Taoist Philosophy &
Religion in China &
How it Began
Chinese
Taoism
Folk Religion
Here is my favorite Taoist Sage.
His name is Winnie the Pooh.
Pooh is a small dumpy bear with one love in life, eating honey. He is not all
that clever, and bumbles along through life, arriving at the answer to
riddles or problems with little effort and without meaning to. Often, he
doesn’t even realize that he has arrived at the answer.
His philosophy is a deceptively simple, yet highly advanced mix of
expending minimal effort and going with the flow of his natural tendencies
as well as working within his limitations to produce results naturally.
Even as Pooh solves problems in his steady simple way, he remains joyous
and happy-go-lucky. He does not try to discard his desire of honey or
remain within his hierarchy of rules and regulations. He just meanders
about, doing natural Pooh bear things and living a happy joyful life.
Now, that’s my kind of Tao Sage!
Chinese Folk Religion
Where Taoism began
 Belief in spirits
 Reverence for ancestors
 Priests perform blessing rituals:

– purifying space
– Exorcising evil spirits (“hungry ghosts”)
Astrology
 Divination

Chinese metaphysics
and where Taoism gets its
ideas is about…
Energy
 Change
 Balance
 Harmony
 Inter-relationships

Lao Tzu*
(6th century BC?)
and the
*Also known as
Laotse, Laozi, LaoZi, Li Erh, Li Tan, &
Lao Tan.
Tao Te Ching
(Dow Duh Jing)
(The Book of the Way and Its Power)
Origins of Taoism
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Taoism’s beginnings are shrouded in
mystery.
It is not certain whether the founder of
Taoism, Lao Tzu, ever actually existed.
There are accounts, however legendary,
about Lao Tzu
The origins are ancient, dating back to the
time of Confucius: 551-479.
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He was conceived by a shooting star.
When his mother gave birth to him, he was already
eighty two years old, a wise man with flowing
white hair.
He worked as a government archivist.
Eventually, he became disenchanted with the
corruption of government.
He left his town after taking three days to write
down his words of wisdom, The Tao Te Ching.
According to tradition,
Lao Tzu (“The Old Boy” or
“Old Master”)



Was born in 604 BC in the Chu Province,
Had a long career as the royal historianlibrarian-archivist in the Chou capital of Loyang, & (after becoming disillusioned as a
result of the increasing decline of the Chou
dynasty) left China for Tibet or India late in the
6th (or perhaps early in the 5th) century BC.
Before leaving, however, he recorded his
philosophical insights in a short book, the Tao
Te Ching (also known as the Lao Tzu), which is
one of the foundational classics of Taoism.
A contemporary of Confucius. (Alternate
spellings: Lao Tze, Lao Tsu, Lao Tzu, Laozi,
Laotze, etc.), he was searching for a way that
would avoid the constant feudal warfare and
other conflicts that disrupted society during his
lifetime.
The result was his book: Tao-Te-Ching).
Others believe that he is a mythical character
The Tao Te Ching
Authored by Lao Tzu, it is Taoism’s foundational text.
It is 81 short chapters, dating back to the 3rd. century,
b.c.e.
It contains many paradoxes -and profound teachings on
living in harmony with nature.
Such as: Those who know do not speak; Those who speak
do not know.
Lao Tzu says that his teachings are
derived from an ancient system of
principles & that they are easy to
understand & to put into practice
but that no one understands &
practices them.
Many consider my teaching to be nonsense.
 But the profound is a lot like nonsense.
 If a teaching does not seem nonsensical,
then it must be trivial.

Taoism started as a combination of
psychology and philosophy but evolved
into a religious faith in 440 when it was
adopted as a state religion. Taoism,
along with Buddhism and
Confucianism, became one of the three
great religions of China.
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Taoist Beliefs and Practices:

Taoism has provided an alternative to
the Confucian tradition in China. The
two traditions have coexisted in the
country, region and sometimes within
the same individual.

