I have been reading the Tao Te Ching for several years now. The truths and the understanding are clearly revealed when you're ready. It's the most fascinating book ever written! :)
This is like a college discussion class. Even though you are conversing with him and asking him questions, you let him finish his sentence and actually listen to him!
Hi George, love your content! You inspired me to seek a different lifestyle with your videos and I'm looking forward to traveling like you did to China after I've completed my studies to meet wonderful Master Gu. Lots of love and support from Italy!
I love this vid examining one of the best written books of all time. The internet is full of...EXPERTS...on Taoism. To say to a neophyte...just read it...could be overwhelming. But to put out a few thoughts to someone new...and then let them read on their own...might be more productive.You don't tell them...you point them in a direction. The combination of two perspectives could be very informative...and productive. Perspective is always changing. Much like what Bruce Lee said...Take what is useful...discard what is not. Even Lord Buddha said...in essence...Don't take what I say....just because I say it. Examine it for yourself. Excellent counsel.
Your translation or interpretation of desire and desire-less is interesting! In the Vedic tradition of India this subject is discussed. Desire or its absence is not considered wrong- it is the attachment to the desire or desirelessness according to the tradition that one needs to be aware of. Desiring desirelessness is also a desire! . Advaitic tradition does not condemn this except that it is viewed as a mental activity which is considered as a name and form, an object, a passing cloud in the field of consciousness. With this interpretation Dao's philosophy takes a much deeper and pregnant interpretation!
I associate the Tao with perfection. In the song "little by little" by Oasis, there's this line where Noel sings "True perfection has to be imperfect. I know that that sounds foolish, but it's true". There's no way to describe perfection since it might be different for every person. I might believe with all my heart that Natalie Dormer is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, she's perfect in every whay from my perspective . while others mock her smirk, hate her and believe she's the whole opposite of perfection in a female person. And that's it, what works for some, don't work for others. That's the Tao for me, that's why the Tao that can be named is not the real Tao. You cannot explain it since it represents in a different way. You cannot say "THIS IS THIS" because there's no such thing as an absolute truth. Not everyone has the same lifestyle or culture or whatever, so that is why it's constant, because it adapts. Thanks for this George. Ever since I found your channel I've been learning too much about something that I know eventually with more and more understanding will put me in the right place and balance myself.
I was wondering how to form simple description of what Tao is like and what Taoism is about. And thus, this is what have resulted: "Tao is ongoing process of change and balance of nature, energy, and universe. Taoism is the philosophy and practice of seeing oneself if included in the process, and if so being connected with Tao." I'm not sure if the statements are correct. I would gladly appreciate your kind feedback.
The more you explain...the further away from Tao you get. Tricky. As a Taoist Monk of 51 years...I have followed what Bruce Lee said awhile ago. Be Water My Friend. Oh...and hang with Master Goo...at WuDang Mountains. He'll point you in the direction....you walk the Path.
If the Tao that can be taught or told is not the Eternal Tao, It's almost like talking about it or trying to harness it is redundant, it's the awareness of it where all the value comes from. And also it remaining a mystery and causing confusion about itself is like a metaphor to not cling to anything with all your soul, don't do and you will do, don't try and you will finish things to completion. It's like someone saying, be yourself, you shouldn't try to be yourself and in not trying you are being yourself.
Check out the Tao Te Ching/Dao De Jing version by Keaton & Fu. Keaton is a process philosopher, and puts forth the translation problem of ancient Chinese into English related to English needing something to be a noun or verb, while Chinese characters can often be either. Keaton's version uses "process" to translate. It's odd at first, but eye opening as to what depth of meaning manifests when we see "processes rather than entities", as Alan Watts remarked.
I find Brian's interpretation of "desire" quite fascinating. While I - until now - considered "desire" more to be related to "attachment", thus these lines in the Tao Te Ching meaning letting go (which is a passive form, sort of inaction) of ones attachments, to better understand the Tao , Brian rather has a sort of active view of its meaning. Desire as a drive to life, to action, to experience the Tao. Thus, obviously the answer is: 3 pounds of flax. Yo!
I’ve recently been reading chapter one of this book and have been wondering if this would be considered a philosophy? 1. You can never name something, so when you do name something it is the origin of all things. But if you desire to name something you will only see that thing as what you named it. but if you don’t desire to name something you will only realize that thing but won’t understand that thing. But realizing and not realizing come from the same source. And that source is something you are unable to understand. so understanding is the misunderstanding of not understanding. This is the origin to all ways in life. Here would be some of my reasoning: When you name something you forget what that something was before you named it. But if you continue to not name something you realize that something exists but do not understand what that something is. So the source of not understanding something is not naming it, and the reason you name something is because you haven’t named it. CAN SOMEONE PLEASE RESPOND SOON, it’s been nagging at me for a while.
I have 1 question, and 1 question only.. how can you fit the concept of flowing, with the concept of actions, concept of changing your path doing something difficult, something you don’t want to do but you know you have to do, how can this concept of accepting life as it is fit the concept of achieving goal, how can you lead your own boat to a goal while the wind and waves are not uniform, rampage, and impervious.. how can you achieve goals if you shouldn’t force things to happen ?
Hi George! I like your channel. I read the book "trying not to try" and I was wondering if the state of wuwei can be reached by will. Like Prof. Bruya said, which I also found out by myself, the state of flow or wuwei can only be recognized afterwards. It also means, when you recognize wuwei or flow, it's over. In my opinion, wuwei or flow can only be reached when loving what I'm doing. When doing what I can do best. I think that's the key. When I do other things, I'm just doing them. Concentrating on something is not flow. What do you think? Can such a state reached by trying? Greetings, Sascha.
