Difference between revisions of "Taoism"

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[[Image:Yin_yang.jpg|thumb|500px|left|Taoism is represented by [[Yin and Yang]]]]
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[[Image:Yin_yang.jpg|thumb|500px|right|Taoism is often represented by the [[Taijitu]]]]
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Daoism is a commonly used word to denote many native Chinese folk religions.  There are two common terms used in Chinese - dao4 jia1, 道家，and dao4 jiao4, 道教.  The former refers to the school of thought that originated in the Warring States period, between the end of the Zhou dynasty and the beginning of the Qin that centres around three philosophical treatises - the Laozi, Zhuangzi, and Liezi. They all share some commonalities, although it should be mentioned that the Zhuangzi uses the term "dao4" infrequently, and indeed, the work known as the Mencius (mengzi, 孟子), a work of the Ru school, or "Confucianism", uses the term far more often. Some scholars say that the original writer of the inner chapters of the [[Zhuangzi]] "didn't even know he was a Daoist".
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'''Taoism''' is a [[Chinese]] philosophy based on the [[concept]] of Tao. It stresses the unification of contraries. Taoism also seeks harmony with [[nature]].
  
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The latter term refers to the religious variety of "Daoism" that developed during the Han dynasty.  Combining the more esoteric passages of the Laozi, Zhuangzi and Liezi with Chinese creation concepts, myths and legends and worship of all sorts of icons and figures, the religion developed into something greatly separate from the philosophy of the early period, into what some believe to be a bastardised version of Daoist thought. Naturally, using the same term in English to denote two different concepts leads to some confusion, and there is a great misunderstanding of Daoism in the west.
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The primary text of Taoism is [[Lao Tzu]]'s ''[[Tao Te Ching]]'', which works to express the essence of Tao.  The book stresses the ineffability of the Tao, and is the second most translated book after [[Christianity]]'s Holy [[Bible]].<ref>Center of Traditional Taoist Studies, www.tao.org/tao.html</ref>
  
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{{stub}}
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The Tao Te Ching is composed of 81 poems, each of which focuses on either an aspect of Tao. These aspects can be applied to being an effective leader or cultivator of The Way.
  
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For more, read [[World History Lecture Three]].
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<blockquote>
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8.<br>
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"Doing the right thing" is like water.<br>
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It's good for all living things, and flows without thinking about where it's going
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<br><br>
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...just like Tao.
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<br><br>
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-- excerpted from Ron Hogan's translation<ref>http://www.beatrice.com/wordpress/tao-te-ching</ref>
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</blockquote>
  
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:''Taoist [[ethics]] are concerned less with doing good acts than becoming a good person who lives in harmony with all things and people.'' Because of this, devoted Taoists tend to be nice and accommodating people.
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Nonetheless, it is important to distinguish between Taoism as a [[philosophy]] (as described above) and Taosim as a [[religion]]. Taoist philosophies are readily compatible with most world religious views, most similar philosophically in some ways Buddhism. Taoist religious practices include numerous [[occult]] [[ritual]]s including 'internal alchemy' -- the ingestion of [[mineral]]s and [[herb]]s to supposedly restore balance to one's [[Yin]] and [[Yang]] energies—and the invocation of various Chinese [[pagan]] [[deitty|deities]]. For Christians, such religious Taoism shares many of the dangerous traits of other primitive pagan faiths and lacks the spiritual substance of the [[Judaism|Judeo]]-[[Christian]] traditions.
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The ideal of the Taoist 'Sage' is one who ultimately removes themselves completely from society (see [[renunciation]] and [[hermit]]) in order to avoid the [[immoral]] dangers of society's [[moral degeneration]]. The goal of this hermit-like renunciation and reclusive life is in order to more easily [[meditation|meditate]] on the Tao in order go to the Taoist conception of [[heaven]].
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Taoism originated in [[China]]. Accurate figures for the number of believers of Taoism are elusive, for two reasons. Firstly, Taoism is a loosely defined faith, so some people don't even realize they're practicing it. Secondly, the [[Communist]] Chinese government does not record most religions in its [[census]]es, on account of the government's anti-religious stance. However, Taoism is one of the five religions officially recognized by the Chinese government, the others being (in order of prevalence) [[Buddhism]], [[Islam]] (due to the eastern provinces), [[Protestant]] [[Christianity]], [[Catholicism]].<ref>South China Morning Post, April 30, 2007, www.scmp.com</ref>
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== See also ==
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* [[Lao Tzu]] and the [[Tao Te Ching]]
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* [[Qi]]
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* [[Meditation]]
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* [[Traditional Chinese Medicine]]
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* [[Tai Chi]] and [[Kung Fu]] [[Martial arts]]
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* [[Zen]]
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* [[Falun Gong]]
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* [[New Age| New Age Spirituality]]
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* [[Feng Shui]]
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* [[World History Lecture Three]]
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* [[Confucianism]]
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* [[Buddhism]]
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* [[Hinduism]]
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== External links ==
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* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/taoism/taoethics/ethics_1.shtml Taoist ethics - theory and practice]
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==References==
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{{reflist|2}}
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[[Category:Taoism]]
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[[Category:Philosophy]]
 
