There is another way to look at suffering. The taoist monks were happily going about their business before they heard about suffering. Then they started to think about suffering and that caused them to suffer. Thinking causes suffering. Being fully engaged in what you are doing takes one out of thinking.
I agree, only it is not thinking that causes suffering but a specific type of thinking. You could call it reductionist thinking which narrows everything down and disregards the importance of anything else. The quality of thinking is what matters. Thinking is as natural a process as digestion. We also do not stop eating because we have bad digestion. Taking in words like when reading is a lot like digesting food. As the I Ching says, be careful what you take in, whether it be words or foods because they will become a part of who you are. If you want to know someone, just look at what he feeds himself with.
even in buddhism,1. there is suffering 2. there is a reason for suffering 3. clinging is the reason 4. there is a way to stop the clinging ahd stop the suffering - this is just going from the cup to the lake. I loved this formulation when I first looked at it earnestly. at that point in life this formulation was apt...i was really in a cup. much later, now, i realize, celebrating life was may have been my nature to begin with....i was in the habit of catching a glimpse of the lake every now and then....so the daoist slant gives me a lot of assurance...but i treasure both (and other) traditions.....
Thank you for continuing to make these videos, George. I discovered your Teatime Taoism series during the pandemic, and watched some of those videos many times over. I know that you're busy with various other things now like breathing courses and so on, but it still raises a smile whenever you appear on my feed sharing these wonderful ancient stories. Take care. 🫖 🍵 ☯️
The story made me think about the time when I got my heart broken. I was talking to groups of people going through the same thing, and the fact that I was not the only one feeling that pain, that many people on earth felt the same one day made me feel some sort of comfort, and it was nothing like selfishness or wanting everybody to suffer with me but the feeling that we are connected in this human journey, sometimes in joy, sometimes in pain made me feel a relief, the weight got less heavy
I just want you to know your story really struck me. My heart's on the verge of breaking today. I'm going to try to take comfort in the fact that I'm not the only person whose heart is shattering.
Beautiful contrast of perspective of suffering between Buddhism and Daoism. There is empowerment when we realize and accept that we individually have the choice to suffer, or rather the choice of how we respond to suffering. Suffering is a message, a lesson, and growth.
Unfortunately the story portrays a big misunderstanding of the Buddha’s teachings. Suffering is the first of four noble truths. So 3/4 of the teachings are absent! Not helpful to compare philosophies this way. Better would be to leave Buddhism out of the tale altogether than to misrepresent it 🙏🏻
I think the daoist perspective also implies that life is prepared for suffering because it has the healing ability. For most injuries we do not have to do anything, they heal by themselves. Through practice, this healing ability can be increased by opening up the energy channels and connect with the larger Dao. According to daoist lore the healing ability can be brought even to the point of becoming immortal. I think the idea of being the lake is a way to express immortality. It shows how much larger the healing can be in regard to the suffering. Salt in western alchemy is often the symbol for truth. Perhaps the salt in the cup in this story is the truth of suffering when it is isolated from the Dao (the lake). It is only bearable when it is diluted within a larger truth where it no longer stands out and is just a part of many aspects of life. Our current world puts so much attention on suffering without offering anything else, except transcendental entertainment which acts like a drug. The difference you make between the buddhist and daoist approach is crucial to me because daoism brings you back to the body, and through the body back to real Nature which contains everything we need.
@@Shindai We are a single electron floating within Tao, I believe, and it has bonded with other electrons. That magnetic bond produces a vibration, or wave, which produces a shared illusion. Our Universe. If true then each electron creates its own story from the shared information. There is no meaning, only data interpretation, and violence is always part of change. Change can bring an end to suffering only by embracing the process. If we don't there is no failure but, also, no resolution for this story. It will happen again with the next bonding so there's time. Tao is not love. It is calm and that is what we are trying to Get Back to. Peace.
@@Shindai If you cant find meaning, that means that the exploration needs to continue. The Tao IS the meaning beyond words. It is our task to translate that in every apparent meaninglessness.
