The master that I chose is Sun Pu-erh. Since her troubles with attaining the Tao were that she thought she was a genius from the beginning and needed very little meditation and principle to attain the Tao. But she learned down the road that there is no such thing as knowing too much. She has shown the most perseverance to attain the Tao, by even scaring her face so that she could travel to a village so she could attain imortality faster. Her travels and hardships were very interesting to read and kind of reminded me of my troubles with my studies.…
Chuang Tzu was a brilliant, original, and influential Chinese philosopher who lived around the 4th century BCE. The background from which he arose involved a period of strife, conquest, oppression, and an attempt to preserve traditional societal values. This situation gives light to the origin of Chuang Tzus philosophy, which was centered on skepticism and mystical detachment (which is why it differs so radically from Confucianism). His ideology provided the disillusioned members of Chinese society with a method to cope with and survive in a world ridden with chaos and suffering.…
Taoism’s history is one of the most important aspects of its foundation. One important figure in the foundation of Taoism is Laozi. Regarded as the founder of Taoism, Laozi is considered to be the writer or one of the writers of the Daodejing, a text that has influenced both the philosophy and religion (Toropov). However, in order to not cause debate on the original author, Laozi is referred to as a text speaking to all human beings (Toropov). This not only shows Taoism’s important history, but it also shows the unity between its followers. Laozi has also played many important roles, such as bestowing upon Zhang Daoling, another important Taoist figure, the high title of…
Our Society is comprised of many different views and beliefs through various teachings. These teachings gave the world a different view on life and how we can live our life in peace. A good example of one of the teachings was the Tao-Te Ching. Lao-Tzu wrote the Tao-Te Ching, during the time in china of 551-479 B.C.E., which is better known as Taoism. The teaching of the “Tao” greatly emphasizes about good government and moral behavior in our everyday living.…
Being that the Tao Te Ching is the basis for Taoism it is apparent that Lao Tzu backed up his thoughts sufficiently to persuade many to follow him. However because of the quote I chose I will focus primarily on the concept of self. The main concepts of Taoism as I took it in were of love, and understanding yourself.…
Taoism is a religion that is all about finding “Tao” or “The Way.” The most important book to Taoism is the “Tao Te Ching” which has teachings that are attributed to Lao Tzu. Taoism is full of philosophical ideas, and teachings to teach one that life on earth is not just full of suffering and bitterness. The most important theme to finding this happiness in the universe is by using Wu-Wei.…
Taoism is a Chinese philosophical system that is based on the writings of Lao Tzu, specifically the classic Chinese text the Tao Te Ching, where Lao Tzu’s thought is seen. Taoism originated and was set into a religious system in ancient China around the 4th or 3rd century BCE and focuses on “The Tao”. The Tao roughly translates to “the way” and is the idea that everything was perfect before prejudice existed and that humans should try to get back to this thought. The Pu is a main concept in the Tao Te Ching and roughly translates to “the uncarved block”, it is the concept that nature was better off before right or wrong was conceived and changed how nature was viewed. This forms the basis of Taoism, which is living simply, honestly, and in…
Taoism is one of the most popular Chinese philosophical and religious practices. It denotes the ‘way’ of living as a process of pursuing stillness and non-action. This idea is discussed in Dao Te Ching by Lao Tzu. Taoism achieves attentions and significance from philosophers and literature scholars as Taoism gets interpreted in many different ways. As a companion of Dao Te Ching, The book of Chuang Tzu is the second most influential and popular literature that concerns with the interpretation and application of Taoism.…
The Taoist philosophy followed an interesting circle. On one hand, that Taoists rejected the regulation of life and society and preached instead to turn away from it to a solitary meditation of nature. On the other hand, they believed that by doing this one could ultimately have power enough to harness the whole universe. That by doing "nothing" one could accomplish "everything".…