The world is full of no hope and when it happens more than usual at all you know we might think this way. The jungle of complexity is always there and as the Tao says can also offer no hope So although we must understand that the feeling of the undermining wizard is expectant of things aren't quite right in life . As the Tao indicates indirectly you cannot trick the mind however by honesty as a child it illustrates you know? ( or instincts )
Tons of questions popped up in my mind while listening to this awesome dialogue but there is one in particular that I'd like to hear more about. I 100% agree with the flow of nature from the perspective of the present moment, etc, but what about those billions of years while life was developing on this planet? Things evolved, no doubt on that... Or not? Or something else? I think this is as valuable a question as the difference between constant and eternal. Heartfelt thanks for the opportunity of reflecting on all the issues you raised during the video.
The argument might be that consciousness itself is at the base of reality. Idealism, panpsychism. I'm listening to Donald Hoffman at the moment who has some interesting scientific and mathematical views on the theory that consciousness is at the root of it all. I'm not convinced either way, but I remain open minded. His stuff might be a good avenue for you to look into if you are wondering about that.
interesting question Zsuzsanna and good response David. Without all those years before 'life' on earth we wouldn't be around. We are inseparable from and dependent on all the 'inanimate' rocks, space and distant stars in the distant past. So you could see all of that time as part of the development of life. Then there's the question that David raised - are we sure we that radically different from the rocks? Could they also be conscious to some degree? That's an interesting question! Not one I have an answer too. xx
@@daithiocinnsealach1982 Another great proponent for these kinds of theories is Alan B. Wallace. He is both a meditation lama with 40+ years of experience guided by the Dalai Lama, and also has higher studies in Physics. He is a brilliant mind!
Just remembered George, the first time I commented something here in your channel. I wrote a longer commentary but your answer came in so, so immediately that it felt as if the time that took for my text to arrive to you, plus the time you read, elaborated an answer and send it back to me was negative. I told you that event made me have a glimpse of eternity. So, etting back to my question here, I wonder how much are we really able to grasp from the evolution of our existence on this planet? What "amount of time" are we able to grasp? From this point of view our assumptions seem so fragile.
You can translate the Tao Te Ching ... You will need the six ancient manuscripts, available online: Guodian (c. 300 BCE,) Mawang Dui A and B (c. 200 BCE,) Heshang Gong (c. 150 BCE,) Wang Bi (c. 150 CE,) and Fu Yi (c. 500 CE.) Type in the search field, Onkellotus Tao Te Ching manuscripts. Click on daodejing - listed. Then scroll down to number 19, just after LINKS. Click on it, Das Tao Te King von Lao Tse. The six ancient manuscripts are atop. The foreign translations are next, in descending order. The English translations are the bottom third of the page. This page is crucial because it contains the six ancient manuscripts at the top of this page. You will need the MDBG Chinese-English dictionary. You can type in the pinyin (the letters that represent the characters,) or even better, copy paste the Chinese characters into the dictionary search field. Very easy to use! You will need zhongwen.com/daodejing. This resource will give you archaic meanings and is a good complement to your MDBG resource. Just click on 1-10 or 11-20 and so forth, then scroll to the poem you're working on, then click on the character you want information on, and it will appear in the column on the right of it at the top. This resource is particularly good for archaic meanings, as well as for giving you a breakdown as to the meaning of each character you click on.
Surprisingly this echoes a page out of Advaita from the Indian Religious Texts of Vedas and Upanishads, that were handed down through the lineages 5000 years ago! As much as these eastern cultures that were so divergent, we find that the wisdom of the sages from these two cultures converge at the same interpretation of stillness and silence of nothingness as the substratum of all beyond time and space, the origin of the universe! The only difference is that the Upanishads proclaim that "Tat Tvam Asi" - Thou Art That; referring to the original nothingness!
Y'all contradict yourselves. Y'all say with running you used to run and only know if one foot Infront of the other. By essence you were in the moment of running. You were in tune with the way if running you can say. But now you allow yourself to be distracted by things and you'll stop the activity. But then y'all say how doing Taichi and being totally focused on that activity when you're doing it is a good thing... So which is it? Should we not focus on the thing we're doing or should we focus on it? These two things contradict each other yet you claim this first chapter speaks to both.
Stephen Mitchell in his "Second Book of the Tao" suggests it is a pointless and even harmful question to ask what is the Tao. That it led to everything that seems absurd about what Taoism seemed to turn into after Laozi. Zhuangzi says that the sons of of various masters in various arts ended up debating about obscure traits in reality like the nature of hardness or whiteness. This is what we are in danger of doing, and this is how all religions end up sick. The Tao is whatever reality fundamentally is, and that we can never know. Our goal is simply (as U. G. Krishnamurti so succinctly put it) to live intelligently and sanely in the world while we are alive. All religions claims to answer the fundamental question of life and science tries to find the answers to it. I doubt we will ever find out the great mystery of where existence came from, why it is here and where it is going, and I don't think any of us have any ultimate purpose. We are straw dogs. Is reality fundamentally conscious or is consciousness only an emergent property of mechanical processes? I believe Laozi did not see reality as fundamentally conscious (which at base level all theist arguments boil down to, whether they hold to a dualist or non-dualist version of it). These are the two basic views of reality. Materialism versus Idealism. I believe Laozi was either a genius on the level of Einstein in his insights or was perpetuating the teaching of some genius. The level of insight this man had, that modern science is confirming astounds me. He got to the root, the root that modern science has still not been able to get past and which I doubt we will ever get past (call it the Tao if you like), while almost everyone else was getting lost in fanciful fear and hope based mythology.
