Tao Te Ching | GSP Ep 61

Welcome to the Grounded Sleep Podcast. Tonight, you don't have to do anything except get into bed, close your eyes, and allow me to guide you into a deep, restful sleep.

Enjoy letting go of the day, quieting all the mental noise, and going back to that primordial place of stillness that is calling you back.

Transcript

Okay,

It's that time again.

Welcome to the Grounded Sleep Podcast.

And let's get a really,

Really good night's rest.

And tonight,

To do that,

I'm going to hopefully bore you to sleep,

But also share some wisdom by reading the Tao Te Ching.

And if you don't know too much about the Tao,

Or sometimes referred to as the Tao,

It was written about 2,

500 years ago,

And oddly,

Or serendipitously,

Around the same time as when the Buddha was around,

And around the same time as Pythagoras was teaching in Greece.

The Tao is the most likely most influential Chinese book of all time.

It's 81 chapters,

And it's actually been translated into English more times than any other Chinese document.

It's also the basis for the philosophical school of Taoism,

Or Taoism.

And in Taoism,

The philosophy teaches that there is an undivided truth that is at the root of all things.

And that's where we're going to start with the Tao.

But before we do,

Make sure the lights are off,

You got your PJs on,

The room's at a good temperature,

And that you're really ready to go to sleep.

Start to slow that breathing down,

And let your entire body just chill.

I like that.

Just chill.

Hey,

How'd you get such a good night's rest?

David told me to just chill.

So the Tao is likely written by a master named Lao Tzu,

And the story is that he was riding a water buffalo to retire off into the mountains,

And he was approached by a border official who asked him to write down his teachings so they could be passed on.

So apparently Lao Tzu did that,

And then went off into the mountains,

Where he was never seen again.

So thank you to Lao Tzu for all of his incredible wisdom.

And the Tao begins like this.

The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.

The name that can be named is not the eternal name.

The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth.

The named is the mother of the ten thousand things.

Ever desireless,

One can see the mystery.

Ever desiring,

One sees the manifestations.

These two spring from the same source,

But differ in name.

This appears as darkness.

Darkness within darkness,

The gate to all mystery.

So in this first section,

Lao Tzu is telling us that the Tao that can be named is not the real Tao.

It's not the ultimate truth,

Because the truth is beyond any word.

It's beyond any concept or idea.

Perhaps the truth is beyond the mind,

And that is where he invites us to begin.

He's also telling us that everything arises from the ten thousand things,

And you'll hear this in Indian philosophy as well.

All things arise from the one thing,

From the deep infinite truth.

It manifests into endless forms.

But the paradox is that everything is still one.

And I'll continue.

Under heaven,

All can see beauty as beauty only because there's ugliness.

All can know good as good only because there's evil.

Therefore having and not having arise together.

Difficult and easy complement each other.

Long and short contrast each other.

High and low rest upon each other.

Voice and sound harmonize each other.

Front and back follow one another.

Therefore the sage goes about doing nothing,

Teaching no talking.

The ten thousand things rise and fall without cease,

Creating yet not,

Working yet not taking credit.

Work is done,

Then forgotten.

Therefore it lasts forever.

In the beginning of this piece,

Lao Tzu is teaching us about duality,

About how we can't have up without down,

Right without wrong,

Good without bad,

Success without failure,

Life without death.

And he's also hinting at a kind of paradox,

A kind of letting go,

And we'll get deeper into that as we get deeper into the Tao.

Not exhaling the gifted prevents quarreling.

Not collecting treasures prevents stealing.

Not seeing desirable things prevents confusion of the heart.

The wise therefore rule by emptying hearts and stuffing bellies,

By weakening ambitions and strengthening bones.

If men lack knowledge and desire,

Then clever people will try not to interfere.

If nothing is done,

Then all will be well.

The Tao is an empty vessel,

It's used but never filled.

O unfathomable source of ten thousand things,

Blunt the sharpness,

Untangle the knot,

Soften the glare,

Merge with dust.

O hidden,

Deep,

But ever-present,

Do not know from whence it comes,

It is the forefather of the gods.

Heaven and earth are impartial,

They see the ten thousand things as straw dogs.

The wise are impartial,

They see the people as straw dogs.

The space between heaven and earth is like a bellows.

The shape changes,

But not the form,

The more it moves,

The more it yields.

More words count less,

Hold fast to the center.

The valley spirit never dies,

It's the woman,

Primal mother,

Her gateway to the root of heaven and earth.

