaven and Hell exist?" The Sage asked, "Who are you?" "A swordsman," said the warrior. The Sage then said, "Really, the way you look I thought you were a beggar or a thief." The swordsman, enraged, drew his sword. The Sage said, "You have entered the gates of Hell." The swordsman understanding the lesson withdrew his sword and bowed before the ancient Sage. "You have entered the gates of Heaven,' said the Sage. Namaste.
@jessealvarezboca I hope you dont find yourself opening ur eyes in hell when u died. HELL & HEAVEN IS A REALITY, IT EXIST. JUST LIKE PEOPLE EXIST. WHEN U DIED UR SOUL GOES 2 HEAVEN IF U ACCEPT JESUS AS YOUR LORD & SAVIOUR. IF U DONT U GO 2 HELL. JESUS IS THE PERFECT LAM OF GOD, THE ALPHA & THE OMEGA, OUR DELIVERER, SAVIOUR / REDEEMER THAT DIED 4 UR & MY SINS ON THE CROSS SO THAT WE CAN BE SAVED FROM HELL AND ON THIS EARTH THAT CAN HAVE PEACE IN OUR LIVES.
@7Jesucristosetsufree That's good if those beliefs work for you. But you come off as like you're trying to push those beliefs on everyone else as if everyone else's beliefs are wrong. That is not a good path to walk. It only leads to struggle. It's misguided to think one particular religion is the right way and all the others are wrong. I hope you watch more of these Tao videos and learn something from them like I have been, instead of preaching. There's infinite wisdom here in the Tao.
Why do you Christians say Jesus is the son of man? Why do you Christians say Jesus is the fullfilment of the Old Testament? This is from the Old Testament, the book of Numbes 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Here is more proof that Jesus is a prophet of God, and not the son of man. This is from the book of Hosea 11:9 For I am God, and not man. Who is the greatest, the created, or the creator? Jesus was a man, God is ever lasting.
@macktheknife888 bEACAUSE ITS THE TRUTH: GOD IS FATHER, SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT. JUST LIKE U R 3IN 1. BODY, MIND & SOUL. JESUS IS GOD'S SON. GOD HIMSELF. THE PROBLEM IS THAT TAKE THE BIBLE OUT OF ITS CONTEST. THE OLD TESTEMENT IS WRITTEN ABOUT THE FULFILMENT OF CHRIST. IF U DONT BELIEF IN JESUS AS THE SAVIOUR OF MEN KIND, THE ONLY WAY TO THE FAATHER THEN UR NOT GETTING TO HEAVEN. BECAUSE JESUS IS NOT A PROPHET BUT GOD'S SON, JESUS IS GOD. ACCEPT HIM & HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.
@macktheknife888@macktheknife888 bEACAUSE ITS THE TRUTH: GOD IS FATHER, SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT. JUST LIKE U R 3IN 1. BODY, MIND & SOUL. JESUS IS GOD'S SON. GOD HIMSELF. THE PROBLEM IS THAT TAKE THE BIBLE OUT OF ITS CONTEST. THE OLD TESTEMENT IS WRITTEN ABOUT THE FULFILMENT OF CHRIST. IF U DONT BELIEF IN JESUS AS THE SAVIOUR OF MEN KIND, THE ONLY WAY TO THE FAATHER THEN UR NOT GETTING TO HEAVEN. BECAUSE JESUS IS NOT A PROPHET BUT GOD'S SON, JESUS IS GOD. ACCEPT HIM & HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.
@7Jesucristosetsufree I am confused your reasoning for a lofty existence is that we need to blindly follow the teachings of a prophet without question. If not we are tortured. If your sky-god is truly benevolent as you preach he would not allow such a thing. Why would a being who is said to love unconditionally just go around to hate judge and condemn? And even then how do you know if you are right? Other believe they are right in their faith, who are to say they are wrong?
@macktheknife888@macktheknife888 bEACAUSE ITS THE TRUTH: GOD IS FATHER, SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT. JUST LIKE U R 3IN 1. BODY, MIND & SOUL. JESUS IS GOD'S SON. GOD HIMSELF. THE PROBLEM IS THAT TAKE THE BIBLE OUT OF ITS CONTEST. THE OLD TESTEMENT IS WRITTEN ABOUT THE FULFILMENT OF CHRIST. IF U DONT BELIEF IN JESUS AS THE SAVIOUR OF MEN KIND, THE ONLY WAY TO THE FAATHER THEN UR NOT GETTING TO HEAVEN. BECAUSE JESUS IS NOT A PROPHET BUT GOD'S SON, JESUS IS GOD. ACCEPT HIM & HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.
You over complicated this. All you have to do is choose, your choice may gain you something but cause suffering to another, there is a consequence for an action which leads to suffering, but you just choose. If you see another person cause suffering, you make a choice, you can undo the damage done without having to get angry or surrendering to hatred. Be kind, be happy, if you have to then you defend yourself, without holding a grudge or being overconfident or arrogant.
