36
Lectures
30
minutes/lecture
1.
Seneca—"On Providence"
In this introductory lecture, Professor Fears explains how wisdom enables us to take information and apply it to our lives. You begin with the Roman Empire and Seneca's "On Providence," which asserts that evil cannot befall a truly good man because, if a man believes that God is good, then there is no real evil.
1.
Seneca—"On Providence"
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19.
Homer—Odyssey
Begin your look at what lessons can be found in history's great adventure stories by studying Homer's Odyssey. The epitome of adventure tales, Odyssey teaches us invaluable lessons about how to survive in a world of temptations, dangers, and questionable decisions.
19.
Homer—Odyssey
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2.
The Gospel of John
Learn how the Gospel of John differs from the other synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) in both its majestic language and the ways it reveals Jesus's character. This text can teach you that the message of a single teacher can be more powerful than the rule of a massive empire.
2.
The Gospel of John
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20.
Sophocles—Philoctetes
Focus on Sophocles' Philoctetes as a lesson in the cruel business of war. Even though war brings untold suffering, wisdom and redemption can still emerge. This powerful lesson, you learn, is one that each generation must learn anew.
20.
Sophocles—Philoctetes
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3.
Boethius, Martin Luther King—Conscience
See how Boethius's On the Consolation of Philosophy instructs us on how true wisdom resides in recognizing the harm caused by returning evil with evil. Also, see Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" as a profound testimony to our ability to change the world.
3.
Boethius, Martin Luther King—Conscience
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21.
The Song of Roland—Chivalric Adventure
A tale of bravery, treachery, and loyalty to one's faith, the French epic The Song of Roland teaches us that honor is an external value. Explore how The Song of Roland also warns us about the destructive nature of honor when pushed too far.
21.
The Song of Roland—Chivalric Adventure
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4.
Dostoevsky—The Brothers Karamazov
Evil, suffering, and death have important purposes that we oftentimes can't understand, according to Professor Fears. In this lecture, see how Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov explores the depths of the Russian soul and teaches us about the very meaning of human existence.
4.
Dostoevsky—The Brothers Karamazov
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22.
Nibelungenlied—Chivalric Romance
Composed around A.D. 1200, the Nibelungenlied is a masterpiece of medieval literature. Examine how this Great Book brings together a number of themes from the course, including the creative and destructive power of love and how to courageously find one's destiny.
22.
Nibelungenlied—Chivalric Romance
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5.
Elie Wiesel—Night
Elie Wiesel's Night shows us how we can triumph as individuals in the face of great evil. In this lecture, you examine Wiesel's life and family before the Holocaust and witness how he survived the worst genocide in history. Both Wiesel's life and his novel are testaments to the unconquerable human spirit.
5.
Elie Wiesel—Night
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23.
Lewis and Clark—Journals
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark lived one of the greatest adventures in history: the exploration of the Louisiana Purchase. This scientific and diplomatic mission was detailed in The Journals of Lewis and Clark, which you consider as a way to get valuable lessons on both friendship and personal destiny.
23.
Lewis and Clark—Journals
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6.
Schweitzer—Out of My Life and Thought
Albert Schweitzer was one of the greatest humanitarians of his time. His autobiography, Out of My Life and Thought, is a fascinating study of his spiritual journey bringing modern medicine to Africa. Learn how this work teaches us that our very humanity rests on our reverence for all life.
6.
Schweitzer—Out of My Life and Thought
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24.
T. E. Lawrence—Seven Pillars of Wisdom
T. E. Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia, lived a life of grand adventure. His life story, recorded in Seven Pillars of Wisdom, provides you with the perfect image of a man of destiny—one whose imprint is still left on the map of the Middle East and in the hearts of anyone longing for personal challenge.
24.
T. E. Lawrence—Seven Pillars of Wisdom
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7.
Goethe—The Sufferings of Young Werther
Discover how Goethe advises us to move on with our lives rather than succumb to the tragic fate of lovesickness in The Sufferings of Young Werther. The most famous literary figure of his day, Goethe based the work on his own near-tragic experience with unrequited love.
7.
Goethe—The Sufferings of Young Werther
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25.
Aristophanes—Comedies
Laughter is a universal human action. In the first of a series of lectures about lessons of laughter and irony, you investigate the comedies of Aristophanes—including Acharnians, Peace, and Lysistrata—and how they reflected the mood of the Athenian people during the Peloponnesian War.
25.
Aristophanes—Comedies
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8.
