Taoism
Taoism is a philosophy founded in the Period of Warring States in ancient China. Taoism was founded by Lao Tzu,
who allegedly wrote Tao Te Ching (also known as Daodejing), which is translated to the Classic of Tao and Its
Virtue.The Tao Te Ching explains the philosophy, much like other religious texts do. In the world, everything is constantly changing; according to Taoism, the only eternal aspect is the Tao. The Tao is the cosmic process, or the way of
nature. The purpose of Taoism is to become one with the Tao, in doing so you are at peace and in harmony. In order to become one with the Tao, on must do what is spontaneous and natural, this is known as wu wei. The expectations of others and the society should be ignored; ambition and desire also have no place in Taoism. Everyone has their own te,
or destiny. Your te is not always clear, as you and the world are always changing, in turn so is your te.
A common analogy used to describe Taoism is that it “is like a stream, constantly flowing, but always changing. It
moves over rocks, thunders down cliffs, and wears away the soil. It constantly changes shape but exists eternally.” A true Taoist goes with the flow of the stream. The Tao Te Ching sums up Taoism, “The world is formed from the void,
like utensils from a block of wood. The Master knows the utensils, yet keeps to the block; thus she can use all things.” One must not limit themselves and be spontaneous, becoming one with the Tao.
The aforementioned Taoism is that of the foundations time period, and is considered a philosophy. Modern day
Taoism is regarded as a religion after Chang Ling organized the philosophy into religion. The movement transforming Taoism was called the Way of Huang-Lao. This developed when priest-magicians began offering formulas to increase
physical and mental power, restore youth, achieve superhuman ability, and obtain immortality. Ling’s followers called him T'ien Shih, or Heavenly Teacher; the last holder of this title died in Taiwan in 1969. From the Way of Huang-Lao developed two movements the Cult of Immortals and the Way of the Heavenly Teacher. The Cult of Immortals sought immortality
through meditation, bathing, gymnastics, sexual arts, medicines, chemistry, and other means. A measure of systemization was brought by Wei Po-yang who in his Ts'an-t'ung-ch'i, or The Three Ways Unified and Harmonized, attempted to combine Taoist techniques and teachings from the occult I ching (Book of Changes). He believed that all elements of the universe could be concentrated in one's body, and by doing so, that life would be everlasting. The Way of the Heavenly Teacher organized by K'ou Ch'ien-chih, regulated Taoist ceremonies, fixed the names of deities, and formulated a theology. This movement has many gods of diverse description, heroes, and saints.
These branches developed 600 to 1200 years after the philosophy and are still practiced today, principally in
Taiwan and Hong Kong, as well as Chinese communities in Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore. In these areas Taoist priests are very active; they perform rituals, and lead community worship. The Taoist religion is hardly practiced in the
People’s Republic of China, as it is a law that Taoism is a superstition, and therefore doesn’t have the same protections that other religions do. However, many teaching of the philosophy Taoism are present in everyday life, and other
belief systems. Examples are patience, simplicity, contentment, and harmony.
We see that these modern day versions of Taoism are not nearly the same as the founding philosophy of Taoism
that Lao Tzu developed. The cause of this evolution in Taoism is simply organization. Upon looking at the different perceptions of Taoism, we see that as each standardized belief through writings, and religious leaders, the tenets veer away from those of Lao Tzu’s Taoism. For example, “traditional” Taoism teaches us that we must accept death not as a bad or good thing, but it just is a part of life. Yet the main principle of the Cult of Immortals is to become immortal, despite the Lao Tzu’s teachings, and the concept that Tao is the only eternal component of life. So clearly, there are huge differences in beliefs now. Overall, we have the organization of belief systems to blame.
who allegedly wrote Tao Te Ching (also known as Daodejing), which is translated to the Classic of Tao and Its
Virtue.The Tao Te Ching explains the philosophy, much like other religious texts do. In the world, everything is constantly changing; according to Taoism, the only eternal aspect is the Tao. The Tao is the cosmic process, or the way of
nature. The purpose of Taoism is to become one with the Tao, in doing so you are at peace and in harmony. In order to become one with the Tao, on must do what is spontaneous and natural, this is known as wu wei. The expectations of others and the society should be ignored; ambition and desire also have no place in Taoism. Everyone has their own te,
or destiny. Your te is not always clear, as you and the world are always changing, in turn so is your te.
A common analogy used to describe Taoism is that it “is like a stream, constantly flowing, but always changing. It
moves over rocks, thunders down cliffs, and wears away the soil. It constantly changes shape but exists eternally.” A true Taoist goes with the flow of the stream. The Tao Te Ching sums up Taoism, “The world is formed from the void,
like utensils from a block of wood. The Master knows the utensils, yet keeps to the block; thus she can use all things.” One must not limit themselves and be spontaneous, becoming one with the Tao.
The aforementioned Taoism is that of the foundations time period, and is considered a philosophy. Modern day
Taoism is regarded as a religion after Chang Ling organized the philosophy into religion. The movement transforming Taoism was called the Way of Huang-Lao. This developed when priest-magicians began offering formulas to increase
physical and mental power, restore youth, achieve superhuman ability, and obtain immortality. Ling’s followers called him T'ien Shih, or Heavenly Teacher; the last holder of this title died in Taiwan in 1969. From the Way of Huang-Lao developed two movements the Cult of Immortals and the Way of the Heavenly Teacher. The Cult of Immortals sought immortality
through meditation, bathing, gymnastics, sexual arts, medicines, chemistry, and other means. A measure of systemization was brought by Wei Po-yang who in his Ts'an-t'ung-ch'i, or The Three Ways Unified and Harmonized, attempted to combine Taoist techniques and teachings from the occult I ching (Book of Changes). He believed that all elements of the universe could be concentrated in one's body, and by doing so, that life would be everlasting. The Way of the Heavenly Teacher organized by K'ou Ch'ien-chih, regulated Taoist ceremonies, fixed the names of deities, and formulated a theology. This movement has many gods of diverse description, heroes, and saints.
These branches developed 600 to 1200 years after the philosophy and are still practiced today, principally in
Taiwan and Hong Kong, as well as Chinese communities in Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore. In these areas Taoist priests are very active; they perform rituals, and lead community worship. The Taoist religion is hardly practiced in the
People’s Republic of China, as it is a law that Taoism is a superstition, and therefore doesn’t have the same protections that other religions do. However, many teaching of the philosophy Taoism are present in everyday life, and other
belief systems. Examples are patience, simplicity, contentment, and harmony.
We see that these modern day versions of Taoism are not nearly the same as the founding philosophy of Taoism
that Lao Tzu developed. The cause of this evolution in Taoism is simply organization. Upon looking at the different perceptions of Taoism, we see that as each standardized belief through writings, and religious leaders, the tenets veer away from those of Lao Tzu’s Taoism. For example, “traditional” Taoism teaches us that we must accept death not as a bad or good thing, but it just is a part of life. Yet the main principle of the Cult of Immortals is to become immortal, despite the Lao Tzu’s teachings, and the concept that Tao is the only eternal component of life. So clearly, there are huge differences in beliefs now. Overall, we have the organization of belief systems to blame.