Reading Assignment #5
1. Who was the founder of Taoism?
The founder of Taoism is Lao Tzu, meaning “the Old Boy,” or “the Grand Old Master.” “Taoism’s beginnings are linked to the legendary figure of Lao Tzu, senior to Confucius by about fifty years and credited with writing Taoism’s Bible, the Tao Te Ching or The Book of the Way and Its Power” (Novak 145). Despite being the founder, Lao Tzu is considered a shadowy figure because not much is known about him for certain.
2. What is the goal of Taoism?
According to Smith, the Taoist goal is to have a long and practical life as well as reach the ultimate goal of physical immortality. To do this a Taoist follows the three senses highlighted in the Tao Te Ching in which they place themselves
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These forces circle around each other and are considered the traditional Chinese symbols. “This polarity sums up all of life’s basic oppositions: good/evil, active/passive, positive/negative, light/dark, summer/winter, male/female; but though the halves are in tension, they are not flatly opposed; they complement and balance each other” (Smith 214). Yin and Yang occupy each other’s hemisphere in which they reside in the deepest part of the other’s domain. “And in the end both find themselves resolved by the circle that surrounds them, the Tao in its eternal wholeness; opposites appear as no more than phases in an endless cycling process, for each turns incessantly into its opposite, exchanging places with it” (Smith 215). Taoist believe through yin and yang, that life bends back so it will come full circle because everything is one and well in the …show more content…
“Action in the mode of wu-wei is action in which friction—in interpersonal relationships, in intrapsychic conflict, and in relation to nature—is reduced to the minimum” (Smith 200). It is also a supreme action in Taoism, in which suppleness, simplicity, and freedom flows through us when private egos and conscious efforts are not considered one’s own.
5. Who is Chuang Tzu?
Chuang Tzu was a Taoist sage who lived two centuries after the founder Lao Tzu. He was considered to be the greatest popularize of Philosophical Taoism, and often gave many stories to prove his ideals on his concepts, especially on water because it would reiterate his points well.
6. What are some differences between Religious Taoism and Philosophical
Yin and Yang – is a symbol used in relation to a Chinese philosophy to represent balance between good and evil or dark and light (Dictionary)
Tao-te Ching (in English pronounced “dow deh jing”) is believed to be written by Lao-tzu (6th century B.C). However, it is not for certain that he wrote the book. Lao-tzu is translated as “Old Master”. He was born in the state of Ch’u in China. It’s been said that he worked in the court of the Chou dynasty. The day that he was leaving the court to start his own life, the keeper of the gate urged him to write his thoughts as a book. Lao-tzu’s work mostly illustrates Taoism –a religion founded by Chang Tao-ling A.D. 150. His main purpose in this piece is practicing peace, simplicity, naturalness, and humility. Lao-tzu believes that people are overloaded with temporal objects in this world. He recommends his readers to let go of everything and always keep the balance in anything. In my opinion, Lao-tzu would more likely dislike our government and the way that people live nowadays. The reason is because majority of the people are attached to secular things. To paraphrase the famous, people have materialistic characteristics in today’s world which is completely against Lao-tzu’s view.
The first main principle of Taoism that is presented in this novel is the idea that things in their original simplicity contain their own natural power, power that is easily contaminated and lost when that simplicity is altered. This principle is also known as the Uncarved Block. Winnie-the-Pooh is very significant in this principle of the Uncarved Block, because he illustrates the perfect example of an individual that follows this principle. Pooh always exists in his "natural state", he is...
Robinson, B.A. "History of Taoism." Taoism. March 21, 2002. http://religioustolerance.org/taoism.html Velasquez, Manuel. Philosophy: A Text With Readings. 8th Edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2002.
Kaltenmark, Max. Lao Tzu and Taoism. Translated by Roger Greaves. Stanford: Stanford University Press. 1969.
Taoism has been a major influence in China throughout much of its history and The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan, reflects this influence through its infusion of Taoist principals. One of the fundamental concepts within Taoism is that of Wu-hsing. Wu-hsing is a way of understanding a matter by dividing it into five and is often represented by five phases, elements of directions. This is an unfamiliar concept to a western perspective, which tends to divide things into four. Understanding this fifth additional element, however, is essential to understanding The Joy Luck Club.