Man you're a breath of fresh air. These days there is so much on youtube that is just part of/contributes to our mental sickness. When your videos pop up and I watch them it reminds me of the Terrence Mckenna/Alan Watts youtube era. We are all here together sometimes it feels like the separation is so real, the loneliness too much to bear, but there is a flow of energy and we are all inside it. This reminded me that there are good people in the world lol. Grew up in Asia and think of it as home moreso than North America. Miss it lots. Best of luck brother
Heavenly Wisdom This short dialogue between a father and his son can be found in the Chandogya Upanishad-one of the sacred Texts of ancient India. In it, a very typical seeker after Truth learns that worldly knowledge is no passport to Heavenly Wisdom, and that earthly learning, however great, cannot unravel the mysteries of Being. "Svetaketu, my boy, you seem to have a great opinion of yourself, you think you are learned, and you are proud. Have you asked for that knowledge whereby what is not heard is heard, what is not thought is thought, and what is not known is known?" "What is that knowledge, father?" asked Svetaketu. "Just as by knowing a lump of clay, my son, all that is clay can be known, since any differences are only words and the reality is clay. "Just as by knowing a piece of gold all that is gold can be known since any differences are only words and the reality is only gold. "And just by knowing a piece of iron all that is iron is known, since any differences are only words and the reality is only iron." Svetaketu said: "Certainly my honoured masters knew not this themselves. If they had known, why would they not have told me? Explain this one to me, father." "So be it, my child. Bring me a fruit of the banyan tree." "Here it is father." "Break it." "It is broken, Sir." "What do you see in it?" "Very small seeds, Sir." "Break one of them, my son." "It is broken, Sir." "What do you see in it?" "Nothing at all, Sir." Then his father spoke to him: "My son, from the very essence in the seed which you cannot see comes in truth this vast banyan tree. Believe me, my son, an invisible and subtle essence is the Spirit of the whole universe. That is reality. That is Atman. THOU ART THAT." "Explain more to me, father," said Svetaketu. "So be it, my son. Place this salt in water and come to me tomorrow morning." Svetaketu did as he was commanded, and in the morning his father said to him: "Bring me the salt you put into the water last night." Svetaketu looked into the water, but could not find it, for it had dissolved. His father then said, "Taste the water from this side. How is it?" "It is salt." "Taste it from the middle. How is it?" "It is salt." "Taste it from that side. How is it?" "It is salt." "Look for the salt and come again to me." The son did so, saying: "I cannot see the salt. I only see the water." His father then said: "In the same way, O my son, you cannot see the Spirit. But in truth he is here. An invisible but subtle essence is the Spirit of the whole universe. That is Reality. That is Truth. THOU ART THAT."
@George Thompson haha Thank you for the support, George. Your videos are really helping me to deal with some tough times and bring me a new perspective that I can take forward into the future. A truly valuable gift.
Hi George. Again, glad to see you adding to the world from a positive place. I think we forget after a while our own contributions to ourselves and others. I don't know if anyone else has moments of forgetfulness towards their own missions or life purposes but listening to your talks always reminds me to count my blessings. I have a funny feeling that I'm going to have a more objective and peaceful head on my shoulders today. (I'll pass on the drinking of mostly salt water though ... I'll just take your word 🤣)
Thank you George for all your videos, they are helpful to relook at life circumstances, find peace. Keep shining light into peoples lives, we all need it so much now in the cycle of trials.
Thank You George! I found one video of you a while back, but just saved it and didn't watch it. A few days ago the time was right for it and now this is your 4th video i am watching. I can feel it in my body and really in my belly when something is right (for me). I have this feeling right now. I am so grateful that you are making these videos and sharing your journey.
