What is Daoism? 

I often have religion for breakfast

I think Daoism is similar to the teachings of Advaita Vedanta (unqualified) monism.

Can you do a video on Mormonism?

You should join nebula!

I think you could make a great collaboration episode with Hans-Georg Moeller. He is a sinologist and philosopher currently teaching philosophy with a focus on Chinese philosophy in a university in Macau. He has published some articles about this topic in peer-reviewed journals. He has also written a couple books about the history and beliefs of daoism, along with one in which he proposes daoist methods for coping with the issue of identity in its contemporary form. He is, however, better known for creating a RU-vid channel, Philosophy in Motion (for which he writes the scripts), in which he explains chapters of the Zhuangzi with an academic outlook that is rigorous, respects the points of view of classical Chinese scholars (he is specially fond of Guo Xiang), and dismantles the too common orientalist misconceptions that have been perpetuated by new-agers and pop-philosophers alike.

That resistance, in itself, artificially opposes the flow of things, when it is more natural for it to be systematized than not.

@@Twistedsackboy Doesn’t it depend on the kind of resistance? If the practitioners just don’t pay attention to classification, I think that would be the minimum possible resistance. It’s natural for humans to classify systems, but it’s not natural for systems to adhere to classification. When we pay attention to this, the result is typically new classifications. We don’t allow categories to have the property of change.

@@Twistedsackboy I feel like your statement hangs on the premise that it is more natural for it to be systemized, which is not an inherent truth. Personally, I'd think that the very nature of something being transcendental means its nature is not limited by typical human comprehension.

LOL, you're right. The Daoism that can be spoken of is not the true Daoism.

@@Twistedsackboy not necessarily. I think it means our definition of what a religion or philosophy is lacking in depth and scope.

Water off a duck's back. Know the masculine, keep to the feminine.

Sounds like stoicism

@@liamjean5261 yes, but the phrasing comes across as a bit more positive and upbeat than the Stoics. Mind you, in my pop history headspace the Stoics came from a backdrop of urban heroic hedonism, so maybe that made them downplay things a bit.

mindfulness is a cult induction tecnique meant to supress critical thinking to allow reprograming. every coercive cult will have its version of the dao or zen or whatever. Sad how new age became so mainstream to normalize such things

Yet this cannot be For when it is known or told, it is not it

A Daoist who's in the Air Force. Hmmm that's interesting.

He "was"? Did something happened to him?

@@sinistertwister686 That was over 50 years ago, I lost track of him after awhile.

Interesting

What you are trying to say is that your buddy was an ethnic Chinese. His mother more likely one of the many many ethnic Chinese living in the Philippines. Something like 40% of the people there have Chinese ancestry due to several thousand years of trade and immigration.

Makes sense without tripping in what way? Care to elaborate?

@@Napoleonic_S most major religions are ripe with hard hypocrisies usually stemming from the text in the Bible. I mean just the ideas that there are so many sects vs the Dao being “like a vine; changing and adjusting”. Allows for a freshness despite it predating most if not all popular “religions”. That’s just to start but I’m sure a person more educated on this particular topic would be more helpful.

@@Napoleonic_S just the fact that Christian’s argue over their own text is a form of tripping over itself.

@@jaydubaic21 To be fair, cultural blending is one of the ways (that don’t involve threats/acts of violence) that Christianity spread so easily. The different sects of Christianity show it’s ability to absorb other beliefs for better or for (mostly) worse. But you’re right in that many religious groups are unable to adapt because of their rigidity.

Personally I think that Sikhism makes more sense but to each their own 🤷🏽‍♂️😄

I've been a little confused about Wu Wei. The stories that convey its meaning -- the butcher who cuts effortlessly, or the carpenter who loses himself in their work -- clearly took many years to attain that state of effortlessness. Wouldn't that mean, in some way, effort is very much needed in order to attain effortlessness?

@@christianyaerger1751 In practicing Chinese Kung Fu, this was basically what I came to as well. Effortless Kung Fu Requires years of dedication. An effortless musician has likewise spent their time before the performance perfecting their art so they can let it flow through them when needed. My understanding is that Wu Wei is not 'not doing things'. Rather, it's not struggling against obstacles, but flowing around them, to find a different path to the goal. This allows you to find your expression without leaving you exhausted from battle. One night, after a particularly brutal Kung Fu class, I joked "Effortlessness is a lot of work!". We all laughed. A seeming inconsistency that reveals a great truth is the most Chinese thing ever... :)

@@madnessbydesign1415 And water also crashes through and breaks through obstacles that WILL break, rather than unnaturally going around them as if though they wouldn't naturally break and allow direct flow through.

