DAOISM/TAOISM

SACRED WORSHIP ANDBELIEFS AND

SCRIPTURES OBSERVANCESDOCTRINES

SUBDIVISIONS

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

LAOZI
- Laozi (Lao- Tzu), meaning “OLD MASTER”
- According to myth, Laozi was conceived by a shooting star and was born of a virgin mother - Laozi
was said to be born with flowing hair, signified that he would become a wise man.
- He is considered as the first important Daoist who is believed to be a senior contemporary.
- The chines Historian, Sima Qian wrote biography of Laozi in the Historical Records (shih Chi) in the late 2 nd
Century B. C. E
- According to Sima Qian, Laozi’s family name was Li, his given name was Erh, andhe was also known as
Tan.
- He worked as a government archivist but become frustrated with government corruption
- He was detained at Han-ku pass by a gatekeeper named Yin His who requested him to write a book for him
before leaving.
- Laozi agreeably wrote two chapters about the Dao (way) and De (individual power), which came to be
named Dao De Jing or Laozi.

ZHUANGZI
- Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu), believed to have lived from 369 to ground 286 BCE
- Sima Qian also wrote a biography of Zhuangzi in the Historical Records
- According to Sima Qian, his last name was Chuang Tzu (Zhuangzi) means “MASTER CHUANG”.
- He was in the town of Meng in a small state of sung, hear the border between present day Hunan and
Shandong Province.

DAOISM SYMBOLS

- The Yin- Yang is the most well known Daoist religious symbol. It is an image composed of a circle divided
into two swirling parts: one black and the other white.
 - Yin-Yang symbol signifies the perfect harmonic balance in the universe

- The black & white teardrop- shaped halves signify the Yin-qi and Yang-qi, known as the primordial feminine
and masculine energies, respectively.
- Daoist believe that the interplay of the Yinqi- Yangqi created the manifest world.

- According to Daoist cosmology, the big circle signifies the Tao (Dao) , the source of existence. Meanwhile,
“the black and white teardrop halves signify the Yin-qi and Yang-yi.

SACRED SCRIPTURES

• DAO DE JING
- Daoism’s Foundational text is the Tao te Ching or Dao De Jing meaning, The book of the way and
its power”. It is a mysterious collection of enigmatic remarks which many find hard to understand.

• BOOK OF CHUANG TZU/ZUANGZI

- Another important scripture is the Zhuangzi, dating to the third century BCE, and attributed to a man name
Zhuangzi, the second founder of Daoism.
- It consist of delightful parables , metaphors, and poetic passages and is praised for its high literary value
which represents the most significant formulation of early Daoist thought.
- Zhuang is divided into three sections: the inner chapter, outer chapter, and Miscellaneous Chapter

CONCEPT/BELIEFS
Daoism can be best understood by discussing it’s concept and beliefs.
➢ Do or the “way of nature”
➢ De or “virtue/proper”
➢ Dao; Wu Wei or “Action through Action”
➢ Yin Yang or the balance of nature or universe
➢ The Chi/qi or the natural energy or life force that sustain living beings

• THE DAO
- According to Laozi, the Dao, which is the essential concept and creative in the 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.
- Dao is distinct from God.

• DEILY/GOD (DAO AS THE ORIGIN OF ALL BEING).

- Unlike the Abrahamic religious, 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.
- The Dao itself is not God and is not worshipped by the Daoists.
- The Daoist pantheon has often been described as a divine administration which reflects the secular
governments of Imperial China.

• THE DE
- The De, which means virtue or the proper adherence to Dao, is another basic concept in Daoism.
- “ Non- Competition in Emptiness” is said to be other side of the principle of “inaction in nature”

• WU WEI
- Wu-Wei means “no behavior” or “doing nothing”. It also means “to do without doing” ( Wei- Wu Wei) or
“action less activity”.
- It is a concept used to negate of limit human action.
- Wu-Wei may refer to certain stages such as behavior or doing nothing; taking as little action as possible;
taking spontaneously; taking a massive 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.
- Wu-Wei considered by Daoism as the highest form of virtue.

• YIN-YANG
- 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 of boiling”.
- The chilliness comes from heaven while the warmness comes from the earth.
- " (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.
- 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.

• 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 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).
- Daoists believe that the balance of qi is the key to a healthy life and longevity. Qi is considered as the basic
component of every- thing that exists, which gives form to life and makes things happen.

WORSHIP AND OBSERVANCE

- Ritual or liturgical expressions are important to the Daoist religion.
- Daoist priests are licensed to perform rituals of specific traditions.
- One form of ritual is exorcism, performed in cases of sickness with the goal of gaining victory over the evil
spirits. Other rituals are performed in the form of festivals, especially New Year.
- Those who will perform such rituals are encouraged to prepare for them by fasting and by having a spirit of
forgiveness and reconciliation.

