In every culture, in every science, in thought, philosophy and religion play an important role. They are the ones that set specific principles, focus on specific visions, convey valuable thoughts, and allow you to direct your life based on a designated worldview. TAO is a fundamental philosophical concept in Chinese culture. TAO means the way…
The origins of Taoism
Lao – Tse, in Europe referred to as Laozi, is considered the founder of Daoism. It was he who created Taoism, China’s traditional philosophical and religious system. Its origins date back to the 6th century BC for philosophical TAO and the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD for religious TAO. The main books of Daoism are the Daodejing and Zhuangzi. Undoubtedly, TAO was, along with Confucianism, one of the most important philosophical and religious systems in China.
There are no specific elements of worship in TAO, no priests to be found here. Taoism is created primarily by the people, and many of them were considered the progenitors, the ideals pursued by the next and succeeding generations. Much of the information conveyed is in the form of fairy tales, because these help to instill in children from almost an early age already the most important principles that we should follow in life. This, therefore, is a priority, and this is what one should focus on first. In our culture, too, there are fairy tales that, in addition to stories about animals, carried a relevant message. We know that , “The Ugly Duckling” is a fairy tale about a bird that turned into a swan, but at the same time and thanks to it we realize that the external appearance is not really the most important thing, because spiritual and emotional values are much more important. This is also the case in TAO. Fairy tales and legends show us what the world looks like and how to be a wise, peaceful and, most importantly, happy person in this world.
What is the philosophical TAO based on?
It is one of the directions of classical Chinese philosophy. It focuses on everything related to Dao, which is the essence of the universe. It is in this philosophy that the universe is believed to be the basis of all ongoing change, and it is on it that one should fully focus. Spiritual development is important here, and it is through this that full harmony with Dao can be achieved. What else? Undoubtedly, in TAO, a very important role is also played by wu wei, based on effortless actions with the harmony of one’s own body. It is believed that a person should accept everything related to the action of the current of the universe. If he lives in full harmony with it, he will be a happy man. But is this all? Of course not! the quintessence of TAO is also the PU – one’s own natural power, which should be found in oneself to be able to accept everything that the world gives us and derive maximum joy and happiness from it.
It is certainly worth getting to know TAO a little more closely to understand its meaning, because many of the thoughts carried by this philosophy and this religion could be the values that each of us should follow in the modern world, a world where there is a lot of evil, hatred, violence and lack of faith in any ideals.
What is the religious TAO based on?
Religious Taoism is based on a combination of TAO philosophy and folk and magical beliefs. Among other things, it focuses on the unity of the principles of yin and yang, which together form the basis of the harmony of the world we live in. Very much importance in this religion is placed on, among other things, the five elements, that is, water, tree, fire, earth, as well as metal. Significantly, there are also many other elements associated with religious Taoism, including Chinese medicine, internal fighting styles, alchemy or the principles of feng shui, among others.
Modern Daoism – what does it strive for?
As you know, religion and philosophy are constantly changing and evolving. Each is based on certain principles, but, as it were, and adapts to the times in which each of us lives. So what exactly is modern TAO based on? What does it strive to achieve? What does it delineate? Certainly in the totality of Taoism, the main issue is the pursuit of an ideal. In fact, each of us has an ideal, somewhere deep in our minds, that we value, that is important and relevant to us, that we would like to get closer to. What is certainly difficult about this whole philosophy is one thing in particular – the ideal hasn’t changed for decades, but the times we live in have changed. All this makes it difficult to practice certain principles if everything around us is significantly different from what was known decades earlier.
In the past, people lived in the forests. They enjoyed nature, peace and quiet, and did not have so many stresses, nerves and worries. So how can one be a Taoist in all this, if the world is governed by completely different laws and focuses on completely different principles? It’s difficult to practice things that were important in the years before our era, relating them to the modern world. So all this makes TAO largely disappear, although there will be those who continue to try to live by the principles of this philosophy and religion.
