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Tao and Taoism Concept

What Is Taoism?

Tao is a metaphysical concept originating in Taoism that has been adopted in

Confucianism,Chan and Zen Buddhism and more broadly in East Asian religions and

ancientChinese philosophy. While the word itself literally translates as 'way', 'path', or

'route', or sometimes more loosely as 'doctrine' or 'principle', it is generally used to signify

the primordial essence or fundamental aspect of the universe. In Taoist philosophy the

word Tao is not generally considered to be a 'name' for a 'thing': it is a reference to thenatural order of existence, often referred to as the "eternally nameless (Tao Te Ching-.

Lao-Tzu) to distinguish it from the countless 'named' things which are considered to be its

manifestations. In Buddhism and Confucianism, by contrast, Tao has come to refer to the

outcome of meditative or moral practices (respectively), which is closer in meaning to the

Taoist concept ofTe (virtue).

In all its uses, Tao is considered to have ineffable qualities that prevent it from being

defined or expressed in words. It can, however, be known or experienced, and its principles

can be followed or practiced. Much of East Asian philosophical writing focuses on the value

of adhering to the principles of Tao and the various consequences of failing to do so. In

Confucianism and religious forms of Taoism these are often explicitly moral/ethical

arguments about proper behavior, while Buddhism and more philosophical forms ofTaoism usually refer to the natural and mercurial outcomes of action (comparable to

karma). Tao is intrinsically related to the concepts yin and yang, where every action creates

counter-actions as unavoidable movements within manifestations of the Tao, and proper

practice variously involves accepting, conforming to, or working with these natural

developments

The word "tao" () has a variety of meanings in both ancient and modern Chinese

language. Aside from its purely prosaic use to mean road, channel, path, doctrine, orsimilar, the word has acquired a variety of differing and often confusing metaphorical,

philosophical and religious uses. In most belief systems, Tao is used symbolically in its

sense of 'way' as the 'right' or 'proper' way of existence, or in the context of ongoing

practices of attainment or of the full coming into being, or the state ofenlightenment or

spiritual perfection that is the outcome of such practices. Some scholars make sharp

distinctions between moral or ethical usage of the word Tao that is prominent in

Confucianism and religious Taoism and the more metaphysical usage of the term used in

http://wiki/Metaphysicalhttp://wiki/Taoismhttp://wiki/Confucianismhttp://wiki/Mahayanahttp://wiki/Mahayanahttp://wiki/Zenhttp://wiki/East_Asian_religionshttp://wiki/Chinese_philosophyhttp://wiki/Chinese_philosophyhttp://wiki/Lao-Tzuhttp://wiki/De_(Chinese)http://wiki/De_(Chinese)http://wiki/Karmahttp://wiki/Yin_and_yanghttp://wiki/Hypostasis_(philosophy)http://wiki/Enlightenment_(spiritual)http://wiki/Confucianismhttp://wiki/Taoismhttp://wiki/Confucianismhttp://wiki/Mahayanahttp://wiki/Zenhttp://wiki/East_Asian_religionshttp://wiki/Chinese_philosophyhttp://wiki/Lao-Tzuhttp://wiki/De_(Chinese)http://wiki/Karmahttp://wiki/Yin_and_yanghttp://wiki/Hypostasis_(philosophy)http://wiki/Enlightenment_(spiritual)http://wiki/Confucianismhttp://wiki/Metaphysical

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philosophical Taoism and most forms ofMahayana Buddhism; others maintain that these

are not separate usages or meanings, seeing them as mutually inclusive and compatible

approaches to defining the concept. The original use of the term was as a form ofPraxis

rather than theory - a term used as a convention to refer to something that otherwise

cannot be discussed in words - and early writings such as the Tao Te Ching and the I Ching

make pains to distinguish between conceptions ofTao (sometimes referred to as "namedTao") and the Tao itself (the "unnamed Tao"), which cannot be expressed or understood in

language .Liu Da asserts that Tao is properly understood as an experiential and evolving

concept, and that there are not only cultural and religious differences in the interpretation

of Tao, but personal differences that reflect the character of individual practitioners.

Tao can be roughly thought of theflow of the universe, or as some essence or pattern

behind the natural world that keeps the universe balanced and ordered.It is related to the

idea ofqi, the essential energy of action and existence. Tao is a non-dual concept - it is the

greater whole from which all the individual elements of the universe derive. Keller

considers it similar to the negative theologyof Western scholars, but Tao is rarely an object

of direct worship, being treated more like the Indian concepts ofkarma or dharma than as

a divine object.Tao is more commonly expressed in the relationship between wu (void or

emptiness, in the sense ofwuji) and yinyang (the natural dynamic balance between

opposites), leading to its central principle ofwu wei(non-action, or action without force).

