TAOISM

Taoism: Let’s Recap What is the “Tao”? Taoism originated in which country? Who is Lao Tzu? Who is Huang Di? Who is Chuang Tzu? What does “wu wei” mean and how is it applied in Taoism?

Brought Taoism to the People Huang Di The Yellow Emperor Chuang Tzu Brought Taoism to the People Lao Tzu Founder of Taoism

Taoism Taoism is a philosophical and religious tradition that emphasizes living in harmoney with the Tao. The Tao is the both the source and the driving force behind everything that exists.

Religious Taoism By the second century BCE, the Huang Lao School was doing great and Taoism had become the dominant philosophy of the Han dynasty. In the time of the Yellow Emperor, China had mostly been polytheistic. Taoism challenged the mythology of the ancients. However, polytheism and folk religion never did die out completely and so took a new form of religious Taoism due to The Way of the Celestial Masters and The Yellow Turban Rebellion.

The Way of the Celestial Masters Chang Tao-ling grew up in Southwest China, and began to notice the appeal of Buddhism to the local people. They were attracted to this new faith with many parallels to Taoism and Confucianism. However, Chang Tao-ling wanted to ensure the survival of a strong Chinese religious tradition.

The Way of the Celestial Masters After Chang Tao-ling immersed himself in Taoist books and teachings, he received a revelation from Lord Lao the Most High – the deified spirit of Lao Tzu. This vision revealed to Chang Tao-ling that he must organize Taoism into a formal faith in order to tackle the rise of Buddhism in China. So, he travelled to the countryside, teaching, healing and establishing places of worship.

The Way of the Celestial Masters Eventually, Chang and his followers came to be known as the Way of the Celestial Masters. The Celestial Masters still survive, and the 65th Celestial Master lives today in Taiwan.

The “Yellow Turban” Rebellion

The “Yellow Turban” Rebellion One group took it further Rebelled against authorities of the Han Dynasty, insisting on a stronger “spiritual domain” for the people Wanted people to believe in “the yellow heaven of Lao Tzu and the Yellow Emperor” Wore yellow turbans and scarves as a mark of loyalty to the tao The military surpressed their efforts It didn’t matter – roots of religious Taoism had been further spread

The “Yellow Turban” Rebellion Over the centuries, Taoism has prospered and declined, but continues to hold a key role in Chinese culture, sharing prominence with Confucianism and Buddhism. It is important to note that Taoists, Buddhists and Confucians all recognize the strengths of each others’ religion and that they rarely act in a way that compromises the others.

The Takeaway Philosophical Taoism = way of life, practice wu wei Religious Taoism = worship Lao Tzu as a god as well as follow the Tao Chang Tao-ling responsible for spreading religious Taoism His followers are called the Way of the Celestial Masters