Taoism Religion - Essay Example

? Taoism Many religions have been existing around the world throughout history. They have different origins, but basically they all teach morals through stories. Wars also existed as people battle for the true religion, a situation that still observable until today. It does not matter whatever religion exists as long as the person becomes a good being to himself and to others. Basically, religions do not only teach morals but also focus on way of life. Rituals are being conducted to help the faithful improve themselves fully as a religious leader assists the religious members in their struggle to be good. The main focus of the paper is the religion Taoism. Taoism came from China as the country had a long history of formation. Taoism became an important part of the history of China though the origin of Taoism is hard to distinguish as it came from complicated roots and Chinese religions mixed as interactions happened. Other religions in China are Confucianism, Buddhism and popular religion. These religions flourished and interact with one another and cultural and traditional mixtures occur resulting to the Chinese religion. Taoism in particular cannot be distinguished easily as it encompasses almost everything about life. Its existence can be compared to water that composes all bodies of water and even clouds and rain. The discovery of the ultimate purpose is not the same for everybody as pathways are different in that religion as the prominent quality is compared to water that never flows in the same way again. For Western religions, it would be hard to catch up with the Chinese religions as the blending of Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and popular religion exist. Western religions are monotheistic which means one purpose for everybody. Exclusivity exists in Christians, Muslims and Jews. The varying life purpose happens in China as Confucianism affected Taoism and Buddhism and the popular religion both contributed some beliefs and practices to Taoism (Fowler and Ewers 1-2). Based on the basic background of Taoism, the practitioners of the religion seem to adapt themselves to flexibility as they can have varying reality especially in their life purpose. On the other hand, the Western religions are commonly characterized as one-size-fits-all religions as they focus on one purpose in life. Taoism can also be analyzed based on its etymology. The religion comes from the word tao which means road or path as the same term was also used by non-Taoist people. Tao became prominent in Chinese philosophy as their beliefs tend to shape a method or technique and norms of conduct. The term tao first appeared as a philosophical word in the book Analects of the Confucians. They consider tao as the method of behavior for both individual and nation as they pertain to the term as a principle. For the Taoists, the term is not just a principle, it is substance in actuality. Chuang Tzu gave an explanation on the tao and belief of Taoists. According to him, tao is not a substance or a thing only but tao is the sum total of all existence including wastes as a questioner clarified his claim. The main concern of Taoism is the balance of forces which is constant and inseparable that the human mind cannot comprehend its existence. The belief states that humans are indivisible and parts of the oneness as the age of humanity is the same as the age of the sky and earth. As tao is considered as both method and entity, the question arose regarding the purpose of the method. The positive action has no basis in tao. In terms of morals, tao advocates relativity as right and wrong can pertain to the same object depending on the point-of-view. The advice for Taoist practitioners tends to be selfless and let the natural course maneuver the lives of the faithful. They follow the rhythms of nature and environment. Such characteristic of Taoism is called contemplative Taoism which is complemented by the so-called purposive Taoism. As the contemplative Taoism allows calmness for the practitioner, the purposive Taoism takes the calmness value into power. The absence of desire can be used to get the desired things. Also for those who want to be on top must act and talk like people below them (Creel 1-5). Tao was explained to be the state of mind as a person takes the nature as inspiration for his life purpose. The calmness and values through contemplation contribute to the leadership needed by serving other people. The practice comprised the philosophy of Taoism, but the practices were later mixed with religious traditions that turned it into a religion. Religious Taoism is also called Neo-Taoism as mystical traditions were used to blend with the philosophy of Lao Tzu. As the preceding paragraph stated, Buddhism affected Taoism greatly. The mystical tradition and blending can be traced in the collection of writings known as Tao Tsang or Taoist Canon patterned after the San Tsang or the Buddhist Tripitaka with 1,464 titles. Despite of the harsh history accompanying the Tao Tsang, it proved itself to be well-organized. The whole canon is divided into three sections with four appendices. The sections were called tung which means cave and may also mean to communicate and understand the mysteries. The revelation allows the people to communicate with the gods. The sections had been called tungs as the scripture was divided and hidden in caves. Each of the section was revealed by divinities like Yuan Shih t’ien Tsun who is the Heaven Elder for the first section called tung chen. On the other hand, T; ai Shang Tao Chun for the second section who os the Very Noble Lord of the Tao and the third is T’ai Shang Lao Chun who was Lao Tzu (Kaltenmark 107-108). As the religious Taoism became influenced by Buddhism, the doctrine dealt with the salvation for humanity. For some people the ultimate goal is immortality but for the Taoists, the after death depends upon the way of life on earth. As patterned after the earthly life, the belief prevailing belief points out that many places in hierarchies are to be filled before reincarnation. In line with that, people had some hard time to distinguish themselves whether they are Taoists or Buddhists. What happened to them is to approach any of the two depending upon the situation (Fowler 227-228). The practice of Taoism concerns change much like the Alchemists who transform metals into gold. Taoism also transforms but not the metals as they focus on the body and mind of the practitioner. They believe in yin and yang as renewed by fire and water. The physiological alchemy practiced by Taoists is divided into two: internal alchemy and external alchemy. Internal alchemy is concerned with immortality ingredients inside the body. It deals with the usage of life energy inside without the help of external substances. On the other hand, external alchemy is concerned with the body through the use of herbs and minerals. The practice of Taoists do not come into conflict with Alchemists as the latter also engage in exercises and meditations during the formulation of the elixers (Wong 66-67). The goal in the practices is immortality or long life as they engage themselves in pursuit of good health inside and out. Taoism is truly a historical religion that the Chinese are proud of as that religion reflects their heritage, culture and traditions that helped them gain values and good life. Buddhism greatly affected it, but the blending of beliefs produced good assistance in the way people live everyday. Works Cited Creel, Herrlee. What is Taoism? and Other Studies in Chinese Cultural History. USA: University of Chicago Press, 1970. Fowler, Jeaneane. An Introduction to the Philosophy and Religion of Taoism: Pathways to Immortality. Great Britain: Sussex Academic Press, 2005. Fowler, Jeaneane and Keith Ewers. T'ai Chi Ch'uan: Harmonizing Taoist Belief and Practice. Great Britain: Sussex Academic Press, 2005. Kaltenmark, Max. Lao Tzu and Taoism. USA: Stanford University Press, 1969. Wong, Eva. Taoism: An Essential Guide. USA: Shambhala Publications Inc., 1997. Read More