dybmh
דניאל יוסף בן מאיר הירש
Hello Friends, I'm putting this in the announcements sub-forum because it is an RFC ( request for comment )
Background:
I'm considering taking a detour off the current path I am on which is essentially ultra-orthodox Judaism. It's concepts, especially in the book of psalms, are, believe it or not, too lofty for me. Or my brain takes them to lofty places in error... ( tomato / tomahto )
Either way, practicing Abrahamic religions for me, at this point in my life... ( and per Drs orders ) is too agitating for me. Depending on the subject matter, it makes me very anxious, leading to insomnia, and other racing thoughts.
Previously ( some of you may remember ) when this happened last I was exploring Yoga as an alternative. That wasn't a good fit for me for several reasons.
Then I found daoism. Old school daoism. And it is sublime, in my personal opinion. Specifically the idea of WuWei ( not the bear ). So much and so little in one word. Well. It's very peaceful compared to what I'm used to practicing.
Further Background:
What I love about WuWei as a concept is that it treats the concept of infinity without *interfering* with infinity. It is, by definition, a grounded practice. As a comparison, when I am practicing Judaism, I'm standing at attention, swaying, trembling, occasionally bowing, and sweating like you wouldn't believe. The melodies are heart-breaking, but also... they trigger me. So, I've decided to take a break from it.
As I mentioned earlier, and also on my status updates on my profile page. I am, sorry to report, I am struggling. But I am going to be OK, I have a brand new set of meds, It's a friggin pandemic, no problems getting rest, and I'm going to put down Jewish practice for a while, and cultivate WuWei ... ( not the bear ).
I'll still identify as Jewish:
I will still be maintaining my religious label as Judaism. * Not Old-school * I'll stop pretending to be a DJ... Just regular old Judaism which involves, believe it or not, making jokes and talking about food.
However I will be adding myself to the Daoist-Dir ( Non-revealed if you're looking for it ) as part of my 3 choices. If there are any other daoists out there besides WuWei ( yes, the bear ) it would be great to see you over there. I will try my best not to sound like Yoda, I promise.
I would be remiss not to recognize @Jayhawker Soule who turned me on to the whole daoist thing here. It's a long story, but basically, there's a very cool thing happening in Reform, Renewal, Reconstruction, and Conservative movements where Judaism is being presented in a totally new manner. As *drumroll*
...... a way of life.
Doesn't seem too innovative from the outside, however, It's a very Daoist approach to Judaism.
And now for the ask:
I would like to start going thru the DaoDeJing one chapter at a time and talking about what it means with any interested RF'er via discussion ( not debate ).
Please reply to this post if you are interested.
One of my favorite chapters if i recall is chapter 64, I think. It describes the idea of WuWei in it's most sublime perfection. Action-Non-Action. Complete Peace. No competition at all; Compassion for all sentient beings; freedom of the highest order; and it is formed in such beauty and grace.
It carries me away in a manner that is unlike anything I experienced in my Jewish practice.
So I though we could start there.
Possible areas of discussion:
I'd like there to be at least 2 other interested parties in order to move forward.
Is anyone interested in giving it a shot for maybe 1 chapter ( 64 ) to see how it goes?
Background:
I'm considering taking a detour off the current path I am on which is essentially ultra-orthodox Judaism. It's concepts, especially in the book of psalms, are, believe it or not, too lofty for me. Or my brain takes them to lofty places in error... ( tomato / tomahto )
Either way, practicing Abrahamic religions for me, at this point in my life... ( and per Drs orders ) is too agitating for me. Depending on the subject matter, it makes me very anxious, leading to insomnia, and other racing thoughts.
Previously ( some of you may remember ) when this happened last I was exploring Yoga as an alternative. That wasn't a good fit for me for several reasons.
Then I found daoism. Old school daoism. And it is sublime, in my personal opinion. Specifically the idea of WuWei ( not the bear ). So much and so little in one word. Well. It's very peaceful compared to what I'm used to practicing.
Further Background:
What I love about WuWei as a concept is that it treats the concept of infinity without *interfering* with infinity. It is, by definition, a grounded practice. As a comparison, when I am practicing Judaism, I'm standing at attention, swaying, trembling, occasionally bowing, and sweating like you wouldn't believe. The melodies are heart-breaking, but also... they trigger me. So, I've decided to take a break from it.
As I mentioned earlier, and also on my status updates on my profile page. I am, sorry to report, I am struggling. But I am going to be OK, I have a brand new set of meds, It's a friggin pandemic, no problems getting rest, and I'm going to put down Jewish practice for a while, and cultivate WuWei ... ( not the bear ).
I'll still identify as Jewish:
I will still be maintaining my religious label as Judaism. * Not Old-school * I'll stop pretending to be a DJ... Just regular old Judaism which involves, believe it or not, making jokes and talking about food.
However I will be adding myself to the Daoist-Dir ( Non-revealed if you're looking for it ) as part of my 3 choices. If there are any other daoists out there besides WuWei ( yes, the bear ) it would be great to see you over there. I will try my best not to sound like Yoda, I promise.
I would be remiss not to recognize @Jayhawker Soule who turned me on to the whole daoist thing here. It's a long story, but basically, there's a very cool thing happening in Reform, Renewal, Reconstruction, and Conservative movements where Judaism is being presented in a totally new manner. As *drumroll*
...... a way of life.
Doesn't seem too innovative from the outside, however, It's a very Daoist approach to Judaism.
- Gender neutral? of-course.
- Halacha? whats that?
- Tribal? heck-no.
- Nit-picky? never.
- Personal freedom? Darn-skippy.
And now for the ask:
I would like to start going thru the DaoDeJing one chapter at a time and talking about what it means with any interested RF'er via discussion ( not debate ).
Please reply to this post if you are interested.
One of my favorite chapters if i recall is chapter 64, I think. It describes the idea of WuWei in it's most sublime perfection. Action-Non-Action. Complete Peace. No competition at all; Compassion for all sentient beings; freedom of the highest order; and it is formed in such beauty and grace.
It carries me away in a manner that is unlike anything I experienced in my Jewish practice.
So I though we could start there.
Possible areas of discussion:
- Translation ( this is big topic for daoists, I can bring multiple translations to each thread )
- Meaning ( obviously )
- Personal Meaning ( if the verses touch someone personally, it might be nice to share that )
- Pictograph analysis ( I have always wanted to analyze traditional Chinese language )
- whatever else comes up
I'd like there to be at least 2 other interested parties in order to move forward.
Is anyone interested in giving it a shot for maybe 1 chapter ( 64 ) to see how it goes?
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