The philosophy of Laozi, and it’s corresponding book the Tao Te Ching, is shrouded in legend and dependent upon interpretation, which there are many to follow. In this video my goal is to convey only what Laozi may have been trying to convey in regards to Dao, De, Wu, Ziran, and Wuwei. My hope is that the listener will gain an understanding of how the Dao finds expression in De, especially through Ziran and Wuwei.
This is the first video I have done covering Eastern thought, if you enjoy it let me know which eastern philosopher you would like to see me cover next!
Music: Nebular Focus – Dan Henig
Sources: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/laozi/
CC Attributions:
Tao Te Ching – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%E7%9F%B3%E6%BF%A4_tao_te_ching.jpeg
Tao Te Ching 2 – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tao_Te_Ching#/media/File:Changchun-Temple-TaiQingDian-DaoDeJing-0315.jpg
Chinese Drawing – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chinese_woodcut;_Daoist_internal_alchemy_(12)_Wellcome_L0038982.jpg
DaoDeJing display – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HKCL_CWB_%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF%E4%B8%AD%E5%A4%AE%E5%9C%96%E6%9B%B8%E9%A4%A8_Hong_Kong_Central_Library_exhibition_hall_%E9%81%93%E6%95%99%E6%96%87%E5%8C%96%E6%96%87%E7%89%A9%E5%B1%95%E8%A6%BD_Chinese_Taoism_culture_March_2019_SSG_19.jpg
Map of Chu – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Royaumes_combattants_250_aC-es.svg
Lao Tzu Drawing – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Laozi_Daodejing.jpg
Lao Tzu Replica – https://www.flickr.com/photos/kafka4prez/36451642
Lao Tzu Painting 2 – https://www.flickr.com/photos/keepitsurreal/5873861865
Lao Tzu Painting – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ThaySangLawCin.jpg
Lao Tzu Statue – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Laozi_Statue,Tai_Lake.jpg
#Laozi #LaoTzu #Philosophy #easternphilosophy #Daodejing
zelenskyy will be stopped
(Lowh t- z-oowh(say it fast) Lao Tzu
道可道,非常道。名可名,非常名。
Your voice is not good sorry for saying
I like this description of the un-describable.
Dao is de universal principle of heaven, earth +mankind; it is called Taiji.
"These three great Masters remained individuals. Once in a while somebody was impressed by their writings, but it remained intellectual, so there is no hope in the near future of Lieh Tzu, Chuang Tzu or Lao Tzu being born again in China, or their influence in any way changing the course of China’s history, because in fact they have never been of any great importance in China’s mind. Confucius and Lao Tzu were contemporaries. Confucius had even gone to meet Lao Tzu, because Lao Tzu was certainly a man of tremendous qualities. Confucius was a great thinker, but only a thinker. He had nothing as far as his own inner consciousness is concerned, no experience, no idea who he is, but he had planned for the society perfectly well, a very mannered, cultured society.
Hearing that Lao Tzu was nearby, living in a cave beyond the lake, he went to see him. A few of his disciples also went, but he told them, “You wait outside the cave.” They said, “Why? It will be good, we can listen.” He said, “You don’t understand. I will tell you the reason later on. Let me go first. If I feel it right I will call you in.”
They stayed outside, Confucius went in. Lao Tzu was sitting silently. He did not say to Confucius even to sit down, and Confucius was man of manners, etiquette. He had not expected that a great sage, Lao Tzu, would not even ask. He did not say hello or even hi — even that short form, “hi.” He simply sat down, looking at Confucius, and Confucius said, “Sir, don’t you believe in manners?”
Lao Tzu laughed. He said, ‘I thought you knew all the manners — what is the need for me to tell you? If you feel like sitting, you will sit down! You are not a man who does not know manners. If you like to stand up, it is my etiquette not to disturb you. You can stand up!” Confucius said, “But you… you did not even say hello.” Lao Tzu said, “I said it. You could not hear it. It was a test: I said it silently. I wanted to know whether the famous philosopher Confucius understands silence or not. So you understand only words — that much is decided! And you have expectations. You cannot sit down on your own, you have to be told. This cave does not belong to me. When I came here, nobody said ‘sit down,’ because nobody was here. Why should I say it? It is not my cave, nothing belongs to me. Just the way I am sitting, you can sit down. You are not a child to be told.”
Confucius had never met such a man. And on each point he was rebuffed badly. Then Lao Tzu said, “If you really want to learn anything, first go and renounce all the idiots you have collected as your disciples. You don’t know anything and you have thousands of disciples. It is hilarious! You just go and tell them the truth, that you don’t know anything, and then come, because I teach only if somebody does not know. If he knows it already, why should he bother me? An old man… Leave me alone!”
Confucius came out, and he had not the courage to say to his disciples that he did not know. He had thousands of disciples, he was the most famous man at that time. Very few people knew about Lao Tzu. Confucius has remained a shadow over the whole of Chinese history. It is only somewhere in the footnotes you can find the name of Lao Tzu.
Confucius was not courageous enough to say “I do not know.” The disciples said “You didn’t ask us to come in. He said, “It was good that I didn’t ask you to come in. And please don’t ask the reason. That man is not a man; he is a dragon. He is dangerous, avoid him as far as possible. This is my first and last meeting with that old guy!”
And he was perspiring. It was a cold morning and the cave was very cool, but he was perspiring. The disciples said, “But why are you perspiring?” He said, “I am alive — that’s enough! Just take me away from here.”"
Please do one on Zhuangzi. Thank you friend
Just wanted to say that this was an amazing video. Great job dude, you're awesome. Keep going. I believe in you.
Ps- happily subscribed
You will become big one day keep calm like a stoic and go with the flow
Love this philosophers series.