Taoism currently has about 20
million followers, and is primarily
centered in Taiwan. About 30,000
Taoists live in North America
"acupuncture, herbalism, holistic
medicine, meditation and martial
arts...“ are aspects of Taoism you
may be familiar with

Be still like a mountain and flow like a
great river." Lao Tzu

"We believe in the formless and eternal
Tao, and we recognize all personified
deities as being mere human constructs.
We reject hatred, intolerance, and
unnecessary violence, and embrace
harmony, love and learning, as we are
taught by Nature. We place our trust and
our lives in the Tao, that we may live in
peace and balance with the Universe, both
in this mortal life and beyond."
Taoism
The Way of Harmony with Nature
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A philosophy
– Profound and paradoxical
A way of life
– Playful and practical
A religion
Nature knows best
You must experience to know i.e.
mysticism- a direct experience with
the sacred
A pond frog cannot imagine the
ocean and a summer insect cannot
conceive of ice. How then can a
scholar understand the Tao? He is
restricted by his own learning.
The Tao cannot be understood by the
intellect of the brain, it must be felt
by spirit of the soul.
Leading ideas in Taoist thought

The DAO
Chi (Ch'I, Qi)
 De
 Yin/Yang

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The natural order (the
universe & all things in it)
Philosophical Taoism

The Tao (“path” or “way” or it could be
conceived of as the force that moves the
universe)
– The “nameless”
– The “Mother of ten-thousand things”
– The “Un carved block”

The Taoist Sage: learns not from scholarly
books but by observing the way of nature
(flowing water, wind) and letting nature guide his
way through life
Tao is the first-cause of the universe. It
is a force that flows through all life.
Each believer's goal is to become one
with the Tao.
TAO
DOW
DAO
Characteristics of the DAO
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Indefinable
Unnamable
The source of both
reality & appearance
Empty, but never used
up; always available
Hidden, but always
present
Older than the gods
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Invisible, inaudible,
intangible
The One
Appears in countless
forms; given countless
names
Without form, but
complete
The Mother of all
things
Silent. Empty. Independent.
Unchanging. Infinite. Eternal.
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Creator of all things
Present in all things
Returns all things to their origin (nothingness, nothing-ness?)
Does not contend, but it prevails; does not speak,
but it answers; is not called, but it responds; has
no purpose, but it achieves all of its aims
When you seek it, you find it.
Tao is both the ultimate source and principle
of order in the universe.
Tao has two components, yin and yang.
Taoism regards moral values as relative and
avoids absolute moral judgments.
Taoism literature says nothing about the
afterlife and depicts death as one of nature’s
transformations from one state to another.
Humans are part of the grand harmony of
nature and to live in accord with the Tao is the
only way to thrive.
“embraces and underlies all being, a vast Oneness
that precedes and in some mysterious manner
generates the endlessly diverse forms of the world . .
. . [U]nknowable as the tao may be in essence, one
must somehow learn to sense its presence and
movement in order to bring one’s own life and
movements into harmony with it. The aim of the
text . . . is to impart to the reader, through hints,
symbols, and paradoxical utterances, such an
intuitive grasp of the tao and the vital ability to
move with it rather than counter to it.”
The philosophical content of
the Tao Te Ching:
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Yin & Yang & the principle of reversal
Non-ado (wu-wei)
The DAO-Master (the Daoist hero)
Seeking the DAO & living in the DAO
How to live
Meditation
Emptiness
Anti-Confucianism
Political philosophy
The power (De) of the TAO is expressed in
the cosmos in accordance with the Yin/Yang
principle.
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Yin (dark side) is the breath that formed
the earth. Yang (light side) is the breath
that formed the heavens. They
symbolize pairs of opposites which
balance one another and keep the
universe in harmony. These are seen
throughout the universe, such as good
and evil, light and dark, male and
female. Intervention by human
civilization upsets the balances of Yin
and Yang.
female
dark
cool
earthly
soft
changeable
moist
passive
negative
evil
Earth &
moon
Yin & Yang
Heaven &
sun
male
bright
hot
heavenly
hard
steadfast
dry
active
positive
good
Traits of Yin and Yang
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Negative
Passive
Feminine
Earthly
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Yin
Positive
Active
Masculine
Heavenly
Yang
- Ontology/Cosmology
- DAO
- Chi (Ch'I, Qi)
- DE
- Yin/Yang
- The natural order
The cosmos
(universe, nature)
is an ever-changing expression &
blend of Yin and Yang, full of the
power (De) of the DAO.
More Taoist Concepts