Brilliant George! 🙏🏻 have you enjoyed any of the contemporary Buddhist teachings of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh? He uses the same analogy of salt - if we can expand ourselves to be like a river or a lake, the salt (suffering) becomes tolerable. The practices seem to all point to training ourselves in a new identity that is larger than our limlimited self. All blessings and thanks for your guidance ❤
but it is a beautiful, beautiful story......you narrate very well....love listening to these stories....many of us would never get to know them if you did not tell us these stories...i did not know the chinese had a tradition of such beautiful parables...thank you
there as a native woman yrs back that was going to university and she was worrying and going through many thing and it was interferring with her life her grades in university every aspect of life, on break she went to stay with her grandparents in the mountains ,she was talking and complaing how thing where in her life, her " suffereing" her grand parents listened to her over the next few days . one day her grandfather asked her if she could climb up a ladder he had set up in the back yard leaning against a tree which had the cloths line attached to it to fix the cloths line , so she went out back and climbed the lader into the tree started to fix the cloth line she looks down and notices that her grandfather had taken the ladder away to use else where whn she finished attaching the cloths line back onto the pully she was now stuck in the tree with no way down, at the end of the day the day her granddfather returned wit hthe ladder, at fiorst, she was upset and confused this also left her there to think about things,when her grandfather came back still not saying a word set up the lader for her to come down she undertood a few things about life ;)
I find your method very useful, thanks. I imagine me being dispersed in the universe, there was no trace of me, then both my mental and physical pains disappeared as well. :)
Very nice to see you, my friend, and surrounded by the Scottish beauty. This is a particularly well edited video and the message matches the scenery. I even love your beard. Peace.
And what of the suffering that doesn't make a person stronger and more resilient? What about the stuff that breaks you and leaves lifelong scars? I get a lot of that "going through what you did made you who you are, it made you stronger" stuff but who I am is someone who was abused as a child and raped in adulthood who survived purely by accident and been left disabled and brittle. It didn't make me stronger, it made me more fragile with debilitating physical and mental health problems. Where's the big shrug about the bright side of suffering with life experience that goes beyond a temporary hardship?
Terrible things can happen and I'm so sorry you have endured so much suffering. Stay in the present moment and don't let the mind take you into the past. In order to overcome this suffering you must make the decision to let it go. It is what is, but you must stop reliving it in your mind in order to find the bright side of suffering. Peace & Love
Hi Dani, I'm so sorry to hear about what you've gone through. Sending my best wishes. The fact that you have the confidence to share this makes me feel you have a depth, a courage and heart that shines -- even with all the pain you've experienced. Indeed there are no simple answers here. Suffering doesn't always make a person stronger and more resilient. And it is a challenge to be loving and kind towards to those parts of you that emerged from the trauma. But the trauma need not define you. grow from where you are today. step by step, with kindness and compassion, expand your understanding of yourself so that you KNOW that you are so much more than old stories. let your heart and courage shine. and be kind to yourself on the journey, even when you fall over. With warmth, George
Dani, I once heard a really good piece of scientific advice that's helped me overcome my traumas: once trauma is hard-coded into your brain, you can't just get rid of it because it's a physical cluster of neurons bundled into your main brain pathways. It's not going anywhere. But, if you create new experiences that are positive, in a similar realm to your traumatic experiences, then your brain will create new clusters of neurons in the same pathways that will wrap themselves around the trauma-based neuron clusters and block their signals. For instance, I was abused while I was disabled and helpless to defend myself. I relived those moments 300x a day. So I started doing callisthenic strength-training to make myself stronger and stronger. I chart my progress and watch myself get stronger over time. The stronger I get, the less powerless I feel and the less the past bothers me so much. Even my nightmares about abuse are gone. Likewise, if you were sexually assaulted, the best thing is to create new bundles of neurons with positive intimate and/or sexual connections. The bigger they grow, the more they block out the traumatic bundles. The answer isn't repressing or facing your traumas, it's replacing them.
