The Art of Effortless Living

The Art of Effortless Living

2019, Philosophy  -   12 Comments
7.08
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Ratings: 7.08/10 from 126 users.

Our modern age is polluted by urgent deadlines, endless responsibilities, and constant distractions. The challenges of simple living can sometimes feel overwhelming. For many, Taoism offers the building blocks to a more insightful and empowered existence amongst the chaos. The feature-length documentary The Art of Effortless Living explores these tenets of Taoism, its inventory of life-enhancing benefits, and ways we can incorporate its practices into our daily lives.

Led by the concept of Wu Wei, which literally translates into "non-action", the practice teaches us how to relinquish our need to control our world as if we could force it to bend to our will. This encourages a feeling of oneness with nature, a trust in the natural order of the universe, and a renewed confidence to live our lives with the freedom of intelligent spontaneity.

These concepts are explained in great detail throughout the film's many chapters. The first section of the film delves into the belief in the effortless mind, and illustrates the importance of conserving our energies and developing a stronger and more intimate sense of our personal identity.

The chapters - or lessons - build from there. There's a segment that compares Confucianism to Taoist practices. Another section discusses the conflicts between our inner selves - altruistic on one side and selfish on the other. The hierarchy of power is the subject of a latter segment, and how true practitioners of Taoism are often regarded as enemies of the powerful due to their inability to be controlled. Along the way, viewers will also find valuable insights on how to absorb the power of the universe within the frame of your mind and body, methods for living in the moment and embracing the world without selfish desire, and the keys to reversing personal and societal unrest.

Presented with a wealth of calm-inducing imagery and comforting narration, The Art of Effortless Living makes even the loftiest philosophical concepts relatable. It's the perfect primer for those who feel overwhelmed by the realities of their everyday lives, and want to explore the Eastern philosophies as a means of defining a new reality for themselves.

Directed by: Jason Gregory

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Hank William Dadswell
Hank William Dadswell
2 years ago

Thank you Jason for waking me up to a much greater reality . . to reality itself !. To everyone else I highly highly recommend watching this and his other videos, this guy is on the money !
Watch his videos, meditate, reflect and reframe the picture of Global Warming and Covid from this more informed perspective to comprehend, understand, accept, surrender to and adapt to what is coming at us from over the horizon, for when we truly understand the mechanics of what is going on and why, and what we now need to do to evolve . . the way forward becomes pretty clear. Any naysayers on here are clearly stuck in delusion and ignorance (moha) and would do well to start by heading up to one of the Vipassana Meditation Centres for 10 days to learn how to wash ones brain and body of all the garbage that it has picked up along the way ! : ))

maigua
maigua
4 years ago

Concsiously designed for the gullible and the naive.

S. America
S. America
4 years ago

Wonder full to feel and see the Light done so beautifully.
Everything you ever needed here, you were born with.
"One is everything. You are a part of One. One is not everything without you."
Enlightenment - feeling yourself witness yourself.
Beyond Enlightenment - showing someone else the path to feeling yourself witness yourself.
Enjoy, mind like parachute - function only when open.
Episcopalian (Anglican outside USA), Jesus (Gospel of Thomas), Gnostic, Zen Japanese Buddhist teacher (Sosan Third Patriarch of Zen), Tao student, ...
Thank you. Sam

p
p
4 years ago

Yawn. Is this Communist Chinese propaganda to weaken the western world?

CCRider
CCRider
4 years ago

Interesting, and enjoyable.

Eddy St.Luise
Eddy St.Luise
4 years ago

Very interesting explanation of Tao. Lots of ironic situations resolve themselves if allowed to just happen.

koth
koth
4 years ago

A lecture, not a documentary... I wish people would learn the difference and lable them as such.

Philip Harding
Philip Harding
4 years ago

Sorry- I accidentally gave this one star. I meant six.