A brief introduction to Daoism

Author: * NanChan Qin - 3 Posts on this thread out of 38 Posts sitewide.
Date: Jan 21, 2005 - 00:20

INTRODUCTION

The traditional religions or, if you wish, philosophies of ancient China has always been Confucianism and Daoism (or Taoism). Buddhism was introduced into China from India only around the 1st AD. The Chinese have a traditional saying that they are Confucianists in public and Daoist in private.

Legend has it that Lao Tzu, meaning “Old Master”, who lived in the sixth century BCE, was the founder of Daoism. It would seem however that some of the more philosophical principles of Daoism were known long before Lao Tzu appeared on the scene. Hwang Ti, the so-called Yellow Emperor who ruled China six centuries (around 2600 BCE) ago was concerned on how to have a long life. During discourses with his medical officer Chi Po, which was recorded in the oldest Chinese medical book, the Nei Ching, it became apparent from their discussions that certain techniques were followed and fundamental principles of ancient Chinese philosophical wisdom applied. It must have worked, because Hwang Ti, according to tradition, ruled China for a century.

Anyway Lao Tzu is credited with writing the most important Daoist text, the Daodejing or Tao te Ching. As with Buddhism Daoism also received an important imperial support in the form of the Tang Emperor Gaozu, who claimed to be a descendent from Lao Tzu and build an ancestral temple on the place Lao Tzu was supposedly born.

WHAT IS DAOISM

It is said that it is two radical different Chinese movements – on the one hand, a philosophy, on the other a positive religion. Philosophic Daoism, the more ancient form of the two it would appear, has exalted mysticism, naturalness, and simplicity, the securing of solace in misfortune by the cultivation of inward calm, laissez faire, optimism and scepticism of doctrinaire programs. The religious Daoism developed much later (during the fifth and later centuries) and encouraged to compete with Buddhism (Colliers Encyclopaedia).

But this still does not explain what Daoism is. Dao means “way”, “path” or “road” and de means “vast virtue”. The book Daodejing (jing or ching means “book”) has been translated into English as The Book of the way of Virtue or The Way and Its Power.

The Daois said to be eternal, infinite, unchanging, self-sufficient, empty and silent. Lao Tzu compares the Dao to a block of wood that has not yet been carved into a form. The Dao is formless and cannot be grasped as an object. It is the fundamental, undivided unity in which is resolved all the conditions and differentiations that beset everything that exists. One is able to know the Dao through silence and “returning to the root”. Lao Tzu advocates that the sage become gentle, like a newborn baby. (Encyclopaedia of China; 116 -117)

WHAT DOES THE DAODEJING TEACH

Unlike Confucian canon, which are concerned with regulating behaviour of rulers and subjects, the Daodejing argues that the best kind of government is that which governs less. The people of an ideal ruler, who as a wise man and in harmony with the Dao, should not even be aware of being governed. Such a ruler governs effortlessly. According to Lao Tzu wisdom entails studying oneself and the wise man “takes no action”, which would result in interference with anything, but leave things alone. This concept of “actionless acting” or “acting without acting” is known as wu wei. A person with this ability acts in a yielding manner compared to water, which flows everywhere and seems to be weak yet is actually stronger than anything else. Such a person is in harmony with the Dao, the source or “Mother” of all things that exist, which does nothing (wu wei) and yet leaves nothing undone. (Encyclopaedia of China; 117)

CONCLUSION

This brief introduction merely touches upon the concept of Dao. As a very ancient philosophy Daoism entails much more than is set out in this note. Daoism eventually permeated most things in Chinese society and life. This includes religion, alchemistry, feng shui, medicine and much more. Chinese Daoist alchemists developed scientific methods and such important inventions like gunpowder, respiratory techniques, physical exercise with the aim to preserve the body’s qi (vital force or energy). The later techniques were incorporated into Chinese martial arts like kung fu and t’ai-chi (Encyclopaedia of China; 118).