Introduction to World Religion and Belief Systems
Module for GAS-11 by Kathlene Jao, J.D (On-Going)
Taoism in General
• Tao is pronounced as DAO
• Taoism refers to the school of thought that
focuses on the significance of the Dao, most
commonly translated as “The Way”.  book explains the way of the Tao, and how to
• It is the combination of the early philosophical
version of Taoism and its later developments as
a religion
• Taoism, along with Confucianism & Buddhism,
has been very influential in China. • Taoism
originated with Lao Tzu (604 BC) Legendary
figure Contemporary of Confucius Lao Tzu
means “the Old Boy” or “the Grand Old Master”
– not his real name!
• Early references to Lau Tzu: The Zuangzi (late
4th century BC) The Shiji (Historical Records)
by Sima Qian (145-189 BC) (called Ssu-ma
Ch’ien in Smith book)
Lao Tzu
• Laozi was a native of Quren, a village in the
district of Hu in the state of Chu, which
corresponds to the modern Luyi in the eastern
part of Henan province. 
• He was the keeper of the archives in the Chu
Kingdom
• When he grew old he decided to leave China,
however, the gatekeeper of the Great Wall asked
him to put his thoughts into paper.
• He was alleged to be the author of Daodejing or
the Classic of Dao
Symbols of Taoism
Taoism had many different symbols, both derived from
everyday items surrounding them and also other new
formed symbols that originated based on their ideals.
• The Yin-Yang is the infamous symbol of the
Taoists that represents the main ideals of their
philosophy involving balance of weakness (yin)
and strength (yang).
• Mountains are another important symbol of the
Taoists, depicted in their art forms, that
represents the land of the immortals and retreat
from the negative.
• Another sacred symbol of the Taoists was the
tortoise which represented immorality in their
philosophy.
• The Yang, strength, is not only represented by
the Yin-Yang symbol but also a dragon.
Number of Followers
• While it is difficult to get an exact number of
followers modern day, reliable data bases point
towards approximately 20 million modern day
followers spread throughout the globe.
• Of the approximately 20 million followers,
about 30,000 of them are believed to life in the
US, predominantly in the western half of the
country.
Holy Books and Important Texts
• Tao te Ching- “Morality Scripture” a collection
of stories and poems written by Lao Tze. The
properly live.
• Chuan Tzu- written by Chuang Tzu or Zhang zi
(same person) is a collection of primary Taoist
doctrines. It includes the Wu-wei which talks
about how to be in harmony with the Tao.
• Lie Zi- written by Lie Yukou who was believed
to be a hundred schools of thought philosopher.
The Philosophy of Tao
• Tao is both the ultimate source and principle of
order in the universe.
• Tao has two components, yin and yang.
• Taoism regards moral values as relative and
avoids absolute moral judgments.
• Taoism literature says nothing about the afterlife
and depicts death as one of nature’s
transformations from one state to another.
• Humans are part of the grand harmony of nature
and to live in accord with the Tao is the only
way to thrive.
Major Beliefs
End Times Story
• The Taoists did not actually believe in the end of
time, they did agree with the fact of death as a
natural part of life (did not have significance on
their way of living)
• They did not believe in an afterlife, but instead
that death was the “ultimate end”.
Purpose of Life
• Taoists believed that if human nature was
aligned perfectly with the rest of nature, the
result would be both harmony and order. When
people deviate from the natural order, they are
only bringing destruction upon themselves. The
only way to encourage natural behavior is by
using a model leader. A model emperor once
said, “He who governs his body, governs the
country”. Basically you exist to become one
with nature.

Yin and Yang
Yin is negative, dark, and feminine, Yang positive,
bright, and masculine. Their interaction is thought to
maintain the harmony of the universe and to influence
everything within it.
• Confucius was a teacher, and so the Analects
primarily consists of guidance on what to do in
order to become a good individual and to
harness an orderly society.
• Confucianism is often thought of as a system for
the regulation of social groups, but it is also a
system for the transformation of the individual
• Confucius values individuals and understands
them as interwoven with many people.

Traits of Yin and Yang

Yin
 Negative
 Passive
 Feminine 5 human relationships under Confucianism

 Earthly Parents-Children. Parents should love and care

for their children. Children should respect and
Yang obey their parents. The children’s respect and
devotion for their parents is often called “filial
 Positive
piety.”
 Active
Ruler-Subjects. A ruler should care for the
 Masculine people he governs. The people he rules (the
subjects) should obey a ruler who takes care of
 Heavenly
them.
Virtues in Taoism
Older brothers-Younger brothers. Older
• Wu-Wei = primary virtue and means “non- brothers should care for younger brothers.
action.” To practice wu-wei is to be so Younger brothers should respect and obey older
perfectly in harmony with nature that its energy brothers.
infuses and empowers the individual.
Husband-Wife. Married people should live in
• Humility and noncompetition harmony. A wife should obey her husband.
• Naturalness and naturalism Friend-Friend. Friends should trust each other
• Nonaggression and passive rule and treat each other well.

Three Treasures of Taoism Virtues of Confucianism

Arthur Waley describes these Three Treasures as, "The
three rules that formed the practical, political side of the
author's teaching
(1) abstention from aggressive war and capital
punishment,
(2) absolute simplicity of living,
(3) refusal to assert active authority."
Three Treasures of Taoism
1. compassion, tenderness, love, mercy, kindness,
gentleness
2. moderation, simplicity, frugality
3. humility, modesty
Confucianism – Beliefs, Practices, and Values
1. Ren. Before Confucius, ren would usually refer
to kindness or benevolence, and until now, some
scholars translate ren as “goodness” or
“benevolence.” However, Confucius considered
this the cardinal virtue, because ren represents
the “perfections of what it means to be human”
Thus, most translations use ren as “humanity” or
“humaneness”, also understood as consideration
for others.
2. Hsiao. But what exactly does it mean to be
good, to be benevolent, or to be humane?
Confucius said: it is to “love others” or to “care
for others” (Analects 12:22). This love for others
has its starting point in another important virtue
for Confucianism: hsiao or filial piety. Since the
love for parents is innate, “might we not say that
filial piety and respect for elders constitute the
root of benevolence?” (Analects 1:2). Hsiao is
 not only about one’s parents and siblings, but
also about respect for elders, and veneration for
one’s ancestors (Molloy 236).
3. Shu. In shu or reciprocity, we see a practical
advice on ren; that which you want to realize for
yourself, you must also help others realize for
themselves (Analects 6:30). A famous
reformulation of this is the golden rule: Do not
do unto others what you do not want to be done
unto you (Analects 15:24).

4. Li. Li or “proprietary” is used to refer only to

observing rituals of sacrifice to ancestors
properly. But Confucius extended its meaning to
the proper behavior called for in every situation
(Adler 33). In short, li is putting ren into practice
( Molloy 234). This is why proper behavior is
useless without benevolence: “A man who is not
benevolent, what has he to do with ritual? “

Activity #1 (To be Submitted on March 23, 2022)

Confucianism believes in ancestor worship and

human-centered virtues for living a peaceful life. The
golden rule of Confucianism is “Do not do unto
others what you would not want others to do unto
you.” 
In what instances may you apply this without
suppressing your urge to get revenge? (5-10 sentences
only.)
NOTE: For modular students, just write this on any
kind of paper and submit by taking a picture and send
it to my messenger account.
For Non-Modular Students, please refer to your
google classroom.