It's like a veil barely seen,

Use it,

It will never fail.

Heaven and earth last forever.

Why do heaven and earth last forever?

They are unborn,

So ever-living.

The sage stays behind,

Thus he is ahead.

He is detached,

Thus at one with all.

Through selfless action,

He attains fulfillment.

The highest good is like water.

Water gives life to the ten thousand things and does not strive.

It flows in places men reject,

And so it is like the Tao.

In dwelling,

Be close to the land.

In meditation,

Go deep in the heart.

In dealing with others,

Be gentle and kind.

In speech,

Be true.

In ruling,

Be just.

In daily life,

Be competent.

In action,

Be aware of the time and the season.

No fight,

No blame.

Better to stop short than to fill the brim.

Oversharpen the blade,

And the edge will soon blunt.

Amass a store of gold and jade,

And no one can protect it.

Claim wealth and titles,

And disaster will follow.

Retire when the work is done.

This is the way of heaven.

Carrying body and soul,

And embracing the One,

Can you avoid separation?

Attending fully and becoming supple,

Can you be a newborn babe?

Wishing and cleansing the primal vision,

Can you be without stain?

Loving all men and women,

And ruling the country,

Can you be without cleverness?

Opening and closing the gates of heaven,

Can you play the role of a woman?

Understanding and being open to all things,

Are you able to do nothing?

Giving birth and nourishing,

Bearing yet not possessing,

Working yet not taking credit,

Leading yet not dominating.

This is the primal virtue.

And before I continue,

Just make sure you're nice and relaxed,

And your breath is slow.

And falling asleep is a lot like the Tao.

It's paradoxical in the sense that we're trying to do something,

Which is fall asleep.

And the only way we could do it is by not doing anything,

And letting go.

Shinibilatsu was a sleep podcaster himself.

Thirty spokes share the wheel's hub.

It's the center hole that makes it useful.

Shape clay into a vessel.

It's the space within that makes it useful.

Cut doors and windows for a room.

It's the holes which make it useful.

Therefore benefit comes from what is there.

The five colors blind the eye.

The five tones deafen the ear.

The five flavors dull the taste.

Racing and hunting madden the mind.

Precious things lead one astray.

Therefore the sage is guided by what he feels and not by what he sees.

He lets go of that and chooses this.

Accept disgrace willingly.

Accept misfortune as the human condition.

What do you mean by accept disgrace willingly?

Accept being unimportant.

Do not be concerned with loss or gain.

This is called accepting disgrace willingly.

What do you mean by accept misfortune as the human condition?

Misfortune comes from having a body.

Without a body,

How could there be misfortune?

Surrender yourself humbly.

Then you can be trusted to take care of all things.

Love the world as your own self.

Then you can truly care for all things.

Or on chapter 14,

Or verse 14,

Look,

It cannot be seen.

It's beyond form.

Listen,

It cannot be heard.

It's beyond sound.

Grasp,

It cannot be held.

It's intangible.

These three are indefinable.

Therefore they are joined in one.

From above,

It is not bright.

From below,

It is not dark.

An unbroken thread beyond description,

It returns to nothingness.

The form of the formless,

The image of the imageless,

It is called indefinable and beyond imagination.

Stand before it,

And there is no beginning.

Follow it,

And there is no end.

Stay with the ancient Tao,

With the present.

Knowing the ancient beginning is the essence of Tao.

So for tonight,

We'll stop there.

Allow yourself to drift off into sleep.

Without effort,

Let the current of the night take you.

And I'll see you on the other side.

Reviews

Good wisdom. Didn’t fall asleep. I prefer the GSPs without the music. I wish there was a way to turn it off or down.

Excellent!!!!

Love the Grounded Sleep Podcast.
I was ALMOST asleep and you stopped; totally not your fault. Guess I'll go back and listen again

❣️🌈

Love this 💕🦉🐥

Interesting and sweet, though I'm still awake! I'm happy I learned a bit about the Tao.

Mmmm, so calming and rich in wisdom to contemplate. I used this for my morning practice, not sleep, though I can absolutely feel the deep relaxation it brings to usher us into that space. Haha, I will resist a nap! 😴But may I ask which translation you are using? We would be grateful to know as we have been learning and exploring the Tao over these past years. 🙏🏼 Thank you for this and I look forward to the next episode! 😌

Helped me to reconnect within. Thank you once again🙏🏼🌸

Another hood

Thank you. Another enjoyable one!!