It is from this series that began my journey of myself. I began to questioned my beliefs, traditions and social stereotypes. When I asked myself and others "why". Why must I be this way or that. I learned that there is no answer. It just IS. When I discovered this, I found peace. I am what I am and nothing more than the sum of my evolution of self awareness. I know the middle path and I have tried to walk it every day. I do sometimes hear the grasshopper at my feet. Thank you.
As a young 15 year old I saw the program and went on to study the Praying Mantis system...overcame my fear of the dark and am not afraid to enter the ultimate level at old age.
Bless all....and I have never had to employ my martial arts skills.
Never lonely,never in pain,never angry never hungry,never depressed.
It's great to see someone else also placing the great scenes from Kung Fu onto Youtube! Each scene is a great Ch'an teaching and very much needed in this very confused world. Well done my friend!
We all have the freedom to choose which emotions we will embrace. I used to believe I could "vent" anger like opening a steam valve. But doing so did not release anger, it stoked it, like pouring gas on a fire. All that was left was more anger and miserable feelings. The more I drank from that cup, the larger the cup became and the more anger flowed out of it, washing away all of the peace and contentment in my life.
Anger is always the problem; it is never the solution.
Sometimes we get angry because we feel we are receiving more than our fair share of suffering. But this is just an illusion of the ego. If we don't miss the lesson as most do, we receive the suffering we need to make us wiser, stronger and more compassionate.
Like most absolute statements, also this one is not the truth: "Anger is always the problem; it is never the solution.".
Anger is the intermediate solution for the depressed en numbed oppressed.
By being angry for the first time instead of seeing no opportunity to escape suffering, a change is made. That phase is not to be ignored. It's a step in resolving the conflict to get wiser, stronger and more compassionate.
Welcome and thank you for your very wise contribution my friend.
I agree that anger maybe the catalyst to a final position of wisdom. But unfortunately it's more often the catalyst for aggression and retribution.
The point I was trying to make is that wisdom can never be found whilst in the grip of anger. Anger is the ego at its very worst and a point more distant from p'u (one's Natural and intuitive self) can not be found.
Not likely, but I'm happy to give you the benefit of doubt.
I know every time I attempt to portray Taoism in words, I'm trying to achieve something the Taoist sages warned was impossible. Therefore I avoid debates over English language semantics.
I just hope people read what I write recalling the words of the sage Chuang Tzu:
"Words exist because of meaning; once you've got the meaning, you can forget the words. Where can I find a man who has forgotten words so I can have a word with him?"
I agree but everyones angry only every time you lose your temper it gets harder for you to lose your temper the scound time round if you learn from experience then next time u will have a clear mind not clouded with aggression.
In my limited experience I found that tryin to get rid of anger forcefully never works.Just accept it,BUT never dwell on it.Dwelling on anger is like holding a fist-full of hot coals:the person who suffers most is yourself. Acceptance of anything allows a calmer state of mind to prevail,then one can analyse where the anger comes from.If one looks hard enough,you see there's nothing to be angry about.Thus wisdom can come from anger, but as you rightly say - not whilst in an angry state.
One cannot obtain wisdom from anger without having the type of mind which wishes to absorb positivity from every aspect and experience of life. You cannot learn and grow without wishing to learn and grow. Anger, therefore is only useful to those who can learn not to be angry from it. Otherwise it remains an act of ignorance, fuelling further suffering...
Please add more videos yinyangnature, they're great. Thank you! :-)
Imagine hearing people doing the "grasshopper" routine and not realising you were the one who played the part of young Caine? This seems a testament to the wonderful temple scenes, that they have remained firmly in people's psyche. A friend of mine once called me "grasshopper", yet she was too young to have ever seen an episode of Kung Fu. I recently gave her a DVD set of Kung Fu for her birthday. That's the last time she will call me "grasshopper" without also faking cataract blindness! :-)
Wow, thank you again for posting this clip. The videos you post, and all the comments that people leave have such a positive influence on my life. Thank you everyone!
"He who fights monsters must take care lest he become a monster. When you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche.
Self-knowledge can be a troubling thing, in the absence of self-understanding. Much like fearing one's own shadow, without taking comfort in the light of the candle behind one which casts it, it is a state of disharmony. Only by realizing one's place between the light and the shadow may one experience the balance between them. =^[.]^=
I must admit I don't know much about Western philosophy, but Friedrich Nietzsche seems to have been very switched on.
The philosopher Alan Watts one said that trying to define one's self is like trying to bite our own teeth. We are always a mystery to ourselves.
It's a beautiful metaphor you paint with the balance between light and shadow. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and again sorry for unintentionally deleting your post. "Reply" and "Remove" are located too close to each other.
You seem to have had no difficulty reconstituting my comment, my friend, for which I am glad. As for the accidental deletion, no apology is necessary, as we are all of us human, and occasionally prove it to ourselves in small ways. Namaste. =^[.]^=
Thank you for your understanding. I reconstructed it from the automated Youtube email I get alerting me that someone had left a comment.
