Taoism (also known as Daoism) is a Chinese philosophy the simple way of following the Tao and living life at

attributed to Lao-Tzu (c. 500 BCE, also known as Laozi peace with one's self, others, and the world of changes.
or Lao-Tze) which contributed to the folk religion of the A typical verse advises, "Yield and overcome/Empty
people primarily in the rural areas of China and became and become full/bend and become straight" to direct a
the official religion of the country under the Tang reader to a simpler way of living. Instead of fighting
Dynasty. Taoism is therefore both a philosophy and a against life and others, one can yield to circumstances
religion. It emphasizes doing what is natural and "going and let the things which are not really important go.
with the flow" in accordance with the Tao (or Dao), a Instead of insisting one is right all the time, one can
cosmic force which flows through all things and binds empty one's self of that kind of pride and be open to
and releases them. learning from other people. Instead of clinging to old
Taoism exerted a great influence during the Tang belief patterns and hanging onto the past, one can bend
Dynasty (618-907 CE) and the emperor Xuanzong to new ideas and new ways of living.
(reigned 712-756 CE) decreed it a state religion, YIN-YANG THOUGHT
mandating that people keep Taoist writings in their A good reason to believe that Lao-Tzu was not the
home. It fell out of favor as the Tang Dynasty declined author of the Tao-Te-Ching is that the core philosophy of
and was replaced by Confucianism and Buddhism but Taoism grew up from the peasant class during the Shang
the religion is still practiced throughout China and other Dynasty (1600-1046 BCE) long before the accepted
countries today. dates for Lao-Tzu. During the Shang era, the practice of
divination became more popular through the reading of
ORIGINS
oracle bones which would tell one's future. Reading
The historian Sima Qian (145-86 BCE) tells the story of
oracle bones led to a written text called the I-Ching (c.
Lao-Tzu, a curator at the Royal Library in the state of
1250-1150 BCE), the Book of Changes, which is a book
Chu, who was a natural philosopher. Lao-Tzu believed
still available today providing a reader with
in the harmony of all things and that people could live
interpretations for certain hexagrams which
easily together if they only considered each other's
supposedly tell the future.
feelings once in a while and recognized that their self-
interest was not always in the interest of others. Lao-Tzu Although Taoism and the Tao-Te-Ching were not
grew impatient with people and with the corruption he originally associated with the symbol known as the yin-
saw in government, which caused the people so much yang, they have both come to be because the
pain and misery. He was so frustrated by his inability to philosophy of Taoism embodies the yin-yang principle
change people's behavior that he decided to go into and yin-yang thought. Life is supposed to be lived in
exile. balance, as the symbol of the yin and the yang
expresses. The yin-yang is a symbol of opposites in
As he was leaving China through the western pass, the
balance - dark/light, passive/aggressive, female/male
gatekeeper Yin Hsi stopped him because he recognized
- everything except good and evil, life and death,
him as a philosopher. Yin Hsi asked Lao-Tzu to write a
because nature does not recognize anything as good or
book for him before he left civilization forever and Lao-
evil and nature does not recognize a difference between
Tzu agreed. He sat down on a rock beside the
life and non-life. All is in harmony in nature, and Taoism
gatekeeper and wrote the Tao-Te-Ching (The Book of
tries to encourage people to accept and live that kind of
the Way). He stopped writing when he felt he was
harmony as well.
finished, handed the book to Yin Hsi, and walked
through the western pass to vanish into the mist WU WEI
beyond. Sima Qian does not continue the story after ‘Wu wei’ does not signify not acting at all, but rather
this but, presumably (if the story is true) Yin Hsi would not forcing things on their way. Wu wei signifies
have then had the Tao-Te-Ching copied and distributed. that the action should be immediately in accordance
with the Tao, It is a state of inner leading tranquility,
TEACHINGS : THE TAO-TE-CHING
which will show the right effortless action at the
The tao-te-ching is an attempt to remind people
right time. (i.e. the harmonious complexity of natural
everyone could live together peacefully if people would
ecosystems- the tao- works well without man made
only be mindful of how their thoughts and actions
changes- wu wei).
affect themselves, others, and the earth.
Wu wei could be characterized by the adaptability of the
The Tao-Te-Ching is a classical Chinese text written with
flow of water in a stream. I.e. Water flows without
81 chapters and mainly concerning tao/ dào "way,"
awareness, or naturally, downriver (principle of tao. The
te/dé "virtue”, life, strength. Taoist thought focuses on
wu wei is characterized by an activity undertaken to
genuineness, longevity, health, immortality, vitality, wu
perceive the Tao within all things and to conform
wei (non-action, a natural action, a perfect equilibrium
oneself to its "way."
with tao), detachment,refinement (emptiness),
The practice and efficacy of wu wei are fundamental in
spontaneity, transformation and omni-potentiality.
