As Chinese,your video is really amazing.Daoism in Chinese 道德经，is simple also complicated, a lot of ancient people use whole life to practice Dao.It actually influenced the way we think. Chinese people always say "Let it be. Keep mind like nature.Do not force to do something impossible.", something like this.
The concept of Wu-Wei is often misunderstood as "inaction" when its true meaning is probably "exerting a powerful impact through minimum effort." It's kinda similar to the martial art Aikido where you don't fight the enemy, you use their own momentum against them.
@@stephie.m the SELF is just another word for the ego. Self and ego are the same. All action that's based on conditioning is the activity of the self. To find an action that's free from conditioning is meditation.
@@Untilitpases Latin multi - means "many" Lingua- means "tongue or language" Polyglot is the Greek version en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multilingualism#:~:text=Multilingualism%20is%20the%20use%20of,by%20a%20group%20of%20speakers.&text=People%20who%20speak%20several%20languages,called%20first%20language%20(L1).
I watch your videos every night and I must say that I've become addicted to them! They are so Insightful and you present them in such a calm and neutral manner that keeps my interest going. Please keep up the good work!
My interpretation or 2 cents worth: preachers/teachers, etc. aren't the ones with the most/highest(?) knowledge, but the quiet/meek who live the truth they've earned with dedication. They keep the good stuff. You have to work for yours.
“While her disappointed Sister looked on, / Quiet as the snow, knowing well: / Those who know don't talk / And those who talk don't know“ - mewithoutYou
Daoism, originating from ancient China, embodies the profound philosophy of living in harmony with the Dao, or the way of nature. While its historical origins are uncertain, texts like the Dao De Jing and the Zhuangzi convey its core principles, emphasizing spontaneity, humility, and aligning with the natural flow of existence.
I think anyone who thinks that water is fighting with them is having a bit of an ego, but I can't deny that the spirit of Florida is to self intoxicate and fight god.
@@GeertMeertens because the Word "Greatest" means, in this case, that The book has given specific understanding to Vasuki. And the way of gratitude Vasuki kindly wrote "Greatest". Surely you don't have a "Greatest" book, I sincerely wish you find yours📚
I think most regular secular westerners like me took more of an interest in Eastern traditions than in Abrahamic ones.Now I'm finally learning about Abrahamic ones.But reading Daoism in my youth has probably been the most helpful school of thought for understanding my place in the universe and how to deal with life's challenges.
I agree completely, and am also only now learning about the Abrahamic religions. Very glad to have my basis in the Tao; I feel I see things clearer than I did before, and I can better find capital-T Truth hidden within the other traditions of the world
I believe most secular westerners like you did not have access to over 90% of texts about taoism that exists now. In fact the mainstream face of Taoism in the west is nothing that resembles the taoism that created a very strong religion controlled government for almost 2000 years (ending in 1911).
I was introduced to Vedanta through this channel and since have pursued a study of the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita and Brahma Sutras. While watching this I ordered the Tao texts you mentioned. Love this channel!
I felt that the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita share a lot in common with the Tao Te Ching. But the Tao Te Ching has a remarkable style which is unique and kind of blows your mind. I started telling people "The Brahman that can be discussed, is not the real Brahman" :) taking from the opening of the Tao, but replacing "Doa" with "Brahman"
@@janakakumara3836ken upanishad makes similar claims where it discusses how Brahman is beyond speech, thought and pran but is the source of all these things.
What makes "dao" (or "Tao") such a perfect term is that its original meaning of "way" allows for more metaphoric extensions not only to "tradition" or "school of thought", but also "method" and "process", which could be used to refer to anything from the most complex (eg. procedures for avoiding cross-contamination) to the most mundane (eg. "how to boil an egg"). The various martial arts use the same character in their name. The "do" in "Aikido", for example," is "dao". Thus the word "dao" itself encompasses all the dualities and apparent contradictions of its own teaching: "The Dao that can be named is not the eternal Dao... ".
thank you for your efforts. I have always had trouble reading, my brain doesnt like to listen to my eyes. It prefers to listen to my ears. I have learned most of what I know in person, through my own experience. The books and topics you take the precious time to speak so well, are much appreciated by me. Thank you truly. George.
I know nothing of this until i watched this video. It sounds a lot like “following your gut”, committing to it and letting it lead you is a good way of following, finding or experiencing a shimmer of dao.
You pretty much have it. Yes your gut is kind of exactly it. But most importantly, it's trying to re-teach or to give you a little enlightenment to how you, your mind, as well as others around you and the universe it self works. Once u can see in your mind eye the WAY, then you will be on a new path of being
my hardback copy of the complete Zhuangzi is one of my most treasured literary possessions, along with my collection of Dogen, so I felt your joy in describing it. it's just phenomenal. the painting of Confucius, Laozi, and the Buddha just chilling together as Philosophy Buddies is so wholesome.
Brilliant and deeply thought provoking stuff. Thank you for the colossal share. Love and respect to you and all the travelers who arrive and have arrived here.
Good comparison...And only hindu philosophy can be used as comparison or as refference because of the depth similarity...while abrahamic at that time consider 10 commandments are the ultimate teaching, asian so called "religion" has already search into mind and psycology of individual and the universe.
I see many similarities between the way that Chinese people approach religions and philosophy with the way that Ancient Romans did. I mainly refer to the sincretism and blurriness between all the different religions, supertitious beliefs and schools of thought. It would actually be a very interesting topic for a video. By the way, cheers for your channel. I just discovered it two days ago and I'm loving it. Keep it up! Greetings from Spain.
Thanks your . Chinese traditional culture is a great culture. But because of the Communist Party speech control and all kinds of control. These cultural heritages are in danger
@@呱呱哞儿the communists admitted that the cultural revolution was a mistake and now embrace their cultural roots (see the Beijing opening Olympics) If anything the danger to traditional culture are westerners looting and destroying China like what happened to the old summer palace
You have truly a gift of making every video so clear and understable, though you deal with really complicated arguments. I'll follow every video you have registered so far and wish you'll keep doing new ones. 👍
I don’t know if this is a good example, but the way I would describe the difference between Western thought and Chinese thought is: A Western fisherman finds himself in competition with a cormorant, so he kills the cormorant. A Chinese fisherman finds himself in competition with a cormorant, so he trains the cormorant to catch fish for him. To me that sums up Wu-Wei and Taoism.
I had to stop in the middle to say the *images are stunning*! Some of them literally stop my mind and they are so evocative of the topic, of course. But there are millions of images out there and whoever does the artwork and graphics always does a great job but this is wowza!!!
Time: 5:25 : not quite. I have read a dozen prominent Chinese academics on Tao de jing in CHINESE and the common consensus in Hong Kong, Taiwan and China is that the book was written by a single person. Some of the texts were edited later when competition with Confucianism exploded in Han dynasty, but over the last few decades, the older version/original text written in bamboo was discovered. Most of the texts were identical to the common established version except for a few words. The old interpretation that the text was written by multiple authors or years after the the death of Confucius was once fashionable in the early 20th century: there were huge debates for years that descended into vicious personal attacks between some of the most prominent Chinese scholars.
@@Haywood2 Western culture has this tendency to avoid calling Eastern religions, religions, in the hopes of legitimizing it in the hyper-materialistic western mindset. This is problematic, as he said earlier in the video
The opening of the book (道可道非恒道) is nowadays interpreted more like as "A road, it is. Yet it is not (like a) path (you can walk on)". The first part has the form of x可x, which was an ancient idiomatic to say "It's the real deal, it'actually the proper stuff", while 恒 refers to "fixed, predetermined, laid down" with 恒道 referring to a real, hard-drawn road connecting two ends of a travel, and 非 being the negation. So, the meaning goes in the line of: "yeah, it's a road; you can walk on it, you can follow it, but it's not a road getting you from A to B."
The Tao Te Ching was instrumental in breaking my brain, dissolving my attachments to goodness and badness, rightness and wrongness; it has brought me so much peace and resilience.
as a chinese daoist i can tell you that there is really no clear line between book daoism (philosophical daoism) and religious daoism oh and at least for us religious daoism really isn't anything different from chinese folk religion. it's really one in the same. i mean you can really see that "go with the flow" attitude in our temples. usually if there aren't clergy around, there's at least a bunch of elderly who sit around relaxing, and are happy to guide any followers on the rites if they are unsure. it can get REALLY confusing. given that many daoists also worship the buddha as a deity-teacher-thing, the line with buddhism is also not very clear. it's not uncommon to see chinese go to both buddhist and daoist temples for services, where i'm from even hindu temples are open to daoists - it's not really perceived as a different religion, it's honestly something like Interpretatio Graeca all that alchemy stuff and medicine can honestly be classed as more cultural than religious, but it is in all seriousness just taken as a natural extension of daoist philosophy, albeit to a supernatural level
@GG GG confucius is just one philosopher out of many he's not the focus of daoism in fact, he's the opposite, confucianism's strict rule-based thought is in direct opposition with the go-with-the-flow philosophy of daoism
There's clearly a distinction between Laotzu and his teachings vs later established religion. He's supposedly a dude who left civilization to live simply. The religion is everything he didn't advocate.