I'm human all right. I recently dated a lady who said to me, "I can't understand how you can write so elegantly, but in day to day life you are such a klutz!" I think I've got to stop dating women with narcissistic personality disorder. :-)
Very profound commentary on a thought-provoking scene! I especially liked this part:
"Yet it is only by accepting this negative aspect of ourselves we are able to see the benevolent side of our adversaries. This is the beginning of genuine compassion and the only way we will ever realise a lasting peace."
Thanks Chris. I based this on personal experience. If someone behaves aggressively towards me, I attempt to understand what I did to bring on such a response. Maybe the situation can be resolved by changing my behaviour. If not I try to evaluate what's going on in that person's life that may have contributed to the confrontation and offer a sympathetic ear. However, if the aggression continues there's often nothing we can do but to withdraw and pity someone with so much internal torment.
Brilliantly chosen clip I have long loved the work of William Blake ( who perhps was a follower of Tao himself? Man was made for Joy & Woe; And when this we rightly know Thro' the World we safely go. Joy & Woe are woven fine, A Clothing for the Soul divine; Under every grief & pine Runs a joy with silken twine. Your videos are now circulating france too! Namasté Nik
I would rather say : "One cannot feel HOPE unless one can also feel despair". Isn't JOY, as our true nature, above all duality ? Despair is the opposite of hope, unhappiness is the opposite of happiness, but true joy (= joy without cause - if not it is just happiness) has no opposite, because it is the only "emotion" where there is "nobody" to feel it when it is.
The non-duality is the Tao, the great emptiness that gives rise to our existence. However the Tao keeps balance with the forces of polar opposites, the yin and the yang.
Another way of looking at it is remembering that everything is a vibration or at least at alternation. The Tao is the membrane at the ground state (zero point energy) that encapsulates the entire Universe. The membrane vibrates both positively and negatively creating a myriad of things.
This is a nice one. I really liked the comment about the "threads" of our human nature being "two ended". It put a picture in my mind of the continuum of our nature. Our capacity for good and evil and yet the choice we all have act on either. (or not act, .. wu wei)
Exactly, and following Wu Wei (going with the flow of Nature) it is in our own interest and it is much easier to always behave altruistically. Malevolence is damn hard work and that's why it is well said, "There is no rest for the wicked."
I thought I may also mention Buddha said evil is a shadow that is always following us.
Namaste my friend! It's great to meet one who also walks the Path.
There are good and evil ; now you say the good is the "best" choice because it is easier. So it proves that the Good is our true nature (and THAT is the true reason why we can distinguish evil from good). Then, can we talk of a "big Good" above the duality of (little) good and evil ?
Good is our true Nature as it is with all the animals. But we also have to be aware of our true Nature to be able to recognise this. I meet many people who believe humans are selfish and deceitful by Nature; but we wouldn't have got this far as a species if this was the case. The problem is that our culture teaches us that to be successful we must control those around us and this is a fallacy. True happiness can only come from altruism, understanding, acceptance and ultimately dying content.
Thank you, and I want to say a very public thank you for setting me straight and putting me on the path. (with the wonderful writing on your website) Never have I seen the path expressed more aptly yet simply and clearly. Namaste!
The YIN. And YAInG of life
Jackupnow 3 months ago
choose what tho? not to do it?
jamesarongray 4 months ago
Altruism is a theory. If one is to pursue anything, let it be that member of the opposite sex that completes them. That way, in doing for themself, they do for the other and true oneness is obtained for true love, the core of happiness, is the meaning of life if there is to be one :D In such a way, one overcomes the natural and neutral state of selfishness that life that is sentient uses by being rather than lying and denying.
wiggalama 4 months ago
is that justin bieber?
coolermah 6 months ago
If you love life, don't waste time, for time is what life is made up of.
Bruce Lee
Dan4USCTroy 8 months ago
I am forever beginning to understand.... HolySmoke!!
younwhosarmy 10 months ago
this quote reminds me of Dumbledore when he told Harry: It is not our abilities that make us what we truly are, it is our choices. Everyone has thought something horrible nasty and selfish before, its ok to acknowledge that part of the self, and not be afraid of it, or ashamed, all we need do is chose not to act upon it. no need to stress out.
yacket 1 year ago
@yacket Indeed. Wisdom not confined to just one teaching, art or religion. The truth is only the truth when it can be seen everywhere and by all people - even in mainstream film. That has been my experience anyway. (Alias YinYangNature)
TaoFAQ 1 year ago
I'm blown away by this
morningbirdfeeder 1 year ago
uhmm my
kkdecara 1 year ago
life as we see it is full of happynes but without life we see darknes in are self but fear is like darknes we walk in fear of darknes happynes in life like a flower blossing but life is more pressly than ever but no breath no life no life no breath the power in you is the power of your heart and soul around you and other resecpt all living thing around you the are my wisdow on life
619nwohollywoodholl 1 year ago
"Of course trying to defeat evil, whether real or imagined, is the cause of most of the conflict in our world today. Although we are quick to judge the actions of others as evil, we are often unable to see the malevolence that resides within ourselves. Yet it is only by accepting this negative aspect of ourselves we are able to see the benevolent side of our adversaries. This is the beginning of genuine compassion and the only way we will ever realise a lasting peace. "
harebellish 1 year ago
Very very wise words my friend.
