Tao Te Ching and Feminist Metaphysics
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ก.ค. 2024
- Is God a woman? When the Tao Te Ching references gender, what does it have to say? Discussing the Tao Te Ching through the framework of feminist metaphysics.
Also, apparently today (date of this upload) is World Philosophy Day! 😊
Timestamps:
00:04 What is the Tao Te Ching?
01:29 Feminist and Feminine Implications in the Text
08:43 What do we mean by feminist metaphysics?
09:18 How was the universe created?
10:43 What/Who is God?
16:41 Revisiting: What is the Tao Te Ching?
Benebell Wen is the author of I Ching, The Oracle (2023) and The Tao of Craft (2016), both published by North Atlantic Books. Learn more about her work at www.benebellwen.com
Playlist | Introduction to Taoist & Buddhist Mysticism • Introduction to Taoist...
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How did I just find this channel!?!?! This is what I've been looking for for years!
You should take an in depth look at the West African divination systems of the Yoruba people such as the Dillogun and Ebo Ifa systems. They have a level of complexity and sophistication on par with the I Ching. The Diloggun is also used by priest and priestesses of Santeria in Cuba. One of the wonderful thing about those systems is they also tell one how to fix a negative situation through (Ebo) offerings or other actions marked in the reading.
I’ve found many similarities between the two as well. Including a balance between masculine and feminine in cosmology.
Do you have any recommendations for channels with good content on those systems?
Asian boys are mama’s boy really got me
I would really like to see a video about "non-action!" so exciting 👍
me too!!!
Thank you, Benebell! So much!❤❤ We all needed this video ❤❤
So glad Xuan Pin was raised as an important part of daodejing. Of course all life comes from the feminine thus due reverence is a greater part of the mystery.
Many daoist ideas are very modern, ziran all matter was assembled by self organising principle.
Great Work!
This is my favourite book ever. It can also be interpreted as the first anarchist work of literature and the fact that it comes in poetry form is the cherry on top for me. Thanks for the great content!
Another beautiful video to watch a million times! Thank you again Bell for all of your hard work and sharing these thoughts and theories. The amount of work and editting in your videos is such a feat. We appreciate you! ❤ I'm greatful hearing about feminism in what a subject where I felt like women were "othered" in most other Taoist metaphysical platforms.
Totally agree with you!!
love your videos Benebell, I've been on and off engaging with Taoist texts for a while but the I Ching and your videos are so insightful. In the end it is up to you what you take away from the texts and your readings on them are amazing. Thank you!
I love this video!! I always know that Tao Te Ching has a strong feminist approach in its political ideology. But what you present in this video is amazing and insightful. You articulated a feminist metaphysics which I could not agree more with you!!
Have you published your own translation of the Tao Te Ching? It seems like a logical next step. Do you prefer the received text, or do you prefer incorporating the passages/changes found at Mawangdui and Guodian?
Working primarily off the received text, but comparing to the MWD and making adjustments as I go. 😊 Yes definitely something I've been working on. 😊
@@BenebellWen I would love to see your translation of the text where you go line by line, 1st Chinese characters, then English transliteration of that line, then finally your English rendering/translation of that line. Just as you do in this and other videos.
I would love to see this in writing for reflection.
I love anything about the Tao te Ching so thank you 🙏
thank you!! so appreciative
This has given me aha moments! I have a copy of the tao ti ching but never understood it or got into it but now I’m going to read it from my own intuitive understanding. It sounds much like a tarot card which can reveal to you wisdom based on where you’re at.
Hi Benebell. I was wondering if you've checked out the Luban Shu translation that recently came out by Jason E Read? I've been working through it recently, and it's quickly become one of my favorite grimoires. I was wondering if you'd ever do videos on your favorite Daoist Grimoires? There are so many and I'd love to hear your thoughts on the histories of their practical applications
Thank you 🙏🏼
Thank you so much for your work. This affirms my spiritual path in a deep way. With all gratitude. 🔥❤️🔥♥️
So enjoyed this.
a name, the great conversation, i have found as well. beautiful.
among all the religions, philosophies and beliefs that I know and know deeply. I found myself after these journeys seeing in Lai Tze's wisdom is the conclusion and I find myself.
