Jason Gregory

I'm excited to announce new book 'The Tradition of Natural Taoism: The Way of Free and Easy Wandering in Oneness' is out today. This book has been a long time coming and it is finally here. At the moment I am in Varanasi to celebrate the birth of my new book into the world and also I'm resting after the Footsteps of the Mahasiddhas Ladakh Tour before book promotion goes into full swing. As you all know, it is very important for every author to get as many orders as possible in the first week of publication. Those early sales will ensure that the message of my book will reach as many readers as it needs to in the world.

To order yourself a copy today, please click the following link: amzn.to/4aD3X6B

TWO PODCASTS EXPLORING MY NEW BOOK

In this new podcast, I will briefly explain every chapter one by one, to prepare the reader for the understanding that Taoism seeks to reunite us with our undifferentiated nature, dissolving the binary limitation of reason in our mind and achieving xiaoyao you, “free and easy wandering.” Click the following link to watch now: https://youtu.be/5_SccTSECKs

In my last podcast, I will explain that one of the intentions behind writing my new book was to revive the tradition so that people can finally understand Taoism as it is. I will explain how that is possible. Click the following link to watch now: https://youtu.be/iAhVobljnk4

SYNOPSIS FOR MY NEW BOOK

• Draws on source texts of the Tao Te Ching and the Chuang-tzu for ways to achieve skills effortlessly through unity with the Tao

• Explains how Taoism is a spiritual technology for deprogramming ourselves from socialization and dissolving the ego

• Explores concepts of wu-wei (nonaction) and xiaoyao you (free and easy wandering in oneness) in order to realize our unfiltered true nature

The author provides a comprehensive exploration and restoration of Taoism’s original teaching, giving readers a fresh take on this ancient philosophy of oneness.

By returning to the source texts of the Tao Te Ching and the Chuang-tzu, Jason shows how to gain skills effortlessly through alignment with the Tao and overcome the limitations of reason. Since Lao-tzu and Chuang-tzu, Taoists have navigated a world detached from the Tao. This detachment continues to expand due to external forces and materialism. Taoism is a means to break free from imposed socialization, liberating us from the suffering inherent in a society built upon ideologies and materialism. In contrast to Confucianism, which offers social morality, Taoism is a spiritual technology for deprogramming ourselves from socialization and reactions of the ego. Jason shows that such programming can impede the spontaneous flow that is central to this path. Like other non-dual systems, Taoism seeks to dissolve identity so the undifferentiated nature of the Tao can make full use of the liberated being. We reconnect with the Tao by dissolving the binaries of reason and achieving xiaoyao you, “free and easy wandering in oneness,” which is the final teaching on the Taoist path. This book shows the way to become what Taoists call a Zhenren—an authentic person or enlightened sage.

The Tradition of Natural Taoism offers wisdom to liberate us from the suffering inherent in a materialistic culture and reconnect us with our unfiltered true nature.

PRAISE FOR MY NEW BOOK

“Jason opens the Tao and shows us how spirituality can be found by wandering in the natural world. Supporting his points with references to the Tao Te Ching and the Chuang-tzu texts, he shows us how to escape the socialization and distractions of our times to realize our true natures.”
Deng Ming-Dao, author of 365 Tao, Everyday Tao, and Chronicles of Tao

“This is a wonderful summation of Taoist philosophy. Jason Gregory presents this cosmology clearly, concisely, and with great depth of understanding. If you want to gain a fuller understanding of commonly used terms such as the void, yin and yang, and nonduality, this book is for you.”
Susan Campbell, Ph.D., author of Getting Real and From Triggered to Tranquil

“In this profound work, Jason Gregory warns us about the mass trivialization of Taoism. This book gives deep clarity to those who are called to flow effortlessly in the primordial river of Tao but find themselves perpetually obstructed by their deeply rooted habits of self-preservation. The time-honored virtues of humility, simplicity, and non-striving are elucidated brilliantly by the author, who offers the modern mind a possibility of venturing on the path of nonbecoming. In our increasingly social world, the naked simplicity of The Way is not easy to follow, and this book is the much-needed guide that bridges this gap of understanding and allows the reader to embrace the natural naturalness that is Tao.”
Swami Atmananda Udasin, Advaita teacher and head monk of Ajatananda Ashram, Rishikesh (India)

