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Short note on taoism
Comparison of Taoism with other religions
Short note on taoism
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THE TAO OF POOH
Philosophy is a complicated subject. Since the beginning of human existence, many tried to come up with theories about life, happiness, reality and knowledge. From philosophical ideas different beliefs sprung, and existence of different religions followed. Every theory raised by a philosopher attracted different followers. In today's modern society aside from major religions, there are thousands of others that suggest that their explanations to universal questions are the only accurate ones, and all of these religions seek to gain more followers to join their "way". One of these religions is the religion/philosophy of Taoism. Taoism has it roots in China, where the founder of Taoism Lao-Tse was searching for a way that would avoid the constant feudal warfare and other conflicts that disrupted his society during his lifetime. The result was his book: Tao-te-Ching. Lao-Tse described Taoism as a path or a way which one must follow in order to reach inner serenity and peace. In order to reach these inner goals one must live in harmony with nature and natural process that creates the balance in the universe.
The novel, written by Benjamin Hoff embodies the spiritual beliefs of Taoism, through the famous cartoon character of Winnie-the-Pooh. In this novel, Hoff shows that the character of Pooh is amazingly consistent with the principles of Taoism. He brings about explanations of Taoism through Pooh and explanations of Pooh's behaviour through Taoism, which eventually shows that Taoism is not simply an old religion or ancient philosophy, but a practice that can be used by every individual here and now in
their every day lives. In this novel each major principle of Taoism is followed by an explanation made though a humorous story staring Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends.
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SUMMARY OF MAIN IDEAS
The first main principle of Taoism that is presented in this novel is the idea that things in their original simplicity contain their own natural power, power that is easily contaminated and lost when that simplicity is altered. This principle is also known as the Uncarved Block. Winnie-the-Pooh is very significant in this principle of the Uncarved Block, because he illustrates the perfect example of an individual that follows this principle. Pooh always exists in his "natural state", he is...
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...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.
After watching the documentary The Long Search: Taoism: A Question of Balance—China, I am totally surprised by the details in the video, which explain every single aspect of people’s daily life in Taiwan as religious, especially Taoist. Since China does not consider itself as a nation of religious beliefs and practices, I do not actually think of what Chinese people do everyday as religious. However, after studying Religions in China for a semester, I finally realize that all the Chinese traditions and beliefs have evolved as a mixture of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. As a result, it all makes sense to see in the video that Taoism is a dominant religion that has deeply influenced individuals’ life in Taiwan.
“Wisdom, Happiness, and Courage are not waiting somewhere out beyond sight at the end of a straight line; they are part of a continuous cycle that begins right here. They are not only the ending but the beginning as well” (Hoff 137). In Tao of Pooh, Benjamin Hoff explains the fundamentals of Taoism through the cute characters of Winnie the Pooh. Each character’s action helps explains how Taoism works and affects our everyday lives.
All in all there is no doubt that Benjamin Hoff did an exceptional job of using an assortment of stories and examples from Winnie the Pooh to put in plain words his views of Taoism. The Tao of Pooh was a very creative and effective way of explaining Taoist principles and the Uncarved Block to the average reader. He is exceedingly effective and efficient in getting his central points across with stories that nearly all of us have read or seen at one point in time. Pooh just goes along with the instinctive flow of the natural world and never once contemplated doing it in any other manner. This straightforward way of life ended up working out very good for Winnie the Pooh. This should be taken rather casually however because every situation is atypical and while there is a likelihood one circumstance has a simple answer the next situation may possibly not.
Toropov, Brandon and Chad Hansen. The Complete Idiots Guide to Taoism. Indianapolis, IN: Beach Brook Productions, 2002. E Book.
...ccording to it. It is the level of understanding and respect a Taoist has with nature, everyone around them, and everything. This mystery is the last feature that is important to defining a religion.
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 is often referred to as a balance between real and abstract. (Doc 7) It is often stated that if you can explain Taoism, you don’t understand it.