Love this chat!
The world is composed of feminine and masculine energy, so of course any insightful work would reflect both.
Which version or translation of the Dao De Jing are you referencing here, especially when discussing Verse 20? I ask, in part, because I believe the verse you are quoting here, 'I am singular ... from the primordial mother' is the last phrase of 20, correct?
My sense is that part of your tying the Dao to the divine feminine (to summarize) is based on this particular translation, whereas, anther translation reads it as:
Everyone else has purpose
While I alone am wayward, like a rustic
I alone am other than the others
Still enjoying mother’s meals.
Trans. by Bradford Hatcher
Wonderful.
That’s amazing ❤❤❤❤❤
Thank you
This is really educational as you show us the original text and offer so much insight! thanks for this!❤
May i ask what text are you reading from? The translation i have for verse 10 is so different
These are my own translations, and I provide the original classical Chinese to show my work. :-) This is from the received text. But I think there are a couple of word edits per the new discoveries we found from the MWD version.
So I think in one of the slides I provided multiple versions of the English translation and did cite each of the different translators. Where there are no citations to translators, it's my own. :-)
@@BenebellWen thank you so much. You put in a lot of work with your research and teachings. All of us are better for it. ❤💯💥
@@BenebellWen Any chance you will publish your translation?
Absolutely. And you will see these parallels repeated cross culturally in many if not most intact indigenous shamanist traditions, in the various Mystery teachings, etc and all magic centered in these traditions. It's also a structural truth that becomes obvious in deep work with entheogens. The feminine stands alone, first, the Womb of the universe, and you had better be deeply humble and deeply aligned (in reverence to All Life) if you chose to work using it.
🎯 again‼️ looking forward to Wu Wei translation video! What, in your opinion, is the most authentic translation of the Tao Te Ching?
I'm not sure there is such a thing as a most authentic translation. What do you mean by authentic?
Even if you want to study the TTC in its native language, most scholars will reference multiple commentaries.
So in terms of an English translation, you might say something like this translation is more aligned with XYZ commentary, and departs from the orthodox view espoused by ABC commentary, etc.
Ha! True.@@BenebellWen i stand corrected....totally see your point....which is why we love your work. I do find multiple perspectives valuable...I guess I just want to avoid bastardized versions of knowledge as much as possible.
I like Yang Jwing Ming's version. I would look for someone who at least references the original Chinese or ancient Taoist scholars. It is also helpful if the author understands Taoism and doesn't approach the translation from a western theological perspective. I have seen many translations that are a few times removed from the original that are very elaborate and far from the Taoist meaning. I also check the first few lines and if it says anything besides a simple "the tao that can be described/named is not the eternal tao" then I know someone just likes to hear themselves talk.
@@Chattepliee Thank you so much I appreciate it
This is so fascinating. I am learning so much from reading your book on the I Ching and from these videos. This video really resonated with me.
Yes! I have been raising my daughter with Taoist texts (she loves the Zhuang zi) but her friend kept trying to convert her to Christianity. I told her we can't be Christian because it's still being used as a tool to take rights away from women (it doesn't have to be, but that's how it is in the USA...) but it's clear as day in the Tao Te Jing that male and female are at the very least equal and women are IMPORTANT in the balance of things, not just some afterthought.
It honestly seems that woman are taken a notch higher than men in it. Mainly because all this cannot be without the feminine. The feminine Dao gave birth to all. The Godess Nuwa is the reason for humanities creation on a personal lvl. And our mothers are those who nourish us and give birth to us… womans body’s and suppleness compared to men also fits closer to the Dao.. the list goes on…
It honestly makes most sense… and it does all this without degrading men.
Lol, here in Vietnam, Daoist Ruist thought mix well with Catholicism and I have never heard such a feminist toxicity sentiments ever spewed
@@Peppers_mintus the thing about Catholicism and other Christianities in other country’s. They have evolved completely different from the traditional Catholicism as it exists in Europe. As well as if you read the Bible, it’s very much biased towards men.
Traditionally, a lot of Catholicism’s and other Christian’s wouldn’t be considered by westerners to be authentic Christianity.
I watched a video called, “Around the world in 80 faiths.” It was very eye opening in how extremely different and oddly not Christian the Christianity of eastern country’s and and even African country’s are.