"The Tao is whatever reality fundamentally is, and that we can never know. Our goal is simply to live intelligently and sanely in the world while we are alive." Agreed!
There is quite a bit of misconception about the Dao. I completely agree that debating about what the Dao is or isn't is THE most pointless thing in the universe. Dao can only be pointed to, like a finger pointing to the moon. What the "aspirant cultivators" do in debates is take the finger to be the moon and go about how big the finger is, or what texture the skin of the finger is, how big the nails are, etc etc. Dao cannot be known. This simply means that to "become" Dao, you ought to delve into it from a dimension that is beyond your logical mind. Since logical mind, and the sense of self attached to it is the only thing that can KNOW, we say that the Dao can't be known or spoken about. This is also a primary definition of a human being, according to Daoism. A being that has self attachment and limits themselves to the logical mind. Hence the saying, "In front of Heaven and Earth, Man is like a mayfly. In front of the great Dao, heaven and earth are like mayflies." If humans get to a point in experience that is beyond understanding or not understanding, beyond their logical minds, they understand being, non-being and the great Dao.
Brian doesn't get it. He thinks he knows since he's invested so much time into it, as if he wrote the tao and is teaching it to others. But the tao is not zooming in, it's zooming out to see the big patterns. The more you study yourself, the less you know about yourself. The more you focus on what brushstroke was used in a painting, the less clear the picture becomes. The more you analyse the words in a text, the less of the message you'll understand.
Nice video. Synonymous with the Tao are OM; YHWH (4 consonants that can't be pronounced); ALLAH (God is one, no duality); "the voice of many waters"; "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God); "I heard as it were the noise of thunder saying"; The "All" of the ancient Egyptian god Thoth; and others. We see statues of Buddhas with a flame like thing on their heads along with the statue of St. Jude. This symbolizes an awakened soul which is the only way we can experience the Tao. Our soul has no shape or form so this is where our human form (physical or celestial) is connected to the Tao. This flame like thing represents a state of Yoga (union with God). Being a formless state of consciousness outside of the human form (physical or celestial) we realize speech and mind are part of the human form therefore "the Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao. Moses, Christ, Budfha and of course Krishna were showing "the Tao" to their disciples and everyone else via the almost extinct ancient teaching "one who does the headstand 3 hours a day will surely attain enlightenment " - my version is "One who does the headstand 3 hours a day will surely experience OM ". The ANKH of Moses and the cross of Christ were headstand props and we find ancient artwork (on RUclips) showing the Buddha during his years of austerity using a sideways tree branch as a headstand prop. I've found the "sky yoga" cloth hanging from above the easiest and can pass three hours like this easily but it took time and practice (1st time ever maybe 3 minutes!!). The new "purple" gel cusions work excellent for the head. The pineal gland transforms from the size of a shriveled up raisin as in ordinary people to 2-5 times this "unhealthy" ordinary size. The heartbeat is eventually in the crown chakra (years) as a pleasant tingling sensation then this gets wider over time, from say a dime to a Jewish Yamika, and when this vibration turns into a steady frequency we experience this indescribable state of consciousness. This is the highest teaching towards the human form with no close second which ends with the realization "God" was right here, right now, here ,there and everywhere but we weren't in this state of superconciousnes necessary to experience "God" (the Tao). Namaste and OM TAT SAT you my brothers (and sisters)!! Never get straight up after practicing the headstand but lay flat for about 3 minutes to get the blood circulation leveled, it can cause faintness and kills brain cells if you do one report said.
Sin is universal problem. Sin is ubiquitous. Humanity contaminated by sin. Sin in us by default, not learnt, not taught. Sin manifests in many forms - evil, crime. Sin is the opium. The origin of sin is unanswered. My journey. Sin is pre-existing in all. Nobody taught us to sin. Sin pre-dates The Bible. The Bible explains origins of sin. The Bible provides remedy for pre-existing sin, through Jesus Christ death and resurrection. The Bible is best selling book in the world for this reason. Sin is real, The Bible is relevant. Sin is born at every child birth. Sin is disease of heart, and Jesus Christ is the cure. Satan is the enemy, came to steal, kill and destroy. Misleads us to blame good loving God. God is not the author of evil. Media, Police, Defense, Judiciary, Penitentiary, Security, Contracts confirm sin exists. The origins of life, natural laws, sin, morals, purpose, meaning, conscience, music, creativity, intelligence, beauty, color, nature, water, air, light and amalgamation, remain unevidenced - elsewhere. We love truth when it enlightens us, but hate when it convicts us. Instructing to "Heart wash" from sin is not "Brainwash". God created universe, placed natural laws, made humans in His image, gave talents, instructed to multiply and explore - The Initiation of Science. Science is the legitimate child of natural laws. Without natural laws science has no foundation. We are created with good purpose and meaning. We are good. Then sin entered through satan and we all fallen. Disease, despair, deformities, deficiencies, depression, stress, guilt, greed, hate, anger, rebellious spirit, spiritual death entered. Sin plays spoilsport. Unloose the Soul from the tight knot of sin. Soul outlasts death. Sinners cannot save themselves from sin. Jesus Christ, the Holy God, intervened, willingly died on The Cross and resurrected, for remmissions of our sins, to save us from sin and hell. We are weak at the core, however we try to portray otherwise. We need Holy God's help, who is willing to help with open