Taoism Religion

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A perplexing aspect of Taoism is its very definition. Taoism starts by teaching a truth; “The Tao” is indefinable( To impart the meaning of the Tao is as unfeasible as attempting to tell a story verbally to a deaf person. Although indefinable, the Tao is often referred to as “The Way.” Taoism is more than merely a “philosophy” or a “religion”. Taoists believe the Tao is nonverbal in its essence, and is beyond the boundaries of language. Tao Te Ching was "a philosophical document as much about good government as it was [. . .] about moral behavior," as Stephen Mitchell writes in the introduction to his translation of the Tao Te Ching(Nwman). It was a mystifying religious Chinese text traditionally attributed to Lao Tzu; the Chinese philosopher also known as the “Old Master.” Tao Te Ching describes the Tao “as the totality of universe, an absolute, pervasive principle of all things in the universe, as paradox of opposites, as the true reality of existence beyond the shadows of false appearance, and as the primordial originality and unity”( Newman).

According to Taoists, the chief ethical foundation for their life is the Three Jewels: compassion, frugality and humility, often described as the three fundamental virtues which direct Taoists to a path of bravery, generosity, and leadership. These Three Jewels are discussed on several circumstances in Lao Tzu’s classic Chinese text Tao Te Ching. The Three Jewels help Taoists to maintain the balance in nature, and encourages them to comply with what one cannot change rather than fighting adversity at every turn. Although these Three Jewels are all that are required to follow the Tao, they are hard to practice. So as to minimize this difficulty, Taoists believe that one must accept the...

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...Loa Tzu is right about saying that neither one should not try too hard to seek it nor should keep oneself from finding it. Here in this case, as paradoxical as it sounds, doing nothing is doing something.

Works Cited

"Taoism 101: Introduction to the Tao | Personal Tao." Insert Name of Site in Italics. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2013 .
"The Tao and Taoism - Carson-Newman." Insert Name of Site in Italics. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2013 .
"By Dr. Tan Kheng Khoo - Taoism I - General." Insert Name of Site in Italics. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2013 .
"Taoism and its Model of Traits of Successful Leaders | Regenesys." Insert Name of Site in Italics. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2013 .

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