Thank you for the collaboration. I'm honored! The result is awesome!

"Mastering Others Is Strength. Mastering Oneself Makes You Fearless." ~ Lao Tzu

A few months ago, I put out a poll asking, 'what great philosopher should After Skool cover?' Among names like Marcus Aurelius, Aristotle, Rumi, Confucius and many more, Lao Tzu received the vast majority of the votes. So I searched far and wide for content on Lao Tzu, and the best I found was from Einzelgänger. This collaboration took a ton of effort, but I truly believe it's the best video yet. It is one I will revisit frequently to maintain peace of mind. It was an honor to work with Einzelgänger. Please check out their channel. If you want to help create more animations like this, please support After Skool on Patreon. Thank you. One love. www.patreon.com/AfterSkool

I loved the visualization of the man dragging his entire past behind him trying to move forward.. SO profund and right.. Well done! So talented.

"Control over others is weakness disguised as strength." - Eckhart Tolle

I discovered this when I finally let go of the things I thought I wanted. It was more out of frustration than out of understanding the Tao. I now have a wife, children, and a comfortable life. I’ve gone from a 60-70 hr corporate workweek to less than 20 hours of work per week. I was practicing wu wei without knowing.

“Stop thinking, and end your problems.” ~ Lao Tzu

"You tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is, never try." - Homer Simpson

Thanks so much to the people of After Skool for the animation and to Einzelgänger for the audio content. I love and support this work. ❤

If you ever listen to anything while reading comments, let it be this - go to borlest and read the book whispers of manifestation, then come back and thank me

“You trust or you don’t” that’s such a good quote

"Do or do not, there is no try." - Master Yoda

"When nothing is done, nothing is left undone"

"By refusing to help me, you left me with the same choice I had to begin with, to try or not to try, to take a risk or to play it safe. And your arguments have reminded me how precious the right to choose is. Because I've never been one to play it safe. I choose to try." - Captain Jean-Luc Picard

There’s something really enjoyable about watching a left hand drawing.

"In trust there is no trying- you trust or you dont" 🙏 ❤️

My word, so many beautiful drawings. That alone is enough to stun.

Love both of these channels. Thank you for coming together for this!

"Your mind is like this water, my friend. When it is agitated, it becomes difficult to see. But if you allow it to settle, the answer becomes clear." Master Oogway to Master Schifu

Thank you for mentioning Csikszentmihaly! I was always looking for how the flow state idea entered the modern west, read a lot of mystics plus adorno and nishida and their pupils, but couldn't find anything related to psychology or neuroscience on that topic!

The legend himself, Einzelganger!!!

Thank you for this amazing Collab! Einzelgänger has been a constant watch for me as has after skool. Seeing this makes my soul happy. Cant wait for more :)

Alan Watts' autobiography, In My Own Way, is, imo, his best, most enjoyable book.

'I am nothing. Take away nothing and I am' - Me (or not me)

Lao Tzu's philosophy of not trying goes hand in hand with Transcendental Meditation, since one of the things they teach about TM is that the way to have a successful TM session is to not to try to clear your mind of your thoughts during your TM sessions, but to just allow your mind to have thoughts during TM since thoughts are a natural part of TM since engaging in TM isn't based on any type of effort other than just repeating your mantra inside your mind.

I love your team red vs team blue Yin Yang at the beginning! I spend countless hours trying to get people to look beyond such false dichotomies. We only hurt ourselves by reinforcing such divides

This could actually make people respond in a way that seems effortlessly right. Don’t do nothing, but do what feels right at the moment. This leads to more compassionate and natural actions and responses according to what situation you see yourself in. Wow.

This video is beautiful in every way. Thank you.

That was so beautiful, i needed this. 😢 Thank you so much.

I came across a few workers who were living 'the art of not trying' - for some reason they always used to get laid off.

Thank you I needed to hear this… i often feel like I have to try hard, even when I know it won’t make a difference, but because I feel ashamed or judged for not trying.

The art work was magnificent! Well done.

