7. Taoism is an ancient tradition of
philosophy and religious belief that is
deeply rooted in Chinese customs and
worldview, originated in China 2000
years ago.
8. It is a religion of unity and opposites; Yin
and Yang. The principle of Yin Yang sees the
world as filled with complementary forces action and non-action, light and dark, hot
and cold, and so on
11. Taoism has no founder and no founding
date. It grew out of various religious and
philosophical traditions in ancient China,
including shamanism and nature religion.
12. Early religious Taoism was rooted in the ideas
of the Taoist thinkers, to which were added
local religious rituals and beliefs, both to
provide examples of Taoist philosophy, and
integrate Taoism into the existing world views
of all levels of the Chinese people.
13. Taoism was first recognised as a religious
system during the 4th and 3rd centuries
BCE. The publication of the Tao Te
Ching and other works provided a focus
for Taoist thinking.
18. The way of nature includes:
Wu Wei
living by or going along with the true nature of the
world - or at least without obstructing the Tao - letting
things take their natural course
Wu Ji
lives of balance and harmony, this doesn't stop a
person living a proactive life but their activities should
fit into the natural pattern of the universe,
23. Taoism's rich palette of liturgy and ritual
makes the Tao more real to human beings
and provides a way in which humanity can
align itself more closely to the Tao to
produce better lives for all.
24. Some followers believe that the ways of Tao
can lead them to immortality and eternity.
Their main objective is to gain immortality
so that they can achieve eternity, like
goddesses.
26. • Honor Heavens and Gods
• Worship and respect their ancestors
• Practice monastery – Refining of inner self
• Practice Taoist rituals
• Save people
• Benefit others
28. In practice Taoism recommends the same sorts
of moral behaviour to its followers as other
religions.
It disapproves of killing, stealing, lying and
promiscuity, and promotes altruistic, helpful and
kindly behaviour.
29. Cultivate the Tao within oneself; and one's virtue will be perfected.
Cultivate it within the household, and one's virtue will be
abundant.
Cultivate it within the neighbourhood, and one's virtue will be
enduring.
Cultivate it within the nation, and one's virtue will be overflowing.
Cultivate it within the entire world, and one's virtue will be
universal.
Tao Te Ching 54
**Philosophically, the virtues of Tao can benefit the
universe.
30. Taoists practice good
virtues so that
They can become immortal and godly
They can avoid punishments from gods of hell
**These two conventional objectives have made Taoism
highly popular in traditional societies
32. Ancient Taoism had no concept of Hell, as Morality was seen to be a
man-made distinction and there was no concept of an immaterial
soul. In its home country China, where Taoism adopted tenets of
other religions, popular belief endows Taoist Hell with many deities
and spirits who punish sin in a variety of horrible ways. This is also
considered Karma for Taoism. Incorporating ideas from Taoism and
Buddhism as well as traditional Chinese folk religion, Diyu is a kind of
purgatory place which serves not only to punish but also to renew
spirits ready for their next incarnation.
33. Taoism sees hell as a kind of boot-camp where most people
would go through in the almost eternal cycle of birth, life, death
and reincarnation. The good guys would pass through the 10
“courts” of hell and its 18 levels with little or no suffering while
the evildoers would get their due, such as being burned by fire,
boiled in hot water, tongues cut, etc – images of these processes
are duly represented in the many paintings hung in the shrine of
hell. In addition, the God of Hell, in Taoism, is not evil Satan, but
a mere administrator who have to perform the task of reforming
the evildoers.
34. What happens when Taoists sin?
Have a peek at China’s Taoist Temple- Cheng Huang Miao
37. Taoism is considered as
animism.
Let’s wiki animism:
Animism encompasses the beliefs that there is no separation between
the spiritual and physical (or material) world, and souls or spirits exist, not
only in humans, but also animals, plants, rocks, geographic features such
as mountains or rivers, or other entities of the natural
environment, including thunder, wind, and shadows. Animism may
further attribute souls to abstract concepts such as words, true names, or
metaphors in mythology.
