LESSON 9

TAOISM: UNITY WITH THE NATURE

The people see that there are beautiful things,

Other things become ugly. When they see some good
things, Others become bad- Tao Te Ching
 Some similarities between Taoism and Buddhism are

 Both use statues and pictures

 Both have similar places of worship
 Both consider men and women as a manifestation o
f God
 Both allow an atheist to partake in their religion1
 Both religions have symbols
• Buddhism is based on the teachings
of Siddhartha Gautama, who was
born a prince in Nepal in 563 BCE.
He became known as the Buddha
after he attained enlightenment at
the age of 35. The Buddha taught
that life is suffering and that the way
to end suffering is to eliminate
desire.
Taoism is based on the teachings of
Lao Tzu, who lived in China around
600 BCE. Lao Tzu taught that there
is a natural order to the universe
called the Tao. The Tao cannot be
described or defined, but it can be
experienced.
Taoists believe that by living in har
mony with the Tao, they can achiev
e balance and peace
A. Learning objectives:

1. Identify the famous traditions of the Taoist

culture
2. Understand the concept of Taoism
3. Create your own ideal teachings and beliefs for a
culture
Taoism (also spelled Daoism)

- is a religion and a philosophy from ancient China that has influenced

folk and national belief. Taoism has been connected to the philosopher
Lao Tzu, who around 500 B.C.E. wrote the main book of Taoism, the
Tao Te Ching. Taoism holds that humans and animals should live in
balance with the Tao, or the universe. One of the main ideas of Taoism is
the belief in balancing forces, or yin and yang. These ideas represent
matching pairs, such as light and dark, hot and cold, action and
inaction, which work together toward a universal whole.
Yin and yang show that everything in the universe is connected and that
nothing makes sense by itself
 Lao Tzu or Laozi was a Chinese philosopher, believed to have lived
in the 6th century BC. He is considered the author of the Taoist
classic – the “Tao Te Ching”, which offers an iconoclastic spiritual
philosophy, based on an underlying unity of the universe.
. According to Chinese tradition, the founder of taoism
was a wise man named Laozi (aka, Lao-Tzu, which
means “old teacher”) who lived during the 6th century
B.C.E. His famous work is a book entitled Tao Te
Ching (Classic of the Way and of Virtue). In 100
B.C.E., one of his biographers wrote that Laozi came
from the district of Hu (present day province of Henan)
during the Chou dynasty(1122-221 B.C.E.) and was an
astrologer in the palace of the emperor. When the
dynasty fell, Laozi traveled westward and wrote Tao Te
Ching during his journey.
Taoism has two main traditions:

Quanzhen Taoism - is a monastic tradition that emerged in the 12th

century and emphasizes meditation, internal alchemy, and martial art.

Zhengyi Taoism – is an early tradition that emphasizes ritual practices

and the worship of deities
 . Teachings and Beliefs. Taoism is focused on the “tao”
(pronounced as “daw”) which is translated as “path” or “way.” While the
term has plenty of meanings, tao refers to the natural flow/way of nature or
the cosmos (universe). Tao is said to be nameless and is never fully learned.
Its important teaching focuses on the capacity to make things singular.
Taoism believes that all things are one, despite the differences in forms and
appearance. Because all tao are one, all the good and the bad, the right and
the wrong, and the differences of opinion occur. Because the oneness of
everything disappears in people’s consciousness, individual beliefs become
the guiding philosophy. Nature aligns with humans, but owing to human
opposition to natural existence, people violate the tao. It is the aim of Taoism
to unite with the flow of the cosmos together with nature and other things. It
is comparable to a person looking out the window and thinking that he
already sees the entire world. Because all things are one, life and death come
together; they are two parts of one reality
 Like Confucianism, Taoists thought developed in response to
the turbulence of the late Zhou dynasty and the Period of the
Warring States. But unlike the Confucians, the Taoists
considered it pointless to waste time and energy on problems
that defied solution. Instead of Confucian social activism, the
Taoists devoted their energies to reflection and introspection,
in hopes that they could understand the natural principles that
governed the world and could learn how to live in harmony
with them. The Taoists believed that over time, this approach
would bring harmony to society as a whole, as people stop to
meddle in the affairs that they could not understand or control.
 Chuang Tzu was considered by the Taoists as
the best model of a Taoist philosopher. But there
are very few recorded details about him except
for the claim that he lived in the 2nd or 3rd
century B.C.E. He was known for writing the
Chuang Tzu which was distinct for its free flow
of ideas and colorful depiction of life. It is
considered as one of the finest examples of
Chinese literature
 Taoists focus their life on the establishment of a
mystical relation with other people and avoid
wasting energies on the pursuit of wealth, power,
and knowledge. In their avoidance of worldly
matters, the Taoists are able to devote time to
meditate about the true meaning of life. The
Taoists believe in the virtues of abstinence,
patience, and humility. They practice these virtues
to show respect for the course of society and
nature, not because of cowardice or weakness.
Those who wish to turn their back on politics
and intrigues accepted the teachings of
Taoism. They included leaders who failed
and those who lost trust in the state and their
government. However, because of their
beliefs which diverged from the
mainstream of society, Taoism never
became part of any system of
government.
In the field of governance, the Taoists believe
that the state should be primitive, passive,
and peaceful. A scholar governs without law
because he sometimes considers law as an
obstacle to the natural flow of tao.
 Taoism played a significant role in the
establishment of Chan (Zen) Buddhism in
China given that many of the teachings of the
two religions are similar. It is also important
to realize that Taoism started not as a religion
but as a philosophy.
 Unfortunately, Taoism underwent many changes so that it
became full of superstition, divinations, and the quest for immortality,
which eventually eroded its credibility as a philosophy. Nevertheless,
in its original form, Taoism became an effective guide for people from
the classroom all the way to the offices of traders and administrators.
Nevertheless, despite the passage of time, Taoism endures and is still
being practiced by individuals. Taoism recognized early as the chief
moral virtue the trait of wuwei – disengagement from the
competitive exertions and active involvement in affairs of the world.
Wuwei required that individuals refrain from advanced education and
from personal striving. It calls individuals to live simply,
unpretentiously, and in harmony with nature.