Lição 1
Introduction: Philosophical Daoism
Day one's lesson is an introduction to Daoism, where we will discuss the differences between philosophical Daoism and religious Daoism and how the Daodejing is the key text to study in philosophical Daoism. We will cover why the Dao should be pronounced with a “D” and not a “T” and go over some important content in relation to the origins of philosophical Daoism and how the “shengren” is used as an example of how to practise the Dao.
Lição 2
What Is The Dao?
In this lesson, we will discuss the meaning of the word Dao and how we cannot use personal opinions when writing about the Daodejing. Instead, in trying to understand what the Dao is, we need to analyze Laozi's descriptions to get an authentic understanding.
Lição 3
What Is The Laozi's De?
The English and Confucian meaning of virtue is to do with having high moral standards. Laozi recommends nature’s way and following its principles as the highest form of living. Just as nature can seem very harsh and certainly lacking in morals in the human sense of the word, Laozi said, treat the people like (sacrificial) straw dogs (chapter 5, line 1). Laozi's de had little to do with morals in the modern sense of the word. From the 5 “virtues,” we can see that Laozi’s “virtue” was based on following the principles of Dao and therefore, being natural in personal living and the governing of a state. The “virtues” mentioned are therefore instead a kind of wisdom of the Dao.
Lição 4
Breathing Practices And The Emphasis On The Abdomen
In today's lesson, we will discuss chapter 10 of the Daodejing, what the word qi meant in ancient times, and how to breathe correctly according to Laozi. We will also cover the concept of abdominal breathing and how to do it.
Lição 5
Wuwei Er Wu Bu Wei
Wuwei and its addition wu bu wei is the cornerstone philosophy of the Daodejing and has been translated in many different ways, two examples are non-action, so no action is not done, or use non-action, so you can do anything. I prefer emptiness [in] action, so nothing [is] not done. The key difference here is that nearly all translations take wu 無 to mean “no” or “non” 不, which is sometimes the way it is used even within the Daodejing as a stand-alone character but without the wei 為 aspect. I suggest that the wu 無 in wuwei 無為 can also mean emptiness (or nothingness) and it does not only need to mean “no/non.” In Chapter 11, we see wu 無 obviously used as emptiness. There is also the idea of wuji 無極 or utmost emptiness used in chapter 28, line 2, where wu 無 also means emptiness/nothingness. It appears as though Laozi’s Dao is that profound, mysterious, abstruse something within emptiness that has produced both the earth and the sky and everything within. The cornerstone concept of Laozi which is wuwei (non-action or emptiness in action) follows from this idea of the Dao. Wuwei therefore has two meanings, firstly, in the action of the mind it seems to mean stillness, peace. In the action of the body, it means, letting nature take its natural course of events and not interfere. Laozi gives many examples of how the sage acts, what he does, and how he manages his affairs. These are all examples of how the sage uses the concept of wuwei in daily living.
Lição 6
Thirteen Key Concepts Within Philosophical Daoism
In this lesson, we will cover nine more key concepts within the Daodejing and how to apply them in our lives. The nine concepts are stillness, the feminine, softness, nature, the return, emptiness, the constant, no desire, and simplicity.
Lição 7
The Sage
In this final lesson, we will describe how the "shengren" or sage lives his/her life and how we should follow this example. This lesson will also summarize the last seven days by recalling what we have learned.
