Musings of a Chinese Mystic (Teachings of Zhuangzi) - Taoism

Musings of a Chinese Mystic: Selections from the Philosophy of Chuang Tzu by Lionel Giles; Zhuangzi. (Translated by Herbert Allen Giles.)
Read in English by Scotty Smith.
If Lao Tzu then had revolted against the growing artificiality of life in his day, a return to nature must have seemed doubly imperative to his disciple Chuang Tzu, who flourished more than a couple of centuries later, when the bugbear of civilization had steadily advanced. With chagrin he saw that Lao Tzu's teaching had never obtained any firm hold on the masses, still less on the rulers of China, whereas the star of Confucius was unmistakably in the ascendant. Within his own recollection the propagation of Confucian ethics had received a powerful impetus from Mencius, the second of China's orthodox sages. Now Chuang Tzu was imbued to the core with the principles of pure Taoism, as handed down by Lao Tzu. He might more fitly be dubbed "the Tao-saturated man" than Spinoza "the God-intoxicated." Tao in its various phases pervaded his inmost being and was reflected in all his thought. He was therefore eminently qualified to revive his Master's ringing protest against the materialistic tendencies of the time. - Summary by Lionel Giles
Chapters : Time Stamps:
Introduction Part 1 - 0:16 - 21:46
Introduction Part 2 - 22:18 - 40:23
The Doctrine of Relativity - 40:30 - 47:38
The Identity of Contraries - 47:44 - 56:32
Illusions - 56:37 - 1:00:32
The Mysterious Immanence of Tao - 1:00:38 - 1:13:11
The Hidden Spring - 1:13:18 - 1:22:32
Non-Interference with Nature - 1:22:39 - 1:26:00
Passive Virtue - 1:26:07 - 1:37:16
Self-Adaptation to Externals - 1:37:22 - 1:43:58
Immortality of the Soul - 1:44:06 - 1:49:20
The Sage, or Perfect Man - 1:49:26 - 1:58:55
Random Gleanings - 1:59:02 - 2:21:52
Personal Anecdotes - 2:21:59 - 2:27:13
#teachingsofzhuangzi #taoism #chinesemystic
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[@skobywankenobi]

It's amazing how timeless philosophy really is. The dressing of the times may change, but the core of what we are, what we yearn for and what we aspire to become never really does.

[@asura8251]

@Aden Kaiser corruption will cost dearly

[@okmmauh]

@Aden Kaiser why?

[@QualeQualeson]

Some of it is, some of it falls on its face in record time. If you had said "this philosophy" I would tend to agree without reservations.

[@GregoryBastion]

From what you have stated, I denote that you learned nothing from the book.

[@xiwei479]

⁰

[@dmshueyable]

What a delightfully positive and respectful comment section on this video. Browsing the comment section on KZbin can be a damned minefield for your estimation of humanity at times. Faith = restored Thanks all.

[@blue_sky_motivation]

Thank you for visiting and for sharing your own positivity in this section of the video.

[@jumpingship3001]

Cool fresh water.

[@dr.gaosclassroom]

Great video. Zhuangzi is my favourite Chinese philosopher.

[@fusion9619]

Zhuangzi = fascinating This... I can't believe this got published.

[@VeganSemihCyprus33]

We are the harmony, and it is timeless, it is what many call "God", "nature", etc. 👉The Connections (2021) [short documentary] 🙏

[@RasberrySkittle]

Us moderns like to fashion ourselves living in a more sophisticate time than the ancients of 2000 years ago. Reading gems like these casts such assumptions into serious doubt. How much more to the core of the matter of life is this than todays endless distractions?

[@t0xcn253]

Knowledge increases alongside our "advances" much to the misfortune of man

[@daviddar9420]

非常感谢！道德经是一部不朽之作

[@bigcheech1937]

I love me some Taoist writings…no other books communicate “no mind” so effortlessly

[@williamthomas8114]

Not “no mind”. Empty mind. Clear mind.

[@bigcheech1937]

@@williamthomas8114 Same thing. Different names

[@johnnydoe2672]

Thank you so much. This book just changed the way I see everything.

[@blue_sky_motivation]

You're welcome. Thank you for visiting.

[@beingfrank40]

Loved this video! Wonderful to hear the comparisons of Lao Tzu and Zhuangzhi

[@blue_sky_motivation]

I'm so glad. Thank you for taking the time to let me know.

[@goransavkovic2746]

Thank you for this book my brother!

[@blue_sky_motivation]

My pleasure. Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[@LJK77777]

Altogether a worthwhile hearing. Have been myself a student of all Asian religion--philosophies and found he kinda distorts aspects of these. Not a major criticism as almost inevitable given scope and complexity. This said, as always first read the original (!!!) then commentaries. Read first ChuangTzu is "enlightening" if one has head-heart to meet him.

