Do Taoism have a leader now ?
604772
i am a Taoist and I'm my own leader/ god\n\nthat's what Taoism is, following your path, walking your own way in life, being your own god, guiding yourself through the dark and light of life\n\n\nlove and peace\n\nstar
44848
" opposing and complimentary forces in taoism\nthey represent a balance, like man and woman, black and white, good and evil etc." The only thing he forgot is that if you look at YinYang there is some black in the white and some white in the black.This of course symbolizes that there are no absolutes that we contain allof the elements within us.And we each balance them as best we can
1156109
Taoism is supposed to be based on the teachings of Lao Tzu \n (sometimes written Lao Tze) as written in the book " The Tau Te Ching". The sound in Chinese that Westerners translate as T is more like our D, which is why you will also read "Daoism" and \n"Dao Te Ching". Taoism was also heavily influenced by the writings of Chuang Tzu who lived about 250BC (Lao Tzu lived about 500BC according to Chinese tradition. \n  I say that Taoism is "supposed" to be based on the teachings of of Lao Tzu because although I lived according to his teachings for 4or5 years, I was never in touch with with people who called themselves Taoists. Some people call Taoism a religion, others say it is a philosophy. I would say that Lau Tsu's teachings are more of a philosophy. Much of his teachings have to do with; what is true wisdom, what is the nature of ultimate reality, the nature of how the mind looks at things,and encourages not interfering in other peoples lives. Yahoo does not let us post E-Mails in this "answers" venue but I'll try to get on Yahoo Messenger and I like to share info that I have.
62245
Iran has both a spiritual leader, called supreme leader (Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei) and a political/government leader called president (Mahmoud Ahmadinejad).\n\nIn its history, the spiritual leader has at times been more fundamental than the government leader, but right now it appears that in fact the president Mahmoud is an extreme fundamentalist.
598384
Stephanie, if you really are that dedicated you don't have to go just yet, get the feel of things first in the UK. My friend is one of the highest ranked masters of Bagua zhang and has studied in china for TWENTY YEARS. If you are unsure about form or self discipline it would be crazy to step in to something until  you know it's exactly what you want. Alex Kozma is a master in quite a few very devastatingly good arts and has written books on his travels and is re-noun worldwide for his teachings. I knew him before he went and now he is a Don. His most famous book is "The way of the esoteric warrior" and there is not alot he doesn't know about the best ways to teach and learn mind body and spirit. At the moment you only have 4 elemental signs Earth Fire Water Air, the Chinese have the void as well, this represents you and what you don't know yet, fill it wisely, be aware. Alex runs the UK (Bagua) Nei jia institute (it has got a good web  site WITH THE SAME NAME) and has masters who teach under him, contact him and express your concerns. His phone number is 0207 386 7122 and does tutor privately for the dedicated  . I am sure he will help you find your way, good luck Q.
317195
Can you boil down a group of 250 million people (in the US - 1 Billion+ in China), to just a few leaders.\n\nPeople around the world are complex and individual, don't sell them short... in some countries they may have very little choice as to who their leaders are.  In most democratic countries governments ebb and flow with the passage of time... never perfect but hopefully improving in some areas as time goes by.
714126
Funny, there was this one guy 2,000 years ago who said love everyone, don't judge, and follow the Golden Rule. It's a shame that "leaders" don't listen to him anymore.
983050
Hello there. Funny you mention this because, as a boy, the first truly inspiring text I read was the Tao Te Ching. I still find myself reading it, at least in part, once a week. This text is so simple yet profound it put me on a path to seek out even more esoteric knowledge. I have also studied the writings of Confucius, the Vedic texts  of India, Buddhism,  Zen, Shinto, Suffic Islam, etc. All in all, the Tao really opened my eyes to a deeper understanding of things. I can read about Quantum Mechanics and sub-atomic physics and find the spiritual parallels within the science. I wish more westerners could be exposed to this. My email is viewable in profile.
46319
better visit www.taoist.org for lessons
201313
Follow The Leader, I don't think there is much discusion about it.