Tao is usually described in terms of elements of nature, and in particular as similar to

water. Like water it is undifferentiated, endlessly self-replenishing, soft and quiet but

immensely powerful, and impassively generous. Much of Taoist philosophy centers on the

cyclical continuity of the natural world, and its contrast to the linear, goal-oriented actions

of human beings

"In a nutshell, Taoism is the consolidation of a number of concepts and practices that makeup the "Path", or "Way", of living. The consolidation of ideas and concepts include basic

principles or "theories" regarding the body, diet, breathing and physical exercises, uses of

herbs, philosophical inquiry and, of course, meditation. All of which the Taoist feels brings

a human being into closer alignment with the "natural order" of life and living - a pathway

that humankind appears to have gotten derailed from."

That's a pretty complete definition. But it lacks the poetry inherent in Taoism. Let's quote

straight from the source, Lao-Tze's the Tao Te Ching.

"The Tao that can be named is not the eternal Tao.

The Name that can be named is not the eternal name.The nameless is the beginning of Heaven and Earth.

the named is the mother of all things."

Tao is a force. It's not a God, it's not some sentient being controlling the universe. It just

IS. It's everywhere, all at once. It flows through the entire world, and we're all affected by

it, even if we don't realize it. Here's an example of someone experiencing Tao.

http://wiki/Taoismhttp://wiki/Mahayana_Buddhismhttp://wiki/Praxis_(process)http://wiki/Tao_Te_Chinghttp://wiki/I_Chinghttp://wiki/Qihttp://wiki/Non-dualhttp://wiki/Negative_theologyhttp://wiki/Negative_theologyhttp://wiki/Indian_religionhttp://wiki/Karmahttp://wiki/Dharmahttp://wiki/Mu_(negative)http://wiki/Wujihttp://wiki/Wujihttp://wiki/Yinyanghttp://wiki/Wu_weihttp://wiki/Wu_weihttp://wiki/Taoismhttp://wiki/Mahayana_Buddhismhttp://wiki/Praxis_(process)http://wiki/Tao_Te_Chinghttp://wiki/I_Chinghttp://wiki/Qihttp://wiki/Non-dualhttp://wiki/Negative_theologyhttp://wiki/Indian_religionhttp://wiki/Karmahttp://wiki/Dharmahttp://wiki/Mu_(negative)http://wiki/Wujihttp://wiki/Yinyanghttp://wiki/Wu_wei

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That's Tao right there. Tao is everything that's natural, all the laws of physics, the laws of

science, the nature of the world. It affects every squirrel, every raccoon, every person. In

other words, Tao is the world and the way it works.

A Brief History Of Taoism

Taoism is a Chinese philosophy that first began, scholars believe, sometime around the

time of Confucius, perhaps the most infamous Chinese philosopher, who lived around the

years 500 to 600 B.C.E.

Around this time, many schools of thought were beginning to permeate China; so many, in

fact,that they later became known as the "Hundred Schools" of Chinese thought. However,

the two major contenders of this time were Confucianism and Taoism.

While the Confucians strictly adhered to certain rituals and social laws of etiquette, the

Taoists were much more icnonclastic. They were different from everyone else. They holed

up in mountain retreats, roamed the countryside, were said to be able to perform magic

and unbelievable feats of martial arts. Some, it was rumoured, had even mastered the

secret of life, and were immortal. (Chichiri, from the anime Fushigi Yuugi, was one of these

wandering Taoists. See picture ot the right).

The Taoists were also scholars. They archived tome after tome of priceless information,

which came to be treasured by modern scholars. Books of medicine, painting, sculpture,

martial arts, literature, and countless other subjects have been attributed to Taoist authors.

Taoism slowly faded however, partially due to it's monastic nature and political strife in

the country. As China experienced revolution after bloody revolution, Taoists found it

harder and harder to practce their arts. The sage-like, mysterious Taoist of old has now all

but disappeared from the world, but Taoism, and it's practices, are still being taught today,

both in China and in other countries around the world.

Taoism in unlimited; there's so much to learn and explore that I haven't even started to

scratch the very surface of the surface of the subject here. I highly reccomend that people

read as much as they can, and apply what they read ot their daily lives.

