Sign up for an annual CuriosityStream subscription with 26% off and you'll also get free access to Nebula (a new streaming platform I'm helping to build along with other creators). curiositystream.com/cogito What do you think of Daoism? What religion do you want us to cover next? Let us know!
Please make videos on other Eastern philosophies like Confucianism, Shintoism. I found thay Daoism is very close to Advaita philosophy of Hinduism. I think there are more commonalities between other Asian philosophies and Indic philosophies. I wanna know more.
I'm happy you brought that up. One of the main difference between popular religions Vs Daoism/Confusionism/Buddhism/Hinduism I've always felt is that, there's no "must believe in us or you're going to hell" requirements. In Buddhism there's even a phrase roughly translated to "Buddha-fate" meaning are you compatible/destined to follow Buddhism. Its great if you have, it's ok if you don't, there's no requirement. Just live your life harmoniously and peacefully and everything's gonna be alright.
The real key to understanding something like Taoism is to first accept that the Tao possesses an internal harmony that can remain hidden from humans. Any sense of disharmony in the Tao is a failure of perception. That misperception can often lead humans to generate the very disharmony they perceive. If you can accept that your human perception is quite capable of failing, you can catch rare glimpses of the Tao. Revenge is a poison meant for others that we end up swallowing ourselves. Vengeance is a dark light that blinds all who seek it. The untroubled soul knows there is no justice in revenge. The untroubled soul knows that to seek vengeance is to seek destruction.
@@kelvinchan3826 With respect, I am fairly sure Buddhism says every sentient being has a ‘Buddha nature’, and all can become Buddhas, i.e., become enlightened.
Slappy I don't know whether that was intentional or not, but that's arguably a much deeper question to ask in that context. Instead of asking what it is (which is pointless if it's unknowable) the better question to ask is "what is it like?" Because that question can be more reasonably answered
@@westernwizard13 But I guess that's exactly the way to practice it daoism by incorporating the 'how' in a day to day life. I mean trying to keep up with the flow... the dao.. that's 'how'
Yao Fu does not write RU-vid comments merely for fun. He writes them to appease the great algorithm god of Monetization. Yao Fu does not write RU-vid comments merely for fun.
The very FIRST chapter of Dao De Jing teaches us that if a "concept" can be fully explained by only words, it is no deep concept. A deep concept can only be feeled, words are not powerful enough, so if you really want to know what Dao is, go read Dao De Jing. It teaches you the way of feeling "Dao" but not what "Dao" is, because no one can teach you what "Dao" is but yourself.
@@user-ky4jd8cm2o yes but I’m most of the religions those historical events are based on they’ve made it “you must believe this ONE specific way, or you’re going to hell forever” what I like more about eastern religions is they’re foundation is that of love and encouragement, while I find too many time western religions now base themselves in fear based dogma. Although that was not at all the intent of the original teaching
@@user-ky4jd8cm2o Yea but the biggest different is that God in western culture has a manlike feeling. Whereas Dao is basically a rule. For scientists, they can understand is as the function that will expalin everything in the universe which they've been trying to find but never could.
I think you’re missing something. Pretty sure the first line of the Dao de Jing is saying don’t mistake words (or concepts) for the reality they’re trying to represent. Explanations of ultimate reality are just words (so don’t start worshipping a book…)
As an Indian who studies indian philosophy this is alot like a mixture of advaitya vedanta , madhyamaka and jainsim fused . I can now very much understand why daoism and Buddhism go so hand to hand and plan to study daoism after I finish being well versed in the philopshy of Bharat
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
I have a lot of respect for Indian philosophy and Buddhist. But there’s something about the simplicity and brevity of Taoism. It’s not about sitting or thinking or doing or not doing it is the philosophy of water
@@rodicaraveca1858 there are plenty of ways to god. just because of where you’re from it happened to be Christianity. And that’s fine but shoving peoples faces in it is the reason people give religion a bad name.
I grew up surrounded by Christianity, Islam and Judaism and could not identify with them at all, so I lived an agnostic life. Then I learned about Baha'i and thought "how great, there is actually a peaceful, feminist and tolerant monotheist religion!" Then I found Jainism: "omg, so much better! How incredibly peaceful!" Then Sikhism: "Wow, this is even better, what an awesome religion!" Then I watched your video about Daoism and now I'm totally mind blown. I don't even know what to say. So glad I found this.
one thing you should know is Taoism is not a religion, it is simply the way of life people that practice Taoism, mostly Chinese descendants around the world are free thinkers practicing towards enlightenment, not bound by religion constraints this is why it is proven that Chinese people are successful businessman everywhere they go, they simply work with the environment they are in, not against it nor by force.
Dear cogito My mothertongue is Tamil and I am from India. You started this video with 'those who know....' I was taken aback as we have exact same saying in Tamil "Kandavar vindilar, vindavar kandilar" Wow wow
it's a phrase that's more than 2000 years old and it's has been translated to pretty much every language out there that's spoken by a considerable number of speakers.