It's fascinating that this kind of thinking pervades, or act as a basis of, all religions. Personally, I like the similar expression that appear in the Vedic concept of Ṛta. Ṛta (sometimes translated as "order") is actually come from the same root as "ṛtu" the word for 'season'. And as season come and goes without force and bring order to all being, human's action ought to behave in the same manner: without force and in alignment with nature. All of the similar explanations or expressions lead me to think that religion or life-philosophy (for a lack of a better word) stem from a common origin - whatever that is. Not sure if this might be considered as perennialism or not.
Nice catch! That's a good comparison actually. Yes that does sound like a kind of perennialism :) Although perennialism doesn't necessarily say that they all have a common "origin" but that they are all expressions of the same absolute truth. Nothing wrong with that though. I fall into those tendencies myself sometime :)
Sir, you are making excellent presentations. Taoism is close to my heart, so thank you! I would translate Dao not "a way", but "The Way". The way cannot be named, but if named, it becomes a parent of thousand things. We all follow the way, and yet we deviate from it. Perhaps this contradiction is what sets human beings apart from the rest of nature? Whether Lao Tzu existed factually is not so important, important is that he was so right.
It looks like the truth is inside all of us, and most of the thinkers, philosophies and religions to their core points to same concepts, I see Dao/Tao has very similar concepts as of Stoicism and Oneness in Sufism, Hinduism, Sikhism etc. This video summarizes it ruclips.net/video/ZxegrI954LQ/видео.html
I agree. Words whatever language they come from are all ultimately abstractions. My take is that what we are all witnessing is eternal being (the mind of god) via thought, feeling and perception and these traditions help express the beauty of this mystery via their scripture, poetry, art and various practices.
I was just thinking the same thing -- there seem to be two basic strains: finding oneness with a "god" which is completely ineffable; we are already "that"; there is only that and everything appears within that; or everything that appears to be appearing within that is illusory. I really like the way this instructor brings out these strains in thought thought the various lectures on different 'religions" or strains thereof. Perhaps one could say it is his unconscious bias or maybe his conscious bias but as a sort of Daoist/Advaitan/Yogi/Jew (ok, that's funny) I am always reaching in my heart for this ultimate oneness. Religion is not about an old man with a long beard sitting on a throne or about the thirty two thousand personal hindu gods, so forth and so on. All the dogma and structure is originally intended to be the stairways to heaven, so to speak. Reductionist thinkers who don't know anything about religion stop with the altar and start with the mocking. Ultimately it is about truth, about union with the divine, about approaching our own higher selves. We all know, deep down, that whatever we are doing on this planet as people is some sort of masquerade, and perhaps, ultimately, it is this everyday life we live that is the ultimate mystery which can never be understood. Some think this human life is only a mechanism we are gifted with to help us reach "truth". I just had to comment because your remark rang a bell. Peace.
Incredible book of knowledge...changed my way of "being" unbelievably it has been my way of "being" before I studied world philosophy and religions.I believe it's the true path to peace within our souls.
This is such a wonderful and lucid introduction - very well done indeed! One little correction though, mainly related to the image selected for the way of the Celestial Masters (or Zhengyi Orthodox Unity school) - the image at 20:35 is of the seven perfected Masters of the Quanzhen lineage (or Complete Reality School) being taught by Wang Chongyang.
I am so grateful you have the interest and the support to share your knowledge ... it seems to teach in basic .form to live in the present moment without judgment of your own self nor others...
Came across this video in a daoism Facebook group. Personally, i felt it was really good introduction to Daoism.. I'd love to see you expand upon certain elements... Perhaps the Nei - yeh.
Explanations like this often overlook the surprisingly heavy political emphasis in Dao De Jing. It really hammers in the idea of a small isolationist state that keeps its population rural and ignorant. This is a reason to believe the author (of those sections) was indeed a disillusioned courtier. For me, it's also a reason to examine different aspects of the Daoist system of thought more critically.
im filipino, filipinos arent usually associated with daoism, but in manila near where my lola lived there was an old taoist temple. I only walked by it a few times a day every day i was there. I never went inside because the cultural barrier seemed daunting when i was younger, and i was already adjusting to my family and filipino culture in the looban. but taoist symbols have always been present in my immediate environment, filipino people love to keep all kinds of supernatural items. one day i read a translation of the dao de jing, and it felt so connected to a worldview i share with my family that it’s been influential to me since. This video tapped into a deep part of myself that had been clouded by a long time of dwelling on distractions.
So as I understand the dao. It’s the mother of the universe, and if I were to look up, it would be everything dark, or everything that is unseen. It Gives birth to universes. It’s bigger and older than the universe. It’s pretty quite simple, it is said to be quite simple, our minds complicate its meaning and we create way too many other interpretations. Everyone wants to be the one who can explain it. But no one really can.
Another outstanding video , very concise and informative. Chinses philosophy/religion can be quite confusing for Westerners, you sir have a talent of explaining difficult concepts to the laity.
I know ancestor worship or viewing the dead as deities for lack of a better term is a common practice in what we refer to as Chinese folk religion, so I wonder if that makes it less surprising that Laozi, and others, would be worshipped as a deity by Daoists today. If the natural assumption is that the spirits of the ancestors are alive and should be shown honor, you would expect for Daoists to do so with the most important figures in Daoism.
The Taiwanese folk religion (could be considered a branch of Chinese folk religion) doesn't focus on and have no interest in Laozi's philosophy, its central belief is the consistency of the incense and fire which are the symbol of the succession of ancestors and the divinity from the homeland.
Ancestral worship, Chinese folk religion and Daoism are three distinct practices, altho they may share practicioners. Ancestral worship has a long history, it became closely integrated with Confucianism. Daosim has little to do with that.
I congratulations you on your wonderful knowledge of the subject just amazing for someone so young. I am a old 76 year old woman and still have many questions and always looking for more understanding
You should check out the book, "Greek Buddha", it goes into evidence for how Lao Tzu and the Buddha were the same. Everything from etymology, to Philosophy, to anthropology, etc. Pretty fascinating.
I was told that the Taoist pantheon of gods was added due to a sense of competition with the other two religions. There is definitely a sense of humor in the stories about the Taoist gods.
since I read the Tao Te King as a youngster I have been fascinated by it (as with the path of Buddha). I guess I will have to follow your advice and explore the Zhuangzi text
As they are the most peaceful to humanity/mankind, based on unconditional love, peace, compassion, mercy to all beings. Not a dogma based on evil carrots and punishments
@@timetoreason181 this is just a small comment you made but i totally agree with this, there was one almost sleepless night i had where i tackled my disagreements on how god on christianity tackled its sinners and its followers and most of it i find very distasteful and cruel, so what i did is i turned my back on it and decided i will find that one form of religion that i believe is something i can totally agree with. after all they're a ton of religions out there waiting for someone to dive deep with. besides many people had believed it... why can't i?
I enjoyed your interpretation of dao. Ive always understood it as a combination of the path you walk through life and the attitude/headspace/morality you have while walking it. In my head i see it as a someones moral compass guiding them down a road.
Had a valuable chance to see the videos on Daoism - there are definitely another 3 titles. I like when - your language for explanation - soars and has to struggle - to find earth again. It happened in a video of a Sufi thinker, as well. Methinks, it was the heart affected with highest inspiration and the love that rose - overwhelmingly - even invisibly. Words - almost then - dissolve and silence comes - to wait in awe - at the innermost, coming revelation. Maybe more of us - should then meditate - on this Voice Real and obey - in Grace. Thank you.
I lived in Qing Dao, China several years. Shandong Province was the birthplace of both Lao Tzu and Confucius. The landscape is dotted with Dao meditation shrines.There seems to be a Catch 22 element to Chinese philosophy. There seems to be a view similar to the Doctrine of many Ways found in the middle East. It is possible Lao Tzu was more real than General Tso, or his alleged chicken.
