The East Asia Institute and
Confucius Institute at the University
of Oklahoma
 As a part of the College of
Arts and Sciences, we are
committed to supporting our
community through
programs that both educate
and inspire!
The East Asia Institute and
Confucius Institute at the University
of Oklahoma
http://afe.easia.columbia.edu
http://nctasia.org
http://Eai.ou.edu
http://Ouci.ou.edu
Study Tours

NATIONAL CONSORTIUM FOR
TEACHING ABOUT ASIA

NCTA Field Study in China and
Japan -- Summer 2014

For NCTA alumni in the states of:

Arkansas, Florida, Georgia,
Kansas, Mississippi, Nevada,
New Jersey, New York
(metropolitan and lower), North
Carolina, North Dakota,
Oklahoma, South Carolina,
South Dakota, Tennessee, and
Texas.
2015 Study Tour
information is coming soon!
Taoism (Daoism) Dao
 What is Taoism (Daoism)?
 The Tao-The Way or the
Path
 Lao Tzu-Founder
 Tao Te Ching
 Concepts:
 1. Nature
2. Individual
3. Yin Yang 4. Fengshui
Taoism (Daoism) Dao
 Introduction: According to
Taoism, the entire universe
and everything in it flows
with a mysterious,
unknowable force called the
Tao.
 Handout-”What is
Daoism?”
Taoism 道
Lao-tzu, translated as either
"Old Master" or "Old Boy,"
is believed to be the author of
Taoism. Very little is known
of his life; he may not even
have existed.
Tao Te Ching
道德经
(Classic of the Way and its Power)
 “Dao” meaning path or
way
 “De” meaning virtue
 “Jing” meaning
canon/law/rules
 81 chapters
 Read selections from
Laozi (Daodejing)
Taoist beliefs

The individual-(Group)

Uncarved block-(simple)

Nature (Not above but part
of)

Time (cyclical)

Yin and Yang-(polarity)

The 5 elements (Wu xing)

Wuwei-(effortless action)

Fengshui (wind and water)
Yin Yang
阴阳 Yin Yang
Explain the characters-Moon
月 and Sun 日
Polarity not opposites
Give examples of polarity
Why does it “swirl?”
Fengshui
Chinese system of arranging our
environment so that we can live
more in harmony with our
surroundings.
(五行) Wuxing
The 5 Elements
Earth-yellow, fire-red,
wood-green, metalwhite, water-black or
blue
Colors determine mood.
Red is considered a
lucky color. White
represents death!
The Bagua
八卦
Ba1gua4

Bagua literally means “eight
symbols.”

8 trigrams used in Daoist
cosmology.

Energy map

Helps define spatial
relationships.
Black lines represent Yin
(broken) Yang (unbroken
The Bagua
八卦
The 8 Remedies

1. Straight lines

2. Light

3. Sound

4. Color

5. Life

6. Movement

7. Stillness

8. Mechanical devices
Bagua
Fengshui Your bedroom!
Fun activity

Remember, the first rule of
Fengshui is order!

Make sure that the door to the
room is aligned with the bottom
of the Bagua!

Have the students superimpose
a blueprint of their bedroom
over the Bagua.
Bagua
References
http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/m
ain_pop/ps/ps_china.htm

Asia for Educators-Primary
Sources
http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/tps
/1000bce.htm#confudao

Tao the Watercourse Way
Alan Watts
http://people.opposingviews.com
/religious-taoism-vs-philosophicaltaoism-6900.html

Tao Te Ching translation
by Ralph Alan Dale

Opposing Views
by Michael H. Jenkins
http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/cos
mos/ort/daoism.htm

Living in the Chinese Cosmos
by