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c. 550 B.C.E. China 20,000,000 Pantheistic Zhuangzi, Daode Jing, Yi Jing White Cloud Temple, Beijing, China
Taoism, also known as Daoism, is an indigenous Chinese religion often associated with the Daode jing (Tao Te Ching), a philosophical and political text purportedly written by Laozi (Lao Tzu) sometime in the 3rd or 4th centuries B.C.E. The Daode jing focuses on dao as a "way" or "path" that is, the appropriate way to behave and to lead others but the Daode jing also refers to Tao as something that existed "before Heaven and Earth," a primal and chaotic matrix from which all forms emerged. Taoism did not exist as an organized religion until the Way of the Celestial Masters sect was founded in 142 C.E. by Zhang Daoling, who based the sect on spiritual communications from the deified Laozi. The Way of the Celestial Masters and other later sects of Taoism engaged in complex ritual practices, including devotion to a wide range of celestial divinities and immortals, and thousands of Taoist religious texts were produced over the centuries. Taoists also engaged with Chinese politics in a variety of ways throughout Chinese history. At one time, scholars in both China and the West distinguished philosophical from religious Taoism, but more recently a continuity of belief and practice between these has been recognized. In both, a harmonious relationship between nature, humanity, and the divine is emphasized, and both are concerned with appropriate behavior and ways of leading and governing others. The term "Tao" has a number of meanings. Taoist religious sects were persecuted in China during the 19th and 20th centuries, but are currently undergoing a revival. Western interest in Taoism has, for the most part, been confined to the Daode jing, but in both the West and in the East, there is considerable interest in practices which, while not "Taoist" per se, are often associated with Taoism, ranging from fengshui to taiji quan to acupuncture and herbal medicine.
Quick Fact Details: Formed: As with many ancient religious traditions, an exact date is impossible to determine. Taoist ideas and early writings long precede any organizational structure. The date given here (c. 550 B.C.E.) is generally the time period when a variety of spiritual thinkers were putting their ideas into writing. These writings were not collected as a composite teaching of the "Tao" until the 4th or 3rd century B.C.E. Deity: While Taoists recognize a vast pantheon of gods and goddesses, they do not acknowledge any that are omnipotent or eternal. All the gods, including Laozi, are divine emanations of celestial energy.
Headquarters: Taoism has no centralized authority and different sects have different headquarters. However, the White Cloud Temple in Beijing is a key center for training for priests and for administration http://www.patheos.com/Library/Taoism.html
The history of Taoism stretches throughout Chinese history. Originating in prehistoric China, it has exerted a powerful influence over Chinese culture throughout the ages. Taoism evolved in response to changing times, with its doctrine and associated practices being revised and refined. The acceptance of Taoism by the ruling class has waxed and waned, alternately enjoying periods of favor and rejection. Most recently, Taoism has emerged from a period of suppression and is undergoing a revival in China. Laozi is traditionally regarded as the founder of Taoism and is closely associated in this context with [1] [2] "original", or "primordial", Taoism. Whether he actually existed is disputed, however, the work [3] attributed to him - the Daodejing - is dated to the 4th or 3rd century BC. Sinologist Isabelle Robinet identifies four components in the emergence of Taoism: 1. Philosophical Taoism, i.e. the Daodejing and Zhuangzi 2. Techniques for achieving ecstasy 3. Practices for achieving longevity or immortality 4. Exorcism
[2]
Some elements of Taoism may be traced to prehistoric folk religions in China that later coalesced into a [4][5] Taoist tradition. In particular, many Taoist practices drew from the Warring-States-era phenomena of the wu (connected to the "shamanism" of Southern China) and the fangshi (which probably derived from the "archivist-soothsayers of antiquity, one of whom supposedly was Laozi himself"), even though later [6] Taoists insisted that this was not the case. Both terms were used to designate individuals dedicated to "... magic, medicine, divination,... methods of longevity and to ecstatic wanderings" as well as exorcism; in [6] the case of the wu, "shamans" or "sorcerers" is often used as a translation. The fangshi were philosophically close to the School of Yin-Yang, and relied much on astrological and calendrical [7] speculations in their divinatory activities.
142. The Tianshi school was officially recognized by ruler Cao Caoin 215, legitimizing Cao Cao's rise to [10] [11] power in return. Laozi received imperial recognition as a divinity in the mid-2nd century. The Celestial Masters' activities did hasten the downfall of the Han Dynasty, largely because Zhang's grandson set up a theocratic state into what is now Sichuan province. The same could be said of their [12] contemporaries, the Taoist-leaning Yellow Turban sect.
[9]
Taoism gained official status in China during the Tang Dynasty, whose emperors claimed Laozi as their [21] relative. However, it was forced to compete with Confucianism andBuddhism, its major rivals, for patronage and rank. Emperor Xuanzong (685762), who ruled at the height of the Tang, wrote commentaries on texts from all three of these traditions, which exemplifies the fact that in many people's lives they were not mutually exclusive. This marks the beginning of a long-lived tendency within imperial China, in which the government supported (and simultaneously regulated) all three [22] movements. The Gaozong Emperor added the Tao Te Ching to the list of classics (jing, ) to be studied for the imperial examinations.
[23]
Taoism suffered a significant setback in 1281 when many copies of the Daozang were ordered burned. [29] This destruction gave Taoism a chance to renew itself. Neidan, a form of internal alchemy, became a major emphasis of the Quanzhen sect, whose practitioners followed a monastic model inspired by Buddhism. One of its leaders, Qiu Chuji became a teacher of Genghis Khan before the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty. (and used his influence to save millions of lives). Originally from Shanxi and Shandong, the sect established its main center in Beijing'sBaiyunguan ("White Cloud
Monastery"). Before the end of the dynasty, the Celestial Masters sect (and Buddhism) again gained [31] preeminence.
[30]
Western Daoism" with varying degrees of indifferences, amusement, and derision." Louis Komjathy described this "emergent religion" as "'American' or 'Western' Daoism"; "New Age discourse communities and advocates of Perennial Philosophy identify and interpret Daoist texts as part of a 'universal wisdom [42] tradition'." Komjathy later elaborated on these spiritual hybrids, "They domesticate, sterilize and misrepresent Daoism. In their most developed expressions, they may best be understood as part of a new religious movement (NRM) called 'Popular Western Taoism' (PWT), with Taoism pronounced with a [43] hard 't' sound." This refers to the common /ta.zm/ mispronunciation of English Taoism /da.zm/ (see DaoismTaoism romanization issue).
[41]