Zen is Zen, Tao is Tao

I understand that the title of this thread That was Zen, This is Tao is a play on words.For our foreign members who may not understand the pun, the original phrase inEnglish is That was then, this is now.

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Nevertheless, I think this play on words may give a false impression of what Zen was,and what it is now. Although both Zen and Taoism obviously lead to a similar goal, theirmethods for getting there are quite different. They may be two roads leading to the samedestination, but they are most definitely two different roads.

The idea that Taoism and Chan (Zen) were cross-fertilized is a typical modernmisunderstanding, and one that is usually perpetuated by scholars (and usually Westernones) not Chan masters. Taoism and Chan have separate histories. In thedevelopment of Chan in China, none of the six patriarchs had any influence fromTaoism. Bodhidharma (Da Mo), Hui Ke, and Seng Can all taught at Shaolin. Dao Xing,Hong Ren, and Hui Neng taught at Baolin and Dongshan (both Buddhist temples).

One need only to look at the priests of Taoism and Zen to see some of the differences:Zen monks shave their head, are vegetarian, avoid wine and intoxication, value theHeart Sutra, and practice celibacy; Taoist priests generally have a full head of hair, drinkwine, value the Dao De Jing, and are permitted to have wives (and sex!).

Or we might look at their meditation techniques. In Zen, practitioners keep their mindon the void. In Taoism, visualization is used extensively in meditation. From a Zenperspective, these visualizations are considered a deviation because they causethoughts to arise, which conflict sharply with Zen teachings (but not with Taoistteachings).

Chan talks about no mind (wu xin), and Taoism talks about the extreme void (wu ji). Toa Western ear, these terms may sound similar, but upon closer examination, they areobviously quite different. Of course, both terms refer to cosmic reality and are thussimilar. But this does not point to a link between Taoism and Chan; it points to a linkbetween all of the world's religions, all of which point to the concept of this cosmicreality.

Bodhidharma's teaching can be summarized as follows:

o Not recorded in language and words.

o Transmission beyond the tradition.

o Directly pointing at the mind.

o Entering Buddhahood in an instant.

These concepts (which I have no time to explain at the moment) are vastly differentfrom Sarvastivada (which is essentially a Hinayana school) teachings. Actually,Bodhidharma's teachings were a reaction AGAINST Sarvastivada teachings, not acontinuation of them.

As for Zen Buddhism being different today than it was in the past this depends onwhere we look, just as it does with Kungfu. If we look at modern Shaolin Wushu, wemight say that Kungfu is different today than it was practiced in the past. But if we lookat genuine Kungfu schools, we might say that it is very much the same.

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The knowledge in Zen is also extensive, but of a different nature than the knowledgefound in Taoism. Zen has different goals. A simple comparison of the two traditions is asfollows:

Taoist medicine is based on Yin-Yang and the Five Elemental Processes (Wu Xing). Zenmedicine (which is insignificant compared to Taoist medicine) is based on the FourGreats of Metal, Water, Air, and Fire. These two medical systems are characteristicallydifferent.

The signature Taoist martial art is Taijiquan. The signature Zen martial art isShaolinquan. While there are many similarities between them, Taijiquan is Taijiquanand Shaolinquan is Shaolinquan. If they were the same, Sifu Wong would not teachthem as separate arts.

Taoist qigong and Zen qigong are also characteristically different, though they have hadmany mutual influences. In my opinion, Taoist qigong is richer than Zen qigong. Anexample of Taoist qigong in our school is Dantian Breathing. An example of Zen qigong

is Sinew Metamorphosis.

Grandmaster Wong demonstrating a Taijiquan pattern known as Green DragonPlays with Pearl

The category of Divination, which is very important in Taoism, is completely absent inZen. This is mainly because the Buddha advised Buddhist monks not to use their psychic

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powers for divination.

In both Taoism and Zen, meditation is the main method towards the highest spiritualattainment. But the approaches, as I have explained in an earlier post, arecharacteristically different. Taoist meditation is rich in visualization, whereasvisualization is discouraged in Zen meditation.

I'm quite satisfied with what I've learned in this long thread. The lack of evidence tosubstantiate the claim that Zen is an offshoot of Taoism not only in this thread but inmy own research is surprising. When I compare this lack of evidence with themountain of evidence offered against the claim, then it is even clearer to me now thanwhen we started this discussion that Zen is Zen, and Tao is Tao.