Taoism - The Way Of Life

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SACRED STORIES / HISTORY

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aoism is a Chinese religion centered around the Tao - something undefinable which can only be experienced by the ideal Taoist (one who practices the religion Taoism). The religion was originally founded (originally introduced to others) by Lao-Tse, a wise man who lived between 604 and 531 BCE around the time of Confucius who founded Confucianism, another Chinese religion. He founded the religion as a solution to avoid the war, conflict and disruption around him. In his times of sadness, Lao-Tse decided to write a book called “Tao-te-Ching” which is today like the Bible for Taoism with the “Chuang-tzu” (another Bible for Taoism) second to it.

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riginally, Taoism was not considered a religion but rather a combination of psychology (the study of the mind) and philosophy (the study of the order of the universe). In the year 142 CE, it is believed that Lao-Tse himself appeared to a hermit named Zhang Daoling and informed him that the world would end and only peace would exist afterwards. Lao-Tse also said that all who followed him would go into another life. Through following Lao-Tse, Zhang Daoling and his followers would be given powers to control the fate of mankind. Zhang went on to found the Taoist religion in Mount Qingcheng - this was the birth of the religion Taoism. In the year 440 CE, China made it a state religion and Lao-Tse was upheld as a kind of God. As it became a state religion, Taoism gained popularity and was now one of the 3 great religions of China next to Buddhism and Confucianism. However, Taoism did not last long after the end of the Ch’ing family lost rulership over China in 1911. Wars began and Taoism’s history was almost completely erased. Only after years and years of different rulerships and government types, Taoism was once again allowed and people began to pick it up.

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urrently, Taoism has around 20 million Taoists and is mainly practiced in Taiwan. In North America alone there are about 30,000 Taoists of which 1,720 are in Canada. The ways of Taoism

Taoism - The Way of Life | Page 3 have also made their way into North American culture with acupuncture, herbalism, holistic medicine, meditation and martial arts quickly gaining popularity.

MOUNT QINGCHENG WHERE TAOISM WAS BORN.

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Beliefs / Actions

THE TAO

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n every religion there is a final goal which every person who is part of that religion tries to reach. In Taoism, it is the Tao. The word “Tao” translated into English means the “path” or the “way”. In Taoism, it cannot be defined but only experienced. It is believed to be what everything is made of and therefore it flows through everything as well. YIN-YANG Simply put, it is the way the universe works and the universe itself; it is everything. Each Taoist believes that the Tao, “in its mode of being unseen, we will see its mysteries; in the mode of the seen, we will see its boundaries.” This means that basically when we cannot see the Tao, we will be faced with a mystery of it and when we can see the Tao, we will know its limits and therefore our own limits. Every Taoist’s final goal is to sync (become intune) with the Tao. Since there are no official Gods for Taoism (the Tao is their only goal), Taoists do not pray like other religions. Instead, they look within (inside) themselves to find inner peace and the answers to life’s problems. The Yin-Yang symbol of this religion shows how the Tao has balance and how each individual Taoist must look for balance themselves. Yin is connected with darkness, femininity, passivity and water, while Yang is light, masculinity, activity and air. Yin and Yang are opposites and always stay perfectly balanced when they are inside the Tao (or simply, the universe). Therefore, each Taoist must balance the same opposites in his or her own life.

CH’I

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h’i translated means “air” or “breath.” In Taoism it believed to be the energy flow or life force that is in everything. Taoists believe that everything comes from the ch’i. Taoism stresses the belief that ever Taoist must try to prolong their life and be healthy

Taoism - The Way of Life | Page 5 (both mentally and physically) and to do this they must take care of and feed their ch’i. There are many methods in Chinese medicine that help the ch’i travel all throughout the body. There are meditative breathing exercises to help balance the levels of Ch’i in one’s body by allowing the flow of Ch’i, imagining it as a current of energy. Another method, called hsing-ch’i tries to make the Taoist breath like they do when they are in the womb of their mothers - Taoists believe this is very powerful for a long life and even immortality.

THE PURPOSE OF LIFE

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n Taoism, the ideal (best behaved) Taoist should live in sync with the Tao. If this is done, the Taoist will never have to fight or struggle during their lives. A Taoist doe this by being unnoticed - his actions must be so in tune with his or her surrounding environment that no one notices if he or she was there or not. Therefore, the Taoist must not do anything that is out of TAI CHI sync with the Tao but must do everything that is in sync with the Tao. The Chinese call this wu-wei which means that the Taoist “never acts, yet there is nothing it does not do.” Taoists believe that this will keep them alive for as long as possible giving them immortality (eternal life, a long life, or superhuman physical powers). Actions such as dieting, exercise (Tai Chi which is designed for Taoism) and being mindful keep the Taoist in sync with the Tao as the Taoist is not causing harm to himself or others but rather helping himself and others.

DEATH AND THE AFTERLIFE

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aoists believe that life and death are 2 sides of the Tao. Death is simply when Yang changes to Yin in the Taoist’s life to balance the universe. Taoism teaches that every Taoist should not be afraid of death or wish to die but should live life normally until they die naturally.

