Protect Your Noggin

The spirit of the valley is deathless. She is called the Mysterious Mother.  The womb of the Mysterious Mother is called the source of heaven and earth. It flows endlessly, almost imperceptibly.

The cosmos is unbiased, treating all living things like sidewalk chalk drawings. The sage is unbiased, treating all people like sidewalk chalk drawings. The atmosphere is like a bellows.Wind blows through seeming emptiness.It stokes fires, but never runs out of breath.  Yet when blowhards talk, everyone gets exhausted.

We discuss the insights from the Tao Te Ching that help us all evade various forms of manipulation & mental shenanigans. In addition to some introductory matters, we explore at least 5 common pitfalls or "wipeouts" that many experience when learning to surf the Tao.  Lest you become crestfallen, as hard as these temptations & challenges are at the outset, rest assured that they soon give way to deep peace for those who are ready to rest secure in the source of deep rest. 

The Tao seems like an empty vessel, but when you pour it out, it never ceases to flow. It is fathomless! A wellspring of all that exists. 

(Note: Stacie was not a fan of Jeff's special effects on her voice toward the end of the recording, but she appreciates the spirit of playfulness nonetheless.)

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Idolize celebrity and success, and men will bicker in envy. Overvalue possessions, and men will turn into thieves. Flaunt what you have, and others’ hearts will become restless. The sage leads by helping men let go of longing and fulfill living needs, let go of striving and enjoy good health. The sage emancipates men from mental slavery, and restrains the crafty from their manipulations. Surf the Tao and everything will be okay. 

We made a list of seven reasons why the Tao Te Ching helps people from all (or no) faith tradition protect their noggins and learn to outfox religious wolves. In other words, this is an explanation of why we thought this text was ideal for our next set of lessons. We aren't quite ready to commit to 12 total lessons, but these 7 will likely be the backbone. 

Once we perceive beauty in the world, we also discern ugliness. After we gain knowledge of goodness, we also recognize evil ...

A tranquil meditation on the first chapter of Lao Tzu's classic. Each week this season, we will be offering two such reflections alongside regular long-form discussions. For information about our rendering of the text, check out www.taosurfers.com. For additional written commentary and show notes in general, check out www.protectyournoggin.org. 

Season one is all about Lao Tzu's classic The Tao Te Ching, and our two years of overland travel and exploration of this ancient Chinese book of wisdom. We discuss how this too can help us develop the mental, emotional and spiritual skills needed to find our own agency and avoid the wiles of unscrupulous religious folk.

Show notes are always to be found at www.protectyournoggin.org

Glossary of Terms we Use Throughout this Season

Best Translations and Paraphrases to Use 

Dao De Jing

This is the twin parable of the new wine and old wineskins and the new cloth patch on an old garment. Religious people tend to be critical of any deviation from the way things have traditionally been done. Despite this, Jesus encourages us to not focus on the external appearances or outward manifestations of spirituality, but instead focuses on the quality of the content. Ancient wisdom may take slightly new forms in each age, but nostalgically clinging to old forms without being flexible can lead to ruin both for the content and the form of a spiritual movement. Finally, healthy religious communities do well to let the younger generation grow and expand through the power of bold imagination, without the unnecessary restrictions that come when they are pressured merely to mimic their elders instead of taking ownership of their core ethical and spiritual values. Ultimately, this text is about Jesus warning folks that they are in danger of screwing up the kingdom if they fail to pay attention to the importance of context and timing. That is, failing to understand the unique situation of younger generations can lead to leaders unnecessarily driving them away from the source of freedom Jesus offers.