Taoism

Taoism (/ˈdaʊɪzəm/, /ˈtaʊ-/), or Daoism (/ˈdaʊ-/), is a philosophical or religious tradition of Chinese origin which emphasizes living in harmony with the Tao (Chinese: 道; pinyin: Dào; literally: 'the Way', also romanized as Dao). The Tao is a fundamental idea in most Chinese philosophical schools; in Taoism, however, it denotes the principle that is the source, pattern and substance of everything that exists. Taoism differs from Confucianism by not emphasizing rigid rituals and social order, but is similar in the sense that it is a teaching about the various disciplines for achieving 'perfection' by becoming one with the unplanned rhythms of the universe called 'the way' or 'dao'. Taoist ethics vary depending on the particular school, but in general tend to emphasize wu wei (action without intention), 'naturalness', simplicity, spontaneity, and the Three Treasures: 慈 'compassion', 儉 'frugality', and 不敢為天下先 'humility'.道可道非常道 (pinyin: dào kĕ dào fēi cháng dào)'The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao'名可名非常名 (pinyin: míng kĕ míng fēi cháng míng)'The name that can be named is not the eternal name.'See also: Hundred Schools of Thought Taoism (/ˈdaʊɪzəm/, /ˈtaʊ-/), or Daoism (/ˈdaʊ-/), is a philosophical or religious tradition of Chinese origin which emphasizes living in harmony with the Tao (Chinese: 道; pinyin: Dào; literally: 'the Way', also romanized as Dao). The Tao is a fundamental idea in most Chinese philosophical schools; in Taoism, however, it denotes the principle that is the source, pattern and substance of everything that exists. Taoism differs from Confucianism by not emphasizing rigid rituals and social order, but is similar in the sense that it is a teaching about the various disciplines for achieving 'perfection' by becoming one with the unplanned rhythms of the universe called 'the way' or 'dao'. Taoist ethics vary depending on the particular school, but in general tend to emphasize wu wei (action without intention), 'naturalness', simplicity, spontaneity, and the Three Treasures: 慈 'compassion', 儉 'frugality', and 不敢為天下先 'humility'. The roots of Taoism go back at least to the 4th century BCE. Early Taoism drew its cosmological notions from the School of Yinyang (Naturalists), and was deeply influenced by one of the oldest texts of Chinese culture, the I Ching, which expounds a philosophical system about how to keep human behavior in accordance with the alternating cycles of nature. The 'Legalist' Shen Buhai (c. 400 – c. 337 BCE) may also have been a major influence, expounding a realpolitik of wu wei. The Tao Te Ching, a compact book containing teachings attributed to Laozi (老子; Lǎozǐ; Lao³ Tzŭ³), is widely considered the keystone work of the Taoist tradition, together with the later writings of Zhuangzi. Taoism has had a profound influence on Chinese culture in the course of the centuries, and Taoists (道士; dàoshi, 'masters of the Tao'), a title traditionally attributed only to the clergy and not to their lay followers, usually take care to note distinction between their ritual tradition and the practices of Chinese folk religion and non-Taoist vernacular ritual orders, which are often mistakenly identified as pertaining to Taoism. Chinese alchemy (especially neidan), Chinese astrology, Chan (Zen) Buddhism, several martial arts, traditional Chinese medicine, feng shui, and many styles of qigong have been intertwined with Taoism throughout history. Beyond China, Taoism also had influence on surrounding societies in Asia. Today, the Taoist tradition is one of the five religious doctrines officially recognized in the People's Republic of China (PRC) as well as the Republic of China (ROC), and although it does not travel readily from its East Asian roots, it claims adherents in a number of societies, in particular in Hong Kong, Macau, and in Southeast Asia. Since the introduction of the Pinyin system for romanizing Mandarin Chinese, there have been those who have felt that 'Taoism' would be more appropriately spelled as 'Daoism'. The Mandarin Chinese pronunciation for the word 道 ('way, path') is spelled as tao4 in the older Wade–Giles romanization system (from which the spelling 'Taoism' is derived), while it is spelled as dào in the newer Pinyin romanization system (from which the spelling 'Daoism' is derived). Both the Wade–Giles tao4 and the Pinyin dào are intended to be pronounced identically in Mandarin Chinese (like the 'd' in 'dog'), but despite this fact, 'Taoism' and 'Daoism' can be pronounced differently in English vernacular. The word 'Taoism' is used to translate different Chinese terms which refer to different aspects of the same tradition and semantic field: However, the discussed distinction is rejected by the majority of Western and Japanese scholars. It is contested by hermeneutic (interpretive) difficulties in the categorization of the different Taoist schools, sects and movements. Taoism does not fall under an umbrella or a definition of a single organized religion like the Abrahamic traditions; nor can it be studied as a mere variant of Chinese folk religion, as although the two share some similar concepts, much of Chinese folk religion is separate from the tenets and core teachings of Taoism. The sinologists Isabelle Robinet and Livia Kohn agree that 'Taoism has never been a unified religion, and has constantly consisted of a combination of teachings based on a variety of original revelations.' Chung-ying Cheng, a Chinese philosopher, views Taoism as a religion that has been embedded into Chinese history and tradition. 'Whether Confucianism, Daoism, or later Chinese Buddhism, they all fall into this pattern of thinking and organizing and in this sense remain religious, even though individually and intellectually they also assume forms of philosophy and practical wisdom.' Chung-ying Cheng also noted that the Daoist view of heaven flows mainly from 'observation and meditation, the teaching of the way (dao) can also include the way of heaven independently of human nature'. In Chinese history, the three religions of Buddhism, Daoism and Confucianism stand on their own independent views, and yet are 'involved in a process of attempting to find harmonization and convergence among themselves, so that we can speak of a 'unity of three religious teaching' (sanjiao heyi)'. Traditionally, the Chinese language does not have terms defining lay people adhering to the doctrines or the practices of Taoism, who fall instead within the field of folk religion. 'Taoist', in Western sinology, is traditionally used to translate daoshi (道士, 'master of the Tao'), thus strictly defining the priests of Taoism, ordained clergymen of a Taoist institution who 'represent Taoist culture on a professional basis', are experts of Taoist liturgy, and therefore can employ this knowledge and ritual skills for the benefit of a community.