this post was submitted on 21 Nov 2023
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[โ€“] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago (6 children)

I find comfort in the Zhuangzi, a text that later became associated with daoism.

To me, the zhuangzi is about accepting the inevitablity of change by remembering that the human scale is only a small part of the crazy and unknowable universe we exist in.

It's hilarious, an obvious work of genius, and surprisingly modern. Unlike the dao de jing, it uses nonsense and satire to make very real and relevant points about the human plight.

[โ€“] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Thanks! Can you recommend a book / translation?

[โ€“] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

https://scholarworks.iu.edu/dspace/handle/2022/23427

Here's a combined translation/commentary from a scholar. It has some important context.

It's only the 'Inner' chapters - this is the section that is generally accepted as written by Master Zhuang himself because it's "governed by a single creative vision". The 'outer' and 'miscellanious' sections still have some great chapters - 'stealing' is one of my favorites.

Also, here's an 8m video of a semi-related daoist text called Neither Lord Nor Master. I find it so relevant. The first sentence is basically: Confucians say heaven ordained authority, but that's a lie told by people who benefit from oppression. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gs23tDAaEho

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