c/alan-watts
The largest collection of talks by Alan Watts — the British-American philosopher who made Eastern wisdom accessible through witty and profound teachings.
…neighbor. And there's a famous passage which is quite apocryphal because they didn't live at the same time where Laozi and Confucius had a conversation and Confucius is trying to explain to Laozi what charity and duty to one's neighbor is. And finally…
…famous passage which is quite apocryphal because they didn't live at the same time where Laozi and Confucius had a conversation and Confucius is trying to explain to Laozi what charity and duty to one's neighbor is. And finally Laozi says: what stuff, sir…
…for: maybe tomorrow I'll get a good meal, see. But when you've properly fed, you're not hungry anymore. So show even even Confucius. Confucius said, a man who understands the understands the tao. In the morning may die with content in the evening. Now are…
…maybe tomorrow I'll get a good meal, see. But when you've properly fed, you're not hungry anymore. So show even even Confucius. Confucius said, a man who understands the understands the tao. In the morning may die with content in the evening. Now are you…
…is this that you must understand: if you want, if you're going to survive elegantly, you must not feel a compulsion to survive. Confucius put it very well: a man who understands the tao, that is the course of nature in the morning, can die with content…
…enough dollar bills, eventually something satisfactory will happen. So, eating the abstractions all the time, we want more, more, more time. Confucius very wisely said: a man who understands the Dao in the morning may die with content in the evening, because…
…by a decision of the will. Any more than you can decide not to think of a green elephant. There is a story about Confucius who one day met Lao Tzu, who was a Great Chinese philosopher. And Lao Tzu said sir what is your system? And Confucius said…
…who one day met Lao Tzu, who was a Great Chinese philosopher. And Lao Tzu said sir what is your system? And Confucius said it is charity and love of one's neighbor and elimination of self interest. Lao Tzu said: stuff and nonsense. Your elimination…
…who is supposed to have lived somewhere perhaps around 400 BC the traditional date is 600 making him a contemporary of Confucius but modern scholarship feels that he lived somewhat later. Laozi an almost legendary figure, who was supposed to be a court…
…spirit as not being anxious for the morrow and going along with the grass of the field and the fowls of the air. One day Confucius was out for a walk with his disciples and he saw an old man fall into a big mountain stream and thought, alas he is…
…underneath. But suddenly the old man appeared way down below the rapids, crawled out of the stream and went strolling along the banks. Confucius was amazed and he immediately sent a disciple to run after the old man so that he could talk to him. He…
…the project of subduing your egoistic pride. We can read it straight out of zhuangzi in the dialogue between Lao Tzu and Confucius. You know it's a apocryphal dialogue. Zhuangzi was a great humorist and he used the most outrageous stories and examples to…
…humorist and he used the most outrageous stories and examples to illustrate his points and so he put into the mouth of Confucius all sorts of things that Confucius would never have dreamed of saying. But he also arranges a dialogue between Lao Tzu and…
…outrageous stories and examples to illustrate his points and so he put into the mouth of Confucius all sorts of things that Confucius would never have dreamed of saying. But he also arranges a dialogue between Lao Tzu and Confucius in which Confucius gets…
…Confucius all sorts of things that Confucius would never have dreamed of saying. But he also arranges a dialogue between Lao Tzu and Confucius in which Confucius gets the wrong end of the stick, where Lao Tzu talks to him and asks him: what is your…
…of things that Confucius would never have dreamed of saying. But he also arranges a dialogue between Lao Tzu and Confucius in which Confucius gets the wrong end of the stick, where Lao Tzu talks to him and asks him: what is your teaching? And he says…
…are trusting things that are qualitatively inferior to ourselves. This, of course is one of the fundamental ideas of Confucian Philosophy. When Confucius refused to define humanness in Chinese Rén, and when he said that a man who has the virtue of rén or…
…see the fallacy is this that you must understand: if you're going to survive elegantly, you must not feel a compulsion to survive. Confucius put it very well: a man who understands the tao, that is the course of nature in the morning, can die with…
…is this that you must understand: if you want, if you're going to survive elegantly, you must not feel a compulsion to survive. Confucius put it very well: a man who understands the tao that is the course of nature in the morning, can die with content…
…case for some point of view but has a certain twinkle in his eye. You see this is a true human being and has what Confucius would call run, spelled j e n for some reason. This is human heartedness, and that is human heartedness because it is at the…
…painting by sengai, another 17th century Japanese master of the three sages, buddha in the Center, Lao Tzu to the left and Confucius to the right. You see they're treated in this slightly humorous vein that doesn't take them quite seriously. Now in order…
…but at the same time it contains some very marvelous ideas. And the most marvelous of all Confucian ideas is that Confucius would not define the supreme virtue called run or human heartedness. He set this above justice, above filial piety, above…
…living in a decadent age. In the past there were these great heroes who did all these marvelous things, buddha and jesus and Confucius and all their great followers. But today everybody is rotten and nobody can expect to get more than a little way. I…