47. Taoism is comprised of several texts,
including the Tao Te Ching, Chuang Tzu,
the Book of Lieh-Tzu, the Canon of Reason
and Virtue and additional Taoist texts. The
most central and well known book of
Taoism is the Tao Te Ching.
48. 9
Principles:
1. The Goal is Contentment
2. Oneness — A Holistic View
3. Manifestations of the Tao
4. Nature is Unkind
5. Society versus the Individual
6. Humanity and Justice are Artificial Values
7. Non-interference
8. Camouflage
9. Desires and Limitations
49. 1. The Goal is Contentment
Lao Tzu defined contentment as the only measure by which we should gauge
personal success and how to use it as a filter through which society's values
should be passed. By adhering to this strict test, dysfunctional impulses, like
fame and fortune, can be warded off. Finally, the religious aspects of Taoism
teach us that a content physical existence will best prepare the soul for that
time when the body is cast off. Whether physical, mental, or metaphysical,
contentment is the ultimate goal.
50. 2. Oneness — A Holistic View
Taoism is a philosophical and religious system built on a holistic view of
reality. It unifies all existence with principles that cut across both the seen
and unseen dimensions. Its famous yin/yang symbol represents universal
oneness with black and white colors rotating in a circle. This iconic image
represents the duality of all phenomena — whether summer and winter,
male and female, or life and death — as opposing manifestations of the
same principle and not to be viewed as independent.
51. 3. Manifestations of the Tao
Taoism acknowledges man's inherent intellectual limitations and
consequently avoids concepts that cannot be tested and verified by practical
application — reason alone is not to be trusted. This prerequisite requires
the Taoist to learn by observing concrete manifestations ("teh") of larger
universal forces and not rely upon speculation alone. In this regard, Nature
serves as the uncorrupted manifestation of the Heavens and the model
from which a Taoist should take his instruction.
52. 4. Nature is Unkind
Despite pastoral representations that the natural world is an environment of
polite coexistence, observed reality exhibits a harsher truth typified by the strong
preying on the weak in the ever-present food chain. Apparently there is little
mercy in the natural world as all effort is devoted towards survival. Therefore,
Lao Tzu insists "the Sage is unkind," urging the Taoist to avoid the Siren call of
Universal Love and instead embrace a mindset of harsh indifference towards all
but a few loved ones. Enlightened self-interest would be the best way to describe
this principle to modern sensibilities.
53. 5. Society versus the Individual
Taoism is a philosophy for the Individual. It regards Society as including
confused people who voluntarily submit to beguiling social conventions. Lao
Tzu cautions that social conventions may include virtues and behaviors which
benefit society at the expense of the individual; i.e. — sacrificing personal
contentment for the good of anonymous others. Thus the Taoist separates
ineffective virtues from effective ones by understanding that there are helpful
individual values and potentially unhelpful social values.
54. 6. Humanity and Justice are Artificial Values
With the duality of Society versus the Individual clearly described, Lao Tzu goes
further by unambiguously identifying the source of detrimental social values.
He writes that "humanity and justice" are virtues that may be beguiling, but are
in fact harmful to individual contentment. This is a hard concept for many to
accept: How could humanity and justice be bad? The answer lies in recognizing
that society largely promulgates artificial and not natural notions of virtues.
"Humanity" is really artificial love and "Justice" is actually artificial punishment.
55. 7. Non-interference
The Taoist acknowledges his inherent limitations and how much effort it takes
to develop one's mind, body and spirit. As such, Lao Tzu's philosophy
recommends dedicating all of one's energy towards achieving personal
contentment and not waste precious time interfering with others. This means
not trying to change things that do not bring tangible personal benefits. For
example, Taoists remain uninvolved in politics because attempting to improve
society wastes focus, time and energy with little personal gain. But there is a
deeper implication too: Taoists let things achieve harmony on their own,
according to their natural traits.
56. 8. Camouflage
Recognizing that the Individual may hold different values from members of
Society has important consequences for appropriate behavior. Since the
values of a Taoist feature natural self-interest, they can appear superficially
selfish — and possibly earn resentment from one's surrounding community.
