Comments on: Deng Ming Tao on divination

By: Nelson

Nelson — Mon, 20 Mar 2006 21:01:34 +0000

I was attending a luncheon and I asked 4 or 5 questions
about how I should attend -should I go here first-
should I avoid this part- should I go the meeting last
instead - and
I got these different answers -
it made me aware of the risk -
once I asked should I avoid a certain part of the meeting
and it seemed to say yes - i think # 17 - and then
the others had “angry ghosts, past memories, etc.” as
a part of the answer -
so I went to all of the meetings and did it knowing the
risk and I prepared for the possible dispute or
difficulties- I had a plan - which worked perfectly.

You have to realize that there is a gap between
our lives and the chinese and to try to fill it in and
make sense of the answers.

It worked very well for me.

Nelson

By: sandra

sandra — Sat, 18 Mar 2006 03:16:20 +0000

I have to admit that if the Oracle gives me some clear advice and I do NOT take it, I feel uncomfortable. So where does that lead me as far as my own responsibility is concerned?

Recently, I was in a situation where I felt I was being manipulated. I consulted the I Ching and the answer it gave me was very much from the point of view of the manipulator (as I saw it). If I had followed the advice, I would have done exactly as the manipulator wished. Needless to say, after a lot of angst, I didn’t comply. The manipulator then punished me severely for not doing as she wished, and this made me wonder if I should have done what she wanted (which is what the I Ching had said). But I do know that I would have resented this course of action had I gone ahead, and it certainly would not have been in my best interests as far as my family were concerned.

I think if I had been more ‘vulnerable’ I would have gone ahead and done what she asked, especially after the I Ching had apparently supported her position. However, I am still glad that I didn’t. I know other people who have done what she wanted - and regretted it.

There could be many people who consult the Oracle and feel obliged to do what it says. That it could be avoiding responsibility doesn’t surprise me. It feels like a great responsibility NOT to do what it says. Sometimes I wonder if the Oracle takes different points of view, too.

By: Hilary

Hilary — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 14:55:40 +0000

Allan’s post is here. (Nice rant, Allan )

By: Allan Lian

Allan Lian — Wed, 15 Mar 2006 18:53:39 +0000

“As Deng Ming Dao writes in Everyday Tao, “Those who follow Dao are their own instrument of divination â€¦ to depend on tortoise shells or oracles is still to have distance between us and Dao â€¦ Nothing rivals a direct link to Dao” ”

The above more critical note from Deng and Daoist text quotes were posted in a Daoist website to support someone’s views against Zhouyi divination.

My question to the poster and Deng was, “Ha, how would you know?”

My comments on their superficial and theoretical knowledge of Daoist practices have been published in my blog for anyone interested.

By: Tim

Tim — Sun, 12 Mar 2006 04:11:33 +0000

Having a sense of when to advance, retreat, or stand still is often provided through the use of the I Ching. It allows me the ability to slow time and act accordingly. Like the graceful movement of Tai Chi or Pa Kua, the I Ching teaches the wisdom of how to move, when to move through life’s myraid ups and downs.

By: donna

donna — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 02:37:14 +0000

Mmm, exactly. I think people who use divination as a tool to get in touch with their deeper self, with the Tao, are using it correctly. I take what Deng Ming Dao says as meaning not to use divination to limit your course of action, but to inform it. It isn’t a matter the magic eight ball saying yes or no; it’s a matter of using tools of imagination to inform your choice. The symbols of the I Ching or the Tarot or whatever can be interpreted through our imagination to allow us to delve deeper into our selves and make a more informed choice in our lives.