Taoism Vocabulary Text Hi, this is AJ. Welcome to the vocabulary lesson for "Taoism." Let's get started. Our first word is skull, skull. Alan Watts said "You have all the necessary intelligence you need inside of your skullI." Now your skull is your head bone, right? It's the bone that protects your brain. We call that the skull, your skull. So again skull is simply head bone. Next is the word strain. He said "You can strain your head just like you can strain a muscle." To strain means to try very hard, to work very, very hard, a lot of effort. Sometimes it has the idea of working too hard, trying too hard, too much. Sometimes it has this idea of too much. So if you strain your muscle, you work your muscle too much. Maybe you're lifting something, it's a little too heavy. If you strain your mind, strain your brain, it means you're thinking too hard. So it's trying very, very hard. To strain, to strain, one more time, strain. Okay, our next word is contemplate, contemplate. Alan says you need to contemplate your problems. Don't think about them, don't strain. Just contemplate your problems. Now to contemplate means to calm your mind. It means to have a calm mind, calm brain, very relaxed. It's the opposite of straining your head, straining your mind. Straining is trying hard. Contemplating is relaxing and thinking calmly. So it's thinking very slowly, thinking very calmly, or maybe not thinking at all, just a calm quiet mind. So to contemplate means to make your mind calm, or to think very calmly and slowly, to contemplate. Contemplate a problem, think very calmly and slowly about the problem. Our next word is to visualize, to visualize. To visualize means to imagine. So he says imagine your question, visualize your question, then simply wait. So he's saying just, just have a question, your question about your problem. Just visualize it. Just think about it in a simple way. Just imagine it. Imagine the question only. Don't think about the solution. Just visualize, just imagine the question and then just wait. So to visualize means to imagine. Next is the word brute. He says if you try to solve your problem with brute mental strength, you may be disappointed. Brute mental strength, of course mental means mind or brain, so brute strength means like animal...animal-like. Brute means very strong and similar to an animal. So brute strength means strength like an animal, very, very strong. It's the opposite of subtle, if you know the word subtle. It's the opposite of careful strength. Brute strength just means super strong and...rawr...like an animal... rawr. So he's saying if you try to use brute strength, just if you try to use a lot of strength, very strong strength, with your mind in this case, you'll be disappointed. www.EffortlessEnglishClub.com