I've been travelling China for a couple of years, constantly coming across gardens and shops with these rocks in them. I always just thought they merely looked nice. Never thought that there was history behind them. My rock appreciation has sky ROCKeted
Thank you, I have collected rocks and stones all my life but never knew anything about Suiseki or the like. I have loved Bonsai and tried my hand but all have died and I stopped because I could not bear the loss. I have enjoyed the stones of Zen gardens and known only that they may represent mountain tops or islands, but yesterday I learned about spirit stones and Suiseki from the Internet. I have been enjoying the contemplation of rocks for a long time and have felt a calming effect of touching or holding certain stones. I have felt a feeding of my soul from certain stones and often carry favorite small stones in my watch pocket for many years. Thank You again.
This reminds me of one of my favourite habits - watching waves as they tumble into rocks. My eyes just delight at it. Rocks are nice on their own, but when juxtaposed with fluid they become all the more impassive and impressive. Also, speaking of Daoism, here is a Lao Tzu quote - “Water is fluid, soft, and yielding. But water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield. As a rule, whatever is fluid, soft, and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and hard. This is another paradox: what is soft is strong.”
As a geology student, it's very intriguing to see that rocks had such a direct impact on eastern culture and thought. Also interesting is that most of the rocks that seemed to be favoured were smooth, rounded rocks that had been subdued to weathering and erosion over time. It seems then to me , that the people that admired these rocks, either consciously or subconsciously appreciated the power of the atmosphere. They also appreciated gradual change over time, and appreciating the vastness of geological time and its gradual changes can be rather humbling.
+Brain cakez Hehe, something like that, I think. More just mid-life crisis of not being able to get it up, then glamorizing something that fills the void of one's perceived weakness.
Imagine all the igneous rock puns you could make here. If done properly, these puns will rock! I'll hold them with sentimental value! The humor will never erode away. Okay, I'll shut up now...
Rock worship goes back to deep antiquity. - Buddha is said to have gained wisdom from a rock called the Cintamani stone - Jesus said he was the Rock, the corner stone of religion. - The Holiest site in Jerusalem is the Dome of the Rock - In Mecca the Muslims pray to a square rock called the Kaba stone. - In England every monarch is sworn in not on a Bible but on a Rock called the stone of scone - It is said to be the stone of destiny possibility going back to King Arthur's sword in the stone - Every major building has a corner stone ceremony in which a foundation stone is laid, a tradition rooted in Freemasonry - The Irish have the Blarney stone
Unquestionable the best video on rocks I have ever seen. It would seem, when this beautiful eastern philosophy was imported by the west, we came up with the pet rock.
I do like rocks and boulders. They can be inspiring. For example, consider the complex pattern of a slab of granite. It is unique and unduplicated. The chance of exactly that pattern forming is infinitesimal. The patterns in rocks are beautiful, but without meaning. Imagine how much more rare are designs which code information. When a pattern codes meaningful information, it reveals intelligent design.
Beautiful mini documentary, really glad you uploaded this! I can really sympathize with this topic in particular, being an east asian mineral lover myself.