Shakespeare—Hamlet
A meditation on the perils and merits of revenge, Shakespeare's Hamlet demonstrates its author's keen understanding of human motivations. The greatest lesson to be learned from this Great Book, you find, is this: Move on—vengeance will change nothing.
8.
Shakespeare—Hamlet
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26.
Menander—The Grouch
Menander's The Grouch tells a humorous tale of love hindered by a grumpy old man who is protective of his daughter and who is rescued from a well into which he has fallen by her would-be suitor. An important lesson you glean from this Great Book is that making happiness your ultimate goal leads to true happiness.
26.
Menander—The Grouch
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9.
Sophocles—Ajax
Learn how Sophocles' Ajax examines the ideas of pride and honor. Set against the violent backdrop of the Trojan War, this tragedy teaches us that even the best human qualities can become destructive when pushed to excess.
9.
Sophocles—Ajax
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27.
Machiavelli—La Mandragola
When we are seduced and betrayed, it is often because we have seduced and betrayed ourselves. See how this unpleasant point is illustrated in Machiavelli's Italian comedy about love, lust, and betrayal: La Mandragola (The Mandrake).
27.
Machiavelli—La Mandragola
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10.
Plato—Epistle VII
Plato's Epistle VII is a revealing and rewarding study of how even great philosophers can make nearly fatal mistakes. In this lecture, read the iconic Greek philosopher's letter as a valuable lesson on how to admit mistakes.
10.
Plato—Epistle VII
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28.
Erasmus—In Praise of Folly
Erasmus's In Praise of Folly is written as a speech given by Folly, personified as a clown. This Great Book teaches us how to step back, see ourselves as others see us, and frequently pause to laugh at ourselves and our follies.
28.
Erasmus—In Praise of Folly
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11.
Cicero—"On Old Age"
The Roman answer to Plato, Cicero achieved a successful legal career before entering the tumultuous world of politics. Investigate Cicero's "On Old Age" and his beliefs that older people are beneficial to society because of their experience, wisdom, and good judgment—despite what young people may say.
11.
Cicero—"On Old Age"
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29.
Thomas More—Utopia
While Erasmus teaches us to see ourselves as others see us individually, Thomas More (a close friend of Erasmus) does so nationally in Utopia. More conceived of Utopia as the tale of a mythic land where all goods are held in common and all needs are fully met.
29.
Thomas More—Utopia
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12.
Isaac Bashevis Singer—The Penitent
The Penitent, written by Nobel Prize winner Isaac Singer, is a powerful tale of a Jewish man who achieves worldly success in New York City but soon realizes how hollow that success is. The Penitentteaches us the lesson that the only reason to live a long life is to continue growing and developing.
12.
Isaac Bashevis Singer—The Penitent
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30.
George Orwell—Animal Farm
Learn how George Orwell's Animal Farm uses social satire to bring attention to conditions in the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin. This scathing critique of the dangers of Communism under a ruthless dictator was aimed at exposing the evils of totalitarianism.
30.
George Orwell—Animal Farm
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13.
Euripides—Alcestis
What do we mean when we talk about true love? Greek tragedies like Euripides' Alcestis teach us that anything taken to excess—even something good—leads to destruction. In Alcestis's self-sacrifice for her husband's immortality, you find the higher ideal of love that leads us to put others before ourselves.
13.
Euripides—Alcestis
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31.
Josephus—History of the Jewish War
Focus now on the final universal theme of the course: patriotism. Come to see History of the Jewish War by the historian Flavius Josephus as a moving lesson in the human love of freedom. To fight and die in the noble cause of freedom, you learn, should never be considered a defeat.
31.
Josephus—History of the Jewish War
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14.
Euripides—Medea
Turn from the idea of love as self-sacrifice to the idea of love as all-consuming hatred. In Euripides' Medea, the jealous title character's passion for revenge is so potent that she slays her own children to punish her husband for his infidelity.
14.
Euripides—Medea
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32.
Joseph Addison—Cato
Focus now on the final universal theme of the course: patriotism. Come to see History of the Jewish War by the historian Flavius Josephus as a moving lesson in the human love of freedom. To fight and die in the noble cause of freedom, you learn, should never be considered a defeat.
32.
Joseph Addison—Cato
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15.
Von Strasburg—Tristan and Isolde
Tristan and Isolde teaches us about the overwhelming power of love to make people abandon codes of honor and betray those to whom they owe the most. In this lecture, consider how the tragedy also instructs us on the medieval ideal of human passion as an allegory for the love of God.
15.
Von Strasburg—Tristan and Isolde
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33.
