Shadowing Practice: Taoist Wisdom For Inner Peace - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Taoism is an ancient Chinese mystical, philosophical, and religious tradition that emphasizes living in agreement with the Tao.
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The main work in Taoism is the Daodejing, created by a mysterious author called Laozi, which contains profound wisdom and insights.
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But there are more ancient works that define Taoism, like Zhuangzi and Lizi.
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It can be difficult to make sense out of the poetry, parables, anecdotes, and other forms of writing that Daoist scriptures have to offer.
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Nevertheless, we can find a lot of value in them.
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In this video, I would like to discuss some Daoist wisdom for inner peace.
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Daoism contains a philosophy that almost directly opposes today's culture.
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We're all about work hard, play hard, being proactive, unlocking your full potential,
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social, achieving social status, which often goes hand -in -hand with stretching ourselves beyond our capacities.
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This doesn't mean that accomplishment is evil.
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A certain degree of accomplishment is necessary for survival, and lies at the basis of civilization.
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But the Taoists highlight that there are alternative ways to live our lives.
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Ways that are less burdened, but less glamorous too.
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This all comes down to living more in tune with the Tao.
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Tao, the all -encompassing and thriving force behind the universe.
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Here are four pieces of wisdom that might bring us closer to the Tao.
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Don't stand on your tiptoes.
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In current culture, we're likely to overstretch ourselves in order to achieve our goals.
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Oftentimes we rush, exaggerate our achievements, lie, boast about our abilities, and push too hard.
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But the problem with this behavior is that we often lack the foundation to do what we want to do,
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which results in a very unstable position.
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I quote, Those who stand on tiptoes do not stand firmly.
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Those who rush ahead don't get very far.
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Those who try to outshine others dim their own light.
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Those who call themselves righteous can't know how wrong they are.
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Those who boast of their accomplishments diminish the things they have done.
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End quote.
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So, it's better that we don't rush into tasks, don't buy things that we can't afford, don't lie about our abilities,
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and don't show ourselves off all the time.
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Because if we do, we put ourselves in an extremely vulnerable and stressful position.
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This doesn't mean that we shouldn't go out and accomplish things.
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It's just that we do so in a manner that's sustainable and within our true capacities.
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Let softness overcome the heart.
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As a follow -up to not standing on our tiptoes,
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it could be very beneficial to realize that softness is a way to overcome the greatest of tasks.
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Here's what Lao Tzu wrote about this, and I quote, Water is the softest and most yielding substance,
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yet nothing is better than water for overcoming the hard and rigid, because nothing can compete with it.
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End quote.
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We can interpret this in many ways.
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When we look at how water has carved out mountains and rocks on our planet,
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we could say that repeating the same acts of softness over and over again will eventually overcome the hard.
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If we put emphasis on small tasks and efforts, these eventually add up into one big undertaking.
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This is the power of discipline, which means that we do the same things over and over again to achieve something big.
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A great factor in this process is the virtue of patience, which is also a form of softness,
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in which we simply accept the slowness of a natural process.
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Another factor is the willingness to let go, so the universe can manifest itself.
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We can see this with planting a tree, for example.
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We can't will the tree into growth.
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We can only water it and let nature do the rest.
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Being soft also means being flexible.
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People that are too hard and brittle cannot adapt to new situations easily and are often subdued to external circumstances.
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When we're flexible, like water, we can adapt to these circumstances.
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When a rock breaks off from a mountain by an earthquake, the fall pulverizes it.
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Water, on the other hand, will just find another way to flow.
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Three.
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Appreciate uselessness.
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In the Zhuangzi, there's a story about a useless, crooked tree.
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The lumberjack didn't want to cut that tree because that would have been a waste of his time and energy.
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The tree was so crooked and ugly that he probably couldn't even make one decent wooden plank out of it.
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But then, Zhuangzi came along.
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He observed that the straight trees were all cut down because they were useful for mankind.
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Thus, the uselessness of the crooked tree became the reason for its survival.
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Moreover, people thought… that the tree's deformations and age made it special and began to worship it like a holy object.
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Our society expects us to be useful.