I remember this. When I was 10, there was literally a whole chapter in my Chinese textbook on how beautiful and weathered rocks are. Which is kinda weird now to think about it
So it's good news that when we are dead, we will have a gravestone as "company" which is at least something. This reminds me of a most unfortunate Ottoman poet, Sair Esref ( 1847-1912) . He wrote a short poem for his gravestone saying that he was so sick of people, he didn't want anybody to visit his grave and he was alright being dead. He only asked for one little thing in that poem though: "I don't need your prayers, just do not steal my gravestone" I really feel bad about saying this ( and about finding it funny too) but they did steal it actually.... Thank you for such a beautiful lesson, and for making me realise that I have a "brother" from Uruguay at my table! I have always appreciated its beauty , but after watching your lesson I am looking at it with much more affection and admiration. This must be what you meant when you said that: " We need to surround ourselves with objects that embody certain values." It is a great memento mori too, because obviously I will die but he will survive and beautify somebody else's life in the future... I also remembered a wonderful poem by the Spanish poet Leon Felipe ( 1884- 1968 ). I have it here for friends who speak Spanish. His humility you will read in these verses really touches me deeply. He was a great poet and a very brave man, who fought in the Spanish Civil War and died in exile... But here he compares his life with the life of a small pebble... COMO TÚ... Así es mi vida, piedra, como tú. Como tú, piedra pequeña; como tú, piedra ligera; como tú, canto que ruedas por las calzadas y por las veredas; como tú, guijarro humilde de las carreteras; como tú, que en días de tormenta te hundes en el cieno de la tierra y luego centelleas bajo los cascos y bajo las ruedas; como tú, que no has servido para ser ni piedra de una lonja, ni piedra de una audiencia, ni piedra de un palacio, ni piedra de una iglesia; como tú, piedra aventurera; como tú, que tal vez estás hecha sólo para una honda, piedra pequeña y ligera... If you don't speak Spanish you must at least listen to Paco Ibanez singing this poem. What a voice...
I've grown to appreciate rocks (and driftwood) as I got involved with the planted aquarium hobby. I find the Iwagumi styled aquarium to be quite amazing as an odd number of strategically placed rocks can guide your eyes through an entire scape contained in a glass box full of water.
Waves also seem to have quite a soothing effect on people for whatever reason. If you like, it was the waves of the atmosphere, and the movement of fluid air, and water that sculpted the rocks that we saw. All the sand that was raked was ultimately waves. The indentation of each line is a trough and on either side of a trough is a peak. We saw interference patterns, groups of waves that were separated and parallel, and also the movement of waves out from a single point source. Waves are also more fundamentally important to science and the universe, as we understand it. Light and all matter is comprised of waves. Matter in many respects is merely, energy condensed to oscillate at certain frequencies. I think that if the Japanese that originally raked these waves were able to learn of the importance of waves to modern scientific understanding, they would be in awe of these beautiful rhythmic phenomena more then ever before.
This was wonderful. Ever since I was little I have loved rocks. I have been jealous when I have seen others with nice rocks that I want. They have brought my mouth to salivate. I realize the silliness of my feelings for rocks but I am also glad that they have helped me come to terms with irrational emotions in general. I truly love my rocks. Maybe I should do videos about them and maybe other people might enjoy them as well.
Right now I have on my desk a smooth black rock with sharp edges that fits in the palm of my hand as if it were made for it. I also have a Ziplock bag of pistachio shells above me on a shelf, two uncracked almond pits, and half a warped almond pit I find kind of lovely. It's about to rain, and I could watch it for hours if I had the time.
Nature has its own beauty, and the beauty is embedded everywhere. Rock is one of kind. The particular shape, texture, hight, wrinkled pattern, pores, holes are the reflections of the natural aging and process. They are marked with the characteristic of loyalty, strength, tolerance to any external forces, like nature's own inspiration record. I love to have them on my shelf. thank you for sharing the video.
I tend to think of rocks as a reminder of our crushing impermanence. It keeps my personal philosophy of spending time wisely in check. The longer I think about rocks, it also helps me notice that even something that seems so unchanging is in fact slowly eroding and evolving as time continues forward. We are all so small in our time here and whatever we want to do, we should do it while we still can.
Thanks! That was very informative and it also struck a personal chord. I have a collection of particularly beautiful or interesting rocks which I find all over the place. None of them are bigger than what I can hold in one hand, though. I have some of the favorites displayed in my home. They are arranged on window sills, next to plants as a natural display, with seashells, and with candles. I try to make aesthetically pleasing arrangements with the rocks and objects that complement each other. My mother in law started to do it a little bit as well. Until I saw your video, I had no idea that there is a history of anything like this. I am not Chinese, nor related to anyone from China. So this is not part of my own cultural tradition. I just enjoy beautiful rocks.