As someone who lived in a Daoist community for a year (in the US and with a lot of Zen influence as well) this shit is VERY accurate. Good to see something personally related to me again to be able to verify what I always have known: Cogito is that truth
I disagree w your assessment. Taoism is > not< a religion. Case closed. Lao Tzu is a popular character in transmitting taoist wisdom. But hardly the only great ancient master to transmit this wisdom. Honestly this video and audio is a 3rd grade approach to taoism.
I've been explained by a Taoist that in Taoism it's believed that good people will be gods after they die and that the worst kind of people will be demons, but I forgot to ask what's gonna happen to the animals, the plants, and others after they die? Can you answer my question? Thanks a lot before 🙏🙏💪💪👍👍
I only realized now that the word Dao or "Do" in Cantonese is the reason so many Eastern martial arts end in the word "Do". Jeet Kune do (Way of the intercepting fist) Tae Kwan do (Way of the Fist and Foot) Judo (Gentle Way) Aikido (Way of Peace and harmony) Karate-do (Way of the Empty Hand) Tang-soo-do (Way of the Tang Hand)
Yeah. The older traditional "jitsu/jutsu" arts are methods or techniques and are usually combat orientated. The "do" arts are newer and tend to be more sport driven because they teach the "way" or idea behind the martial art rather than the jutsu, which is killing a guy. That's why Jujitsu is a combat martial art while Judo is a sport.
@let love lead Lately I've been thinking of buying cryptocurrency for retirement, I've set asides $350k to invest but along the line, I usually get cold feet, maybe because I have no idea what I'm doing, please I could really use some guidelines.
At the least, if you attempted to use "I wasn't drunk, I was embracing wu-wei!" as an excuse, you'd probably successfully baffle whoever you were talking to.
I personally follow the philosophical sect of Daoism and not the religious path and I've been greatly helped by it. It has helped me be true to myself and not to force things as well as avoiding confrontation (which is something that comes naturally to me). There are many great benefits to Daoism and I'd recommend taking a look at the dao de jing if you have any interest in the philosophy/religion.
Same friend. Well, I follow the philosophical aspects of Buddhism, but yes it has helped me greatly. I am agnostic still, but the compassion for others that the Dharma teaches keeps me a better person. I naturally anger easily, so trying to see the best in others first is a great virtue. When I first began practicing the Dharma, I tried to spend a whole regular day of my life being completely compassionate towards others, even people at work that really bother me. It took a lot of effort at first, but began to show me the benefits quickly. Suddenly, I found my coworkers smiling more towards me and generally being more willing to talk. The Dharma has been a great thing for me. Good luck on your journey!
There is a concept of SHUNYA in Hindu philosophies, literally meaning zero. But it actually means that which is not. Many Indian philosophies including Buddhism say that universe originated from this 'nothingness' which exists without being in existence. All eastern philosophies have many common grounds.
@@ilgfalam Sati Pradha was the name of the superstition. This was true and women were considered inferior and this was also mentioned in vedas so those who r saying that this was not part of Hinduism or Santana r just trying to portray you a false image . Ancient custom's were damn horrible.
@@vishnusahani2822 which vedic text or book are you referencing this from ? I am asking because I am assuming you have read all of them before coming here and claiming this.
@@vishnusahani2822 One who doesn't know shouldn't speak. A 10-year old knows it. Vedas nowhere mentions Sati (as practice), forget endorsing. Evidence is this verse from Atharvaveda - "Rise, come unto the world of life, O woman: come, he is lifeless by whose side thou liest. Wife hood with this thy husband was thy portion who took thy hand and wooed thee as a lover." This verse is clearly urging the widow to come back in world. Why would they say it if they were endorsing Sati. Gautama Buddha, greatest reformer ever born, opposed caste system and rituals of animal sacrificing. How could he miss this inhumane practice? So learn to shut your mouth up if you don't know a thing. This channel has very matured comment section, don't spit false things here
i’m Thelemic but researching Sikhism, Taoism, & Secular Humanism really has me wanting to find what best describes me but it’s hard because i also disagree with a lot of things in some of these religions. it’s hard to find one that has the positive qualities i want but doesn’t prohibit things that cross the line for me
@@nealdee1755 Every religion is a philosophy if you don’t take it as gospel. Eastern religions don’t attempt to preach but rather advocate a self discovery of truths.
Do some research on Buddhism and Hinduism, reincarnation is very well documented and also Hindu cosmology had a lot of discoveries that now turning out to be truth. Few thousand years ago, Hindus created the shape of the universe, and it looks identical to the one now scientists have created.
@@haripriya8492 He also says that the dao doesn't care, which is kinda true if you are talking about in the western sense.. But The Dao loves and nourishes all things, but does not lord it over them. According to Lao Tzu. He also called Daoism a religion.. It is a philosophy, but people do treat it as a religion, so it can be either. You should treat it as a philosophy / a lesson and not actually label yourself it.