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Sacred Literature / Scripture

THE TAO-TE CHING

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he Tao-te Ching (translated to Classic of the Way of Power) is the basic bible of religious and philosophical (meaning of life) guidance for every Taoist. Its origin is argued by Taoists all over the world whether it was put together over centuries or written, only by Lao-tzu (“Master Lao”). In the beginning, people believed Lao-tzu wrote it all himself but over time Taoists began to doubt whether he was real at all. However, now scholars believe that he was probably a historical figure (relevant person in history) but maybe not the only writer of the Tao-te Ching. To find out when the Tao-te Ching was written is difficult as it does not talk about any events, people or places during the time but it is filled with wisdom, poetry and guidance for every Taoist. The Tao-te Ching has 81 short chapters which are meant for the ideal ruler to follow. The ideal ruler is wise and acts in such a way that he is not noticed both because he does what needs to be done and does not do what he shouldn’t.

THE CHUANG-TZU

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he Chuang-tzu named after its first author “Master Chuang” was written in the 4th or 3rd century BCE and added to over time. It has between 33 to 53 chapters depending on the edition (version) and is second to the Tao-te Ching as a guide to living in sync with the Tao. While the Tao-te Ching is a manual for the ideal ruler, the Chuang-tzu is a guide to living a private, individual life. In the book, politicians in power are ridiculed and disregarded because they seek power and attention which no Taoist should desire. The Chuang-tzu also speaks of Death and Immortals. The Chuang-tzu says death is another aspect of the Tao where the ideal individual becomes one with the Tao. Immortals are perfect people who the Master Chuang was believed to have invented in

Taoism - The Way of Life | Page 7 order to explain the ideal individual but some people believed the immortals were real and decided to map their geographical location to learn their secrets and become like them.

OTHER TAOIST TEXTS

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he Tao-te Ching and the Chuang-tzu are the basic texts of Taoism but there are other texts which teach different parts of Taoism like the Lieh-tzu (book of “Master Lieh”) which teaches that no matter a human’s actions he has no chance of changing the way things happen. The Kuan-tzu (book of “Master Kuan”) teaches of how the “heart” governs the body and if the body submits to the heart, the mind can become desireless and become one with the Tao. The T’ai-p’ing Ching (“Classic of the Great Peace”) and the Pao P’u Tzu (“Master Embracing Simplicity”) teach methods of achieving immortality using alchemy (magic), special diets and so on to prolong life (make their life longer) and try to gain immortality.

FIRST TWO PAGES OF THE TAO-TE CHING

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SACRED PLACES

ith Taoism being quite different from other religions especially western religions, there is a lack of sacred places like the ones we find in western religions. And, for the few that exist, there is very little information on them as each Taoist is not expected to travel great distances to worship but to rather to remain where he or she is and simply meditate and find peace with the Tao. One of the most known sacred Taoist places is Mount Qingcheng where the birth of Taoism as a religion happened. The few other sacred places that do exist originated from the Chuang-tzu and the immortals it speaks of. These immortals are believed to live in the sacred mountains which are so large in height that they are said to be like ladders between Heaven and earth. These mountains are located all across Asia and are common sacred places for other Chinese and Hindu religions. All throughout these mountains there are temples. In addition to the mountains, there also exists a temple complex (a number of buildings grouped together) called the Bei Wudang Shan which is a common place for Taoist meditation. Taoists believe any sacred place is not a place of worship but rather a place where the Tao is stronger in energy. Therefore, at any sacred place, a Taoist does not pray but rather medidates deeply.

A TEMPLE AT MOUNT QINGCHENG

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STAIRWAY TO A TEMPLES ON MOUNT TAI SHAN

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SACRED TIMES

n Taoism, the majority of holidays celebrate the birth of immortals from the Chuang-tzu. Apart from those holidays, one of Taoism’s major festivals is the New Year which signifies a rebirth of Yang (the positive side of Yin and Yang). During the first day of this celebration, Taoists employ a child to carry a bright red ball followed by a dragon dance as symbolism for the Yang hidden within the Yin.

A TAOIST DRAGON LIKE THE NEW YEAR’S TAOIST DRAGON

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MONKS PREPARE TO EAT DURING A TAOIST FESTIVAL

MONKS READ SCRIPTURE AND MEDITATE TOGETHER

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BIBLIOGRAPHY INFORMATION SOURCES • Anonymous. “Taoism - ReligionFacts.” Religion, World Religions, Comparative Religion - Just the facts on the world’s religions. ReligionFacts. 05 Jan. 2009 . • Gray, Martin. “Sacred Mountains of China.” Sacred Sites: Places of Peace and Power. 05 Jan. 2009 . • Sacred Destinations. “Sacred Mountains.” Sacred Sites at Sacred Destinations - Explore sacred sites, religious sites, sacred places. 05 Jan. 2009 .

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“Perfect activity leaves no track behind it; perfect speech is like a jade worker whose tool leaves no mark.”

“Perfect activity leaves no track behind it; perfect speech is like a jade worker whose tool leaves no mark.”