ACTIVITY

Is cellphone a
necessity for a
student?
ACTIVITY
Is having
boyfriend/girlfriend
helpful as a student?
SYMBOLS
The Yin Yang is the most well
known Daoic symbol composed
of a circle divided into two
swirling parts; one black one
white and a tear drop shape
small circle of the opposite
color. The symbol of the perfect
ACTIVITY
Make an inventory of the things which
can be found in your bedroom (e.g. bed,
clothes, books, toys, etc.). Considering
the Daoist teaching that one should
acquire only the things that one needs to
survive, which of the things you have
listed can you do without?
Historical Background
Lao Tzu (Old Master)
 Author of the Dao De Jing.
 Was conceived of a shooting star and born of
a virgin mother who was kept in his womb for
82 years.
 His family name was Li, his given name was
Erh and he was also known as Tan.
 Worked as government archivist but
frustrated of corruption.
 Was detained at Han-ku Pass where Yin Hsi
requested him to write a book entitled Dao.
Historical Background
Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu) “Master
Chuang”
 His last name was Chuang, his given name
was Chou, and Tzu means master.
 Was born in the town of Meng in the state of
Sung.
 Served as OIC of a royal garden during the
Warring States period and was invited by king
Wei of Chu to become his chief minister but
he declined.
 He is a great philosopher and writer who
 Sacred
Scripture
Dao De Jing
A mysterious collection of enigmatic
remarks which many find hard to
understand. Its opening line implies
difficulty of putting the truth into
words, and can only be explained
through riddle and paradox.
Dao De Jing
It expounds on the meaning of Dao and its
accompanying concept of De – the power or
virtue acquired by a person by means of
living in harmony. It contains assertions that
were rather contradictory and illogical, yet
contain deeper meaning which can be
understood through intuition than through
 Book of Chuang
Tzu/Zuangzi
Consist of delightful parables, metaphors
and poetic passages and is praised for its
high literacy value which represents the most
significant formulation of early Daoist
thought. Zuangzhi is divided into three
sections: the Inner Chapters, the Outer
Chapters, and Miscellaneous Chapters.
Book of Chuang
Tzu/Zuangzi
All in all, the book which is an anthology
of essays that make use of parables and
allegories, discusses spiritual freedom
which makes one surpass the limitations
of ones own mind, and not merely the
freedom from social norms and
restrictions.
 Book of Chuang
Tzu/Zuangzi
Zhuangzi believes that such freedom can
only be attained by living according to the
Dao itself. Part of living according to the
Dao is to defer to its laws, which includes
the law of dying. According to the book,
the sage-through his exceptional wisdom-
is liberated from life’s ups and downs and
 Book of Chuang
Tzu/Zuangzi
There is also passage which
describes the sage as immortals who
no longer depend on a diet of grains,
have defeated death, and have the
ability to help others get well from
sickness and overcome other evils.
CONCEPT
S
The Dao
It is undetectable, indistinct,
shapeless, indefinable, it is the
foundation of all being, and the way
in which nature and the universe
exist. All things come from, and are
nourished by it, that is why the Dao
The Dao
Dao is the origin of heaven and
earth and it is also the way in which
heaven and earth now live. For
Confucians, it refers to the basic
principles of moral philosophy while
for the legalists, it is the way of
 The Dao
The Dao is distinct from God. It is not a
being for it is the origin of all beings, and
its great virtue is that it does everything
but desires nothing. It is ‘emptiness’
which does not compete with other forces
but is content with itself. This
contentment when practiced by people
 Deity/God
Daoism does not have a God, for Daoists
believe that the universe originated from
the Dao, which created and controls the
universe and distantly guides things on
their way. However, the Dao itself is not a
God and is not worshipped by the
Daoists. Instead they worship dieties of
 Deity/God
They traditionally worship Laozi as their
first god and representation of Daoism.
Most of their gods were borrowed from
other cultures. For them, their gods is a
divine administration which reflects the
secular government but others also say that
the secular government is reflection of the
 Deity/God
The Dao possesses heavenly qualities, is
mysterious, indescribable, lies under the
surface of sense perception, and unifies
obvious opposites on a different level. Dao
can only be found in silence. For Daoist, God
is found inside us, in the thoughtful
emptiness from which all power and life
originates in all directions, it is the ‘Nothing’
 The De
De means virtue or proper adherence to Dao. It
encourages inaction in nature and advocates the
quiet and passive nature of a person so that the
Dao may act through them without
interference. People should simply follow the
Dao and must do nothing on their own. Laozi
professed a distaste for culture and civilization
for they are proofs of human activity and proof
 The De
“Non-competition in Emptiness” is said to be
the other side of the principle of inaction in
nature. Inaction means a person’s outward
actions, and emptiness is the corresponding in
the inner state, which also means “absence of
desire.” Daoists believe that when a person
becomes peaceful, that person acquires power
to overcome all things without having to
 The De
In line with this, humility and avoiding
competition with others are two virtues which
Daoists value most. Lastly, “contentment with
what is” is another expression of non-
competition. By following the way of nature, a
person can attain contentment. For Laozi, the
way of happiness is contentment. “There is no
greater sin than the desire for possession, no
 Wu-Wei
Wu-Wei means “no behaviour” or “doing
nothing.” it also means “to do without
nothing” (we-wu-wei) or actionless
activity. It is a concept used to negate or
limit human action. It refers to the
cancellation or restriction of human
behaviour, especially human activities.