Haha I was camping last weekend and the beach was really rocky. I think I spent about 2-3 hours one day looking at them. And damn, at that point I was so tuned into ROCKS that I could see intracit details and variations in every single rock. Great experience! Be careful with rocks. Look at rocks responsibly.
I love drawing rocks. I'm an illustrator and I have what many would call a pretty high level of figurative art skill. I work for games and other media that pay me to draw things like monsters, dinosaurs and fantastic characters that most people would find bastly more interesting than a regular dusty rock so people are really stranged when I tell them about how much I enjoy drawing them. There is something really relaxing about drawing rocks is that they follow very few simple rules. Since they dont have much of "anatomy" to speak of. Once you master a certain degree of mastery over light and patience for detail there is nothing frustrating or needing much concentration bewteen you and an endless collection of perfectly drawn rocks.
This was so insightful! I love this channel and the fact that it covers knowledge from all sorts of different angles and sources. In regards of Eastern Philosophy though, I was wondering if you also plan to do any videos on other Eastern philosophers from India, Persia and Middle East, for example: Ibn Rushd (Averroes), Ibn Sina (Avicenna), Ibn Khaldun, etc?
Great, now I feel I need a rock like that on my garden xD imagine it under rain, it would look and sound amazing! LOVE THIS CHANNEL! I feel so calm after watching it
A couple of inaccuracies: 1. The name of the Chinese literati is Bai Juyi (白居易), not "Baidu". 2. The place where he was appointed as prefect is Suzhou (苏州), not "Xu Zhu".
You should create a "catch up" philosophy lesson, in which you have the entire collection of lessons from the end of your philosophy videos. Or maybe a book with them.
so...that suggestion regarding the limiting of rock admiration to no more than a couple hours daily?...I needed to come across that advice a few months ago. Better late than never, I suppose.
SUISEKI, like all organic art, has continued to evolve. It is quite popular in the U.S., especially in California where there are a number of Suiseki groups and an abundance of beautiful river stones available. Finding a really excellent stone is as thrilling as finding an amazing thunderegg or light filtering carnelian (which is my personal fav. stone). But then, the contemplation begins; looking to see if the stone demonstrates all of the right attributes to make it a classic suiseki. This can take quite a long time ... I have contemplated some stones for several years before finally rejecting them as having "issues" even if the stone is quite striking. As for altering or cutting stones there are several different schools of thought on this topic....For example , the best way to create a sheen on a smooth stone takes years of rubbing the oil from your face over and over the stone. Most natural vegetable oils will look good for a while but eventually yellow and detract from the stones' appearance. A wonderful source for "Westerners" is Vincent T Covellos' book The Japanes Art of Stone Appreciation. No longer in print but can still be found on Ebay.
+The School of Life Can you do a video on humanism, please? I think we need it more than ever, with all the extreme right parties rising in Europe and the violence motivated by D. Trump. I think you have the intelligence and creativity to convey a message of wisdom and humanism that people might share to call for the good part in all of us. Thank you in advance!!!
Makes you wonder what wisdom really is. It would seem, judging from this video, wisdom lays within the simplest of concepts. Although that exact place can be quite hard for most of us to see, because typically, we're look for the diamond within the rough, but you'd be surprised of the other treasures you can find 'within the rough'.
"A pair of oddly shaped rocks" What i see every time i look down as i sit on the toilet ;) This is also where i tend to have my best philosphical musings.
Well I am sure many Far Eastern Countries if not all had some form of rock made structures like Palaces, Temples, Pottery, Weapons, Writing Materials, Art, Statues and much more.
this explains my subconscious urge to collect rocks at some point when im at the beach! or for a souvenir to remember by to a place that I have been through...I have a few of them though
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
I've been travelling China for a couple of years, constantly coming across gardens and shops with these rocks in them. I always just thought they merely looked nice. Never thought that there was history behind them. My rock appreciation has sky ROCKeted
As a geologist, this makes me happy :)
What kinds of things are you working on? If you don't mind me asking. I have always found geology interesting.
