The basics of the religion of Taoism and what
we can learn from it
The founder of the religion of Taoism was Lao Tse (604 BCE –
531 BCE) who wrote the Tao Te Ching. It started as a mixture of
philosophy and psychology but was adopted as a state religion
around 440 BCE. It has survived down to the present day despite
the passage of time and the purges by the communists in China
in the mid 20th century. It has had its influence on modern
culture through such areas like acupuncture, herbalism,
meditation and martial arts.
Lao Tse was a contemporary of Confucius and the two sages
may have met in their lifetimes.
Taoism has as its goal, helping people realize their oneness
with the Universe. Nature functions in a state of harmony, the
various plants and animals that form a part of the natural
world live in a state of interdependence with each other. An
acorn tree for example, derives its nourishment from the Sun,
the rainfall and the soil. The wild pig depends upon the acorn
for its food. The droppings of the pig nourish the soil and
provide for the acorn tree and the other plants rooted in the
soil. Taking another example, the leaf of the acorn tree
derives its nourishment from the parent tree. When its life
ends, in autumn, the leaf falls, decomposes and fertilizes the
soil for the parent tree to draw its nourishment. Thus all
being in the Universe live in a state of interdependence, none
can survive on its own.
Man is not separate from the Universe or from Nature but is
a part of it. Hence, according to the religion of Taoism, we
must respect nature. The ruthless exploitation of natural
resources by modern man to support his lifestyle and his
economy cannot but be condemned by Taoism.
But what is it that prevents us from realizing, from
experiencing our oneness with nature. It is our identification
with the mind – the rational mind. The rational mind thrives on
solving problems. That is its purpose. It should be used when
there is a problem to be solved and not as a guide to life.
There is an old Chinese saying that goes, "The Human mind is as
much an organ for finding food as a pig's snout." And what does
the pig do with its snout when it is not hungry. It does not
use it. The habit of compulsive thinking, which we are all
subject to in the modern age, is a grave evil and must be
addressed to solve the ills of our civilization. Eckhart Tolle
discusses this life-changing concept in more detail in the
modern spiritual classic
The Power of Now . This book is available at
Amazon.
The rational mind classifies and bifurcates, it sees one object
as separate from another. It is indispensable to problem
solving, to finding food. But we overuse and misuse the
rational mind. Because the rational mind perceives that we are
separate from nature we exploit nature. It sees us as separate
from other human beings and we exploit, take advantage of and
compete with our fellow human beings. We live in isolation and
loneliness. We have lost our feeling of oneness with nature and
with each other. Our mind sees us as separate from the world
around us. This false separation is called the ego.
The religion of Taoism also has the concept of Yin and Yang
Chi, or vital energy. This concept will be discussed in detail
on this page on
Yin Yang philosophy.
Due to our rational mind and compulsive thinking we feel
separate from the world around us. But even more tragic - as
the religion of Taoism teaches us - is our sense of separation
within ourselves – the separation of our mind and body. When we
are doing any activity, for example while chopping onions while
cooking food, are we truly there in the present moment as we do
the work? For most of us the answer is no. As we wash the
dishes we will not be present in the moment, but our mind will
be thinking of the cup of tea that we will drink after
finishing this chore. The beauty, the aliveness the juice of
the present moment will be lost to us as our minds will be
occupied elsewhere. The religion of Taoism stresses on being
present in the Here and Now as we do any activity. The present
moment is the only moment that is – the past and future are
only concepts within our minds. By being wholly present in the
Here and Now, we stop the habit of compulsive thinking. This is
the most important step that anyone can take to experience
wholeness with the Universe, to experience oneness with the
Ultimate.
For further information on the religion of Taoism please
also read this page on Taoist
meditations.
Additional information on
Taoism.
Still more information on this
ancient Chinese religion.
Please also refer these pages on:
Taoism Outline
Taoism Outline - II
Essential Taoism
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