How Taoism appeared and to what extent it is similar to Confucianism? Musabayeva Dina 8D

Investigation Taoism spread around the Ancient China and have influenced to it a lot. On other hand, Confucianism is very important religion too and it based on the wisdom of philosophers’ teachings. They both are very meaningful and interesting religions with rich history, so that is why i want to know about origin of Taoism and identify differences and similarities between two great religions. http://beliefsystemproject.weebly.com/interactions-of-ancestor-worship-confucianism-and-toaism.html

What is Taoism? Taoism- is an ancient Chinese religion, way of living, philosophy. Tao means “the way” or “the path”. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taoism

http://visualmeditation.co/tao-te-ching-lao-tzu/ How did Taoism appear? The first taoist philosopher was Lao- Tzu. His name means “the old teacher”. Lao-Tzu supposedly worked in the court of the Chou dynasty, but then he tired of people who failed to pay attention to his ideas. He decided he would leave human society. The gatekeeper, however, had always been deeply impressed with Lao-Tzu's teaching. He let Lao-Tzu exit the court until he had written down his teachings.[1] The legend has it that Lao-Tzu sat down and wrote the Tao-te Ching at one sitting, entrusted it to the gatekeeper, and then left the state of Ch'u, never to appear again in human society. About the year 150 CE, a Taoist named Chang Tao-Ling founded Taoism as a religion. [1]

To what extent Taoism s similar to Confucianism? Kong Qiu (Confucius) Original languages: Mandarin or Cantonese Goal of philosophy: Social Harmony Followers: Confucianists Practises: Visit to temples to pay homage to Ti'en(God or Heaven), Confucius, and ancestors; To practice ('Jing zuo, ') or 'Quiet Sitting Human nature: Humans should respect those who are superior to them. Life after death:To be worshipped as ancestors. [3] Similarities Lao Tzu (Chang Tao-Ling founded Taoism as a religion) Original language: ancient Chinese Goal of philosophy: To gain balance in life. Followers: Taoists (can be also Daoists) Practises: Visit to shrines, to pay homage to Taoist deities; Human nature: Humans should just follow the Tao(or 'the Way'). Life after death: believed that the soul survives after death and has the ability to travel through space. [3] China Place of worship: Temple and shrines Books: Analects- a book of collection of Confucius’s teachings. Dao De Jing- book about beliefs of Lao Tzu.[2]

Confucianism Taoism Similarities Concept of God:One God. Status of women: Socially lower than men. Holy days/Official Holidays:Teacher Day [3] Confucianism believes in setting good examples for others to follow, primarily in 5 key relationships: ruler and subject, wife and husband, older and younger sibling, friend and friend, and father and son. Concept of God:Numerous deities. Status of women:generally equal, spoken of highly in the tao te ching (oldest taoist text) but varies among schools. Holy days/Official Holidays: 3 Day Festival of the Dead Taoism focuses on living harmoniously; this is where the concept of yin and yang originates.[3] Appeared:Approx. 550 B.C.E.(Before Common Era) Holydays/Official Holidays: Chinese New Year, Ancestor Day. Both came from teachings and philosophy [3] http://wallpapercave.com/taoism-wallpaper Picture: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucianism

So… We can see that two Chinese ancient religions: Confucianism and Taoism have a lot of differences… and similarities too. They both appeared in approximately in the same period of time, so they have a lot of similar things. On the other hand, their philosophy and goals is not similar. http://itsmykowai.deviantart.com/art/Taoism-and-Confucianism-491694690

Thank you for your attention https://www.pinterest.com/hingevarv/yin-yang/

References: [1] https://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/chinese_taoism.html [2] Pearson. My World History. Karpiel Krull Wiggins. Page 265-266 [3]http://www.diffen.com/difference/Confucianism_vs_Taoism