On the 19th day of the 2nd Moon, which this year falls on April 6th, we celebrate the Golden Immortaless Guan Shi Yin’s Birthday. Known as “Vessel of Compassion” and “The True Person” to Taoists, Guan Yin is highly revered in both Taoism and Buddhism. Asians, and the Chinese especially, have long pr...

You would be hard-pressed to try learning about Taoism and Taoist philosophy without any mention of Lao Tzu. Considered the founder of Taoism, his philosophical work, the “Tao De Jing,” is the foundational text and cornerstone of Taoist philosophy and its teachings and practices. This work explains ...

In this new monthly blog series, we will be offering Taoist perspectives on how to live in rhythm with the seasonal changes unfolding over the coming weeks.

The first thing to understand is that rather than treating Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter as single blocks of time, the Chinese system track...

Lily introduces Tim Burkett as a former guiding teacher of the Minnesota Zen Meditation Center, someone who helped build it over decades and continues to teach and mentor there. Tim notes that this is his next-to-last talk in a series on Zhuangzi, and that he plans to speak next on The Secret of the...

This new year of the Fire Horse comes galloping in, full speed, on February 17, 2026.

Horses represent movement, restlessness, boldness, and travel, while the Fire element is characterized by brightness, directness, expressiveness, and charisma.

Generally speaking, Fire Horse years tend to signify...

As I look to the year ahead, I'm thinking about how Stuart used to give us guidance for our spiritual cultivation based on the energy of the animal and element of that year.

While I'm not an astrologer, I've been contemplating what I learned from Stuart about the fire element and the horse. These a...

In this new monthly blog series, we will be offering Taoist perspectives on how to live in rhythm with the seasonal changes unfolding over the coming weeks.

The first thing to understand is that rather than treating Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter as single blocks of time, the Chinese system track...

The Book of Sun and Moon, more popularly known as the Yijing or Book of Changes, is one of the oldest surviving literary works in the world. At the same time, it remains one of the most profound pieces ever composed.

It serves many functions at once. It is:

• A book of wisdom

• A book of divi

  ...

Why does Stuart render the Yijing as the Book of Sun and Moon instead of using the standard translation, Book of Changes?

To answer that, we have to look carefully at what the character Yi (易) actually means and how Stuart interprets it in his introduction.

This is not a poetic flourish. It is not...

In Taoist teachings, Internal Alchemy refers to a process of transformation of your body, mind, and spirit that cannot be forced, accelerated, or manufactured through effort alone.

Yet for many people, the language of spiritual awakening assumes that striving and self-improvement are oriented towar...

In this class, guest speaker Tim Burkett continues exploring Zhuangzi, connecting his teachings to everyday life and showing how we can stay grounded, compassionate, and present during personal and collective challenges. The discussion begins with Zhuangzi’s question of whether the world truly needs...

 Once you stop pushing and stop feeding agitation, the next question is simple: what actually guides your actions now?

In Taoism, Lao Zi talked about three treasures that form the foundation of the path: compassion, frugality, and not putting oneself first. If you really want to understand what it ...