George Washington—Farewell Address
As a general and a president, George Washington was a great model of civic virtue and patriotism. His farewell address, an open letter to the American people, addresses national issues still with us today, including party division, foreign policy, and fiscal responsibility.
33.
George Washington—Farewell Address
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16.
Shakespeare—Antony and Cleopatra
Explore yet another side of the power of love in Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra. In this tragedy, learn how a man of enormous talent and opportunity can throw away world rule for the love of a woman. What makes this lesson all the more effective? Its basis in historical fact.
16.
Shakespeare—Antony and Cleopatra
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34.
Abraham Lincoln, George Patton—War
Explore the many ways in which war defines what it means to be patriotic by looking at two great wartime leaders: Abraham Lincoln and George S. Patton. Lincoln's 1864 letter to Mrs. Lydia Bixby teaches us about the costs of personal sacrifice, while Patton's life and career as told in War as I Knew It teach us about valor in the midst of battle.
34.
Abraham Lincoln, George Patton—War
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17.
Shakespeare—Macbeth
Like his Antony and Cleopatra, Shakespeare's Macbeth depicts the use of love as a tool for achieving power. You see how Lady Macbeth uses her husband as a surrogate for authority and fuels his decisions with her misguided love—a plan that contributes to the play's tragic outcome.
17.
Shakespeare—Macbeth
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35.
Theodore Roosevelt—An Autobiography
Chronicle the development of Theodore Roosevelt's ideas and his rise to political fame, as detailed in An Autobiography. Roosevelt's travels into and exploration of the American frontier helped him—and can help you—understand what makes a political leader truly great.
35.
Theodore Roosevelt—An Autobiography
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18.
Aldous Huxley—Brave New World
In contrast to earlier works that deal with the theme of love, Aldous Huxley's Brave New World takes you to a society devoid of love—one where sex and reproduction happen outside the world of affection and relationships. Professor Fears emphasizes how this futuristic satire is a warning about the perils of technology for humanity.
18.
Aldous Huxley—Brave New World
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36.
The Wisdom of Great Books
Professor Fears concludes the course by reminding you about the tried-and-true lessons to be found in the pages of Great Books. Although the world has changed throughout the course of human history, themes such as love, courage, and patriotism have always been—and will continue to be—part of our lives.
36.
The Wisdom of Great Books
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36
Lectures
30
minutes/lecture
1.
The Meaning of the Meaning of Life
Establish the solid ground from which your journey will begin. You'll learn the meanings that the word "meaning," itself, may embody and preview the approaches you will take to the question that gives the course its name.
1.
The Meaning of the Meaning of Life
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19.
Santideva—Transforming the Mind
Enhance your grasp of Mahayana Buddhism and Santideva's description of the meaningful life, achieved only through the "six perfections"—the pursuit of generosity, propriety, patience, effort, meditation, and wisdom.
19.
Santideva—Transforming the Mind
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2.
The Bhagavad-Gita—Choice and Daily Life
One of the core texts of the Mahabharata—a major moral and religious text for most Hindus—introduces you to the critically important skill of truly reading a text, deeply and with comprehension. It also begins your consideration of the concept of human choice.
2.
The Bhagavad-Gita—Choice and Daily Life
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20.
Zen—The Moon in a Dewdrop and Impermanence
Expand your understanding of Buddhism with an introduction to Zen. This path to Buddhahood is aimed at direct transformation. Knowledge is handed directly from mind to mind, with great emphasis placed on a teacher-disciple lineage that each Zen master can trace directly to Zen's originating moment.
20.
Zen—The Moon in a Dewdrop and Impermanence
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3.
The Bhagavad-Gita—Discipline and Duty
Plunge more deeply into the Bhagavad-Gita's wisdom by grasping the three kinds of yogas, or disciplines, embedded in its metaphors. See why these disciplines of action, knowledge, and devotion are all required if life is to be coherent, integrated, and rational.
3.
The Bhagavad-Gita—Discipline and Duty
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21.
Zen—Being-Time and Primordial Awakening
This lecture takes you through Zen concepts like duality and non-duality, perception and conception, Dogen's presentation of time as the very nature of our world, and what is required to reawaken our primordial Buddha-nature.
21.
Zen—Being-Time and Primordial Awakening
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4.
The Bhagavad-Gita—Union and Purpose
Conclude your reading of the Bhagavad-Gita with an appreciation of the theophany—Krishna's revelation of the nature of divinity. True freedom, says the Gita's final message, comes from disinterested action, reflective knowledge, and a finding of value at the cosmic level of a universe divine in its own right.