And at the same time, water naturally flows around the immovable. It simply adapts to the moment. When it comes to practicing/learning something like an art (or fighting style), I'd say that the trick is to not to overthink it, and avoid comparing your work to that which is far above your level. An amateur should not regret, or be upset by, a seemingly poor result because that, too, is simply part of the learning process. Accept each outcome as complete in itself. Simply continue to practice the art, clearing the mind and allowing hands to work. Over-focusing on technique, or striving too hard for a specific outcome, will only interfere with the process. Each work is its own learning experience and should be appreciated as such. Then, eventually, greater levels of skill will come in their own time. Or basically, do or do not. There is no try. 🙂

@@jasonblalock4429 That’s tricky, because for me there is nothing more natural then to overthink things, it is who I am. :D

How do you practice it? I'm interested.

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XcuNwDyFmkc.html&ab_channel=Let%27sTalkReligion

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

Well yeah, that goes without saying as Taiwan was historically a part of the mainland and still calls itself Republic of China and offers “overseas Chinese passport” to ethnic Chinese that are non PRC citizens.

Chinese Taipei 🤡

Hi there! Its not a video, but i do have a little Anglican history under my belt, and can speak to the specific topic of Queen Elizabeth. Since King Henry the 8th, the British Monarch has been the Supreme Governor to the Chruch of England. In a similar way as the Eastern Roman Empire of Patriarch of Rome (who is also the King of Vatican City). The concept of "Devine Right to Rule" has always been present throughout human history, such as the "Mandate of Heaven" in ancient China. And the Christian idea came from two Bible Verses, in the King James as it is relevant. Hebrews 13:17 “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.” Romans 13:1-3 "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. 2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:" And the practice of this came in practice because of Constantine the Great. Who called for the First Eccumenical Council. The logic is as such, In Romans: If the God was whom appointed the Monarch, then they have the authority of God on their side, ergo their rule is justified. In Hebrews: If we are to obey our spiritual Shepherds as they are Representative of God, and the Monarch has a role to play as the Shepherd of a Nation, then the Monarch is a Representative of God. As such, the death of the British Monarch is akin to the death of the Pope, as the Monarchy has both relgious authority and civil authority. Where in, the ceremony would be filled with relgious symbolism and veneration. As a food for thought, given how the Monarch can be female, and the Monarch has relgious authority as mentioned before, it would provide grounds for female clergy. Which the Chruch of England has allow females to be clergymen since 1971. Its not a grand explination, but hopefully it speaks to the point you asked. Cheers!

Indeed. It's like the Anglican version of The Catholic Conclave

Would be a good followup to the series on “American Civic Religion”.😊

"Some" religious aspects? Massive understatement lol. The monarchy IS the state religion of Britain imo.

North Korea and Forever Presidency

Do it as the topic is hard to approach from a outsiders perspective.

Cool!

I don’t really care what any particular person BELIEVES. You may believe that there is an old man with a white beard perched in the clouds, that the Ultimate Reality is a young blackish-blue Indian guy, that the universe is eternal, that Mother Mary was a certifiable virgin, or that gross physical matter is the foundation of existence. The ONLY thing that really matters is your meta-ethics, not your meta-physics. Do you consider any form of non-monarchical governance (such as democracy or socialism) to be beneficial? Do you unnecessarily destroy the lives of poor, innocent animals and gorge on their bloody carcasses? Do you believe homosexuality and transvestism is moral? Do you consider feminist ideology to be righteous? If so, then you are objectively immoral and your so-called “enlightened/awakened” state is immaterial, since it does not benefit society in any way.

It changed me too. This base philosophy of Dao is such a beautiful teaching of how to live in the world.

you will eat the bugs, live in the pod, you will own nothing and you will be happy. Gee i wonder why mindfulness became so mainstream and promoted by corporations...

I read that, tbh I absolutely hated it. but glad you got something good out of it. there's a sequel, the tao of piglet, as well.

Great book ! I've read it over and over . Have you read The Te of Piglet as well ?

@@freontolstoy4993 Maybe you just didn't understand it ?

Oh, yeah. CaoDai is an interesting example of a "new religious movement" from the East

Don't forget Personalism, important because of Ngo Dinh Diem, Madame Nhu and all that crowd.