There's actually 1 simple concept to describe Yin and Yang in English. 'Contrast', it's the way human view the universe. Since we are human, we can only understand it the human way. We almost always take 2 contrasting point and measure everything in between. Hot or cold, and everything in between. Hard or soft, we form our judgement from 2 contrasting points, softer then something, harder then something. What those points of contrast are, changes with contexts. What are we trying to make sense of at any moment. Also you use the name Zhong Kui twice in the 3 deity picture, only the first is Zhong Kui, the last one for examination is likely Confucius. Since Chinese imperial examination is about studying works organized by Confucius scholars, and he is most associated with teaching. He is as close to what Chinese/taoist folk religion has to a god of education.
@@RubelliteFae Can you recommend me books/ websites for this? The term in/out of accord seems particularly not useful to me... Also it's just another example of a contrast, so there seems to be little difference with the western culture.
"the wonton of chaos" is a funny way to express it. the Chinese word "wonton (馄饨)" is cognate with that of "chaos (混沌)", presumably due to the fact that it is completely wrapped up by its skin and people cannot see anything inside clearly. that is also the reason why sometimes 馄饨 is automatically translated as "chaos".
As someone who likes to understand beliefs well, I really appreciate how well and respectful you present different beliefs, the people in the comments are always saying how accurate these videos are which is good to hear
With the amount of work you put behind these videos you deserve far more appreciation than you are getting right now. And you will get it. It can take some time but you will.
As someone who grew up from a Christian religious mother and always attracted people from Christian and Muslim denominations trying to convert me, I learned that the base on every religion starts off with philosophy and once you understand the philosophical base of the religion you can then decide if following the faith is for you! This will save you a lot of time determining if it’s worth the commitment versus trying to assimilate into a religious group that skips this step when trying to teach you about their faith. I truly agree with the core philosophy of Daoism and it’s something I resonate with based on my life experiences. Going with the flow has given me much phenomenal results and feels truly liberating compared to trying hard to get the results I wanted. I have worked very stressful jobs in the past that was toxic but paid very little compensation compared to my current job that is much easier for me to do but pays me significantly more! Some people say going with the flow encourages laziness, apathy and not taking responsibility but it is misunderstood for what it truly means to go with the flow. Effort only pays off when it’s applied to the right things which is what going with the flow actually means. Effort should feel effortless when we are performing what we are naturally inclined to do. Daoism has made me learn to be perceptive about my environment since it’s the environment that will dictate our circumstances and not the other way around it teaches me to be adaptable. I also like the concept of co-existing because I agree with it. We naturally tend to base things off of subjective experiences and in order to acknowledge its existence we need to compare it to its extreme. We cannot experience or identify luxury if there is no such thing as poverty and vice versa. Extremes exist to serve a bench mark to acknowledge the existence of the other and this is something I always believed in before discovering Daoism!
Dao De Jing is Laozi's philosophical view of the relationship between nature and human. It is not religion, nor is confucianism. They are both the interpretation of Yi ching (The book of change) which is the foundation of all Chinese philosophy. All the religious stuff are generated from later cultures, not the primary purpose of the philosophy itself.
The great Dao flows everywhere, both to the left and to the right. It loves and nourishes all things but does not lord it over them. And when merits are accomplished it lays no claim - Lao Tzu ( heard in A. Watts lecture)
one thing you should know is Taoism is not a religion, it is simply the way of life people that practice Taoism, mostly Chinese descendants around the world are free thinkers practicing towards enlightenment, not bound by religion constraints this is why it is proven that Chinese people are successful businessman everywhere they go, they simply work with the environment they are in, not against it nor by force.
Incredibly well done. I like the many comments comparing the Dao to the Hindu Brahman. I would argue that it is the same thing as the Logos that the Greeks spoke about as well. The fundamental pattern of reality.
Fantastic video, thanks for sharing. I noticed many similarities to Hinduism. Reminds me of a saying in Hinduism, “Ekam Sat Vipra Bahudha Vadanti”, meaning "There is only one Truth (of this universe) and Masters call it by different names"!
Finally a well explained video that I can direct people to if they ask me what my religion is. I always have to explain it to people and this helps a lot. Thank you 😭
Lao Tzu seems like a very interesting person! Wow Ancient China seems to be a treasure trove of history! The oldest two continuous civilisations. Namaste to Chinese from your ancient neighbour 🙏🏽 Next video on Baha’Ism please Cogito! Love your charming videos a lot!
This was a VERY well put together video, thank you for all the work that went into. Just one thing (& maybe it was just me), while I fully support & understand the need for content creators as well as the platform to monetize such efforts, there were just an inordinate amount of ads. It felt like every 2 minutes I was stuck in another ad. It really threw the whole thing off.
I practise tai chi and Taoism is often discussed or referred to so it was great to get a rundown of this religion. I have a book but it’s been slow going. This video was really easy to follow and understand. Especially the part about wu wei. In the book I’ve been reading the explanation - or translation - was ‘action through non action’. I liked this video’s discussion of wu wei better. Thanks.
8:25 I've always thought of Laozi's political philosophy as an ancient form of anarchy. (Anarchy as in a society with no rigid hierachy, not as in bombing government buildings to stick it to the authorities. )
You can see many anarchist ideas in Laozi's work. But fundamentally they still believed in the idea of a king/emperor. But still so fascinating to see those ideas being discussed 2000 years ago.
