What Is Daoism?

Taoism is an Eastern religion/philosophy with perhaps 225 million followers. Although it is more accurately referred to as a philosophy, books on world religions inevitably include it with other religions from Buddhism to Zoroastrianism. Taoism was thought to be created by a Chinese philosopher, Lao-Tzu, but was actually created by Fu Hsi (pronounced foo shee).

Taoism has the same worldview as Confucianism or ancient Chinese folk religion. Its philosophy operates within the same paradigms. It celebrates man's association and interdependency with nature. Moving on to a wider plane, the relationship between religion and the universe takes the form of veneration, which lies beyond the confines of time and space, ancestor worship and belief in the sovereign. The principles on which the system thrives even today include Ch'i, Feng Shui, interdependency between life and death, the Eight Immortals and the Ultimate Reality.

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

The yin and yang, opposites, balanced and held together as aspect of an inseparable whole. Is not clear to me how the two are balanced. How could we balance good and evil? Some logic applies to some opposites such as male and female, black or white, life or death. There is a balance between them; however, how could you balance the good and evil around you? I guess is where the meditation techniques and recognizing what is good or bad and how to deal and live with it, is the Daoist belief. The statement that “wisdom lies in recognizing their ever-shifting, but regular and balanced, pattern and moving with them.” This creative rhythm of the universe is called the Dao, or “way.”

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.

China 's most strapping religion, Taoism is an ancient tradition of philosophy and religious beliefs that have been deeply rooted within the Chinese customs. It can also be referred to as Daoism, which is a more accurate way of saying the Chinese word in English. The Tao in Taoism is usually translated as the Way. Despite the unknown of what the Tao really means, it upholds a significant importance to the universe in the warmest regards.

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.

What is Taoism? Answering that question turned out to be much harder than I thought, is it a religion, a philosophy or a way of life? The more I researched, the deeper I got into it and the deeper I got in to it, the more it made my head spin. Taoism is described as being, indescribable, undefinable, and nameless, in the words of the great sage Laozi “That which can be named is not the true Tao”.

Taoism (also known as Daoism) is a Chinese philosophy attributed to Lao Tzu (c. 500 BCE) which contributed to the folk religion of the people primarily in the rural areas of China and became the official religion of the country under the Tang Dynasty. Taoism is therefore both a philosophyand a religion. It emphasizes doing what is natural and "going with the flow" in accordance with the Tao (or Dao), a cosmic force which flows through all things and binds and releases them.

The goal of Daoism was to understand it through Wu-Wei through bracketing and eidetic vision. Wu-Wei means action less action. My favorite part of Daoism was when we learned about yin and yang. This was so interesting to me. Firstly, before this class I never knew anything about the symbol or what it meant to be honest. All I know is that I saw it all over the place, almost anywhere you go. However, after going over the topic in class I now fully understand its ideas and the meanings behind it. I know understand the concept of balance and that is exactly what yin and yang represents. “Part of yin is yang and part of yang is yin” (Heon Kim), you said this in class and talked about how you need both to be in balance. You also talked about geomancy which is the art of science of objects, then drew the diagram of the mountain and a stream with a house between them. The house was in between the mountain, which represents yang and the stream, which represents yin, and with the house being between the two it has perfect balance. I love the concept of death for Daoism, and that it is not really a factor. Daoism places great value on the life you currently live. Daoism does not focus on the after life, but more so on your health and longevity by living a simple life and having inner peace. I do like the fact that Daoism doesn’t focus on death or the after life. I think that is important in today’s life, and to not get caught up in that

First and foremost, the crucial point of Laozi’s view is Tao, whose concept can be described as the general principle of everything in this universe. Though Tao, in Laozi’s own words, is unnameable, it is believed to be the origin of the universe. Yin and yang, the two basic elements in Chinese culture, derive from Tao and become the unity

Though no one is completely certain, The Urantia Book Fellowship(Sprunger) many scholars believe Taoism’s foundation goes back to 604 BC, by Lao Tzu. Taoism is one of the more influential religious practices of the Eastern culture and many view it as a way of life rather than a religion. It emphasizes various themes centered on naturalness, vitality, peace, non-interference/non-resistance, refinement, detachment, flexibility, receptiveness, spontaneity, and the ways of life, speaking, and guiding behavior. Taoism represents the road, path followed in life, the flow of the universe, or the force behind the natural order of life that keeps the universe balanced and ordered. There are several variations of Taoism practiced around the

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.

Main Beliefs - People that practice Taoism believe in something called the Tao. The Tao is not something that can be described. It is not a god, a written text, a substance, or even a thing. In this religion, gaining immortality is the purpose of life. In Taoism, there are 8 immortals: He Xian Gu, Cao Guo Jiu, Taiguai Li, Lan Caihe, Lu Dongbin (can also be referred to as Lu Tung Pin), Han Xiang Zi, Zhang Guo Lao, Zhongli Quan. It is believed that the secrets of nature are known by the eight immortals. Taoism has gods for war, town, mountains, rivers, and land. The highest goddess in Taoism is the Queen Mother of the West. Deities and immortals are put into groups; for example, there are The Three Purities, The Three Divine Officials, The Father of Thunder and The Mother of Lightning.