"Be still like a mountain and
flow like a great river." Lao Tse
"Different Chinese
philosophers, writing probably in 5-4 centuries B.C., presented some
major ideas and a way of life that are nowadays known under the name
of Taoism, the way of correspondence between man and the tendency or
the course of natural world." Alan Watts, from his book:
"Tao: The Watercourse Way."
"We believe in the formless
and eternal Tao, and we recognize all personified deities as being
mere human constructs. We reject hatred, intolerance, and
unnecessary violence, and embrace harmony, love and learning, as we
are taught by Nature. We place our trust and our lives in the Tao,
that we may live in peace and balance with the Universe, both in
this mortal life and beyond." Creed of the Western Reform
Taoist Congregation1
History of Taoism:
Tao (pronounced "Dow") can be roughly translated into
English as path, or the way. It is basically indefinable. It
has to be experienced. It "refers to a power which envelops, surrounds
and flows through all things, living and non-living. The Tao regulates
natural processes and nourishes balance in the Universe. It embodies the
harmony of opposites (i.e. there would be no love without hate, no light
without dark, no male without female.)"
2
The founder of Taoism is believed by many to be Lao-Tse (604-531 BCE),
a contemporary of Confucius. (Alternate spellings: Lao Tze, Lao Tsu, Lao
Tzu, Laozi, Laotze, etc.). He was searching for a way that would avoid the
constant feudal warfare and other conflicts that disrupted society during
his lifetime. The result was his book: Tao-te-Ching (a.k.a.
Daodejing). Others believe that he is a mythical character.
Taoism started as a combination of psychology and philosophy but
evolved into a religious faith in 440 CE when it was adopted as a state
religion. At that time Lao-Tse became popularly venerated as a deity.
Taoism, along with Buddhism and Confucianism, became one of the three
great religions of China. With the end of the Ch'ing Dynasty in 1911,
state support for Taoism ended. Much of the Taoist heritage was destroyed
during the next period of warlordism. After the Communist victory in 1949,
religious freedom was severely restricted. "The new government put
monks to manual labor, confiscated temples, and plundered treasures.
Several million monks were reduced to fewer than 50,000" by 1960.
3 During the cultural revolution in China from 1966 to
1976, much of the remaining Taoist heritage was destroyed. Some religious
tolerance has been restored under Deng Xiao-ping from 1982 to the present
time.
Taoism currently has about 20 million followers, and is primarily
centered in Taiwan. About 30,000 Taoists live in North America; 1,720 in
Canada (1991 census). Taoism has had a significant impact on North
American culture in areas of "acupuncture, herbalism, holistic
medicine, meditation and martial arts..." 3
Taoist Beliefs and Practices:
Taoism has provided an
alternative to the Confucian
tradition in China. The two traditions have coexisted in the
country, region and generally within the same individual.
Tao is the first-cause of the
universe. It is a force that flows through all
life.
"The Tao surrounds everyone
and therefore everyone must listen to find enlightenment."
4
Each believer's goal is to
become one with the
Tao.
The priesthood views the many
gods as manifestations of the one Dao, "which could not be
represented as an image or a particular thing." The concept of a
personified deity is foreign to them, as is the concept of the
creation of the universe. Thus, they do not pray as Christians do;
there is no God to hear the prayers or to act upon them. They seek
answers to life's problems through inner meditation and outer
observation.
In contrast with the beliefs and
practices of the priesthood, most of the laity have
"believed that spirits pervaded nature...The gods in heaven acted
like and were treated like the officials in the world of men;
worshipping the gods was a kind of rehearsal of attitudes toward
secular authorities. On the other hand, the demons and ghosts of
hell acted like and were treated like the bullies, outlaws, and
threatening strangers in the real world; they were bribed by the
people and were ritually arrested by the martial forces of the
spirit officials." 3
Time is cyclical, not linear as
in Western thinking.
Taoists generally have an
interest in promoting health and vitality.
Five main organs and orifices of
the body correspond to the five parts of the sky: water,
fire, wood, metal and
earth.
Each person must nurture the
Ch'i (air, breath) that has been given to
them.
Development of virtue is one's
chief task. The Three Jewels to be sought are compassion,
moderation and
humility.
Taoists follow the art of "wu
wei," which is to let nature take its course. For example, one
should allow a river to flow towards the sea unimpeded; do not erect
a dam which would interfere with its natural flow.