As a mystic, Lao Tzu, meaning “old sage,” led a quiet, contemplative life. Working in the emperor’s library for many years and keeping mostly to himself, Lao Tzu realized and learned how to practice “the tao” or “the way.” He later wrote about his realizations about “the way” in the “Tao Te Ching” which literally translates to “The Way and Law of Natural Goodness.” Of the Taoist writings that exist today as part of present day Taoism, the “Tao Te Ching” is regarded as being the most influential Taoist text and no other book has been published in more languages other than the Bible.…
Confucius's followers, like those of Lao‐tzu, the founder of Taoism, saw him as a moral teacher and wise man—not a religious god, prophet, or leader. Confucianism's main goal is the attainment of inner harmony with nature. This includes the veneration of ancestors. Early on, the ruling classes of China widely embraced Confucianism. Taoism shares similar principles with Confucianism. The teachings of Lao‐tzu stress the importance of meditation and nonviolence as means of reaching higher levels of existence. While some Chinese still practice Confucianism and Taoism, these religions have lost much of their impetus due to resistance from today's Communist government. However, some concepts of Taoism, like reincarnation, have found an expression in modern “New Age”…
The Tao Te Ching is a Chinese text believed to be written by Laozi, an ancient Chinese philosopher. Although the true nature of whether he is the author or not, the texts are referred to Laozi. The Tao Te Ching text have greatly influenced not only Taoism, but Confucianism and Buddhism as well. The texts, dating back to two millennia or the 4 BCE, are history and ritual based. The main concept lies on Tao and how to acquire it.…
Taoism is pronounced (Dow-ism), and it means path or the way. Taoism very vague and has to be experienced, it "refers to a power which envelops, surrounds and flows through all things, living and non-living. The Tao regulates natural processes and nourishes balance in the universe. It embodies the harmony of opposites (i.e. there would be no love without hate, no light without dark, and no male without female.)" ("History of Taoism"). Taoism is known to be founded by Lao-Tsu (604-531 B.C.E.), a follower of Confucius. He was looking for a way that would keep away the constant feudal warfare and other problems that would interrupt society during his lifetime. Others believe that he is a mythical character. Taoism began as a mixture of psychology and philosophy but grew into a religious faith in 440 CE, when it was adopted as a state religion. Taoism, along with Buddhism and Confucianism, was one of the three great religions of China. With the fall of the Ching Dynasty in 1911, support for Taoism ended. Much of the heritage was destroyed during the next period of time. After the Communist victory in 1949, religious freedom was extremely restricted. The Cultural Revolution in Chine lasted from 1966 to 1976, this destroyed most of the remaining Taoist heritage. ("History of Taoism")…
Confucius, the founder of Confucianism, was said to have lived around the same time as Lao- Tzu, the founder of Taoism, in the sixth century B.C.E. Confucianism and Taoism are two belief systems that serve as guides for the lives of their followers. Confucianism stresses love and kindness for humanity, the worship of ancestors, and encourages all followers to seek the quality of Jen, translated to “love, goodness, and human-heartedness”. The ultimate goal of Confucianism is to be the superior human being. The goal is not to be superior to others, but superior within one’s self for the betterment of humanity. Taoism emphasizes living a simple life, and Tao is defined as, “The way” or “The way of nature”.…
Confucianism and Taoism are two of the most influential philosophies in Chinese culture. Upon inspecting the story of the daughter-in-law who lived in her husband’s household and through self-cultivation became filial to her admonishing mother-in-law, we see how similar the objectives of both Taoism and Confucianism are but and the difference on their perspective of the story. In analyzing the importance of harmony, filial piety, and being wu-wei in this story, this essay will argue that the two seemingly opposite philosophies of Taoism and Confucianism share common aspects of tradition than previously acknowledged. Upon analyzing the ideologies of both religions, they appear to be entirely different. However, harmony, filial piety and wu-wei remain the core beliefs of both traditions despite the way Taoists and Confucians approach them. Words such as “honest,” “free,” and “natural” will be discussed in the analysis of the different interpretation of the…