Taoism 1

Living in Harmony n All aspects of the universe are in harmony, each part nurturing and balancing the whole n Human beings are considered part of this grand harmony n Taoism –Teaches living in harmony with the Tao (dow), the Way of nature 2

Taoism n From Chinese word Tao (Dow) –meaning “path” or “way” –Translated as Way in the sense of a path in which one travels the path or way that nature follows The Way of nature “The Way Life Is” n Tao is the ultimate source and the principle of order in the universe n Is the undefined something from which all things arise n It is not a personal creator god but an unseen force that is the origin and the order of the universe n Tao is thought to exist both before and beyond all else 3

Universe in balance n Tao can be compared to magnetism n Magnetic force is invisible –Is accompanied by two polar opposites negative and positive n Tao’s polar opposites are Yin and Yang –Yin= negative, passive, feminine, earthly component characterized by darkness and weakness –Yang= positive, active, masculine, heavenly component, characterized by light and strength –Yin and yang are not really opponents, they complete each other, without one, the other would make no sense- just as without west, east would be indescribable –nothing in life can exist without its corresponding opposite –Neither yin nor yang is superior to the other –It is depicted as a circle, which the dark yin and the light yang curve into each other in perfect symmetry, and each contains an element of the other 4

Human beings n All people are made up of both components- yin and yang n Many manage to work themselves into a state of imbalance, –Usually tending toward too much yang n Taoism counters this problem by advocating virtues oriented toward yin, such as humility, noncompetition and pacifism. n Yin/Yang –symbolize the way life should be lived No one can hope for all pleasure and no pain, or all agreement and no disagreement 5

Origins and founder of Taoism n Origins –Origins of Taoism are ancient, dating back to about the time of Confucius ( B.C.) –They are shrouded in mystery: we cannot even be certain whether the traditional founder ever existed. –We do have the texts attributed to each of them n Lao Tzu –His name means old master –Was conceived by a shooting star –He was 82 when he was born Old age represents wisdom in the Chinese culture –Wrote the Tao The Ching Means the way and its power Taoism’s sacred scripture n Chung Tzu 6