arms. Unable to find any motive any reason for Jesus Christ to die willingly on Cross and resurrect - except His love to save us from pre-existing sin and hell. Nobody died for our sins and resurrected - except Jesus Christ. Exclusivity Jesus Christ claimed: "I am The Way, The Truth and The Life". "I am The Resurrection and The Life". "I am The Good Shepherd". Jesus Christ has the authority to forgive sins. Religion says "Do". Jesus Christ says "Done". Religion is man's attempts to 'search gods'. Jesus Christ came from heaven in 'search of sinful man' to save from sin. Salvation from sin and hell is not earned through works or deeds or pilgrimages or rituals or ceremonies or traditions or cultures or meditations or public displays or hypocrisy or making personal sacrifices or making animal sacrifices. Salvation from sin and hell is free, but not cheap. Because Jesus Christ laid His life on The Cross, and resurrected. God loves the sinner, but hates the sin. Just like a parent loves child, but hates disease in child. We are saved by God's grace, not by our works. Karma is getting what we deserve. Grace is getting what we don't deserve. Only Grace can be pre-fixed with word Amazing. Amazing Grace. Karma is not Amazing, it is depressing. GRACE: Getting what we don't deserve - i.e. forgiveness of sin, eternity in heaven through Jesus Christ. MERCY: Not getting what we deserve - i.e. punishment of sin, separation from God, eternity in hell. Other side of death is eternity. Either in hell; or in heaven through Jesus Christ. God offers grace and mercy for free through Jesus Christ death and resurrection. Jesus Christ suffered, ridiculed, spat-on, humiliated, crucified on The Cross, and therefore He understands our pain. He raised victorious, we will too. Those who endure till end are victorious. Jesus Christ coming again to judge all. The doors will be closed. Jesus Christ reveals every mystery, answers every question. We all deserve to know the truth. He is The Alpha and The Omega. He judges everyone. One day every knee shall bow, every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. The First Christmas - Jesus Christ came to earth from heaven to save us from pre-existing sin. The First Good Friday - Jesus Christ crucified to The Cross, died willingly for remission of our sins. The First Resurrection Day, also linked to Easter - Jesus Christ resurrected from death. Jesus Christ made entry to Holy Heaven free through Him. Repent of sin and be saved. Easy. The First Coming of Jesus Christ - He is Lamb, slaughtered for remission of sins to save us from sin and hell. And resurrected. The Second Coming of Jesus Christ - He will be Lion, The Judge. The Lamb and The Lion. Jesus Christ forgave all who crucified Him, and now forgives all, even who reject, ridicule and mock Him. He loves all unconditionally. Believe, trust, repent of pre-existing sin in Jesus Christ that He died for remission of our sins and resurrected, and coming back to judge, accept Him as Lord and Saviour, and be saved from sin and hell. Any time, any where. Even now. Simple. Nothing to lose, everything to gain. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. I found God loved me regardless of sins, weaknesses and rejections by others. As sinner I cannot save myself through deeds. He believed me and has faith in me. I am not in competition with others. God loves you all, individually. (My journal. Journey to life - after testing all 'isms' and religions, after failing to find origins, purpose and meaning of life, after swallowing pride, egos, anger, hate, depression.)
I have been reading the Tao Te Ching for several years now. The truths and the understanding are clearly revealed when you're ready. It's the most fascinating book ever written! :)
This is like a college discussion class. Even though you are conversing with him and asking him questions, you let him finish his sentence and actually listen to him!
Hi George, love your content! You inspired me to seek a different lifestyle with your videos and I'm looking forward to traveling like you did to China after I've completed my studies to meet wonderful Master Gu.
Lots of love and support from Italy!
💗💗💗
So insightful. Would love to see you discuss every chapter like this.
I love this vid examining one of the best written books of all time. The internet is full of...EXPERTS...on Taoism. To say to a neophyte...just read it...could be overwhelming. But to put out a few thoughts to someone new...and then let them read on their own...might be more productive.You don't tell them...you point them in a direction. The combination of two perspectives could be very informative...and productive. Perspective is always changing. Much like what Bruce Lee said...Take what is useful...discard what is not. Even Lord Buddha said...in essence...Don't take what I say....just because I say it. Examine it for yourself. Excellent counsel.
The differentiation between eternal and constant was very helpful. This whole conversation is fascinating. Thank you🙏🏻.
Glad you enjoyed it!
George, this format of dialogue really zooming in on the text is a great way to get further insight. Really terrific !
Really helpful to see this discussion as I'm trying to find the "best" interpretation of the book for my practice.
"there, constant, but always changing" . Quality conversation!
The beautiful paradox of this fantastic video is that the Tao that they are speaking is not the true Tao
Thanks for this George, hope we get many more like this. ;)
I just ordered the book from amazon.
It is my first physical Dao De Jing book 🙂
yay!
Hello which version did you order as i also want to order from Amazon but have read some negative comments about one or two edditions
Your translation or interpretation of desire and desire-less is interesting! In the Vedic tradition of India this subject is discussed. Desire or its absence is not considered wrong- it is the attachment to the desire or desirelessness according to the tradition that one needs to be aware of. Desiring desirelessness is also a desire! . Advaitic tradition does not condemn this except that it is viewed as a mental activity which is considered as a name and form, an object, a passing cloud in the field of consciousness. With this interpretation Dao's philosophy takes a much deeper and pregnant interpretation!
