CONCEPTS/BELIEFS Daoism can be best understood by discussing its concepts and beliefs.

Some of its
concepts include the Dao or the “way of nature”; the De or “virtue/ proper” adherence to Dao; Wu Wei
or “action through inaction” which gives importance to humility and noncompetition, naturalness and
naturalism, and non-aggression; yinyang or the balance of nature or universe; and the Chi/Qi or the
natural energy or life force that sustains living beings.

The Dao

According to Laozi, the Dao, which is the essential concept and creative principle in Daoism, existed
before the world. It is undetectable, indistinct, shapeless, and indefinable, it is the foundation of all
being, and the way in which nature and the universe exist. All things come from it, and are nourished by
it, that is why sometimes the Dao is called “Mother.” Dao is the origin of heaven and earth and it is also
the way in which heaven and earth now live. Its meaning differ across religions and philosophies: for
Confucians, it refers to the basic principles of moral philosophy while for the Legalists, it is the way of
power (Brown 1987).

The Dao is distinct from God. It is not a being for it is the origin of all beings, and its great virtue is that it
does everything but desires nothing. It is “emptiness”, which does not compete with other forces but is
content with itself. This contentment, when practiced by people, will enable them to lead good lives
(Ching 1993).

Deity/God (Dao as the origin of all beings)

Unlike the Abrahamic religions, Daoism does not have a God, for Daoists believe that the universe
originated from the Dao, which created and controls the universe and distantly guides things on their
way. However, the Dao itself is not God and is not worshipped by the Daoist’s. Instead, they worship
deities, who are gods of a particular role, and they traditionally worship Laozi not only as the first god of
Daoism but also as the representation ofthe Dao. Most of the deities worshipped by the Daoists were
borrowed from other cultures, but they are within the universe and are subject to the Dao. The Daoist
pantheon has often been described as a divine administration which reflects the secular governments of
Imperial China. However, some believe that it is the other way around—that the secular administrations
are just reflections of the divine administration (Fairbank and Reischauer 1989).

For the Daoist’s, the Dao possesses heavenly qualities, is mysterious, indescribable, lies under the
surface of sense perception, and unifies obvious opposites on a different level. Daoist’s also believe that
the Dao can only be found in silence since it is heavenly and beyond change. For the Daoists, God is
found inside us, in the thoughtful emptiness from which all power and life originates in all directions; it
is the “Nothing” within all of us where all our energy comes from.

The De

The De, which means virtue or the proper adherence to Dao, is another basic concept in Daoism. It
encourages inaction in nature and advocates the quiet and passive nature of a person so that the Dao,
or the creative principle in the universe, may act through them without interference. People should
simply follow the Dao and must do nothing on their own. In this regard, Laozi professed a distaste for
culture and civilization for they are products of human activity and proof of humanity’s tampering with
nature. In line with this, he preferred the use of inaction in ruling the people (Brown 1987).

“Non-competition in Emptiness” is said to be the other side of the principle of “inaction in nature.” For
Daoists, inaction means a person’s outward actions, and emptiness is the corresponding inner state,
which also means “absence of desire.” Daoists believe that when a person becomes peaceful, that
person acquires power to overcome all things without having to compete with others. In line with this,
humility and avoiding competition with others are two virtues which Daoists value most. Lastly,
“contentment with what is” is another expression of inaction in nature and of non-competition in
emptiness. By following the way of nature, a person can attain contentment. For Laozi, the way of
happiness is contentment. “There is no greater sin than the desire for possession, no greater curse than
the lack of contentment.” (Brown 1987)

Wu-Wei

Wu-wei means “no behavior” or “doing nothing.” It also means “to do without doing” (wei-wu wei) or
“actionless activity.” It is a concept used to negate or limit human action. It refers to the cancellation or
restriction of human behavior, especially human activities. Wu-wei may refer to certain stages such as
nonbehavior or doing nothing; taking as little action as possible; taking action spontaneously; taking a
passive attitude toward society; waiting for the spontaneous transformation of things; and taking action
according to objective conditions and the nature of things, or acting naturally. It advocates a “go with
the flow” attitude by cultivating a state of being wherein our actions are in harmony with the natural
cycles of the universe. Laozi believed that wu-wei can lead to a peaceful and harmonious society. The
opposite of wu-wei, which is yu-wei, means taking action, which Laozi believes causes vicious actions,
theft, and crime. Wu-wei, on the other hand, brings prosperity, harmony, and peace.

