Daoism Essay

521 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Three schools of thought in china

The concept of Dao is one of the central concepts in Chinese philosophy. Term Dao means "the Way", or "Harmony". Daoism is not a movement or religion, but it is a normative, practical concept, it is a way or guide to action to achieve a harmony. Daoism is associated with Laozi, which means "old master", who was the teacher of Confucius, the greatest thinker of ancient China. There are 3 steps in Daoism. The first, Daoism 1.0 or primitivism. The concept of Daoism 1.0 is that Dao can only exist in nature, outside of "manmade" civilization, and can only be achieved by turning back to nature. It proclaims being natural and rejects any human-made environments. The goal of primitivism is to achieve harmony by giving up everything manmade because anything unnatural, manmade creates constraints for achieving harmony. …show more content…

Confucius said that all people have an instinct for virtue. People are not struggling to be moral, morality is a natural feature of people. All people have moral seeds, they just need moral education to let seeds sprout and grow up. One of the major Daoist virtue is ziran which is naturalness and spontaneity. Ziran is a state where people are in touch with nature and follow their basic nature. According to Daoism 2.0, the biggest problems that people have created and the biggest constraint on the way to achieving ziran is a language. It teaches that in order to conceive the world, people need to go back to nature, to abandon stereotypes which distance us from a natural vision of life. Language is not naturally occurred and thus it can damage people's nature. By speaking up words, people reduce their ability of intuition, and by naming things, people create standards. Since language is unnatural, it gives people tools that do not exist in nature, and it creates a harm for people because in order to find the way to harmony people need to be

Show More
Related

  • Judge Dee Case Study

    1045 Words  | 3 Pages

    Daoism is a Chinese philosophy that focuses on Dao, or, "the way". Daoists believe in the supernatural, nature, and hope to understand the natural principles that governed the world and how we could learn to live in harmony with them. Judge Dee relies heavily on spiritual inspiration when all else fails. When Judge Dee was having a hard time solving the Bee Hsun case, he decided to go to the city temple, and pray. Judge Dee thought that begging to the "Powers on High" (79) would show him to the way of this case. This suggests that the magistrate depends on spiritual forces in times of need. After, he tries to meditate, which is also a Daoist idea. "He sat down on the cushion, with crossed legs and his body erect. Closing his eyes, he tried to achieve a tranquil state of mind." (79) Judge Dee was using meditation, which is to reach a level of spiritual peace by becoming one with your surroundings, which is very Daoist. This shows that Judge Dee uses Daoist qualities in attempt to be a more effective

    Read More

  • Parallels Between Daoism and Hinduism

    1321 Words  | 3 Pages

    ... subtle and elusive. It can’t be named, held, seen, or heard, but it is the essence of it. It is part of us and everything around us. It is first and foremost life itself. Unfortunately, we do not recognize it unless we truly destroy of our ignorance. Daoism and Hinduism influenced the Dao and the Brahman in their own unique ways but the core remains the same – indescribable. The Dao is motion-like and entails a process thus called “The Way,” while the Brahman relates to the transcendent spirit. Perhaps each possesses its own cultural uniqueness originating from India and China but both are pointing to the fundamental nature of reality. The Dao and the Brahman are in nature, are natures; they are the life force, and the core of nature. In order to experience them, we must at least follow world-renowned martial artists, Bruce Lee’s advice: “Be like water, my friend.”

    Read More

  • Confucianism, Daoism & Legalism

    1215 Words  | 3 Pages

         By the beginning of the common era, another philosophy emerges and gains wide acceptance among the commoners. Daoism, just like the predecessor and also as the name implies, puts emphasis on "the way," that a certain individual is to abide by. Even though the two systems had different concepts about the way, the common denominator of both schools was to achieve total harmony in the society.... ... middle of paper ... ...