Good morning and thank you I love when I get up in the morning and I have a notification from you. I know it’s always going to be a positive way to start my day. Keep teaching me 💕☮️
It helped so much~ I related to the story as I find myself in the same position - stuck in my head all the time, scared, not looking around. It’s interesting, how we take on ideas /principles from the environment and attach ourselves to it, causing more suffering. Thank you so much for the video!❤ Looking forward to watching more of your content✨
To be happier, let go of all hate from your mind. To do so is to be free. Do not try to force anybody to be anyway. Respect all, love always, laugh more, and do not take everything personal. Acceptance is key to understanding. You cannot have a flame without fire, nor suffering without pain. It is your own choice to suffer, not always to feel pain. Imagine how much suffering people had, had to feel to cause Jesus pain. He had knew the truth, and felt empathy for those that suffering was spilling over, to realize that they were the once really in pain is a strong message. He had saved those that had got his message and that is empathy. Empathy means to connect with others, it is the path of emptying prejudice, so knowing this, please don't be so hard on yourself or others as I have already forgiven you for allowing your pain to spill over. Forgive, let go, and even better forget. I find it humorous that Buddha teaches people to be more like Jesus, and Ghandi teaches people to understand Buddha and not to be so attached to material goods. The root of all evil is corruption, and to those that are corrupted are not aware of their own corruption, it is when one bribes themselves or others to act a certain way. Snow rabbit does not need to bathe to be white, all you have to do is be yourself. You cannot buy family, or true wealth, it is already there, just stop searching and you will be there. You are of where you are meant to be, stop denying the moment, let the past be past, and future unfold like a blossoming flower. Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you will get, a moment of uncertainty can be the greatest flavor of life. You get what you need, not always what you want. Having all of the riches of the world does not make one wealthy, nor certainly happy. True wealth is found inside, once you take away the money, and material, all you have is wealth. Being happy is one of the greatest wealth of the world as kindness is best friend. To be rich, all you got to do is love.
You do an excellent job of sharing a lesson with a story, and in an easy to understand and organized manner. Perspective and graciousness is difficult when you are suffering but my tai chi teacher said pain and suffering are different. that pain is the universal experience that comes and goes but suffering is what we bring on our selves by way of the mind. That way helps jump perspectives away from victim mindset and so like you say see it as the teacher- as Mooji says, who is experiencing this and what is the point beyond your experience just as your lake analogy. Yes, a mission and being of service, that is the best path to be less selfish/ self conscious. Volunteer worked helped me prob more than others lol. very good! 🙏💖
Very interesting talk George, I enjoy your videos. In the PBS documentary on the life of the Buddha one of the speakers suggests that 'suffering' is a mis-translation and that it is closer to 'life is imperfect'. I quite like that. Both Buddhism and Taoism sit well with me.
I have followed your story since you first went to China. I used to make many comments but I stopped that but have continued to follow your path. You have developed a real skill in communicating the wisdom of the Tao. This is so important in flowing with life. Hopefully Taoism will become a world influence. At least you and a few others, have presented to many this ancient wisdom. Tai chi and walks thru nature are so soothing and spirituality regenerating.
Love your channel. In this video, you imparted some core teachings of Daoism. I would love to explore on the concept of how to expand ourselves, like the lake so that the suffering is not that big. Also, the teaching of getting in to our bodies, being in nature and being of service are great advices - they really do help. One tip I have is doing some calming breath work, this really helps us calm down and be less anxious. Another tip is to just going for a walk in the morning or evening - they really make us feel better. Fresh air and the green scenery soothes us, without us even doing anything. Look forward to more videos and your teachings/courses/ and app.
Thank you very much George, I'm so grateful by your hard work about reflexion of Taoismo ' wisdom, and live in conexion of Nature for understand a lot of thinks... out of the confort of your home..!! 🙏😔🌅🌅🤔 GRATITUDE!!🙏🌅🏵️💐 Best wishes!! ☘️☘️💐🌅
this story is simply a breath of fresh air, considering that I want to unstuck myself from the hamster wheel... Thankyou for your wisdom in this one, George... I'd wish if you could kindly share more perspective on the eastern philosophy for our daily life in your future videos.
When I'm suffering I find it's a way to show me that I'm on the wrong path. I do some qi-gong; relaxed, deep breathing into the dan-tien (centre of the body) and listen to myself. Often the answers come from within me, it just requires deep listening to the Self or Higher Self (dao-shen). Once I get the message, the suffering dissipates very fast.
