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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. Tao literally means the “Way” or “Path” but has many different different associations. In Taoism the Tao is the “One” Tao in Taoism is a natural eternal power that is in everything from the beginning and allows people to follow the way that they are meant to. This is apparent in even other religions such as the Orthodox Church when The holy fathers …show more content…
Because of their beliefs, “Taoists thus always do what is required by events and their context, but they only do what is required, no more” (BBC). This shows that because of their belief Taoist politicians and leaders will always try to do what is right for everyone. Although Taoism is a religion it does not have a god figurehead like other religions have although some religious Taoist worship Laozi as the founder of Taoism as well as other deities from Chinese folklore. This makes Taoism unique in the fact that it does not have a set other worldly leader besides a power that is said to be in everything and that it holds everything in harmony. Taoism does have books that hold the teachings of Taoism such as the Tao Te Ching. The Tao Te Ching is considered the most influential Taoist texts and its origin is given to Laozi who is said to have written it. The true origins of the Tao Te Ching are not known for a certainty but the earliest version of the text have been excavated and dated back to the late 4th century BCE. The text begins
After watching the documentary The Long Search: Taoism: A Question of Balance—China, I am totally surprised by the details in the video, which explain every single aspect of people’s daily life in Taiwan as religious, especially Taoist. Since China does not consider itself as a nation of religious beliefs and practices, I do not actually think of what Chinese people do everyday as religious. However, after studying Religions in China for a semester, I finally realize that all the Chinese traditions and beliefs have evolved as a mixture of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. As a result, it all makes sense to see in the video that Taoism is a dominant religion that has deeply influenced individuals’ life in Taiwan.
...oundation of all living things that exist in this world. The mission of Taoism is not to force its beliefs on people, but to help them realize their inner-self and guide into a happy life in harmony with nature. To best summarize Taoism a quote from Lao-Tse can be used: "We believe in the formless and eternal Tao, and we recognize all personified deities as being mere human constructs. We reject hatred, intolerance, and unnecessary violence, and embrace harmony, love and learning, as we are taught by Nature. We place our trust and our lives in the Tao, that we may live in peace and balance with the Universe, both in this mortal life and beyond." There are thousands of religions that offer endless solutions to end suffering, to restore peace and unity in the world. For decades philosophers tried to come up with ways to find happiness, but in the end there was only one answer. The answer came from a some would call silly, others wise bear by the name of Winnie-the-Pooh, who discovered the secret for happiness in and old religion, founded by a great master Lao-Tse. This religion became the answer for the endless search for happiness and the answer was Taoism.
The first religion selected is Taoism (Daoism), an Eastern religion that originated from the richness of a group of healers possessing power over the elements. In China these healers are known as shamans. The shamans are acknowledged as having the ability to communicate with animals and the knowledge of various uses for plants (Seymour, nd.). During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Zhang Taoling settled on Singing Crane Mountain (Mount Heming). He began producing and circulating books advocating Tao after he claimed that he had been imparted the "Mighty Commonwealth of the Orthodox Oneness (Zhengyi Meng Wei) by Supreme Master Lao Zi. His teachings centered on the summoning of deities, magic incantation and subduing of ghosts, as well as breathing exercises (Elijame, 2011). As other religions and rituals, the knowledge,...
"Main Concepts of Taoism: Yin and Yang." Taoism and the Taoist Arts. April 2002. http://www.taoistarts.net/main.html#yin LeGuin, Ursula K. The Lathe of Heaven. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers Inc., 2000.
Confucius, the founder of the philosophy, held the belief that people should be earnest, truthful, and kind to others. Doc 3) Taoism was a philosophy like Confucianism but it was also a mystic religion. Taoism is often referred to as a balance between real and abstract. (Doc 7) It is often stated that if you can explain Taoism, you don’t understand it.
Taoism is an ancient Chinese religion, a religion of peace focused on universal balance. The religion itself, though generally surviving today, was almost entirely wiped out in ancient times. Taoism’s primary symbol is still visible on the global market in modern times, though it tends to carry somewhat different meanings then it necessarily did previously. An incredibly life-structure oriented religion, it has permeated through society and is more easily understood through analysis of Taoism’s historical origins and leaders, its types and beliefs, ethics, and the modern influences of Taoism on society.
Taoism follows a much different idea of the "chain of being," than that of the other major religions (i.e. Hinduism, Judeo-Christian, Islam), which is very important in consideration of the ecological sensibility which stems from it. As opposed to a God-over-man-over-nature view of the world, Taoism states:
...ccording to it. It is the level of understanding and respect a Taoist has with nature, everyone around them, and everything. This mystery is the last feature that is important to defining a religion.
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).
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.
In its second sense, Tao means "the way of the universe." Tao is something that goes through all beings, all of the earth. It is everywhere, all the time. It is something that flows through everything. This flowing idea links with the idea in Buddhism that Nirvana can be reached by anyone, as long as one is devoted enough and has lost all attachments.Thirdly, one life must be a certain way to work with the Tao: Tao also refers to "the way of human life" as it "meshes" with the universal Tao in its second sense.
Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism constitute the essence of the traditional Chinese culture. The relationship among the three has been marked by both competition and complementation in history, with Confucianism playing a more dominant role. Confucianism emphasized a reiteration of current moral values and Taoism developed a system of based upon a harmonization of man with the natural order. These two popular philosophies, however, developed into popular religions eventually. Besides the major religions, ancestor worship and animism also have strong support in China. Chinese people are very pragmatic, worshipping gods that might answer their prayers.
Another difference is Confucianism is based off of respect for others and their superiors, and Confucians are to follow a code of conduct with social harmony as a goal. On the other hand, Taoism is based on the contemplation of life and followers are to seek balance in their lives through following the path or Tao. Even though they have similar views, the differences they each possess, such as with virtues, beliefs in self-improvement and cultivation, and methodology of learning and following philosophies, are another major factor in what sets them apart. Despite both their similarities and differences, both Confucianism and Taoism have developed into the modern age where they have hundreds of thousands of devoted followers that believe in their faith.
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
Lao-Tze founded Taoism around 550 BC. The goal in Taoism is achieve Inner harmony, pea...