@homeless man's Bertholdt I see where you're coming from, though I can easily see it swing precisely the other way. The 'the Earth and Heaven are reflections' and its acceptance of the hierarchy on Earth as the heavenly hierarchy, as well as its emphasis on 'just rolling with it', which can be easily interpreted as 'don't resist or question the status quo', which fundamentally clases with the idea of all hierarchies must be questioned and torn down if they fail to legitimize themselves.
@マナンナンアナメ in isolation yeah I'd agree with you but just like other Chinese/east Asian philosophies they tend to dynamically affect each other and build on top of each other. Hence why provided mandate of heaven as an example and how daoist view it. In theory the mandate of heaven is seen as a way for the masses to question authority.
@@joshuapartridge5092 Correct. Also ancient India and China had very deep trade relation via silk road. May be these ideas got exchanged and evolved. A piece of information, a Chinese travellar and pilgrims, Hiuen Tsang was one of the best student of ancient Nalanda University. He travelled all the way from East China to south India and vice versa.
İt is also similar to the interpretation of Allah in Islam unlike commonly believed the way Islam and judeo Christian tradition have a radically different way of describing what God is
Daoism started with a rad philosophical idea, and then people started to mix it with local fables and tales and superstitions and ultimately turned it into a hot mess of sometimes ridiculous practices, like the other day I saw on a Chinese newspaper an old lady pray to a statue of Garen in League of Legends
@@andro7862 because, believe it or not, Japan is one single country, and China isn't. In Lao Tzu's time (Mid Chun Qiu era), China was 14 different states, with cultures, laws, doctrines, philosophy... different from each other. Take Indian for example, Hinduism takes a huge range of variations as you go across India
While Laotze book teaches us that yin and yang are two inseparable force but he tend to hint us that he favour more towards the yin principle. Lol. While the emptiness (yin) of the claypot allow the water to be filled the solid claypot (yang) helps to hold the water in. Yin-yang are 2 inseparable principle.
💟 Dear FRIEND, *JESUS CHRIST IS ONE AND ONLY GOD* There is No other God except Him! He can solve all your problems. 💟 *JESUS CHRIST DIED FOR US ON THE CROSS TO SAVE US FROM HELL AND TO GIVE US ETERNAL LIFE WHICH IS *HEAVEN* And *HE IS RISEN* Death could not hold Him. Rejoice in *The RESURRECTION* of Jesus Christ. 💟 One Day Jesus will *COME AS A KING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SKY* people who lives according to the Lord will *ONLY* go to The Heaven, rest of the people will be *JUDGED* by Him on That *JUDGEMENT DAY.* 💟 My frnd, *YOU* can't tolerate *HELL* Where their *WORM IS EVER LIVING* and the *FIRE IS NOT PUT OUT* Everyone will be *SALTED WITH FIRE.* 💟 *PLEASE UNDERSTAND THIS TRUTH BEFORE YOU DIE, BECAUSE, ONCE YOU DIE, THEN YOU CAN'T GET ANOTHER CHANCE, EXCEPT BURNING IN THE 🔥HELL🔥 FOR EVER .SO PLEASE BE AWAKE BEFORE ITS TOO LATE FOR YOU.* 💟💟💟 *HE IS TRINITY* *{ THE ONE GOD EXISTS AS OR IN THREE EQUALLY DIVINE “PERSONS”, THE FATHER, THE SON, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT }* *😍 1. FATHER : -* (Heavenly Father), He is the *ULTIMATE CREATOR*, Supreme, Ruler, Perfect guide, protector & Has all Powers, He is Personally, Emotionally, and even Sacrificially *INVOLVED WITH US*, PROMISES to always watch over us. ✅He is *THE LAW-GIVER* to His chosen people, Preserver of all things and He knows *EVERYTHING*. ✅In whom we all Believe, Worship, and Pray. ✅He Disciplines us (Heb. 12:3-11). ✅He Receives, Forgives, Rejoices over us when in *REPENTANCE* we come Home to Him. ✅ *BEFORE THE DAWN OF TIME, HE WAS, AND FOREVERMORE HE SHALL BE; NOTHING IS BEYOND HIS ABILITY AND NOTHING IS BEYOND HIS KNOWLEDGE.* ✅(Isaiah 64:7) - “Yet, Lord, You are our FATHER; we are the clay and You our potter: we are all the work of *YOUR HAND*.”. ✅(1 John 3:1) - “See what *LOVE* the *FATHER* Has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. *😍2. JESUS CHRIST : -* (Son) sent by Heavenly Father to do *SACRIFICE HIS LIFE FOR YOU, ME AND FOR EVERYONE TO SAVE US FROM HELL,* where fire is not put out and the worm is ever living. ✅(Isaiah 7:14. 14) Therefore the Lord Himself will give you *a Sign :* The virgin will conceive and give Birth To a Son, and will call Him Immanuel, (Isaiah 9:6) For to us a Child is Born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His Shoulders. ✅And *HE WILL BE CALLED* Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.(Isaiah 11:1), (Jeremiah 23:5,) (John 1:14), (John 3:16), (John 14:27), (Luke 1:35.). ✅He *DIED FOR US* on the cross to give us Eternal life (Heaven). ✅God (Father) *RAISED* Jesus *FROM THE DEAD ON THE THIRD DAY* after His crucifixion, starting - or restoring - His exalted life as Christ and Lord. ✅ *The RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST* and the Wiping away of our Sins. *😍3. HOLY SPIRIT : -* (He is God), and believers are baptized in His Name (Matthew 28:19-20). ✅He Has The *POWER To PROTECT BELIEVERS* so that nothing can steal their salvation (Ephesians 4:30). ✅ *HE DWELLS WITHIN BELIEVERS AND TRANSFORMS* them into *THE TEMPLE OF GOD* (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). ✅The *SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT ARE :* Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of The Lord. *ACCEPT THIS TRUTH BEFORE YOU DIE, BECAUSE, ONCE YOU DIE, THEN YOU CAN'T GET ANOTHER CHANCE, EXCEPT BURNING IN THE 🔥HELL🔥 FOR EVER .SO 🙏PLEASE BE AWAKE BEFORE ITS TOO LATE FOR YOU.* Have A Nice Day 😊💟 *🙏PRAISE THE LORD* 🙏