"those who know do not speak, those who speak do not know" -tao te ching #56

Love Lao Tzu … the Doa stories … yrs of the Doa group… the more you try the more you cry, seems so …the way of it

Trusting the flow … is how you just found me 😂. Thank you perfect

I've been watching Einzle and Skool for years separately, so imagine my surprise at seeing this collaboration. Makes one think they are on to something 😅❤ Keep up the good work every one

An outstanding collaboration between two awesome channels! Great job After Skool and Einzelgänger!🤩

We don't need to compete instead let's collaborate 😊. Bless Us All 🙏

Really great! Thank you for covering! Really enjoyable.

I love this channel. It celebrates humanity, life, and our magical universe as a whole. Quantum mechanics/physics taught me to "see" beyond what I can see, hear, taste, and touch....and this channel helps me make sense of it all. Please keep doing what you do 👍 I wish everybody a happy and magical life 🙏

Two of my favourite channel collaborating.

Fascinating paradox how the Tao Te Ching is one of the most translated (more specifically, interpreted) works in history, yet "anything that can be called the Tao, is not the Tao"... 💭

Control what you can and make peace with the rest

ok it was weird when i pulled out my tao te ching book to read for later before you even posted this video..now you show the Flow state book that i literally downloaded because a friend recommended it lmaooo! I am supposed to be here, I appreciate you!

Seeing Einzelganger on this channel made my day. Truly amazing ❤ his content is beautiful

Hi After Skool, I just wanted to tell you that your channel is a real gold mine !!! 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

This channel has been so amazing to me as a dyslexic audio visual learner. Thank you this is beautiful ❤❤❤❤

Yayy! Finally - long awaited Lao Tzu video ❤❤❤

Wow. This is the thing I've been trying to remember from when I was young. Great timing.

Agreed 10000000000%!!!! I always say; "Let everything happen naturally, organically-when the time is right". Unfortunately, YT is full of "life coaches" telling the opposite. "You can do it!! Just imagine and keep that image in your mind". And I say: "What about our destiny? What about astrology?... If this or that is in your LIFE book, then it'll happen. Whether you want it, or not".

Having taken a Taoism course in Korea, I can say that it's not stop trying, or not doing, but doing without trying like the nature.

"end quote" Are you thinking what i'm thinking? lmao

The hardest part of this is letting go. We want so many things to be in our control, but once our focus shifts to what we can control, everything falls into place

Thank you I needed this.

I'm already a master of this at work

Wonderful - thank you both x

this is one of the most important videos i've watched in my entire tiny life

Congrats on the collaboration! Love both you guys!

The "true tao" must be form-less, yet influencing all forms, yes, as we might perceive from conscious awareness... Wu Wei... in the Flow of Things... surrender... action that says "yes" to what is perceived, then adds "and..." to it... again, again, again.... Blessings, thank you

Thank you. This was much-needed in a moment of intense confusion for me.

The art in this video is so beautiful

I Love both channels!! The merging video is awesome!!

Einzel is a gem for sure.

Everything about this video is absolutely beautiful.

Thank you very much! Amazing job as always 🌱

Perfect Timing. Thank You, AS

i learned some lessons from this video, and the accompanying drawings were very pleasing.

The collab we've all been waiting for 😮

Fully living this way takes mountains of trust when you are in the thick of it

Thank you just what I needed.

This is the team up I was waiting for

I'm only trying to get out of this matrix and wake up

Danke dir Einzelgänger ❤❤❤

I found this approach very interesting, and it explains some abilities that I haven't been able to understand before. In board meetings or during both hostile and friendly negotiations, I have somehow always managed to come out on top. I leave a greater impression of establishing a more trustworthy truth by spontaneously reacting in a proactive and constructive manner, rather than directly trying to oppose and expose an opponent's true narratives or agenda. I think the way it works is that I have never planned or rehearsed anything I intend to say. I am in a perfect state of flow without any form of inner dialogue, simply reacting in the moment as an observer to what is being said. I only speak or try to express an opinion when I truly have something to say, and this way, everything I say seems to have an impact and be decisive. All this would probably come down like a house of cards if I tried to force it.

This was profoundly helpful for me. Thank you

Uber Fantastic! Very, very artistically done! A brilliant work in both artistic expression and reflective content.

Thank you, as always!

Thanks so much for this episode. I listen to the Dao De Jing from time to time and Einzelgänger is also not unknown... now you brought them together... 😅

This is my favorite Afterskool video!

