Taoism

Q: Is Taoism a
Religion?
(Explain your answer)
A: The answer is
yes and no.
Taoism or Daoism
 a philosophical or religious
tradition of Chinese origin which
emphasizes living in harmony
with the Tao.
 For Taoists, the ultimate goal of

human life is to understand this
reality and learn to live in
harmony with it.
In China — the origin of Taoism —
it is practiced both as a philosophy
and religion.
 For those who observe it as a
philosophy, they’d portray the
system of belief as Daojia , or the
‘school of Tao’.
 For those who worship it as a
religion, they would call it Daojiao,
meaning ‘the religion of Dao’ .
Tao (pronounced “Dow”) can be
roughly translated into English as
path, or the way. It is basically
indefinable. It has to be
experienced. It refers to a power
which envelops, surrounds and
flows through all things, living and
non-living.
Taoism currently has about 31
million followers.
Taoism is strongly associated with the
yin-yang sign, which symbolizes the
Taoist belief in matched opposites:
◦ light and dark
◦ hot and cold
◦ wet and dry
◦ masculine and feminine
However, the real point of a yin-
yang symbol isn’t just the black and
white halves – it’s also the fact that
each half contains part of the other!
The black side has some white in it,
and the white side has some black.
 This is a central belief in Taoism:
that even though the world is made
up of matched opposites, it’s not a
simple matter of “this vs. that.”
Moreover, there is no ethical
dimension here: light is not “better”
than dark just as summer is not
“better” than winter; they are just
different. In Taoism, good and evil
are illusions.
Lao-Tzu (also known as Laozi
or Lao-Tze)
◦a Chinese philosopher
credited with founding the
philosophical system
of Taoism.
◦ Laozi became a shi or an
archivist and historian for
the emperor during the Zhou
Dynasty.
◦ The name by which he is known is not
a personal name but an honorific title
meaning Òld Man’ or Òld Teacher’
and there has been countless
speculation as to whether an individual
by that name ever existed or whether
Lao-Tzu is an amalgam of many
different philosophers.
◦ Taishang Laojun is a title for Lao-tzu
in the Taoist religion, which refers to
him as "One of the Three Pure Ones".
◦ The name by which he is known is not
a personal name but an honorific title
meaning Òld Man’ or Òld Teacher’
and there has been countless
speculation as to whether an individual
by that name ever existed or whether
Lao-Tzu is an amalgam of many
different philosophers.
Tao Te Ching
The Way and Its Power, and is also
known as the Lao-tzu.
Is an anti-intellectual, anti-
authoritarian treatise which posits
that the way of virtue lies in simpli-
city and a recognition of a natural,
universal force known as the Tao.
Taoists regard the Tao Te Ching as
the essential guide to living a full
spiritual and ethical life.
This short book of around 5,000
Chinese characters is divided into 81
brief chapters filled with short,
enigmatic paragraphs of advice on
life, and poetic descriptions of the
nature of the universe.
Chuang-tzu
It is a collection of the wisdom of
many different people.
Although this was published after the
Tao Te Ching, its compilation began
earlier. Like the Tao Te Ching,
although it is attributed to a man
named Chuang Tzu (Zhuangzi)
Ordinary people can become gods or
immortal when they have Tao.
When a man is born, he/she is soft
and weak while if a man die he/she
becomes stiff and hard.
Taoists believe everything is seen as
it is, without preconceptions or illusion.
Taoists stress the importance of
harmonizing with nature by balancing yin
and yang.
Taoist believe that there is nothing
like hell.
One should always keep other's
interest ahead of their own. Being kind
and helpful towards someone who is
needy is a way to attain peace in life, as it
will give internal satisfaction. Also
helping the needy is one step closer to
achieving harmony in life.
Taoist should only perform good
deeds and not the bad ones, to seek
inner peace and calm.
Inaction
- Lao Tze who left his city upon
witnessing its corruption. Would the
true Taoist abandon society?
- One should always keep other's
interest ahead of their own.
- Wu Wei is through acting without
excessive effort or by ridding your-
self of ego before eachundertaking.
Superstitious belief
- Taoist gods
- Fortune telling
- Historical heroic gods
- Ancestor worship
Practices
- General attitude of detachment and
non-struggle, "go with the flow" of
the Tao.
-Violence is the last thing that comes
to the mind of Taoists. Taoism
beliefs and practices do not allow
them to use violence as a measure
to sort out any problem. Rather, the
way to solve any problem is peace
and harmony.
Practices
-Tai-chi and acupuncture are
practice by Taoist to prolong their
life.
Tai-chi Acupuncture
Environmentalism
- Taoism teach us about ecology. Main principles
of Daoism guide the relationship between humanity
and nature:
1. Harmony with nature
In Daoism, everything is composed of two
opposite forces known as Yin and Yang. The two forces
are in constant struggle within everything. When they
reach harmony, the energy of life is created. Someone
who understands this point will not exploit nature, but
will treat it well and learn from it. It is obvious that in
the long run, the excessive use of nature will bring
about disaster, even the extinction of humanity.
Environmentalism
2. Too much success
If the pursuit of development runs
counter to the harmony and balance of
nature, even if it is of great immediate
interest and profit, people should
restrain themselves from it. Insatiable
human desire will lead to the over-
exploitation of natural resources. To be
too successful is to be on the path to
defeat.
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 For Taoists, the ultimate goal of

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