COURSE

Learn How To Practise Daoism In Seven Days

In this course, you will be introduced to the 13 key concepts that are presented within the Daodejing and how to incorporate them into your daily living. You will also learn the meaning of Dao, de, and wuwei and how the understanding of these ideas can lead to a more satisfactory and happier life.

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Meet your Teacher

Shaun Ramsden

Perth WA, Australia

Shaun Ramsden completed his undergraduate degree at the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, where he was awarded two scholarships. He has three other degrees and a post-graduate diploma in Buddhist studies. He has studied at two other colleges of Chinese medicine and has Chinese medicine qualifications from four different institutions in three different countries. He also has formal studies in Chinese calligraphy, Chinese history, and pranayama. He has lived in East and South East Asia for a total of 17 years and has been to nearly every province in China. He can read, write, and speak Mandarin fluently and has also studied Pali at the university level. He has trained in Wu Hao and Yang Taiji, Tiger Claw, Yin Bagua, Monkey and White Eyebrow kung fu. He has also taught Wing Chun, Qigong, Taji push hands, and Song Xingyi in formal classes. Shaun wrote a TCM health column while living in Taiwan, has written an in-depth Chinese history paper for a peer-reviewed tier one sinology journal, has written another paper on meditation, has published two books, one called the Balance of Emptiness, the second, a book about Chinese medicine in Chinese and also published an open source translation and textual analysis of the Daodejing.

7 Days

624 students

4.8 stars

13 min / day

Flow

English

Lesson 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.

Lesson 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.

Lesson 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.

Lesson 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.

Lesson 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.

Lesson 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.

Lesson 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.

4.8 (37)

Recent Reviews

Richard

February 16, 2025

Shaun, thank you for explaining such a complex philosophy in what I have found to be a wonderful and easy to follow short course. This will be invaluable to me as I continue to (try) live my life by this philosophy, which for a Westerner can prove difficult at times. Once again, thank you 🙏

Mark

October 24, 2024

Shaun is excellent at explaining difficult concepts.

wayne

January 14, 2024

I learned much from this course. Extremely well grounded in substantive sources. Traditional with comtemporary application. Thank you for sharing your journey with us.

Anne

January 12, 2024

Very comprehensive guide to dao philosophy and spiritual teaching. Really resonated with the need to live with the flow of nature and the natural world around us. To be part of an eco system because we are all connected. Very important lesson for our world

Yousef

January 8, 2024

Well structured, easy to follow, based on lots of knowledge, experience and passion for the topic. Only downside is the quality of the production.

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