TAOISM

TaoismTaoism is both a philosophy and a religion. Beginnings of Taoism are generally accredited to Lao-tzu, a sixth century philosopher, believed to be from the Henan Province.

• Lao-Tsu published Tao-te-Ching, or the “Book of the Way”

• @225 million adherents• The best government governs least• Focus on nature• Feng Shui

Wu-wei = primary virtue and means “non-action.” To practice wu-wei is to be so perfectly in harmony with nature that its energy infuses and

empowers the individual. Humility and noncompetition Naturalness and naturalism

Nonaggression and passive rule

Taoists advocate a simple honest life and noninterference with the course of natural events Taoists don’t like politics, administration, or elaborate rituals. Taoists believe that the purpose of life is to live according to the Tao. That requires calmness, passiveness, and humility.

Taoists believe

CREATIONTaoists believe that there is no one creator, that at the beginning, there

was only chaos, or a void, called Wuji.

Then from the void (Wuji) the cosmos came into being.

With the cosmos came the energies of yin and yang which combined to create what

is called the Taiji Du

Qi emerged from the blending of yin and yang

The concept of the joining of yin and yang is often compared to the big

bang theory.

Diagram

HENGSHAN MONASTERYHengshan Monastery is located on the cliffs of Mt. Hengshan, which

is one of the five sacred mountains of Taoism. In the Shanxi province of China, near the city of Datong.

Bridges and corridors connect those pavilions and caves in which dozens of bronze, iron,

stone and clay statues are enshrined.

In the Three Religions Hall, Buddha, Confucius and Lao-tzu are all enshrined together. This is because in

present day the three faiths co-exist in the temple.