What WAYS in the middle east are you referring me? Did you mean Pakistan and India? Because the Middle East is mostly Abrahamic religions, mostly bring Muslims
What pulled me in and actually had me in a state of shock, or amazement, and pure awe for months, was a line in Toa Te Ching... there was 1, then 2, and everything thereafter in the UNIVERSE came from the ONE, or the way. WHAT!!! Then somewhere else in the book,, there was in inference about the idea of the self as being wrong. As being an illusion! Again it repeated, we are all ONE. Not metaphorically but factually! Those lines blew my mind! How in the world did he know about the"Big Bang Theory" ?? If you get down to the quantum aspect of things, we're all literally made up of everything else floating around in the Universe. Just a bunch of Atoms vibrating about...Lao Tzu knew that everything is an illusion. HOW?!?!!!? His teachings are so profound and mind blowing. True esoteric knowledge more valuable than all riches in the world. Once i figured out that he's not speaking metaphorically, but literally, I physically felt a shift in my head. In this flimsy little book he opens up the universe for you at your feet. Breaks down the sciences of the universe and shows you how the mind works. Phychology 101/Liberal Arts/ Philosophy101/ Scientific Studies. "Long & short create eachother", "Without Ugly there can be no beauty" He's talking about how "concepts" are created in the mind. We spend our entire lives measuring, studying, judging,verifying, adding, testing theories,achieving, failing, hurting,...basically lost in the trash that has accumulated in our heads ovr the yrs. "Monkey mind" with no off switch. Red candles! Gold coins! You see? You're a slave to your brain! I(not I], lol, I forced fed you mental Images. I know u saw that Red candle! Don't lie! Lol...Oh, but who can attain a mind that can control the gates? How to attain? And is it important? If your reading then I'm sure you know. If not then just ask.. lol
for someone who read chinese text, I need to say this. Philosophical Daoism is the first text during the time. Religious Daoism comes after a few decade and is a combination of all the practices during the time, including buddism. It just take the "knowledge" that contains in Philosophical Daoism but it is not Philosophical Daoism.
A very nice introduction, which we see similarity in its content when compared to Advaita (non dualism), work without attachment (from Sri bagavath Geetaji) of sanathan dharmam.
I'm no scholar of Daoism /Taoism but I consider myself a Daoist. Why? Simply because I live as much as possible in harmony with the world around me. I enjoyed your video and understand that your channel is entitled "let's talk religion" but I feel there is a misunderstanding. Daoism is not a religion (scholars can argue it all they like). The point being that in the East philosophies are lived, they are ways of living and, through the living ,are expressed. Man "being a bear of very little brain" ( thanks Mr AA Milne) made ritual and religion out of something he either couldn't live or didn't understand. Western philosophies love to talk in fact I met a person with a Phd in Daoism but wasn't a Daoist as it was "Too Hard". However which way scholars might carve up the text, scrolls etc of Daoism it's pretty much irrelevant unless they live their life as a Daoist because it is about the living/ life not about the written word or the ritual act. Having said that, I appreciate the channel, keep up the great work.
Religion is a word born within the reality of the Roman Catholic Church: it applies and should be applied to that system only. Unfortunately, due to western hegemony in the past 5 centuries, it has become a de facto standard word in most western languages to refer to all spiritual practices and ways.
@@musamusashi "Religion is a word born within the reality of the Roman Catholic Church: it applies and should be applied to that system only." Eastern Orthodox say that Orthodoxy is a way of being. Scholastic approach changed it into an academic discipline, pursued to make a career and managed by a bureaucracy.
I'd be wary of statements like 'Daoism isn't a religion'. Depending on ones preferred definition of religion, it could certainly be classified as such.
About words Richard Feynman : "You can know the name of a bird in all the languages of the world, but when you're finished, you'll know absolutely nothing whatever about the bird. You'll only know about humans in different places, and what they call the bird.”
I've recommended this video to enough people up by now to understand what I believe that I think I have to thank you. Thanks a million Philip keep doing what you do and I'll keep watching!
Fascinating how in Chinese tradition there are none of the arbitrary walls you see between ideology/religion/philosophy in western thought, to the point that we have to be careful with what we define as 'religion' when discussing the east.
Yes. Rationalism is a simplistic manner when dealing with the Chinese mindset, to put it mildly. Can be rather... exasperating talking about "Chinese" to a "Western" mind, as even the talk is heard from a rationalist frame.
@@merrymachiavelli2041 Hihi! Yes, when I speak of rationalism or the rationalist mind, I do refer to the broad Western understanding of this term. Which means that, yes, as it is typically contrasted with the concept of empiricism according to their development in Western history. My response stems from the premise that Western rationalism differs from how an Eastern mind rationalises, due to the variety of factors that help facilitates the rationalising process. For instance, that Western rationalism can be distinct from Western empiricism is already an oddity from the Eastern perspective. The instinctive response from an Eastern mind would be, "Huh? Isn't the rationalising of the phenomenon part of the experiencing? I feel and think together! Why the need to argue that they are not one?" Having a good dinner is more important. Yeah.
Bro wtf. I thought I was thinking crazy when I thought everything revolves around a cause and a reason a this and that. Little did I know zhuangzi has already done this thousands of years ago. Wow. What a legend this guy
You should do a video about the syncretism between Daoism abd Buddhism. I can see how they became unified after watching this video. They are quite similar.
Gneee... Not quite They have very opposite views of the world... As an old saying goes: Buddha, Confucius and Lao tse met to try some beverage. Buddha found it too bitter. Confucius found it insipid. Lao tse thought It was alright, sweet even. This explains their world views. Buddha's view of the world Is rather pessimistic, you must cease to exist to find true peace. Confucius hated how the world around him was, supposedly, chaotic. He preached for laws and strict rules. Lao tse instead taught people that the world is fine, It's our minds that see it as painful or chaotic. You must flow with Life and find joy in the simple things, the world Is fine the way it Is. It's the exact opposite of buddhism. The two schools were bitter rivals in the old times. Sometimes bloody deeds happened too. It was thanks to the chinese people themselves, not the elites, philosophers and holy men, that the religions achieved harmony. Cause, besides some people who had the luxury to focus on One school of thought, most people had no time for that. The same happened in Japan and in the rest of Asia. Everyone likes Buddha, but not everyone Is into leaving their families and works in the farm to become a monk.
so far this video is the most precise and accurate about Daoism . although its still cannot explain Dao completely. no one can really explain Daoism as the theory of Dao can shift by the time and space.