Hi George, lovin' your wild camping missions, much respect. can't help but notice your clothing style is particualarly tasty - would love to hear you talk about clothing from a Taoist perspective, there's a similar kind of video from Alan Watts somewhere on youtube. Much cosmic love to you.
Thanks, George. I agree that we should see ourselves as something bigger than ourselves. But what do you do when you are dealing with unethical bullies who only believe in zero-sum situations and dont believe in win-win? What do you do when you are dealing with people who are greedy beyond reason and will not stop until you are completely destroyed? What if you can't just get up and go somewhere else? What, then?
For me it says letting go of your containment and understanding we all must let go Often being just you can get us down because we need to move on naturally I've been feeling so guilty about my sweet son who died at 47 He was a world of mystery and I was in a fathomless darkening cave pressuring myself to help him Now just today in fact also I must like myself at least understanding I'm not forever just me My son or myself would never benefit from anyone like that so I'm slowly I admit getting better One doesn't adapt to a whole way of life quickly you know? Air hugs from here George many thanks for this one ( I am so busy now and just happened to hear this honest glad I am here*) I also being overdue the guilt I've built Lol I have been looking at some NDE's which are amazing and I guess help?
Thanks so much for your comment. I'm sorry to hear about your son. Indeed our lives are limited and precious. Glad that you are finding more peace. Sending warmth, George
I needed this video today. But what if your life has been about serving, then you finally try to take time for yourself only to have your plans ruined by unforeseen circumstances? How do you get out of your head when disappointment or suffering is a constant in your life?
buddha's initial teaching is for someone at the beginning of the journey... to recognize the need to go from the cup to the lake....because being in the cup feels bad...
Hello George..I have watched this video of You and I found it very enliving. I have also purchesd the book by Derek Lin,"The TAO of Wisdom" and it has opened me up to further my quest into " The TAO",,I plan on purchasing his book narrating 'TAO TE CHING'. I was wondering if You or Mr.Lin could suggest a copy that translate the verses in a broader way. In his book Mr.Lin uses some verses that are different from the book I have and they seem to offer me a wider view of them. I trust that You can understand my request ,, Many Many thanks for suggesting Mr,Lin as I plan to purchase other of his books.. Thank You and "NAMATAE" ..Ray Bakey
So now I'm left with a question.... My takeaway is that suffering is unbearable because our minds are trapped in ourselves. Become a part of the greater whole and that suffering doesn't occupy your whole existence; it's only a small piece of it. However, as usual with Taoist teachings, I'm left asking "how?" What method of practice/training/self-cultivation does one use to achieve this? For years I've been fascinated with Taoism but progress always seems just out of reach because the teachings are so cryptic and vague. What can I actually _do_ to train myself?
I guess for George it is studying these teachings to gain a wider perspective, and working on these videos may put him in a "flow state"- maybe you could find this in some craft, hobby, or sport of your own :) it seems he also enjoys tai chi and hiking, so moving your body and getting outside is also a great way to escape the mind
Your contrast between Buddhism and Daoism is incorrect with regards to suffering. Buddhism uses understanding suffering to develop wisdom to eventually overcome suffering. It is not running away from suffering.
Buddhism: Life is full of suffering, and we will be reborn endlessly unless we attain enlightenment. How do we achieve this? Live a blameless life, reduce our desires, meditate. Daoism: Life is wonderful, but it will be over when we die unless we attain immortality. How do we achieve this? Live a blameless life, reduce our desires, meditate.
My friend I think that you are very special but you’re hiding something from all of us you are probably the second coming of Buddha but somehow you decide not to make it clear to us
It's not George, it's Taoism. I know there are people who have employed its teachings to great effect, but the lessons given to the public are always so vague and cryptic that you're left wondering what to actually do with them to reshape yourself. We need self-training systems that aren't only available in a Taoist temple.
He is fulfilling the role of messenger and interpreter incredibly well, explaining the old stories and teachings for us, and what he learns from his retreats. Of course he adds his own unique experiences and inner wisdom to the message, but "second coming" sounds a bit too far to me... If I'm wrong then I'm very happy to be a "disciple" haha
