Topic: Taoism

intro to Taoism lecture

Transcript, References & Disclaimer below: Transcript: Taoism is a philosophy from ancient China. It's not known for sure how old Taoism is, but it could be as much as 4700 years (1). Ancient China developed an advanced civilization well ahead of Europe and went through a "Golden Age of Philosophy" (2) while much of Europe was still tribal. Compared to all the other philosophies of the world, Taoism is very simple, practical and easy to comprehend. Taoism is the only philosophy of antiquity with a sense of humour. As a rule, the ancient Chinese did not approve of complex philosophies and always kept their sacred texts very relevant. Being based on diagrams, Chinese text is very concrete, making all the Chinese philosophies very direct with very little room for speculation or assumptions. The ancient Taoists based their philosophy on their observations of the most reliable thing known to them, Nature. The ancient Taoists saw that Nature had a circular flow that kept everything in balance. They noticed that everything had a necessary and corresponding opposite. From this observation came the concept of the yin-yang. The yin-yang motif symbolizes the natural balance of opposites, such as life and death; male and female; night and day; good and ...

Transcript, References & Disclaimer below: Transcript: Tao. (Usually pronounced "Dow" as in "Dow Jones".) Tao is often translated into English as "Path" or "Way". Essentially it is the organic pattern of harmony seen throughout Nature. We realise Tao [1] by aligning with our own true nature. Life becomes effortless when we align with Tao. Te. (Usually pronounced "Deh".) Often translated as virtue - as in "The healing virtues of a plant". Te [2] is the gentle unassuming intelligence of Nature. It is also the virtue obtained by living in harmony with Nature. The Three Jewels. The first jewel is Compassion [3]. This is the ability to see things from the perspective of all other life forms, both human and non-human. The second is Moderation [4]. This jewel is the avoidance of any form of extremism, whether it be views or actions. An approach somewhere between all opposing extremes should always be favoured. The final jewel is Humility [5]. This is the understanding that self-importance is not the way of Tao. This quality is fostered by allowing oneself to be open to all views and possibilities. Wu Wei. Often misinterpreted as laziness, Wu Wei [6] is the understanding that flexibility and suppleness are more effective than strength and rigidity. It should seem obvious that the more one acts in harmony with Nature, the more one achieves and with less effort. An example of Wu Wei is rowing in the direction of the current; or more skillfully still, putting up a sail ...