Dao is like a small version of the broad concept of Dharma of Hinduism. Dharma is as important in hinduism, buddhism, jainism and sikhism that all these religions are called Dharmic religions because these religions teaches that one should always follow their dharma no matter what. There is no proper word or explanation for dharma in English just as the dao. But what the guy said in video is similar with dharma, it is a way of life, a rule ,a law for life and even more broader concepts. Everything will be perfect in the universe if all follow their dharma.
“Good Knots have no rope but cannot be untied” a very tight knot doesn’t have to necessarily be with rope, it could be with any material. As long as it cannot be untied that is what makes it a (tight) knot. Meaning, your problems don’t necessarily have a cause but they can’t be permanently solved either.
One of the most reasonable and holistic of all spiritual beliefs, at least the non deistic parts. I’ve been a life long atheist and will remain so all my life, but I have softened over the last few years and uncovered something of a spiritual side to myself that I am beginning to nurture through meditation and mindfulness.
You've got to bear in Mind that Gods in the Eastern Traditions are not viewed the same as Abrahamic Gods. A Buddha, a Lao Tzu or a Brahman maybe called God, but it means something totally different than what we in the West perceive as God!
So, from what I’ve understood, dao is like the way or the path, chi is like the force, yin and yang is like dark side and light side, Lao zi must be master yoda
"what is taoism" i saw the title, was curious and clicked 20 minutes later, i know a few more nuggets of information and still have no idea i think your video is a success
In my view, Daoism, Buddhism and Hinduism are all related in that they all talk of some combination of positive and negative forces (such as karma, and the yinyang) as being the ultimate driving forces of nature that control and make up the universe, much like the 1s and 0s of a computer. Where only 1s or positive forces exist, this can be thought of as "heaven", where only negative forces exist, this can be thought of as "hell" and where neither force exists, such a realm may be called "Nirvana". So essentially in a Taoist perspective, Nirvana is a realm that lacks Dao
This feels like such a synchronicity. I just found your channel literally yesterday looking things up about Zoroastrianism, it was great by the way and I have been praying to Ahura Mazda for sometime now! I binged all your videos on religions and found that my favorite text of wisdom was missing, the dao de Ching! I’m currently reading the chaung Tzu and it’s very interesting. Then, the very next day, you deliver my wishes! Thank you for you work and I can say wholeheartedly that you do very good research, and your jokes are actually quite funny!
In a word, dao is life. Live your life as you think best, only you can decide that, it is yours. It helps if you know what you are and the answer to that is all around you. Life provides you with all the answers to your questions.
This video is good giving a quick overview of Daoism, but I would like to add that Daoism is a blend of philosophy and religion, where it started as a philosophy, and slowly evolves into a religion with deities and celestial beings.
I would say it qualifies as a religion. Like Buddhism with Hindu it was designed to coexist with an existing religion and had a largely philosophical root but it makes spiritual and theological (ie religious) assertions, eg that a spiritual energy called pneuma pervades and comprises all things and forms, and that we are all part of a panentheistic deity called the Logos. All religions were expected to coexist and acknowledge each other in Greece and later Rome, which was a big reason there was so much friction with Christians- While ironically the Roman Catholic (or "universalist," a term that in religious terms generally means "all-inclusive," in the manner of the ancient Greeks) church would later predominate by accepting Pagan practices and making Pagan gods part of their "pantheon" of saints and angels and worshiping Deus (aka Zeus/Dionysus/Jupiter) instead of the Jewish god Adonai (who in religious practice they only pay lip service to, while taking Dionysian communion and worshiping the father and son (Zeus and Dionysus) as two parts of the whole and calling God a variant of Dyeus and so on), early Christians refused to so much as acknowledge the Roman gods, which was seen as equivalent to atheism. But if you compare Stoicism to its contemporary schools of philosophy, it makes much more religious assertions, even dealing with the nature of god(s).