270545
There are many different types of leader.\n\nFor my true leader, it would be someone that governed as laid out in the tao te ching.  Here is an extract:\n\nWhen people see things as beautiful, \nugliness is created. \nWhen people see things as good, \nevil is created. \n\nBeing and non-being produce each other. \nDifficult and easy complement each other. \nLong and short define each other. \nHigh and low oppose each other. \nFore and aft follow each other. \n\nTherefore the Master \ncan act without doing anything \nand teach without saying a word. \nThings come her way and she does not stop them; \nthings leave and she lets them go. \nShe has without possessing, \nand acts without any expectations. \nWhen her work is done, she take no credit. \nThat is why it will last forever. \n\n3 \nIf you over esteem talented individuals, \npeople will become overly competitive. \nIf you overvalue possessions, \npeople will begin to steal. \n\nDo not display your treasures \nor people will become envious. \n\nThe Master leads by \nemptying people's minds, \nfilling their bellies, \nweakening their ambitions, \nand making them become strong. \nPrefering simplicity and freedom from desires, \navoiding the pitfalls of knowledge and wrong action. \n\nTherefore she is united with all things. \nShe gives no thought to self. \nShe is perfectly fulfilled. \n\nFor those who practice not-doing, \neverything will fall into place.\n\n7. (part of)\nThe Master puts herself last; \nAnd finds herself in the place of authority. \nShe detaches herself from all things; \n\n13. (Part of)\nLove the whole world as if it were your self; \nthen you will truly care for all things\n\n17 \nThe best leaders are those the people hardly know exist. \nThe next best is a leader who is loved and praised. \nNext comes the one who is feared. \nThe worst one is the leader that is despised. \n\nIf you don't trust the people, \nthey will become untrustworthy. \n\nThe best leaders value their words, and use them sparingly. \nWhen she has accomplished her task, \nthe people say, "Amazing: \nwe did it, all by ourselves!"\n\n\nSorry for the many extracts, but the whole thing is fairly relevant.\n\nThis is philisophy, not religion by the way....
827344
understanding and accepting that you are a part of everything and nothing like the tao. it sounds like a lot of double speak. but it makes sense after awhile.
1170096
No.  Here's a list of their affiliations:\n\nhttp://www.adherents.com/adh_presidents.html
652184
Yes...do u believe me if i were to tell you that anti-christ is coming and there will be a leader to rule the world?\n\nBTW, Pinky & Brain are probably doing it again tonight, so u can ask them.
538596
It's hard to tell.  We really do not know the others that well.  We really just saw them on the recent episode.  They are very primitive and they also have the same symbols (Dharma company) all over their camp, including their hatch.  So my guess is yes.
280628
The Dalai Lama functions as the head of the Tibetan Buddhist Church, sort of like a pope.  And for most of history, Tibet has been an independent country, with its capital at Lhasa, and with the Dalai Lama also functioning as head of Tibet's government, not just its church.\n\nThe Chinese and the Tibetans have a long-standing grudge over who is really in charge of Tibet. It goes back at least to the 1200s.  Tibet is far from the Chinese center of power, so China only wins the argument during times when it's got a strong government.\n\nThe Communist party took Beijing in 1949, declaring the foundation of the People's Republic of China, and by 1950 their army was invading the eastern part of Tibet.  In 1959 they took over the rest, which forced the Dalai Lama to flee with his government to India.  It's been that way ever since.\n\nAs far as other parties go, the US CIA backed Tibetan resistance efforts to get the Chines out of Tibet until 1969, as part of Cold War Strategy, but then they stopped.
49006
This is true.  To Zarathustra of Persia, it was Ihua Mazda.  For Abraham it was EOIH (YHWH or I AM).  For Brahma and Sakaya (Buddha) or India, it was Ormazd.  For Kayu (Confucius) of China, it was Shang Te.  For Ea-Wah-Tah (Native American) it was Egoquim, the Great Spirit.\n\nAnd all of these had the same beliefs and doctrine.