RELIGIONS
OF THE WORLD
Taoism
A 2,500-plus-year-old spiritual practice, Taoism (not unlike
Zen) is like a "finger pointing at the moon." That is, Taoism
states that words are just a sign to point to the nonconceptual
ultimate reality. It is of value to not obsess over the conceptual
pointer but to see the ultimate reality clearly.
The main texts of Taoism are the "Tao-te
Ching" (The Book of the Way and Its Power) by Lao Tzu and
"Inner Chapters" by Chuang Tzu. What follows focuses on the
so-called Philosophical-Spiritual Taoism. An indigenous tradition
that incorporates more divination and alchemy also exists.
. Belief in Deity:
The supreme being/ultimate truth is beyond words or any conceptual
understanding. When asked to name it, it is referred to as Tao
or the Way. The Power of the Way is referred to as Te. Although
Tao and Te are similar to other practices' ideas of God, Taoists
seldom refer to God.
. Incarnations:
Taoism does not refer to any specific incarnation of God.
. Origin of Universe and Life:
All matter is a manifestation of the Ultimate Reality. Generally,
Taoist beliefs don't find modern scientific discoveries contradictory
to Taoist thought; hence Fritjof Capra's "The Tao of Physics"
is aptly named.
. After
Death:
Death has no particular meaning to Taoists.
. Why Evil?:
To understand the Taoist notion of good and evil, it is important
to distinguish between the "concept" of evil versus the "reality"
of evil.
As a concept, Taoist do not hold the position of good against
evil; rather they see the interdependence of all dualities.
So when one labels something as a good, one automatically creates
evil. That is, all concepts necessarily are based on one aspect
vs. another; if a concept were to have only one aspect, it would
be nonsensical.
The reality of good and evil is that all actions contain some
aspect of each. This is represented in the t'ai chi, more commonly
referred to as the yin-yang symbol. Any action would have some
negative (yin) and some positive (yang) aspect to it. Taoists
believe that nature is a continual balance between yin and yang,
and that any attempt to go toward one extreme or the other will
be ineffective, self-defeating, and short-lived. When people
interfere with the natural balance by trying to impose their
egoistic plans, they will not succeed; rather, the non-egoistic
person allows nature to unfold, watching it ebb and flow from
good to bad and back again.
Another way of understanding this is that the sage person understands
the reality of good and evil, whereas the fool concentrates
on the concept of good and evil. The sage knows that any evil
will soon be replaced by good, the fool is forever fruitlessly
trying to eliminate evil. Similar to the Buddhist concept of
Sunyata ("the void"), good and evil are just empty conceptual
abstractions that have no permanent independent existence.
. Salvation:
Taoism is not a salvific practice. There is nothing that one
needs to be saved from, and belief in salvation would lead to
belief in damnation in the same manner as belief in good leads
to belief in evil. Although they do not accept the false duality
of salvation vs. damnation, living simply in harmony with Te
and Tao, and not excessively pursuing material wealth, stature,
or prestige, will lead to a joyful life.
. Contemporary Issues:
Positions on abortion, homosexuality, divorce, nonviolence,
and social-betterment programs are not unambiguously stated
in the ancient texts. One might be able to derive a stance on
these issues, but any such stance would be attenuated by the
recognition that any stance is just a conceptual abstraction
that has little usefulness. Taoism would see expressing traditionally
male and female roles as being in harmony. In some sects of
Taoism, spiritual healing is practiced. Protecting nature is
favored, though not by laws or injunction.
Click Here for the Tao Te Ching