As a lover of knowledge, I love this too, kudos on your job
A video about rocks this well done should not be taken for “granite”.
except when youre tasked with sourcing areas to drill oil and gas and to break those rocks up..
I love this channel so much. Waking up to gentle insights is really enjoyable.
Me too! I'm so glad that it exists and that I somehow stumbled upon it. :)
i like that you said gentle insight, and is really calming in a way
Did we just become a bestfriends
Thank you, I have collected rocks and stones all my life but never knew anything about Suiseki or the like. I have loved Bonsai and tried my hand but all have died and I stopped because I could not bear the loss. I have enjoyed the stones of Zen gardens and known only that they may represent mountain tops or islands, but yesterday I learned about spirit stones and Suiseki from the Internet. I have been enjoying the contemplation of rocks for a long time and have felt a calming effect of touching or holding certain stones. I have felt a feeding of my soul from certain stones and often carry favorite small stones in my watch pocket for many years. Thank You again.
Western culture appreciates rock too: AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, and of course the Rolling Stones are some better known examples.
I like your way of thinking \m/
Don't forget Dwayne Johnson
Jesus Christ, Marie...
+Melo Boy
Don't forget Michael Bay's deeply philosophical and existentialist movie "The Rock" as well as 3rd Rock from the Sun.
true
You think this episode is good? Try watching it stoned.
I'm trying to figure out if your pun was intentional.
Kid and a Squid Now yes it was. Don't I rock?
Ideally Jekyl Oh dear. That pun was nothing to marble at.
+Kid and a Squid Now I thought it was pretty igneous
Ideally Jekyl You're right. Sorry for being so cranky. I live a sedimentary life, you see.
This reminds me of one of my favourite habits - watching waves as they tumble into rocks. My eyes just delight at it. Rocks are nice on their own, but when juxtaposed with fluid they become all the more impassive and impressive. Also, speaking of Daoism, here is a Lao Tzu quote -
“Water is fluid, soft, and yielding. But water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield. As a rule, whatever is fluid, soft, and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and hard. This is another paradox: what is soft is strong.”
+The Manifold Curiosity You are a breath of fresh air my brother.
The Manifold Curiosity .
Love it
As a geology student, it's very intriguing to see that rocks had such a direct impact on eastern culture and thought. Also interesting is that most of the rocks that seemed to be favoured were smooth, rounded rocks that had been subdued to weathering and erosion over time. It seems then to me , that the people that admired these rocks, either consciously or subconsciously appreciated the power of the atmosphere. They also appreciated gradual change over time, and appreciating the vastness of geological time and its gradual changes can be rather humbling.
Man has midlife crisis, falls in love with rocks. Philosophy.
jajajaja right
+Ben Lappage If only viagra existed back then.
+Matt Johnson The only thing better than showing your love for rocks is being rock-solid yourself, is that what youre trying to say?
+Brain cakez Hehe, something like that, I think. More just mid-life crisis of not being able to get it up, then glamorizing something that fills the void of one's perceived weakness.
+Ben Lappage You made me laugh so hard! You rock! xD
Honestly one of my favourite videos to rewatch.
This channel is the only place that I read some sensible comments.
Apparently, not today. Lol. (See some of the comments above.) 😁
Yea yea
i did not quite notice until this video but these volcanic rocks do appear rather lovely in a very natural way.
It's 5 in the morning and I'm watching a video about rocks..... I really need a life
At least you're not watching minecraft playthroughts
+Bear Bots This IS LIFE.
+Bear Bots you need rocks.
What are you talking of you are watching * the School of life* ;P
this is where the old saying comes from: " you must have rocks in your head!"
Imagine all the igneous rock puns you could make here. If done properly, these puns will rock! I'll hold them with sentimental value! The humor will never erode away. Okay, I'll shut up now...
+David Andrade *Sediment-al
+snap peas Yeah, that was a mistake. I'm using a tablet right now, so I can't fix that until I get to my computer.
