Taoism

Taoism Generally speaking, Taoism is an outlook on life that attempts to harmonize the individual will with the natural and spiritual influences of the cosmos. Personal thoughts and actions are said to alternately coincide or conflict with the flow of … Continue reading →

Alan Watts

No one really knows just who the British-born Alan Watts (1915-1973) really was. Scholar, writer, Tantric yogi, ex-Catholic synthesizer of Eastern and Western beliefs—all would apply. He had such a powerful presence when I was an undergraduate student that he … Continue reading →

Wu Wei

Wu Wei is an early Taoist term meaning non-action or effortless action. It is often misunderstood as being still, physically. But the idea is more about the belief that we’re in sync with the Tao by intuitively grasping when and … Continue reading →

Yantra

In Hinduism a yantra (Sanskrit = Mechanism, technology, instrument)  is a diagram for meditation depicting beliefs about the chakras, larger cosmic planes and the dynamic totality of all existence. The idea also creeps into Tantric Buddhism. Yantras are also used … Continue reading →

Yin-Yang

Yin-Yang (yin =umbral, yang = bright) This is the Chinese idea that all transformations arise from a dynamic interaction of two basic and complementary modes of existence. The Yin-Yang cosmology harkens back to ancient Chinese philosophers (c. 500-200 BCE) who … Continue reading →

Yogi

Traditionally, a Yogi is a male practitioner of yoga. The term also relates to a male saint and teacher of spiritual knowledge. Until fairly recently, the term yogini was generally reserved for women. Today, however, the word “yogi” can relate … Continue reading →

Ancestor Cults

Ancestor Cults [ancestor, from Latin antecessor, from ante, before + cedere, to go] is the now antiquated and politically incorrect term that until fairly recently scholars applied to individuals or groups who revere ancestors believed to exist in the afterlife. … Continue reading →

Confucianism

Confucianism  is a Chinese teaching of morality, right action and right education, based on the ethical teachings of Confucius. Up until 1382, statues of Confucius were common in public places. Every city had a shrine dedicated to Confucius and at … Continue reading →

Collective Unconscious

The idea of the collective unconscious refers to Carl Jung‘s belief that humanity shares an underlying, biologically inherited storehouse of collective experience and knowledge. From his considerable study of world myth and religion, Jung came to the conclusion that this … Continue reading →

Evil

The definition of evil is informed by one’s core beliefs, and different kinds of arguments try to explain its existence. Some materialists and scientists scoff at the idea of evil as if it were an antiquated legacy from a superstitious … Continue reading →