Hello, everyone! I’d like to introduce myself and also ask how you all started your Taoist journey.
I’m a college student studying Communication, so I have a natural curiosity as a student and a young person to learn about new languages, religions, and philosophies! I found out about Taoism because I wanted to create a new online community based on my favorite dreamy, psychedelic music. I came up with a theme of a dojo where musicians and fans could come and grow their skills. When researching about dojos, I came across resources about Taoism and Zen, and it really resonated with me!
All my life, I’ve felt so connected to nature and the universe, so the concept of the Tao, duality, and meditating instantly made sense to me. Now, I’m halfway through reading the Tao Te Ching!
How did you discover Taoism? Let me know!
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We did a gloss of the Tao Te Ching for an intro course in my major, way back in undergrad.
I read a copy of the Tao Te Ching and it spoke to me.
Hello! I think the entry point for me as a kid was Yoda in Star Wars, I just didn’t know it at the time. As I continued to research, explore, and ultimately adopt many eastern philosophies and spiritual practices, Taoism consistently rose to the top as a framework for understanding how the universe works. It, Buddhism, and yoga have come to form somewhat of a trinity for my own spiritual and philosophical practices and perspectives. I read 365 Tao: Daily Meditations nightly and regularly share the passages that resonate with me with this community. Best wishes for your continued spiritual journey.
Amazing! I have the 365 Tao book too and I’m planning on reading it after I finish the actual Tao Te Ching. I definitely look up to fictional characters like Yoda and Master Oogway because they can be wise and gentle, yet super powerful!
In the immediate wake of the first Star Wars film I was soaking up everything I could about the film and its influences. Taoism was mentioned in relation to ‘the force’ of course and that sent me straight to a three volume Readers Digest encyclopedia that we had on the shelves, which had a brief but informative entry on it. I didn’t go a lot further for a good many years, but it was the first spark.
It’s so cool how many people have come from Star Wars! I never knew “The Force” was based off Taoism until I saw a post about it on Reddit.
The fiction of Ursula K Le Guin was my first introduction. She’s used a couple quotes from time to time, as intros to stories or whatever, and her work is heavily influenced by the philosophy.
I had other vectors as well, qigong as a health practice for instance, but she was the first and still one of my favorites.
I just got her translation! I’m excited to read it because it seems she takes a more freeform and poetic approach to the text.
I don’t even remember exactly. It’s likely that I saw a quote from the Tao Te Ching somewhere, thought it seemed interesting and picked up a copy. From there it’s just been a gradual encounter with various sources and just observing nature to confirm what I picked up.
My dad was a Tai Chi instructor when I was quite little. Something stuck with me then. I still don’t really know what it means to “be Taoist” but I try to follow the Tao anyways.
