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The religion of Taoism and Confucianism
Taoism and Confucianism originated in China and Japan. Taoism and Confucianism had been questioned if they are truly a religion or not. They both have in common the belief in many gods and include the worship of nature and the worship or veneration of ancestors. Confucius and Lao-tzu were two of the most influential spiritual leaders native to China. Confucius and Lao-tzu lived and taught Taoism and Confucianism. Taoism and Confucianism existed in dynastic China. Over the past 2,500 years they have attracted countless numbers of followers.
Lao-tzu translated, as “Old Master” is known as the author of Taoism (Ushistory.org.N.D). There is so little known
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Tao is translated as “the way” There are many different meanings to Tao. Tao describes ultimate reality, explains the power that drives the universe and the wonder of the human nature. In Taoism they believe that everything is one despite all the appearances. Opinions of good and evil or true and false only happen when people forget that they are all one in the Tao. Overtime Taoism evolved. Religious Taoism worshiped many gods and ancestors. In 440 C.E after being adopted by China Taoism became popular and continues to be practiced even to this present …show more content…
Immortality is a popular concept associated with Taoism. Cranes symbolize immortality. Because of their longevity and they can fly. Taoist believes immortals have the ability to fly. A few other symbols of immortality in Taoism are pine tress and peaches. The gourd is also a popular symbol in Taoism because it symbolizes chaos or huntun. Taoist believe tat caves are repositories for special purified adepts. Meditation is also performed in the caves. In a Taoist ritual the central altar is called a cave table. Astronomical symbols are important to Taoist, such as the stars, planets, moon and stars. A flaming pearl is often found on top of Taoist temples between two dragons. Taoist priest wear an embroidered robes with many different symbols such as dragons, cranes and clouds. The most important constellation of symbols in Taoism revolves around the written word. In Taoism writing plays many essential
Religions in East Asia were very different than religions from other parts of Asia. Confucianism was a philosophy rather a religion. The focus of Confucianism was based on the way a person should behave rather than their reason for existence. Confucius, the founder of the philosophy, held the belief that people should be earnest, truthful, and kind to others. (Doc 3) Taoism was a philosophy like Confucianism but it was also a mystic religion. Taoism often referred to a balance between real and abstract. (Doc 7) It is often stated that if you can explain Taoism you don’t understand
...oundation of all living things that exist in this world. The mission of Taoism is not to force its beliefs on people, but to help them realize their inner-self and guide into a happy life in harmony with nature. To best summarize Taoism a quote from Lao-Tse can be used: "We believe in the formless and eternal Tao, and we recognize all personified deities as being mere human constructs. We reject hatred, intolerance, and unnecessary violence, and embrace harmony, love and learning, as we are taught by Nature. We place our trust and our lives in the Tao, that we may live in peace and balance with the Universe, both in this mortal life and beyond." There are thousands of religions that offer endless solutions to end suffering, to restore peace and unity in the world. For decades philosophers tried to come up with ways to find happiness, but in the end there was only one answer. The answer came from a some would call silly, others wise bear by the name of Winnie-the-Pooh, who discovered the secret for happiness in and old religion, founded by a great master Lao-Tse. This religion became the answer for the endless search for happiness and the answer was Taoism.
Taoism was developed by Lao Tzu. Lao Tzu describes the Tao—translated as “Way”—as “one, natural, and eternal” (Lao Tzu pg.474). The Tao is life’s and nature’s course. The Tao consist of bonding energies, known as yin, and expanding energies, known as yang. Yin and yang are opposite forces, but each need one another to exist or make sense. For example, life needs death, the moon needs the sun, and compassion needs suffering. The
Taoism is one of the oldest religions in the world and its origins are rather mysterious. Formally there is no specifically known founder or date of foundation for Taoism; however, the individual accredited with the founding of Taoism “Began […] with the revelation of […] Lao Tzu (Taoism: The Origins of Taoism), which Buddhism. Taoism is a polytheistic religion with a wide variety of deities, and so Shamanism became an important part of the religion, as shamans were individuals’ connections to the different Gods of Taoism and protection from evil spirits; so in its initial structure a solid base of religious leaders formed, which would help the spread of the religion through education and role modeling (Hundoble). As for specific leaders of the religious movement, Lao-Tzu, an early philosopher and poet, is believed to have written the original founding principles of Taoism in the sixth century B.C., and as presented by King Shu Liu “of his work we have only the Tao-Teh-king [(the first Taoist literature)] which tradition attributed to him” (Liu 377). Zhao Daoling, another prominent Taoist leader, was the first of the Celestial M...
Over the course of history, individuals have questioned the universe in which we live in and searched for a purpose of our existence. The belief in a higher presence, other than our own, has existed since man can remember. From this belief, religion was established and can survive and flourish. Buddhism and Taoism are two great religious and philosophical traditions in Chinese history. For hundreds of years, these two have shaped Chinese lifestyle and thought. Readings from the Tao Te Ching, Buddhists scriptures, and Herman Hesse’s Siddharta explain the various aspects of Buddhism and Taoism, but in the end there is only one common belief, and that is the existence of a Supreme Being.