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We're more appreciated when we're intelligent, diligent, good -looking, etc. Being useless doesn't get us any respect, and is even seen as a vice.
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Even the Stoics think that living virtuously includes being useful for the community.
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But the Taoists, as rebellious as they are, go against the grain by saying that uselessness is actually very useful.
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In the case of the tree, uselessness led to its preservation.
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When it comes to humans, we'll see that when we don't possess many desirable traits, we're often saved from a lot of trouble.
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So if you aren't very gifted, don't sweat over it.
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Instead, be happy, because gifted people are often the first ones that get exploited.
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Don't strive, but flow along.
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Zhuangzi observed that striving for external things is the same as striving for an illusion.
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Wealth doesn't buy happiness, and it certainly doesn't buy inner peace.
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On the contrary, being too much encumbered by possessions can evoke anxiety.
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I quote, The ears of the rich are provided with the music of bells,
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drums, flageolettes, and flutes, and their mouths are stuffed with the flesh of fat beasts, and with wine of the richest flavor.
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However, so are their desires satisfied, till they forget their proper business.
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Theirs may be pronounced a condition of disorder.
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Sunk deeply in their self -sufficiency, they resemble individuals ascending a height with a heavy burden on their backs.
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Their condition may be pronounced one of bitter suffering.
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End quote.
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The Taoists see any kind of grasping towards externals and tightly holding on to them as unnatural.
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It's not aligned with the Tao, so to say.
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But current society seems to completely revolve around this, and perhaps this is one of the main reasons why
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so many people are on antidepressants these days and flee in drugs and alcohol.
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A healthier way would be to stop striving and let go.
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And when we flow along with the current of life, we'll find out that many things will come to us, and that it doesn't take much,
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in a materialistic sense, to be satisfied.
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When a bird drinks from a pond, it only fills its belly with enough water to keep on living.
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Even animals in hibernation eat just enough to survive the coldness and scarcity of the winter.
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By following a more natural course, we will most likely end up in places that are more in agreement with our own nature.
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The act of striving often blinds us to the things
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that already are and the possibilities that life presents and that we can simply take without effort.
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So, it can't harm us to lay down the arms for a
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while and just experience what the universe has in store for us, instead of constantly striving for a conceptual future.
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Woordenschat en spreektips bij deze les
Deze spreekles is gebaseerd op de video “Taoist Wisdom For Inner Peace”. Deze woorden komen het vaakst terug: tree, quote, striving, Tao, Taoist. Deze video bevat 75 zinnen en 1275 woorden om na te spreken. Het gesproken deel duurt 7:57. De spreker praat in een natuurlijk tempo van ongeveer 160 woorden per minuut, dicht bij een alledaags gesprek. Slechts 79% van de woorden hoort bij de 3.000 meest gebruikte Engelse woorden, dus de woordenschat is pittig.
Belangrijke woorden in deze video
15 woorden uit de video die het leren waard zijn, met uitspraak en betekenis:
| Woord | Uitspraak | Betekenis |
|---|---|---|
| strive werkwoord | /ˈstɹaɪv/ | streven |
| overcome werkwoord | /ˌəʊ.vəˈkʌm/ | overwinnen |
| rush werkwoord | /ɹʌʃ/ | afraffelen |
| wisdom zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈwɪzdəm/ | wijsheid |
| accomplishment zelfstandig naamwoord | /əˈkɑm.plɪʃ.mənt/ | voltooiing |
| crooked bijvoeglijk naamwoord | /kɹʊkɪd/ | krom, scheef |
| survival zelfstandig naamwoord | /sɚˈvaɪ.vəl/ | overleven, overleving |
| burden zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈbɝdn̩/ | last |
| flexible bijvoeglijk naamwoord | /ˈflɛk.sɪ.bəl/ | buigzaam |
| observe werkwoord | /əbˈzɜːv/ | respecteren, in acht nemen |
| adapt werkwoord | /əˈdæpt/ | aanpassen |
| satisfy werkwoord | /ˈsætɪsfaɪ/ | voldoen, voldoende zijn |
| circumstance zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈsɝ.kəmˌstæns/ | omstandigheid |
| pronounce werkwoord | /pɹəˈnaʊns/ | uitspreken, verklaren |
| boast werkwoord | /boʊst/ | opscheppen |
Phrasal verbs die je zult horen
| Woord | Betekenis |
|---|---|
| cut down werkwoord | vellen |
| find out werkwoord | ontdekken, onderzoeken |
| go out werkwoord | naar buiten gaan |
| lie down werkwoord | gaan liggen, neerliggen |
Grammatica in deze video
De structuren die de spreker het meest gebruikt, met de exacte woorden uit de video:
| Structuur | In de video |
|---|---|
| Betrekkelijke bijzinnen who / which + zin — extra informatie over een persoon of ding | Those who stand · Those who rush · Those who try |
| Lijdende vorm be + voltooid deelwoord — het gaat om wat er gebeurt, niet om wie het doet | are often subdued · is even seen · are provided |
| Present perfect have/has + voltooid deelwoord — iets uit het verleden dat nu nog telt | have done · has carved |
Uitspraak om op te letten
De spreker gebruikt 32 samentrekkingen en verkorte vormen, zoals don't, doesn't, we're. Spreek ze kort uit, zoals je ze hoort.