One should plan in advance and
consider carefully each action before making
it.
A Taoists is kind to other
individuals, largely because such an action tends to be
reciprocated.
Taoists believe that "people
are compassionate by nature...left to their own devices [they] will
show this compassion without expecting a reward."
5
The
Yin Yang symbol:
This is a well known Taoist symbol. "It represents the balance of
opposites in the universe. When they are equally present, all is calm.
When one is outweighed by the other, there is confusion and
disarray."4One source explains that it was derived
from astronomical observations which recorded the shadow of the sun
throughout a full year. 5 The two swirling shapes inside
the symbol give the impression of change -- the only constant factor in
the universe. One tradition states that Yin (or Ying; the dark side)
represents the breath that formed the earth. Yang (the light side)
symbolizes the breath that formed the heavens. "The most traditional
view is that 'yin' represents aspects of the feminine: being soft, cool,
calm, introspective, and healing... and "yang" the masculine: being hard,
hot, energetic, moving, and sometimes aggressive. Another view has the
'yin' representing night and 'yang'
day.5 However, since nothing in nature is
purely black or purely white, the symbol includes a small black spot in
the white swirl, and a corresponding white spot in the black swirl.
Ultimately, the 'yin' and 'yang' can symbolize any two opposing forces
in nature. Taosts believe that humans intervene in nature and upset
the balance of Yin and Yang.
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Tai Chi:
There is a long history of involvement by Taoists in various exercise
and movement techniques. 6 Tai chi in particular works
on all parts of the body. It "stimulates the central nervous system,
lowers blood pressure, relieves stress and gently tones muscles without
strain. It also enhances digestion, elimination of wastes and the
circulation of blood. Moreover, tai chi's rhythmic movements massage the
internal organs and improve their functionality." Traditional Chinese
medicine teaches that illness is caused by blockages or lack of balance in
the body's "chi" (intrinsic energy). Tai Chi is believed to balance this
energy flow.
Taoist Texts:
These include:
Tao-te-Ching ("The
Way of Power," or "The Book of the Way") is believed
to have been written by Lao-Tse. It describes the nature of life,
the way to peace and how a ruler should lead his
life.
Chuang-tzu (named after
its author) contains additional teachings.
Taoist web sites:
Taoist books and objects:
"Tao Resource" is a
web site that imports authentic Taoist products to help people
improve their "personal or sacred space, to build a small
Taoist shrine or even to construct a large Taoist temple."
This site is well worth perusing. It has sections showing
altar tables, bells & chimes, jewelry, statuary, personal
altars, etc. See http://www.taoresource.com/
Sacred Mountain
Press publishes Taoist works. Their "... goal is to
make interesting, beautiful, and reliable Taoist information
as accessible to the general public as that of any other major
religious or spiritual tradition." See: http://www.smpress.com/
MoreLight.net
publishes a number of books from the Taoist canon, including
The Primordial Breath, Volumes 1 & 2, and
Oneirocritica (The Interpretation of Dreams). See: http://morelight.net/originalbooks/
This
website is dedicated to Purist Taoism
in the tradition and wisdom of Lao-Tzu.
Jeff Rasmussen's Tao Te
Ching web site features an illustrated Tao Te Ching, an
introduction to Taoism, and links. See: http://www.symynet.com/tao_te_ching/
Bill Mason's Taoism
Page is at: http://www.taoism.net/ This
web site emphasizes the practical application of the Tao to
everyday life.
Maury Merkin, "Daoism
in brief," is at: http://www.his.com/~merkin/
This website offers a brief introduction to Taoism and a
glossary of
terms.
The "Taoism Depot"
contains a Taoism discussion forum, live chat and a wide range
of resources. See: http://www.edepot.com/taoism.html
Western Reform
Taoism has an excellent web site which publishes their
creed and beliefs on dozens of important topics. See: http://wrt.org/
The Taoist Restoration
Society (TRS) is "a U.S. nonprofit corporation
dedicated to the rehabilitation and rebirth of China's Taoist
tradition." See: http://www.taorestore.org/intro.html
The Taoism Initiation Page
has a great deal of information about Taoism and a Taoism
course that leads to initiation. is at: http://www.taopage.org/
Copyright � 1995 to 2004 incl., by Ontario Consultants
on Religious Tolerance Original publishing date: 1995-JUN-3 Latest
update on: 2004-MAY-31 Author. B.A. Robinson