+David Andrade They really get taken for granite.
+David Andrade The puns could metamorphose and we could end up with nuggets of wisdom..
+coweatsman Build you house of wisdom upon the rock and not the sand.
I keep saying it again and again. This is my favorite channel on youtube.
I am a geology major, and I approve this video. Geology rocks.
Ever since i was a young kid, i was obsessed with rocks...
All this makes so much sense to me!
Those rocks look so badass! Guess who's gonna hunt for some rocks for my room tomorrow :)
Go! Become a legend! Talk to those rocks girl!
and when you get bored of them, you can use them as ammo for your catapults, aim at the baddies!
Omg mee too!!
4:34 Kwee energy? You mean Chi/Qi?
it's embarrassing really.
TheCarrifaery you can tell he reads a lot of books, but has little experience interacting with people.
Bojangles Ferguson aren't you a ray of sunshine...
Roman Fox well my mommy always told me i was the shiniest piece of shit she ever birthed
Bojangles Ferguson apple doesn't fall far from the tree... or whatever.
Wooooooooow! This is by far, such a beautiful insight into the appreciation of rocks, nature, and time.
"let us be friends" said the man to the rock, scrubbing the life from it's surface.
Rock worship goes back to deep antiquity.
- Buddha is said to have gained wisdom from a rock called the Cintamani stone
- Jesus said he was the Rock, the corner stone of religion.
- The Holiest site in Jerusalem is the Dome of the Rock
- In Mecca the Muslims pray to a square rock called the Kaba stone.
- In England every monarch is sworn in not on a Bible but on a Rock called the stone of scone
- It is said to be the stone of destiny possibility going back to King Arthur's sword in the stone
- Every major building has a corner stone ceremony in which a foundation stone is laid, a tradition rooted in Freemasonry
- The Irish have the Blarney stone
Just a reminder , we muslim does not pray to a kaba ...the kaba is just a direction for us to pray to our god :)
It's cool when people can correct each other like this so I will thank you for Novusod. Thank you Syuaib I am glad to have that insight.
The content of this video could be completely made up yet I wouldn't know the difference.
+ShortGiant1 well, we can google all the data mentioned here.
you can say that pretty much about anything
+ShortGiant1 The entire universe could have been made 5 minutes ago.
Visit china there are many rock gardens
When I discovered a love for rocks, I thought I was crazy. 👄ahhh I kept loving them inspite of that! Thank you sooo much for sharing this.
Unquestionable the best video on rocks I have ever seen. It would seem, when this beautiful eastern philosophy was imported by the west, we came up with the pet rock.
Alain needs to work on his Chinese pronunciation... Good video though.
+The School of Life Great idea. I am trying to guess what he is actually saying. Maybe you can provide a transcript in the description?
+chee cheet when he said 'kwee energy' it took me a moment to realize he meant 'qi'.
+chee cheet Or he could pass it of as Eng gao hui. Just as Sihonee is Japlish for Sydney.
+sharinganbyakugan ah, now I understand! Thanks!
true... i couldn't understand any of his Chinese pronounciation
I do like rocks and boulders. They can be inspiring.
For example, consider the complex pattern of a slab of granite. It is unique and unduplicated. The chance of exactly that pattern forming is infinitesimal.
The patterns in rocks are beautiful, but without meaning. Imagine how much more rare are designs which code information.
When a pattern codes meaningful information, it reveals intelligent design.
Beautiful mini documentary, really glad you uploaded this! I can really sympathize with this topic in particular, being an east asian mineral lover myself.
These videos are so calming, i just want to meditate to them.
I remember this. When I was 10, there was literally a whole chapter in my Chinese textbook on how beautiful and weathered rocks are. Which is kinda weird now to think about it
Mr Alain de Botton, it's a pleasure to listen to your lectures.
it's not rocks,IT'S MINERALS
No, those were rocks.
+Bromoteknada fuck i new someone would bring that up HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA
+Bromoteknada Not enough Minerals!
