Taoism

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Taoism

• Pronounced
• dow

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The Balance
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Yin-Yang Complimentary Principles

• Yin
• Female
• Earth
• Dark
• Passive
• Absorbing
• Even Numbers
• Valleys

• Yang
• Male
• Heaven
• Light
• Active
• Penetrating
• Odd Numbers
• Mountains

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Yin-Yang

• Taoism and Confucism
• present in native Chinese culture

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Backdrop

• Taoism is eclectic and it includes insights about
  nature, philosophy, principles for living,
  exercises for healthy living, rituals for
  protection.
• It includes elements from Chinese folk religion.
• There is philosophical Taoism found in Tao Te
  Ching and there is the Tao of ritual form.

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Beginnings

• One of the most prominent figures in Taoism is
  Lao Tzu whose name means old master or old
  child.
• He was born in 600 b.c.e.
• He was a librarian for a long time who grew tired
  of his job.
• He left his job and traveled to the western part
  of China.

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More Lao Tzu

• While at the western border the guard recognized
  him as a prominent scholar.
• The guard refused him passage until he wrote down
  his teachings.

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The Writings of Lao Tzu

• Tao Te Ching, (pronounced dow de jing) is the
  classic literature of Taoism.
• Tao Te Ching means the classical book about the
  Way and its power.
• It consists of about 81 short chapters.
• It is possible the compilations of many people.
• It is repetitious, has no clear order and has a
  deliberate lack of clarity.

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About the Tao

• It cannot be put in words.
• It cannot be named.
• But it can be experienced.
• The Tao is the origin of everything and
  individuals are manifestations of the Tao.
• The Tao is perceived by intuition.
• Meditating on certain images can help us
  experience the Tao.

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Images of the Tao

• Water - water is gentle, ordinary, and lowly, but
  strong and necessary. It flows around every
  obstacle. The highest good is like water. It
  assists in all things and does not compete with
  them.

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Images

• Female - the female is sensitive, receptive yet
  effective and powerful.

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Images

• Child - the child is full of energy, wonder and
  naturalness.

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Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu)

• explains the way through stories

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Zhuangzi

• Lived around 300 b.c.e.
• Playful, independent, and in love with the
  fantastic
• His book The Zhuangzi is made up of seven inner
  chapters written by him and twenty-six outer
  chapters probably written by others.

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The Zuangzi

• It contains many stories
• It rejects all barriers
• ordinary-fantastic, normal-paranormal, etc.
• It talks about harmony with nature, the movement
  of the Tao and pleasure from simplicity.
• It talks about being one with the Tao.
• It also contains humor.

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Dream within a Dream

• One of the most noted stories is where Zhuangzi
  dreams he is a butterfly not knowing that he was
  Zhuangzi and when he awakes he is not sure if was
  a butterfly dreaming of being Zhuangzi or
  vice-a-versa.

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Main teachings

• Tao - The Way- is the mystery that makes nature
  the way it is. Although it is frequently
  translated as the way it can mean process,
  pattern, existence. Humans can unite themselves
  with the way they live.

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Effortlessness

• Wu wei - The ideal of effortlessness.
  Commandments would go against the nature of Tao.
  No action, no unusual exertion. Avoid
  unnecessary action.

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Simplicity

• Taoism urges simplicity. Eliminate the
  unnecessary, the artificial and appreciate the
  ordinary. There is a distrust of formal
  education because of its complexity.

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Gentleness

• Taoists extol gentleness. They do not like
  weapons of war. A wise person lives in peace and
  restraint and avoids unnecessary violence.

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Relativity

• Taoists believe in seeing things as whole and
  beyond opposites. One needs to broaden ones
  perspective and avoid parochial concerns.

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Taoism and Long Life

• Live Long and Prosper

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Living Longer

• Taoist have searched for ways to increase life
  span as a product of being in union with the Tao.
  There are practices which help the individual
  achieve harmony with themselves and the universe
  around them. There are suggestions on various
  types of body movement which helps one to attain
  this desired state.

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Achieving Balance

• There is an internal alchemy which aims at
  transforming the life force called chi. This is
  managed in at least five different ways.
• Through Yoga - meditation
• Through Physical Exercise
• Through Diet
• Through Medicine
• Through a combination of the above

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Balance Through Meditation

• One way to improve achieve balance is by
  concentrating on the energy centers of the body
  and directing the inner chi from one vital organ
  to another.

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Balance Through Physical Exercise

• One can achieve a oneness with the Tao by
  performing out certain physical movements which
  assists to direct the energy flow. This is called
  Tai Chi.
• Many people have seen various techniques from
  different schools.

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Balance Through Diet

• Harmony within is also achieved through diet and
  there are certain foods which are associated with
  yin and the yang. Some foods reduce or augment
  the vital energy. A balance of these foods is
  essential to achieve harmony.

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Yin and Yang of food

• Yin
• Dairy products
• Green Vegetables
• Sugar
• Seafood

• Yang
• Chili
• Cinnamon
• Root Vegetables
• Poultry
• Beans

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Balance through Medicine

• Natural herbs, spices and various chemical
  concoctions were used to achieve balance and
  extend. Many of them did not work. However,
  there are some have proven to be helpful such as
  ginseng, garlic and ginger.
• Massages and acupuncture are used to directly
  manipulate vital organs.

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Harmony through many

• Harmony can be achieved by using the various
  forms together. The balance is affected by diet,
  physical and mental proportions.

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Religious Taoism

• Religious Taoism is a later development. As time
  went on people met to share ideas and insights.
  Eventually several groups arose.

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Heavenly Masters

• One group, which set-up an organization with a
  hierarchical structure, was led by Zhang Daoling.
  Because their successor is called heavenly
  master this sect is know as way of the heavenly
  masters and is very active in Taiwan.

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Buddhism and other Influences

• Taoism became more religious in part as a
  reaction to Buddhism. As a result there are
  Taoist texts. These text cover a wide range of
  topics (i.e. meditation, diet)
• Taoism also absorbed Chinese world view.
• It also developed a pantheon of gods.
• It is much stronger in Taiwan than in China where
  it was started.