TaoFAQ 1 year ago
Woo Woo Woo
I am reflecting myself through these vedios.
Thanks
TheArvino 2 years ago
excellent thought to ponder upon, excellelnt,
bravo great vid
jade
jadeamazon 2 years ago 2
Some very good philosophy here.
Whyisthat101 2 years ago
<3 <3 <3 seasen 2,in my pc soon. I hope the DVD-box fall in my mail-box to day..
lovestrength 2 years ago
if one does not recieve love
they will try and seek it
in other ways
subtlesuperpower1 2 years ago
True, and they will have a long journey. For the love they seek is inside our very own hearts. We judge others because we judge ourselves; we can never accept an others love until we can accept and love our own true self. Namaste.
jessealvarezboca 2 years ago
plz explain me what this bald guyw as trying to say...
memokk 2 years ago
It is about choice. Isn't it? Although I've never seen the world in such a dichotomy as good versus evil, there is plenty to be said about a world where individuals are fulfilling their own secret needs.
cutis1000 2 years ago
very true
WeLoveAlexJones 2 years ago
words of wisdom right there
inbredagogo 2 years ago 3
If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of their own heart?"
Alexander Solzhenitsyn.
I have learned silence from the talkative; tolerance from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet, strange, I am ungrateful to those teachers.
Kahlil Gibran.
yinyangnature 2 years ago
Solzhenitsyn's words are so powerful in this age gripped by fundamentalism and terrorism.
I heard someone say that what characterizes a fundamentalist most is projecting evil away from oneself onto another, for example, someone who believes that dropping an atom bomb on Iran would "fix things", or another example being al-Qaeda soldier believing that all Americans are evil and worthy of destruction.
I wish heads of state would remember the nature of evil before declaring "War on Terror".
datalal624 1 year ago
Thank you for you very wise words!
yinyangnature 1 year ago
@datalal624
I like your definition of 'fundamentalism.' It doesn't quite encompass and explain the whole of the concept, or fully address the (seemingly universal) attitudes and outlooks that drive the behavior, but does take a large step towards defining what is going on.
geonerd 1 year ago
@geonerd Well, to define exactly what fundamentalism is and why it's such a problem in this day and age would take a nice, thick research paper to answer. But thank-you for the compliment on my half-baked explanation in any case. :)
datalal624 1 year ago
@datalal624 Fundamentalism is the belief utopia can be achieved by the strict adherence of code. This code can be derived from divine intervention or experiences, but the result is always the same..Fascism. Yet when physicists look at that which is the most fundamental, the deep subatomic, they have found no certainty at all. All we can ever know is probability, but there are no absolute truths. Therefore Nature is flexible, while we are ignorantly trying to make everything better by rigidity.
yinyangnature 1 year ago
@yinyangnature Well, that's a pretty apt definition, I'd say. I like how you expanded "fundamentalism" to include any kind of rigid, code-based thinking, not just the religious kind. By this definition, anyone who lives by fear and absolutes can be a fundamentalist. Correct?
datalal624 1 year ago
@datalal624 The recent climate summit was an example of monetary fundamentalism. Its evident our environment is quickly dying & yet we heard no talk of renewable energy. All that came from Copenhagen was a continuing commitment to fossil fuel and tax. This is simply because fossil fuel are the bases of our global economy. The US dollar is the worlds base currency and it derives most of its value from oil. Only highly irrational people would put our corrupt economic system before our planet.
yinyangnature 1 year ago
@yinyangnature Pardon me, but on my simple understanding the absolute truth does exist. It is hidden but yet obvious on your explanation as this saying goes "there is nothing remain unchange in this world but the change itself."
Probability, uncertainty, flexibility, on my humble opinion are just view words to express the true absolute. Like the bible says, there is time for everything under heaven....meaning there is always ever-changing circumstances in our live. let's be in harmony with it.
tomjohn1817 1 year ago
@tomjohn1817 Indeed, the words we use will always be inadequate as they are derived from sensory awareness and not of the spectrum beyond.
It may surprise you that the Biblical book Ecclesiastes parallels the Yin-Yang of the ancient Taoist text "Tao Te Ching".
Of course there are many ways to define absolute truth, but if we were to define it as the fundamental essence; we must look to quantum physics. Here it has been found that reality is actually energy in a unity of vast emptiness.
yinyangnature 1 year ago 2
We cannot fight evil in ourselves, but can we fight evil in others? If others do evil deeds, are we to try to stop them or ignore them? Does it not make us hypocrites if we do not fight our own evil, but fight others evil? But if we do not try to stop the evil that certain people spread, wouldn't that allow evil to grow unchecked? And isn't a man who understands that we can only be good because we can be evil, yet chooses to be evil, more dangerous than anything else?
brothir 2 years ago
Who decides what is "evil"? the law? You? what is considered evil to one man, may be considered good to another. For example, it is considered evil to kill a man, but if that man were trying to kill 100,000 other men, wouldn't it be considered good to kill him? But what if those men, were going to kill 1 mil? There are no absolutes, and those that try to use them, to hold people to "the letter of the law" may in themselves even be doing evil, even though their motives may be for doing good.