+Bromoteknada We require more minerals!
+Bromoteknada Most rocks you find are not pure minerals and thus should not be called minerals.
Truly insightful, thank you!
So it's good news that when we are dead, we will have a gravestone as "company" which is at least something. This reminds me of a most unfortunate Ottoman poet, Sair Esref ( 1847-1912) . He wrote a short poem for his gravestone saying that he was so sick of people, he didn't want anybody to visit his grave and he was alright being dead. He only asked for one little thing in that poem though:
"I don't need your prayers,
just do not steal my gravestone"
I really feel bad about saying this ( and about finding it funny too) but they did steal it actually....
Thank you for such a beautiful lesson, and for making me realise that I have a "brother" from Uruguay at my table! I have always appreciated its beauty , but after watching your lesson I am looking at it with much more affection and admiration. This must be what you meant when you said that:
" We need to surround ourselves with objects that embody certain values."
It is a great memento mori too, because obviously I will die but he will survive and beautify somebody else's life in the future...
I also remembered a wonderful poem by the Spanish poet Leon Felipe ( 1884- 1968 ). I have it here for friends who speak Spanish. His humility you will read in these verses really touches me deeply. He was a great poet and a very brave man, who fought in the Spanish Civil War and died in exile... But here he compares his life with the life of a small pebble...
COMO TÚ...
Así es mi vida,
piedra,
como tú. Como tú,
piedra pequeña;
como tú,
piedra ligera;
como tú,
canto que ruedas
por las calzadas
y por las veredas;
como tú,
guijarro humilde de las carreteras;
como tú,
que en días de tormenta
te hundes
en el cieno de la tierra
y luego
centelleas
bajo los cascos
y bajo las ruedas;
como tú, que no has servido
para ser ni piedra
de una lonja,
ni piedra de una audiencia,
ni piedra de un palacio,
ni piedra de una iglesia;
como tú,
piedra aventurera;
como tú,
que tal vez estás hecha
sólo para una honda,
piedra pequeña
y
ligera...
If you don't speak Spanish you must at least listen to Paco Ibanez singing this poem. What a voice...
These videos about eastern philosophy are just amazing :)
I've grown to appreciate rocks (and driftwood) as I got involved with the planted aquarium hobby. I find the Iwagumi styled aquarium to be quite amazing as an odd number of strategically placed rocks can guide your eyes through an entire scape contained in a glass box full of water.
Waves also seem to have quite a soothing effect on people for whatever reason. If you like, it was the waves of the atmosphere, and the movement of fluid air, and water that sculpted the rocks that we saw. All the sand that was raked was ultimately waves. The indentation of each line is a trough and on either side of a trough is a peak. We saw interference patterns, groups of waves that were separated and parallel, and also the movement of waves out from a single point source. Waves are also more fundamentally important to science and the universe, as we understand it. Light and all matter is comprised of waves. Matter in many respects is merely, energy condensed to oscillate at certain frequencies. I think that if the Japanese that originally raked these waves were able to learn of the importance of waves to modern scientific understanding, they would be in awe of these beautiful rhythmic phenomena more then ever before.
Never dull. Always fun and informative. Just what I like.
This was wonderful. Ever since I was little I have loved rocks. I have been jealous when I have seen others with nice rocks that I want. They have brought my mouth to salivate. I realize the silliness of my feelings for rocks but I am also glad that they have helped me come to terms with irrational emotions in general. I truly love my rocks. Maybe I should do videos about them and maybe other people might enjoy them as well.
Right now I have on my desk a smooth black rock with sharp edges that fits in the palm of my hand as if it were made for it. I also have a Ziplock bag of pistachio shells above me on a shelf, two uncracked almond pits, and half a warped almond pit I find kind of lovely. It's about to rain, and I could watch it for hours if I had the time.
"There called 'minerals', Marie!"
"They're"...
So gentle.
Really enjoyed this video and all the videos in the eastern philosophy series, keep up the good work!