I learned some new details and names within my favorite (non-)religion, though I missed a few notes, that were sort of essential for development of my appreciation of it: Wei Wu Wei: one way to describe it (instead of esoteric/vague sounding "going with the flow") is going with the gravity. Finding the easiest/natural way with minimal energy spending. That principle is well known from physics and of course even biology. Water always flowing down, filling in holes (as lakes), overflowing the dams, bypassing the obstacles from the side and continuing towards lower places - as its natural/physical characteristic. Apple falls straight down. Liquids form bubbles in space. Animals try to gain as much nutrition/energy as possible, while saving as much as possible while doing it. Almost trivial observations. In philosophical sense, one can achieve the most through aligning with natural forces, nature of the situation or one's own nature - rather than resisting them. Expressing one's natural talent. Employing it while serving the genuine needs of his community. The interpretations are wide. Vinegar tasters (the image presented a few times throughout the video): The iconic painting expresses the basic philosophical distinctions of 3 key influences on Chinese culture. The fictitious meeting of Confucius, Buddha and Lao Zi narrates that each one tastes the potion but they describe its taste differently. Confucius finds its sour/putrified. Confucianism describes life/society/humans as prone to degeneration, so it seeks perfect organization of state, hierarchy and rules to fix the innate problem. Every human should serve its due role as proscribed by the status, origin, tradition - in family as well as in the state - be a cog in a machine of society, creating together a perfect image/music/theater (and everyone should be "satisfied" with seeing this "achievement"). Buddha described the vinegar as bitter. Buddhism sees life as a cycle of suffering, while offering a path out of it, into Nirvana. In that outlook, it carries a resemblance to Abrahamic religions - with the prophet trying to take people out of the physical/carnal/mortal life's misery into Heavens, Paradise or whatnot. And then Lao Zi comments on the vinegar taste - in some rendering says "it is sweet", in some he says "it is like vinegar". Life is as it is. It is good as it is. Everything is perfect as it is. With all the mess, contradictions (or balance), diversity. Some scholars see Taoism as the "folk resistance religion" of the subjected ones or of the outcasts, who were not that fond of obeying the all-mighty state, authorities, given hierarchies, fixing the problematic world through traditionalism and rigidity. It was the religion of rebels, though not the militant ones. Rebels who saw life as beautiful, perfect, "just life", who wanted to indulge in it, exploring it in its natural tastes and laws. It is worth mentioning how the Chinese state's ruling classes throughout history (even nowadays) prefer the Confucian way - submitting of the individual to the Whole - particularly again today. Daoism is too elusive, dissenting, disorderly, individualist... for the emperors or chairmen. Dao as a concept: the essence that everything is made of or that everything naturally expresses and follows, the fundamental characteristic of the universe (whether it is the balance of the opposites, complementarity, law of minimizing the energy expenditure, duality) - can be paralleled to those branches of the mainstream western religions (Sufism comes into my mind) that see the omnipresence of God in a sense that everything that exists (humans, nature, things, universe) is actually a part of God, the manifestations of the Creative Force (that Essence). God present and manifested in everything that is. God as a sum of everything that is, including the unseen things and not-yet-understood features. Not a God as some external sovereign judging being, separate from the world. Even concerning the duality - perhaps there are some religious traditions that do not see some things in the Universe as "good" or "evil", but rather multi-faced, complex, evaluated just depending on the observer and the context. Instead of "forces of light/good" against the "forces of darkness/evil" ... organisms need light to live/thrive, be warm, see ... but need also darkness to repose and regenerate. Only darkness would mean everything freezes to death. Only light would cause everything burn in the heat. What makes life possible is the dance of the opposites, day and night, in a delicate balance. Everything in its due measure. Here, I'd say, even Genesis meets Dao. God separates day/night heaven/earth etc... :) And not to forget, Dao De Jing describes Dao as unknown, undescribable, undecipherable (alike many Abrahamic religions mystify God under 99+1 names, or just generally as "beyond human comprehension"). Dao in Lao Zi's (ironic) sketch - resists canonization, holy books, infallible prophets, ideology. It acknowledges the irony of it being shared by some Lao Zi and written in a form of book, trying to explain what eludes explanation. It is based on parables, ironies, not so much the dummy literal explanations. Dao is the only spiritual/religious/philosophical path that plays with humor in such an extennsive manner. There are jokes, winks, or even sarcasms to be found, for those who already experienced the taste of Dao in the course of everyday life. All that the wise(r) individuals use for ages to resist the hierarchies and ideologies of the day.
Yes balance of the opposites and most importantly to see that "opposites" are actually mental constructs. Or mind interpreting the world as we see it.The illusions conjured, when not seeing the way, the path. Things manifested from the ONE, THE WAY. Only when learning to train the minds eye (3rd eye) will The Way manifest itself. Mind, no Mind Meditation is actually like lifting weights for the brain. Learning to control the gates or doorways to the minds eye. l kno it sounds like mumboJumbo but i am no scholar. I can only quote from my mind how I read it and how I understand it. The best way for me to explain it would be to quote it. Bcus from the 30 or so versions that I've read, the commentators (authors interpretation) never helped much in explaining it. I have only gained little understanding from the actual quote. But bcus the book was written thousands of years ago in an script no longer used, I do get a better understanding from the many different rewritten, redefined versions throughout the world
His name Lao Tzu(老子) literally translates to the old master. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In my opinion, no. Yes, Lao(老) is old in English. but Lao Tzu's father is called Lao Zuo(老佐), so Lao is his surname. In his time, there are titles of nobility, such as Gong(公, maybe Duke in English), Hou(侯, maybe Marquess in English), Bo(伯, maybe Earl in English), Zi(子, maybe Viscount in English), Nan(男, maybe Baron in English). For a low level noble, you might not know his title, so you just call him Zi, it's acceptable and polite. For a man, whether he has a title or not, if he is a teacher or respected by you, you can also call him Zi politely. You see, the world Zi is just like the word Mr in English. In my opinion, Lao Zi literally translates to Mr Lao. BTW, His name is Lao Dan(老聃).
Congratulations on your presentations a job done very well on all expects, thank you for spreading light to humanity with intelligent and a modest attitude! Keep up the good work you are respected and appreciated.
As Chinese,your video is really amazing.Daoism in Chinese 道德经，is simple also complicated, a lot of ancient people use whole life to practice Dao.It actually influenced the way we think. Chinese people always say "Let it be. Keep mind like nature.Do not force to do something impossible.", something like this.
其实和佛家讲的差不多，终极目标都是虚无之境衍生出物理世界。 阴阳五行都是由一点衍生出去的。
@@扶摇-p1r with all due respect...thats just a vague platitude that is utterly meaningless
@@Mikhail.Tolstykh you simply do not get it... unforch
@@扶摇-p1r 跟佛教区别大了去了，你看到的汉传佛教是被道教儒教严重影响了的所谓儒释道一体，南传小乘和原始佛教根本是印度教的底子，四大皆空，无我无性，涅槃寂灭，你看了印度教的经典就很容易理解。
Lao-tze was just trying to get away from his overly burdensome Chinese wife!
The concept of Wu-Wei is often misunderstood as "inaction" when its true meaning is probably "exerting a powerful impact through minimum effort." It's kinda similar to the martial art Aikido where you don't fight the enemy, you use their own momentum against them.
@@PieterPeter-ud7wf perfect comment
❤
I think the translation I have heard more is "non-governing" as opposed to "inaction". Which relates to a lack of an ego based origin for your actions
No, it means an action which is not the activity of the self.
@@stephie.m the SELF is just another word for the ego. Self and ego are the same. All action that's based on conditioning is the activity of the self. To find an action that's free from conditioning is meditation.
you are doing the world a great service and you are an excellent teacher. may you prosper.
Nothing like the Dow Jones.
Agree, the objectivity of this channel is unparalleled and I am always amazed that the information is so succinct and neatly packaged.
this is a satire channel.
Dow Jones..great pun..sir..lol
Thought it was spelled with a T. Pronounced with a D.
I'm heavily impressed (as an multilinguist) by your pronouncetion skills and high level background knowledge and thematic preparation.
Respect, sir!
Multilinguist...
It's poliglot...
@@Untilitpases
Latin multi - means "many"
Lingua- means "tongue or language"
Polyglot is the Greek version
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multilingualism#:~:text=Multilingualism%20is%20the%20use%20of,by%20a%20group%20of%20speakers.&text=People%20who%20speak%20several%20languages,called%20first%20language%20(L1).
@@Untilitpases I love how you tried to be rude to someone who’s ESL and *they* taught you something
Yeah
#Eat5StarDoNothing
You know, we do notice your efforts with the various languages you get to pronounce on here. Skål!
Skål?
@@toresanderify it's basically our term for cheers
I don't think so! Not with the Indian languages😂
.. I prefer Wade - Giles when reading, though...
He was pronouncing the Arabic names very correct in a video i watched last week
I watch your videos every night and I must say that I've become addicted to them! They are so Insightful and you present them in such a calm and neutral manner that keeps my interest going. Please keep up the good work!
56 “ Those who know don’t talk,
Those who talk don’t know.”
Thank you 🙏🏽☺️ for this lovely video.
so you do not know. because you talk.
No one here knows
My interpretation or 2 cents worth: preachers/teachers, etc. aren't the ones with the most/highest(?) knowledge, but the quiet/meek who live the truth they've earned with dedication. They keep the good stuff. You have to work for yours.
“While her disappointed Sister looked on, / Quiet as the snow, knowing well: / Those who know don't talk / And those who talk don't know“ - mewithoutYou
@@muhammadsidik5281 she was quoting what others have said
Daoism, originating from ancient China, embodies the profound philosophy of living in harmony with the Dao, or the way of nature. While its historical origins are uncertain, texts like the Dao De Jing and the Zhuangzi convey its core principles, emphasizing spontaneity, humility, and aligning with the natural flow of existence.
"Water's virtue is that it benefits all creatures, but contends with none"
- A man who has clearly never been to Florida
Or Bangladesh or the Netherlands that is!
Don't take an analogy too far...
I think anyone who thinks that water is fighting with them is having a bit of an ego, but I can't deny that the spirit of Florida is to self intoxicate and fight god.
Here. Read something informative, and stop taking an analogy too far.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yu_the_Great
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_River#Dynamics
@@chendaforest ... And sometimes it's a joke and your interjection of "wisdom" is cringe because you completely misunderstood.
Tao Te Ching is one of the greatest books in the world. 🙏
Please tell me why and try to be specific.
