Today, Taoism is one of five religious doctrines officially recognized by the Chinese government, also having official status in Hong Kong and Macau. Taoist thought has been deeply rooted in Sinosphere society for millennia, and a given individual's apparent adherence may or may not correspond to their self-identification as an adherent per se. The highly syncretic nature of Taoist tradition presents particular difficulties when attempting to characterize its practice and identify adherents: debatably moreso than with other traditions, attempting to define what makes one a ‘Taoist' is a problematic exercise. Many denominations of Taoism recognize various deities, often ones shared with other Chinese religions, with adherents worshiping them as powerful, superhuman figures exemplifying Taoist virtues. Daoshi often take care to note distinctions between their traditions and others throughout Chinese folk religion, as well as those between their organizations and other vernacular ritual orders often associated with Taoism by the public. The status of daoshi, or 'Taoist master', is traditionally only attributed to clergy in Taoist organizations. In one famous example, Taoist secret societies precipitated the Yellow Turban Rebellion during the late Han dynasty, with the intent of replacing the Han with what has been characterized as a Taoist theocracy. Though Taoism often lacks the motivation for strong ecclesiastical hierarchies, Taoist organizations with diverse agendas and levels of organization have existed throughout Chinese history-indeed, Taoist philosophy has often served as a foundation for theories of politics and warfare. Later, when Buddhism was introduced to China, the two systems began deeply influencing one another, with long-running discourses shared between Taoists and Buddhists the distinct Zen tradition within Mahayana Buddhism that emerged during the Tang dynasty keenly incorporates many ideas from Taoism. Early Taoism drew upon a diverse set of influences, including the Shang and Zhou state religions, Naturalism, Mohism, Confucianism, the Legalist theories of figures like Shen Buhai and Han Fei, as well as the Book of Changes and Spring and Autumn Annals. They form the foundation of a large corpus of Taoist writings accrued over the following centuries in the 5th century CE much of it began to be assembled by Taoist monks into the Daozang canon. The two works widely regarded as the principal expressions of Taoist philosophy, the epigrammatic Tao Te Ching and the anecdotal Zhuangzi, were both partly composed during this time. The core of Taoist thought crystallized during the early Warring States period circa the 4th and 5th centuries. Due to the terse quality of Classical Chinese as well as the abstract nature of the ideas themselves, many of these concepts defy simple definitions: Taoist terms have been translated into English in numerous different ways, occasionally resulting in divergent interpretations of Taoist ideas. A common goal of Taoist practice is self-cultivation resulting in a deeper appreciation of the Tao, and thus a more harmonious existence.ĭifferent schools present different formulations of Taoist ethics, but there is generally an emphasis on virtues such as effortless action, naturalness or spontaneity, simplicity, and the three treasures of compassion, frugality, and humility. Taoist thought has informed the development of various practices and rituals within the Taoist tradition and beyond, including forms of meditation, astrology, qigong, feng shui, and internal alchemy. Symbols such as the bagua and taijitu are often employed to illustrate various aspects of the Tao, which can never be sufficiently described with words and metaphors alone. The Tao is represented in Chinese by the character 道 ( pinyin: dào Wade–Giles: tao 4), which has several related meanings possible English translations for it include 'way', 'road', and 'technique'. Taoism emphasizes living in harmony with what is known as the Tao-generally understood as being the impersonal, enigmatic process of transformation ultimately underlying reality. Taoism or Daoism ( / ˈ t aʊ ɪ z əm/ ⓘ or / ˈ d aʊ ɪ z əm/ ⓘ) is a diverse tradition indigenous to China, variously characterized as both a philosophy and a religion.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |