Welcome to the Tuesday edition of the Coffee Hour at Street Prophets. This is an open thread where we can discuss what’s happening in our lives, what we’ve been working on, and our opinions on current events. To start the conversation, I thought we might talk about Taoism (Daoism).
Taoism has its origins in the teachings of Lao Tzu, the Chinese teacher and philosopher who was a contemporary of Confucius. Lao Tzu sought to find a way to end the constant feudal warfare that disrupted Chinese society during the fourth century BCE. In should be noted, however, that some historians doubt the existence of Lao Tzu and feel that he is actually a synthesis of a number of different historical figures.
Taoism has an emphasis on harmony with nature. The basic tenets of the Taoist life: To know nature; To be natural (to live a natural life); and To avoid interfering with nature.
The qualities of a practicing Taoist: Care of the body (physical culture); Social service; and A cheerful outlook on life. Tai Chi and Qi-gong are activities which keep the life-force of the body (chi) flowing and thus cares for the body.
Taoists are to cultivate: Compassion (which leads to courage); Moderation (which leads to generosity); and Humility (which leads to leadership).
Robert Bellah, in his 2011 book Religion in Human Evolution: From the Paleolithic to the Axial Age, writes:
“The most famous of all ‘Daoist’ texts is surely the Daodejing, purportedly written by Laozi, for whom the text is often named. It is the most often translated of Chinese texts and one of the most often translated texts in the world.”
The Tao, which can be roughly translated as “the path,” is focused on the art of wu wei (無爲) in which humans let nature take its course. The Taoist should observe nature and then act spontaneously with nature. Nature acts without struggle and always returns to equilibrium. John Renard, in
The Handy Religion Answer Book, writes:
“All things behave according to their inherent makeup. Human beings alone have a tendency to get it wrong by trying to take control where we have no business doing so—and where there ultimately no good reason for doing so. Only by observing the Way of nature can people hope to grasp this elusive principle of uncontrived accomplishment.”
Laozi once wrote:
“The ways of men are conditioned by those of Heaven, the ways of Heaven by those of the Dao, and the Dao came into being by itself.”
The opening lines of the
Tao Te Ching:
"The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao"
"The name that can be named is not the eternal name."
道可道非常道
名可名非常名
Welcome to the Street Prophets Coffee Hour, an open thread in which all topics are welcome. Have you had any experience with Taoism?
As usual feel free to talk about religion, politics, dinner, cats, and any other topic that is on your mind.