The initiated Daoist priest saw the many gods as manifestations of the one Dao. He had been ritually trained to know the names, ranks, and powers of important spirits, and to ritually direct them through meditation and visualization. In his meditations, he harmonized and reunited them into their unity with the one Dao. However, only the educated believers knew anything of the complex theological system of the priest. Thus communal rituals had two levels: a a priestly level, which was guided by the priest's meditation and observed by major patrons, who were educated laymen; and b a public and dramatic ritual, usually performed by lower ranked Daoist assistants, which was theatrical in form.
It conveyed the meaning through visible actions such as climbing sword ladders, or lighting and floating lanterns. The same ritual had a subtle metaphysical-mystical structure for the theologians, and a visible dramatic structure for the lay audience.
Daoism was also an important motif in fiction, theater, and folk tales. Local eccentrics who did not care for wealth and position were often seen as "Daoist" because they spurned Confucian values and rewards.
In fiction Daoists were often eccentrics; they also had magical or prophetic powers, which symbolized their spiritual attainment. They healed, restored youth and vitality, predicted the future, or read men's souls. They were also depicted as the stewards of a system of moral retribution; the Daoist gods in heaven and hell exacted strict punishments for wrongdoing, and would let no sinner off the hook.
On the one hand, then, they were non-conformists who embodied different values and life styles; on the other, their strict moral retribution reinforced the values of the society.
Daoism was "the other way," but it did not threaten the moral consensus. It was, perhaps, a kind of safety valve to escape the pressures of society, or at least a complementary channel for alternative views and values.
Chinese communists see Daoism as fatalistic and passive, a detriment to socialist reconstruction. The People's Republic has kept alive some practical arts, such as the use of traditional herbal medicines, which have longstanding links with Daoism.
In a larger sense, since Daoism functioned in imperial China as a retreat and withdrawal from the struggles of the political arena, one might say that in a very general way the current relaxation of political pressure in reaction against the excesses of the Gang of Four represents a Daoistic phase of Chinese Maoism.
Excerpted and adapted from Wm. DeBary, ed. Arthur P. Wolf, "Gods, Ghosts, and Ancestors," in his ed. This anthology contains excellent and readable translations of poems, biographies, essays, and stories that are very successful in conveying religious attitudes.
A useful resource for classroom selections. The drafts were critiqued by the social studies teachers who attended with an eye to supplementing and correcting the information in textbooks and other materials used by teachers. The two articles should read as a pair;they complement each other in much the same way these two religions complemented each other throughout Chinese history. Since Taoism is an coined, anglicized word, our choice is not to put it in the pinyin, in spite of the fact that we have changed "the Tao," the way, to "the Dao.
It remains for the future to determine which will predominate. As Confucianism gained popularity Taoism gradually fell from favour, and changed from an official religion to a popular religious tradition.
In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions. After the end of the Cultural Revolution the Chinese government began to allow a small measure of religious freedom. Taoism began to revive in China, and Taoist temples and practitioners can now be found throughout the country. Search term:. Read more. This book was given an origin with the philosopher Lao Tzu for cultural and political reasons.
Lao Tzu is sometimes understood as the image of the Tao, or a god, and given legendary status. The Tao or Dao is hard to define but is sometimes understood as the way of the universe.
Taoism teaches that all living creatures ought to live in a state of harmony with the universe, and the energy found in it. The Tao Te Ching and other Taoist books provide guides for behavior and spiritual ways of living in harmony with this energy. However, Taoists do not believe in this energy as a god. Rather, there are gods as part of the Taoist beliefs, often introduced from the various cultures found in the region known now as China. These gods are part of the Tao, like all living things.
Taoism has temples, monasteries, and priests who make offerings, meditate , and perform other rituals for their communities.
One of the main ideas of Taoism is the belief in balancing forces, or yin and yang. These ideas represent matching pairs, such as light and dark, hot and cold, action and inaction, which work together toward a universal whole. Yin and yang show that everything in the universe is connected and that nothing makes sense by itself. Taoism became well-known in the eighth century C. In the following centuries, it existed alongside Buddhism and Confucianism another philosophical religion.
However, during the Communist takeover in , Taoism, Confucianism, and other religions were banned. This caused a decline in the practice of Taoism in China. Many modern Taoists live in Taiwan, although recent reforms in China have increased the number of Chinese Taoists. Due to the influence of this school, by the late Song Dynasty many of the lines between Daoism and other religions were blurred. The Quanzhen school is also still prominent today. The Dao has several meanings.
It is the basis of all living things, it governs nature, and it is a method to live by. Daoists do not believe in extremes, instead focusing on the interdependence of things. Neither pure good or evil exists, and things are never completely negative or positive.
The Yin-Yang symbol exemplifies this view. The black represents the Yin, while the white represents the Yang. Yin is also associated with weakness and passivity and Yang with strength and activity. The symbol shows that within the Yang there exists the Yin and vice versa. All nature is a balance between the two. De: Another key component of Daoism is the De, which is the manifestation of the Dao in all things.
De is defined as having virtue, morality, and integrity. Immortality: Historically, the highest achievement of a Daoist is to achieve immortality through breathing, meditation, helping others and the use of elixirs. In early Daoist practices, priests experimented with minerals to find an elixir for immortality, laying the groundwork for ancient Chinese chemistry.
One of these inventions was gunpowder, which was discovered by a Daoist priest who was searching for an elixir. Daoists believe that influential Daoists are transformed into immortals who help guide others. Daoism has influenced Chinese culture for over 2, years.
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