Taoist philosophy is over 2,000 years old!!!!!! It is a major Chinese philosophy. It has many great ideas. There were many Taoist texts. Taoist philosophy had to compete with Confucianism during several dynasties. Taoism was marginalized when Confucianism became popular during the Han dynasty. The Yellow Turban Rebellion was inspired by Taoism. Neo-Taoism came into being after the Han dynasty. Taoism became popular during the Tang dynasty. Taoist temples popped up all over China starting in the 10th-century C.E. During the Yuan dynasty the Mongols favored Taoism at first and then they destroyed Taoist books. Once the Ming dynasty came to power Taoism became popular again and a new Taoist text was written that contained Confucian and Buddhist ideas. Christians tried to eradicate Taoism completely; thankfully they were unsuccessful.
Tao: The formless sea of oneness, which all things are a part of.
Yin-Yang: Complementary pair. Examples-male/female, fire/ice, day/night, etc.
Chi: Lifeforce. It keeps the body alive. A person dies when it depletes completely. There are ways to increase chi.
Jing: Sexual energy. Chi becomes Jing after it stays in the body 4 a while. It is a good idea for men and women to mix their Jing together. It will cause them to be more spiritual.
Shen: Spirit. It is like chi, but the highest octave.
Nature: Everything in existence that isn't man made. Humans are a part of it and always will be.
Immortality: By refining the chi your soul can live forever.
Relativity: All things are unique to the individual. We all have different points of view because we are all unique.
Wu Wei: Effortless action. Non-goal oriented action. Act spontaneously, so your life will flow easily.
Guanzi: This text was had a mixture of Taoist, Confucian, and Legalistic ideas. It was written by Guan Zhong in the 7th century BCE.
Zhuangzi: It was written by Zhuang Zhou in 369 BCE. The book was full of allegories. It promoted the idea of being spontaneous and atonement with the Tao; death is a natural part of life.
Huainanzi: It was a collection of debates around 139 BCE. It has Taoist, Confucian, and Legalist idea. It contained mythology, history, science, philosophy, nature, politics, nature, metaphysics, and other ideas. It has 21 chapters.
I Ching : It is a book of divination used by Taoist. It has 64 hexagrams; each one has its own meaning.
Yellow Court Classic: It was about alchemy. The book has meditations for becoming one with the Tao. It has 5 elements in it. It was written 288 CE.
Dazozang: It is a large collection of Taoist text. It took over a millennium to create it.
Taoism vs Confucianism
Both systems were created around the sam time. Confucius is the founder of Confucianism. LaoTzu created Taoism. Confucian priests were bureaucrats; Taoist priests weren't government officials. Confucianism is hierarchical: king over peasants, husband over wife, old over young, etc. Taoism is egalitarian. Worshiping a deity wasn't so important in Taoism. Deities are seen as more evolved entities, not creators of the universe. There is one god and ancestral spirits in Confucianism. Taoism is more subjective because of its focus more on the self-improvement. Confucianism is more objective because its focus is on a better society.
Taoism was backed by the government during this dynasty. It became the state religion. There was a Taoist movement called Way of 5 Pecks of Rice. They had their own country until it became a part of the Kingdom of Wei. They thought someone could become immortal after they die. Way of 5 Pecks of Rice was the first Taoist organization.
Peasants revolted against the Han dynasty. They were connected to Taoist secret societies. There was a food storage that caused northern farmers to move south, and peasants had to pay high taxes. Militias were created and landowners became very powerful. The government was able to squash the rebellion, but it was tough. Over 100,000 people were killed.
Neo-Taoism lasted for 3 centuries. It may have been influenced by Jixia Academy. There was the Pure Conversion School, which focused on poetry. The Metaphysical School combined Confucian ideas with Taoism. Members of the Metaphysical School were greatly impacted by the I Ching.
Taoism became the state religion during the Tang dynasty. It competed with Confucianism and Buddism. People during this time followed all 3 philosophies/religions. A king of the Tang dynasty wrote about all 3 traditions and promoted all of them. Tao Te Ching had to be studied b4 taking the government exam.
A lot of Taoist texts got burned up during the Yuan dynasty. Neidan became popular during this time.
Neidan is internal alchemy, which is balancing the energies of the body. One of Genghis Khan teacher's was a Taoist. He was a life saver. If it wasn't for him the Mongols would have killed millions of Chinese people.
Taoism uring the last 2 Dynasties
The Daozang was completed during the Ming dynasty. It took 40 years. A Ming king had a Taoist protector deity. Another Ming king tried to make elixirs to be immortal. The Manchus ruled the Qing dynasty. They liked Confucianism and despised Taoism.
Christian Destruction of Everything Taoist
After China became a republic the Christians destroyed most Taoist temples and texts. Some temples were turned into some government buildings. Christians saw Taoism as an inferior religion. Jesuits convinced the Chinese government that Taoism is evil centuries ago. In the 19th century, a Chinese man thought he was Christ. He led the Taiping Rebellion. A lot of Taoist material was destroyed.
Taoist philosophy is amazing!!!!! It has a long history. It has many great ideas. It had a positive effect on China and surrounding regions. You should look into inner alchemy. Taoist philosophy will enrich your life. Get into it. To learn more about the religion of Taoism click Here.
References
http://www.iep.utm.edu/daoism/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/taoism/beliefs/concepts.shtml
http://people.howstuffworks.com/taoist-philosophy.htm
http://www.myrkothum.com/wu-wei/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhuangzi_(book)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Taoist_texts
http://www.diffen.com/difference/Confucianism_vs_Taoism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daozang
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Way_of_the_Five_Pecks_of_Rice
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_Turban_Rebellion
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xuanxue
http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Philosophy/Taichi/neo-taoism.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/taoism/subdivisions/subdivisions_1.shtml
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Taoism
http://donlehmanjr.com/China/china%20chapters/china%20book3/china53.htm#3
https://open.library.ubc.ca/cIRcle/collections/ubctheses/831/items/1.0097774
http://museum.cornell.edu/exhibitions/how-live-forever-daoism-ming-and-qing-dynasties
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiping_Rebellion
Taoist Philosophy
Warrior Path
3 Treasures
What is Tao?
Taoist Beliefs
No comments:
Post a Comment