10:30 the explanation of flow state its amazing

Leaders and politicians can learn a great deal from this.

This is wonderful to learn from. Thank you for creating it.

A most pleasant watch.

this is so beautiful art, thank you and i love the music

Beautiful collaboration! ❤

Thank you for your wonderful videos and artwork.

Thank you (Einzelgänger) I recognize your voice, I missed you on UTube. Great to have you back. Many thanks♥️♥️♥️

Love this and am trying to live my life more in this way. The more I trust and let go, the more it seems to work. The animation on this is beautiful and inspiring too, thanks!

YES! Einzelganger!!!!!!!

Love the Tao! You cannot push water uphill. We do have will power, but we must not over control.

I am now returning to these concepts after a period of forcing, trying, feeling my body literally get stiff as a result of trying to control. My main takeaway is go from trying at life to simply experiencing it. Just receive and experience each day and decision as it comes. And be sincere and honest in your experiencing without pretense.

This is beautiful and so relevant, thank you

I've been trying to not try. But no matter how hard I try, I fail.

Losing all hope was the antidote 💎

Best one for a long while ❤

The biggest obstacles to true mastery of effortlessness are belief in subject-object duality, belief in a world, belief in space and time and every kind of reification - there is only Tao. If you are holding on to these fundamental beliefs while 'practicising effortlessness' you will always come up short.

Thank you for pronouncing Mihály Csíkszentmihályi (almost) the right way. I find it positive that you made an effort to check out how this hungarian name is pronounced. A lot of people don't bother checking out foreign names or words when they include such in their content. I appreciate this very much. Thanks again, and have a good day!

I’m hesitant to post this, but what the hell, here goes nothing 😊. I’ll try and keep it short! I have a friend who spent 10 years in a monastery in India, meditating 10 to 18 hours a day, seven days a week, for the entire 10 years. One day as he was sitting down to meditate, he experienced enlightenment. After he left the monastery, he traveled around the world for two years looking for people that were in the same state of consciousness. He only found four or five, but they all basically said the same thing. I’ll paraphrase what he told me here: There is no separate ‘you’. What appears to be a separate individual is simply what he called the ‘I’ thought, which is really what an ego is. It’s the thought/feeling that there is an individual ‘you’ deciding and choosing ways of being. According to him, there is not. Free will is an illusion. You can’t control all of your thoughts and actions, because there is no controller. This is what Lao Tzu really meant, and this is why it’s been so hard to understand his teachings for thousands of years. It’s all just happening. Buddha was very clear about this though. He clearly stated “deeds are being done, but no doer is to be found.” Jesus said ‘I and the Father are one.’ And so are ‘you’, one with God/the Dao/Brahma…. Or whatever you choose to call it. It is self-governing, and therefore moving every cell in your body and every planet in the universe, and everything in between. It is perfectly balanced, always. My friend told me what happened to him, and the enlightened people he met, was that thought just stopped completely, and they saw the world for what it really is: One eternal now, self-governing, perfectly balanced…everything is God, including you who are reading this. He went on to say there is nothing to get enlightened about, except to understand that you already are . Ultimately, he said ‘thought is the real devil.’ No thought, no you….so there is peace. I recently asked him ‘if this is the truth, and it has been taught clearly many times, why is it that so few people know about this? He told me the human mind, especially the ego, cannot accept the fact that it doesn’t actually exist, so people have built up entire religions around misunderstandings of these teachings, and here we are. I understand this sounds crazy to most of you reading this. If 10,000 people read this comment maybe one or two of you will actually accept what it’s saying, or possibly already know this. It takes a tremendous amount of study in most cases, or as my friend said, most people try really hard for a really long time, and when they eventually give up, that’s when they understand. Or you might want to try taking a bunch of psychedelics and crossing your fingers.😂 Or listen to Alan Watts talk entitled ‘you are God’ repeatedly. He says this all most eloquently! So relax, your consciousness is forever 😊. Everything else is in a constant state of change, including your body, thoughts, and feelings. There is no doer, and the Dao is running everything. There is one eternal present moment, in a perfect state of balance. If you are fortunate enough that your mind really quiets down,you will understand this for yourself. 😊

Perfect collaboration!

When you stop trying it happens pay attention 👍💕