@@GeertMeertens there is nothing special about this book. why even bother to read it?
@@GeertMeertens because the Word "Greatest" means, in this case, that The book has given specific understanding to Vasuki. And the way of gratitude Vasuki kindly wrote "Greatest". Surely you don't have a "Greatest" book, I sincerely wish you find yours📚
@@Manwendlil A book that has been translated into more languages than any other book than the Bible might bear checking out.
@@GeertMeertens It can't be specific when tlaking about the Tao, sorry
I think most regular secular westerners like me took more of an interest in Eastern traditions than in Abrahamic ones.Now I'm finally learning about Abrahamic ones.But reading Daoism in my youth has probably been the most helpful school of thought for understanding my place in the universe and how to deal with life's challenges.
I agree completely, and am also only now learning about the Abrahamic religions. Very glad to have my basis in the Tao; I feel I see things clearer than I did before, and I can better find capital-T Truth hidden within the other traditions of the world
I believe most secular westerners like you did not have access to over 90% of texts about taoism that exists now. In fact the mainstream face of Taoism in the west is nothing that resembles the taoism that created a very strong religion controlled government for almost 2000 years (ending in 1911).
Do you agree that there seem to be paralels between the reaction Daoism was to confusionism and the reaction Christianity was to Judeism.
I was introduced to Vedanta through this channel and since have pursued a study of the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita and Brahma Sutras. While watching this I ordered the Tao texts you mentioned. Love this channel!
May I ask what motivated you read to these texts?
@@niravsavla1470 becoz it's interesting
Do try yo read the book of Montheostic religion Oam i.e. Quran as well.
I felt that the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita share a lot in common with the Tao Te Ching. But the Tao Te Ching has a remarkable style which is unique and kind of blows your mind. I started telling people "The Brahman that can be discussed, is not the real Brahman" :) taking from the opening of the Tao, but replacing "Doa" with "Brahman"
@@janakakumara3836ken upanishad makes similar claims where it discusses how Brahman is beyond speech, thought and pran but is the source of all these things.
What makes "dao" (or "Tao") such a perfect term is that its original meaning of "way" allows for more metaphoric extensions not only to "tradition" or "school of thought", but also "method" and "process", which could be used to refer to anything from the most complex (eg. procedures for avoiding cross-contamination) to the most mundane (eg. "how to boil an egg"). The various martial arts use the same character in their name. The "do" in "Aikido", for example," is "dao".
Thus the word "dao" itself encompasses all the dualities and apparent contradictions of its own teaching:
"The Dao that can be named is not the eternal Dao... ".
incisively put!
thank you for your efforts. I have always had trouble reading, my brain doesnt like to listen to my eyes. It prefers to listen to my ears. I have learned most of what I know in person, through my own experience. The books and topics you take the precious time to speak so well, are much appreciated by me. Thank you truly. George.
There is a book written by Mr Toshihiko Izutsu comparing Taoism and Sufism
Thank you very much for the video🙏
I have often marvelled at the beauty of Sufism🙂
@@SuperStargazer666 Yes it's very intresting!
@@pimpomism soft islam
@@hajorm.a3474 more like more spiritual not necessarily soft just like ig protestants aren’t necessarily soft in their dogma or history
dude ,you guys see anyone other than anyone taking about Islam ?? islam was so good that it always create extremism world wide.
I know nothing of this until i watched this video. It sounds a lot like “following your gut”, committing to it and letting it lead you is a good way of following, finding or experiencing a shimmer of dao.
You pretty much have it. Yes your gut is kind of exactly it. But most importantly, it's trying to re-teach or to give you a little enlightenment to how you, your mind, as well as others around you and the universe it self works. Once u can see in your mind eye the WAY, then you will be on a new path of being
my hardback copy of the complete Zhuangzi is one of my most treasured literary possessions, along with my collection of Dogen, so I felt your joy in describing it. it's just phenomenal.
the painting of Confucius, Laozi, and the Buddha just chilling together as Philosophy Buddies is so wholesome.
Good stuff - powerful and refined thinking/action.
Brilliant and deeply thought provoking stuff. Thank you for the colossal share. Love and respect to you and all the travelers who arrive and have arrived here.
'They who see action in inaction and inaction in action are indeed sages' Bhagvad gita.
Good comparison...And only hindu philosophy can be used as comparison or as refference because of the depth similarity...while abrahamic at that time consider 10 commandments are the ultimate teaching, asian so called "religion" has already search into mind and psycology of individual and the universe.
@@Alexander-rg2wb Those who know do not speak. Those who speak do not know.
Published 4 years ago and still today it is so interesting to listen to this channel. Thank you! Your channel is very interesting and informative!
Fantastic video and introduction with specific, clear information! The drawings and paintings make this video a joy to watch :)
The music in this episode is spectacular!
Agreed, I’d love to know the name of the track
Yeah
@@DrHouseMusic All the music used in the channel is produced by Filip (Let's Talk Religion) himself :)
I see many similarities between the way that Chinese people approach religions and philosophy with the way that Ancient Romans did. I mainly refer to the sincretism and blurriness between all the different religions, supertitious beliefs and schools of thought. It would actually be a very interesting topic for a video.
By the way, cheers for your channel. I just discovered it two days ago and I'm loving it. Keep it up! Greetings from Spain.
Thanks your . Chinese traditional culture is a great culture. But because of the Communist Party speech control and all kinds of control. These cultural heritages are in danger
@@呱呱哞儿the communists admitted that the cultural revolution was a mistake and now embrace their cultural roots (see the Beijing opening Olympics)
If anything the danger to traditional culture are westerners looting and destroying China like what happened to the old summer palace
It's the same in India. It's the same anywhere. The only outlier are Judeism, Christianity and Islam.
You have truly a gift of making every video so clear and understable, though you deal with really complicated arguments. I'll follow every video you have registered so far and wish you'll keep doing new ones. 👍
I don’t know if this is a good example, but the way I would describe the difference between Western thought and Chinese thought is:
A Western fisherman finds himself in competition with a cormorant, so he kills the cormorant.
A Chinese fisherman finds himself in competition with a cormorant, so he trains the cormorant to catch fish for him.
To me that sums up Wu-Wei and Taoism.
I had to stop in the middle to say the *images are stunning*! Some of them literally stop my mind and they are so evocative of the topic, of course. But there are millions of images out there and whoever does the artwork and graphics always does a great job but this is wowza!!!
Time: 5:25 : not quite. I have read a dozen prominent Chinese academics on Tao de jing in CHINESE and the common consensus in Hong Kong, Taiwan and China is that the book was written by a single person. Some of the texts were edited later when competition with Confucianism exploded in Han dynasty, but over the last few decades, the older version/original text written in bamboo was discovered. Most of the texts were identical to the common established version except for a few words. The old interpretation that the text was written by multiple authors or years after the the death of Confucius was once fashionable in the early 20th century: there were huge debates for years that descended into vicious personal attacks between some of the most prominent Chinese scholars.
Is there anywhere I can read about this?
It’s a beautiful philosophy/religion :)
It's very chill and mellow
It is not a religion because it does not encourage a belief in an entity. I took Taoism and Buddhism in college. It is a wonderful philosophy.
@@Haywood2 Western culture has this tendency to avoid calling Eastern religions, religions, in the hopes of legitimizing it in the hyper-materialistic western mindset. This is problematic, as he said earlier in the video
@@Haywood2 But it does... It encourages Belief in ‘heaven’ which was seen as the place of the divine.
@@trneighty5941
Yeah. Christianity also has a complete philosophical framework more than just biblical revelation.
The opening of the book (道可道非恒道) is nowadays interpreted more like as "A road, it is. Yet it is not (like a) path (you can walk on)". The first part has the form of x可x, which was an ancient idiomatic to say "It's the real deal, it'actually the proper stuff", while 恒 refers to "fixed, predetermined, laid down" with 恒道 referring to a real, hard-drawn road connecting two ends of a travel, and 非 being the negation. So, the meaning goes in the line of: "yeah, it's a road; you can walk on it, you can follow it, but it's not a road getting you from A to B."