“This book is an astonishing piece of work and one that is essential for anybody wishing a deeper understanding of not just Taoism but also Eastern philosophy in general. It introduces the reader to the explanatory power of this most fascinating of belief systems and places it within a precise context. It demands concentration and focus from the reader, but in doing so it gives great rewards. An absolutely essential read, and one destined to become a classic of its kind.”
Anthony Peake, author of Opening The Doors of Perception

“An interestingly complex yet simple book. It invites you to use your left brain for meaning and structure and your right brain, heart, and body to recognize the simple truths you see all around you in nature—and align with them for greater harmony—without great willpower or effort. It is certainly time we make life less confusing and distracting and settle into the calm center that we can recognize as Self, Truth, and Compassion. Jason has written many clarifying and inspiring books, and this one is a real wakeup call!”
Penney Peirce, author of Transparency, Leap of Perception, and Frequency

“Even though it is said that ‘the Tao that can be spoken is not the true Tao,’ Jason Gregory’s words on Taoism lead us back to a felt awakening of our true nature. We are the Tao we seek, the flowing reality of our body’s life. We just need to pare away what keeps us from connecting so deeply with the felt river of life that’s here all the time. The Tradition of Natural Taoism shows us how to let go of what is superficial so we can engage once again with that which we are and always have been.”
Will Johnson, author of The Radical Path of Somatic Dharma and Breathing through the Whole Body

“This book provides the reader with a different perspective and a deeper understanding of the Tao (Dao) and Taoist texts. If you are interested in Tao, it is a profound reference book for your study.”
Yang Jwing-Ming, author of The Root of Chinese Qigong and The Dao De Jing

“One of the issues with studying ancient Eastern philosophies is the language in which they are written and the very scholarly translations and commentaries that are available and which take the modern reader further away from the message of these texts. This expert treatment of Taoism by Jason Gregory and published by Inner Traditions is very welcome as it makes this unique thought process accessible to one and all.”
Srivatsa Ramaswami, translator of Samkya Karika

DEDICATION AND GRATITUDE

'The Tradition of Natural Taoism' is dedicated to the ancient Taoist masters Lao-tzu and Chuang-tzu. May their truth of oneness continue to enlighten the world.

Thank you to everyone who has helped to make this book possible. And to each one of you wonderful people of the world, I only have love for all of you.

1 week ago (edited) | [YT] | 291

Jason Gregory

Only love can exist when you’re home in the oneness of Tao. If there truly is no other, then love is all that there is. Fear is the result of a belief in separation that makes individuals feel isolated. But the one who is isolated, the conditioned identity, is the child of a world built on fear. So your identity is the result of fear, not love. We utterly need to let that identity go so that we can allow our true nature, love, to shine and bring spiritual oxygen into a world on life support.

Your love will extend to all because all is Tao. All conflict and confusion in the world are due to a lack of understanding that all is Tao, so our associated love and consequently our hate are built on the concept of separation. But separation never existed, it was only a dream, and much bloodshed has been spilled from this hypnotic illusion, turning the dream into a nightmare.

There was and can only ever be the Tao. When we genuinely know this, then the love that we truly are will be the love we share with all.

Excerpt from my upcoming book, 'The Tradition of Natural Taoism.' Pre-order now: amzn.to/4aD3X6B Published by Inner Traditions/Bear & Co.

1 week ago | [YT] | 357

Jason Gregory

The Tao is that ultimate reality that is all and everything, and we can sense it in our lives when we have taken the humble low path of Lao-tzu and Chuang-tzu. The Tao cannot be felt through a form of over-the-top strict cultivation or striving, but rather in letting go of yourself and the negative tendency to control your life and the world. From the place of your original existence and nature, you are a perfect reflection of the entire universe. What eclipses this is the accumulative sense of self we become due to socialization from society throughout our lives. For this reason, Lao-tzu’s Tao Te Ching deals with our permanent original nature so that we can be our authentic selves.