Nature has its own beauty, and the beauty is embedded everywhere. Rock is one of kind. The particular shape, texture, hight, wrinkled pattern, pores, holes are the reflections of the natural aging and process. They are marked with the characteristic of loyalty, strength, tolerance to any external forces, like nature's own inspiration record. I love to have them on my shelf. thank you for sharing the video.
like the old man said: we are three friends
Crazy Mi was an ancient meme that lasted for centuries. Also, rocks hold some wisdoms of the universe.
I tend to think of rocks as a reminder of our crushing impermanence. It keeps my personal philosophy of spending time wisely in check. The longer I think about rocks, it also helps me notice that even something that seems so unchanging is in fact slowly eroding and evolving as time continues forward. We are all so small in our time here and whatever we want to do, we should do it while we still can.
Thanks! That was very informative and it also struck a personal chord. I have a collection of particularly beautiful or interesting rocks which I find all over the place. None of them are bigger than what I can hold in one hand, though. I have some of the favorites displayed in my home. They are arranged on window sills, next to plants as a natural display, with seashells, and with candles. I try to make aesthetically pleasing arrangements with the rocks and objects that complement each other. My mother in law started to do it a little bit as well. Until I saw your video, I had no idea that there is a history of anything like this. I am not Chinese, nor related to anyone from China. So this is not part of my own cultural tradition. I just enjoy beautiful rocks.
Haha I was camping last weekend and the beach was really rocky. I think I spent about 2-3 hours one day looking at them. And damn, at that point I was so tuned into ROCKS that I could see intracit details and variations in every single rock. Great experience!
Be careful with rocks. Look at rocks responsibly.
Mind-Blowing Video...clips like this are why I keep coming back to School of Life! :)
Wow, I never knew that rocks can teach us so much about nature. Awesome video.
I love drawing rocks.
I'm an illustrator and I have what many would call a pretty high level of figurative art skill. I work for games and other media that pay me to draw things like monsters, dinosaurs and fantastic characters that most people would find bastly more interesting than a regular dusty rock so people are really stranged when I tell them about how much I enjoy drawing them.
There is something really relaxing about drawing rocks is that they follow very few simple rules. Since they dont have much of "anatomy" to speak of. Once you master a certain degree of mastery over light and patience for detail there is nothing frustrating or needing much concentration bewteen you and an endless collection of perfectly drawn rocks.
This was so insightful! I love this channel and the fact that it covers knowledge from all sorts of different angles and sources. In regards of Eastern Philosophy though, I was wondering if you also plan to do any videos on other Eastern philosophers from India, Persia and Middle East, for example: Ibn Rushd (Averroes), Ibn Sina (Avicenna), Ibn Khaldun, etc?
I originated from south korea and i never notice that many grandparents had a lot of rock collection just like in the video.
This is a wonderful video. I hope to see more eastern philosophy on this channel, as the few videos I have seen have been some of my favourite.
Great, now I feel I need a rock like that on my garden xD imagine it under rain, it would look and sound amazing! LOVE THIS CHANNEL! I feel so calm after watching it
A couple of inaccuracies:
1. The name of the Chinese literati is Bai Juyi (白居易), not "Baidu".
2. The place where he was appointed as prefect is Suzhou (苏州), not "Xu Zhu".
I'm a rock hunter too!!!!!!!
whenever I see a fossil lying on the ground I always bring it home!
You should create a "catch up" philosophy lesson, in which you have the entire collection of lessons from the end of your philosophy videos. Or maybe a book with them.
I just love gravels, fully in my grandpa's garden and a little Penjing there. Rocks have their own power and beauty.
so...that suggestion regarding the limiting of rock admiration to no more than a couple hours daily?...I needed to come across that advice a few months ago. Better late than never, I suppose.
The phrase "old rocks" strikes me as pleonastic, in an weird insightful way. Damn this thought provoking videos... they provoke thoughts. :)
Is it the same if I'm developing an obsession with Eastern Philosophy? Thanks SOL
this video rocks!!
