

 GOOD AFTERNOON
EVERYONE !
 What is taoism?

  Taoism

Is, a Chinese philosophy based on the
writings of Lao-tzu
( fl. 6th century BC), advocating
humility and religious piety.
 Lao tzu, a chinese philosopher and writer
who is credited with writing the Tao Te
Ching, and founding Taoism.

  Taoism

 Taoism (also known as Daoism) is a Chinese
philosophy attributed to Lao Tzu (c. 500 BCE)
which contributed to the folk religion of the people
primarily in the rural areas of China and became
the official religion of the country under the Tang
Dynasty. Taoism is therefore both
a philosophy and a religion. It emphasizes doing
what is natural and "going with the flow" in
accordance with the Tao (or Dao), a cosmic force
which flows through all things and binds and
releases them.
  Taoism

The philosophy grew from an observance of
the natural world, and the religion
developed out of a belief in cosmic balance
maintained and regulated by the Tao. The
original belief may or may not have
included practices such as ancestor and
spirit worship but both of these principles
are observed by many Taoists today and
have been for centuries.
  Taoism

 Taoism exerted a great influence during
the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE) and the emperor
Xuanzong (reigned 712-756 CE) decreed it a state
religion, mandating that people keep Taoist
writings in their home. It fell out of favor as the
Tang Dynasty declined and was replaced
by Confucianism and Buddhism but the religion is
still practiced throughout China and other
countries today.
  TAOISM GOD
Zhenwu GOD in taoism

Emperor
Xuanzong
Emperor Xuanzong of
Tang, also commonly
known as Emperor Ming of
Tang or Illustrious August,
personal name Li Longji,
also known as Wu Longji
from 690 to 705, was the
seventh emperor of the
Tang dynasty in China,
reigning from 713 to 756
CE. His reign of 43 years
was the longest during the
Tang dynasty.
  ORIGINS OF
TAOISM

 The historian Sima Qian (145-86 BCE) tells the story of Lao-
Tzu, a curator at the Royal Library in the state of Chu, who
was a natural philosopher. Lao-Tzu believed in the harmony
of all things and that people could live easily together if they
only considered each other's feelings once in a while and
recognized that their self-interest was not always in the
interest of others. Lao-Tzu grew impatient with people and
with the corruption he saw in government, which caused the
people so much pain and misery. He was so frustrated by his
inability to change people's behavior that he decided to go
into exile.
 As he was leaving China through the western pass,
the gatekeeper Yin Hsi stopped him because he
recognized him as a philosopher. Yin Hsi asked Lao-
Tzu to write a book for him before he
left civilization forever and Lao-Tzu agreed. He sat
down on a rock beside the gatekeeper and wrote
the Tao-Te-Ching (The Book of the Way). He
stopped writing when he felt he was finished,
handed the book to Yin Hsi, and walked through the
western pass to vanish into the mist beyond. Sima
Qian does not continue the story after this but,
presumably (if the story is true) Yin Hsi would have
then had the Tao-Te-Ching copied and distributed.
 

 The first 3 books of taoism

 1.Tao te ching

 The Tao Te Ching can be considered as the core book
to Taoism. It’s the most translated book in human
history. You can find hundreds of variations of the
Tao Te Ching. No one translation is truly better than
another. Each one will teach a different angle to
Taoism.
 It is spiritual poetry. Westerners get confused by the
Tao Te Ching since they try to force a meaning to
each chapter. Rather relax, and let each section
inspire you.

 2. Chuang Tzu

The Chuang Tzu is considered one of the
older books of Taoism. The book was written
before 300 BC by Zhuang Zhou. The first
seven chapters or the “inner chapters” are
consider to be part of the original work. The
remaining 26 chapters or “outer chapters” are
probably written by other authors. All the
chapters are dated to be written before 200
BC.

 3. A Personal Tao Book

 A Personal Tao is a Taoist book exploring midlife
and living in the modern world. It’s about how to
apply Taoist ideals simply and modestly one day at a
time. Living as a Taoist in western society isn’t easy.
Modern society is almost the opposite of Taoism. The
American dream is about consumerism. The modern
consumer culture is unkind, judgmental, and all
about living in excess. This book is also my story of
finding a balance between my Taoist lifestyle and
Western Society.

  Beliefs

 Other Chinese texts relating to Taoism are the Chaung-
Tzu (also known as the Zhuangzi, written by
Zhuang Zhou, c. 369-286 BCE) and the Daozang from the
Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE) and Sung Dynasty (960-1234
CE) which was compiled in the later Ming Dynasty(1368-
1644 CE). All of these texts are based on the same kinds of
observation of the natural world and the belief that
human beings are innately good and only needed a
reminder of their inner nature to pursue virtue over vice.
There are no "bad people" according to Taoist principles,
only people who behave badly. Given the proper
education and guidance toward understanding how the
universe works, anyone could be a "good person" living
in harmony with the earth and with others.
 
