Portal:Taoism
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Taoism (sometimes written as Daoism) is the English name for:
- (a) a philosophical school based on the texts the Dao De Jing (ascribed to Laozi) and the Zhuangzi.
- (b) a family of organised Chinese religious movements such as the Zhengyi ("Orthodoxy") or Quanzhen ("complete reality") sects, which collectively trace back to Zhang Daoling in the late Han dynasty;
- (c) a Chinese folk religion.
The English word "Taoism" is used to translate the Chinese terms Daojiao (道教) and Daojia (道家). The character Tao 道 (or Dao, depending on the transliteration scheme one prefers) literally means "path" or "way", but in Chinese religion and philosophy has taken on more abstract meanings. The compound Daojiao refers to Daoism as a religion (i.e., people worshipping at altars); Daojia refers to the activity of scholars in their studies. (It must be noted that this distinction is itself controversial and fraught with hermeneutic difficulty.)
Much uncertainty exists over the meaning of "Taoism". In some countries and contexts (for example, the national "Taoism" organisations of China and Taiwan), the label has come to be applied to the Chinese folk religion, which would otherwise not have a readily recognizable English name. However many, if not most, of its practitioners would not recognize "Taoism" (in any language) as the name of their religion. Moreover, the several forms of what we might call "elite" or "organized" Taoism often distinguish their ritual activities from those of the folk religion, which some professional "Taoists" (Daoshi) tend to view as debased.
The concept of yin and yang (Traditional Chinese: 陰陽; Simplified Chinese: 阴阳; pinyin: yīnyáng; hangul: 음양; hanja: 陰陽; revised: eumyang; McCune-Reischauer: ŭmyang; Vietnamese: Âm-Dương) originates in ancient Chinese philosophy and metaphysics, which describes two primal opposing but complementary forces found in all things in the universe. Yin, the darker element, is passive, dark, feminine, downward-seeking, and corresponds to the night; yang, the brighter element, is active, light, masculine, upward-seeking and corresponds to the day.
![The Chinese character Tao ["Way"].](../../../upload/shared/thumb/b/b2/DaoTao.png/250px-DaoTao.png)
The Daozang (道藏) (Treasury of Tao) is sometimes referred to as the "Taoist canon."
The origins of Taoism and Confucianism are intimately related.
Laozi (Chinese 老子, also spelled Lao Tzu, Lao-t'zu, Lao-tse, and other similar variations) is a major figure in Chinese philosophy whose historical existence is debated. Chinese tradition states that he lived in the 6th century BCE. Many modern scholars state that he may have lived in approximately the 4th century BCE, during the Hundred Schools of Thought and Warring States Periods. Laozi is credited with writing the seminal Taoist work, the Tao Te Ching (道德經), and became a popular deity in the Taoist religion's pantheon.
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Main Category:
Detailed information about the Taoism can be found under these sub-categories:
- Taoist texts
- I Ching
- T'ai Chi Ch'uan
- Taoist temples in Hong Kong
- Taoist temples world wide