…Maitreya, who is supposed to be the next buddha, hasn't come yet. I had a wonderful sleep and didn't even dream about Confucius, and he's just stretching and yawning as he wakes up. So Zen is mahayana, Indian Mahayana Buddhism, translated into Chinese and…
…a point of departure for anything. And in this respect the Taoist Philosophy and the Confucian Philosophy are in agreement. In Confucius Philosophy, the fundamental virtue of a human being is called yin, spelled j e n for reasons best known to Chinese…
…Chinese Scholars I don't know what they are, but it's pronounced yin and it's a character, Chinese Character, that Confucius placed as the highest of all virtues, higher than righteousness, higher than benevolence, and it means approximately human heartedness.…
…placed as the highest of all virtues, higher than righteousness, higher than benevolence, and it means approximately human heartedness. Now, Confucius once said that goody goodies are the thieves of virtue. Virtue in Chinese is de we romanize it as t…
…in passing without a certain degree of formalism it's not without a certain humor. Their humor is all through the Chinese Nature. Confucius was a profoundly humorous man, but in a very cool way. He didn't have zhuangzi's belly laugh. But you see basic…
…that a person who pretends that he is good and moral and in all things some model of integrity is a very dangerous man. Confucius said the goodie goodies are the thieves of virtue. So young is the Confucian Norm but then they like to be that live a…
…social game. You see Lao Tzu himself by legend, who is supposed to have lived around 600 BC to be a contemporary of Confucius but probably lived rather later than that he was supposed to be the court librarian and who became absolutely sick of the…
…The daoists on the other hand have humour and are always making fun of the confucians. Now the rectification of names was that Confucius said: we must be sure when we use words that their meaning is established. So this means the dictionary. And so they…
…have thoroughly molded the culture of china and they are Taoism and Confucianism and they play a curious game with each other. Confucius said the goody goodies are the thieves of virtue, meaning that to try to be wholly righteous is to go beyond humanity,…
…spirit. I call it the element of irreducible rascality. We all have that, but in the wisdom of that great moral philosopher Confucius, he included this element of rascality in his definition of human heartedness that he put as the crown of all the…
…be the next buddha to come in many years maitreya has not yet come. I have had a wonderful sleep and didn't even dream about Confucius. It seems you see a kind of irreligious attitude. For just as the art of Zen is artless art, so the religion of Zen…
…teacher and said: please explain to me your secret teaching. And the teacher replied: well there's a saying in your own master Confucius which very well puts it when Confucius said: my disciples, do you think I'm holding anything back from you? Indeed I'm…
…your secret teaching. And the teacher replied: well there's a saying in your own master Confucius which very well puts it when Confucius said: my disciples, do you think I'm holding anything back from you? Indeed I'm holding nothing back. And that was all…
…this word is the cardinal virtue in the whole system of Confucian Morality. It's usually translated human heartedness or humanness, but when Confucius was asked to give a precise definition of it, he refused. He said: you have to feel the meaning of this…
…hear your own ears and you can't make your own hand catch hold of itself, so that you must basically trust this. Confucius would say he would rather trust human passions and instincts than he would sometimes trust human ideas about what is right. For…
…to a Zen master and said: what is your secret teaching? And he replied: there is a saying in your own teacher Confucius which explains it all. Don't you remember when Confucius said to his disciples: do you suppose that I'm concealing something from you?…
…teaching? And he replied: there is a saying in your own teacher Confucius which explains it all. Don't you remember when Confucius said to his disciples: do you suppose that I'm concealing something from you? I've held nothing back. And the scholar didn't…
…of 400 BC, it used to be said that Lao Tzu, L a o t z u, was originally thought to have been a contemporary of Confucius who lived between 600 and 500 BC, but the general weight of scholarly opinion today is that the Lao Tzu book is about 400 and…
…philosophy and takes it to absurd extremes just for the joke of it, and he puts a lot of his philosophy into the mouth of Confucius just to confuse everyone. He's a really witty man and you must read him. So then, what I want to do is to discuss the…
…says people who are trying to help things along are a nuisance. All the do gooders. He has a conversation between Laozi and Confucius in which Confucius is prating about charity and duty to one's neighbor and Laozi says to him: this is nonsense. He is…
…trying to help things along are a nuisance. All the do gooders. He has a conversation between Laozi and Confucius in which Confucius is prating about charity and duty to one's neighbor and Laozi says to him: this is nonsense. He is just binding things…
…He is just binding things on to people, putting burdens on them with charity and duty to one's neighbor. He says to Confucius: look now at the universe. The trees grow upwards without exception, the stars always follow their courses and the migrating birds…
…story that zhuangzi invented and has a certain typical humor to it. Lao Tzu is supposed to have had a discussion with Confucius on the nature of love and benevolence. And uh when Confucius has given forth several pomposities about this, Lao Tzu is alleged…