- De “th”-klanken: nevertheless /ˌnɛvɚðəˈlɛs/, earthquake /ˈɝθkweɪk/, theirs /ðɛɚz/, thrive /θɹajv/
- De klanken “sh” en “zh”: rush /ɹʌʃ/, accomplishment /əˈkɑm.plɪʃ.mənt/, possession /pəˈzɛʃn̩/, worship /ˈwɝ.ʃɪp/, flesh /flɛʃ/
- Lange woorden — let op de klemtoon: accomplishment /əˈkɑm.plɪʃ.mənt/, anxiety /æŋˈzaɪ.əti/, intelligent /ɪnˈtɛlɪd͡ʒənt/, nevertheless /ˌnɛvɚðəˈlɛs/, sustainable /səˈsteɪnəbəl/
Klanken die Nederlandstaligen lastig vinden:
- Stemhebbende eindmedeklinker — /b/, /d/, /g/, /z/, /v/ niet verscherpen: strive /ˈstɹaɪv/, crooked /kɹʊkɪd/, observe /əbˈzɜːv/, yield /jiːld/, pond /pɑnd/
- /æ/ — opener dan de Nederlandse “e”: adapt /əˈdæpt/, satisfy /ˈsætɪsfaɪ/, circumstance /ˈsɝ.kəmˌstæns/, anxiety /æŋˈzaɪ.əti/, happiness /ˈhæpinɪs/
- /g/ — een harde plofklank, geen Nederlandse “g”: ugly /ˈʌɡli/, grain /ɡɹeɪn/, grasp /ɡɹæsp/, glamorous /ˈɡlæ.mə.ɹəs/, exaggerate /ɛɡˈzæd͡ʒ.ə.ɹeɪt/
Zo oefen je met deze video
- Luister de hele video één keer zonder te spreken en noteer de woorden die je niet kent.
- Begin op 0,75× snelheid, spreek zin voor zin na en ga terug naar normale snelheid zodra het makkelijk gaat.
- Neem jezelf op en vergelijk met het origineel; let daarbij op woorden als strive, overcome, rush.
Wat is de Shadowing-techniek?
Shadowing is een wetenschappelijk onderbouwde taalleermethode die oorspronkelijk is ontwikkeld voor professionele tolkentraining en gepopulariseerd door polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. De methode is eenvoudig maar krachtig: je luistert naar native Engelse audio en herhaalt het onmiddellijk hardop — als een schaduw die de spreker volgt met slechts 1–2 seconden vertraging. In tegenstelling tot passief luisteren of grammaticadrills, dwingt shadowing je hersenen en mondspieren om echte spraakpatronen tegelijkertijd te verwerken en te reproduceren. Onderzoek toont aan dat het de uitspraaknauwkeurigheid, intonatie, ritme, verbonden spraak, luisterbegrip en spreekvaardigheid aanzienlijk verbetert — waardoor het een van de meest effectieve methoden is voor IELTS Speaking-voorbereiding en echte Engelse communicatie.