Jason Gregory's Blog, page 19

Taoism’s Critique of Virtue Signaling and Identity Politics

In a world growing overly sensitive and overly serious about every little thing due to political correctness being forced on the innocent minds of the masses, virtue signaling and weaponizing identity becomes a new tool to create artificial divides among humanity. But this is nothing new. 2,500 years ago during the Warring States period of China, Lao-tzu had to also deal with the politically correct insanity that gave rise to Confucianism. Hence, Lao-tzu left society because common sense and being humble had declined and were eventually replaced with verbal and physical posturing (virtue signaling). In this episode of Ask Jason, I will answer a concern that many people on the spiritual path have, does virtue signaling and identity politics have a place in Eastern spirituality considering the core principle of the East is to dissolve the identity that is full of beliefs and opinions built on the illusion of separation?

NOTE: This site directs people to Amazon and is an Amazon Associate member. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you. The pages on this website may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that I have recommended. This goes a tiny way towards defraying the costs of maintaining this site.

Taoism’s Mystic Feminine – The Yin Power of the Universe

In this podcast, we will explain the mystical feminine represented by the valley spirit in Taoism. This valley spirit of the Tao contains the secret power of Yin that is accessible to all when we become receptive to the fundamental forces of the universe. This podcast is the sixth episode of the 81 Meditations of the Tao Te Ching, a series where we will explore each chapter of the Tao Te Ching. We will dissect chapter six of the Tao Te Ching to give you ultimate clarity on the meaning of the chapter.

NOTE: This site directs people to Amazon and is an Amazon Associate member. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you. The pages on this website may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that I have recommended. This goes a tiny way towards defraying the costs of maintaining this site.

Taoism’s Butterfly Dream Story – The Transformation from Ego to Tao

In this podcast, we will explain one of Taoism’s most famous stories, Zhuangzi’s butterfly dream. In the Zhuangzi text, chapter two is finished with a very odd and peculiar story of Zhuang Zhou (Zhuangzi) dreaming he is a butterfly and the butterfly dreaming it was Zhuang Zhou. Many theories and speculation have been made about the meaning of this story. We will explain the three main meanings and the hidden Taoist interpretation of Zhuangzi’s butterfly dream.

NOTE: This site directs people to Amazon and is an Amazon Associate member. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you. The pages on this website may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that I have recommended. This goes a tiny way towards defraying the costs of maintaining this site.

Psychedelics Discovered in India’s Most Ancient Spiritual Tradition

India is not typically known for its relationship to psychedelics. But around 3500 years ago we find an anomaly in India’s most ancient text, a mysterious word called Soma. Some have attributed this to a psychedelic plant, some to a non-hallucinogenic plant, while others believe it’s something metaphorical that makes no sense to us in the modern day. In this episode of The Sacred Word, I will explore the mystery of Soma discovered in India’s most ancient text, the Rig Veda. I will dissect the candidates for Soma and try to end the age-old debate as to whether Soma is a psychedelic or not.

NOTE: This site directs people to Amazon and is an Amazon Associate member. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you. The pages on this website may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that I have recommended. This goes a tiny way towards defraying the costs of maintaining this site.

INDIA | The Spiritual Heart of the World

In this podcast, we will explain why India is the spiritual heart of the world. India is famous for being a large exporter of spices, tea, coffee, gems, jewelry, and vaccines. But its greatest gift to the world, and the one Indians are most proud of, is spirituality, beginning with Sanatana Dharma. For centuries, India has been invaded and oppressed, and yet, their Dharmic culture and spirituality has survived intact and are beginning to have a positive influence on the world. For thousands of years, many civilizations have come and gone, but India is still standing, making it the longest enduring civilization in the world and this is all due to the spirituality that binds the people in a deeper understanding of not only the world, but also ourselves on an individual level.

