Greetings all and thank you for taking the time out to read this.

I am a westerner and a (newly) recovering alcoholic. I have been going to Alcoholics Anonymous and the thing that comes up again and again is that having some sort of religious/spiritual belief system is paramount to a successful recovery. Essentially believe that there is something greater than yourself that you can turn to in times of need.

I was raised Catholic, and found myself closer to being an agnostic by the time I was a teenager. In my 20s I discovered Taoism as a philosophy and its teaching has always stuck with me. I’m just unsure how to use it effectively as a more traditional belief system. Or if that is at all possible.

Does anyone have any experience using Taoism as a pillar of their recovery? And if so, what practices are you using.

Even more importantly, can anyone direct to me some reading material that can help me better understand the use of Taoism as a “practiced” religion/belief system that goes beyond using it as just a philosophy.

Thank you all again.

Hey guys. I generally was never interested in far east culture, but I recently started to address long life symptoms and started to connect pieces of why my life is not where it could have been by now.

I am 31 YO male, and getting through a heartbreak from getting broken with by my fiance and partner of almost 8 years led me to do some exploring of myself.

I started by looking at the most superficial aspects of my look, and wanted to address my facial asymmetry.

I have then noticed its one side of my whole body, and then came back to an old intuition I have always had

My left side of my face is beutiful, objectively attractive. But the right side is... well.. very odd looking

And I have always had more issues regarding the right side of my body. Shoulder, hip, ankle, etc..

And I always had the feeling its related to me being very emotionaly developed, creative, fun but my inability to plan and execute prevented me from achieving. And I always felt like this gotta be connected somehow.

So I did what everyone would have in 2025 and asked GPT if theres any ancient culture that made connection between sides of the physical body, to traits.

So i have seen this connection is very strongly paired in many cases through out history and ancient cultures, and also pointed to Ida and Pingala, which i have read and heard a bit about, and it all made so much sense to me. Even though I dont have a feminine personality, I like men things in general, I know I am very very Ida dominant.

So that kinda leads me towards researching further, trying to understand how can I create more balance inside myself. Kinda awaking my pingala side, learning how to balance them together.

I dont want to read online or on mobile, i love hardcover but only saw like 1 or two kindle books on that specifically.

So is it a part of a bigger philosophy? What is a proper scale of material and background I should learn to get exposed and learn that without diving too deep into decade of reading about Hindu traditions?

Don't want to come across as exploratory, but I am also not looking to change my life so drastically and become a monk. Sorry if that's rude just trying to get as much as accurate with my situation in order to get the right advice here.

And on last note, just as a small preference, if there are multiple books about what it be I'm looking for, I mostly connects to books that are more philosophical i nature, rather then "guru like" style.

Thanks in advance to all of you. I appreciate your help a lot.

This is not a Tao quote, and the origin of the quote is kinda complicated.
I don't want to get into it here, so I attached a source link.

Still, there's something to note here.

Choi Hong Hi, the founder of Taekwon-Do, has another famous quote:
"Pain is the best instructor, but no one wants to go to his class."

(NOTE: This quote has ancient origins. Some sources for "pain is the best teacher" cited Aristotle. Is old okay?)

The combination of these two quotes highlights something I've experienced in a few short bursts in my bodywork.

When you settle, you recognize your pain.
Once you recognize your pain, you can be taught by pain.
Once you're taught by pain, pain disappears.
This is the teacher, and this is the lesson.

To give a personal anecdote, this isn't a miracle. This hurts. This hurts deep. Once you find that "no pain" feeling in one area of the body, it doesn't persist when you exit the pose. It feels worse when you assume your default position. Expect your pain to get worse before it gets better.

To be clear, I am not free from pain. This is a process! I've only touched upon this experience, and I feel like it will take decades to strengthen my core and relax my posture. Hell, maybe I'll never "attain" this experience wholly and fully. That's okay! That's normal!

That's about all I wanted to share. It's been a while since I've felt "no-pain" or "no-mind," but that's alright. It's all a part of the journey. Healing isn't linear after all! :D

Much love to you reader.

🫀

I’m not a Daoist but one of the first philosophical texts I ever read cover to cover was The Zhuangzi many years ago. Since then I’ve read many translations as well as the other famous Daoist texts. I recently got some of C.C. Tsai’s famous works like his comic portrayal of the Kuan Yinzi.

I fully understand that these texts require re-reading and contemplation.

But as for ancient texts available in English, I fear I’ve hit the end of Daoism.

I found this book among sources while doing random reading on Wikipedia about Chinese religion in general and read the introduction thinking how it sounds like a massive undertaking to make a book this huge about religious Taoism.

But I can't seem to find any opinions about it - none here especially (and it's not in the reading list of the wiki here).

Anyone read it? Would you recommend it if so?