    Read More

  • Story of the Stone

    1407 Words  | 3 Pages

    As was the case in China, Cao depicts the two forms of belief existing alongside one another, and not necessarily practiced exclusively to one another. Confucianism involves the concern for worldly affairs and order within a rigid social hierarchy, with importance placed on filial piety and family relations. Daoism is a way of thought that encompasses ideas of transcendental worlds of spirit through observation of simplicity, a comprehension of natural law and order, and a desire to lead with compassion, rather than force.

    Read More

  • Confucianism Vs Daoism Essay

    779 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the Warring States period China was going through chaos. The teachings of Confucianism and Daoism were welcomed by society to bring order, stability and liberate people from the misery and oppression. The rulers were greedy and desirous of political power and their own agendas; however they were looking for a new way to unite their people. It is often said that Confucianism and Daoism are the yang and yin, respectively, of Chinese religion. That is, they are not rivals so much as complementary traditions, working together to produce an overall balance in the lives of the Chinese. This is not true because the two religious philosophies were different from one another. Confucius believed that the traditions and virtues that were studied and taught in the old days by the Ancients was the best way to organize society (trickle-down approach). Also followers of Confucius believed in education, a moral force and human goodness to advance and progress within society. Daoism on the other hand relies on human nature and a balance of good and evil (Yin-Yang) to bring about social order. It neglects education, virtue and cultural norms because it is said that people are born faultless.

    Read More

  • The Three Major Philosophies Of Ancient China

    781 Words  | 2 Pages

    Daoism was founded by Laozi, and it is said that he wrote Dao DeJing (The Classic of the Way and It’s Power). Daoism is based on Dao (the way), the force that gives order to the natural universe. It taught that if you lived in harmony with natures to Dao, nature is full of opposites and balancing those is called yin (shaded) and yang (sun lit). Daoism taught rulers to be weak and less harsh. Their main influence was on writing, art, and Chinese thought. Rulers that ruled the least were the best. Daoism believed that the greater the number of laws and enactments, the more thieves and robbers there will be. In “The Sayings of Lao Tzu”, Daoism stated that “so long as I do nothing, the people will right themselves. If only I keep from meddling, the people will grow rich. If only I am free from desire, the people will come naturally back to

    Read More

  • Aristotle versus Confucius

    1796 Words  | 4 Pages

    For those individuals that choose to look into the philosophy of Confucius, Confucianism recognizes that the quest for virtue is ordinary and providential. However, in this quest of moral aptness Confucius tried to offer other people the fervent self love that he had greatly embodied. To actually make oneself as perfect as possible was the central concern of life. Al...

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Confucianism And Daoism

    1931 Words  | 4 Pages

    While possessing similar goals, Confucianism and Daoism texts have conflicting information on how to achieve these goals. Confucianism and Daoism have some similarities such as the belief that “human fulfillment lay in harmonizing our thinking and behavior with the Way (dao)” and a refinement of the self to gain an objective (Adler, Chinese Religious Traditions, 15). Both traditions recognize that we can do better as humans. While there are similarities between these religious traditions, their written teachings have very different instruction on how to achieve the Dao. Confucianism encourages the notion of ru, which is “evoking a commitment to learning, refinement, cultural accomplishments, and the practice of rites and

    Read More

  • Rastafarianism Essay

    630 Words  | 2 Pages

    Rastafarianism is a religious movement that combines the cultural rituals of Jamaican folk Christianity with the Pan-Africanist movement lead by Marcus Garvey. The religion is influenced by the beliefs of the Nazarite Vow. This vow describes in great detail the significance of the Rastafari movement and the influence Samson has on Rasta’s. During the early twentieth century Marcus Garvey, “the founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA),” prophesied the crowning of a black king (Olmos 183). Then a few years later his prophesy was considered fulfilled when Haile Selassie was named Emperor of Ethiopia. Rastafari was founded on November 2, 1930 with the crowning of Ras Tafari Makonnen, Haile Selassie, or Emperor of Ethiopia.