Wei-wu-wei (“active non-action”)
– Passive non-resistance to the natural
forces of life
– Natural way to get things done with least
effort and greatest success
– “Go with the flow,” yield to the natural way
of things
– Applied in all walks of life
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Wu-wei = primary virtue and means
“non-action.
” To practice wu-wei is to be so
perfectly in harmony with nature that
its energy infuses and empowers the
individual.
Humility and non-competition
Naturalness and naturalism
Nonaggression and passive rule
Wu wei
may be the most misunderstood of all
the precepts of Taoism. It's most
commonly translated "non-action or
inaction," and appears in verses of the
Tao Te Ching like:
Act without doing;
Work without effort.
--Chapter 63
The closest analogy would be when an athlete is "in the
zone." The actions are not coming from the thinking or
calculating area of the mind, but they are being done.
Obviously, this is not the same as doing nothing
The Master does nothing,
Yet he leaves nothing undone.
The ordinary man is always doing things,
Yet many things are left to be done...
--Chapter 38
Once a writer asked the baseball player Yogi Berra what he
thought about when he was hitting.
“Nuthin’” Yogi replied “Ya can’t hit and think at the same
time.”
So wu wei
is not non-action but effortless action. It is action without
meddlesome, contentious, or egotistical exertion. It's the effortless
action that results from combining your inner nature with the
natural laws operating around you. In short, it is being in
harmony with the Tao .
In order to do this you must feel the Tao. You cannot harmonize
with the Tao if you don't feel it or are not aware of its presence –
thus back to mysticism.
Wu-wei (non-ado)
Therefore, the Dao-Master acts with non-ado
& teaches without speaking.
 Things come & go.
 He lets them come & go.
 He creates, but he does not own.
 He achieves, but he takes no credit.
 He completes his work & then forgets about it.
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Practice non-ado, & your accomplishments
endure.
The Value of Emptiness & Non-Being
Thirty spokes are joined in the hub of the wheel,
but it is the center hole, where it is empty,
that makes the wheel useful.
We make a clay pot,
but it is the emptiness inside that makes the pot useful.
We cut windows and doors to make a room,
but it is the inner emptiness that makes the room useful.
We seek to take advantage of what is,
but we also find much use for what is not.
In the Star Wars series, those strong in the Force are constantly talking
about feeling the Force.
In Star Wars, when Luke is learning how to use the light saber against
the remote, Obi Wan counsels him:
Obi-Wan: Remember, a Jedi can feel the Force flowing through him .
In The Empire Strikes Back, Yoda admonishes Luke to feel the Force
during his training saying "A Jedi's strength flows from the Force."
Yoda: Concentrate. (Equipment slowly rises into the air.)
Yoda: Feel the Force flow. Yes.
When you are aware of the Tao and feel it, you can flow with it, and
the right action appears for itself, spontaneously. Lao Tzu says
humans lose their way because we are not in touch with nature and
our own nature or natural selves.
Basic principles of Taoism
 Te