…it. Lao Tzu is supposed to have had a discussion with Confucius on the nature of love and benevolence. And uh when Confucius has given forth several pomposities about this, Lao Tzu is alleged to have said to him: what's stuff? Surely you're getting rid…
…there is greed, there is anger there is an aggressive tendency. But what is good about human nature is it's good and bad. Confucius once said the goody goodies are the thieves of virtue, and he exalted above mere goodness in the sense of following a…
…The taoists on the other hand have humour and are always making fun of the confucians. The rectification of names was that Confucius said we must be sure when we use words that their meaning is established. So this means the dictionary. And so they…
…go on because you are not fulfilled now, if you really understood the now you would not feel that you had to go on, as Confucius even put it. A man who understands the tao in the morning can die content in the evening. But if you feel you is because…
…on the idea, you see that you will get it tomorrow and you can enjoy yourself today so long as tomorrow looks bright. But Confucius once said: a man who understands the tao in the morning can die contentedly in the evening. That is to say if you have…
…tells a story. As a matter of fact, zhuangzi has a very funny trick: a lot of his wisdom he puts into the mouth of Confucius. He said that Confucius was one day doing this and he ran into Laozi and they had an argument and Laozi won. But then the…
…a matter of fact, zhuangzi has a very funny trick: a lot of his wisdom he puts into the mouth of Confucius. He said that Confucius was one day doing this and he ran into Laozi and they had an argument and Laozi won. But then the next time he talks…
…doing this and he ran into Laozi and they had an argument and Laozi won. But then the next time he talks about Confucius teaching Laozi's Doctrines, and this is the immense confusion of everybody. But it's said one day Confucius was standing by a river…
…next time he talks about Confucius teaching Laozi's Doctrines, and this is the immense confusion of everybody. But it's said one day Confucius was standing by a river where there was a tremendous cataract plunging down and he suddenly saw an old man coming…
…put an end to it all. The next moment, way downstream the old man gets out of the water and starts bouncing along and Confucius is amazed and he sends one of his disciples to catch this fellow before he disappears. He said sir I was thinking that you…
…moral preaching is confusion. There is a marvellous case of this in the zhuangzi book, where there is an alleged conversation between Confucius and Lao Tzu in which Lao Tzu asks Confucius to explain to him what is charity and duty to one's neighbour. And…
…case of this in the zhuangzi book, where there is an alleged conversation between Confucius and Lao Tzu in which Lao Tzu asks Confucius to explain to him what is charity and duty to one's neighbour. And Confucius gives him a little sermon on giving up…
…Confucius and Lao Tzu in which Lao Tzu asks Confucius to explain to him what is charity and duty to one's neighbour. And Confucius gives him a little sermon on giving up one's self interest and working for others. And Lao Tzu says: what's stuff, sir?…
…spirit as not being anxious for the morrow and going along with the grass of the field and the fowls of the air. One day Confucius was out for a walk with his disciples and he saw an old man fall into a big mountain stream and thought: alas, he is…
…underneath. But suddenly the old man appeared way down below the rapids, crawled out of the stream and went strolling along the banks. Confucius was amazed and he immediately sent a disciple to run after the old man so that he could talk to him. He said…
…the same feeling of righteousness about what they're doing as we have on our side. And a plague on both houses. Because, as Confucius said, the goody goodies are the thieves of virtue, which is the form of our own proverb: the road to hell is paved…
…Maitreya, who is supposed to be the next buddha hasn't come yet. I had a wonderful sleep and didn't even dream about Confucius and he's just stretching and yawning as he wakes up. So Zen is mahayana, Indian Mahayana Buddhism, translated into Chinese and…
…by a decision of the will any more than you can decide not to think of a green elephant. There is a story about Confucius who one day met Lao Tzu, who was a Great Chinese philosopher, and Lao Tzu said: sir what is your system? And Confucius said:…
…who one day met Lao Tzu, who was a Great Chinese philosopher, and Lao Tzu said: sir what is your system? And Confucius said: it is charity and love of one's neighbor and elimination of self interest. Lao Tzu said: stuff and nonsense. Your elimination…
…enough dollar bills, eventually something satisfactory will happen. So, eating the abstractions all the time, we want more, more, more time. Confucius very wisely said: a man who understands the tao in the morning may die with content in the evening. Because…
…a point of departure for anything. And in this respect the Taoist Philosophy and the Confucian Philosophy are in agreement. In Confucius Philosophy, the fundamental virtue of a human being is called yin, spelled j e n for reasons best known to Chinese…
…Chinese Scholars I don't know what they are but it's pronounced yin and it's a character, Chinese Character, that Confucius placed as the highest of all virtues, higher than righteousness, higher than benevolence, and it means approximately human heartedness.…
…placed as the highest of all virtues, higher than righteousness, higher than benevolence, and it means approximately human heartedness. Now, Confucius once said that goody goodies are the thieves of virtue. Virtue in Chinese is de we romanize it as t…