Zatoichi444 2 years ago
I agree, Zatoichi444, but may i ask you this, do you think "evil" is the suffering we cause, and "good" the happyness and peace we create. I do agree that in people they can cause suffering by thinking what they are doing is good, it explains how some people do the things they do.
badboy3455 2 years ago
Badboy3455...I don't have an answer....after all...evil and good are just words....and there is no true definition of either....it is different for every person....I think the best thing is to do what you believe you should do...and only do that which you feel is absolutely necessary in your own mind. Other than that, I really don't have an answer. We are all just "hurtling" through this world...with no owners manual. So we have to just play the game the best we can and try to get through it.
Zatoichi444 2 years ago
I think the problem is we look for a single truth, but there are many. Its true good and evil are just words, it is also true that the physical actions of man which are labeled by these words are not words as they are physical interactions. All we know is we are here, that we can be happy, we all want to be happy but we go about it in different ways. We don't know why suffering does not bring us happyness or why peace does not bring people death, why life is the way it is.
badboy3455 2 years ago
so true....someone told me the key is to neither take pleasure in happiness...nor be upset by sorrow...maybe that's true...but it's damn hard to achieve....I'll keep trying though....as I'm sure you will too..treat people well and generally they will treat you well back...but not always...if they don't, let them go...who knows what goes on in another persons head? I sure don't!...haha..good luck!
Zatoichi444 2 years ago
@Zatoichi444 - You know when somebody is being a bully and the victim acts more as a victim. The bully is bullying even more and the victim is more of a victim. I don't find peace in giving to any kind of polarity strength or weakness. But I do notice that whatever we belive, think, do or say - we become it. So for me it's more of what do I'm becoming. We are becoming all that we are allowing - consciously or not - but 99% is just automatic (as some say subconscious and I call it dishonest xD).
lalijan21 2 years ago
I don't know...I don't pretend to know....all I do know is that I see people being bullied every day....and some of them let it pass....some of them don't....who is right? I really don't know..
Zatoichi444 2 years ago 13
@Zatoichi444 There is no right and there is no wrong. There only is. Right and wrong, are perspectives. They are complements, like Yin and Yang. But Benevolence is a virtue of martial arts. If it behooves you, try casting your ego aside, and instead of pitying the victims of such hostility, give to them kindness and warmth. Compassion and Benevolence. Remember.
sickness324 5 months ago
@Zatoichi444 Then think of it this way if you were the bully and or the victim who would be hurting more?
DaveTheSamurai 4 months ago
A swordsman asked an ancient Sage, "Does Heaven and Hell exist?" The Sage asked, "Who are you?" "A swordsman," said the warrior. The Sage then said, "Really, the way you look I thought you were a beggar or a thief." The swordsman, enraged, drew his sword. The Sage said, "You have entered the gates of Hell." The swordsman understanding the lesson withdrew his sword and bowed before the ancient Sage. "You have entered the gates of Heaven,' said the Sage. Namaste.
jessealvarezboca 2 years ago 36
@jessealvarezboca I hope you dont find yourself opening ur eyes in hell when u died. HELL & HEAVEN IS A REALITY, IT EXIST. JUST LIKE PEOPLE EXIST. WHEN U DIED UR SOUL GOES 2 HEAVEN IF U ACCEPT JESUS AS YOUR LORD & SAVIOUR. IF U DONT U GO 2 HELL. JESUS IS THE PERFECT LAM OF GOD, THE ALPHA & THE OMEGA, OUR DELIVERER, SAVIOUR / REDEEMER THAT DIED 4 UR & MY SINS ON THE CROSS SO THAT WE CAN BE SAVED FROM HELL AND ON THIS EARTH THAT CAN HAVE PEACE IN OUR LIVES.
JESUS IS THE PRINCE OF PEACE!!
7Jesucristosetsufree 1 year ago
@7Jesucristosetsufree That's good if those beliefs work for you. But you come off as like you're trying to push those beliefs on everyone else as if everyone else's beliefs are wrong. That is not a good path to walk. It only leads to struggle. It's misguided to think one particular religion is the right way and all the others are wrong. I hope you watch more of these Tao videos and learn something from them like I have been, instead of preaching. There's infinite wisdom here in the Tao.