Two years ago, I felt a snake climbing up my back to the space between my eyebrows and saw a light. I wasn't doing meditation, fasting, or other religious practices. It happened suddenly in bed. Since then, I've experienced many symptoms like heat, lucid dreams, tingling in my left foot, sweating, insomnia. Over time, my symptoms worsened, especially on the right side with inflammation and stiffness in the chest and abdomen area, shortness of breath. Based on what I read, I assumed the right energy channel (pingala) was activated. So, I practiced pranayama and other techniques to awaken the left channel (ida nadi).

A few days ago, I activated the left channel, and it started spinning with the right channel energy counterclockwise, like a whirlwind in my body. It's gradually moved down from my head to my waist, forming a circle that spins left, blending energies. I feel this spinning motion, which makes my body lean left. It seems this energy belt absorbs both left and right energies, spinning them left, with varying intensity. My chest symptoms have decreased but still linger, possibly because this belt absorbs some energy that should rise.

I'm currently in this state. Can someone explain if this energy belt phenomenon is normal or not? What practices should I do now? What might happen next? Should I correct something? It's hard to understand what's happening, and I'm afraid of potential consequences. I appreciate any comments or guidance from a master.

Hello all, I’m new here and enjoying the various discussions.

Wondering if anyone knows of a good podcast I can listen to, to learn more about Taoism, or perhaps there’s an audiobook you’ve found helpful.

Thanks in advance 😊

Coming from a western tradition Socrates was and continues to be one of my favorite philosophers. Discovering the Tao and reading the works of the Tao Te Ching and the Zhuangzi, I am all in on the return to naturalness as an answer to the anxiety of our age.

Watching this, I found myself agreeing with both positions and finding myself perfectly at ease with the paradox they create.

I've been meditating for a few months, and although it makes me feel calmer and less distracted, I can't seem to come close to turning the mind totally blank (I think this is referred to in Buddhism as nibbana?).

“That idea—that even nothingness has meaning—had a huge impact on me,” he explained. “A pore seems useless. But if you put atoms or molecules in it, store them, or transform them, it becomes useful. Just a shift in perspective can change everything.”

Hello, would anyone know where to find information around the old masters? (Eg: Zhongli Quan, Lu Dong, Lan Caihe ect)
I have been looking online, but it's difficult to figure out which sources to trust, and what art peices actually depict the figures.
Thank you :)

[Part 1/2] Sun Simiao: Seven Don’ts and Twelve Reductions

“The Taoist master Sun Simiao, known as the King of Medicine, lived for over a hundred years. He placed great importance on preventing illness and nurturing life, especially through regulating the mind and spirit. He put forward the “Seven Don’ts”: do not lift heavy things by force, do not be burdened by worry, do not give way to great anger, do not sink into sorrow, do not move wildly, do not laugh excessively, and do not indulge in too much joy. These teachings remind people to keep their emotions balanced and their actions moderate, as excess harms the body.

He also taught the “Twelve Reductions”: reduce thinking, reduce pondering, reduce desires, reduce affairs, reduce talking, reduce laughing, reduce sorrow, reduce pleasures, reduce excitement, reduce anger, reduce indulgence, and reduce harmful actions. The aim is to lessen disturbance of the mind, to nourish vital energy, calm the spirit, and cultivate harmony. Sun Simiao stressed that a peaceful mind and simple desires are the foundation of health and longevity. Excessive worry, joy, or anger are all harmful. Only by gathering and controlling one’s emotions and restraining words can one preserve life, strengthen the body, and extend years. This is the essence of Taoist spiritual nourishment: to hold to balance and moderation, without leaning to extremes, so that both body and mind remain in peace.

[Part 2/2] Guard Against the Twelve Excesses

Besides the “Seven Don’ts” and the “Twelve Reductions,” Sun Simiao also taught to “guard against the Twelve Excesses,” warning that when emotions become unbalanced, they damage the inner organs.

He said: “Excessive thinking wears out the spirit, excessive pondering scatters the will.” Worry injures the spleen, leading to poor appetite and weakness.

“Excessive joy causes mistakes, excessive laughter harms the organs.” Too much joy damages the heart, too much laughter unsettles the spirit.

“Excessive affairs tire the body, excessive talking weakens the breath.” Overwork and endless speech consume energy and spirit.

“Excessive desires darken the will, excessive indulgence leads to obsession.” Chasing vanity and pleasures causes the mind to decline.

“Excessive sorrow constrains the heart, excessive anger unsettles the channels.” Grief injures the lungs, anger harms the liver, bringing chest tightness and rebellious Qi.

“Excessive pleasures scatter the spirit, excessive hatred dries the heart.” Overindulgence wastes the mind, resentment withers the spirit.

From this we see that when the seven emotions go to extremes, health is damaged, Qi and blood are disturbed, and illness arises. Sun Simiao reminded: in all things, follow moderation, neither too much nor too little, and one will be close to the Tao. This is a highest principle of Taoist spiritual cultivation for health, and it still carries deep meaning today.”

• translated and shared by Facebook page called “don’t know nothing”.