[[Category:Religion]]
 
[[Category:Religion]]
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[[Category:China]]
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[[Category:Vietnam]]
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[[Category:Japan]]
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[[Category:Korea]]
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[[Category:Asia]]
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[[Category:Meditation]]
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[[Category:Martial Arts]]

Latest revision as of 05:08, January 21, 2021

Taoism is often represented by the Taijitu

Taoism is a Chinese philosophy based on the concept of Tao. It stresses the unification of contraries. Taoism also seeks harmony with nature.

The primary text of Taoism is Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching, which works to express the essence of Tao. The book stresses the ineffability of the Tao, and is the second most translated book after Christianity's Holy Bible.[1]

The Tao Te Ching is composed of 81 poems, each of which focuses on either an aspect of Tao. These aspects can be applied to being an effective leader or cultivator of The Way.

8.
"Doing the right thing" is like water.
It's good for all living things, and flows without thinking about where it's going

...just like Tao.

-- excerpted from Ron Hogan's translation[2]

Taoist ethics are concerned less with doing good acts than becoming a good person who lives in harmony with all things and people. Because of this, devoted Taoists tend to be nice and accommodating people.

Nonetheless, it is important to distinguish between Taoism as a philosophy (as described above) and Taosim as a religion. Taoist philosophies are readily compatible with most world religious views, most similar philosophically in some ways Buddhism. Taoist religious practices include numerous occult rituals including 'internal alchemy' -- the ingestion of minerals and herbs to supposedly restore balance to one's Yin and Yang energies—and the invocation of various Chinese pagan deities. For Christians, such religious Taoism shares many of the dangerous traits of other primitive pagan faiths and lacks the spiritual substance of the Judeo-Christian traditions.

The ideal of the Taoist 'Sage' is one who ultimately removes themselves completely from society (see renunciation and hermit) in order to avoid the immoral dangers of society's moral degeneration. The goal of this hermit-like renunciation and reclusive life is in order to more easily meditate on the Tao in order go to the Taoist conception of heaven.

Taoism originated in China. Accurate figures for the number of believers of Taoism are elusive, for two reasons. Firstly, Taoism is a loosely defined faith, so some people don't even realize they're practicing it. Secondly, the Communist Chinese government does not record most religions in its censuses, on account of the government's anti-religious stance. However, Taoism is one of the five religions officially recognized by the Chinese government, the others being (in order of prevalence) Buddhism, Islam (due to the eastern provinces), Protestant Christianity, Catholicism.[3]

See also

External links

References

  1. ↑ Center of Traditional Taoist Studies, www.tao.org/tao.html
  2. ↑ http://www.beatrice.com/wordpress/tao-te-ching
  3. ↑ South China Morning Post, April 30, 2007, www.scmp.com
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