 According to this belief, the way of the Tao is in
accordance with nature while resistance to the Tao is
unnatural and causes friction. The best way for a person
to live, according to Taoism, is to submit to whatever life
brings and be flexible. If a person adapts to the changes in
life easily, that person will be happy; if a person resists
the changes in life, that person will be unhappy. One's
ultimate goal is to live at peace with the way of the Tao
and recognize that everything that happens in life should
be accepted as part of the eternal force which binds and
moves through all things.
 
 This philosophy corresponds closely with the Logos of
the Roman stoics like Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius.
They claimed the Logos was a force of reason and that
nothing which happened according to the Logos could
be bad; only people's interpretations of what happened
made those circumstances seem bad. Taoism claims the
same thing: nothing is bad in itself, only our self-
interest makes us think that some events in life are bad
and others good. Actually, all things happen in
accordance with the flow of the Tao and, since the Tao
is natural, all things are natural.
 
 Unlike Buddhism (which came from India but became
very popular in China), Taoism arose from the
observations and beliefs of the Chinese people. The
principles of Taoism impacted Chinese culture greatly
because it came from the people themselves and was a
natural expression of the way the Chinese understood the
universe. The concept of the importance of a harmonious
existence of balance fit well with the equally popular
philosophy of Confucianism (also native to China).
Taoism and Confucianism were aligned in their view of
the innate goodness of human beings but differed in how
to bring that goodness to the surface and lead people to
act in better, unselfish, ways.
  Doctrines

 Lao Zi was the creator of this religion. According to
the Shi Ji, or Records of the Historian, by Sima Qian ,
Lao Zi was named Li Er, with Dan as his alias. He
was a reputed thinker around 6th century B.C. There
are many legends about Lao Zi but few historical
records. He left a 5, 000-word book and went on his
ox from Hangu Pass and to where nobody knows!
Lao Zi's 5,000 words are rather concise compared to
his profound ideological system but there were
numerous books interpreting the true meaning of his
book.
 
 Tao, originally, meant 'road' and then implied 'to
rule' and 'principle'. Lao Zi used Tao to propound
his ideological system; therefore his school of
thinking is called Taoism. At the time Lao Zi
created this religion, it was simply a school of
philosophy. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, it
became a religion.
 
 Tao is the origin of the eternal world. It is boundless
in time and space. Ordinary people can become gods
when they have Tao. This religion pursues
immortality and preservation of health; its uttermost
goal is to become an immortal being. This can be
obtained through cultivating one's moral character
and perfecting one's moral integrity.

 
 A Taoist phrase is to say an ordinary man can
become immortal if he does good 3,000 times and
accomplishes 800 exploits. Of course the number is
symbolic. It requires people to do good without
making it known to others as the gods will know it
naturally, much like the Christian principle
expressed in Matthew 6:3-4, "But when you give
alms, do not let your left hand know what your right
hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in
secret; and your Father who sees in secret will
reward you."

 
 Tao is wu wei, namely Non-action. Non-action is to
follow the rule of nature instead of overriding it. By
conforming to the natural rules, Tao does nothing
but it can do everything. Tao makes everything run
smoothly but it does not boast about its own
achievement. Those learning this religion should be
pure and take non-action.
 
 Dialectic thinking is abundant in Lao Zi's system. He
contended that Tao turned to the opposite during the
circulation, like existing and non-existing, up and down,
long and short, front and back, fortune and misfortune,
strong and weak. Based on his thinking, a proverb was
later devised, "Things will develop in the opposite
direction when they become extreme." For example, this
religion holds that flexibility can defeat strength. Water
was used as a metaphor in Lao Zi to explain the prowess
of flexibility. Nothing can be more flexible and soft than
water but it can defeat all tough things. Similarly, it
emphasizes humbleness and tenderness.

  Development

 Taoism became a religion during the Eastern Han
Dynasty and Lao Zi was respected as the creator.
The core of the
basic belief and doctrin
e of Taoism is that
"Tao" is the origin and
law of all things in the
universe. Taoists believ
es that people can
become deities or live
forever through
practicing certain
rituals and austerities.

END OF TOPIC
“THANK YOU
EVERYONE”

 Prepared by:

 Grendier M .Ucab
 Lois Norman Mercado
 Jerick Oracion
 Junjun Ali
 Nickolson Sacay
 Christopher John Degamo
 Clint Lloyd Redondo Belono