4.
The Bhagavad-Gita—Union and Purpose
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22.
Taking Stock of the Classical World
A look back at the classical traditions studied thus far reveals that although there is no unanimity, there are common dimensions, as well as a consensus about the value of a virtuoso life attained through contemplation and practice.
22.
Taking Stock of the Classical World
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5.
Aristotle on Life—The Big Picture
Shift your perspective from India to the roots of Western thought about life's meaning by beginning your study of Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics. This introductory lecture sets out the framework of Aristotle's view, as set forth in the lecture notes kept by his son and pupil, Nichomacheus.
5.
Aristotle on Life—The Big Picture
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23.
Hume's Skepticism and the Place of God
European modernity brings the first challenges of science and reason to the primacy of theology. David Hume argues that, although theism may well be reasonable, it cannot be rational, establishing the foundation for separate public and private spheres.
23.
Hume's Skepticism and the Place of God
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6.
Aristotle—The Highest Good
Explore Aristotle's search for the "highest good." It is a search that takes you through his famous "function argument" and offers an explanation of the comprehensive state of being known as eudaimonea, the fully flourishing life that may well elude evaluation until long after death.
6.
Aristotle—The Highest Good
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24.
Hume's Careless and Compassionate Vision
You explore Hume's distinctions between Nature and Second Nature, the importance of our social lives to our cognitive lives, and the key roles our passions and imagination play in our beliefs and actions.
24.
Hume's Careless and Compassionate Vision
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7.
Aristotle—The Happy Life
Your examination of Aristotle's ethical teachings concludes with his explanation of virtue, its key dimensions, and its necessary coupling with action. Special attention is also paid to the importance of friendship.
7.
Aristotle—The Happy Life
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25.
Kant—Immaturity and the Challenge to Know
The work of Immanuel Kant is considered the demarcation line for modern academic philosophy. Here you take up Kant's view of the Enlightenment as a call for people to emerge from their self-imposed immaturity and realize their nature as fully formed human beings.
25.
Kant—Immaturity and the Challenge to Know
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8.
Job's Predicament—Life Is So Unfair
As you move to the Hebraic tradition, you grasp how the core question has shifted. Instead of seeking our answer in our relationship to the cosmos, as in the Indian tradition, or to society, as in that of the Greeks, the focus is now on our relationship to a personal God.
8.
Job's Predicament—Life Is So Unfair
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26.
Mill's Call to Individuality and to Liberty
Readings from John Stuart Mill's On Liberty reveal the first purely individualistic doctrine of the meaning of life encountered in the course. Mill presents the strongest possible defense of the connection between a meaningful life and a liberal social order.
26.
Mill's Call to Individuality and to Liberty
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9.
Job's Challenge—Who Are We?
The book of Job brings an encounter with a troubling conclusion. Although life may indeed have meaning, it is a meaning shrouded by a mysterious divine, and we may need to live in ignorance of what that meaning may be.
9.
Job's Challenge—Who Are We?
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27.
Tolstoy—Is Everyday Life the Real Thing?
A novella by Tolstoy presents a very different and critical view of modernity, suggesting that its values of secularization and mass society invariably lead us, in fact, to a life that is meaningless.
27.
Tolstoy—Is Everyday Life the Real Thing?
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10.
Stoicism—Rationality and Acceptance
Your focus moves to the beginnings of Stoic moral theory in the writings of Seneca and Epictetus. Their accounts of a good life describe one that is moderate, reasonable, and controlled, living in harmony with the universe and society, and accepting of the inevitability of death.
10.
Stoicism—Rationality and Acceptance
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28.
Nietzsche—Twilight of the Idols
Nietzsche initiates postmodernism in philosophy—its first sustained attack on modernity. Through readings from his Twilight of the Idols, you grasp Nietzsche's dismissal of modernity's core values, including philosophical progress, reason, systematicity, god, and transcendent value.
28.
Nietzsche—Twilight of the Idols
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11.
Human Finitude—The Epicurean Synthesis
A brief introduction to Lucretius, the foremost Epicurean philosopher, serves as a gateway to the thought of Marcus Aurelius. Aurelius's Meditations synthesizes Stoic ideas about rational order and the importance of emotional control with Epicurean ideas about finitude and impermanence.
11.
Human Finitude—The Epicurean Synthesis
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29.
Nietzsche—Achieving Authenticity
Nietzsche's repudiation of modernity's concept of a meaningful life does not mean he lacks his own. This lecture presents his vision of life as a successful creative act on a grand scale, with oneself as the hero of a great autobiography.
