Flow
With the Tao
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Tao
(pronounced "Dow") can be roughly translated into English as path,
or the way. It "refers to a power which envelopes, surrounds and flows
through all things, living and non-living. The Tao regulates natural
processes and nourishes balance in the Universe. It embodies the harmony of
opposites (i.e. there would be no love without hate, no light without dark,
no male without female.)" |
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The
founder of Taoism was Lao-Tse (604-531 BC), a contemporary of Confucius.
(Alternate spellings: Lao Tze, Lao Tsu). He was searching for a way that
would avoid the constant feudal warfare and other conflicts that disrupted
life during his lifetime. The result was his book: Tao-te-Ching |
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Taoism
currently has about 20 million followers, and is primarily centered in
Taiwan. About 30,000 Taoists live in North America; 1,720 in Canada (1991
census). Taoism has had a significant impact on North American culture in
areas of "acupuncture, herbalism, holistic medicine, medication and
martial arts..." |
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Taoist Beliefs and
Practices: |
Tao is
the first-cause of the universe. It is a force that flows through all life. The goal of everyone is to become one with
the Tao. The concepts of a personified deity is
foreign to Taoism, as is the concept of the creation of the universe. Thus,
they do not pray as Christians do; there is no God to hear the prayers or to
act upon them. They seek answers to life's problems through inner meditation
and outer observation. Time is cyclical, not linear as in
Western thinking. Yin (dark side) is the breath that
formed the earth. Yang (light side) is the breath that formed the heavens.
They symbolize pairs of opposites which are seen throughout the universe,
such as good and evil, light and dark, male and female. Intervention by human
civilization upsets the balances of Yin and Yang. The symbol of Taoism, seen
at the top of this page, represents Yin and Yang in balance. "The Tao surrounds everyone and
therefore everyone must listen to find enlightenment." Five main organs and orifices of the
body correspond to the five parts of the sky: water, fire, wood, metal and
earth. Each person must nurture the Ch'i
(air, breath) that has been given to them. Development of virtue is one's chief
task. The Three Jewels to be sought are compassion, moderation and humility. Taoists follow the art of "wu
wei", which is to achieve action through minimal action. "It is the
practice of going against the stream not by struggling against it and
thrashing about, but by standing still and letting the stream do all the
work. Thus the sage knows that relative to the river, he still moves against
the current. To the outside world the sage appears to take no action - but in
fact he takes action long before others ever foresee the need for
action." One should plan in advance and consider
carefully each action before making it. A Taoists is kind to other
individuals, largely because such an action tends to be reciprocated. Taoists believe that "people are
compassionate by nature...left to their own devices [they] will show this
compassion without expecting a reward." |
Taoist Texts
These include:
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Tao-te-Ching
("The Way of Power," or "The Book of the Way") is believed
to have been written by Lao-Tse. It describes the nature of life, the way to
peace and how a ruler should lead his life.
Chuang-tzu (named
after its author) contains additional teachings.
Some Internet
References
- "Taoism - A Beginner's
Perspective" is at: http://students.missouri.edu/~sacredw/tao.html
- "The Taoist Canon: A guide to
studies and reference works" at: http://helios.unive.it/~dsao/pregadio/tools/daozang/
- The "Taoism Information Page"
is at: http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/gthursby/taoism
- The "Taoism Depot" contains
many translations of TAO, and a Taoism Discussion Forum. See: http://www.edepot.com/taoism.html
- "Is Tai Chi the Ultimate
Exercise?," an essay on Tai Chi at:
http://www.utah.edu/stc/tai-chi/articles.html - "The International Taoist Tai Chi
Society" ® is the largest non-profit Tai Chi group in the
world. See:
http://www.taoist.org - "Some Recent English-Language Publications
on Taoism," at: http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/gthursby/taoism/newbooks.htm
(link may be broken)
- "Taoism," at: http://ssd1.cas.pacificu.edu/as/students/vb/Taoism.htm
- Western Reform Taoism has an excellent
web site which publishes their creed and beliefs on dozens of important
topics. See: http://wrt.org/
- "Tao Resource" is a web site
that imports authentic Taoist products to help people improve their
"personal or sacred space, to build a small Taoist shrine or even to
construct a large Taoist temple." This site is well worth perusing.
It has sections showing altar tables, bells & chimes, jewelry,
statuary, personal altars, etc. See http://www.taoresource.com/
- The Taoist Restoration Society (TRS) is
"a U.S. nonprofit corporation dedicated to the rehabilitation and rebirth
of China's Taoist tradition." See: http://www.taorestore.org/intro.html
Original
publishing date: 1995-JUN-3
Latest update on: 1999-SEP-4
Author. B.A. Robinson