Confucius watches a man enter the violent waters beneath a towering waterfall and assumes he is trying to die. Instead, the swimmer emerges downstream with his hair loose, singing and completely at ease.

In this trailer for Living the Tao, Episode 1-189, Daoist Master Michael Steenrod introduces the classical story of Confucius and the swimmer at Lüliang. The swimmer survives not by overpowering the water or surrendering helplessly to it, but by understanding its movement. He enters with the descending whirl, rises with the current, and refuses to impose himself where cooperation will carry him farther.

The full episode examines Daoist learning through familiarity, immersion, and repetition, while challenging modern interpretations that reduce “being like water” to passive surrender.

Listen to Episode 1-189, Lessons from the Swimmer and Water.  

Available now for subscribers on Supercast.

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