but know little about contemporary Taoist sects or popular Taoist religion.
The first time I entered a Taoist temple I was shocked. They didn't teach me about Xi Wang Mu in my college classes!
I'm just curious if the suffering aspect comes from Taoism......extreme asceticism and suffering is certainly a part of Vajrayana and Mahayana sects
Good questions. Ideas certainly have intermingled over the millennia. When I think of Vajrayana suffering, I think, "I am going to sit here and let leaches suck my blood so I can clarify my mind" or "seek out that which bothers you. If graveyards scare you, go sit in a graveyard."
Whereas Daoists will break their legs and suck the marrow out of their bones, or chop their arm off to show they are sincere about learning. Buddhists typically won't starve themselves to death.
I'm not sure what part of extreme asceticism and suffering you were referring to, but if you'd like to discuss it, I'll hear it.
> Whereas Daoists will break their legs and suck the marrow out of their bones, or chop their arm off to show they are sincere about learning.
Interested to find out more about this... Any links?
Guess it's kind of like Hinduism, you think it's all vegetarianism and non-violence, then you discover there's gurus engaging in human sacrifice and black magic.
There's strangely little information about it on the internet about it, I don't know why. I recommend going to the library for some paper books. "Road to Heaven: Encounters with Chinese Hermits." Might be a good book to start with, although it's not just about Taoism.
The first time I entered a Taoist temple I was shocked. They didn't teach me about Xi Wang Mu in my college classes!
I'm just curious if the suffering aspect comes from Taoism......extreme asceticism and suffering is certainly a part of Vajrayana and Mahayana sects
Good questions. Ideas certainly have intermingled over the millennia. When I think of Vajrayana suffering, I think, "I am going to sit here and let leaches suck my blood so I can clarify my mind" or "seek out that which bothers you. If graveyards scare you, go sit in a graveyard."
Whereas Daoists will break their legs and suck the marrow out of their bones, or chop their arm off to show they are sincere about learning. Buddhists typically won't starve themselves to death.
I'm not sure what part of extreme asceticism and suffering you were referring to, but if you'd like to discuss it, I'll hear it.