Cao Xueqin’s Story of the Stone is a classic in Chinese literature, showcasing the life and exploits of the wealthy Jia clan during the feudal era. Through Cao’s depiction, the reader is afforded a glimpse into the customs and lifestyle of the time. Chinese mode of thought is depicted as it occurs in daily life, with the coexisting beliefs of Confucianism and Taoism. While the positive aspects of both ideologies are presented, Cao ultimately depicts Taoism as the paramount, essential system of belief that guides the character Bao-yu to his eventual enlightenment. 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.
Yin and Yang – is a symbol used in relation to a Chinese philosophy to represent balance between good and evil or dark and light (Dictionary)
Taoism is the first major philosophical and religious tradition explored by Peter Marshall, in his book Nature's Web. Marshall calls Taoism "the way of nature," emphasizing that this is the ideal religion from the perspective of ecological sensibility. Passivity is a key element of Taoist thought, and is a repeated concept in the primary Taoist text, the Tao Te Ching. The concept of passivity stresses that the wise person will not attempt to cause change in his world, but will rather be receptive to and allow natural changes to happen, as is the way of nature. Other Taoist principles concerning government, society, life, and death branch off from this concept. Marshall considers this religion to be a necessary foundation for an ecologically sound world and way of life, which is why he makes it the foundation of his book. However, Marshall's views may not be entirely realistic when we consider the practicality of the philosophy to our modern ecological crisis.
Lao Tzu believed that Tao is a natural thing. He believes that you come by it or you realize its presents and experience it. The best way for me to explain how Lao Tzu perceives the Tao is to take it directly from our reading in Molloy, “The Doa cannot be named because it has no form. But the Dao can be experienced and followed by every individual thing that has a name (213).” Lao Tzu used Tao as a way of being and living in harmony with nature. Lao Tzu believed that Tao came to you by using his teaching of Wu Wei, Simplicity, Gentleness and Relativity (217-218).
Taoism and Buddhism were born in the same century. Siddhartha reached enlightenment in approximately 535 B.C. and Lao Tzu’s teachings were recorded around 500 B.C. There are many similarities in the basics of these two religions. Some of the similarities can be seen clearly when examining the three meaning of Tao.
In the Chinese culture there are several major religions, two of these include Confucianism and Taoism, which have dated back for thousands of years. According to. Experiencing the World’s Religions and The World’s Wisdom: Sacred Texts of the World’s Religions, both Confucianism and Taoism, originated in ancient China through the religions’ teachers: Confucius and Lao Tzu. “Taoism and Confucianism grew up together, entering Chinese history around the sixth century B.C.E. Taoism’s beginnings are linked to the legendary figure of Lao Tzu, senior to Confucius by about fifty years.
Unlike Rumi, Tao Te Ching isn’t self-centralized and instead broadens the view for everyone. Pojman gives an example in Philosophy of Religion where if you hear something and nobody else does, it causes confusion (pg. 52). When you speak of religion in one light and one lesson, it’s confusing in a sense that it isn’t relatable. Lao Tzu handles this by making his text a somewhat universal truth. Lao Tzu also has this showing as more of a life guide, on how to find peace within your religion and with your God, but also within yourself. He poses many questions (“Do you have the patience to wait until your mud settles and the water is clear?”, “When we don't see the self as self, what do we have to fear?”, “My teachings are older than the world. How can you grasp their meaning?”) to make his audience question themselves and who they are. This insinuates that Taoism means finding a peace, or harmony, with the Tao by first finding harmony within yourself. Tolstoy reiterates that within his own text called, “A Confession” by writing that he eventually cut himself off from the church and found spirituality within himself and his God. Tolstoy makes a point that the meaning of life is trusting that God has a plan and a purpose for everyone. Meanwhile, a connection can be drawn with Tao Te Ching where everything has meaning because the Tao is everything that exists and simultaneously everything that doesn’t exist, according to Lao Tzu. Tzu also writes, “If you want to know me, look inside your heart,” and “The more you travel, the less you know [of the Tao]”, providing the argument that the Tao is imbedded into every atom, every cell, every human as well, and that is why you must make
But what does Tao mean? Tao is “The way” or “the way of nature”. Tao is not a God, is seen more as a “First cause” of the universe. Once we have cleared all the meanings and we know from where the yin yang comes from, I can accentuate more in yin and yang.
Lao-Tze founded Taoism around 550 BC. The goal in Taoism is achieve Inner harmony, pea...