@@RubelliteFae Pneuma is the fiery metaphysical "substance" that flows through all things and that all things (or their shapes) are made from, and literally means "breath" or "air." It makes no sense to say "it IS material, it IS NOT spiritual" because, like prana and qi (which mean "breath" or "air"), physical matter is seen as a coarser or lower expression and spirit as a finer or higher expression of the same substance. The Logos is not a deity in the sense of Zeus or Vishnu. It is a "deity" in the sense of Brahma, a uniting universal "mind" that pervades all things and yet which all things are a part of. That humans have the capacity for reason is because we have a larger share of it (or we have a greater share of it because of our capacity for reason; there is actually no cause or effect there, the two are synonymous), but more than the Dao (which it can also be seen as analogous to) it is treated as a panentheistic united mind (or in more modern terms, a superorganism), a deity above deities or the entity that is the universe. Elohim means gods (plural, or lords) and the Tetragrammaton, IHVH (or iod-heh-vav-heh, I'm typing on a phone right now so not even gonna try getting the hebrew down right), is shorthand for the phrase "I am that I am," a cagey non-identification that God gave for Himself. There is no recorded name of God anywhere in scripture, though orthoodox Jews and certain types of Christians self-censor any of His titles (eg G-d) as if they were the true name. The closest we have to actual "names" are Adonai ("my highest lords") and El Shaddai (God(as in deity) Almighty). There are a couple more like "Tsevaoth" ("hosts" or "armies," often paired with the other names to demonstrate that He is the God of Hosts or a Host of Gods or a God of Gods). Orthodox Jews will not speak any of them and either censor the names or call Him "the name" to avoid accidentally speaking any "name" of God. I chose "Adonai" because of all these names, it is the one used most frequently, and it is, rather importantly, not IHVH- transliterated as Iehovah or Jehova and conflated with or also called Jove, a name for Jupiter/Zeus. It is just as well that you didn't comment on the Pagan and specifically Dionysian/Jovial influences on Catholicism, because something tells me you would have said some things that were very wrong (or at least poorly-informed). When I say Stoics made more religious assertions, I actually mean "theological" assertions, not "metaphysical/spiritual" assertions. For example, that the true nature of "the gods" was as higher beings than us yet lower beings than the Logos, of which both we and they are parts, that there was a singular higher power in the form of the universal Logos at all, that fate is the result of an ultimate plan that must ultimately be good for all things overall (because the planner is selfish, and everything is part of the planner) and, most bizarre and religious of all, that the world would necessarily end in an enormous conflagration that would consume the universe as the pneuma all returned to Logos, before beginning again, a process that had occurred many times already (which stands out as being bizarre, speculative, prophetic and logically detached from the core thread of Stoic beliefs and assertions). Many people today read it as a behavioural manual and think "oh, pneuma and logos are silly terms, but they weren't ENTIRELY off even if they were kind of platonists with the whole things are made out of shapes which are made of pneuma thing" and think that's the end of it, but I think it definitely qualifies as religion (especially when, perhaps hearkening to their Cynic "devil may care" roots, Stoics readily tackled these sticky religious topics that other philosophers seemed to shy away from, probably on account of philosophers who delved into them having a nasty habit of being executed for blasphemy). (Also since you seem to have read or heard at least a bit more than the surface level I'm sure you already knew this, but apart from El, El Shaddai and the Tetragrammaton, the "names" of God are all plural. This has been interpreted in a lot of ways, of course. My favourite is "God is just spooky and speaks from many places at once" because it's the most conceptually textured interpretation imo, the one that feels the best to "hold" and "turn over" in your "hands.")
And if you want to find the perfect line to hook your audience at the beginning of a video, you talk to Cogito. Seriously man, when it comes to getting viewers hooked with a hilarious line, you're the king.
"...and only a complete and utter idiot would think they'd explain it... Let me explain..." 😂🤯the poetry! Just stumbled on this channel, it is worth it in every sense educational, even if everything human sense is limited. 💯❤️
Tao is the Way - there are many different ways, good & bad. There is an Ultimate Way that governs how everything works. Taoism is the teaching of how a person understanding & merging with the Ultimate Way. The Taoist way of enlightenment.
@@zeeafraud7898 Please notice that there are very wise people outside of China too. Instead of thinking like a Confucianist, one can better think like himself: dare to think, said the German philosopher Emmanuel Kant.
@@jeffyuan2126 Your comment caused me to look up the wikipedia page of the religion (which I personally think it is), and it actually seems to me that everyone is a confucianist. I mean, everyone holds those virtues in high esteem, except for the odd dictator and of course Mark Zuckerberg, most of us aren't that kind of person.
I studied Taoism in the early 80's and the teachings were a reflection of many of my beliefs. When you realize you are one with the Universe experiencing a state of Bliss several times daily has become my norm and has been for over 40 years.
Great video! The T/D in Tao/Dao represents an unaspirated T. so a T without an additional H-sound in its pronunciation. in English, the T (and K and P) in most cases is followed by an H-sound pronunciationwise.
i think it's about not being stubborn and accepting that reality changes. not being afraid of letting go of an old pattern if you come to find that there is a better way of doing things. being formless
I had no idea that I'm a daoist. Wow. Since age 18 I recognized that the universe is made of self referential fractals. Daoism fits well with my intuition, it's just not had the same math background as me. Still nice to see that others had this insight way before me.