TroutButter 1 year ago 3
Why do you Christians say Jesus is the son of man? Why do you Christians say Jesus is the fullfilment of the Old Testament? This is from the Old Testament, the book of Numbes 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Here is more proof that Jesus is a prophet of God, and not the son of man. This is from the book of Hosea 11:9 For I am God, and not man. Who is the greatest, the created, or the creator? Jesus was a man, God is ever lasting.
macktheknife888 1 year ago
@macktheknife888 bEACAUSE ITS THE TRUTH: GOD IS FATHER, SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT. JUST LIKE U R 3IN 1. BODY, MIND & SOUL. JESUS IS GOD'S SON. GOD HIMSELF. THE PROBLEM IS THAT TAKE THE BIBLE OUT OF ITS CONTEST. THE OLD TESTEMENT IS WRITTEN ABOUT THE FULFILMENT OF CHRIST. IF U DONT BELIEF IN JESUS AS THE SAVIOUR OF MEN KIND, THE ONLY WAY TO THE FAATHER THEN UR NOT GETTING TO HEAVEN. BECAUSE JESUS IS NOT A PROPHET BUT GOD'S SON, JESUS IS GOD. ACCEPT HIM & HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.
7Jesucristosetsufree 9 months ago
@macktheknife888 @macktheknife888 bEACAUSE ITS THE TRUTH: GOD IS FATHER, SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT. JUST LIKE U R 3IN 1. BODY, MIND & SOUL. JESUS IS GOD'S SON. GOD HIMSELF. THE PROBLEM IS THAT TAKE THE BIBLE OUT OF ITS CONTEST. THE OLD TESTEMENT IS WRITTEN ABOUT THE FULFILMENT OF CHRIST. IF U DONT BELIEF IN JESUS AS THE SAVIOUR OF MEN KIND, THE ONLY WAY TO THE FAATHER THEN UR NOT GETTING TO HEAVEN. BECAUSE JESUS IS NOT A PROPHET BUT GOD'S SON, JESUS IS GOD. ACCEPT HIM & HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.
7Jesucristosetsufree 9 months ago
@7Jesucristosetsufree I am confused your reasoning for a lofty existence is that we need to blindly follow the teachings of a prophet without question. If not we are tortured. If your sky-god is truly benevolent as you preach he would not allow such a thing. Why would a being who is said to love unconditionally just go around to hate judge and condemn? And even then how do you know if you are right? Other believe they are right in their faith, who are to say they are wrong?
gank771 1 month ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@macktheknife888 @macktheknife888 bEACAUSE ITS THE TRUTH: GOD IS FATHER, SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT. JUST LIKE U R 3IN 1. BODY, MIND & SOUL. JESUS IS GOD'S SON. GOD HIMSELF. THE PROBLEM IS THAT TAKE THE BIBLE OUT OF ITS CONTEST. THE OLD TESTEMENT IS WRITTEN ABOUT THE FULFILMENT OF CHRIST. IF U DONT BELIEF IN JESUS AS THE SAVIOUR OF MEN KIND, THE ONLY WAY TO THE FAATHER THEN UR NOT GETTING TO HEAVEN. BECAUSE JESUS IS NOT A PROPHET BUT GOD'S SON, JESUS IS GOD. ACCEPT HIM & HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.
7Jesucristosetsufree 9 months ago
You over complicated this. All you have to do is choose, your choice may gain you something but cause suffering to another, there is a consequence for an action which leads to suffering, but you just choose. If you see another person cause suffering, you make a choice, you can undo the damage done without having to get angry or surrendering to hatred. Be kind, be happy, if you have to then you defend yourself, without holding a grudge or being overconfident or arrogant.
badboy3455 2 years ago
It is from this series that began my journey of myself. I began to questioned my beliefs, traditions and social stereotypes. When I asked myself and others "why". Why must I be this way or that. I learned that there is no answer. It just IS. When I discovered this, I found peace. I am what I am and nothing more than the sum of my evolution of self awareness. I know the middle path and I have tried to walk it every day. I do sometimes hear the grasshopper at my feet. Thank you.
RIP
jplawq 2 years ago
As a young 15 year old I saw the program and went on to study the Praying Mantis system...overcame my fear of the dark and am not afraid to enter the ultimate level at old age.
Bless all....and I have never had to employ my martial arts skills.
Never lonely,never in pain,never angry never hungry,never depressed.
Thank-you for this clip as well.
Dr.J
T.O.
Canada.
repelghosts 2 years ago
"Never lonely,never in pain,never angry never hungry,never depressed."
Wow! You have really made it! Well done!
yinyangnature 2 years ago
I loved Kung Fu. For me, watching Kung Fu was the equivalent of going to church
: )
chuckfaststrat 2 years ago 3
Best kung fu tao ever, thanks for inspiring me to enjoy this show, ONE LOVE
belford82 2 years ago
It's great to see someone else also placing the great scenes from Kung Fu onto Youtube! Each scene is a great Ch'an teaching and very much needed in this very confused world. Well done my friend!
yinyangnature 2 years ago
this just blew my mind
dannysr20 2 years ago
Welcome to the egoless Truth that is Tao my friend!
When the Truth is finally discovered it can be quiet a shock. Nevertheless, I hope this is only the beginning of your journey on the Path.
yinyangnature 2 years ago
miss this series. nothing like it on the tv now. just alot of nonsense.
hj351 2 years ago 2
I love these videos you have posted.I have fav quite a many tonight:)
Peace and Love from India.