The Tao Te Ching was instrumental in breaking my brain, dissolving my attachments to goodness and badness, rightness and wrongness; it has brought me so much peace and resilience.
as a chinese daoist i can tell you that there is really no clear line between book daoism (philosophical daoism) and religious daoism
oh and at least for us religious daoism really isn't anything different from chinese folk religion. it's really one in the same.
i mean you can really see that "go with the flow" attitude in our temples. usually if there aren't clergy around, there's at least a bunch of elderly who sit around relaxing, and are happy to guide any followers on the rites if they are unsure. it can get REALLY confusing.
given that many daoists also worship the buddha as a deity-teacher-thing, the line with buddhism is also not very clear. it's not uncommon to see chinese go to both buddhist and daoist temples for services, where i'm from even hindu temples are open to daoists - it's not really perceived as a different religion, it's honestly something like Interpretatio Graeca
all that alchemy stuff and medicine can honestly be classed as more cultural than religious, but it is in all seriousness just taken as a natural extension of daoist philosophy, albeit to a supernatural level
@GG GG confucius is just one philosopher out of many
he's not the focus of daoism
in fact, he's the opposite, confucianism's strict rule-based thought is in direct opposition with the go-with-the-flow philosophy of daoism
Thank you for such detailed well researched and well presented videos. I am learning a lot from you. This is a great service to humanity.
It is a faith of more closure, clarity, answering, and focus
I love your understanding. Not many people can have such insight.
There's clearly a distinction between Laotzu and his teachings vs later established religion. He's supposedly a dude who left civilization to live simply. The religion is everything he didn't advocate.
Jesus + modern Christianity in all its forms 🤷♀️ you can apply a similar argument to most religions
@@k2990j Agreed ..just as Jesus has almost nothing to do with the church and christian...
It's fascinating that this kind of thinking pervades, or act as a basis of, all religions. Personally, I like the similar expression that appear in the Vedic concept of Ṛta. Ṛta (sometimes translated as "order") is actually come from the same root as "ṛtu" the word for 'season'. And as season come and goes without force and bring order to all being, human's action ought to behave in the same manner: without force and in alignment with nature. All of the similar explanations or expressions lead me to think that religion or life-philosophy (for a lack of a better word) stem from a common origin - whatever that is. Not sure if this might be considered as perennialism or not.
Nice catch! That's a good comparison actually. Yes that does sound like a kind of perennialism :) Although perennialism doesn't necessarily say that they all have a common "origin" but that they are all expressions of the same absolute truth. Nothing wrong with that though. I fall into those tendencies myself sometime :)
Sir, you are making excellent presentations. Taoism is close to my heart, so thank you!
I would translate Dao not "a way", but "The Way". The way cannot be named, but if named, it becomes a parent of thousand things.
We all follow the way, and yet we deviate from it. Perhaps this contradiction is what sets human beings apart from the rest of nature?
Whether Lao Tzu existed factually is not so important, important is that he was so right.
It looks like the truth is inside all of us, and most of the thinkers, philosophies and religions to their core points to same concepts, I see Dao/Tao has very similar concepts as of Stoicism and Oneness in Sufism, Hinduism, Sikhism etc.
This video summarizes it
ruclips.net/video/ZxegrI954LQ/видео.html
I agree. Words whatever language they come from are all ultimately abstractions. My take is that what we are all witnessing is eternal being (the mind of god) via thought, feeling and perception and these traditions help express the beauty of this mystery via their scripture, poetry, art and various practices.
True. There is something change less no matter what name it takes.
Exactly. Not sure of Sufism though.
I was just thinking the same thing -- there seem to be two basic strains: finding oneness with a "god" which is completely ineffable; we are already "that"; there is only that and everything appears within that; or everything that appears to be appearing within that is illusory. I really like the way this instructor brings out these strains in thought thought the various lectures on different 'religions" or strains thereof. Perhaps one could say it is his unconscious bias or maybe his conscious bias but as a sort of Daoist/Advaitan/Yogi/Jew (ok, that's funny) I am always reaching in my heart for this ultimate oneness. Religion is not about an old man with a long beard sitting on a throne or about the thirty two thousand personal hindu gods, so forth and so on. All the dogma and structure is originally intended to be the stairways to heaven, so to speak. Reductionist thinkers who don't know anything about religion stop with the altar and start with the mocking.
Ultimately it is about truth, about union with the divine, about approaching our own higher selves. We all know, deep down, that whatever we are doing on this planet as people is some sort of masquerade, and perhaps, ultimately, it is this everyday life we live that is the ultimate mystery which can never be understood. Some think this human life is only a mechanism we are gifted with to help us reach "truth". I just had to comment because your remark rang a bell. Peace.
Stoicism isn’t a religion
Incredible book of knowledge...changed my way of "being" unbelievably it has been my way of "being" before I studied world philosophy and religions.I believe it's the true path to peace within our souls.
You must be a infj personality type!?
The similar themes between Daoism and Stoicism are very interesting. I feel attracted to both these ways of life!
Daoism, Stoicism and Bhuddism
@@kuyab9122 Yes, agreed! Especially Zen Buddhism.
This is such a wonderful and lucid introduction - very well done indeed! One little correction though, mainly related to the image selected for the way of the Celestial Masters (or Zhengyi Orthodox Unity school) - the image at 20:35 is of the seven perfected Masters of the Quanzhen lineage (or Complete Reality School) being taught by Wang Chongyang.
I am so grateful you have the interest and the support to share your knowledge ... it seems to teach in basic .form to live in the present moment without judgment of your own self nor others...
Came across this video in a daoism Facebook group.
Personally, i felt it was really good introduction to Daoism.. I'd love to see you expand upon certain elements... Perhaps the Nei - yeh.
Thanks! :) Yes I'll probably do more videos on the subject
This is appreciated. You are very well educated and relay the knowledge in a most understandable way, so Thanks!
Explanations like this often overlook the surprisingly heavy political emphasis in Dao De Jing. It really hammers in the idea of a small isolationist state that keeps its population rural and ignorant. This is a reason to believe the author (of those sections) was indeed a disillusioned courtier. For me, it's also a reason to examine different aspects of the Daoist system of thought more critically.
Wu wei is an ant-iintellectual term of art
Good to know. Thank you for bringing that perspective to light.
@@george221999在中国，无为发展到禅宗就解决它内部的矛盾。
im filipino, filipinos arent usually associated with daoism, but in manila near where my lola lived there was an old taoist temple. I only walked by it a few times a day every day i was there. I never went inside because the cultural barrier seemed daunting when i was younger, and i was already adjusting to my family and filipino culture in the looban. but taoist symbols have always been present in my immediate environment, filipino people love to keep all kinds of supernatural items. one day i read a translation of the dao de jing, and it felt so connected to a worldview i share with my family that it’s been influential to me since. This video tapped into a deep part of myself that had been clouded by a long time of dwelling on distractions.
So as I understand the dao. It’s the mother of the universe, and if I were to look up, it would be everything dark, or everything that is unseen. It Gives birth to universes. It’s bigger and older than the universe. It’s pretty quite simple, it is said to be quite simple, our minds complicate its meaning and we create way too many other interpretations. Everyone wants to be the one who can explain it. But no one really can.
Another outstanding video , very concise and informative. Chinses philosophy/religion can be quite confusing for Westerners, you sir have a talent of explaining difficult concepts to the laity.
I know ancestor worship or viewing the dead as deities for lack of a better term is a common practice in what we refer to as Chinese folk religion, so I wonder if that makes it less surprising that Laozi, and others, would be worshipped as a deity by Daoists today. If the natural assumption is that the spirits of the ancestors are alive and should be shown honor, you would expect for Daoists to do so with the most important figures in Daoism.
Good points!
The Taiwanese folk religion (could be considered a branch of Chinese folk religion) doesn't focus on and have no interest in Laozi's philosophy, its central belief is the consistency of the incense and fire which are the symbol of the succession of ancestors and the divinity from the homeland.
Ancestral worship, Chinese folk religion and Daoism are three distinct practices, altho they may share practicioners. Ancestral worship has a long history, it became closely integrated with Confucianism. Daosim has little to do with that.
I congratulations you on your wonderful knowledge of the subject just amazing for someone so young. I am a old 76 year old woman and still have many questions and always looking for more understanding
You should check out the book, "Greek Buddha", it goes into evidence for how Lao Tzu and the Buddha were the same.
Everything from etymology, to Philosophy, to anthropology, etc.
Pretty fascinating.
I congratulate you on your command of your subject matter and the gentle way you deliver it..
¿Could you do a video on hermetics?
Thank you for this super insight into the Dao. Presentation is like no other. Peace be unto you.
I was told that the Taoist pantheon of gods was added due to a sense of competition with the other two religions. There is definitely a sense of humor in the stories about the Taoist gods.