Yeah, from what I've seen, people tend to bounce hard off the Dao de Ching unless they already have some intuitive idea of the concepts it's trying to get across. The opening lines alone are enough to derail the more literal-minded readers.
@@jasonblalock4429 agreed that people bounce off the opening lines, nicely put. I however 'bounce off' (love your phrase) with what he says comes after. I get the local god thing, even just for your personal stove or food. There are some great British thinkers that say life is made from the stories we tell. But that again clashes with the first principles. I'm older now, my brain diluted by age (I'm 34, have a difficult adventurous life). But my 18 year old self was so sure about the nature of being. Wish I could let myself just drift like dao recommend. No rest for the wicked though, as they say..
Well it kind of does have a math background because there’s order and pattern and algorithms to life and math is basically the same thing but in number form.
I'm a Dao practitioner. An important part of Daoism to mention is about the "64 Patriarch"... which is known as "Golden Thread" in Dao! The earliest scriptures (3,000-4,000BC) which written in Classic Chinese is known as 'Oracles'! Another thing is that ultimate god is known as "The Heavenly Matter" (or Heavenly Mother) or Dao... which is Formless and Omnipresent. Vegetarianism is a mandatory part of Daoism which involves taking of Vows! You may even surprise to know WHY the Dao & Tai Chi Chuan practitioners are all vegetarian i.e Steven Seagull, Bruce Lee, Jet Li, Jackie Chan, 'IpMan' Donnie Yen, Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Sammo Hung, 'Kungfu Hustle' Stephen Chow, 'Ong Bak' Tony Jaa, etc etc. That can't be totally coincidence but must have valid reasons behind! All these Brilliant Martial Arts Heroes must have reason for their Diet Choice... either for mystical or for scientific reasons! Dao is indeed much Scientific and Philosophical, very hard to learn all of them! I'm a Dao practitioner, therefore only Practice make as a good learner.
@Charger Dave why is that humans are omnivores and if everything is connected as you said and every thing has an inner dao or how ever you described it what’s the difference between that of a human and a pig
@Charger Dave I feel just as natural and at peace with my self when I eat vegetables or meat I feel nothing when I kill something for food if anything it’s a little exciting to hunt and I’m always calm and have no kind of anger or anything does that make me a psychopath to you but I also don’t like seeing a animal being tortured see things aren’t really as black and white
The video references Daoism with follow up texts that are developed outside of philosophical Daoism and into the realm of religious (Hsien) Daoism. None of those texts are considered important for Daoism as a philosophy. All core tenants can be found in the Daodejing and Zhuangzi. Everything else is take-it-or-leave-it. Just so people don't get confused by the lack of nuance in this videos explanatory transition.
From what I understood wu-wei does not mean "not doing" or "not acting" but rather it means "not forcing." So you should not be passive, but rather you should not go beyond your means or act above your station. This creates harmony. Since governments rule through laws backed up by physical force they are destined to grow corrupt and collapse hence Lao Tzu's comments against invasive governments. I found a lot of value in studying Taoism and Hermeticism. The two complement each other rather well I think.
Great video. Thanks for covering so many aspects of Daoism. Often times people limit the belief to only 2 texts of the thousands. The idea that Laozi and Zhuangzi represent Daoism as a religion is entirely from a western perspective, based on what the Christian missionaries wanted to bring back. Daoism is a wide-reaching polytheistic faith with a full pantheon of deities, immortals, cosmological studies, astrology, sorcery, ritual, and moral code. Laozi & Zhuangzi are the first texts one may read in the West, but because we define the whole religion by those texts, we tend to be blind to the regious components. For example, the first scripture one learns along side the Daodejing is the Scripture on Stillness & Clarity (Qingjing Jing). This is a portion of the 1-2hr morning/afternoon/evening ritual that is performed 9 of every 10 days in the temples. And it is a major part of the faith, much like the Heart Sutra in buddhism. When you try to define the terms Yin & Yang in english, a good parallel could be, "The Two Polarities." The example of the sunny & shady side of the mountain is an example describing the Polarities. Day and night. This is called Liangyi. The image is a circle, left half sold white, right happy solid white. It represents duality and dichotomy. When you see the "yin yang symbol," this is called a "Taiji symbol," (Taiji Tu) and doesn't represent Polarities. Taiji refers to "the interdependency of the Polarities." The best way I've found to describe this would be, "creative & receptive." The hand moves the air, the air moves the flame, could be an example. The hand is yang to the air being responsive. The air is yang to the flame, which is now receptive. The flame would then be yang to the yin wick that burns. This process is described in chapter 42 of the Daodejing as, "Fom 0 comes 1; from 1 comes 2; from 2 comes 3; from 3 come the 10,000 (myriad) creations." This could be described as, "(0) I didn't know tai chi was a thing; (1) I can say there is a thing called Tai chi; (2) you are doing Tai chi or you are not; (3) Tai chi affects and is affected by all things." Speaking of the martial art / health practice of Tai chi... In the West, we translate Tai chi chi's (taijiquan) as "supreme ultimate fist," or like you used in the video. This is like treating translating "mushroom" as "squichy