Chuang's Beliefs

Kuan Yin, Quan'Am (in Vietnam), Kannon (in Japan), and Kanin (in Bali), she is the embodiment of loving kindness. As the Bodhisattva (a being able to reach nirvana but delays to save suffering beings) of Compassion, she can hear the cries of all beings. Quan Yin enjoys a strong connection with the Christian Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and the Tibetan goddess Tara.

The movie, Secondhand Lions, is the story of a young boy (Walter) who is dropped off at the home of his two elderly uncles (Uncle Hub and Uncle Garth) by his single mother. There are rumors surrounding Uncle Hub and Uncle Garth’s past lives and speculation that they have millions of dollars hidden on their land. Relatives and strangers hope to find or inherit some of the cash. Both uncles are reluctant to have Walter at their home and view him as a nuisance. Uncle Garth beings to tell Walter tails of him and Hub’s adventures as young men serving in the French Foreign Lesion during World War I. Uncle Hub is a wild character, who seems to be desperately trying to hold onto his youth and prove that he is still as strong and capable as ever.

Deity, there is thus perhaps no real Deity with the capital letter to be equated with the God of Western religion. We have seen that Heaven eventually becomes the term customarily used for the Supreme Ruler, but we now know that behind or beyond heaven, there are the workings of yang and yin which have their source in tao (Thompson, 6). There is nothing distinctively Chinese in the way whereby the forces of nature were personified or the heavenly bodies were believed to exercise a direct influence in human affairs, or the way in which otherwise inexplicable occurrences of disease and other misfortunes were attributed to malignant spirits. The deification of human beings characteristic of both family and folk religion is somewhat more exceptional, although not unique (Thompson, 7). The founder of Taoism is Lao Zi and Chuan Tze, the school advocates the doctrine that the Dao is the course, the principle, the substance, and the standard of all things, to which all of them must conform. Based on the Dao De Jing, Taoism promotes the belief that a person should live a simple life, not to strive for wealth, fame or power, which will only give one worries and trouble. The school favors the political principle of “achieving good government through

In Taoism, the ancient Chinese did not worship a sole deity but rather focused on the religious rituals as means of achieving pure balance with nature and the supernatural forces around them. The Chinese sought to seek out the tao, which could be directly translated as “the way” but in actuality signified an abstract and indescribable essential truth as something to strive for but never truly attained. With in the pages of the Lao Tzu, the tao appeared to embody the characteristics of the jou as supple, plaint, and submissive because “ weakness was the means the way employ”(xxii). In fact, the concept of weakness became synonymous with the tao itself, suggesting the role of submission and passivity were crucial

The Chinese creation myth of Pan Gu, incorporates the idea of the forces of Yin and Yang. This two forces form the Tao. Yin is associated with the dark and the earth; instead, yang is associated with light and the sun. On the beginning there was a cosmic egg and Pangu was inside in the midst of Yin and Yang. For eighteen years Pan Gu grew up until he broke the egg. Pan Gu separated the Heaven (bright) and the Earth (Dark). When Pan Gu died, his breath became the wind and the clouds, his eyes became the sun and the moon, his skin became the flowers and trees and his sweat the rain. Then, the Goddess Nu Gua felt something was missing on Earth and inspired by her own reflection

Taoism is a very complex cultural tradition. It is one the Three Teachings that, along with Confucianism and Buddhism, had a profound influence on Chinese ways of thinking and spiritual practice. The keystone work of

The Tao-te Ching is an exemplary work of Chinese philosophy that talks about good government and moral behavior. Although the author of the Tao-te Ching is unknown, the earliest texts attribute the work to Lao-tzu (sixth century B.C.E.),whose name can be translated to “Old Master.” However, nothing can be said with certainty about the historical figure. The writings of Tao-te Ching are considered the basis for Taoism, confucianism, and Buddhism. The term Tao refers to the art of living, embracing an inscrutable, eternal Way (Tao). The Tao-te Ching represents the creative forces of the universe and frequently uses the imagery of the womb, and the “shakti” or the female principle

Taoism is one of the most indigenous philosophical practices of China that is defined as a way of maximizing power. Many people believed that Taoism originated based on the teachings of Lao Tzu, who lived in the 6th century. “Tao Te Ching” and “Chaung Tzu” focused on two most prominent Taoist writings in that era. Tao Te Ching, written by Lao Tzu translated the literary piece known as “The Classic of the Way and its Power”. Taoism symbolizes the idea of oneness; it introduces philosophical concepts such as ying and yang.

In the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tsu describes an eternal Way of life that is unperceivable, but is everywhere and consists of everything. It is the natural order of the universe, and it is eternally present. In order to be one with the Tao, one must learn to flow with life. The hierarchy of the

After researching potential cultures and religions, I chose to do my project on Taoism, also known as Daoism. Taoism doesn’t have an absolute being such as Christianity with god. Instead, Taoism follows Tao which is “the source of creation, the ultimate, the inexpressible and indefinable, the unnamable, the natural universe as a whole, and the way of nature as a whole.” Tao is everything and nothing by including the universe but being intangible at the same time. I still find it difficult to completely wrap my head around this term. The most prominent part of Taoism which is also part of Tao, is Yin Yang, which are a principle of two opposite forces working in harmony. Taoists also have a collection of texts and teachings known as the Daozang.


Taoism is China’s oldest religion. At one time, the land called China was the home of numerous peoples with different racial origins. All these ethnic groups probably had their own special gods and religious beliefs. Over time, kingdoms and empires grew in various areas and started incorporating more and more people into them. One common theme in these kingdoms and empires was a belief in life after death as can be seen in ancient tombs all over China. So people had to pay homage to and care for the dead. Some Chinese have fear of the dead, and they try to obey the dead or appease them. Another idea that is very strong in Chinese philosophy is as Chinese

In order to become a virtuous person an individual must become one with the Tao, an example of a good life is found in Chuang Tzu – Basic writings, “If you do good, stay away from fame. If you do evil, stay away from punishments. Follow the middle; go by what is constant, and you can stay in one piece, keep yourself alive, look after your parents, and live out your years.” (Section three, p46). In order to become one with the Tao and individual must understand the Way and example of the Way “…For this reason, whether you point to a little stalk or a great pillar, a leper or the beautiful Hsi-shih, things ribald and shady or things grotesque and strange, the Way makes them all into one.” (Section two, p. 36) The Way is having the ability to consider all things one. Looking at the creatures of the world without bias and treating everything and everyone as equal. In order to follow the Way one must gain enlightenment, to gain enlightenment one must heavy focus on meditation. Taoists believe that time is cyclical, not linear as many in the West believe, therefore time repeats itself, has no beginning and no end. Tao is considered to be the first cause of the universe, and is the force that

Taoism is one of the great philosophical and religious traditions that’s originated in China. It is a unique and interesting religion, due to the fact that many Taoists do not even consider it a religion. In many ways it can be seen as not a religion but more of a philosophy. The Taoists never claimed that the Tao ever existed. This separates them from other religions because there is no debate or battle on the Taoist doctrine. The individuality and open-mindedness has allowed the religion to flourish almost unchanged from over two thousand years ago. One may learn the way of Taoism through its origins and history, its beliefs, and its rituals and practices.

The poem I chose to analyze the figurative language is called “Dreams” written by Langston Hughes. I chose this poem because it is an inspirational and real life theme about why you should follow and cherish dreams before it’s too late. The author uses both metaphors and personification to convey the theme of this poem. In the first stanza, the author uses the metaphor, "For if dreams die, Life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly," which means life's a journey.

"You'll never see an object in dream that you haven't seen in your daily life"