[@plederfagella9774]

The start 40:30

[@blue_sky_motivation]

Thanks for visiting. The Chapters and timestamps are listed in the description. I hope you enjoyed this wonderful work!

[@plederfagella9774]

@@blue_sky_motivation Yup btw if you can change the commas to a colon and then they will be able to jump without manually changing it fyi

[@blue_sky_motivation]

@@plederfagella9774 Appreciate your time and direction 👍

[@plederfagella9774]

@@blue_sky_motivation np

[@MrZenGuitarist]

Yeah. Can't say you're wrong. However, it always help to know the back-story, such as in what kind of world the man lived in, what kind of values was prevalent in the society at the time, etc., etc., and so on - to better understand not only the man himself, but also his thinking. Of course - if that's not what you're interested in, at all, by all means start at 40:30. Greetings from Sweden! ;-)

[@god5535]

Fantastic!!

[@blue_sky_motivation]

Glad you think so! Thank you.

[@mikekapnerarcangeluriel8006]

BLESSINGS MY FAMILY

[@tenzinpalden4308]

Beautifully read. Thank you! 🙏

[@blue_sky_motivation]

Glad you enjoyed it. Thank you

[@Jrzursutsjrzjrxjfxjtx]

I love to hear Randy Macho Man Savage read this book

[@JustShirley50]

This is very good and I thank you! It's well worth the listening time.

[@blue_sky_motivation]

Thanks for listening. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[@hungvanhua825]

HungVanHua=space be my body and time be my mind. I speak here but hear me there, I look here but see there. I AM HERE.

[@happybdayo]

I am enjoying this enormously But there are more adverts than commercial television This seems to go against the Tao😢

[@JeremyHelm]

0:34 reaction *against* the multiplication of laws, growth of luxury, etc 1:00 damn rules of outward conduct

[@flashbackactivator6565]

Hi, thanks for this. @ 23:10, the reader repeats the previous statement from 23:00. It doesn’t sound intentional, ‘slipped through the editing process, I guess... -Just a ‘heads up’, no disrespect. ~Peace~

[@blue_sky_motivation]

Hi..Thanks for the "heads up". That's down to me I'm sorry. I wish I could say that I'd left it that way to check that you were really listening! It's a wonderful work I hope you enjoyed it regardless. Best wishes and thanks!

[@flashbackactivator6565]

Yes, thoroughly enjoyed, and the “Butterfly Dream” section took my mind back 30+ years to a particular conversation with a new friend. Thanks again, for a ‘nearly’ flawless presentation. ✨

[@scot_smith]

Great catch! (glitch in the matrix, haha) Something both I and the proof-listener missed. I shall go back and check the original

[@Rosemary-u5z3y]

🙏🌺🌸🌷♥️ Every human beings need food for the soul to guide our conduct, to purify our heart and mind

[@Kyle_Warweave]

One cannot use the word "God" in Chuang Zhou's philosophy. Unfortunately, Christian missionaries were the first translators from the West to translate the Chinese language.

[@TwistedViewer]

I was thinking the same thing.

[@Kyle_Warweave]

@@MaryDunford That would not be my own translation ; this will take a team of dedicated people who master several different (and connecting) fields of expertise. Not just linguistics, but philosphy, religion, history, (cultural) anthropology, anthroposophy, sociology, filology, and I'm sure I left some disciplines out of this humble list. Just as my comment was only an humble observation of a grandious mis-take about a magestic work. There was no (Christian) God in Chuang Zhou's time. And where God is portrayed as an individual entity, the Universal Life Force has neither name nor personality because everything expresses the Dao by simply being (...). I hope that your response is an equally humble suggestion and not a defense (of an interpretation of an interpretation - you are aware of what happens to the source of the stories about its source, I may hope ?) The lockdown period might have been a great opportunity to start a gigantic entreprise like you suggested. Honestly, how many people might benefit from it ? Especially now we're heading for Confusianism. But wait, this opens another motivation -but how can we reach a majority that consists of pinball brains who cannot take the time to read millennia-old masterpieces that are nowadays used for commercial purposes : you're not cool if you don't meditate and every big ENTERprise has a "zen hour" and wu-wei has found, indeed seemingly effortlessits way into the (Chinese) telephone business (Huawei). And who knows : maybe Chuang Zhou becomes the real Goldstein after 1984 - he created the fictional dialogue between Lao Zhou and Confucius after all I'm sorry, we Chinese and alike tend to get caught by epistemology (a discipline I forgot in my humble list). Thank you for your comment on my comment.

[@lorveth4432]

@@Kyle_Warweave shut up

[@adkrella2692]

Watts is an excellent teacher

[@tyrone6820]

@@adkrella2692 watts was a drunk

[@xianseah4847]

If everyone started to question the dogma, the world will not be in such miserable state with mass extinction everywhere.