 Wu-Wei
Wu-wei may refer to certain stages such as
non-behaviour or doing nothing; taking as
little action as possible; taking action
spontaneously; ; taking a passive attitude
toward society; waiting for the spontaneous
transformation of things; and taking actions
according to objective conditions and the
nature of things, or acting naturally.
 Wu-Wei
It advocates a “go with the flow” attitude by
cultivating a state of being wherein our
actions are in harmony with the natural cycles
of the universe. Laozi believed that wu-wei
can lead to a peaceful and harmonious
society. The opposite of wu-wei is yu-wei,
means taking action, which Laozi believes
causes vicious actions, theft and crime. Wu
 Yin Yang
The Yin in its highest form is freezing while
Yang is boiling. The chilliness comes from
heaven while the warmness comes from
earth. The interaction of these two establishes
the he (harmony), so it gives birth to things.
Perhaps, this is the law of everything, yet
there is no form of being seen. It states that
everything has opposite sides where each side
 Yin Yang
When something is whole, it is fixed
and imperfect, but when it is split into
halves, it disturbs the balance of
completeness, thus initiating change.
The theory that opposite always
transform into each other serves as the
philosophical foundation of Laozi’s
 Things
• good-evil
in Pair * beauty-
ugliness
• Long-short * difficult-
easy
• Bright-dark * superior-
inferior
 Yin Yang
The yin and yang symbolize
the interaction of the
polarities and the goal is to
embody these polarities in a
balanced and harmonious
 Qi/Chi
The Qi refers to the natural energy or
life force that sustains living beings. It
is the fundamental substance of nature
and living beings, as well as life force.
It refers to matter, which is continuous,
energetic and dynamic. It is sometimes
translated as “material force” or “vital
 Qi/Chi
Daoists believe that everything is
made up of Qi and will eventually
return to Qi. Because of this,
people should not be afraid of
death, for life and death are but
phases of the circulation of Qi.
 Qi/Chi
Daoists believe that qi is a key to a
healthy life and longevity. It is
considered as the root of the human
body the basis of human health. Every
person has a normal or healthy amount
of qi, and health is achieved when
there is balance and harmony in its
 Worship
and
Observances
 Meditative
Humility and non-competition are
Practices
among the most important virtues in
Daoism. These virtues, together with
naturalness and naturalism, as well as
non-aggression and passive rule,
manifest the fundamental virtue of
 Meditative
The physical appearance of the Daoist
Practices
sage exemplifies the virtue of humility, for
on the outside the sage may dress shabbily
but his mind is full of wisdom and his
heart, full of compassion. The sage also
manifests the virtue of non-competition
by not competing but emerging victorious
 Meditative
The sage has achieved oneness with the
Practices
Dao by understanding its simplicity; his
mind is undistracted that is why he is able
to discover the simplicity in the Dao. He
is like a cat who does not deviate from its
own nature and being fully aware of the
situation at hand, it always land on its feet
 Moral Practices
Daoist value the need for a moral life, of
good works as well as of ritual atonement
for misbehaviour. Daoism values the
virtue of naturalness, behaving as nature
dictates, nos as caused by social pressure
or personal pride; and naturalism; which
entails resisting temptation to meddle with
 Moral Practices
Daoist tend not to initiate action, instead
they wait for events to make action
necessary, avoiding letting their own
desires and compulsions push them into
doing things. Daoism disapproves killing,
stealing, lying, and promiscuity. It
promotes philanthropic, selfless and
Goal: To obtain longevity and immortality
• Use of potions(led to the practice of alchemical
experiments which made lasting contributions in various
fields such as chemistry, medicine, and pharmacology.)
• Practice meditation (includes experiments with one’s self,
especially the body through the use of methods of inner
alchemy, associated with yoga and other forms of
meditations)
• Breathing technique (to be in contact with qi, for longevity
and to counter aging.)
Goal: To dispel illness or suffering
• Jiao festival(or the rite of cosmic renewal, celebrated to
rededicate the local temple and to renew the whole
community by cleansing it from suffering and hardships.)
https://youtu.be/dYjTCihdmvA
• Refrain from eating grain (based on the Dao belief that
illness is caused by the three corpse worms which reside in
the body, and eating grains will encourage worms to stay)
• Confession and purging of one’s sin (based on the belief
that illness may be caused by wrongdoings.)
https://youtu.be/dYjTCihdmvA
Selected Issues
1.Fatalism
2.Superstition
3.Urban Development