To deal with this undesired animosity, Lao Tzu maintains that one needs to
disguise such beliefs using a strategy of camouflage. Thus, Lao Tzu has been
called the "First Philosopher of Camouflage."
57. 9. Desires and Limitations
One of its most prescient warnings in the Tao Te Ching is to avoid the
popular notion that "the sky's the limit." This myth causes people to
jeopardize themselves with plans motivated by unchecked desires and
unrealistic expectations. Thus our inherent desires, including pride, make
contentment unachievable without practical tests to remind us of our
limitations. This ensures that our mental model of the world is firmly
grounded in reality, arresting tendencies to chase chimeras and remain in a
content state of what is attainable.
The yin yang concept is not the same as Western dualism, because the two opposites are not at war, but in harmony.This can be seen very clearly in the symbol: the dark area contains a spot of light, and vice versa, and the two opposites are intertwined and bound together within the unifying circle.Yin and yang are not static, the balance ebbs and flows between them - this is implied in the flowing curve where they meet.
Buddhism is not!
Hence we get a conclusion that taoism is a blend of philosophy and local beliefsa philosophy and a set of spiritual doctrines as well as an extensive ritual hierarchy and monastic institution
For Christians, Christ is who they worship. For Buddhists, Buddha is who they worship. But for Taoist, Tao is not a god but a term that means
Jin Dan: the production of elixir of eternity in olden daysFengshui : Chinese system of geomancy believed to use the laws of both heaven and earth Bagua : Taoist cosmology Taichi : the combination of Yin and Yang, concept of two polarsBasically all follow the rules of Yin Yang
Taoism promotes
The exact number of levels in Chinese Hell - and their associated deities - differs according to the Buddhist or Taoist perception. Some speak of three to four 'Courts', other as many as ten. The ten judges are also known as the 10 Kings of Yama. Each Court deals with a different aspect of atonement. For example, murder is punished in one Court, adultery in another. According to some Chinese legends, there are eighteen levels in Hell. Punishment also varies according to belief, but most legends speak of highly imaginative chambers where wrong-doers are sawn in half, beheaded, thrown into pits of filth or forced to climb trees adorned with sharp blades. However, most legends agree that once a soul has atoned for their deeds and repented, he or she is given the Drink of Forgetfulness by Meng Po and sent back into the world to be reborn, possibly as an animal or a poor or sick person, for further punishment. All Taoist will go through this experience when they are dead for sure.
It is important that the concept of hell for the Taoist world is very different from that of Christianity. The latter regard hell as a dead end, where evildoers are condemned for all eternity.
The purpose of Taoism is to explain how the world operates and the best way to navigate through life. As such, Taoism's Tao Te Ching, written by its founder Lao Tzu, is a practical philosophical manual with principles for achieving daily contentment. This is no easy task in a world full of "chaos, absurdity, and suffering," but Lao Tzu is able to help us with his ancient wisdom.
Such an appreciation of Oneness is central to understanding Lao Tzu's poetry and is fundamental to his philosophy.
By contrast, the nature of Man, as manifested in Society, represents an unending source of confusion and is to be regarded with caution and suspicion. This duality — Nature versus Society — is a distinctly Taoist principle.
Given that the Taoist regards Nature as his model of uncorrupted reality, what is the fundamental lesson to be derived? Lao Tzu permits no confusion on this point with his declaration that "Nature is unkind."
By interfering, even in the name of "improvement," well-intentioned efforts may actually remove a phenomenon from its natural course — and ultimately cause harm. Finally, Lao Tzu's mantra of non-interference is not a prescription for passiveness. For when something or someone threatens the Taoist (interfering with him), he "rises to action" using the reserve power accumulated by not interfering with others.
Lao Tzu's anecdote to this common disease is to observe that the natural world is an environment of clearly defined limits; the necessities of survival do not permit confusions about the boundaries of strength, speed or ferocity. In translating this observation to Man, he advises using practical tests to constantly check whether desires are attainable and within our grasp. The weight lifter adds 5 pounds — not 50 — to test and improve his maximum lift, the runner gradually increases his training distance before attempting a marathon, and a student pilot flies to the next town before attempting to transit the country.