(“power” or “virtue”)
One’s natural ability brought to peak
potential by following “the way”
Te (“Duh”)
“denotes a moral power or virtue
characteristic of a person who follows
the correct course of conduct . . . .
[In Daoism], te is the virtue or
power that one acquires through
being one with the Tao, what one
‘gets’ from the Tao.”
Pu’
One of the basic principles of Taoism is P'U; the Uncarved Block.
”
Theessence
of the Un-carved Block is that things in their
original simplicity contain their own natural power, power
that is easily spoiled and lost when that simplicity is
changed. This principle applies not only to things, but to people as
well. Or Bears (The Tao of Pu’- get it?)
Which brings us to Pooh, the very epitome of the Uncarved Block.
When you discard arrogance, complexity, and a few, other things that
get in the way, sooner or later you will discover that simple, childlike,
and mysterious secret known to those of the Un-carved Block: Life is
Fun. Along with that comes the ability to do things spontaneously and
have them work, odd as that may appear to others at times
A second major primary source
of Philosophical Taoism is
The Book of Chuang Tzu,
by
Chuang Tzu
(also known as Chuang Chou, Zhuang-Zi)
(c. 369-286 BC)

Relativity: “good” and “bad” is a
matter of perspective
– The Taoist sage is non-judgmental
Confucius said to Chuang Tzu "The Prince of Wei gave me a seed of a
large-sized kind of gourd. I planted it, and it bore a fruit as big as a five
bushel measure. Now had I used this for holding liquids, it would have
been too heavy to lift; and had I cut it in half for ladles, the ladles would
have been too flat for such purpose. Certainly it was a huge thing, but I
had no use for it and so I broke it up."
"It was rather you did not know how to use large things," replied
ZhuangZi. "There was a man in the Song Dynasty who had a recipe for
salve for chapped hands, his family having been silk-washers for
generations. A stranger who had heard of it came and offered him a
hundred ounces of silver for this recipe; whereupon he called together his
clansmen and said, 'We have never made much money by silk-washing.
Now, we can sell the recipe for a hundred ounces in a single day. Let the
stranger have it.'
"The stranger got the recipe, and went and had an interview with the
Prince of Wu who was fighting a war with The Yueh, and the stranger
offered the salve to the Wu who won the battle because they were able to
hold their weapons better without chapped hands. The stranger was
rewarded with a piece of the King's territory. Thus, while the salve cured
chapped hands was in both cases its applications were different. Here, it
secured a title; there, the people remained silk-washers.
"Now as to your five-bushel gourd, why did you not make a boat of it, and
float about over river and lake? And you complain of its being too flat for
holding things! I fear your mind is stuffy inside."
Cook Ting was cutting up an ox for Lord Wen-hui. As every touch of his hand, every heave of
his shoulder, every move of his feet, every thrust of his knee — zip! zoop! He slithered the
knife along with a zing, and all was in perfect rhythm, as though he were performing the dance
of the Mulberry Grove or keeping time to the Ching-shou music.“Ah, this is marvelous!” said
Lord Wen-hui. “Imagine skill reaching such heights!” Cook Ting laid down his knife and
replied, “What I care about is the Way, which goes beyond skill. When I first began cutting up
oxen, all I could see was the ox itself. After three years I no longer saw the whole ox. And now
— now I go at it by spirit and don’t look with my eyes. Perception and understanding have
come to a stop and spirit moves where it wants. I go along with the natural makeup, strike in
the big hollows, guide the knife through the big openings, and following things as they are. So
I never touch the smallest ligament or tendon, much less a main joint.
“A good cook changes his knife once a year — because he cuts. A mediocre cook changes his
knife once a month — because he hacks. I’ve had this knife of mine for nineteen years and I’ve
cut up thousands of oxen with it, and yet the blade is as good as though it had just come from
the grindstone. There are spaces between the joints, and the blade of the knife has really no
thickness. If you insert what has no thickness into such spaces, then there’s plenty of room —
more than enough for the blade to play about it. That’s why after nineteen years the blade of
my knife is still as good as when it first came from the grindstone.“However, whenever I come
to a complicated place, I size up the difficulties, tell myself to watch out and be careful, keep
my eyes on what I’m doing, work very slowly, and move the knife with the greatest subtlety,
until — flop! the whole thing comes apart like a clod of earth crumbling to the ground. I stand
there holding the knife and look all around me, completely satisfied and reluctant to move on,
and then I wipe off the knife and put it away.”
“Excellent!” said Lord Wen-hui. “I have heard the words of Cook Ting and learned how to care
Religious Taoism
Deification of Lao Tzu
 The Jade Emperor and the eight
“Immortals”
 Taoist temples with images of Lao Tzu and