A lot of Chinese viewpoint were created early, as culture emerged along the Yellow River before 1000 B.C .E. One such idea strained the significance of agreement in and with environment around the idea of the Way which e may say described a fair and controlled way of life. More recognized systems of attention developed afterward, if we see in the 5th and 6th centuries B.C, for the period of a separated and anxious period of Chinese politics. A variety of thinkers sought way to shore up a physically powerful political system or survive without one. Of the resultant philosophies or religions, Confucianism proved the majority of durable and noteworthy.
Taoism follows a much different idea of the "chain of being," than that of the other major religions (i.e. Hinduism, Judeo-Christian, Islam), which is very important in consideration of the ecological sensibility which stems from it. As opposed to a God-over-man-over-nature view of the world, Taoism states:
What is Taoism? Taoism is and ancient Chinese philosophy that began during the 300's B.C. The word tao originally meant way or road. The general idea behind Taoism is that reality consists of all the individual ways and that the characteristics and behaviors of each thing in the universe make it what it is(World Book 26). In terms of Pooh and his friends, the concern of Taoism is a particular way of appreciating, learning from, and working with whatever happens in everyday life. If one has mastered these simp...
Lao Tsu. The Tao Te Ching. Translated by Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English. Vintage Books, 1989.
Taoism and Buddhism were born in the same century. Siddhartha reached enlightenment in approximately 535 B.C. and Lao Tzu’s teachings were recorded around 500 B.C. There are many similarities in the basics of these two religions. Some of the similarities can be seen clearly when examining the three meaning of Tao.
The supposed author of the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu, is said to be the father of Taoism. It is estimated that Lao Tzu, spelled many other ways including Lao-tsu, Lao Tse, and Lao Tzi, was born under the name of Li Erh in Honan, China, around 604 B.C.E. Myth says that Lao Tzu was born fully developed with a long, white beard and hair the color of snow. He was somewhat of a recluse and withdrew from society to avoid governmental law and rule. He retreated to the Western frontier after the fall of the Zhou dynasty to continue his personal study of metaphysics and philosophy (Taoism 2). The collaborations of his studies and observations are said to be the basis of the Tao Te Ching, although some scholars argue that Lao Tzu’s existence cannot be proved and that the scholar Chuang-tzu played at least a partial role in the authorship. However the Tao Te Ching came to be, it is prized for being the foundation of Taoist belief and should hold merit as a universal guide, not as an author’s accomplishment (De Bary, Chan, and Watson 49).
Confucian culture, also known as Confucianism, was founded by Confucius during the Spring and Autumn Period, which was developed gradually after the Han Dynasty with benevolence as the core. Since the Han Dynasty, Confucianism was the official ideology and the basis of mainstream ideology in the vast majority of historical periods of China, and it also influenced many southeast Asian countries in history. After a variety of shocks, Confucianism was still the core values of China's social public, and represented the Chinese culture and national tradition in the world (Littlejohn, 2010). In the contemporary society, the Confucian culture in China increasingly spread, at the same time, its modern value is excavated by many countries in the world, and its international influence is also growing with the rise of China.
Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism constitute the essence of the traditional Chinese culture. The relationship among the three has been marked by both competition and complementation in history, with Confucianism playing a more dominant role. Confucianism emphasized a reiteration of current moral values and Taoism developed a system of based upon a harmonization of man with the natural order. These two popular philosophies, however, developed into popular religions eventually. Besides the major religions, ancestor worship and animism also have strong support in China. Chinese people are very pragmatic, worshipping gods that might answer their prayers.
In the Chinese culture there are several major religions, two of these include Confucianism and Taoism, which have dated back for thousands of years. According to. Experiencing the World 's Religions and The World’s Wisdom: Sacred Texts of the World’s Religions, both Confucianism and Taoism originated in ancient China through the religions’ teachers: Confucius and Lao Tzu. “Taoism and Confucianism grew up together, entering Chinese history around the sixth century B.C.E.; Taoism’s beginnings are linked to the legendary figure of Lao Tzu, senior to Confucius by about fifty years. Even though Taoism and many other folk religions have shaped the Chinese mind, Confucianism remains, by any historical measure, its chief mentor” (Novak 113).
Unlike Rumi, Tao Te Ching isn’t self-centralized and instead broadens the view for everyone. Pojman gives an example in Philosophy of Religion where if you hear something and nobody else does, it causes confusion (pg. 52). When you speak of religion in one light and one lesson, it’s confusing in a sense that it isn’t relatable. Lao Tzu handles this by making his text a somewhat universal truth. Lao Tzu also has this showing as more of a life guide, on how to find peace within your religion and with your God, but also within yourself. He poses many questions (“Do you have the patience to wait until your mud settles and the water is clear?”, “When we don't see the self as self, what do we have to fear?”, “My teachings are older than the world. How can you grasp their meaning?”) to make his audience question themselves and who they are. This insinuates that Taoism means finding a peace, or harmony, with the Tao by first finding harmony within yourself. Tolstoy reiterates that within his own text called, “A Confession” by writing that he eventually cut himself off from the church and found spirituality within himself and his God. Tolstoy makes a point that the meaning of life is trusting that God has a plan and a purpose for everyone. Meanwhile, a connection can be drawn with Tao Te Ching where everything has meaning because the Tao is everything that exists and simultaneously everything that doesn’t exist, according to Lao Tzu. Tzu also writes, “If you want to know me, look inside your heart,” and “The more you travel, the less you know [of the Tao]”, providing the argument that the Tao is imbedded into every atom, every cell, every human as well, and that is why you must make