Taoism

Origins of Taoism
 Taoism is a traditional Chinese native

religion Laozi (also called: Lao Dan, Li Er,
Laotzu, and Laotse) is the founder of this
religion. The Doctrine of Morality is
regarded as their holy Bible.
 It was started by a child name Lao Tzu
who lived in China around 600 B.C. He is
called Lao Tzu ("Old Boy"), because
nothing is known of his youth or origins.
He worked in the Chinese government,
 Taoism (pronounced Dao-ism) is believed
to have originated around 300 B.C. The
word "Tao" means “the way” or “the path
 Many people interested in the Tao are still under
the impression that Lao Tzu founded Taoism
about 2,500 years ago. There is some truth to
this, as long as we are only talking about
philosophical Taoism (Dao Jia) or religious
Taoism (Dao Jiao). However, the one thing that
most people do not realize is that both variants
of Taoism came from a much older tradition,
known to the Chinese simply as the Tao.
 It is not possible for Lao Tzu to be the
founder of this ancient tradition for the
simple reason that it began at leasht
2,300 years before his time
 Fu Hsi was the first of the legendary
emperors of ancient China. His reign
marked the starting point of Chinese
civilization, and the Tao concept that
originated at the same time also reflected
the spirit of Chinese culture from this
ancient beginning We can see the
evidence for this when we get closer to
Chinese culture.
Key Beliefs of Taoism
Tao
 Tao is literally translated as “the way” or
“the path.”
 Many different beliefs as to what Tao
really is.
 Taoists say that the “eternal Tao” can
never be truly defined.
 A non-personal energy that created, and
resides in all living things.
Wu Wei
 Literally translated as “not doing.”
 Means not doing anything that goes
against nature.
Wu
 Literally translated as emptiness.
 The ideal state of mind, empty of any
thoughts or desires that conflict with the
Tao.
Yin and Yang
 The two complimentary forces that exist in
nature.
 Yang represents everything masculine and
active.
 Yin represents everything feminine and
passive
 Too much of either is bad, a balance
needs to be achieved.
Qi
 Qi (or Chi) is literally translated as
“breath,” or “air”
 It is the life energy present in all living
things.
 The martial art of Tai Chi is designed to
aid the flow of Qi throughout the body.
Key Figures
Lao Tzu (Laozi)
 Might have founded
Taoism
 We are not sure if he
existed
 Lao Tzu: Old Master
 If he did exist he
could’ve been Li Erh,
an archivist
 He wrote Tao Te Ching
Huang Di
 Visited a Hermit who
told him the secret to
Tao
 Changed the way he
governed people
 Earned the name
“Yellow Emperor”
 The Greatest Emperor
China has ever seen
 Created harmony within
himself and then
created harmony within
his kingdom
Chuang Tzu (Zhuangzi) [369-286BC]:
He is one of the
authors of the book
Chuang Tzu is a
collection of stories
written in prose form
instead of poetry that
teaches Tao from the
perspective of active,
everyday life
Yu-Huang:
 Known as the Jade
Emperor
 The Great High God
 Main job is to distribute
justice, which he does
through a court system
of Hell where evil
deeds and thoughts are
punished
Yuan-shih T'ien-tsun (The First
Principal)
 He has no beginning
and no end
 Existed "before the
void and the silence,
before primordial
chaos”
 Self existing,
changeless, limitless,
invisible, source of all
truth
Taoism
Symbols/Images
Introduction
 Yin Yang most well-known Taoist symbol
 Taiji tu visual of all of Taoist cosmology
 The Five Elements which produce the Ten-
Thousand Things
 The Lo Pan Compass
 The Guodian bamboo strips
Yin and Yang
Universal harmony and unity between
complimentary opposites. Yin = dark,
passive, negative. Yang = light,
active, positive.
10th Century
Guodian Bamboo Strips
4th Century
“This is like the discovery
of the
Dead
Sea
Scrolls.”
Rituals and Practices
Rites and Ceremonies
 Written memorial on
behalf of the people to
their God’s
 Major festivals can last
for days
 Rites can vary from
purification, invocation of
the deities, prayers,
consecration and
offerings, hymns and
dances
Rituals
 Can involve tens and hundreds of villages.
 Occur every five to ten years.
 Communal Meals, Military Parades, and plays
Meditation
 Taoists practice meditation
 Stillness of body lets them collect full chi
 Chi can be described as energy and
matter
Tai Chi Chuan
 The martial arts form
practiced for balance
 Spiritual, emotional,
and mental aspects
 Form of movement
meditation
 Used for self defense

Taoism

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Origins of Taoism

 Taoism is a traditional Chinese native

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