Respond to

Respond
to any of my notes, the textbook or the videos in the “Chapter
5–Taoism” section under Assignments. Or you can address one or more of
the following questions:

What are your thoughts about the existence of a force, like the Tao,
in a universe? Does it have any similarity to your own personal faith or
world view?

What might be appealing to someone about the idea of a force or energy like the Tao existing in the universe?

Having looked at Confucianism and Taoism, can you see why the
followers of these traditions have often struggled to understand each
other’s world views?

Professor’s Notes:

We now look at another approach to the problems which were impacting
Chinese society at the time of Confucius.  This is Taoism (pronounced
with a D instead of a T).  

* The founder of Taoism is Lao Tzu, who was born approximately 600
BCE.  Many scholars now question whether Lao Tzu was an actual
historical figure–his name can be translated as Old Master or Grand Old
Man, unusual names for a child.  In Taoist writings, he comes into
contact with Confucius, who seems to agree with Lao Tzu’s teachings and
discounts his own, an unlikely scenario to have happened.  In any case,
the religion has been around for 2500 years, whatever its source.

* The story of Lao Tzu does include a miracle conception and birth
story—according to some accounts, his mother was impregnated by a
shooting start coming into her side.  Then she remained pregnant for 60
to 80 years before giving birth, and when she did give birth Lao Tzu
emerged looking like an old man, with a grey beard (this would account
for his unusual name!).

* According to tradition,  Lao Tzu grew up and worked a normal job as
a government record keeper, while also teaching his philosophy about
the world. Late in life, he decided to leave the world behind and live
out his life as a hermit.  When he was leaving to head into the
mountains, the gatekeeper of the region where he lived asked him if he
would write down what he had been teaching before he departed.  Lao Tzu
agreed and spent some time writing what would become the scriptures of
the faith—the Tao te Ching.

* The Tao te Ching
is translated as The Way and its Power.  As I have mentioned previously
this semester, religion deals with the human struggle to explain in
words what is ultimately unknowable—god and ultimate reality.  We see
this challenge in every set of scriptures, with instances where the
writer acknowledges the difficulty in explaining what god is (in
essence, as created beings, we do not have the ability to fully know a d
understand the creator).  In Taoism, this quandary is made clear in the
first verse of scripture—“The true Tao is that which cannot be
spoken.”

* At the heart of Taoism is the belief in the Tao, or Way.  There is
no god in Taoism, but Lao Tzu argued that the Way was an invisible force
that has always existed in the universe, that created everything and
that continues to control the world.  The secret to life is to tap into
this spiritual energy, and allow it to guide you.  If we are able to do
this, then life will be lived with relative ease.  If we resist this
energy, then we make life more difficult for ourselves.

* Ways to think of allowing this invisible force to guide you include
birds….we see a lot of birds flying here in Florida.  On a breezy
day, do birds expend a lot of energy, or have you noticed them flying by
merely extending their wings and catching an air current?  Or have you
ever been tubing down a river and let the current take you where you
want to go, but you do not have to expend energy to move?

* One intriguing aspect of Taoism is its similarity to other beliefs
around the world.  For instance, the Navajo people of the American
Southwest believe in what they call a Holy Wind, an invisible force that
created the world and continues to exist today.                        
                                                                       
           In the Book of Acts in the New Testament, we find that
before Christians were called Christian, they were known as followers of
the Way (Acts 9:2; 19:23; 24:22).  While this terminology  may be
coincidence, we do find that later in the New Testament, the Apostle
Paul writes often of being guided by God such as in Galatians 2:20, “and
it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.” For many
Christians, being guided by God is done most prominently through the
Holy Spirit, which is introduced in the form of a rushing wind from
heaven in Acts 2:2.

As always, this is not to try and say religions are the same, because
each has its own distinctive beliefs and rituals.  However, at their
core their teachings and ideas often share similarities.

* As detailed in the textbook, Taoism developed in different ways.  A
philosophical approach emphasizes living a simple and calm life, so as
to not waste the Tao, or energy, that is inside you.  Phrases such as
“work without working” and “persuade without argument” are typical of
this mindset.

An Augmented Power approach asks if we can increase the amount of the
Tao that we have, or help it flow through us more easily. This approach
focuses on practices like acupuncture, tai chi and using herbal
medicine to promote the flow of the Tao through one’s body.  

There is also a more traditional religious approach that developed certain rituals and worship practices over time.

* Other key Taoist ideals include humility, non-violence, not judging
others and a love of nature as a means of encouraging a calm outlook
and connection to the Tao.

Here are some videos on the Taoist path:

TAOISM | The Art of Not Trying (Links to an external site.)

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