Show Notes
Fall asleep to the ancient Chinese way of yielding, water, and the wisdom of doing without forcing.
More than two thousand years ago, in a China torn apart by endless war, an old man rode west on an ox, handed a gatekeeper a small book of verses, and disappeared into the mountains. That book, and the tradition it founded, is the subject of this long, slow episode. We begin with its legendary author and the strange little classic he left behind, then move into the heart of his teaching, the nameless Way beneath all things, the art of accomplishing much by forcing nothing, and the quiet strength of water, emptiness, and the low places. We meet the second great teacher, a poor and brilliant man who taught through wild and funny stories, dreamed he was a butterfly, and met death without fear. From there we follow the tradition as it grows into a vast religion, flows into painting and poetry and the birth of Zen, and travels at last across the world to speak to our own restless and exhausted age.
Please listen only in safe, restful contexts.
Chapters: 0:00:00 Chapter 1: The Old Man at the Pass 0:12:12 Chapter 2: Five Thousand Words 0:18:08 Chapter 3: The Way That Cannot Be Named 0:29:26 Chapter 4: Doing Without Doing 0:37:39 Chapter 5: The Use of Emptiness 0:43:06 Chapter 6: The Spirit of the Valley 0:50:26 Chapter 7: Ruling a Great State 0:59:44 Chapter 8: The Butterfly and the Man 1:11:33 Chapter 9: Whether the Fish Are Happy 1:20:06 Chapter 10: The Usefulness of the Useless 1:25:51 Chapter 11: The Cook and the Ox 1:35:27 Chapter 12: The Pivot of the Way 1:43:58 Chapter 13: Sitting in Forgetfulness 1:50:22 Chapter 14: When the Way Became a Church 1:59:43 Chapter 15: The Meeting of the Rivers 2:05:44 Chapter 16: Water Finds Its Level
If this helped you rest, follow Sleepy Philosophy Radio on Spotify, and become a member to unlock member only episodes and help keep the show going. Music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Tracks used: Anguish, Blue Feather, Evening Fall (Harp), Gregorian Chant, Heartbreaking, Lightless Dawn, Lone Harvest, Magic Forest, Mesmerize, Mourning Song, Oppressive Gloom, Promising Relationship, Quinn's Song: A New Man, Relent, Smoother Move, Sunset at Glengorm, Trio for Piano Cello and Clarinet, Wounded
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