You coast.

Taoism is pretty much considered Chinese - it's major influence on Japan was the effect it had on Zen/C'han and some other cultural transmissions.

The Gregorian calendar, with your "September Ninth," wasn't really used by the ancient Chinese until the 20th century, so I'm a little confused how they could have found it so lucky. Probably you just mean the ninth day of whatever ninth month they were using at the time - and that doesn't change the main point of your article.

You actually expressed the idea perfectly correctly, without any reference to September. I sure wish these pages had a Quick Retraction button!

Chance the Gardener: Yes. In the garden, growth has it seasons. First comes spring and summer, but then we have fall and winter. And then we get spring and summer again.

President "Bobby": Spring and summer.

Chance the Gardener: Yes.

President "Bobby": Then fall and winter.

Chance the Gardener: Yes.

Benjamin Rand: I think what our insightful young friend is saying is that we welcome the inevitable seasons of nature, but we're upset by the seasons of our economy.

Chance the Gardener: Yes! There will be growth in the spring!

Benjamin Rand: Hmm!

Chance the Gardener: Hmm!

President "Bobby": Hm. Well, Mr. Gardner, I must admit that is one of the most refreshing and optimistic statements I've heard in a very, very

...yes, if we stop spining nonesense, common sense might prevail

I would take anything Tang Dynasty media provides as solid religious history with a pound of salt. They're run by the Falun Gong, which has played fast and loose with such things in order to boost the credentials of their self-proclaimed messiah (aka cult leader). I was first introduced to this phenomena when suckered into attending the Tang Dynasty "Chinese New Year Spectacular," which my husband and I later dubbed "The Falun Gong Show." It went so far as to imply (through interpretive dance, no less) that the infamous Tienanmen Square protests in which hundreds of students were murdered by the government were about defending Falun Gong from oppression by the Chinese government, despite the fact that Falun Gong didn't even emerge as a cult until the early 90s. I pretty much give any religious movement the benefit of the doubt until I can thoroughly research it, but in the years since I'm fairly convinced that Falun Gong can be innocuous but is typically harmful, especially to its elderly practitioners.

That's not to say that the information above is incorrect (I'm a religious scholar, and my specialty is South Asian religions, which doesn't include Taoism, so my knowledge is limited), but I like to call a spade a spade when I see one.

Yes, do call a spade a spade, Sundari, but you might want to check your facts (especially being a religious scholar).

Tang dynasty times is in no way related to Falun Gong.

"I would take anything Tang Dynasty media provides as solid religious history with a pound of salt. They're run by the Falun Gong,"

Tang Dynasty Times is a blog written by a woman in Japan and has nothing whatsoever to do with Falun Gong. Just so you know.

Sundari,

You can't be a very good scholar for you have no regard for even basic facts. I read Tang Dynasty Times and it has nothing to do with Falun Gong.

Regarding Taoism in Japan-- those "cultural borrows" as Dragon Scholar calls them were actually quite extensive and Taoist philosophy has informed much in Japan (for when they adopted the calendar from china, they adopted the underlying principles as well). We see this in architecture, tea ceremony, colors and numerology.

Cheers

Sundari, What are you talking about? You're off on a tangent, Andrew Leonard has specifically mentioned a blog called the "Tang Dynasty Times". You are going off on "Tang Dynasty media" and the Falun Gong for some reason. What exactly does that have to do with chrysanthemums and the ninth day of the ninth month? I believe you are running amok.

Hey Andy,

There is a way to expand on the bicycle theory and rewrite it so that there is no need for intricate balancing acts at a red light. That is to simply ride in a small circle or (keeping with the theme of Toaist philosophy) a figure eight. Just as a boy on his bike waits for his pesky older sister to get bored of blocking the path and finds someone else to torment.

Contrite? Maybe. But, from past experience it is effective. No need to stop, no need to go back and complain to mommy, just continual motion. It might not be in a forward direction. But until the obstacle is removed no real loss of momentum. The obstacles in the case of world trade being lack of workers rights, environmental considerations and the economic imperialism of GATT, NAFTA, WTO, etc.

footsore