Taoism

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Lao Tzu

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“old master or old boy” founder of Taoism; born in 604 BC; real name unknown; lived in the 4th century BC during Warring States Period; worked as a keeper of records at the Zhou Dynasty court which allowed him to access the classics of the time; folklore has it that he was conceived when his mother gazed upon a falling star but born as an old man; Confucius describes him like the dragon; didn’t preach organize or promote

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Tao Te Ching

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“ the way and its power” text of Taoist belief written by Lao Tzu consisting of 81 verses; persuaded to write by a gatekeeper at western border gate when Lao Tzu was abandoning his civilization because he was saddened by his peoples disinclination to cultivate natural goodness and to seek more solitude in his later years; written in 6th century BC; took three days to write had 5000 characters;

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Tao

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firstly “way of ultimate reality”; cannot be perceived or clearly conceived; transcendent but immanent; in a secondary way it is the “way of the universe”, the norm, the driving power in all of nature behind all life; both the source and the driving force behind everything that exists; when it enters secondary mode it assumes flesh and informs all things; in the third sense it is “way of human life” when it meshes with Tao of universe

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Te

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“power or virtue”; the active expression of Tao; results from an individual living and aligning themselves with the rhythms of the Tao and in doing so perfect their character; code of conduct or way of life characterized by moral integrity, honor, kindness etc; fruits of these actions ie the blessings and good fortune that manifest when our life purpose is in alignment with the Tao

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Ying/yang

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a symbol that sums up all of life’s basic opposites ie good/evil, active/passive, positive/negative, light/dark, summer/winter, male/female; in tension but not completely opposed, they compliment and balance each other and are interconnected; interacting to form a whole greater than either separate parts; phases in an endless cycling process; those who meditate on this symbol will get access to worlds secrets
- Western perception is that yin/yang corresponds to evil and good but Taoism doesn’t take perspective that they are head on opposites, rather doesn’t make a clear distinction

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wu wei

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“non-doing or non-action”; going with the flow; considered the highest form of virtue that is not premeditated but arises spontaneously; once achieved our actions do no harm and are of highest benefit (able to respond perfectly to whatever situation arise); supreme action, simplicity and freedom resulting from allowing the self in tune with the Tao to act spontaneous, pure effectiveness, no strain, unfores, seemingly effortless, the harder one tries the more likely one is to fail

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chuang tzu

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lived in 4th century BCE during Warring States period; wrote the Zhuangzi that argues life is limited and knowledge to be gained is unlimited; follower of Lao Tzu; greatest popularizer of philosophical Taoism; published writings that developed Lao Tzu’s ideas even further; put greater emphasis on nature and human place within it and on the individual; brought in idea of self-transformation, thought life was ever changing and pursuit of wealth and personal gains distracted from understanding the meaning of the world; felt we needed to get past dualities of existence to get to the Tao where there is unity; made fun of Confucius’s work

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ch'i

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life force that sets the world and everything in it into motion; force that sustains all things once they are created; animates the universe; life energy contained within matter; balanced and free-flowing chi results in health while imbalanced chi leads to disease; found inside and outside of our bodies and has many functions

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philisophical/school taoism

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reflective rather than active; try to conserve te by expending it efficiently (associated with lao tzu and chuang tzu); one must live by conserving life’s vitality by not expending it in useless ways by avoiding conflict; align ones daily life to the Tao by perfecting a life of wu wei

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vitalizing/yogic taoism

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involves demanding training programs; go beyond conserving te but increasing te and more specifically increasing chi; try to uncover the self as it was meant to be

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religious/popular taoism

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Deal with life's usual dangers and problems by means of the techniques of shamans, faith-healers, psychics. Several deities, including Lao Tzu. Formally instituted church, clergy, etc. Rituals having magical effects, as genuine use of supernatural power to control or produce things

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tao chiao

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“Church Taoism” or Taoist Teachings” accepts the sacred texts of Taoism (descriptions of rituals, magic, etc.) as divinely originated; distinctly religious form of Taoism; the name literally means "Teachings of the Way" and involves an attempt to attain immortality and access to the supreme reality (Tao) through meditation and liturgy; started to develop during the Han dynasty (23-220 CE);

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matter movement mind

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matter: perfection of diet as a source of chi
movement: breathing exercises to draw chi from atmosphere and bodily movement
mind: meditation practices to remove obstacles to the flow of chi through the mind

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t'ai chi chuan

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→ the body movement. A gathering of calisthenics, dance, meditation, yin/yang philosophy, and martial art into a synthesis to draw ch’i from the universe and remove obstacles to its flow; slow meditative physical exercise and movements