The Tao, Te Tao

Tao Te Ching is one of the most well-known Chinese philosophical scripture believed to be penned between 6th and 4th Century BC and authored by Lao Tzu. It has been a bedrock for the ancient spiritual and religious tradition of Taoism. Tao Te Ching includes two books of poetic verses explaining principle aspects of Taoism such as the metaphysical concept of ‘Tao’ roughly translated as the Way or the path, the consequences of action and inaction, virtue and the juxtaposed behavior of nature. The first book discusses the manifestation of the Way and how it directs us in harmonizing with our own qualities, morals and virtue which eventually help us in harmonizing with the working of the nature. The second book deals with the difficulties of governing

Confucianism is a way of being loyal to the government and loving and caring for one’s family. Daoism is a way in living in harmony with the Tao. Both of these religions strive for peace and

Daoism has everything to do with nature. It plays the most important role in human development and knowledge . It states that humans should help

Daoism is a daily guide to living so a person can experience the most of their own self. Daoism teaches the follower to look inside and to gain knowledge through self-exploration and to connect with our inner nature. The yin and yang shows the complementary sides of objects and nature, even the human body. The Taoist Sanctuary of San Diego states, “All is Tao. All opposites are in actuality part of one whole, giving rise to one another. Neither is

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

Similar to Confucianism, Daoism has concepts of Tien and Te. It also has philosophical and religious concepts that descended from folk traditions. The difference that Daoists has limitations confucius got somethings wrong. “Daoists developed a counterpoint to the Confucian focus on social hierarchy, political involvement, emotional and moral discipline, and ritual regimentation, a counterpoint based on the concept of the Dao” (CIWR, 491). The two founders, Laozi and huangzi, developed harmonious life in line with Tau. Laozi had his own philosophy, and Zhuangzi believed things were better with no politics. Similar to Confucianism, Taoism have a concept of Te, only they have a different way of obtaining it. “The term de in the Daodejing refers to a ‘virtue-power’ that embodies the mystic inner power attained through alignment with the unseen world, the power that allows a sage ruler to infuse his realm with the harmony he has achieved by ‘doing nothing,’ wuwei” (CIWR, 495). Daoists believe that one can point to what something is by implicitly pointing to what it is not. “To use a finger to show that a finger is not a finger, is not really as good as using something that is not a finger to show that a finger is not a finger” (BC, 12-13).Basically, in order to point to a finger and say what’s around it is not a finger, it would be better not to use a fingure. “The fanciful and the historical exist side by

The practice of Daoism and reading the Daodejing teaches individuals to flow with life while keeping a balance in all aspects of the their daily life. Daoism does not make a distinction between metaphysics, epistemology, or other ways of thinking. It also does not make a distinction between philosophy and religion. Instead, both philosophy and religion are thought of as one in the Daodejing. For this reason, Daoism is an exemplary type of philosophy for those who want to focus on their own self-realization and development while keeping in touch with those around them and nature.

Daoism originated in China and was created by Lao Tzu. In Daoism, Dao is the concept used to explain the origin of all things. Dao is the oldest living thing in the universe; it has no desires and is eternal. The

Daoism (sometimes spelled Taoism) is a belief system that was founded by Lao Tzu in China in the 6th century (500s) BCE. Daoism’s sacred text is called the Tao-Te Ching (sometimes spelled Dao-De-Jing) and supposedly contains the teachings of Lao Tzu.

Daoism means “Followers of the way”, although Dao does not means only “way”. According to the BBC religion, the word Dao or Tao can include several concepts such as “the source of creation”, “the ultimate”, “the unnameable” ,“the way of nature as a whole”, “the natural universe as a whole” and “the inexpressible and indefinable.” In Taoism they believe in way of living in which there were not many rules and believes in the philosophy of inaction. They say that you can find happiness through nature and harmony. Also this is where yin and yang come from. As we can see, there are major differences between Daoism and Confucianism, but one of them is very important, the life after death.

Before parallels can be drawn between ideals and paths in Daoism, Daoist philosophy and Dao must be defined. It is hard to put Daoist Philosophy into a nice, neat sentence because of the complexity and vast amount of information on the subject. For the intent of this paper, Daoist philosophy is defined as a Chinese philosophy that takes a more naturalist approach to religion and way of living. It is the connection between imitating nature and harmony. Dao is defined in Chapter 1 as the constant moving “everything” that surrounds us. It is not tangible, it is just what it is, and you do not know exactly what this something is.

Who is Lao Tzu? What is the purpose of Tao Te Ching? Why did Lao Tzu write Tao Te Ching? “Lao Tzu was a Chinese philosopher credited with founding the philosophical system of Taoism…He is thought to have lived in the 6th century BEC” (Mark). Lao Tzu’s philosophy of non-action has a great impact on future generations, because it can make the country become peaceful. Tao Te Ching was primarily writing to the rulers and the emperors of that time, he wants all the countries and subsidiary countries in China can coexist together peacefully, hoping that there will be no more wars. The poetic style of Tao Te Ching makes it universal, because it teaches people how to think and to behave well in an manner that can be acceptable and understandable

Daoism is synonymous with Taoism; in this religious philosophy, the way of nature is central theme of life. It was founded by Lao Tzu in 500BC in China. Lao is believed to have authored the “Dao de Jing”, which details the Daoist beliefs. Dao is a concept, a way, a principle that will lead a person to a happy, peaceful life. Dao can be achieved by incorporating the Three Jewel of Taoism that are humility, simplicity and compassion in one’s life. According to Dao, de Jing “The Way to Heaven is to benefit others and not to injure”.15 Further, there is no concept of good and evil, the Dao is simply the universe, which is perceived as a self- sustaining entity that generates energy called qi. Like other Chinese traditions, Daoist also have great reverence for the spirits of ancestors as well as spirits of nature that is plants, animals, rivers, etc. 16

When the topic of religion or philosophy comes to mind, Taoism is often unheard of and is shrouded with mystery. While this is true, its rich history and ideologies are both profound and intriguing. Taoism is one of the oldest and most ancient philosophies known to mankind. There are many theories as to just how old the customs are. Taoism is also referred to as Daoism which is a more precise way of articulating the word in English to match the pronunciation of the Chinese word. Taoism is often entitled as a philosophy or a religion. However, certain time frames set it to be either a religion or a philosophy. For example, back in the 2nd century, Taoism was mainly a religion. Nowadays, it is treated more as a philosophy due to its complex ideas. Many philosophical writings and poetry in the Tao Te Ching, many believe it to be a philosophy. On the other hand, there are many religious aspects of Taoism such as reciting the Tao Te Ching or giving offerings. While Taoism is a more uncommon religion, its origin, ideology, practices, and persecutions have been studied immensely.

History - Taosim (also spelled Daoism) was founded in China during the 6th century B.C. It is based on the teachings of Tao Te Ching, a text written by the philosopher Laozi, the founder of Taoism.