They are literally a new kind of hybrid religion. The ppls indigenous religion fused with Christian symbols and names but hardly much to do with Christianity in its original form.
@@Peppers_mintus if and when you actually read the Bible and then compare that to what people believe about the Bible and what they do, you’ll find that it’s not the same as the Bible. Some similarities but not the same.
Infact, it’s these many things that exist in the Bible and Quran and a few other western religions that you’ll see that atheists attack them the most. Apologetics is very popular in those religions cus these religions need it.
For example, You’ll never see an atheist attack Daoism or shintoism. If you do, it’s only ever because of one thing, pseudoscience.
But there is no real point to attack a belief system for such a petty reason.
This is why you only see atheists attack and referring to abrahamic faiths or other cults like those faiths.
And many of these atheists come from those faiths… you hardly every see an atheist that comes from the eastern and Native American faiths, with the exception of Hinduism, that will actively attack those eastern faiths. Mostly you find respect.
Further on Hinduism. Hinduism is a dicey religion to attack cus that word is an umbrella term for many religions within and around India. Many traditions and texts. In that faith it is easy to say that you simply don’t follow the backward traditions in sanatana Dharma(Hinduism). So even in that faith not many atheists attack it cus that faith is open to many paths to the truth and it is easy to evolve in that faith and leave behind the archaic beliefs because of their openness to seeking truth and many paths
多谢 (thanking you for the video but making sure to leave a comment to boost algorithms the best I can).
Thank you so much for your translations! I'm immensely grateful for this. I'd appreciate a series of your translations of the Tao te jing original texts sooooo much. 💗
I should like to watch this later, in juxtaposition to both your recent book on the Tao Te Ching & Ursula K. Le Guin's book on the Tao Te Ching; especially if I might juxtaposition those works with Quxin's and Wang Yuqun's cards of Magic. Though I am aware my appetite often exceeds my abilities and resources at times.
And are you aware of Hayao Miyazaki's son the gardener? Hahah, I jest in that epithet, as Mr. Goro is likely much more adept than my titling gives credit for-however I am ever so fond of his first directorial work, if only due to how his efforts gave rise to the frution of a 4 minutes and 14 second song by the name of テルーの唄.
By the way, given the topic, though I judge by only the title and softly by the description of this video; and perhaps a brief skim of your blog's summarization of the reaction to this video-have you considered looking into the "Parable of the Sower" by Octavia Butler? If you can get a physical copy, I recommend just a physically flip through of its pages, you might find value in some of epigraphs of each chapter that graces your eyes. And perhaps even a prophetic vision of the coming year of the dragon
But then again, maybe not. After all "学生满世探索，觅求其间真意。而大师则在探索其间，觅得真意满世。" - EMA #62
Still though, I do love to listen as the song plays on...
Can you recommend the best English-translated version of Tao Te Ching?
Every translator cannot help but bring their own perspectives. And how they translate is based on the range of their subject matter knowledge and expertise. Whenever feasible, my general recommendation is to work off of multiple translations and refer back and forth between them. It's also helpful to look up the background in biography of the translators to get a better sense for how they might approach translation and interpretation.
I'm also working on my own, which I'll release to the public at some point. 😊
Thank you for your reply and advice. I look forward to your book. @@BenebellWen
@@BenebellWenWould love to have a Tao te Ching book translated by you. I am immensely enjoying your, I-Ching book.
Try in another video pls. This video was very helpful. Thank you.
I look forward to your next two videos. Excited!
I’m gonna be buying ALL of your books and advertise you to everyone. We desperately needed someone trustworthy, skilled, both west and east, and meticulous like you.
Thanks for sharing another great video. Really looking forward to the Wu Wei video. IMHO the popular idea that Wu Wei means doing nothing (non action) is quite comical. 😂
So true
I read your follow-up blog post and just wanted to give you another thumbs 👍 up. I appreciate you and enjoy your perspective. Thanks again from an old white dude in Florida. ☯️ ☯️ ☯️
I love your content. I look forward to getting the book... It's really hard to listen because of the various things going on with the audio on a couple of your videos.
I love your lessons. Good job. Thank you. I wish I could give you a million dollars.