other “immortals”
 Taoist Priests combine Taoist meditation
with purification rites of folk religion exorcism
practices
 Taoist sects develop beginning in 1st
century, additional teachers and texts
On the religious side of Daoism,
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There is major interest in
conserving, increasing, &/or
gaining control over De & its
vital energy (chi).
There are numerous rituals
aimed at the veneration of the
gods & good spirits & at
placation of & protection from
demons.
There are also magical & occult
practices (oracles, divination,
astrology, mediumism, healing
rites, etc.) aimed at gaining
control over the powers of
nature (De).

The concern with increasing the
supply of De’s vital energy (chi) is
expressed in practices involving
diet & nutrition, pharmacology &
folk medicine (including
acupuncture), and yoga-like
concentration on the inner self
(sexual experiments, breathing
exercises, tai chi chuan & other
martial arts, & control of the mind
through meditation techniques).
Daoists also believe that DAOMasters who have realized a
surplus of chi can radiate from
themselves a healing &
harmonious psychic influence to
the communities in which they live.
The priesthood views the many gods as aspects
of the one Dao, like Hinduism sees Brahma“
which could not be represented as an image or
a particular thing." The concept of a personified
deity is foreign to them, as is the concept of the
creation of the universe. Thus, they do not pray
as Christians do; there is no God to hear the
prayers or to act upon them. They seek answers
to life's problems through inner meditation and
outer observation.
Taoism as a Way of Living

Seeking Health and Longevity: through diet,
meditation, exercise, and a stress-free life
 Alchemy: seeking the chemical “elixir of life”to
achieve immortality

Meditation: “Inner Alchemy Meditation” – seeking
spiritual rather than chemical transformation
 Natural/holistic healing: herbal medicine,
acupressure, acupuncture, exercise…

T’ai-Chi-Ch’uan (“grand ultimate boxing”)
– A slow, graceful martial art stressing movement in
balance
Can you keep body and soul together
and find your wholeness in the One?
Can you make your breathing as soft as a
newborn child’s?
Can you cleanse your inner vision
until you see with perfect clarity?
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"The Tao surrounds everyone and therefore
everyone must listen to find enlightenment."
Taoists generally have an interest in promoting
health and vitality.
Five main organs and orifices of the body
correspond to the five elements of the sky:
water, fire, wood, metal and earth.
Each person must nurture the Ch'i (air, breath)
that has been given to them.
Development of virtue is one's chief task.
Chi (Ch'i, Qi)
Arises from the Dao
 Vital matter and energy
 All things (other than Dao and Chi
itself) are composed of Chi – the
basic "stuff" substance of nature

Chinese Metaphysics
Movement of cosmic energies:
Rising
Falling
Expanding
Contracting
Rotating
Represented by and expressed in
the “five elements” of nature…
The “Five Elements”
Productive cycle
Fire
Wood
Water
Earth
Metal
The “Five Elements”
Destructive cycle
Fire
Wood
Water
Earth
Metal
The Daoist perspective on human
nature & the human predicament
•
•
Humanity is merely one
of the “Ten Thousand
Things” manifested in
nature, one animal
species among others.
However, human beings
(unlike other animals)
have the power of free
choice. This enables
them to act contrary to
nature (contrary to the
DAO), to become
alienated from the
“Way.”
•
•
Humans can choose
to separate
themselves from the
natural order, and
they can pursue
things they want in
addition to things
they need.
This leads to an
unnatural existence
filled with various
kinds of pain &
suffering.
The solution to the human
predicament
Back to nature; back to the TAO.
 The practice of wu-wei (non-do,
effortless action, action without
friction & conflict, swimming with
the current, -- the simple, natural
life.
 Go with the flow.
 Chill out.

