Chinese History and World View: Taoism

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Taoism is an ancient tradition of philosophy and religious belief that is deeply rooted in Chinese customs and worldview.Taoism is also referred to as Daoism, which is a more accurate way of representing in English the sound of the Chinese word. The Tao is the ultimate creative principle of the universe. Under this ethos, All things are unified and connected. The principle of Yin Yang portrays the world as filled with complementary forces. Prior to the Communist revolution in China, Taoism was one of the strongest religions. However, after a campaign to destroy non-Communist religion, the number of followers was significantly reduced, and it is currently difficult to assess the statistical popularity of Taoism in the world. Taoism has no founder and no founding date. Instead, it is thought to have been an extension of various religious and philosophical traditions in ancient China, including shamanism and nature religion. As a religion, Taoism began in the year 142 C.E. with the revelation of the Tao to Zhang Daoling, Taishang laojun, the Highest Venerable Lord. Zhang Daoling then a...

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