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Taoism
1
Living in Harmony All aspects of the
universe are in harmony, each part nurturing and balancing the whole
Human beings are considered part of this grand harmony
Taoism – Teaches living in harmony
with the Tao (dow), the Way of nature
2
Taoism
From Chinese word Tao (Dow)
– meaning “path” or “way”
– Translated as Way in the sense of a path in which one travels
• the path or way that nature follows
• The Way of nature
• “The Way Life Is” Tao is the ultimate source and the
principle of order in the universe Is the undefined something from
which all things arise It is not a personal creator god but an
unseen force that is the origin and the order of the universe
Tao is thought to exist both before and beyond all else 3
Universe in balance Tao can be compared to magnetism Magnetic force is invisible
– Is accompanied by two polar opposites negative and positive Tao’s polar opposites are Yin and Yang
– Yin= negative, passive, feminine, earthly component characterized by darkness and weakness
– Yang= positive, active, masculine, heavenly component, characterized by light and strength
– Yin and yang are not really opponents, they complete each other, without one, the other would make no sense- just as without west, east would be indescribable
– nothing in life can exist without its corresponding opposite
– Neither yin nor yang is superior to the other
– It is depicted as a circle, which the dark yin and the light yang curve into each other in perfect symmetry, and each contains an element of the other
4
Human beings All people are made up of both
components- yin and yang Many manage to work themselves
into a state of imbalance,
– Usually tending toward too much yang
Taoism counters this problem by advocating virtues oriented toward yin, such as humility, noncompetition and pacifism.
Yin/Yang
– symbolize the way life should be lived
• No one can hope for all pleasure and no pain, or all agreement and no disagreement 5
Origins and founder of Taoism Origins
– Origins of Taoism are ancient, dating back to about the time of Confucius (551-479 B.C.)
– They are shrouded in mystery: we cannot even be certain whether the traditional founder ever existed.
– We do have the texts attributed to each of them Lao Tzu
– His name means old master– Was conceived by a shooting star– He was 82 when he was born
• Old age represents wisdom in the Chinese culture
– Wrote the Tao The Ching • Means the way and its power • Taoism’s sacred scripture
Chung Tzu 6