Zhuang Dreamed He Was a Butterfly

July 27, 2022

Hello Shat crew,

Not my favorite episode, but after doing some research on the title Zhuangzi, I have some thoughts. Zhuangzi is a Daoist manuscript written around 300 BCE. It’s loaded with little stories and parables, one of the most famous being about a butterfly. Zhuang dreamed he was a butterfly and when he woke up he wondered how would he know that he wasn’t actually a butterfly dreaming that he was a man. Lots of people have heard this one even though they might not know where it’s from. A lot of the book is concerned with questioning reality and discovering your true nature. Zhuang felt that the artificiality of cities would interfere with this and advocated a simple life in the country that would allow leisure and spontaneity. Even 2500 years ago he was worried about people being stuck in a loop. And sliding a little farther down the rabbit hole, the first chapter of the book is translated as ‘Wandering Beyond”. The idea is that one must go beyond societal restriction and norms to see the world in a new way and make new connections beyond our preconceived ideas of how the world works and our place in it. Maybe even to a ‘Valley Beyond’?
I’m linking the page from the internet encyclopedia because it’s a fascinating read. Thanks for the podcasts.
Stay well and take care.

Susan
Central PA

Zhuangzi | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (utm.edu) Zhuangzi | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy Zhuangzi (Chuang-Tzu, 369298 B.C.E.) The Zhuangzi (also known in Wade-Giles romanization romanization as Chuang-tzu), named after Master Zhuang was, along with the Laozi, one of the earliest texts to contribute to the philosophy that has come to be known as Daojia, or school of the Way.According to traditional dating, Master Zhuang, to whom the first seven chapters of the text have … iep.utm.edu

Subscribe Now