Taoist thought. The goal of ‘wu wei’ is alignment with
This religious and philosophical tradition of Taoism had
Tao, revealing the soft and invisible power within all
its roots in the nature worship and divination of the
things.
earliest Chinese people. It is a book of poetry presenting
LONGEVITY AND CHI emotions seemed artificial, tending to interfere with the
According to some interpretations of the Tao Te Ching, is harmony of nature. Rather than organize and regulate
“to live the longest possible natural life by living in things to achieve perfection, Lao-Tzu advocated letting
harmony with one’s social and natural environment.” things work to their perfection naturally. This means
(Adler 2002, 47). In light of this, some Taoist practices supporting all things in their natural state, allowing
aim to prolong and enhance the life force or the chi of them to transform spontaneously.
the person. One of them is the “internal alchemy”.”
RITUALS
The "chi" energy is believed to be the life-breath of the
Taoist religious festivals are presided over by a Grand
universe. It is within and around each person. People
Master (a kind of High Priest) who officiates, and these
are born with all the chi they will need for their
celebrations can last anywhere from a few days to over
lifetimes. Often, people will do exercises to help
a week. During the ritual, the Grand Master and his
preserve their chi, therefore extending their lifetimes.
assistants must perform every action and recitation in
BELIEFS AND RELATED ISSUES IN TAOISM accordance with tradition or else their efforts are
Other Chinese texts relating to Taoism are the wasted. This is an interesting departure from the usual
Chaung-Tzu (also known as the Zhuangzi, written by Taoist understanding of "going with the flow" and not
Zhuang Zhou, c. 369-286 BCE) and the Daozang from the worrying about external rules or elaborate religious
Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE) and Sung Dynasty (960-1234 practices.
CE) which was compiled in the later Ming Dynasty
Taoist rituals are concerned with honoring the
(1368- 1644 CE). All of these texts are based on the
ancestors of a village, community, or city, and the
same kinds of observation of the natural world and
Grand Master will invoke the spirits of these ancestors
the belief that human beings are innately good and only
while incense burns to purify the area. Purification is
needed a reminder of their inner nature to pursue
a very important element throughout the ritual. The
virtue over vice. There are no "bad people" according to
common space of everyday life must be transformed
Taoist principles, only people who behave badly. Given
into sacred space to invite communion with the spirits
the proper education and guidance toward
and the gods. There are usually four assistants who
understanding how the universe works, anyone could be
attend the Grand Master in different capacities, either
a "good person" living in harmony with the earth and
as musicians, sacred dancers, or readers. The Grand
with others.
Master will act out the text as read by one of his
This philosophy corresponds closely with the Logos of assistants, and this text has to do with the ascent of the
the Roman stoics like Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius. soul to join with the gods and one's ancestors. In
They claimed the Logos was a force of reason and that ancient times, the ritual was performed on a staircase
nothing which happened according to the Logos could leading to an altar to symbolize ascent from one's
be bad; only people's interpretations of what happened common surroundings to the higher elevation of the
made those circumstances seem bad. Taoism claims the gods. In the present day, the ritual may be performed
same thing: nothing is bad in itself, only our self-interest on a stage or the ground, and it is understood from the
makes us think that some events in life are bad and text and the actions of the Grand Master that he is
others good. Actually, all things happen in accordance ascending.
with the flow of the Tao and, since the Tao is natural, all
Afterlife
things are natural.
Taoism doesn't pay close attention to what happens
TAOISM & CONFUCIANISM after death, the afterlife. Taoist have an ambition
The philosophy of Taoism grew into a religion of the through their whole life which is immortality. Taoism
peasant classes of the Shang Dynasty, who lived closely stresses health and longevity through diet and
with nature. Their observations of the natural world meditation. Death is nothing but a return to Tao. Taoist
influenced their philosophy, and one of the things they were traditionally not concerned with death because
incorporated was the concept of eternity. The tree they expected to live forever.
which seemed to die came back to life in the spring
Taoism significantly influenced Chinese culture from
season and the grass grew again. They concluded that
the Shang Dynasty forward. The recognition that all
when people died they went somewhere else where
things and all people are connected is expressed in the
they continued to live, they did not just disappear.
development of the arts, which reflect the people's
Everyone's ancestor who had ever died still lived on in
understanding of their place in the universe and their
another place and in the presence of the gods;
obligation to each other. During the Tang Dynasty,
Confucians believed in this same concept and revered
Taoism became the state religion under the reign of the
their ancestors as part of their daily practices.
emperor Xuanzong because he believed it would create
Confucius advocated rites and music so that the desires harmonious balance in his subjects and, for a while, he
and emotions might be developed and regulated, for was correct. Xuanzong's rule is still considered one of
therein lay the development of humanity. To Lao-Tzu, the most prosperous and stable in the history of China
efforts to develop and regulate the desires and and the high point of the Tang Dynasty.