In this episode of the podcast, I talk with George Thompson. George went on a 6-month travel to China. He developed anxiety and wanted to reconstruct his life and the way he saw the world. In the Wudang mountains, he studied Daoism and Tai-Chi and became a disciple of Daoist Master Gu. So what exactly is the Dao?

First rule of the Dao: You do not talk about the Dao

So what exactly is Daoism or Taoism? You’ve probably seen the Ying Yang symbol, but what does it imply? This philosophical tradition suggests how we can live in harmony with the Dao or ‘the Way’. Central to this is the Dao or Tao, but trying to define it will actually be a troublesome journey. To quote the first verse of the Dao De Ching:

” The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be named is not the eternal name.”

Don’t assume that from there on out it becomes spiritual mumbo-jumbo and gibberish. Daoism actually gives us practical advice on how to be in harmony with the Way. It describes morals, principles and ideas on how to make your life effortless and harmonious.

Let the Qi flow

Stress and tension cause much harm in our day and age, and it’s not uncommon that we develop depression or anxiety as a result of our mindset. George shares how he deals with what he calls “The Underminer”. Those thoughts that tell you ‘you can’t do it’, ‘you will fail’ and judge your every move. He picked up the practice of Tai-Chi in the monastery and shares about the effects it has on his body and mind.

Reading the Dao De Ching

Currently, we are reading this ancient text by Lao-Tzu every Sunday in our online community. We ended on Chapter 63 of the Tao Te Ching. We’ll continue next Sunday at 12:00 p.m. EST and study chapters 64 to 70. If you have any questions, comments or wish to discuss; it would be wonderful to discuss. If you are interested in what George talks about, make sure to join one of these sessions.

Want to know more?

If you want to know more about George or would like to follow his journey, make sure to check out his youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAGTpcuP8o9_sWzvDGfZYKA/

If you’d like to talk about this podcast or have comments and ideas, please let me know by joining our community here https://discord.gg/FKWFeYq
Simply use @christiaan or send me a DM! I would love to hear from you.

With warm regards,

Christiaan Neeteson

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