Protect Your Noggin

Invasive weeds grow whenever armies march through a land. After great wars, countries sink into famine and economic depression.

Lao Tzu emphasizes value of carving out empty space in one's life for centering, creativity, and preparation for action. We discuss this, and the concept of Sabbath in the Jewish and Christian traditions. The chapters discussed are 11, 73 and 12.

The concept of wu wei is practically and clearly stated in this chapter. Again, this principle of acting by not acting isn't about disregarding one's duties, nor is it about being a pushover. It's about letting the natural forces of the world flow as they flow without arrogantly assuming we can step in and control the flow through force.

Lao Tzu clearly favors the feminine principle, the negative space, and the faith of a child. This last preference is especially resonant with the teachings of Jesus about being childlike. Over and over, we've been pointing to teachings from Jesus but not to create a syncretistic new way of thinking. Instead we are showing how Jesus and Lao Tzu often were teaching similar things. This has little to do with what is known as doctrine in Christian theological circles, however.

The Sage is a savior of all people and discounts no one. She's not content with heaven, so long as anyone remains in a living hell.

Drawing from Lao Tzu chapters 16, 62, 70, snd 71, we explain one of the most important lessons of the Tao Te Ching: that it’s not really that hard to find the truth, but it’s hard to face the truth. This episode discusses the ways in which facing the truth can truly set us free. Most importantly, we become free from the fear that keeps us from truly living. Toward the end, Jeff speaks to religious leaders who fear death and points toward a way to secure fearless love without wavering. Stacie shares just a bit about why her work as a death doula is actually about abundant life now. They conclude by exploring how the fear of death and the afterlife is a chief source of unhealthy manipulation in religious circles.

Some falsely assume that the Taosurfer is free from all material attachments. While it is true that Lao Tzu's philosophy embraces the value of minimalism and is uninterested in accumulating excessive stuff, it remains aware of bodily needs and the essential tools necessary for life in this world.

So, the Tao is sublime. Heaven, earth, and humanity are also sublime. See how there are four sublime realities  in the universe, and humanity is included?

Discover what makes others tick and you'll be people smart. Understand your true self and you'll be enlightened. To confront others is gutsy. To confront your true self is heroic.

The language of "a million, billion, billion times smaller than a single atom is actually a direct quotation from MIT physicist Alan Lightman (Nancy Szokan, What Came before the Big Bang, Washington Post, Jan. 4, 2016). The language sounded both scientific and poetic. The Tao is sort of like that. It's the aesthetics of mathematics and the mathematics behind good art. It is the awe inspired by fractals, which demonstrate the infinite depth behind our concrete material world.