That eternal original nature within us is the position the authentic person resides in—the consciousness of a Taoist sage. The sage has reversed their trajectory from separation (the ten thousand things) to the Tao (nondual oneness). This reversal of one’s trajectory is a perceptual shift, where our awareness has moved from the external world to the internal world, which is how we align with the fundamental forces of the universe, the Tao. To attain the same consciousness as a Taoist sage is not easy; it requires a complete reorientation of thinking and perceiving the world, which have both, unfortunately, been hijacked by the fundamental belief in separation through duality and the gravitational pull of the material world. Thankfully, the Taoist sages of ancient times left a spiritual road map for us to follow so that we can return to our nature to finally realize that the Tao is doing you instead of you are doing the Tao.

Excerpt from my upcoming book, 'The Tradition of Natural Taoism.' Pre-order now: amzn.to/4aD3X6B

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 275

Jason Gregory

Straw dogs are an important feature of Chinese rituals. They are obviously made of straw and actually don’t represent dogs, but rather all living creatures. In the rituals, there is no attachment to straw dogs, they are discarded with utter indifference. This is significant for eliminating our unintelligent anthropocentric view of specialness. We are all part of the straw dogs of Tao, the straw dogs of Heaven and Earth.

Nature discards us with no attachment. You might be special to your family and friends, but no one else really cares. Whoever you are, alive or dead, has no bearing on someone on the other side of the planet. Billions of souls have lived and died on this Earth, but no one can remember their names. This is a sobering truth for our sense of specialness, which should humble even the most egotistical heart. But this is not negative; rather it is positive because when we remove our self-centered view, we begin to open ourselves to the Tao.

The world doesn’t love you when you are alive and hate you when you die. Nature is empty of those emotions. Objectively, life and death occur with complete impartiality. No governing God determines your life and death because nature discards its straw dogs without losing any sleep. The deeper lesson in regard to straw dogs is that they are not made for emotions, but instead because they serve a particular function or purpose. The straw dogs of human beings, then, are not here to be confused and lost in their emotions, but rather a human is here to become an aperture for the Tao to express itself. So your particular purpose or function in this life is more about aligning with the fundamental forces of the river of Tao.

Excerpt from my upcoming book, 'The Tradition of Natural Taoism.' Pre-order now: amzn.to/4aD3X6B

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 196

Jason Gregory

We are so excited about the Thailand Tour in January. We have such an amazing group coming. But there are still a few spots remaining, so if you want to join us on this sacred pilgrimage, please don't hesitate. These Sacred Yatras are some of the most memorable and transformative experiences people have. Connecting with people on a pilgrimage is an important spiritual practice. There is nothing like being part of a pilgrimage, especially with the Shanti Sangha. For more information about the Thailand Tour, please click on the following link: jasongregory.org/footsteps-of-the-arhats-thailand-… What a great way to start 2026.

1 month ago | [YT] | 278

Jason Gregory

When you are attuned to the Tao you can feel and sense this oneness, which quite frankly, will overwhelm you with joy. This oneness is the ground of being. In this space, thoughts are naked, not infused with beliefs, concepts, or identity. They arise just as an intuitive feeling because nature is fundamentally spontaneous, so our thinking is, in reality, nondual. This intuitive way of thinking is the intelligent spontaneity aspect of wu-wei. Essentially, you are what the Zen master or Taoist martial arts practitioner want you to become, a living embodiment of nature. The irony is that we are that unpolluted nature from birth until the world steps in with their carving and polishing model of cultivation.

Prajna intuition, on the other hand, is how we act immediately and appropriately to all life because we are perfectly calibrated to life, to the Tao. We are moving efficaciously as an unpolluted limb of life. Our lives are harmoniously aligned with the way of the Tao. No thought infused with language or identity could distort our experience. Once our actions and reactions are not determined by thoughts infected by language and identity, then our thinking becomes naturally prajna intuition. This nondual intuitive thinking is a spontaneous feeling in harmony with the world, minus emotions and linguistic framework. These unsupported thoughts have no color, and so they are buck naked as nature intended.