I associate the Tao with perfection. In the song "little by little" by Oasis, there's this line where Noel sings "True perfection has to be imperfect. I know that that sounds foolish, but it's true". There's no way to describe perfection since it might be different for every person. I might believe with all my heart that Natalie Dormer is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, she's perfect in every whay from my perspective . while others mock her smirk, hate her and believe she's the whole opposite of perfection in a female person.
And that's it, what works for some, don't work for others. That's the Tao for me, that's why the Tao that can be named is not the real Tao. You cannot explain it since it represents in a different way. You cannot say "THIS IS THIS" because there's no such thing as an absolute truth. Not everyone has the same lifestyle or culture or whatever, so that is why it's constant, because it adapts.
Thanks for this George. Ever since I found your channel I've been learning too much about something that I know eventually with more and more understanding will put me in the right place and balance myself.
@8:32 that reminds me of my take on a WOR(L)D of WORDs...
“Language is the WOR(L)D that’s been pulled over our eyes making us blind.” - Samuel J. Martin III ©
WOR(L)D: The world of Language is an artifice that has lured us into accepting the words that describe the natural world for reality & tricking us into living in it’s artificial world; as WORDs suck the Life out of the WORLD (WORLD - Life = WORD)©
WORDS are empty & meaningless (inherently, only meaning is what we give words: same goes for money) & so are humans who live in the WOR(L)D! Language is VR (Virtual Reality); symbolic communication ABOUT ‘what is’ & not ‘what is’ ITSELF, thus it literally shapes what we perceive as reality!
I was wondering how to form simple description of what Tao is like and what Taoism is about. And thus, this is what have resulted:
"Tao is ongoing process of change and balance of nature, energy, and universe. Taoism is the philosophy and practice of seeing oneself if included in the process, and if so being connected with Tao."
I'm not sure if the statements are correct. I would gladly appreciate your kind feedback.
The more you explain...the further away from Tao you get. Tricky. As a Taoist Monk of 51 years...I have followed what Bruce Lee said awhile ago. Be Water My Friend. Oh...and hang with Master Goo...at WuDang Mountains. He'll point you in the direction....you walk the Path.
If the Tao that can be taught or told is not the Eternal Tao, It's almost like talking about it or trying to harness it is redundant, it's the awareness of it where all the value comes from. And also it remaining a mystery and causing confusion about itself is like a metaphor to not cling to anything with all your soul, don't do and you will do, don't try and you will finish things to completion. It's like someone saying, be yourself, you shouldn't try to be yourself and in not trying you are being yourself.
Check out the Tao Te Ching/Dao De Jing version by Keaton & Fu. Keaton is a process philosopher, and puts forth the translation problem of ancient Chinese into English related to English needing something to be a noun or verb, while Chinese characters can often be either. Keaton's version uses "process" to translate. It's odd at first, but eye opening as to what depth of meaning manifests when we see "processes rather than entities", as Alan Watts remarked.
Fantastic stuff! We can gain interesting perspectives from these topics. My favorites are from Taoism, Buddhism and Stoicism.
I find Brian's interpretation of "desire" quite fascinating.
While I - until now - considered "desire" more to be related to "attachment", thus these lines in the Tao Te Ching meaning letting go (which is a passive form, sort of inaction) of ones attachments, to better understand the Tao , Brian rather has a sort of active view of its meaning. Desire as a drive to life, to action, to experience the Tao.
Thus, obviously the answer is: 3 pounds of flax.
Yo!
At last, a very good discussion of the important passages and application of Tao Te Ching. Thanks much for the post in RUclips!
Glad it was helpful!
The scientific view of the arrow of time fits in well with the Tao.
Its so good to see you!wishing you a healthy New Year....always, Maxine
thanks for sharing this....I am awaiting my copy any day now
What a helpful and interesting conversation.
Dreaming to go and practice Tai chi with master gu! 🇵🇦greetings from Panama🇵🇦✨☯️💖
Hi George, Which translation of the Tao Te Ching would you recommend for a beginner? Thank you.
Insightful fresh thoughts about the book! Well worth the watch time.
Ah I loved this. So interesting - thanks George!
I’ve recently been reading chapter one of this book and have been wondering if this would be considered a philosophy?
1. You can never name something, so when you do name something it is the origin of all things. But if you desire to name something you will only see that thing as what you named it. but if you don’t desire to name something you will only realize that thing but won’t understand that thing. But realizing and not realizing come from the same source. And that source is something you are unable to understand. so understanding is the misunderstanding of not understanding. This is the origin to all ways in life.
Here would be some of my reasoning:
When you name something you forget what that something was before you named it. But if you continue to not name something you realize that something exists but do not understand what that something is. So the source of not understanding something is not naming it, and the reason you name something is because you haven’t named it.
CAN SOMEONE PLEASE RESPOND SOON, it’s been nagging at me for a while.
I see them as poems because, like poems, the words have many spaces.
I have 1 question, and 1 question only.. how can you fit the concept of flowing, with the concept of actions, concept of changing your path doing something difficult, something you don’t want to do but you know you have to do, how can this concept of accepting life as it is fit the concept of achieving goal, how can you lead your own boat to a goal while the wind and waves are not uniform, rampage, and impervious.. how can you achieve goals if you shouldn’t force things to happen ?
Dang, mind completely blown
Greatly appreciate your videos!
