|
|
|
Before talking about Taoism, it would be best that you knew exactly what Tao means. In context, the word has three meanings:
- The way of ultimate reality. It is too deep to fathom, but is the basis of everything and all life.
- The way of the universe. It is "the norm, the rhythm, and the driving power in all nature." It is more spirit than matter, and can't be used up; "The Mother of the World."
- The way of human life. The human Tao meshes with the Tao of the universe in a path to realizing itself in the human experience.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Taoism is a mindset of trying to find and fulfill one's natural place. The Taoists believe that it is in desire to supercede this role that disruption, incompleteness, and disappointment come into being. How can one know where his/ her place is? The Tao Te Ching urges us to look to nature, ourselves, and its teachings, not books or logic, for the answer. An important idea is wu wei: literally "actionless action," but means action without stress - pure effectiveness. Following the example of water, the best way to go is around the rocks while staying in the course of the river.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Just as Tao has three meanings, so does Te (power), as in Tao Te Ching, have three unique interpretations, yielding three schools of Taoism:
- Philosophical Taoism
: seeks to expend one's quota of te effeciently; called School Taoism in China and seeks knowledge, because knowledge is power, the kind of knowledge that empowers life; main focus is in wu wei
- Self-help Taoism
: seeks to remove objects that hinder flow of ch'i, or vital force, and to increase its supply through diet, acupucture, movement exercises like t'ai-chi, breathing exercises, and ingesting combinations of herbs
- Religious Taoism
: 2nd century AD a church was set up to deal with making "cosmic life power available for ordinary villiagers (Smith, Houston. Ill. Wrld. Religions);" has deities, one being Lao Tzu, and intricate ceremonies; "vicarious" power
|
|
