Jason Gregory's Blog, page 24

Taoism’s Hierarchy of Spiritual Masters

In many of the world’s spiritual traditions there is a prophet figure who stands as the pillar of perfection and who we should worship. But is this framework the same when we explore Taoism? In this episode of Ask Jason, I will answer a question about if there is a prophet figure in Taoism and if either of the great sages Lao-tzu or Chuang-tzu are who we should worship. When we think of Taoism, is there a hierarchy of spiritual masters that set the great tradition in motion?

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.

Why Modern Culture is Empty and How Ancient Cultures Can Enrich Our Lives

In this podcast, we will explore why the ancient cultures of the East are more important now than ever before. Unfortunately, when Eastern spirituality was imported to the West it went through an intense cultural appropriation that stripped the traditions bear of any cultural knowledge and flavor. The significance of culture became secondary to how these new and exotic traditions can benefit our own way of living. In our modern world, ancient cultures in general are sadly becoming a thing of the past due to our focus on so-called progress and technological advancement. As a result, an empty culture is slowly being developed in the world based around the internet and this online culture is driven by Western beliefs and thinking. This Western version of reality online is infiltrating Eastern cultures that don’t have the same cognition and this is causing a lot of psychological and social damage. But the damage is not only happening to those in the East because it is unknowingly damaging the minds of the West as well. Our modern culture that is slowly developing is eliminating thousands of years of culture in one generation. This is a disaster and will have long-term implications. What we don’t understand is that culture is an accumulated set of knowledge passed down from one generation to the next because the knowledge is true and works, it is why we have evolved to become a cultural species. To eliminate thousands of years of cultural knowledge will cause irreversible damage and widespread psychopathy’s. Instead of turning our backs on the great cultures and traditions of the past, we need to lean into them and understand how they enrich our lives. What we are is a product of all the great cultures in the world. Should we replace them with an artificial culture based on one version of the world? 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.

VEDANTA | The Realization of Brahman

Understanding our true nature is best explained through the nondual Eastern traditions, especially Advaita Vedanta. At the heart of Vedanta is the concept of Brahman, the Ultimate Reality/undifferentiated consciousness at the core of our being known simply as Atman. Essentially, Atman is Brahman, meaning you are That Ultimate Reality but you just don’t realize it because of your belief in the dualistic persona you call “I.” How can we overcome this ignorance of our true nature? This is where the great sage Shankara enlightened the world, bringing the essence of ancient Hindu spiritual knowledge back to life. The words of Shankara in this video are translated by the great Swami Nikhilananda. Shankara’s words will guide you back to your true nature where the illusion of “I” as this person separate from everything else evaporates revealing the nondual supreme consciousness.

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.

ZEN KOANS | The Riddles that Stupefy the Mind and Evoke Enlightenment

In this podcast, we will explore the famous Zen riddles known as Koans and why they facilitate enlightenment. One of the bad habits both East and West is the general thinking of life in a rational linear way. Zen Buddhism, on the other hand, is focused on the present moment where time and thinking evaporate. The Zen way essentially is an embrace of the irrational outside conventional logic. Koans best describe this attitude, as these riddles have the power to transform us and actually evoke enlightenment. What appears as utter buffoonery practiced by a bunch of buffoons actually is something incredibly deep that we will all experience when we allow Zen Koans to stop our minds activity dead in its tracks. Be prepared to dive deep and experience a reality that is the essential world beyond the world of form.

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 Gratitude Meditation

One of the simplest but most transformative gratitude meditations is found in Taoism. Generally, we often forget about the simple things in life and the relationships we have. Life has a way of distracting our attention from what really matters. The Taoist gratitude meditation is a simple method to bring your mind back daily to what truly matters in life.

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 | The Path of Amorality and the Way of the Moral Fool

In this podcast, we will explore the amorality of Taoism and why morality itself is immoral. Taoist philosophy explains that when we operate from partiality and create standards, we instantly create its opposite. Essentially, a standard is its opposite in another form and that is especially the case in regards to morality, making any attempt of morality an act of immorality. We cannot escape that any form of morality is man-made and ultimately an external belief system, not the way of nature. This is why in the Tao Te Ching, Lao-tzu implores us to renounce morality to rediscover the real natural path that is amoral, without any standard superimposed upon life.

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 to Use Meditation as a Tool to Deal with Insults and Foolish People

In a world hypnotized by opinions and beliefs, it is hard for the sincere spiritual seeker to not be sucked into worldliness. We’ve all slipped on the path because of the ignorance and foolishness of those individuals who are asleep. In this episode of Ask Jason, I will answer a question about how to deal with insults and foolish people. I will explore if meditation is a sufficient method and strategy to deal with such worldly hypnosis.

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 | The Cannibal Thief Who Ate Confucius’s Liver

In this episode of Enlightenment Today, I will explain the Taoist cannibal thief Robber Zhi found in the Zhuangzi text. Robber Zhi is one of the least known and understood in the Zhuangzi text. He is the embodiment of the Taoist attitude towards life, but people confuse this passage with historical events rather than seeing it as a parody. In the story, the moralist Confucius seeks to change Robber Zhi’s rebellious behavior. Confucius believes that someone as charismatic and handsome as Robber Zhi should take on an aristocratic title. When Confucius arrives, Robber Zhi is having a snack of human livers, symbolizing his complete contempt towards Confucian morality. What unfolds in this exchange is one of the greatest intellectual beatdowns within any Taoist text. Though Robber Zhi may appear gross and absurd in this passage, he is an example of the Taoist attitude towards life and how one should follow one’s nature. How can a cannibal thief be a Taoist? It depends on if you understand the depth of the parody. Find out more.

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 | Zhuangzi’s Teachings of Psychic Detox

In this podcast, we will explore the ancient fasting the mind teachings. Drawing on the spiritual philosophies and meditative practices of classical yoga, Vedanta, Buddhism, and Taoism, we will explain how fasting the mind directly impacts your habits and way of being in the world to create peace and calmness in your life as well as allow you to build a firm psychological defense against the increasing bombardment of distractions in our world.

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 Secret Teachings of Reincarnation

Reincarnation within Taoism is not as clear-cut as within Hinduism and Buddhism. If one has not explored the Taoist tradition at length then ideas of reincarnation seem vague, especially if one is only familiar with the Tao Te Ching and the Chuang-tzu text. In this episode of The Sacred Word, I will explore the later teachings of Lao-tzu in a text you’ve probably never heard of. This secret text holds the key to understanding reincarnation and if there are any similarities to Hinduism and Buddhism.

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.