    Read More

  • Sikhism Essay

    745 Words  | 2 Pages

    Religious discrimination is the biggest social issue in the USA. Since the 9/11 attacks Sikh’s have been tortured and treated really badly only because of their appearance. Arabs and Muslims are also tortured because of the religion they belong to. People should not insult other people without even knowing about their background. People should try to get to know about other person’s background before coming into any conclusion, he might be the best person they have ever met. The U.S. should abolish the practice of practice of profiling based on appearance at government office, schools, private offices etc.

    Read More

  • Confucianism and Taoism

    980 Words  | 2 Pages

    Confucianism and Daoism are two influential schools of thoughts that have existed in ancient China around the 6th century BCE. The former, led by the politician and philosopher Confucius, proposed that humans live in society according to a set of predefined rules and that they transform society through political action. Whereas the latter, led by the philosopher Lao-Tzu, promoted the idea of inaction; people should go with the flow instead of taking action to control their lives and dominate their surroundings. Although, at first glance Daoism and Confucianism seem to be two opposing philosophies, a more in depth analysis of two of their key ideas –filial piety and education—reveals that they do share some similarities.

    Read More

  • Essay On Confucianism

    1482 Words  | 3 Pages

    Confucianism has had a major influence on Chinese social, political and economic life for more than 2000 years. Confucius was the most innovative and respected philosopher in Chinese history. His ideas have been the strongest influence on China and its society. Confucius taught the value of practical ethics and social morality in order to obtain his decadent view of society. He presented the idea of perfecting the human personality by incorporating the five virtues of Jen, Li, Hsiao Ti, Chung-Su and I (Smith 1973, p 66) until the ideal of a perfect man and true gentleman is reached. Confucianism changed everything about China including the way the government ran the country and how young people were being educated. This essay will examine Confucianism as a philosophy, rather than a religion, and how it acted as a moral guide to a way of living in Chinese society in order to create cultural unification and social harmony.

    Read More

  • Taoism Essay

    1171 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Asia during 6th century BCE the religion of Taoism first started. The original form of Taoism beliefs that there is no God, instead they have an ethereal being that they do not know, making them unique in the world as most religions have a deity to fall behind as a uniting factor. In modern Taoism the ideas have changed a lot since its conception. Taoism is an interesting religion because of its beliefs, and its practice now.

    Read More

  • Dharma Essay

    857 Words  | 2 Pages

    The other source has been Puranas which are eighteen in number and contains information about the creation and dynasties of god, sages and kings and detailed description of yugas. All the sources are on the same footstep and no one has supremacy over the other.

    Read More

  • Spiritualism Essay

    1901 Words  | 4 Pages

    “Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life.” According to Buddha, everyone needs some form of spirituality to define his or her life and existence. Webster Dictionary defines spiritualism as “a system of beliefs or religious practices based on supposed communication with the spirits of the dead, often times through mediums.” Though this is one general definition of spiritualism, this concept is one that does not hold a conclusive meaning. Each and every single person has the ability and right to create and practice their own idea of spiritualism. From ancient times to present day, the term and practice of spirituality has transformed, particularly from region to region. Despite the discrepancies in practices and overall understanding of this idea, spirituality has had an effect and impact upon all of humanity since the creation of time. This religion that is believed to have been established in the early eighteen hundreds, after two little girls claimed to have the ability to talk to spirits, sparked interest in this spiritual movement, allowing it to spread rather rapidly over many geographical locations. Aside from being recognized as a religion, spiritualism is also believed to be a form of philosophy and a science in which spiritualists believe that there is life after death and try to demonstrate this through the ability of attempting to communicate with those that have passed on. Spiritualism was socially different from other religions in existence at the time because it presented followers with a more tolerant belief system that assimilated the principles and facts from a selection the world's religions. Spiritualism also made it acceptable for women to play a disti...

    Read More

More about Daoism Essay

Open Document