Taoism

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Living in Harmony All aspects of the

universe are in harmony, each part nurturing and balancing the whole

Human beings are considered part of this grand harmony

Taoism – Teaches living in harmony

with the Tao (dow), the Way of nature

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Taoism

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” Tao is the ultimate source and the

principle of order in the universe Is the undefined something from

which all things arise It is not a personal creator god but an

unseen force that is the origin and the order of the universe

Tao is thought to exist both before and beyond all else 3

Universe in balance Tao can be compared to magnetism Magnetic force is invisible

– Is accompanied by two polar opposites negative and positive 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

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Human beings All people are made up of both

components- yin and yang Many manage to work themselves

into a state of imbalance,

– Usually tending toward too much yang

Taoism counters this problem by advocating virtues oriented toward yin, such as humility, noncompetition and pacifism.

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 Origins

– Origins of Taoism are ancient, dating back to about the time of Confucius (551-479 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 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

Chung Tzu 6