[@gracefullosco6112]

Over 30 mins in and it’s more like a book review

[@jeffwells9431]

It's called an "Introduction" 😅

[@mikekapnerarcangeluriel8006]

Love u FAMILY

[@DavidDorianRoss]

Your reading is terrific, and thank you for giving us an important audio book. The author has a very logical approach to deconstructing Zhuang Tzu. But… he misses the meaning entirely. By not having any personal experience of the metaphysical he can only look at Zhuang Tzu”s teaching from the outside.

[@t0xcn253]

I am interested in what made this impression? Maybe I have been inattentive, but this sounded like a very straight-forward translation to me.

[@Kyle_Warweave]

If you're talking about samadhi : no experience is the same. Not even for the same person. I dare state that every day (or every second) is a "metaphysical" experience.

[@scot_smith]

Thank you so much! I am glad for your insight and that this audio is shared here. In reading it I remember having unease at missing a true meaning of things and also that some things would be lost in translation but just did my best to convey whatever I could

[@myshadowkungfu]

So...what if the "soul" is imprisoned in the body. And "life," because of the "mind," is used to give us an illusion of...something happening. It is imprisoned in a realm away from home.

[@Tarotainment]

All places are home. That is part of the minds trap. To think we are not already there through churning illusion that come from the interaction of soul and physical

[@WorkerBeesUnite]

@@Tarotainment soul and physical are one and the same. The farther you zoom in, it’s all the same, baby

[@myshadowkungfu]

Wisdom, charity, duty to ones neighbor as being opposed to god. Then...should not the opposite be "true" also?

[@bubsyoutube]

I want a movie about this dude.

[@adkrella2692]

Waaayyyyyy to many adds for a video such as this.

[@cooljoeguide]

40:31 start of book/chapter 3

[@champagnebob007]

10/21 good one

[@daghancantezcanli3757]

1:40:00 Fatih Sultan Mehmet carried the boats over land to occupy Istanbul

[@zzzlife]

Thank you so very much for making this available to all of us..... But, it would have been so much better, so so much better, if you had not used (translated) the word god just because that word has gathered so much load in so many people;s minds in so many different ways. LaoTzu or Chuang Tzu really NEVER used or meant it that way. Listen! A Way is just that, A way!!!!! Law is just that, Law.Why bring god in there??????

[@blue_sky_motivation]

Thank you for visiting and taking the time to comment. I understand and respect your point.

[@zzzlife]

@@blue_sky_motivation 🙏thank your for taking the time to reply. 🙏

[@Purwapada]

. yeah pisses me off. use dao

[@galaxyalexanderh5737]

A lot of the criticisms in the comments are at odds with the dao

[@bluetoad2001]

the reason the old gnarly tree lives such a long life

[@imyon]

21:50 II

[@MrResearcher122]

There's an idea there, in Daoism, that axiomatic or prescriptive morality is on a wrong path. In between doubt, in between the affirmation and negation, like a one winged bird, the human sees the sky and clouds better. We need to go beyond the goodness of God, as a statement, sounded like the hesychastic monk who said he who has grasped God doesn't know God.

[@KellieEverts-ss8uz]

Yes so much flux...that's y they narrow it down as some contradictions...because they don't understand..as what depends

[@AjmeriKhatun-s9y]

Hall Betty Smith Steven Lee Sharon

[@andreaskallstrom9031]

40:29 section 3

[@carlfrancis156]

☯️

[@eli5649]

40:15 3

[@eli5649]

56:46 section 5

[@gonova8412]

55:00

[@SpaceCowboy1218]

@33:30 beautiful

[@Nashandme74]

I must have read a different book

[@henry6451]

When you read or hear actual philosophy, abrahamic religious texts look like political manifestos.

[@thadocbmusic]

Haha yeah, they are.

[@Kirasupporter1]

This guy is full of himself, did he really write a story in section 3 about a fictional someone groveling before him to say he was right about everything and he was a fool for doubting his philosophy?

[@BarbaraMerryGeng]

This is a clinical study done by an American & says nothing about the true essence of the Chinese philosophy within Tao .. 🔴

[@michellejimenez659]

What is your recommendations to learn about the true essence of the Chinese philosophy within Tao?

[@taotwist]

@@michellejimenez659 read the source material, starting with Tao Te Ching. You can read a page a day, it's not very long. Zhuangzi is the second text.

[@based_prophet]

@@michellejimenez659 eliminate binary thinking

[@based_prophet]

@@taotwist Lao tzu might of not even existed but this guy Is accountable the was a tzu to

[@WorkerBeesUnite]

@@taotwist and read literally every translation you can find. I’ve found like 30 at east so far and some mail certain chapters and miss certain. Some elucidate certain chapters or lines I thought I had a grasp of. It’s great :)

[@NghiLa-yv6kv]

Uhh🥰, Ssso Love this Guy. Best Blessed Wishes Y’all💕!..