Taoism advocates
simplicity and naturalness to live in harmony with the Tao.
A Simple, In-Depth
Introduction to Chinese Taoism
by Jason Randhawa
Chinese Taoism - A
Definition
Chinese Taoism is basically
a principal philosophy and system of religion of China. Basically,
Chinese Taoism advocates a life of complete simplicity and
naturalness and of noninterference with the course of natural
events, in order to attain a happy existence in harmony with the
Tao.
A Brief History of Taoism
The history of Taoism is
relatively "unknown". According to Wikipedia, the history of Taoism
depends on how it is defined, "Taoism's origins may be traced to the
prehistoric Chinese religion; to the composition of the "Tao Te
Ching" (3rd or 4th century BCE); or to the activity of Zhang Daoling
(2nd century CE). Alternatively, one could argue that "Taoism" as a
religious identity only arose later, by way of contrast with the
newly-arrived religion of Buddhism, or with the fourth-century
codification of the Shangching and Lingbao texts.
Other accounts credit Laozi
(reputed author of the Tao Te Ching/Dao de Jing) as the teacher of
both Buddha, and Confucius. They describe early Taoism (Daoism) to
ancient picture writing, mysticism, and indigenous Ancestor worship.
Symbology on tortoise shells predates early Chinese calligraphy and
is the basis of written Chinese from artifacts dated from prior to
1600 BCE."
Lao Tzu and Taoism
Lao Tzu is credited with
writing the sacred Taoist book "Tao Te Ching". Here is an excerpt
from the Lao Tzu Tao Te Ching as translated by JH McDonald (Part
41):
When a superior person hears
of the Tao, She diligently puts it into practice. When an average
person hears of the Tao, he believes half of it, and doubts the
other half. When a foolish person hears of the Tao, he laughs out
loud at the very idea. If he didn't laugh, it wouldn't be the Tao.
Thus it is said: The
brightness of the Tao seems like darkness, the advancement of the
Tao seems like retreat, the level path seems rough, the superior
path seem empty, the pure seems to be tarnished, and true virtue
doesn't seem to be enough. The virtue of caution seems like
cowardice, the pure seems to be polluted, the true square seems to
have no corners, the best vessels take the most time to finish, the
greatest sounds cannot be heard, and the greatest image has no form.
The Tao hides in the unnamed, Yet it alone nourishes and completes
all things. As you can see, the Lao Tzu Tao Te Ching is a very
powerful text, regardless of the history of Taoism.
About the author: Are you
interested in learning more about Taoism and the Tao Te Ching...for
free! Jason Randhawa, the author of this article, has also created a
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read the Tao Te Ching credited by Lao Tzu. This is one of the most
widely read sacred books because of its inspiring content and true
simplicity. Sign up now, for your free Tao Te Ching E-Course, at:
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