Wu-wei—considered by Daoism as the highest form of virtue—emphasizes passivity, which may benefit
less fortunate or weak people, for it will help them overcome their opponents and become strong.
Spontaneity, or “being natural” is important in wu-wei, for Daoists believe that everything in the world
should develop naturally. Non-aggression is also important in wu wei, for Laozi believed that the Daoist
ideal society is a primitive community with a natural, harmonious, and simple life which exists without
war and competition (Sharma 1993). One may practice wu wei by becoming an “enlightened leader,”
one who rules in such a way that the people become happy and prosperous. Another way of practicing
wu wei is to become a hermit by withdrawing from society and wandering through the mountains,
meditating in the caves, and eating based on what the natural world has to offer.

Yin Yang

As stated earlier, the concept of yin yang was articulated by the Daoist philosopher Zhuangzi who stated
that “yin in its highest form is freezing while yang in its highest form is boiling. The chilliness comes from
heaven while the warmness comes from the earth. The interaction of these two establishes he
(harmony), so it gives birth to things. Perhaps this is ‘the law of everything’ yet there is no form being
seen.” (Zhuangzi Chapter 21) Yin yang is an important concept in Daoism which explains Laozi’s
methodology that everything contains opposite sides, and each side depends on the other, which
emphasizes the concept of dualism, of two halves forming a whole. Yin yang emphasizes
complementarity, interconnectedness, and interdependence of both sides seeking a new balance with
each other.

When something is whole, it is fixed and imperfect, but when it is split into halves, it disturbs the
balance of completeness, thus initiating change. The theory that opposite sides always transform into
each other serves as the philosophical foundation of Laozi’s methodology. There are about 70 concepts
of things in pair which are listed in Laozi, and some of them are: good and evil, long and short, bright
and dark, full and empty, lead and follow, strong and weak, beauty and ugliness, difficult and easy, favor
and disgrace, superior and inferior, glory and humility, masculine and feminine, increase and decrease,
offensive and defensive, and being and nonbeing, among others.

The yin and yang symbolize the integration of the polarities mentioned by Laozi. He stressed the need
for balance and harmony, which is achieved only when one is fully grounded in the Dao. Here we can
deduce that masculinity refers to all forms of behaviors that are forceful and aggressive while femininity
represents all gentle, nurturing, and flexible attributes. The goal is to embody both these polarities in a
balanced and harmonious manner (Hodge 2002).

Qi/Chi

The qi refers to the natural energy or life force that sustains living beings. Qi literally means “air’ or
“vapor.” It is the fundamental substance of nature and living beings, as well as life force. It refers to
matter, which is continuous, energetic, and dynamic. It is sometimes translated as “material force” or
“vital force.” It is considered as the foundation of body and life. Daoists believe that everything is made
up of qi and will eventually return to qi. Because of this, people should not be afraid of death, for life
and death are but phases of the circulation of qi (Sharma 1993). Zhuangzi articulated the concept of qi
with the story of his wife’s death, which narrates that when Huizi went to Zhuangzi to console him for
the death of his wife, he found Zhuangzi drumming upon an inverted bowl on his knees and singing a
song. Zhuangzi explained that while it is true that he was saddened by his wife’s death, he was also
aware that the qi is still there, it just evolved into another form, which is death (Zhuangzi Chaptr 18).

While some believe that qi is a separate force from the physical world, some think that it comes from
physical matter, while others believe that matter arises from qi. Daoists believe that the balance of qi is
the key to a healthy life and longevity. Qi is considered as the basic component of everything that exists,
which gives form to life and makes things happen. It is considered as the root of the human body, the
basis of human health. Every person has a normal or healthy amount of qi, and health is achieved when
there is balance and harmony in its flow (Kohn 2003).