Transcript Taoism

Taoism
Stop thinking, and end your problems.
—Lao Tzu
Introduction to World Religions Fall 2007 Dr. Hannah Schell
Class Agenda
Agenda for class meeting
I.
II.
III.
IV.
Threefold nature of Taoism
The Tao
Lao Tzu and the Tao te Ching
Taoist principles:
The Mystery of the Tao
The way of yin
The Principle of Wu-wei (actionless action)
The ideal of the uncarved block
Relativism of opposites
Smith’s classification:
the threefold nature of Taoism
1.
2.
3.
Philosophical Taoism – schools of thought that draw upon the founding texts of
the Tao te Ching and the Chuang tzu. Ideal: conserve power by expending it
efficiently (128).
Taoist Hygiene and Yoga – practices that stem from Taoist teachings, such as a
form of science and medicine (focused on harnessing and even increasing energy or
power), breathing techniques and a kind of martial arts (tai chi chuan)
Religious Taoism - Developed in the 2nd century C.E. with a pantheon of Lao Tzu
and other deities; “The Taoist priesthood made cosmic life-power available for
ordinary villages” (quoted by Smith, 132).
• The Chinese character 'Tao'
made up of the character for
“go forward” and “head.”
• A way or a path.
The Tao
In China, (Tao) is pronounced "dow", as in Dow Jones Index and "doe" in
Japanese; used in words like :
Judo - "soft way"
Kendo - "sword way"
Karate - do - "empty hand way“
Source: http://www.thetao.info/tao/tao.htm
Lao Tzu
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Also known as Lao, Lao dan, Li Er, Lao zi
Native of Chu, southern China
Contemporary of Confucius? Later?
Court archivist for the house of Zhou
“Went west” – over the pass, said to have jotted down
the Tao te Ching (The Way and Its Power)
• Legendary tales; miraculous signs
What Laozi is said to have looked like
“He had a yellow-whitish complexion, beautiful eyebrows,
and a broad forehead. He possessed long ears, big eyes,
gaping teeth, a square mouth, and thick lips. On his
forehead he had the signs of the three powers and five
phases. He had the sun horn and the moon crescent
sticking out above his eyebrows. His nose was broad and
straight and had a double rim, while his ears had three
openings. On the soles of his feet he had the signs of the
two [forces of yin and yang] and the five phases; his
palms contained the character for the number ten.”
From Ge Hong’s Biography of Lao Tzu
“His mother had become pregnant when she was touched by a huge meteor. Although
Laozi had therefore received his basic energy directly from Heaven, he yet appeared in
the Li family and took Li as his surname.
Some say that Laozi has existed since before Heaven and Earth. Others say that he is the
essential soul of Heaven, a spiritual and wonderful being. Then again some claim that
his mother remained pregnant for seventy-two years and only then gave birth. At
birth, he split open his mother’s left armpit and emerged. Being just born, he already
had white hair – which his why he was called Laozi, “old child.”
Lao Tzu as Master of the Tao
“He came to reveal various methods of going
beyond the world:
The alchemy of the nine cinnabars and eight
minerals;
The dietetics of metallic wine and the golden fluid;
The visualization of mysterious simplicity and of
guarding the One;
The recollection of spirit and penetration of the
hidden;
The guiding of energy and refinement of the body;
The dispelling of disasters and exorcism of evil;
The control over demons and the nourishing of inner
nature;
The abstention from grain and the many ways of
transforming the body;
The serenity of a life in accordance with the teaching
and the precepts;
The overcoming and control of demons and
malevolent specters. “
The Tao te Ching
• The Way and Its Power, written c. 240 BCE; some place in
the 6th century
• Text of 5,000 characters
• Frequently translated
• Waley: mystical text; Northtrop: metaphysics; Lin Yu Tang
compares it with Christianity, emphasis on character; Fung
Yu Lan: emphasis on self-control; handbook for meditation
or yoga? (See Smith 131).
