A Christian Reads the Tao te Ching

Episode 25 looks at chapter 37 and the first part of chapter 38, which begins the second half of the Tao te Ching, called the Book of Te. We will revisit the theme of wu wei that we discussed before and look at it through the lens of effortless virtue, spontaneous goodness, or authentic spirituality.
In this episode, I start with describing just how insanely unpredictable my life has been for the last year and how an attitude of wu wei has helped me not just survive, but thrive.
The rest of the content is divided into three parts:

1. Chapter 37 - The Tao is wu wei, and all things will be transformed in their own natural rhythms if we stay centered.
2. Chapter 38 - High Te and low Te. The highest virtue does not hold on to virtue and acts without action.
3. Living wu wei - Can living this way actually have any relevance for us living in the crazy world we see around us? Isn't it irresponsible?

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I think this is one of my favorite episodes so far! Episode 24 looks at the first eight lines of chapter 36, which provide a fascinating insight into what it looks like to not just see the world non-dualistically, but to actually live the nondualism of yin and yang.

In this episode, I start by sharing a story about how some of these principles have helped me in dealing with a very difficult boy from the orphanage I work at.

The rest of the content is divided into three parts, roughly based on four "lenses" various translators use to interpret the chapter:

1. The ontological lens - the nondual world and the cyclical nature of history (and a bit about Black Lives Matter)
2. The agency and allowing lenses - knowing when to allow and when to act in order to develop powerful and transforming relationships
3. The inner disposition lens - deconstructing your faith and the spiral of growth

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Episode 23 looks at chapters 34-35 and 41, which rehearse some of our old paradoxical themes about the Tao but also bring in two key truths that, in classic non-dual fashion, seem to contradict each other at first. First, those who are touch with the Tao draw all people to themselves; but second, words about the Tao are bland, tasteless, and unappealing.

In this episode, I start by contemplatively commenting on some of the long list of paradoxes in chapter 41, bringing them directly into dialogue with Jesus.

The rest of the content goes through the primary points:

1. Chapter 34 - Recapping the Tao as all-pervasive and self-giving
2. Chapter 35a - The person in touch with Tao will draw all things to themselves
3. Chapter 35b - The Tao is bland and tasteless
4. Chapter 41 - Lao Tzu's version of the "Parable of the Sower"

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Episode 22 looks at chapter 33, which focuses on some fundamental principles of healthy spirituality: knowing yourself, finding contentment, and living life to the fullest.

In this episode, I consider the idea that your greatest strength can be your greatest weakness and how important it is to know yourself.

The rest of the content follows the four-part outline of the chapter:

1. Knowing yourself
2. Mastering yourself
3. Wealth and contentment
4. Finding life in the midst of death

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Episode 21 looks at chapters 30-31, which center around the themes of violence and war.
In this episode, I start with a very brief meditation on human justifications for violence before jumping right into the content, which is divided into three parts:

1. Violence begets violence and rebounds back on itself
2. Weapons are unnatural
3. War is murder and should be mourned

(For those interested, I referenced René Girard and his Scapegoat Theory, which is well worth looking into for a deep analysis of the dynamics of violence and its purpose in human history and culture.)
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