TAOISM
but everything is just a matter of phonetics or
Introduction to Taoism
In the previous module, we talked about
Confucianism and the events that paved the way
for its emergence. Now, let us move forward to
another religion that also began in China –
Taoism. To start this module, I would like to
make a comparison between Confucianism and
Taoism, but not to make one look superior or
inferior to the other. We can better realize the
uniqueness of these two specific religions when
placed side by side with each other.
In the accounts of the Grand Historian Sima
Qian, he made obvious on the difference
between the ideas of Confucius and Lao Zi,
the founder of Taoism. The teachings of
Confucius focus mainly on the here and now
or the mundane world. He did not pay much
attention to something beyond the physical
world. His main concern was to address the
problems of ethics. Confucius wanted to form a
conscientious leader, a good citizen, and a
benevolent family man.
Whereas, Lao Zi was more interested in the
hereafter or the world beyond the physical
realm – the metaphysical. He was preoccupied
with the problem of mysticism. Lao Zi wanted
to develop a person who is one with nature and
the world of the spirit. This is the fine contrast
between the two great sages of China. However,
we must take note that the difference in their
areas of interest does not remove the fact that
they have influenced the Chinese people to a
remarkable extent. Both of these masters
imparted brilliant ideas in their unique way
that lured millions of followers into subscribing
to their teachings. There may be a difference in
opinion regarding how a person should see
and live his or her life, but these two religions
also have a thing in common – they both
provide a way on how to live one's life.
To save ourselves from future confusion, let us
first clarify one perplexing matter about this
religion. Taoism is also known as Daoism.
There is no crucial difference between the two,
pronunciation. Both represent the same old
religious philosophy. Westerners often use
Taoism rather than Daoism, but the opposite is
true with the Chinese people. They prefer
Daoism because it is phonetically closer to
their native language. Therefore, if in case dao
and tao are both used in this module, just refer to
this information.
There is a story about the three great Asian
spiritual leaders: Confucius, Buddha, and
Lao Zi.
All of them were tasting the same water.
Confucius found it to be sour, much like how
he found the world full of inferior people.
Buddha found it bitter, much like how he
found the world to be full of suffering.
But Lao Zi found the water to be sweet. What
should this tell us about Taoism?
Taoism: Did You Know?
The Taoists believe in the idea of yin and yang,
which is the view that two intermingling and
interdependent forces are present in reality.
The yin and the yang may signify a lot of
things in reality like light and dark, fast and
slow, cold and hot, day and night, male and
female, front and back. The two share some
kind of complementarity. Perhaps, one would
not make any sense without the other.
Imagine having light without darkness. Light
only makes sense if there is darkness. As the
lyrics of Let Her Go by Passenger goes, “Only
need the light when it’s burning low, Only miss
the sun when it starts to snow...” However, the
yin and the yang must not be seen from a moral
perspective – neither one is good nor evil – but
from a simple but dynamic balance.
Discussion on Lao Zi
Lao Zi
The ideas of Taoism are attributed to Lao Zi.
However, no one knows if the old master
really existed. Lao Zi is at the level of myth.
There is no enough evidence to support his
existence. His name is just as symbolic as his
life is mysterious. When translated into
English, Lao (old) Zi (master) just means "old
master." This name is not common because it
is just a title of endearment and respect. It is
possible that the ideas in the Dao De Jing,
which is the work attributed to him, are just a
collection of the philosophy of ancient people
which is signed by his name. According to
Filipino sinologist Dr. Alfredo Co, this issue is
irrelevant because if Lao Zi is a myth, then he
is the greatest myth that China has ever
created. He will exist immortally in the
collective consciousness of the Chinese people
as long as they are willing to assert his
existence.
According to traditions, Lao Zi existed between
the year 566 and 470 BCE which makes him an
early contemporary of Confucius. In the
records of Sima Qian, Lao Zi was from Chu,
known today as Hunan province. He is said to
have served as a custodian in the Imperial
Archives. He retired to the West, where he
wrote the Dao De Jing at the request of a
gatekeeper. Just like Confucianism, Taoism
was never meant as a religion. It was more of a
philosophical system. However, because of
several events, the Taoist philosophical
tradition slowly faded and was transformed
into teaching that involves the worship of
deities and atonement of spirits through
rituals carried out by Taoist priests. The
religious practice of Taoism only took form in
the second century. Taoism, as a religion,
mainly focuses on rituals and cosmic renewals
to uplift the relationship between the
community and their deities’ spirit.
Discussion on Dao De Jing/Tao Te
Ching
Dao De Jing
The Dao De Jing or Tao Te Ching is the work
attributed to Lao Zi. This little book has about
5,250 Chinese characters that are distributed
into 81 poems. Despite its size, it is considered
as one of the books that have the most influence
over its readers. It is second to the Bible as the
most translated book into the English language
alone, and there are over fifty translations
available.
This book, though little, has sparked almost
endless quests for interpretations. Therefore, it is
really difficult to describe its whole content in
this short discussion. Instead, let us just tackle
the central concepts found in the book.
The character Dao is the central theme of Dao
De Jing. We cannot confine this term to just one
meaning because it signifies multiple things. But
to make things simpler, let us just stick with the
most important definitions. Dao can mean
“Truth,” “Absolute,” “Nature,” “Way of
Nature,” and “Way.”
When we say Dao is “Truth,” it means that it is
the “Absolute” – the all-pervading Reality.
The term “Nature” signifies that Dao is the
totality of nature – how things work and flow.
Lastly, Dao as the “Way” means the path a
person should take in life – the law of
morality.