Well, if you're Chinese, you'd be Daoist in youth, Confucianist at work, and Buddhist in old age.

@@andrewsuryali8540 How about in death?

And Zhuangzi himself is a pretty interesting person

Definitely life-affirming. Kind of Nietzschean, or rather the other way around.

i was gonna comment this but i searched for wade-giles in the comment section to see if someone had beat me to it already and there you were

yeah it's such a common misconception for some reason

Hello Anna, how are you doing today, hope you’re fine and safe from the Virus?

@Muriel Torres what

Link?

Red Pine is good! The commentary is really helpful while the translation is mostly great. It has a few minor eccentricities, but it nails most passages and the commentary is just fantastic.

But I would say that the words are good as well.

it's very poetic and nice, however many sentences are quite different from other translations, possibly due to use of different manuscripts. Best to read multiple

@@nodu6414 Red Pine goes into detail about how, he does indeed source a variety of different scripts. His goal in translating is not to simply translate a singular accepted script, but rather to flesh out the history and cultural context it contains; I have not seen another that shows such an extensive approach in this regard. The Tao Te Ching quite literally states in its opening verse that spoken/written words are not the true nature of those words, that they are but an Eidolon that lacks the nuance and texture those concepts hold. A focus on precision in translation is shows that the translator just doesn't understand the work at all; the greatest disservice you could do to this complex work is to prioritize the accuracy of the word for word translation, instead of focusing on the spirit of the work. Red Pine's translation is one that seeks to understand and convey centuries of thought and cultural evolution, rather than to relay just what will always be an imperfect translation between modern English and millennia old Classical Chinese.

It is so wonderful that you find Taoism helpful in life. I felt the same way, especially the more elaborated version of Taoism in Zhuangzi. I am a philosopher, too. I have made a few videos on Zhuangzi talking about how Zhuangzi's thought help me to get through the most difficult time in my life. I would love to share thoughts with you, here is my first video on Zhuangzi: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-U-h-Yz7SMtU.html

Hello Carolyn, how are you doing today, hope you’re fine and safe from the Virus?

Not a religion but a philosophy

@@redfullmoon No, it's both. You've not seen the religious side of Taoism yet. Because the video made this video for his viewer to understand philosophy, not for those who want to study deeply about Taoism.

Yeah, thanks for trying to pronounce the Chinese correctly. You did that very well.

@@shervinmarsh2456 He got pretty close to the right pronunciation even though he hasn't been learning Chinese.

@@deacudaniel1635 It was impressive. So many people who speak no Chinese put in no effort whatsoever to pronounce pinyin correctly, and as RfB shows, it isn't an insurmountable, or even all that difficult, task.

@@MGustave Yes.So it's not exagerrated to demand people who don't speak or aren't learning Chinese to just google the correct way to read pinyin and try to say them correctly if they are going to mention Chinese names and concepts in their discourse.

道 the Way, the Tao (also means road, or method) 家 school of thought (also means home, or family) Both have several meanings. But in 道家 they took those specific meanings and form "Taoist school"

Yeah but how much of that attitude is influenced by the west? Would this have been the attitude hundreds of years ago?

Your comment should be pinned at the top of Comments. Daoism appears to be an epic mess of contradictory and provincial beliefs, philosophies and cultural practices dependent on place, time and community you belong to. It takes a Westerner to give a broad overview of what it is, isn't, and may or may not be even to a Chinese. As such, it appeals to modern Westerners for its apparent lack of moral directives and prescriptions, its acceptance of a vast pantheon of gods, nature spirits, and for its hip yet ancient symbols like the yingyang, and easy to live wisdom such as Go with the flow.

Been here since 2009 and had no idea. Where is it?

I’m planning a multi-episode series on Daoism! Zen Buddhism is currently in the works for the Buddhism series, but I’ll see if I can fit in info on the overlap.

@@ReligionForBreakfast fu talisman would be cool to cover and ancestor veneration

Greatest book of all time

This was a sign. I love him.

Interesting!

Don't forget Mao Tse-tung Thought, Teng Hsiao-ping Theory and Xi Jinping Thought, all of which are allegedly based on Marxism-Leninism.

You can highly resonate with something without having been a monk in a past life. It seems to me like jumping to conclusion...especially since Daoist don't believe in a past life. A more daoist explanation would be you simply recognized that Daoism makes sense and you recognized in its teachings the root you come from and exist based on.