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Taoism - The Way of Life | Page 2

SACRED STORIES / HISTORY


T aoism is a Chinese religion centered around the Tao - some-
thing 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.

O 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 Tao-
ist 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 ruler-
ships and government types, Taoism was once again allowed and
people began to pick it up.

C 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
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have also made their way into North American culture with acu-
puncture, herbalism, holistic medicine, meditation and martial
arts quickly gaining popularity.

MOUNT QINGCHENG WHERE TAOISM WAS BORN.


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THE TAO
Beliefs / Actions

I 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 be-
lieved 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 in-
ner peace and the answers to life’s problems. The Yin-Yang symbol
of this religion shows how the Tao has balance and how each in-
dividual 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 op-
posites in his or her own life.

CH’I

C 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
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(both mentally and physically) and to do this they must take care
of and feed their ch’i. There are many methods in Chinese medi-
cine 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 moth-
ers - Taoists believe this is very powerful for a long life and even
immortality.

THE PURPOSE OF LIFE

I 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
sync with the Tao but must do everything that TAI CHI
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

T 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 bal-
ance 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

T 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 fol-
low. 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

T 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
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order to explain the ideal individual but some people believed the
immortals were real and decided to map their geographical loca-
tion to learn their secrets and become like them.

OTHER TAOIST TEXTS

T 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 be-
come 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
W ith Taoism being quite different from other religions espe-
cially 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 ex-
pected 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 Qin-
gcheng 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 to-
gether) 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
I n Taoism, the majority of holidays celebrate the birth of im-
mortals 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 Reli-


gions, Comparative Religion - Just the facts on the world’s re-
ligions. ReligionFacts. 05 Jan. 2009 <http://www.religionfacts.
com/taoism/index.htm>.
• Gray, Martin. “Sacred Mountains of China.” Sacred Sites:
Places of Peace and Power. 05 Jan. 2009 <http://www.sacred-
sites.com/asia/china/sacred_mountains.html>.
• Sacred Destinations. “Sacred Mountains.” Sacred Sites at Sa-
cred Destinations - Explore sacred sites, religious sites, sacred
places. 05 Jan. 2009 <http://www.sacred-destinations.com/
sacred-sites/sacred-mountains.htm>.

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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.”

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