Ethical Doctrines
(guidelines for right conduct)
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Tune in to De (the power of DAO), & follow the
DAO.
Practice wu-wei (non-ado).
Follow the path of least resistance (like water
does); practice relaxed action through yielding.
Avoid self-assertion & competition; practice
humility & non-combativeness.
Disdain worldly prizes.
“The way to do is to be.”
Other specific ethical principles the same as in
Confucianism, but with an individualistic & nonpolitical emphasis.
How to Live
(Ethical Prescriptions)
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DDJ
DDJ
DDJ
DDJ
DDJ
8
9*
12*
33*
52*

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It is good to be like water.
It nourishes without effort.
It flows without contention into
low places that people scorn.
Thus, it is like the Dao.
In dwelling, live close to the
land.
In thinking, go deep.
In relating to others, be gentle.
Self
Being in favor or being in disgrace: either way, trouble.
It is all within the Self.
What does this mean?
Being in favor, we fear falling out of favor.
Being out of favor, we fear remaining there.
This fear is within the Self.
No Self, no fear.
Do you value the world as you value yourself?
You may be trusted to rule.
Do you love the world as you love yourself?
The world may be entrusted to your care.
Daoist
theology


(Daoist metaphysics,
continued)
The DAO is the highest reality. It is the Ground of
Being; but it is not “God” or “a god.” It is the
absolutely transcendent and incomprehensible Source
of the natural world (the universe). The DAO is
beyond sensation, beyond thought, beyond
imagination, beyond words, etc. It is knowable
only through direct mystical experience or
intuition.
Gods, good spirits, and demons exist as expressions of
the power (De) of the DAO. These spiritual powers
can be accessed and harnessed through various
magical rituals.
Daoist Political Philosophy
(an application of wu-wei)
Limited government & a laid-back prince -a kind of libertarianism?
The Tao never acts, yet through it everything gets done.
If rulers could reside in the Tao,
everything would fall into place all by itself.
Action is restrained by the Tao.
Action restrained, no desire.
No desire: tranquillity.
All things at peace.
Characteristics of the DAO-Master
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Detached
 Good to people
Selfless
who are good
Cautious
 Good to people
Alert
who are not good
Courteous  Trusts those who
are trustworthy
Yielding
Undefined  Trusts those who
are not trustworthy
Open
 Radiates peace &
Murky
harmony
Quiet
Calm & unperturbed
Thoughts of a Dao-Master
No more learning, no more trouble.
Is there any real difference between “Ahhh!” and “Yuk!”?
What about “good” and “evil”?
Must I fear what others fear?
Ridiculous!
Everybody else is smiling,
having fun as if at a festival or carnival.
I alone am drifting, not knowing whether I’m coming or going,
like a baby before it has learned to smile.
Others have what they need; I have nothing.
I might as well be homeless.
I’m a fool. Very confused.
Others are bright; I am dim.
Others are sharp; I am dull, lost at sea, without direction.
Others have plans; I am aimless.
I am different from others.
I am nourished by the Great Mother.
When a thoughtful man hears of the Tao, he tries to follow it.
When an average man hears of the Tao,
he wonders about it, but then tends to forget it.
When a fool hears of the Tao, he makes fun of it.
If someone didn’t make fun of it, it wouldn’t be the Tao.
Therefore, when seeking the Tao,
light seems dark,
advancing feels like retreating,
the simple appears difficult,
power is like weakness,
purity seems tarnished,
true virtue seems deficient and unsteady,
and the clear seems obscure.
The true square has no corners.
The true vessel never sails.
The true sound is hard to hear.
The true form has no shape.
The Tao is hidden, beyond definition; but it alone fulfills.
Much talk is contrary to nature.
The wind doesn’t blow all morning.
The rain doesn’t fall all day.
Wind and rain are caused by nature,
If nature restrains herself, shouldn’t people do the same?
He who follows the Tao is one with the Tao.
He who is virtuous is one with Virtue [Te].
He who loses the Tao becomes a loss.
Surrender to the Tao, and it will be your home.
Practice virtue [Te], and it will be your abode.
Lose the Tao, and you will then reside in loss.
No trust given, no trust received.