Thank you for applying light to a subject most westerners know nothing about. Expertly done.
since I read the Tao Te King as a youngster I have been fascinated by it (as with the path of Buddha). I guess I will have to follow your advice and explore the Zhuangzi text
As they are the most peaceful to humanity/mankind, based on unconditional love, peace, compassion, mercy to all beings. Not a dogma based on evil carrots and punishments
@@timetoreason181 this is just a small comment you made but i totally agree with this, there was one almost sleepless night i had where i tackled my disagreements on how god on christianity tackled its sinners and its followers and most of it i find very distasteful and cruel, so what i did is i turned my back on it and decided i will find that one form of religion that i believe is something i can totally agree with. after all they're a ton of religions out there waiting for someone to dive deep with. besides many people had believed it... why can't i?
Daoism Buddhism Hinduism
Your discussions is more helpful than all the books that I read about “Lao - Tze”
I enjoyed your interpretation of dao. Ive always understood it as a combination of the path you walk through life and the attitude/headspace/morality you have while walking it. In my head i see it as a someones moral compass guiding them down a road.
Had a valuable chance to see the videos on Daoism - there are definitely another 3 titles. I like when - your language for explanation - soars and has to struggle - to find earth again. It happened in a video of a Sufi thinker, as well. Methinks, it was the heart affected with highest inspiration and the love that rose - overwhelmingly - even invisibly. Words - almost then - dissolve and silence comes - to wait in awe - at the innermost, coming revelation. Maybe more of us - should then meditate - on this Voice Real and obey - in Grace. Thank you.
The Sufi mentioned but not named - was Ibn Arabi.
One of my favorite books, “The Tao of Pooh”, by Benjamin Hoff. 👍
yes-- I have reread my copy a few times, and also like "The Te of Piglet" that Hoff wrote later.
' The oneness that lies beneath all apparent multiplicity" It reminds me of Tillich's idea "the Ground of all Being."
Can you or have you done a video on Tengrism?
I really appreciate your channel. And your work. Thank you
Thank you for your videos. Can you also make one on Hermeticism?
He has...
The pictures are so beautiful.
I lived in Qing Dao, China several years. Shandong Province was the birthplace of both Lao Tzu and Confucius. The landscape is dotted with Dao meditation shrines.There seems to be a Catch 22 element to Chinese philosophy. There seems to be a view similar to the Doctrine of many Ways found in the middle East. It is possible Lao Tzu was more real than General Tso, or his alleged chicken.
What was life like there?
What WAYS in the middle east are you referring me? Did you mean Pakistan and India? Because the Middle East is mostly Abrahamic religions, mostly bring Muslims
Thanks for such a well-informed and balanced view of Daoism
Tibetan Buddhism and Bön Religion are a bottomless topic. Waiting Let's talk about religion to decide take a dive into it.
The bottomless pits are the most interesting places to be.
What pulled me in and actually had me in a state of shock, or amazement, and pure awe for months, was a line in Toa Te Ching... there was 1, then 2, and everything thereafter in the UNIVERSE came from the ONE, or the way. WHAT!!! Then somewhere else in the book,, there was in inference about the idea of the self as being wrong. As being an illusion! Again it repeated, we are all ONE. Not metaphorically but factually! Those lines blew my mind! How in the world did he know about the"Big Bang Theory" ?? If you get down to the quantum aspect of things, we're all literally made up of everything else floating around in the Universe. Just a bunch of Atoms vibrating about...Lao Tzu knew that everything is an illusion. HOW?!?!!!? His teachings are so profound and mind blowing. True esoteric knowledge more valuable than all riches in the world. Once i figured out that he's not speaking metaphorically, but literally, I physically felt a shift in my head. In this flimsy little book he opens up the universe for you at your feet. Breaks down the sciences of the universe and shows you how the mind works. Phychology 101/Liberal Arts/ Philosophy101/ Scientific Studies. "Long & short create eachother", "Without Ugly there can be no beauty" He's talking about how "concepts" are created in the mind. We spend our entire lives measuring, studying, judging,verifying, adding, testing theories,achieving, failing, hurting,...basically lost in the trash that has accumulated in our heads ovr the yrs. "Monkey mind" with no off switch. Red candles! Gold coins! You see? You're a slave to your brain! I(not I], lol, I forced fed you mental Images. I know u saw that Red candle! Don't lie! Lol...Oh, but who can attain a mind that can control the gates? How to attain? And is it important? If your reading then I'm sure you know. If not then just ask.. lol
for someone who read chinese text, I need to say this.
Philosophical Daoism is the first text during the time.
Religious Daoism comes after a few decade and is a combination of all the practices during the time, including buddism. It just take the "knowledge" that contains in Philosophical Daoism but it is not Philosophical Daoism.
This gem is at the top of the list of my favorite books.
Respects! Please share some african religions too
Absolutely incredible work! Thank you so much for making this video :)
A very nice introduction, which we see similarity in its content when compared to Advaita (non dualism), work without attachment (from Sri bagavath Geetaji) of sanathan dharmam.
Forget the philosophy, the chinese art is so much more amazing. Unlike an idea, the landscapes are not confined by words
I'm no scholar of Daoism /Taoism but I consider myself a Daoist. Why? Simply because I live as much as possible in harmony with the world around me. I enjoyed your video and understand that your channel is entitled "let's talk religion" but I feel there is a misunderstanding. Daoism is not a religion (scholars can argue it all they like). The point being that in the East philosophies are lived, they are ways of living and, through the living ,are expressed. Man "being a bear of very little brain" ( thanks Mr AA Milne) made ritual and religion out of something he either couldn't live or didn't understand. Western philosophies love to talk in fact I met a person with a Phd in Daoism but wasn't a Daoist as it was "Too Hard". However which way scholars might carve up the text, scrolls etc of Daoism it's pretty much irrelevant unless they live their life as a Daoist because it is about the living/ life not about the written word or the ritual act. Having said that, I appreciate the channel, keep up the great work.
Religion is a word born within the reality of the Roman Catholic Church: it applies and should be applied to that system only. Unfortunately, due to western hegemony in the past 5 centuries, it has become a de facto standard word in most western languages to refer to all spiritual practices and ways.
@@musamusashi "Religion is a word born within the reality of the Roman Catholic Church: it applies and should be applied to that system only."
Eastern Orthodox say that Orthodoxy is a way of being. Scholastic approach changed it into an academic discipline, pursued to make a career and managed by a bureaucracy.
I'd be wary of statements like 'Daoism isn't a religion'. Depending on ones preferred definition of religion, it could certainly be classified as such.
You nailed it sir. Thanks for the great lecture! Straight forward analysis I can understand. (Next time no background music please.)
Great video on a fascinating subject, congratulations! Daoism to me is trully the Way all creatures should follow.
About words Richard Feynman : "You can know the name of a bird in all the languages of the world, but when you're finished, you'll know absolutely nothing whatever about the bird. You'll only know about humans in different places, and what they call the bird.”
Does anyone know what the background music is?
I've recommended this video to enough people up by now to understand what I believe that I think I have to thank you.
Thanks a million Philip keep doing what you do and I'll keep watching!
Fascinating how in Chinese tradition there are none of the arbitrary walls you see between ideology/religion/philosophy in western thought, to the point that we have to be careful with what we define as 'religion' when discussing the east.
Yes. Rationalism is a simplistic manner when dealing with the Chinese mindset, to put it mildly. Can be rather... exasperating talking about "Chinese" to a "Western" mind, as even the talk is heard from a rationalist frame.
@@irurouni How do you define a rationalist frame? I presume you aren't contrasting it with empiricism in the Western philosophical sense.
@@merrymachiavelli2041 Hihi! Yes, when I speak of rationalism or the rationalist mind, I do refer to the broad Western understanding of this term. Which means that, yes, as it is typically contrasted with the concept of empiricism according to their development in Western history.
My response stems from the premise that Western rationalism differs from how an Eastern mind rationalises, due to the variety of factors that help facilitates the rationalising process. For instance, that Western rationalism can be distinct from Western empiricism is already an oddity from the Eastern perspective.
The instinctive response from an Eastern mind would be, "Huh? Isn't the rationalising of the phenomenon part of the experiencing? I feel and think together! Why the need to argue that they are not one?"
Having a good dinner is more important. Yeah.
Bro wtf. I thought I was thinking crazy when I thought everything revolves around a cause and a reason a this and that. Little did I know zhuangzi has already done this thousands of years ago. Wow. What a legend this guy
Im loving this channel.
I love the background music!! Where did you get it?
You should do a video about the syncretism between Daoism abd Buddhism. I can see how they became unified after watching this video. They are quite similar.