In simple words, Dao is the Absolute, the Way
of the Absolute, and the Way to the Absolute.
However, it is important to take note that the
Dao is not a god. It is not even a being.
According to the Taoist, everyone and
everything is a manifestation of the Dao. The
ironic thing about it is that while it is a non-
being, it is the source of all being.
We can simplify the philosophy of the Dao in
this definition:
Dao is Dao
Dao is the Dao of Dao
Dao can only be reached if the Dao to the Dao is
the Dao of Dao
or
Dao is Absolute
The Absolute is the Way of Nature
The Absolute can only be reached if The Way to
the Absolute is the Way of Nature
I am pretty sure that all of you are confused right
now and asking “Ano Dao?” So let me explain
this further. The first line implies that
Dao is the "Ultimate Reality" that governs
everything. Here, it is portrayed as the power
that sustains all things and is the source of
order in the universe. We commonly associate
this order with the word "Nature." There is
water to moisturize everything. There is air for
every living being to breathe. There is the sun to
provide heat. Some people take good care of
everything. Taoism believes that all of these
exist and function the way they are because of
Dao.
The second line means that the “Absolute” is
itself the only way to reach the “Ultimate
Reality.” This is the “Way of Nature.” This
means that a person does not have to search for
anything other than the Dao to know what it
is.
The Dao will provide the answer and it will
only unveil itself to the person who is seeking
to find it.
Lastly, this “Ultimate Reality” can only be
reached by following the “Way of the
Absolute.”
The Dao will not unveil itself if the laws of
morality are not observed. According to the
Taoist idea, the law of morality only suggests
that a person should let nature take its course.
Therefore, the “Way of the Dao” is by being
one with nature. A person must learn how to
swim with the currents. In a nutshell, the
philosophy of Dao just encourages everyone to
go with the flow. The idea of Lao Zi is for the
individual to live as close to nature as possible
and be one with it.
To concretize these ideas, let me give you an
example. Imagine being with someone, perhaps
a friend. It is in our nature to be with someone
because as the cliché goes "No man is an
island". As any social interaction goes, there is a
phase in a relationship where you will have to
get to know each other first. All of us are eager
to know who our friends are and to know the
realities surrounding them because, in the long
run, they will also be part of who we are. The
first thing that you should do is to be with your
friends. You cannot know your friends by not
being with them. Further, knowing a person is
not just simply being with the company of that
individual because you still need to see his or
her real personality. If you keep forcing your
friend to be the person you want him or her to
be, then it is impossible to know that person.
What you see in that person is just your
prejudice that they accepted to embody. Only
when you let the personality of your friend to
naturally manifest in your relationship can you
see the truth about his or her character. The
same is true with Taoism. Everyone is eager to
know the “Ultimate Reality” because everyone
is part of it. But the only way to know it is to be
one with it.
The concept of Dao is very important for the
Taoist because they believe that man
experiences it in his or her very existence.
According to them, man is part of the cosmic
process which he or she considers as Dao. If a
man lives his or her life yielding to the working
of the Dao, then his or her life will be
harmonious.
Discussion on Wu Wei
Wu Wei
Taoist spirituality can be found in the
experience of Dao, which is about living a
naturally simple life. According to Lao Zi,
knowing the Dao is not as hard as one thinks.
The way to know Dao just requires simplicity In this module, we have discussed another
and pureness of the heart, sincerity in religion that originated in China. We gained an
intention, and being unaffected by idea of its founder, Lao Zi, and how it began.
artificialities. The Chinese term Wu Wei Dao De Jing was also elucidated and along with
describes Taoist spirituality. It means non- it, we have also explained the concept of Dao.
action or non-purposiveness. The way to Dao We learned that the complex concept of Dao can
does not require grand gestures. Instead, it is only be known if a person practices Wu Wei or
through Wu Wei or not doing anything that non-action.
the meaning of Dao is unveiled. Perhaps, the
What we can probably take away from this
reason why non-action is the way to knowing
discussion is to recognize the realities of nature.
the Dao is because it teaches the person to
Most of our problems root from the failure to
stop, look, and observe the things
acknowledge who we are and the truths about
surrounding him. A person's life can get too
the world we live in. When we go against these
busy to the point that he or she loses grip of
realities, it is inevitable to encounter problems.
nature. A moment of idleness and non-action is
Lao Zi believes that the movement of Dao is a
never bad in this case.
beautiful movement of nature. One may not be
The more a person tries hard to know what able to describe how nature moves, but one can
Dao is, the more that its meaning becomes naturally move with it for nobody can go against
elusive. That is why Taoism has the paradoxical the rhythm of life.
concept of Wei Wu Wei, which means doing
by non-doing. This means that we accomplish
more things when we do not do anything or
when we become passive. Reviewing for an
exam can be a good example of this.
Examination seasons are the most stressful times
in a student's life. Sometimes, most of you need
to burn the midnight oil just for the sake of
passing. Also, things can get unhealthy for your
bodies and your mental state. Because of these,
it is inevitable to experience fatigue that slows
down your progress in reviewing. In this case, it
is better to take a rest for a while and let things
be. The moment you resume studying, you will
realize that you have accomplished more
because you took a rest. The rigorous and toxic
routine of reviewing until midnight is not natural
to a person. And because it is not natural, this
routine becomes counterproductive to your goal.
However, since you recognized your body's
natural need – the need to rest – you became
more productive. But of course, in our context,
this is not entirely applicable. However, it does
not mean that is not true either.
Summary and Conclusion 6