RadiantGodLight 2 years ago
wow thats powerful!
doctorw2 3 years ago 4
you should post one from an episode called "The way of violence has no mind"
warrior350es 3 years ago 4
We all have the freedom to choose which emotions we will embrace. I used to believe I could "vent" anger like opening a steam valve. But doing so did not release anger, it stoked it, like pouring gas on a fire. All that was left was more anger and miserable feelings. The more I drank from that cup, the larger the cup became and the more anger flowed out of it, washing away all of the peace and contentment in my life.
wolfinside 3 years ago 2
Anger is always the problem; it is never the solution.
Sometimes we get angry because we feel we are receiving more than our fair share of suffering. But this is just an illusion of the ego. If we don't miss the lesson as most do, we receive the suffering we need to make us wiser, stronger and more compassionate.
Wisdom comes through suffering
Trouble with it's memories of pain
Drips in our hearts as we try to sleep
So men against their will
Learn to practice moderation.
Aeschylus 400BC
yinyangnature 3 years ago
Like most absolute statements, also this one is not the truth: "Anger is always the problem; it is never the solution.".
Anger is the intermediate solution for the depressed en numbed oppressed.
By being angry for the first time instead of seeing no opportunity to escape suffering, a change is made. That phase is not to be ignored. It's a step in resolving the conflict to get wiser, stronger and more compassionate.
abeldejong 3 years ago
Welcome and thank you for your very wise contribution my friend.
I agree that anger maybe the catalyst to a final position of wisdom. But unfortunately it's more often the catalyst for aggression and retribution.
The point I was trying to make is that wisdom can never be found whilst in the grip of anger. Anger is the ego at its very worst and a point more distant from p'u (one's Natural and intuitive self) can not be found.
Namaste
yinyangnature 3 years ago
Namaste to you too.
Again I am not so sure with the generalization: wisdom can NEVER be found whilst in the grip of anger.
Hmm, hihi, I guess there is no point in making you angry, so that a hidden jem of wisdom can break through?
I agree, that's very unlikely, but impossible?
abeldejong 3 years ago 2
Not likely, but I'm happy to give you the benefit of doubt.
I know every time I attempt to portray Taoism in words, I'm trying to achieve something the Taoist sages warned was impossible. Therefore I avoid debates over English language semantics.
I just hope people read what I write recalling the words of the sage Chuang Tzu:
"Words exist because of meaning; once you've got the meaning, you can forget the words. Where can I find a man who has forgotten words so I can have a word with him?"
yinyangnature 3 years ago
I agree but everyones angry only every time you lose your temper it gets harder for you to lose your temper the scound time round if you learn from experience then next time u will have a clear mind not clouded with aggression.
darkfallmage7 3 years ago
In my limited experience I found that tryin to get rid of anger forcefully never works.Just accept it,BUT never dwell on it.Dwelling on anger is like holding a fist-full of hot coals:the person who suffers most is yourself. Acceptance of anything allows a calmer state of mind to prevail,then one can analyse where the anger comes from.If one looks hard enough,you see there's nothing to be angry about.Thus wisdom can come from anger, but as you rightly say - not whilst in an angry state.
TurquoiseLamp 3 years ago 3
One cannot obtain wisdom from anger without having the type of mind which wishes to absorb positivity from every aspect and experience of life. You cannot learn and grow without wishing to learn and grow. Anger, therefore is only useful to those who can learn not to be angry from it. Otherwise it remains an act of ignorance, fuelling further suffering...
Please add more videos yinyangnature, they're great. Thank you! :-)
TurquoiseLamp 3 years ago 2
I whole heartedly agree with your synopses on anger Debz.
You will be pleased to know that I will be adding some more videos soon. Thanks for your support.
Namaste
Bobba
yinyangnature 3 years ago
What ever became of the young Caine Radames Pera? look up on wikipedia... what an interesting life.
walkingbear56 3 years ago
Imagine hearing people doing the "grasshopper" routine and not realising you were the one who played the part of young Caine? This seems a testament to the wonderful temple scenes, that they have remained firmly in people's psyche. A friend of mine once called me "grasshopper", yet she was too young to have ever seen an episode of Kung Fu. I recently gave her a DVD set of Kung Fu for her birthday. That's the last time she will call me "grasshopper" without also faking cataract blindness! :-)
yinyangnature 3 years ago
Wow, thank you again for posting this clip. The videos you post, and all the comments that people leave have such a positive influence on my life. Thank you everyone!
- Debz
TurquoiseLamp 3 years ago
Thanks Debz. I think it's great that these clips are watched by so many enlightened people and they have such a positive influence.
yinyangnature 3 years ago
Sorry Raycheetah, I accidentally deleted your post :-(
yinyangnature 3 years ago
Raycheetah:
"He who fights monsters must take care lest he become a monster. When you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche.
Self-knowledge can be a troubling thing, in the absence of self-understanding. Much like fearing one's own shadow, without taking comfort in the light of the candle behind one which casts it, it is a state of disharmony. Only by realizing one's place between the light and the shadow may one experience the balance between them. =^[.]^=
yinyangnature 3 years ago
I must admit I don't know much about Western philosophy, but Friedrich Nietzsche seems to have been very switched on.