In 1910, “after reading Norman Angell's book The Great Illusion, Alan committed himself to pacifism, a cause that he served the rest of his life” (Wheeler). Even before this, Milne’s personality tended to lean in this direction; as exhibited in his childhood, a fundamental characteristic of Milne’s was his hatred of violence and aggression. He also had a strong sense of Puritanism, “partly natural, partly imposed by his Victorian upbringing” (Wheeler). These tendencies affected all of his writing, including the Pooh books, for many of his works carry light-hearted and innocent sense, but also an overwhelming sense of moral justice.
White may have only written three children’s books, but he still made a huge contribution to children’s literature. Each story teaches a moral and forces the reader to look beyond initial appearances when judging a character. White does a great job making his stories seem so believable and letting the reader almost enter their world through his keen eye for detail and his character-revealing dialogue. White uses anthropomorphism, the giving of human qualities to animals, to advance his themes. This approach enables the fantasy to come to life, allowing him the artistic freedom to develop the characters and their dialogue as the story unfolds (Schongar).
Walt Disney produced a book, Winnie-the-Pooh, based on the movie “The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.” Because Disney normally does a fantastic job at turning its movies into children’s books I expected Winnie-the-Pooh be executed at the same level of excellence. However, this was not the case; I found Winnie-the-Pooh’s two major handicaps to be its illustrations and absurd length.
During Han Dynasty period, they got what they need by absorbing and changing each other 's factor (Wang, 2011). Taoism theory complemented Confucianism 's shortage that lack metaphysics, and Confucianism theory made Taoism to pay attention to social problems (Renard, 2002). To analyze based on the establishment of culture, Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism are three ‘spiritual pillar’ in the Chinese ancient ideology and culture, shaping the mythology (Yang & Tamney, 2012, pp.27). Among these three, Confucianism plays a main role while Buddhism and Taoism play a supplementary role. Confucianism plays a critical role in making contribution to some important culture field such as philosophy, ethical and moral discipline, while Taoism made a huge contribution to universe theory and aesthetic as well as natural philosophy. In addition to ‘the co-existence between practice and faith’ (Sered, 2010, pp.21), Confucianism develops their faith and characteristic by practice; Taoism honors faith and characteristic by practice, which can be seen that their theory is
Similarities also reside between Taoism and (the act of accepting)determinism, for if our reality is exactly how things can and are supposed to be, imperfection itself wouldn’t exist because there are simply no alternatives. Therefore invalidates the idea of inadequacy of one’s existence, and along with it the need to fix thing, resulting in enjoying life being the only sound decision.
Based on The Tao of Pooh, the characters such as Pooh, Owl, Rabbit, help portray the differences between the Eastern and Western cultures by portraying certain character traits. These traits are used to explain if it affects the relationships between the heavens and the humans (Western religion). Also it helped me gain a new perspective of what characteristics are better in my life. Using these character traits it's easier to grasp and gain a new perspective
Taoism is related in the Force because the Force was viewed as energy around everything. When Obi-Wan told Luke that he should let go of his sight and follow the instincts to guard the blaster. Luke utilized his instincts to follow the energy around him and was able to guard the blaster. This suggests that Taoism is in the Force because when Luke used his instincts it revealed concepts of Taoism called Wu Wei. Wu Wei is the concept of following the way instead of thinking. This idea is also in the Force when Luke relied on his instincts to shoot the Death Star instead of using his aiming mechanics. Another example revealing that Taoism is an idea in the Force is when Qui-Gon mentioned that there was no accidents that happens. When nothing is an accident, it suggests that everything that happens for a reason. This leads to Taoism in where people should let nature take its course and follow through. The Force revealed Taoism when Luke was training with Yoda. Yoda had told Luke to do or do not. He said do not try. This reveals Taoism because instead of trying, Luke must do it without thinking. The Force contains the concept of Wu Wei from Taoism. It is when people let go of their surroundings and that is when they will be able to feel other living energies. This is the concept the Force has obtained from Taoism. Not only is Taoism in the Force, Hinduism is also utilized in the idea of the Force.
...Alan Alexander Milne amounted to much more than just an author of children’s books. He took a leap of faith into his writing career with not even a degree in literature. Milne’s hard work paid off as he became famous as a playwright, a novelist, a poetic author, and most importantly, a children’s author for his extremely successful Winnie-the-Pooh series. He used a simple, but intrinsic voice that helped him define and shape each line and character.