Hi George! I like your channel. I read the book "trying not to try" and I was wondering if the state of wuwei can be reached by will. Like Prof. Bruya said, which I also found out by myself, the state of flow or wuwei can only be recognized afterwards. It also means, when you recognize wuwei or flow, it's over.
In my opinion, wuwei or flow can only be reached when loving what I'm doing. When doing what I can do best. I think that's the key. When I do other things, I'm just doing them. Concentrating on something is not flow. What do you think? Can such a state reached by trying?
Greetings, Sascha.
So is the Tao Non-being? In which Non-being generates and grounds Being.
love the videos ma. Would love to see buddhist texts also.
Fantastic video, thanks George
Thank you for this video! You have helped me in many ways. I'd like to check out the book with the beautiful brushwork. Where can I get a copy?!
Great videoes! I try to ask again if someone knows. Is Tao what we call Dark Material?
I bought it and it is really funny and educational.
This was great George, thank you ~ Amy, New Zealand
Hello George, great video thank you for posting this and actually going a bit deeper into the Taoism. Namaste my friend
Glad you enjoyed it 💗
Yay! Thank you George
Verry good video
Giving me another point of view on this philosophy :)
Keep it up George.
Habe fum in china
Your friend from Swizerland :)
The world is full of no hope and when it happens more than usual at all you know we might think this way. The jungle of complexity is always there and as the Tao says can also offer no hope So although we must understand that the feeling of the undermining wizard is expectant of things aren't quite right in life . As the Tao indicates indirectly you cannot trick the mind however by honesty as a child it illustrates you know? ( or instincts )
Very nice conversation
Well done, thank you.
@10:22 b.e.’ing (balancing energy/beyond existence) ©️
Tons of questions popped up in my mind while listening to this awesome dialogue but there is one in particular that I'd like to hear more about. I 100% agree with the flow of nature from the perspective of the present moment, etc, but what about those billions of years while life was developing on this planet? Things evolved, no doubt on that... Or not? Or something else? I think this is as valuable a question as the difference between constant and eternal. Heartfelt thanks for the opportunity of reflecting on all the issues you raised during the video.
The argument might be that consciousness itself is at the base of reality. Idealism, panpsychism. I'm listening to Donald Hoffman at the moment who has some interesting scientific and mathematical views on the theory that consciousness is at the root of it all. I'm not convinced either way, but I remain open minded. His stuff might be a good avenue for you to look into if you are wondering about that.
interesting question
Zsuzsanna and good response David.
Without all those years before 'life' on earth we wouldn't be around. We are inseparable from and dependent on all the 'inanimate' rocks, space and distant stars in the distant past. So you could see all of that time as part of the development of life.
Then there's the question that David raised - are we sure we that radically different from the rocks? Could they also be conscious to some degree? That's an interesting question! Not one I have an answer too.
xx
In fact I was thinking about the time frame in which we comprehend life events, from a wider perspective.
@@daithiocinnsealach1982 Another great proponent for these kinds of theories is Alan B. Wallace. He is both a meditation lama with 40+ years of experience guided by the Dalai Lama, and also has higher studies in Physics. He is a brilliant mind!
Just remembered George, the first time I commented something here in your channel. I wrote a longer commentary but your answer came in so, so immediately that it felt as if the time that took for my text to arrive to you, plus the time you read, elaborated an answer and send it back to me was negative. I told you that event made me have a glimpse of eternity.
So, etting back to my question here, I wonder how much are we really able to grasp from the evolution of our existence on this planet? What "amount of time" are we able to grasp? From this point of view our assumptions seem so fragile.
Got to get a copy of this
I looooove your channel 💚🙏🏼
imagine how awesome it would be to listen to a conversation between chinese elders regarding Tao, they'd probably have nothing to say.
😂
Rob knows.
It's very interesting
End your thinking and solve ALL your problems. :)
You can translate the Tao Te Ching ...
You will need the six ancient manuscripts, available online: Guodian (c. 300 BCE,) Mawang Dui A and B (c. 200 BCE,) Heshang Gong (c. 150 BCE,) Wang Bi (c. 150 CE,) and Fu Yi (c. 500 CE.)
Type in the search field, Onkellotus Tao Te Ching manuscripts. Click on daodejing - listed. Then scroll down to number 19, just after LINKS. Click on it, Das Tao Te King von Lao Tse. The six ancient manuscripts are atop. The foreign translations are next, in descending order. The English translations are the bottom third of the page. This page is crucial because it contains the six ancient manuscripts at the top of this page.
You will need the MDBG Chinese-English dictionary. You can type in the pinyin (the letters that represent the characters,) or even better, copy paste the Chinese characters into the dictionary search field. Very easy to use!
You will need zhongwen.com/daodejing. This resource will give you archaic meanings and is a good complement to your MDBG resource. Just click on 1-10 or 11-20 and so forth, then scroll to the poem you're working on, then click on the character you want information on, and it will appear in the column on the right of it at the top. This resource is particularly good for archaic meanings, as well as for giving you a breakdown as to the meaning of each character you click on.
If you have an ailment, and go to the hospital, then do you wish that they do neutral or that they do their utmost to do good to you.
Nice talk.
🙏
Surprisingly this echoes a page out of Advaita from the Indian Religious Texts of Vedas and Upanishads, that were handed down through the lineages 5000 years ago! As much as these eastern cultures that were so divergent, we find that the wisdom of the sages from these two cultures converge at the same interpretation of stillness and silence of nothingness as the substratum of all beyond time and space, the origin of the universe! The only difference is that the Upanishads proclaim that "Tat Tvam Asi" - Thou Art That; referring to the original nothingness!
