Taoism 道家

Philosophical Taoism or Daoism (transcribed according to the rules of the Chinese phonetic transcription system of pinyin) was a school of thought contemporary to Confucianism. This school of thought was represented by three men whose works have become the trilogy of Taoism.  The first one was Lao Zi 老子, a semi legendary character who was supposed to write down the book of Tao or Dao de jing 道德经. The second one was Zhuang Zi 庄子 who wrote a book which bears his name, and Lie Zi  列子, author of the Classic of the Perfect Emptiness.

Lao Zi 老子

The most important concept in philosophical Taoism is the concept of Tao or Dao 道 which literally means “way” or “path”. This term is also used in Confucianism, Buddhism and other Chinese schools of thought though it has different meanings in each one of these schools of thought. According to Taoism, Dao is an entity that was not created because it already existed before there was time and space. Therefore, Dao is infinite and no one can define it nor describe it because it has no physical features. According to Taoists everything in life is constantly flowing and changing except the Dao, hence everything in the Universe stems from the Dao and will ultimately return to it in an eternal flow.

Vacuity is a very important concept for Taoists who associate it with Dao. Vacuity is something which few people pay attention to, yet it is really important because it gives sense to life, not-being gives sense to being.

11.  The Utility of Not-Being 

Thirty spokes unite around the nave;  
   From their not-being (loss of their individuality)  
      Arises the utility of the wheel.  
Mold clay into a vessel;  
   From its not-being (in the vessel's hollow)  
      Arises the utility of the vessel.  
Cut out doors and windows in the house (-wall),  
   From their not-being (empty space) arises the utility of the house.  
Therefore by the existence of things we profit.  
And by the non-existence of things we are served.  
 

(Book of Tao)

However, according to Taoism, the Dao cannot be named, cannot be delimited because the Dao we are talking about is not the real Dao, the real Dao is something infinite and unattainable to human rational knowledge.

1. On the Absolute Tao  

The Tao the can be told of  
Is not the Absolute Tao;  
The Names that can be given  
Are not Absolute Names. 

The Nameless is the origin of Heaven and Earth;  
The Named is the Mother of All Things. 

Therefore:  
Oftentimes, one strips oneself of passion  
In order to see the Secret of Life;  
Oftentimes, one regards life with passion,  
In order to see its manifest forms. 

These two (the Secret and its manifestations)  
Are (in their nature) the same;  
They are given different names  
When they become manifest. 

They may both be called the Cosmic Mystery:  
Reaching from the Mystery into the Deeper Mystery  
Is the Gate to the Secret of All Life.  

(Book of Tao)

Taoism versus Confucianism

Firstly, the concept of Dao in both Taoism and Confucianism is completely different. According to Confucians, the Dao is the way that followed the ancient sage kings. It is their moral and ethics, the perfection they reach in government. Therefore, the Confucian Dao is something created by men, mankind is the centre of all things. According to Taoists, however, Dao already existed before the earth and heaven were created. It is timeless because it has always existed. It is indefinable, limitless, immutable and empty. Everything in heaven and earth has stemmed from the Dao and will return to it time and again.

Confucians valued educations above all, without a proper education (study of Chinese Classics) men couldn’t perfect themselves. However, Taoists rejected conventional education and all rational knowledge because they believed that rational knowledge moved men away from the real knowledge of nature (the Dao). People who have education want to define and enclose the world, they want to possess it, but the only thing they get is the external appearance of things and not the real nature of things. They only noticed the external features but they are unable to notice and understand the “whole”. For instance, Confucians believed that in order to run government and society properly was necessary a rectification of names, that is, things should be named properly, using names that really described the real nature of things, and therefore misunderstandings would be avoided. Taoists, on the other hand, preferred a knowledge that derived from experience. Knowledge should be free from prejudices. Taoist sages like observing things as they are, they don’t have any desire to define them nor possess them because they don’t want to change the natural course of things. 

Confucians stressed the importance of rites li 礼. These rites did not only refer to religious ceremonies and offerings to ancestors, they also referred to human relationships such as protocol, etiquette and suited behaviour within society. Nevertheless, Taoists believed that rites are only a convention agreed by men and therefore they have no value. In fact, they thought that rites corrupt society and move men away from the real nature of the Dao.

Confucians believe that family and life within society was the most important. A  Confucian gentleman or junzi was a person who professed benevolence ren 仁.  His moral and his acts suited what it was prescribed in the Chinese Canons, that is, his acts were exemplary like the Chinese ancient sage kings. Taoist sage, on the other hand, preferred to live in a modest and austere way, he wanted to move away from society in order to be in perfect harmony with nature and thus to be closer to the Dao. Taoist sage maxim is wuwei 无为 which means “non-doing” or “non-action”. However, wuwei should not be understood as “not working” or “not doing anything at all”, wuwei simply means “not interfering” in the natural becoming of the Universe. 

Documentary about Taoism

 

Dao De Jing 道德经

 

Excellent Lecture about Taoism

 

Other videos about Taoism