Over at Orkut, in this discussion forum on Taoism, someone asks, "Has anyone met a REAL Taoism teacher? How do you know he was a REAL Taoist?" To which others replied, "If Tao could be taught, then it is not Tao." Or quoting the Tao Te Ching, "Those who know don't talk, those who talk, don't know." And "the Tao that can be followed is not the eternal Tao."

Well, here was my response:

When the Tao Te Ching says, "The Tao that can be spoken is not the true Tao..." does it mean ANYONE who talks about the Tao is wrong? But then, what about the Tao Te Ching itself? These are words, ergo they must be wrong. This ultimately forms a self-referential paradox, like if I say, "I am a liar and this statement is a lie."

It's like that story about Chuang Tzu and Hui Tzu, who were crossing a river. Chuang said, "See how the fishes leap frolic, they are so happy." Hui then replies, "Hey, you're not a fish, how do you know they're happy?" Chuang says, "Hey, you're not me, how do you know, that I don't know that they're happy?" Hui continues, "If I, since I am not you, cannot know what you know... it follows that you, not being a fish, cannot know what they know." Well, in the end, Chuang answers, "I know the joy of fishes, in the river, through my own joy, as I go walking along the same river."

Back to your question. Teachers. Real teachers. Yeah, I've met a few. Some are famous, others are shrouded in mystery. Some have open schools, others are very secretive. Some have open hearts and true knowledge, others are charlatans and cult leaders. My first Taoism teacher was an amazing martial artist, acupuncturist/healer, and philosopher. He introduced me to several others, each of whom was an honor to meet. I met this one teacher in Hong Kong, and the moment I saw him, I burst into tears of joy and couldn't stop for three hours.

So back to your question: "Does anyone know of any actual Taoist teachers?" My answer is yes. And how do I know that the teachers I've been privileged to meet are true Taoists? I know their teachings were true, through my own joy and bliss in being with them.

How can you meet them? They're not in the Yellow Pages. Start by looking around in Chinatown.