Y'all contradict yourselves.
Y'all say with running you used to run and only know if one foot Infront of the other.
By essence you were in the moment of running. You were in tune with the way if running you can say.
But now you allow yourself to be distracted by things and you'll stop the activity.
But then y'all say how doing Taichi and being totally focused on that activity when you're doing it is a good thing...
So which is it? Should we not focus on the thing we're doing or should we focus on it?
These two things contradict each other yet you claim this first chapter speaks to both.
Great
george i'm a new friend in your familly please use Arabic subtitle in a long videos ☺
Stephen Mitchell in his "Second Book of the Tao" suggests it is a pointless and even harmful question to ask what is the Tao. That it led to everything that seems absurd about what Taoism seemed to turn into after Laozi. Zhuangzi says that the sons of of various masters in various arts ended up debating about obscure traits in reality like the nature of hardness or whiteness. This is what we are in danger of doing, and this is how all religions end up sick. The Tao is whatever reality fundamentally is, and that we can never know. Our goal is simply (as U. G. Krishnamurti so succinctly put it) to live intelligently and sanely in the world while we are alive.
All religions claims to answer the fundamental question of life and science tries to find the answers to it. I doubt we will ever find out the great mystery of where existence came from, why it is here and where it is going, and I don't think any of us have any ultimate purpose. We are straw dogs.
Is reality fundamentally conscious or is consciousness only an emergent property of mechanical processes? I believe Laozi did not see reality as fundamentally conscious (which at base level all theist arguments boil down to, whether they hold to a dualist or non-dualist version of it). These are the two basic views of reality. Materialism versus Idealism.
I believe Laozi was either a genius on the level of Einstein in his insights or was perpetuating the teaching of some genius. The level of insight this man had, that modern science is confirming astounds me. He got to the root, the root that modern science has still not been able to get past and which I doubt we will ever get past (call it the Tao if you like), while almost everyone else was getting lost in fanciful fear and hope based mythology.
"The Tao is whatever reality fundamentally is, and that we can never know. Our goal is simply to live intelligently and sanely in the world while we are alive."
Agreed!
There is quite a bit of misconception about the Dao.
I completely agree that debating about what the Dao is or isn't is THE most pointless thing in the universe. Dao can only be pointed to, like a finger pointing to the moon. What the "aspirant cultivators" do in debates is take the finger to be the moon and go about how big the finger is, or what texture the skin of the finger is, how big the nails are, etc etc.
Dao cannot be known. This simply means that to "become" Dao, you ought to delve into it from a dimension that is beyond your logical mind. Since logical mind, and the sense of self attached to it is the only thing that can KNOW, we say that the Dao can't be known or spoken about. This is also a primary definition of a human being, according to Daoism. A being that has self attachment and limits themselves to the logical mind. Hence the saying, "In front of Heaven and Earth, Man is like a mayfly. In front of the great Dao, heaven and earth are like mayflies."
If humans get to a point in experience that is beyond understanding or not understanding, beyond their logical minds, they understand being, non-being and the great Dao.
relevant
superman 20:33 specially geeky?
One person named the Tao..
道德经需要分类来读，比如，论战争 ruclips.net/video/rOWgI5Y4WvQ/видео.html
宇宙论 ruclips.net/video/1H1EXUqTAJ0/видео.html
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Brian doesn't get it. He thinks he knows since he's invested so much time into it, as if he wrote the tao and is teaching it to others. But the tao is not zooming in, it's zooming out to see the big patterns.
The more you study yourself, the less you know about yourself.
The more you focus on what brushstroke was used in a painting, the less clear the picture becomes.
The more you analyse the words in a text, the less of the message you'll understand.
Nice video. Synonymous with the Tao are OM; YHWH (4 consonants that can't be pronounced); ALLAH (God is one, no duality); "the voice of many waters"; "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God); "I heard as it were the noise of thunder saying"; The "All" of the ancient Egyptian god Thoth; and others. We see statues of Buddhas with a flame like thing on their heads along with the statue of St. Jude. This symbolizes an awakened soul which is the only way we can experience the Tao. Our soul has no shape or form so this is where our human form (physical or celestial) is connected to the Tao. This flame like thing represents a state of Yoga (union with God). Being a formless state of consciousness outside of the human form (physical or celestial) we realize speech and mind are part of the human form therefore "the Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao. Moses, Christ, Budfha and of course Krishna were showing "the Tao" to their disciples and everyone else via the almost extinct ancient teaching "one who does the headstand 3 hours a day will surely attain enlightenment " - my version is "One who does the headstand 3 hours a day will surely experience OM ". The ANKH of Moses and the cross of Christ were headstand props and we find ancient artwork (on RUclips) showing the Buddha during his years of austerity using a sideways tree branch as a headstand prop. I've found the "sky yoga" cloth hanging from above the easiest and can pass three hours like this easily but it took time and practice (1st time ever maybe 3 minutes!!). The new "purple" gel cusions work excellent for the head. The pineal gland transforms from the size of a shriveled up raisin as in ordinary people to 2-5 times this "unhealthy" ordinary size. The heartbeat is eventually in the crown chakra (years) as a pleasant tingling sensation then this gets wider over time, from say a dime to a Jewish Yamika, and when this vibration turns into a steady frequency we experience this indescribable state of consciousness. This is the highest teaching towards the human form with no close second which ends with the realization "God" was right here, right now, here ,there and everywhere but we weren't in this state of superconciousnes necessary to experience "God" (the Tao). Namaste and OM TAT SAT you my brothers (and sisters)!! Never get straight up after practicing the headstand but lay flat for about 3 minutes to get the blood circulation leveled, it can cause faintness and kills brain cells if you do one report said.