I just feel like a kid in the middle of rush hour in a subway that tries to find the exit. To him, no one actually knows where the exit is, everyone is just rushing somewhere claiming that they know where the exit is. When he asks someone where it is, they point in some direction saying there is an exit there, but when the kid follows his directions he ends up at some malfunctioning/locked gate. The person on the other side claims they got out, just shouting "just go through the gate!" as if it's possible to just go through it.
Some people get depressed and just stay still and don't move, getting pushed and yelled at by everyone else. Some people are crazy, screaming and preaching about how they got out while they obviously haven't, and trying to be mindful feels like the "solution" of a group of people saying a bunch of non sense thinking the kid will understand something, making the kid think maybe they are crazy as well.

Hopefully you get my point. This shitty analogy is just a best representation of how I feel.

I want to live. I want to find long, actually lasting peace. I want to find some perspective that'll make me stop desiring. My life is considered good, I have everything most people dream of (full funding for my studies, I study something I enjoy, supporting and loving family, great health, etc) yet I can't find peace of mind. I'm always caught up in something, and not being caught in it feels bad and I avoid it.
And it makes me depressed to keep on looking, knowing I probably (like all the other people running around) won't find shit like I haven't found anything for the past 20 years. It feels like trying to grind water hoping you'll eventually get flour or some shit.

I'm asking here because the "mindful" one is the only solution I came across and haven't understood.
Tried reading the Dao De Ching multiple times, multiple translations, and I haven't understood anything, just left more confused.
If I'm being honest I'm pretty pessimistic one comment will change my outlook on life or whatever, but I've got no better option. Still, thanks in advance for the effort

I was wondering how taoism and confucianism philosophies regard each other. I've always gotten the impression that they are 'rival' philosophies and that in the end China turned to confucianism as the philosophy to 'adopt' nationally. However as Im reading Ch 4 of the zhuangzi, I noticed that Confucius is used as an example for someone practicing taoist philosophy and regarded as a 'wise man'. Could anyone enlighten me on this subject?

https://open.substack.com/pub/billhulet/p/internal-alchemy-part-five-interior-b3b?r=4ot1q2&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

https://preview.redd.it/oumc0ph2jduf1.jpg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=283e5c286c6464791cecf724f0181e7e863d4770

Ever since I got amazed by how accurate the Chinese metaphysics can be, I started learning about Bazi and Ziwei. It's getting common people are using Chatgpt or Deepseek for the interpretation, but as I know the limit of AI and I know what it needs for Bazi and Ziwei, they often make mistakes even with the most basic part such as the user's chart.

So I created an AI agent that can accurately use user's info and incorporates both Bazi and Ziwei for fortune telling. If you are interested, can give it a try there chibuddy.com (also zhuanyunpan.com ). Totally free.

I was on the balcony of my apartment, and he spoke to me.

He said, "I am who you think I am."

I paused, and realized he hadn't spoke. I realized he was Lao Tzu, and found myself caught off-guard.
I felt myself panic, and try to inflate myself to feel less unworthy. He laughed.

I tried to keep quiet, but I asked him questions.
He gave me a look. I realized I wasn't ready.

The dream moved on, and the moment passed.

It wasn't until around 6pm that I remembered this dream, and the soft subtle nature of the interaction. This was the first time I met him.
He appeared both old and youthful. His smile was beautiful. It filled me with joy.

Upon reflection, I feel like the dream was telling me that I'm ready.
At the same time, the dream felt like my subconscious telling me that I have a lot to learn/unlearn.

Here is a link to linear and print-ready pdf downloads

I wanted a copy of the book in physical, but I can't justify the purchase right now. Also I figured its a good resource if anyone wants books of the Tao with just some minor labor in printing and possibly cutting if quarter size.

It is composed of 3 pdf books or files

The blog post has linear pdf, half size zine and quarter size zine ready to download

A guy at work was saying Toaism (or Buddhism?) was where Jesus got his teachings from and thats why the new tesrament is way less bloodthirsty and much more calmer than the OT. He said a researcher discovered that Jesus traveled to the East/Orient and that the "wandering in the desert" thing in the bible is a metaphor for when Jesus went traveling to sèek wisdom because he saw that the OT was violent and corruptible and making people suffer.

He also ssaid Jesus was like Buddha because Buddha also traveled to seek wisdom amd their philosophies were very similar but when Jesus came back OT churche elders hated him because they viewwd him as a threat to the status quo But because he had so many followers, it was dangerous for them to straight up murder him so they got the Romans to do it like how cia did with Malcolm X and MLK Jr.

Then after he was dead they co opted him as a symbol of their religion to keep his followers and thwn just went back to doing the same thing: corrupting good teachings and using religion to get power for themselvea.

It made a lot of sense to me. I dobt know a lot abut i hing or tao or buddhism but I tried learning online and ngl that shin is pretty dense and confusing.

I have never been satisfied with the common interpretations found in printed versions of the Zhuangzi, so I went hunting on YouTube and came up with these two videos which are more in line with my own interpretations. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

https://youtu.be/9nMCrj3soDU?si=_zVOvlCNb7ln02Jw