quarters." The most literal translation of every word is not always the authentic meaning. The term "Tai Chi" or Taiji, is a compound word referring to the principle of Taiji as discussed in the previous paragraph of yin & yang. So the word Taiji Quan is the same as Taiji Tu, except the wood for symbol is replaced by the word for martial art (or fist, literally). So instead of the supreme ultimate boxing, it is "martial art of the Taiji principle." Or, "Boxing based on the interplay of offensive (creative) and defensive (receptive) forces." Counter-fighting is based on transforming yin to yang; from being receptive one creates opportunities for offense. And not over-extending or going outside of your own ability allows for defensive qualities to exist within offensive movement. If you grab, I strike; if you strike, I grab it. If you push, I pull in harmony to over-extend you. If you pull, I push to overwhelm you. Therese are some examples of the interplay of yin and yang, or the supreme ultimate principles of the universe in combat. This is why it is called Taijiquan, IMHO. Qi is also a point of contention in translation communities. I've found that a very function definition of it is "effort/energy." Outside of the context of magical forcefield & medical quackery, the term is often times associated with breath. "Without qi, you die," had a much clearer understanding. In Daoism, the man is made of Jing, Qi, & Shen. These could be couples with corporeal, energetic, spirit/mental. Everything you can touch is Jing. Everything you can think is Shen. Qi is the vehicle that allows the mind to move the body. It is often times connected to the air because that is what bring the necessary oxygen into the body, allows you to think, is tied to your effort/exertion, and is linked to overall good stamina/cardio. So if I want to push a boulder, I can use too little qi/effort to throw a ball, and it does not go far enough. I can use too much qi/effort and the boulder moves too far. I can use the correct amount of qi/effort and the ball lands where I intend it. If my eyes (part of my Jing) send signals to my brain to where I want to throw the ball, my (part of my Shen) moves my body with my energy/effort (party of my wi) to throw the ball where I intended. Is the ball lands of center to either side, this means I cannot control my efforts well enough, meaning my qi was disharmonious or scattered. So when you see the "Chinese Popular Religion" being practiced, this is a combination of Daoism (cosmology), buddhism (karma and Samara) & confucianism (social interactions). These temples are mostall run by the Dragongate Sect of Daoism, which was appointed as the government recognized sect in the present times. Dragongate (Longmen Pai) flourished for a few reasons, but a major point of uniqueness is that they combined the the great faiths into one cohesive perspective on the universe and our place in it. Some other major deities people might want to search could be Xuanwu/Zhenwu , Queen Mother of the West, Guan Yin, Zhang Sanfeng, Lü Dongbin, Qiu Chuji Thanks again for the video.
There are many similarities between Tao/Daoism, Buddhism and Stoicism. All 3 emphazises being one in nature, focusing (attaching) to what is important and so much more I can't remember.
Ironically Buddhism and what we read in the Tao Te aching encourage non attachment lol which leads to fulfillment and the ability to have compassion for all beings.
For a 20 minute video on something so far reaching this was pretty good. Bagwa Chung holds a particular relevance that i believe should be focused on a lot if you ever dona part two (Pakua Zhang also called)
Woah! This is just like my favourite star wars movie! Great video friendo! I told my asian friend, she said i was wrong but i was happy to teach her her entire religion is a larp for my reddit community.
Feels like eastern religions are basically same I know kind of exact same concept like in hinduism and it is also stated here that brahman cannot be known and we call it nirguna brahman means brahman without qualities or attributes Here also our task is to live with our dharma which basically means living as we are meant to be acccording to our inner qualities, here it says just going with the flow. We ultimately however strive to do nothing which just means cessation of any mental thoughts and being one with brahman here it says we must strive to do nothing and connect with nature Very same :D
@Arkadip Mondal No brother they aren't similar and same are two different things. If you know Taoism wait for a second and read few things related to Hinduism there are similarities brother.
I was able to link Taoism and QFT in Physics until the gods and goddesses part showed up. If I omit the gods and goddess part we can clearly refer to Dao as fields around us and Yin and Yang are creation and annihilation operators which play a very significant role in QFT. Taoism founders seem to understand the QFT and Sting theory way before they are even created.
I love this comment. I used to be a materialist atheist as a teen. I loved astronomy and physics, once you gain enough of an understanding of physics it is very hard to be atheist. I used to believe the "hole inside of one to be filled with spirituality" did not exist and that physics gave us the answers. Once you realize "we all come from stardust" and that "we are one" through the lense of physics you realize that math can act as paper clogging the drain to appear full, but nothing can compare to the water flowing through
The later part of Taoism is very corrupted with many folk religion and superstition. Just stick to the much older ancient Taoism. I agree with you Taoism is like ancient QFT. In some old text book there is description of some ancient Taijiquan master of having a certain form of experience when they reach a very high level of mastery is so similar to quantum theory.