Sin is universal problem. Sin is ubiquitous. Humanity contaminated by sin. Sin in us by default, not learnt, not taught. Sin manifests in many forms - evil, crime. Sin is the opium. The origin of sin is unanswered.
My journey.
Sin is pre-existing in all. Nobody taught us to sin. Sin pre-dates The Bible. The Bible explains origins of sin. The Bible provides remedy for pre-existing sin, through Jesus Christ death and resurrection. The Bible is best selling book in the world for this reason. Sin is real, The Bible is relevant. Sin is born at every child birth. Sin is disease of heart, and Jesus Christ is the cure.
Satan is the enemy, came to steal, kill and destroy. Misleads us to blame good loving God. God is not the author of evil.
Media, Police, Defense, Judiciary, Penitentiary, Security, Contracts confirm sin exists.
The origins of life, natural laws, sin, morals, purpose, meaning, conscience, music, creativity, intelligence, beauty, color, nature, water, air, light and amalgamation, remain unevidenced - elsewhere.
We love truth when it enlightens us, but hate when it convicts us.
Instructing to "Heart wash" from sin is not "Brainwash".
God created universe, placed natural laws, made humans in His image, gave talents, instructed to multiply and explore - The Initiation of Science. Science is the legitimate child of natural laws. Without natural laws science has no foundation.
We are created with good purpose and meaning. We are good. Then sin entered through satan and we all fallen. Disease, despair, deformities, deficiencies, depression, stress, guilt, greed, hate, anger, rebellious spirit, spiritual death entered. Sin plays spoilsport.
Unloose the Soul from the tight knot of sin. Soul outlasts death.
Sinners cannot save themselves from sin. Jesus Christ, the Holy God, intervened, willingly died on The Cross and resurrected, for remmissions of our sins, to save us from sin and hell.
We are weak at the core, however we try to portray otherwise. We need Holy God's help, who is willing to help with open arms.
Unable to find any motive any reason for Jesus Christ to die willingly on Cross and resurrect - except His love to save us from pre-existing sin and hell.
Nobody died for our sins and resurrected - except Jesus Christ. Exclusivity
Jesus Christ claimed:
"I am The Way, The Truth and The Life". "I am The Resurrection and The Life".
"I am The Good Shepherd".
Jesus Christ has the authority to forgive sins.
Religion says "Do". Jesus Christ says "Done".
Religion is man's attempts to 'search gods'. Jesus Christ came from heaven in 'search of sinful man' to save from sin.
Salvation from sin and hell is not earned through works or deeds or pilgrimages or rituals or ceremonies or traditions or cultures or meditations or public displays or hypocrisy or making personal sacrifices or making animal sacrifices.
Salvation from sin and hell is free, but not cheap. Because Jesus Christ laid His life on The Cross, and resurrected.
God loves the sinner, but hates the sin. Just like a parent loves child, but hates disease in child.
We are saved by God's grace, not by our works.
Karma is getting what we deserve. Grace is getting what we don't deserve. Only Grace can be pre-fixed with word Amazing. Amazing Grace. Karma is not Amazing, it is depressing.
GRACE: Getting what we don't deserve - i.e. forgiveness of sin, eternity in heaven through Jesus Christ.
MERCY: Not getting what we deserve - i.e. punishment of sin, separation from God, eternity in hell.
Other side of death is eternity. Either in hell; or in heaven through Jesus Christ.
God offers grace and mercy for free through Jesus Christ death and resurrection.
Jesus Christ suffered, ridiculed, spat-on, humiliated, crucified on The Cross, and therefore He understands our pain. He raised victorious, we will too. Those who endure till end are victorious.
Jesus Christ coming again to judge all. The doors will be closed. Jesus Christ reveals every mystery, answers every question. We all deserve to know the truth. He is The Alpha and The Omega. He judges everyone.
One day every knee shall bow, every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
The First Christmas - Jesus Christ came to earth from heaven to save us from pre-existing sin.
The First Good Friday - Jesus Christ crucified to The Cross, died willingly for remission of our sins.
The First Resurrection Day, also linked to Easter - Jesus Christ resurrected from death.
Jesus Christ made entry to Holy Heaven free through Him. Repent of sin and be saved. Easy.
The First Coming of Jesus Christ - He is Lamb, slaughtered for remission of sins
to save us from sin and hell. And resurrected.
The Second Coming of Jesus Christ - He will be Lion, The Judge.
The Lamb and The Lion.
Jesus Christ forgave all who crucified Him, and now forgives all, even who reject, ridicule and mock Him. He loves all unconditionally.
Believe, trust, repent of pre-existing sin in Jesus Christ that He died for remission of our sins and resurrected, and coming back to judge, accept Him as Lord and Saviour, and be saved from sin and hell. Any time, any where. Even now. Simple.
Nothing to lose, everything to gain.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
I found God loved me regardless of sins, weaknesses and rejections by others. As sinner I cannot save myself through deeds. He believed me and has faith in me. I am not in competition with others. God loves you all, individually.
(My journal. Journey to life - after testing all 'isms' and religions, after failing to find origins, purpose and meaning of life, after swallowing pride, egos, anger, hate, depression.)
道德经 Dàodé jīng