Welcome to the Yinshi Hut

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No roles. No robes. No rituals.

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In the ancient Taoist tradition of the Yinshi (隐士) (meaning a hidden recluse or hermit), there is nothing to become and everything to undo. This is an invitation to a pre-monastic path of commitment, free from the weight of approved lineages, expensive ordinations, or spiritual hierarchies.

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The Tao is not a destination to be reached; it is the natural stillness that remains when the self stops seeking.

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The Path of the Yinshi

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This sanctuary is offered freely to those who wish to deepen their commitment to the Way of Yin through a Taoist life of authentic, uncarved practice, and to join others who wish the same.

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The Foundation: Your journey begins with the teachings of The Way of Yin trilogy (see "Your Next Steps" below). These books are the map, while your life is the journey.

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The Threshold: Join our private forum to offer your Personal Declaration. This is not a set of vows, but a witnessed statement to the universe of your intent to live the Yinshi way. (see below).

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A Shared Silence: Access our Insight Timer virtual temple for daily communal meditation and enter our Private Forum for written inquiry, a space to discuss the Tao without the noise of the world.

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Your Next Steps...

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If an online Taoist priest ordination has appealed to you, yet the expensive fees, controlled learning, and having other people determine whether you are ready to commit to such a path don't feel right, you might naturally be a Taoist recluse, or Yinshi.

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Joining The Yinshi Hut is a personal decision. If you feel it is the right time to deepen your commitment to an authentic Taoist path, I will not stand in your way or charge you for that privilege. 

 

I ask for only two things: firstly, that you have either read the three books I have written (A Wayfarer), or at least The Way of Yin - The Tao of Cats & Sparrows: a Nondual Taoist Book, to the end of The Way of Yin section (around 130 pages). Secondly, write a Personal Declaration of up to 300 characters and submit it on our forum. No one will comment on or judge your declaration. It is personal to you and is a statement of how this path will unfold for you moving forward, rather than your past achievements, practice history, or proof of commitment. No one is here to judge you.  If you proceed by clicking the following "Make a Personal Declaration" button, you will be taken to the first part of the Yinshi Hut forum, where you will find my own declaration, and those of any others who have joined. You can create a username that does not disclose your personal name, if preferred. The declaration is for you, and your own path only.

 

Once completed, you will then be confirmed as a fellow Yinshi, a recluse in the Taoist tradition. You will join a long line of hidden hermits, cave-dwellers, and Taoist poets whose paths have entered the mists of The Way to varying degrees. You will be granted access to the forum home, where you can discuss the Way, ask me questions about my books, or simply share silence. You will then be given access to our Instant Timer meditation circle, which is free to join, and the app is also free to download. Like a real hut shrouded in mountain clouds and whose doors are always open, you wander to it whenever you feel the time is right to make that pilgrimage. There is no requirement to connect daily, weekly, or monthly. We are Yinshi, and we come and go with the will of the wind.

Insight Timer will record the times any of our members have meditated that day. This means that people in different time zones can still feel connected through simple presence, even when we are not quite sharing the same space at the same time. We leave a footprint in the snow, knowing that although it will melt away into nothingness, it is evidence of a shared journey.

Click the button below when you are ready to make your Personal Declaration. I look forward to meeting you.

Best wishes,

A. Wayfarer