Shiva’s Deadliest Weapon Explained

In this episode of Enlightenment Today, I will explain the hidden meaning of Shiva’s trident and his sacred ash. Both the trident and scared ash are related to a secret three worlds within all of us. Shiva destroys these three worlds through the third eye of wisdom. How does Shiva destroy these three worlds? But, more importantly, what are these three worlds that the trident symbolizes? Find out!

NOTE: This site directs people to Amazon and is an Amazon Associate member. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you. The pages on this website may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that I have recommended. This goes a tiny way towards defraying the costs of maintaining this site.

How Western Culture is Influencing Your Thinking and Destroying Cultural Diversity

In this podcast, we will explain why Western culture is destroying the world. Since the advent of social media, Western influence has reached the most distant parts of the world with its own culture and ways of thinking. Unintentionally, or in some cases maybe intentionally, Western culture undermines other cultures and reduces cultural diversity because innocent people from far off distant lands slowly begin to dance to the beat of one loud Western drum. This is essentially a covert monopoly on culture that is taking place and most are ignorant. The West went from imperialism to the covert method of intellectual imperialism, where all cultures are evaluated and dissected through the prism of Western thinking, destroying the diversity that makes the world beautiful. How is this all happening? Find out!

NOTE: This site directs people to Amazon and is an Amazon Associate member. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you. The pages on this website may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that I have recommended. This goes a tiny way towards defraying the costs of maintaining this site.

The Birth of the Ego and How a Sage Destroys It

In this podcast, we will explain how thoughts create the ego and what are the nature of thoughts. Thoughts and the process of thinking has been an area the East has focused on for thousands of years. In the modern world, we are under the impression that thoughts are linked in a series creating this continuity of the person we think we are. What causes this linkage? Is it a natural function of the mind or just a habit we are caught in? The great spiritual traditions of the East explain why thoughts themselves are not linked and this wisdom uncovers the nature of the mind itself and its true essence and function. Get ready to dive deep.

NOTE: This site directs people to Amazon and is an Amazon Associate member. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you. The pages on this website may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that I have recommended. This goes a tiny way towards defraying the costs of maintaining this site.

The Unified Consciousness Model – We Are All One

The great Eastern spiritual traditions reiterate numerous times through hundreds of texts that only consciousness exists and everything else, including yourself, is an illusion. This conflicts with our modern sensibilities because this ancient knowledge suggests that the world is neither real or unreal, but something entirely different. In this episode of The Sacred Word, I will explore one of the most radical nondualist texts, the Yoga Vasistha. This one text will challenge your way of thinking and explains thoroughly how the world is only one undifferentiated consciousness, the Absolute Brahman.

NOTE: This site directs people to Amazon and is an Amazon Associate member. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you. The pages on this website may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that I have recommended. This goes a tiny way towards defraying the costs of maintaining this site.

Taoism vs Christianity – Why Religious Conversion is Against Nature

In this podcast, we will explain the differences between the Taoist path of non-interference and the path of interference through religious conversion within Christianity. The path of conversion is a doctrinal privilege within some religions based on demographic swamping, which is diametrically opposed to the non-expansionist views of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism. This doctrinal privilege has caused a lot of bloodshed for thousands of years and, as a result, continually undermines and belittles other cultures and spiritual traditions. While, on the other hand, the Eastern traditions have followed the path of non-force and don’t have any doctrinal privilege based on demographic swamping. The Eastern traditions are based on nature, peace, and ultimate liberation from the illusion of a separate self, which requires us to understand that the way of the Tao (or in finding God for a Christian) is discovered in following the path of least resistance and not forcing a cultural viewpoint upon others. But the problem we have continually encountered in the world is when will such outdated views of conversion actually listen to other cultures and spiritual traditions, without projecting their own dogmatic beliefs upon them based on their outdated doctrinal privilege. Can we listen to each other without the veils of conditioning to allow the world to be as it should be, without any interference?

NOTE: This site directs people to Amazon and is an Amazon Associate member. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you. The pages on this website may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that I have recommended. This goes a tiny way towards defraying the costs of maintaining this site.