• Grammatically vague
• Context: troubled times (politically)
The mystery of the Tao
Chapter 1:
The Dao that can be told of
Is not the Absolute Dao;
The Names that can be given
Are not Absolute Names.
The Nameless is the origin of Heaven and Earth;
The Named is the Mother of All Things.
Therefore:
Oftentimes, one strips oneself of passion
In order to see the Secret of Life;
Oftentimes, one regards life with passion,
In order to see its manifest results.
These two (the Secret and its manifestations)
Are (in their nature) the same;
They are given different names
When they become manifest.
They may both be called the Cosmic Mystery [a]:
Reaching from the Mystery into the Deeper Mystery
Is the Gate to the Secret [a] of All Life.
Look, it cannot be seen - it is beyond form.
Listen, it cannot be heard - it is beyond sound.
Grasp, it cannot be held - it is intangible.
These three are indefinable, they are one. From above it is not
bright;
From below it is not dark:
Unbroken thread beyond description.
It returns to nothingness.
Form of the formless,
Image of the imageless,
It is called indefinable and beyond imagination.
Stand before it - there is no beginning.
Follow it and there is no end.
Stay with the Tao, Move with the present.
Knowing the ancient beginning is the essence of Tao.
Follow the way of yin (passivity)
16. Knowing the eternal law
Attain the utmost in Passivity,
Hold firm to the basis of Quietude. The myriad things take shape and rise to activity,
But I watch them fall back to their repose.
Like vegetation that luxuriantly grows
But returns to the root (soil) from which it springs.
To return to the root is Repose;
It is called going back to one's Destiny.
Going back to one's Destiny is to find the Eternal Law [a].
To know the Eternal Law is Enlightenment.
And not to know the Eternal Law
Is to court disaster.
He who knows the Eternal Law is tolerant;
Being tolerant, he is impartial;
Being impartial, he is kingly [a];
Being kingly, he is in accord with Nature [a];
Being in accord with Nature, he is in accord with Dao;
Being in accord with Dao, he is eternal,
And his whole life is preserved from harm.
The way of yin is modeled on the power of water
The uncarved block
28. Keeping to the Female
He who is aware of the Male
But keeps to the Female
Becomes the ravine of the world.
Being the ravine of the world,
He has the original character (te) which is not cut up.
And returns again to the (innocence of the) babe. He who is conscious of the
white (bright)
But keeps to the black (dark)
Becomes the model for the world.
Being the model for the world,
He has the eternal power which never errs,
And returns again to the Primordial Nothingness.
He who is familiar with honor and glory
But keeps to obscurity
Becomes the valley of the world.
Being the valley of the world,
He has an eternal power which always suffices,
And returns again to the natural integrity of uncarved wood.
Wu Wei:
Actionless Action
The Tao abides in non-action,
Yet nothing is left undone.
If kings and lords observed this,
The ten thousand things would develop naturally.
If they still desired to act,
They would return to the simplicity of formless substance.
Without form there is no desire.
Without desire there is tranquility.
In this way all things would be at peace.
Relativism of opposites
2. The rise of relative opposites
When the people of the Earth all know beauty as beauty,
There arises (the recognition of) ugliness.
When the people of the Earth all know the good as good,
There arises (the recognition of) evil. Therefore:
Being and non-being interdepend in growth;
Difficult and easy interdepend in completion;
Long and short interdepend in contrast;
High and low interdepend in position;
Tones and voice interdepend in harmony;
Front and behind interdepend in company.
Therefore the Sage:
Manages affairs without action;
Preaches the doctrine without words;
All things take their rise, but he does not turn away from them;
He gives them life, but does not take possession of them;
He acts, but does not appropriate;
Accomplishes, but claims no credit.
It is because he lays claim to no credit
That the credit cannot be taken away from him.
Discussion points
• Compare Confucianism and Taoism. How
do they harmonize together like yin and
yang?
• What is the point of the story of “The
Farmer whose Horse Ran Away” (see
Smith 141).
• How can we know the Tao if it cannot be
named, spoken of, seen or measured?
• And… last question…
… nothing!