Thank you so much! ❤️
Oh girl...waiting on that video on "Wu Wei" 🔥!!!
I would also suggest that the Tao is a dancing goddess in her creation of the ten thousand things!! 天门开阖 or the opening and closing of the heavenly gate and the Yin-yang oscillation are also rhythmic!! 一阴一阳之谓道！or Now yin and then Yang, it is called the Tao!!
Yes! For sure! And I love that you highlighted this so now I can see this as well! What a great insight, Dr. Gao! ❤🙏😊
I am so happy to have come across your channel and find you. It is a privilege to be able to explore the wonders hidden in Chinese philosophies and culture with someone like you. It is magical!@@BenebellWen
"No man is an island unto himself"
so many singular beings;
defining;
the center of Infinitii;
I;
the first person singular;
wonderful analysis. thank you! Looking forward to reading your I Ching book. Particularly interested in a fellow woman's scholarly as well as personal opinion on a few of the hexagrams/lines. lol, you probably can guess which ones haha. :) Will be picking up the book soon. Very much enjoying your channel.
Funny because I came across your work through searching for information on Etteilla's tarot deck but I have had a relationship with the I Ching for decades. Fortunate crossing paths with your work!
Haha I love that, and resonates with my own researching and reading experiences. 😅 I go down one rabbit hole only to find another to go down. 😅
감사합니다.
💜🐚🐉🦋🦜🙏
Very interesting indeed! 😮 love the presentation and analysis.
Hi! Could you please make a separate video on the self-birthing goddess? Thanks. 💖
Very funny and ironic that there is so much writing and debate on how to interpret nameless simplicity 😂
😅🤣
The Tao is not division. Imagine the idea of a "Yinnist". Just weird. 🤨
Well said.
Feminism isn’t about division, mate. 😉
@@NathanHenriquefa so is Masculinism bucko
Love this explanation, it resonates with me on a Soul level! I'm on a layman level of knowledge in Eastern philosophy, but Wu Wei to me always 'felt' like a feminine type of energy/wisdom, and that's how I written articles about it to my audience: as the way of the Goddess (I did note it's my personal stance lol, but I'm really glad an actual knowledgable person in this topic also interpretes it the same way - pulling your videos as a future reference, btw.😀🙏)
description of tao here sounds similar to goddess astarte, also later known as inanna, ancient sumerian divine they worshipped, as goddess of life, death, fertility, mother of all life
YOU ROCK...CHIX RULE! 54, 55, 56
Love this. Highly recommend checking out Immortal Sisters, it’s such a good read
I have that one. It’s a nice Daoist text.
Another good book is The Immortal Maiden Equal to Heaven and Other Precious Scrolls from Western Gansu
Translation by Wilt L. Idema
☯
It seems to me that wu wei would be something like a wheel or ball rolling down hill 🥀
It's hard to ignore the TTC's feminine imperative despite the fact it was written By A Man?!😏
So too was the great song
"What Part of No Don't You Understand?!"
another feminine perspective written By A Man
(Benjamin Franklin was on famous other)
Thanks! Do you know anything about the mawangdui silk texts? Im trying to find a complete translation but having a hard time. I was only able to find the complete translation of the Guodian texts. Again, thanx for all you do. I support your work.
I figured it out. I dint think they have one. I am just gonna get the parts and pieces.
Thank you so much for your generous donation! And yes, there has been quite a bit of buzz over the trending MWD manuscripts! I think I vaguely recall some of them getting translated into English, but I didn't really pay attention. I do know they're fairly readily available online in Chinese. ❤️
@@BenebellWen I really look forward to your interpretation. And next few videos on this topic.
It seems like there are parallels between Taoism and Witchcraft. Also, the saying that the one gives birth to the two which gives birth to the three which gives birth to the myriad things reminds me of the Qabala. BTW, which translation are you using?
I'm doing the translations. :-) So they are my own.
Oh excellent! I hope to see it in print soon!
Is it in the trigrams that the 3 solid lines are full and balanced by the fullness of the three dashed lines?
Then is it true that men and women are equal in the way that one thousand pounds of cotton is equal to one thousand pounds of steel. We live in a world out of balance. Primarily due to the imbalance of male and female. At least that’s how I understand it. And how I feel it.