The philosopher Alan Watts one said that trying to define one's self is like trying to bite our own teeth. We are always a mystery to ourselves.
It's a beautiful metaphor you paint with the balance between light and shadow. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and again sorry for unintentionally deleting your post. "Reply" and "Remove" are located too close to each other.
yinyangnature 3 years ago
You seem to have had no difficulty reconstituting my comment, my friend, for which I am glad. As for the accidental deletion, no apology is necessary, as we are all of us human, and occasionally prove it to ourselves in small ways. Namaste. =^[.]^=
Raycheetah 3 years ago
Thank you for your understanding. I reconstructed it from the automated Youtube email I get alerting me that someone had left a comment.
I'm human all right. I recently dated a lady who said to me, "I can't understand how you can write so elegantly, but in day to day life you are such a klutz!" I think I've got to stop dating women with narcissistic personality disorder. :-)
Namaste!
yinyangnature 3 years ago
Very profound commentary on a thought-provoking scene! I especially liked this part:
"Yet it is only by accepting this negative aspect of ourselves we are able to see the benevolent side of our adversaries. This is the beginning of genuine compassion and the only way we will ever realise a lasting peace."
minnesotachris 3 years ago
Thanks Chris. I based this on personal experience. If someone behaves aggressively towards me, I attempt to understand what I did to bring on such a response. Maybe the situation can be resolved by changing my behaviour. If not I try to evaluate what's going on in that person's life that may have contributed to the confrontation and offer a sympathetic ear. However, if the aggression continues there's often nothing we can do but to withdraw and pity someone with so much internal torment.
yinyangnature 3 years ago
walkingbear56 3 years ago
Namaste Nik!
Yes, William Blake is often quoted in writings about Taoism. My favourite Blake is this:
"To see a world in a grain of sand,
And heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour."
I have a few subscribers in France. I have been told grasshopper is translated into French as "petit scarabée" little beetle.
A la prochaine!
Bobba
yinyangnature 3 years ago
I have started buying the collection in French/English... thank you
also the Blake quote...sublime, and your comments too...always a pleasure to read.
Namasté
walkingbear56 3 years ago
Thanks as always for your kind support Nik.
yinyangnature 3 years ago
"...men are, that they might have joy."
(Nephi)
jaklumen 3 years ago
I would rather say : "One cannot feel HOPE unless one can also feel despair". Isn't JOY, as our true nature, above all duality ? Despair is the opposite of hope, unhappiness is the opposite of happiness, but true joy (= joy without cause - if not it is just happiness) has no opposite, because it is the only "emotion" where there is "nobody" to feel it when it is.
amazenboy 3 years ago
Allo my friend! I hope you are well.
The non-duality is the Tao, the great emptiness that gives rise to our existence. However the Tao keeps balance with the forces of polar opposites, the yin and the yang.
Another way of looking at it is remembering that everything is a vibration or at least at alternation. The Tao is the membrane at the ground state (zero point energy) that encapsulates the entire Universe. The membrane vibrates both positively and negatively creating a myriad of things.
yinyangnature 3 years ago
This is a nice one. I really liked the comment about the "threads" of our human nature being "two ended". It put a picture in my mind of the continuum of our nature. Our capacity for good and evil and yet the choice we all have act on either. (or not act, .. wu wei)
wolfinside 3 years ago
Exactly, and following Wu Wei (going with the flow of Nature) it is in our own interest and it is much easier to always behave altruistically. Malevolence is damn hard work and that's why it is well said, "There is no rest for the wicked."
I thought I may also mention Buddha said evil is a shadow that is always following us.
Namaste my friend! It's great to meet one who also walks the Path.
yinyangnature 3 years ago
There are good and evil ; now you say the good is the "best" choice because it is easier. So it proves that the Good is our true nature (and THAT is the true reason why we can distinguish evil from good). Then, can we talk of a "big Good" above the duality of (little) good and evil ?
amazenboy 3 years ago
Good is our true Nature as it is with all the animals. But we also have to be aware of our true Nature to be able to recognise this. I meet many people who believe humans are selfish and deceitful by Nature; but we wouldn't have got this far as a species if this was the case. The problem is that our culture teaches us that to be successful we must control those around us and this is a fallacy. True happiness can only come from altruism, understanding, acceptance and ultimately dying content.
yinyangnature 3 years ago
Thank you, and I want to say a very public thank you for setting me straight and putting me on the path. (with the wonderful writing on your website) Never have I seen the path expressed more aptly yet simply and clearly. Namaste!
wolfinside 3 years ago
Thank you.
It's very obvious to me you have a great understanding of the way and I'm humbled you see my writings as playing some role in this.
Namaste!
yinyangnature 3 years ago
another great clip my friend,,,thanks again for the infinite wisdom you post in this videos.
Namaste
abecube 3 years ago 3
Hello! That was quick my friend. I'm still checking my commentary for punctuation. How are things in Mexico? Thank you for your support.
Namaste!
yinyangnature 3 years ago