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Some cars have knock sensors to know if the combustion is happening before the piston hits tdc. Why arent refrigerant compressors equipped with similar technology to shut off when too much liquid gets sucked?

QUOTE 18 EXCERPT:


When I went to a Taoist monastery in Chengdu (China) en route to Lhasa, Tibet, in the 1980s, I had questions for the monks (through an interpreter) but their verbal answers did not satisfy me. The monks directed me to the Abbot and his words were better but still did not satisfy me. They then guided me into the presence of the master (without my interpreter) and, about 3 hours later, I emerged completely satisfied as all of my questions had been answered .... in complete and utter silence without words.

In that silence beyond words, one draws closer to the Reality and gets a better understanding of the Tao.

Okay I read this post a long time ago ~ but it says that it was posted Today, 10:09 AM ~ and it is in the todays post list as a new post

have I been time traveling or is this some kind of glitch in the matrix ?

Does it matter to you? It does matter to me because your post today made me check this thread out and the post in question is worthy of comment.

Which Tao? The one (shown below) you quoted in your post?

(Originally Posted by ImthatIm)
Tao that can be described is not the universal and eternal Tao;
Name that can be named is not the universal and eternal name.

The above is an English translation of the Chinese text. Classical Chinese is unintelligible even to the college-educated natives of China. I can read classical Chinese and the above translation is hilarious. I am not saying that I understand what the verses in classical Chinese point to. They have nothing to do with the message in the English verses.

That master with whom you spent 3 hours in silence wouldn't have had a clue about what is in the Tao Te Ching. You would have been better off studying with a Harvard professor of Chinese philosophy not that it would have done you any good.

QUOTE 35 EXCERPT:


Thank you for sharing ! :biggrin:

For your information, I once was applying to Columbia University for the doctoral program in eastern religions. I was told that I qualified for the program but that, since I was studying with one of the revered sages of India, my time would better be spent outside of the University. The point was that, with the sage, I would get the direct experiences, whereas the University would simply make me an expert in translating ancient texts. I have no regrets whatsoever.

With all due respect, I appreciate your interest and input on what would have been best for me but I am glad that I followed the course that I did and didn't go off "studying with a Harvard professor". :biggrin:

My apologies. I didn't mean to point you in the right direction in the study of ancient Chinese thought.

I don't believe that any native Chinese today understands the Tao Te Ching. This scripture is not accessible to western scholars even if they can read classical Chinese which does not lend itself to literal translation in another language.

I would be happy to review your take on any chapter of the Tao Te Ching if you believe that two heads are better than one.

QUOTE 37 EXCERPT:


With your knowledge of Chinese, I would love to do that with you. You have inspired me to take out my ENGLISH translation of The Tao Te Ching (Translated by Brian Browne Walker).

Using the aforementioned translation, there are two passages on which your input would be greatly appreciated. I agree with each translation but, since I don't know Chinese, I can't say whether the translation is accurate or not.

4 (ending):

Something is there, hidden in the deep!
But I do not know whose child it is ---
It came even before God.

56 (beginning):

Those who know don't talk.
Those who talk don't know.

(That Taoist master whom I met in Chengdu China in the 1980s did NOT talk and yet he communicated a lot. That reference in my previous post triggered this dialogue. :smile: )

You are self-confident. I like that. Otherwise, you wouldn't accept my invitation to study together. In this way, you have communicated a lot (doing it right without talking).

Knowledge of classical Chinese gives no advantage in the study of the Tao Te Ching (written in the Chinese text). It only shows the errors in the translations leading the English reader to a different place.

Even if the English reader is an eminent western Harvard professor with a mastery of classical Chinese, he would still face an insurmountable cultural barrier. The same goes for a native (Chinese) professor at Beijing University. He would have no inkling into the musings of scholars in 200 B.C. China.