Speak with rhythm like water and as intuitive as air. Forget the unethical norms that have rained chaos.😂😊
Hexagram 55 has always stumped people I have given readings to, I guess they asked about the Dao, My response I'd 55 is the Union between heaven and earth
Thx Benebell 🙏🌻🐝❤️
Oh how interesting to call them hexagrams. In the TTC I think they're typically just referred to as verses. I've also seen chapters. But first time hearing the reference to hexagrams. 😊
@@BenebellWen I have a Cantonese influence from when I was a child in Hong Kong Perhaps thats where I get hexagram and Hokka with an O.
Thank you so much for your work Benebell I am learning lots 🙏🌻🐝❤️
道可道: The dao is daoing 😅
Facinating! Prof. Wen's Mystery of mystery school! Deep bow and salute. 🙏 I'm all eyes and ears.
I always feel like I intuited this but hearing it academically was amazing. and I laughed thinking about feminist mystic as a true path that can no longer be named
Thank you so much. I love it. In my book "Dao's DNA" - I have a section conjecturing creatively on how the word Dao was chosen. I see the symbol for head inside legs. When is the head inside legs? You might laugh if you have a dirty mind ;) ! the head is between the legs at birth. The image of the jouney back to source is wonderful and Very feminine!
I am so glad I found you and feel deep gratitude for the openess you share your knowledge (treasures).
To be hard you must first be soft.
Wow ppl are mad af. The masculine ego fears the divine feminine.
Also quick suggestion. Could you do a video on how to perform Zhou sacraficial offerings to the ancestors and God's? Or could you point me to a page in your book thx 🙏🏿
“When the Dao is Doa-ing it is very Dao” THAT IS BRILLIANT
Ebb and Flow. Black and white. Good and bad. Thoughts and nonsense. Facts and lies.
Here we go 🙏🏼😔
😂🤣😭
Your final summarizing statement is exquisitely articulate and artfully stated. Kudos.
I respectfully disagree. The Tao Te Ching is not feminist. What Laozi was trying to explain is the nature of yin consciousness. The nature of the highest consciousness in humans is "beingness", which as a chosen identity could be described as "the collective, compassion, kindness, nurture, receptive, passive, acceptance and love. These are very fertile and create abundance.These qualities are embodied generally more in women than men, hence the reference to women. The reference back to the masculine father has to do with yan consciousness, ie. the virtues, such as faith, strength, justice, prudence etc. often expressed better without the emotions, hence the reference to men. These are necessary for structure and physical creation. But let us not forget that the entities that embodied the yin consciousness the most were Buddah and Christ - both men. Also feminisme today does not empower women at all, instead it pushes women into masculinity - really not helpful.
Exactly, these are illustrations of principles not "feminism" which is a modern interpretation projected back into an ancient text, a mistake often made in contemporary analysis. I wonder if the ancient sages would agree with contemporary 3rd wave feminism.
You can barely speak of "modern feminism", because they all disagree with eachother as well (though this is less prevalent than discussions between feminists and conservatives).
There are people who identify as "feminist" that see the portralyal of women with only masculine traits as sexist
There are feminists who think that P is demeaning to women
There are feminists who see P as sexually liberating
There are feminists who made all those characters that act like dudes
some think that acting like Tomboys have their masculine traits "pushed on them by society" is demeaning
others write women without any traditionally feminine traits
and all of these people contradict eachother with the only throughline being that they think that their version of feminism empowers women.
@@Overwriter The bigger battle in women today is the integration of their inner masculine. Lashing out after the evil patriarchy or traditional gender roles expresses the imbalance within. Reality around you is always a reflection of you and there is never a justified resentment. If you like to experience something else, you must let go of your own limiting beliefs, hurt and pain. And men are not holding these women back. They are not living in Saudi Arabia. To the extent they are held back, it is themselves. I know, accountability is terrifying, it is so much easier just to blame everyone else, it really is awful - this thing called the world of adults.
🤮😂
哈！You want to ascribe gender politics to 道德经, and describe metaphysics as an ideology？
She’s reading directly from the text. Relax.
@@ViolaVoltairine Yes. Please forgive me Goddess.