Gneee...
Not quite
They have very opposite views of the world...
As an old saying goes:
Buddha, Confucius and Lao tse met to try some beverage.
Buddha found it too bitter.
Confucius found it insipid.
Lao tse thought It was alright, sweet even.
This explains their world views.
Buddha's view of the world Is rather pessimistic, you must cease to exist to find true peace.
Confucius hated how the world around him was, supposedly, chaotic. He preached for laws and strict rules.
Lao tse instead taught people that the world is fine, It's our minds that see it as painful or chaotic.
You must flow with Life and find joy in the simple things, the world Is fine the way it Is.
It's the exact opposite of buddhism.
The two schools were bitter rivals in the old times.
Sometimes bloody deeds happened too.
It was thanks to the chinese people themselves, not the elites, philosophers and holy men, that the religions achieved harmony.
Cause, besides some people who had the luxury to focus on One school of thought, most people had no time for that.
The same happened in Japan and in the rest of Asia.
Everyone likes Buddha, but not everyone Is into leaving their families and works in the farm to become a monk.
@@hermescarraro3393 bro you are talking like total taoism is tao te ching and complete Buddhism is just four fold path taught by buddha
In this case you just search for Confucianism. It is a collection of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. It affects East Asia.
@@hermescarraro3393Ever heard of Zen you moron?
IT'S CALLED ZEN BUDDY!
so far this video is the most precise and accurate about Daoism . although its still cannot explain Dao completely. no one can really explain Daoism as the theory of Dao can shift by the time and space.
How is the wind described here any different from the wind in Rumi's reed-flute?
Wow, love this channel!!!
Fascinating. I like the stories of the Eight Immortals.
Learning so much from your channel. Thanks for all your hard work and research.
accept the flow☯️
I learned some new details and names within my favorite (non-)religion, though I missed a few notes, that were sort of essential for development of my appreciation of it:
Wei Wu Wei: one way to describe it (instead of esoteric/vague sounding "going with the flow") is going with the gravity. Finding the easiest/natural way with minimal energy spending. That principle is well known from physics and of course even biology. Water always flowing down, filling in holes (as lakes), overflowing the dams, bypassing the obstacles from the side and continuing towards lower places - as its natural/physical characteristic. Apple falls straight down. Liquids form bubbles in space. Animals try to gain as much nutrition/energy as possible, while saving as much as possible while doing it. Almost trivial observations. In philosophical sense, one can achieve the most through aligning with natural forces, nature of the situation or one's own nature - rather than resisting them. Expressing one's natural talent. Employing it while serving the genuine needs of his community. The interpretations are wide.
Vinegar tasters (the image presented a few times throughout the video): The iconic painting expresses the basic philosophical distinctions of 3 key influences on Chinese culture. The fictitious meeting of Confucius, Buddha and Lao Zi narrates that each one tastes the potion but they describe its taste differently. Confucius finds its sour/putrified. Confucianism describes life/society/humans as prone to degeneration, so it seeks perfect organization of state, hierarchy and rules to fix the innate problem. Every human should serve its due role as proscribed by the status, origin, tradition - in family as well as in the state - be a cog in a machine of society, creating together a perfect image/music/theater (and everyone should be "satisfied" with seeing this "achievement"). Buddha described the vinegar as bitter. Buddhism sees life as a cycle of suffering, while offering a path out of it, into Nirvana. In that outlook, it carries a resemblance to Abrahamic religions - with the prophet trying to take people out of the physical/carnal/mortal life's misery into Heavens, Paradise or whatnot. And then Lao Zi comments on the vinegar taste - in some rendering says "it is sweet", in some he says "it is like vinegar". Life is as it is. It is good as it is. Everything is perfect as it is. With all the mess, contradictions (or balance), diversity. Some scholars see Taoism as the "folk resistance religion" of the subjected ones or of the outcasts, who were not that fond of obeying the all-mighty state, authorities, given hierarchies, fixing the problematic world through traditionalism and rigidity. It was the religion of rebels, though not the militant ones. Rebels who saw life as beautiful, perfect, "just life", who wanted to indulge in it, exploring it in its natural tastes and laws. It is worth mentioning how the Chinese state's ruling classes throughout history (even nowadays) prefer the Confucian way - submitting of the individual to the Whole - particularly again today. Daoism is too elusive, dissenting, disorderly, individualist... for the emperors or chairmen.
Dao as a concept: the essence that everything is made of or that everything naturally expresses and follows, the fundamental characteristic of the universe (whether it is the balance of the opposites, complementarity, law of minimizing the energy expenditure, duality) - can be paralleled to those branches of the mainstream western religions (Sufism comes into my mind) that see the omnipresence of God in a sense that everything that exists (humans, nature, things, universe) is actually a part of God, the manifestations of the Creative Force (that Essence). God present and manifested in everything that is. God as a sum of everything that is, including the unseen things and not-yet-understood features. Not a God as some external sovereign judging being, separate from the world. Even concerning the duality - perhaps there are some religious traditions that do not see some things in the Universe as "good" or "evil", but rather multi-faced, complex, evaluated just depending on the observer and the context. Instead of "forces of light/good" against the "forces of darkness/evil" ... organisms need light to live/thrive, be warm, see ... but need also darkness to repose and regenerate. Only darkness would mean everything freezes to death. Only light would cause everything burn in the heat. What makes life possible is the dance of the opposites, day and night, in a delicate balance. Everything in its due measure. Here, I'd say, even Genesis meets Dao. God separates day/night heaven/earth etc... :)
And not to forget, Dao De Jing describes Dao as unknown, undescribable, undecipherable (alike many Abrahamic religions mystify God under 99+1 names, or just generally as "beyond human comprehension"). Dao in Lao Zi's (ironic) sketch - resists canonization, holy books, infallible prophets, ideology. It acknowledges the irony of it being shared by some Lao Zi and written in a form of book, trying to explain what eludes explanation. It is based on parables, ironies, not so much the dummy literal explanations. Dao is the only spiritual/religious/philosophical path that plays with humor in such an extennsive manner. There are jokes, winks, or even sarcasms to be found, for those who already experienced the taste of Dao in the course of everyday life. All that the wise(r) individuals use for ages to resist the hierarchies and ideologies of the day.
Yes balance of the opposites and most importantly to see that "opposites" are actually mental constructs. Or mind interpreting the world as we see it.The illusions conjured, when not seeing the way, the path. Things manifested from the ONE, THE WAY. Only when learning to train the minds eye (3rd eye) will The Way manifest itself. Mind, no Mind Meditation is actually like lifting weights for the brain. Learning to control the gates or doorways to the minds eye. l kno it sounds like mumboJumbo but i am no scholar. I can only quote from my mind how I read it and how I understand it. The best way for me to explain it would be to quote it. Bcus from the 30 or so versions that I've read, the commentators (authors interpretation) never helped much in explaining it. I have only gained little understanding from the actual quote. But bcus the book was written thousands of years ago in an script no longer used, I do get a better understanding from the many different rewritten, redefined versions throughout the world
His name Lao Tzu(老子) literally translates to the old master.
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In my opinion, no.
Yes, Lao(老) is old in English. but Lao Tzu's father is called Lao Zuo(老佐), so Lao is his surname.
In his time, there are titles of nobility, such as Gong(公, maybe Duke in English), Hou(侯, maybe Marquess in English), Bo(伯, maybe Earl in English), Zi(子, maybe Viscount in English), Nan(男, maybe Baron in English). For a low level noble, you might not know his title, so you just call him Zi, it's acceptable and polite. For a man, whether he has a title or not, if he is a teacher or respected by you, you can also call him Zi politely. You see, the world Zi is just like the word Mr in English.
In my opinion, Lao Zi literally translates to Mr Lao.
BTW, His name is Lao Dan(老聃).
Interesting! "Mister Lao" actually could grow on me as the English version of his name.
Mister is derived from master. Master is appropriate as a translation.
Awesome video. What is the background music?
Taoism fits nicely with Eastern Orthodox Christianity
Oh really
I'd actually love to hear why you think that! I'm getting into religious studies :)
Congratulations on your presentations a job done very well on all expects, thank you for spreading light to humanity with intelligent and a modest attitude!
Keep up the good work you are respected and appreciated.
Simply beautiful video. May Allah bless u a healthy, contented LONG LIFE.😍
@DEFEND THE TRUTH - WITH LOVE
Take care of your own soul. Let others live. Plz🙏
Thanks for your rich if superficial exploration of many religions and faith based traditions.