29.
Nietzsche—Achieving Authenticity
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12.
Confucius—Order in the Cosmos and in Life
Your focus shifts to China and the ideas attributed to the man known to the West as Confucius. Hear what his teachings have to say about concepts like warm-heartedness, propriety, virtue, filial piety, the nature of the universe, and the achievement of an effortless excellence of character.
12.
Confucius—Order in the Cosmos and in Life
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30.
Gandhi—Satyagraha and Holding Fast to Truth
Your introduction to the thought of Gandhi reveals him as even more radical than Nietzsche. Although a realization of Gandhi's views would admittedly sacrifice many of modernity's benefits, including much of technology, medicine, and law, it is a price he says we must be willing to pay.
30.
Gandhi—Satyagraha and Holding Fast to Truth
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13.
Daodejing—The Dao of Life and Spontaneity
An exploration of a very different Chinese approach to understanding than that set forth in Confucianism begins with a cautionary demonstration of the startling differences in interpretation that will always be present among various translations of a text.
13.
Daodejing—The Dao of Life and Spontaneity
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31.
Gandhi—The Call to a Supernormal Life
Gandhi's own life serves as an example of the supernormal life he advocates. See how his argument for what he believes to be the only meaningful life includes echoes from almost every text we've examined.
31.
Gandhi—The Call to a Supernormal Life
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14.
Daodejing—The Best Life Is a Simple Life
Some beautiful readings from the Daodejing bring out the profound differences in outlook that set it apart from Confucianism. Grasp how it turns away from social structures and the "cultivation" of individual excellence in favor of a simple, natural life.
14.
Daodejing—The Best Life Is a Simple Life
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32.
Lame Deer—Life Enfolded in Symbols
Readings from Lame Deer, Seeker of Visions offer a different vantage point for seeking meaning: a symbolic view of life. It is not that modernity lacks its own symbolism or is without meaning, says this Lakota Sioux holy man, but that it means the wrong things.
32.
Lame Deer—Life Enfolded in Symbols
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15.
Daodejing—Subtlety and Paradox
Conclude your immersion in the Daodejing with this examination of some of its most important aspects. Take in its perspectives on the nature of the universe, the subtlety and suppleness of virtue, the value of "negativity," and the delicacy of life.
15.
Daodejing—Subtlety and Paradox
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33.
Lame Deer—Our Place in a Symbolic World
Go deeper into Lame Deer's critique of modernity, examining his ideas about the impact of money and our fetishism about it, the alienation from nature it brings about, and modernity's simultaneous denial and spreading of death.
33.
Lame Deer—Our Place in a Symbolic World
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16.
Zhuangzi on Daoism—Impermanence and Harmony
Your exploration of Daoism ends with its longest classical text, the Zhuangzi. You find not only the themes of spontaneity and the suspicion of logic, but also ridicule of the Confucian emphasis on ritual, propriety, and rigid relationships.
16.
Zhuangzi on Daoism—Impermanence and Harmony
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34.
HH Dalai Lama XIV—A Modern Buddhist View
You are introduced to the Dalai Lama's Buddhist-inflected but very modern, secular vision about the universal human goal of happiness. You learn its components and the relationship between their pursuit and the interconnectedness of human life.
34.
HH Dalai Lama XIV—A Modern Buddhist View
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17.
The Teachings of the Buddha
This lecture begins with the search for enlightenment by a young Indian prince and concludes with an introduction to what he found—the so-called Four Noble Truths, including the eightfold path to sharing that enlightenment.
17.
The Teachings of the Buddha
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35.
HH Dalai Lama XIV—Discernment and Happiness
A vigorous discussion of how to achieve happiness reveals how the Dalai Lama's views of a meaningful life, modern as they are, also contain a deep traditionalist thread. We must still commit to the bodhisattva path, the altruistic aspiration to attain awakening for the benefit of all.
35.
HH Dalai Lama XIV—Discernment and Happiness
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18.
Santideva—Mahayana Buddhism
Here you begin your study of one of the major evolutions in Buddhist thought, the Mahayana, and one of its major texts—Santideva's Bodhicaryavatara—a "how-to" manual for leading an enlightened life.
18.
Santideva—Mahayana Buddhism
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36.
So, What Is the Meaning of Life?
Tempting as it may be to form a single answer agreed on by all, there is none to be found. What is clear is that there are recurrent themes, with the answer that works for you likely to be found among them.
36.
So, What Is the Meaning of Life?
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