5:18 Emperor Gaozong formed the southern song dynasty, not Qinzong. And Qinzong is pronounced "chin-zong" not "kwin-zong"
Now I know I'm not truly crazy for my passion for rocks! I'm always in search of a prize rock for my garden. No one else understands.
I just spent 8 minutes learning about rocks, yet I’m somehow wiser? I suppose it time well spent, thank you.
There's a pair of rocks on my local moorland I share similar feelings about :)
lovely - thank you for this short movie and history lesson
My new favorite video by SOL
Such an enlightening video, thanks for the upload!
this man's voice is amazing
SUISEKI, like all organic art, has continued to evolve. It is quite popular in the U.S., especially in California where there are a number of Suiseki groups and an abundance of beautiful river stones available. Finding a really excellent stone is as thrilling as finding an amazing thunderegg or light filtering carnelian (which is my personal fav. stone).
But then, the contemplation begins; looking to see if the stone demonstrates all of the right attributes to make it a classic suiseki. This can take quite a long time ... I have contemplated some stones for several years before finally rejecting them as having "issues" even if the stone is quite striking.
As for altering or cutting stones there are several different schools of thought on this topic....For example , the best way to create a sheen on a smooth stone takes years of rubbing the oil from your face over and over the stone. Most natural vegetable oils will look good for a while but eventually yellow and detract from the stones' appearance.
A wonderful source for "Westerners" is Vincent T Covellos' book
The Japanes Art of Stone Appreciation. No longer in print but can still be found on Ebay.
Ya'll there at TSOL need to write a book.
+The School of Life Can you do a video on humanism, please? I think we need it more than ever, with all the extreme right parties rising in Europe and the violence motivated by D. Trump. I think you have the intelligence and creativity to convey a message of wisdom and humanism that people might share to call for the good part in all of us. Thank you in advance!!!
I find it true that rock collecting can get addictive, lol. I used to collect crystals and gem stones.
Makes you wonder what wisdom really is. It would seem, judging from this video, wisdom lays within the simplest of concepts. Although that exact place can be quite hard for most of us to see, because typically, we're look for the diamond within the rough, but you'd be surprised of the other treasures you can find 'within the rough'.
"A pair of oddly shaped rocks" What i see every time i look down as i sit on the toilet ;) This is also where i tend to have my best philosphical musings.
Well I am sure many Far Eastern Countries if not all had some form of rock made structures like Palaces, Temples, Pottery, Weapons, Writing Materials, Art, Statues and much more.
Oh, but those are beautiful rocks!
Palaeontologist here. Appreciate this video.
In japan this art and appreciation is called Sui Seki
Loved this one.
瘦 (shòu), 皱 (zhòu), 漏(lòu), and 透(tòu) are pronounced "show", "joe", "low", and "tow" respectively
could be pronounce differently in ancient time
Pretty interesting concept. Who knew that rocks were so important to China and Japan.
Rocks are beautiful! in Kunming, China, there is the Stone Forest ... if you have the possibility go there!
Amazing! Loved this one! I knew I wasn't the only one
Great writing! Thanks.
7:42 Where does that quote come from? I didn't find it in the original writing ("Account of t he Lake Tai Rock" is 太湖石记 right)
This was very interesting. Bravo.
this explains my subconscious urge to collect rocks at some point when im at the beach! or for a souvenir to remember by to a place that I have been through...I have a few of them though
A pare to spare, and to sit on, the 2 wonderful rocks.
Thank you for this insightful video!
5:58 What's the reference on Huizong appointing official to search for rocks? How can I find more about this story?
awesome- I love rocks and now realize it's not so weird afterall 😆
I love this channel
Wow, I really liked your explanation!
Damn.. I didn't know the asian people love rocks so much! haha.. I love it.
Thank you for these very pleasant learning experiences.
Rock is love, Rock is life
They're minerals Marie!
For those about to rock...
Great videos thank you!