MEDITATIVE PRACTICES
- Humility and non-competition are among the most important virtues in Daoism.
- These virtues, together with naturalness and naturalism, as well non-aggression and passive rule, manifest
the fundamental virtue of wu humility
- These virtues, together with naturalness and naturalism, as well non-aggression and passive rule, manifest
the fundamental virtue of wu humility.
- The sage also manifests the virtue The sage has achieved oneness with the Dao by understanding its
simplicity; of non-competition by not competing but emerging victorious nonetheless.

MORAL PRACTICES
- Physical and spiritual techniques are just as important as ethical or moral techniques or practices.
- Daoism values the virtues of naturalness, behaving as nature dictates, not as caused by social pressure or
personal pride; and naturalism, which entails resisting temptation to meddle with nature.
- Daoism, just like other religions, disapprove of killing, stealing, lying, and promiscuity. It promotes
philanthropic, selfless, and humane behavior. Good behavior is seen as an essential part not only of self-
improvement but the world as a whole.
 GOALS AND PRACTICES
GOALS PRACTICES
TO OBTAIN LONGEVITY use of potions (led to the practice of alchemical
AND IMMORTALITY experiments which made lasting

contributions in various fields such as chemistry medicine, and pharmacology)

practice meditation (includes experiments with one's self especially the body through the
use of methods of inner alchemy associated with yoga
and other forms of meditation)

breathing technique (to be in contact with q for longevity and to counter aging)

TO DISPEL ILLNESS OR Jiao Festival (or the rite of cosmic renewal celebrated to rededicate the local temple and
SUFFERING to renew the whole community by cleansing it from suffering and hardships
Refrain from eating grain (based on the Daoist belief that illness is caused by three
corpse worms which reside in the body, and eating grain will
encourage these worms to stay

Confession and purging of one's sins (based on the belief

that illness may be caused by wrongdoings) .

SELECTED ISSUES

• FATALISM
- Like any other religion, Daoism has its share of issues.
- One of them is that Daoism has often been criticized for propagating laziness or espousing fatalistic attitude
in life by letting nature take its course and reminding Daoists to just go with the flow.

• SUPERSTITION
- Another issue encountered by Daoism is the belief in superstitious practices.
- For instance, there is a misconception that Daoism involves sorcery, which includes the drawing of signs,
chants, and other practices which led to the notion that Daoism promotes superstitious practices.
- Daoists often find themselves in temples, praying to their ancestors for guidance in their everyday lives.
- Daoists believe that the left hand must be used to offer the incense, because the left hand represents the
yang, which symbolizes respect.
 - They have to make sure that the distance between the three incense sticks are not more than one inch, and
must be placed straight upright. They believe that by doing so, they are showing sincerity to the deities, and
they believe that a sincere heart can reach the heavens.

• URBAN DEVELOPMENT
- Urban Development Another issue in Daoism is environmentalism.
- Daoists believe in the dictum leave nature alone and nature will thrive.
- Daoism has advocated a utopian vision of society characterized by order and harmony, and an emphasis on
self-cultivation as a means of achieving social harmony.
- Daoism advocates the idea that we should follow the lead of nature instead of controlling it, for humans are
natural creatures who should live in harmony with nature, Daoism emphasized the balance of opposites and
the interdependence of all things, which can be interpreted as an ancient equivalent of today's notion of the
ecosystem.
- Daoists believe that social harmony will be achieved through a return to nature.

SUMMARY
Daoists believe that everything comes from the Dao. Human nature should be aligned with the rest of nature to
achieve harmony and balance. Self-cultivation should be encouraged for people to return to the natural mode of
existence.
For some Daoists spontaneity is the mode of being experienced fully only by immortals; for most
Daoists, living a long and healthy life is their goal. They can achieve this through practicing methods of nourishing life
by way of physical exercises designed to improve orie's health and lengthen life, breathing exercises, drinking
potions believed to lengthen life, etc.
. Living in harmony with nature is the way of living with the Dao, which will lead to good health and long life (even
immortality for some) because there is a balance of yin and yang therefore the qi flows freely.
• Life and death are mere phases of the qi according to Daoists. They are advised not to be afraid of death
since life and death are but phases of the circulation of the qi. Thus, Daoist concept of salvation focuses on this life
than in the afterlife.

• Daoists have no concept of heaven and hell as compared to other religions In their scrip- tures there were
mentions of heaven as the abode of their deities and life on earth should be in harmony with the will of heaven.
However, based on their concept of qi, heaven is achieved when one achieves immortality and, if this is not possible,
then long life is enough. They have this concept that those who achieve immortality reside in utopian places on earth,
such as forests and mountains.