Excerpt from my upcoming book, 'The Tradition of Natural Taoism.' Pre-order now: amzn.to/4aD3X6B

1 month ago | [YT] | 346

Jason Gregory

In this NEW podcast, we will explain who is a "knower of Brahman" and how to become one. We will explore the ancient teachings of the Vedic rishis to forge a road map of understanding this complex web of concepts and terms to give you ultimate clarity on what it takes to become a knower of Brahman. CLICK THE FOLLOWING LINK TO WATCH NOW: www.patreon.com/posts/patreon-podcast-131294909?ut…

1 month ago | [YT] | 258

Jason Gregory

Leave behind no trace, no shadow, no footprints. You essentially never were here in reality. The idea of your identity is a fabrication. As Chuang-tzu stated, by doing nothing and resting in the shade, any trace of his sense of self would cease. This is the act of wu-wei. This is the beauty of Taoism. But from the perspective of socialization this is complete nonsense because you ought to be someone so that the social machine and the hypnosis of the masses can continue unfettered. Socialization itself is designed to create isolated individuals that serve the machine, even though many individuals believe they are free. Indeed they are not free; no matter whether it is democracy, communism, or fascism, you are still a product of a socialization process and that indoctrination obscures your vision of reality as it truly is. We definitely could say there are degrees to the oppression we subtly feel from authoritarian sociopolitical ideologies, but the fact is none coincide with the way of nature, and so the oppression is there either subtle or gross.

Once socialization has duped people into walking away from their original face of the traceless, they live with a mentality of trying to leave a trace, the biggest footprint they can make. The Taoist view of leaving no trace behind makes many people nervous and confused because the proponents of socialization are often beating the drum of personal success and heightened individuality, particularly in the West. Instead of the wu-wei process that thins our identity away, most feel we need to invest in it and make it shine according to socialization. But all that happens by trying to make it shine is differing degrees of suffering, but suffering, nevertheless. The accepted way of leaving the biggest footprint behind only causes you harm and harm to others.

Trying to be an identity, and the most prevalent identity, is exhausting. The chase and the hunt kill our innocence slowly but surely. We are anxiously trying to establish our identities, our worth, and the irony is that the identity itself is a ghost. This is why Chuang-tzu said it was utterly foolish. If only the masses knew that by resting in the shade, their shadow would disappear, erasing all trace of self. What freedom that is.

Excerpt from my upcoming book, 'The Tradition of Natural Taoism.' Pre-order now: amzn.to/4aD3X6B

1 month ago | [YT] | 342

Jason Gregory

The dissolution of the identity is essential in Taoism. It is when we forget ourselves that we begin to know true freedom. True freedom is the act of letting go and letting be, nature’s way of noninterference, wu-wei. When we pursue our identity, building more layers upon it, we will likely never know or abide in our true free nature.

The sage allows life to be, so they are one with the Tao. The river of the Tao continues to flow with or without your acknowledgment. If we fight the river in trying to hold on to ourselves, then we will suffer. But if we genuinely let go and let be, then the river is our nature, because all that there is truly is the river. Fighting the current and holding on to the banks of the river are deviations from the truth, and the truth is the river continues to flow.

As one with the river, the concept of freedom disappears. Freedom itself is a concept in the linguistic framework to discern a state beyond being bound. But when you are one with the river, then you are naturally what freedom is pointing to. We forget the concept of freedom and aimlessly roam without any borders within or without. This is not individual freedom, but rather an awakening to the Tao in all life.

From the lofty vantage point of Tao, all things are free. This is the fundamental truth. Everything is nondual in oneness; there is actually no separation. This true freedom is beyond the concept of freedom. A sage’s real freedom is not becoming free from barriers placed upon them but rather a reflection of their heart-mind grounded in the original nothingness of Tao. They are a reflection of that nothingness and so the concept of a border or boundary has no meaning. Hence, freedom from “something” is an illusion bound to those who suffer from the border of their identity.

Excerpt from my upcoming book, 'The Tradition of Natural Taoism.' Pre-order now: amzn.to/4aD3X6B

1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 336

Jason Gregory

Atmabodha (Self-Knowledge) is one of the most important texts and spiritual teachings in the world. I would go so far as to say if you needed to read one book in your life, then this is it. And in saying that, it is an honor to share an in-depth retreat with all of you on Atmabodha. But please don't hesitate to join this online retreat, as there are only five more days to secure your spot. I look forward to seeing you all there. To know more about the Reclaiming Self-Knowledge Online Retreat and to secure your spot, click the following link: jasongregory.org/reclaiming-self-knowledge-online-…

1 month ago | [YT] | 215