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"Dao" redirects here. For other uses, see DAO.

Taoism
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Tao (道, pinyin: dào (help·info) ) is a concept found in Taoism, Confucianism, and more generally in ancient Chinese philosophy. While the character itself translates as 'way', 'path', or 'route', or sometimes more loosely as 'doctrine' or 'principle', it is often used philosophically to signify the fundamental or true nature of the world.

In Taoism, Tao both precedes and encompasses the universe. As with other nondualistic philosophies, all the observable objects in the world - referred to in the Tao Te Ching as 'the named' or 'the ten thousand things' - are considered to be manifestations of Tao, and can only operate within the boundaries of Tao. Tao is, by contrast, often referred to as 'the nameless', because neither it nor its principles can ever be adequately expressed in words.

While the Tao cannot be expressed, Taoism holds that it can be known, and its principles can be followed. Much of Taoist writing focuses on the value of following the Tao - called Te (virtue) - and of the ultimate uselessness of trying to understand or control Tao outright. This is often expressed through yin and yang arguments, where every action creates a counter-action as a natural, unavoidable movement within manifestations of the Tao.

[edit] Characteristics of Tao

In literal translation, the Chinese character "Tao" (道) is usually rendered in English as road, channel, path, way, doctrine, or line.^[1] The word is commonly used metaphorically in philosophical and religious writings. Accord to Wing-tsit Chan, Tao means a (proper) system of morality for Confucianists, but the natural, eternal, spontaneous, indescribable way the universe and all it contains originated and continued for Taoists.^[2] Hansen disagrees that these were separate meanings and attributes, seeing them as mutually inclusive and appropriate definitions in both traditions.^[3] Tao is often associated with nature, due to the common belief that nature demonstrates Tao.^[4] It is rarely an object of worship, being treated more like the Indian concepts of atman and dharma.^[5]

Tao can be roughly stated to be the flow of the universe, or the force behind the natural order, equating it with the influence that keeps the universe balanced and ordered.^[6] The flow of qi, as the essential energy of action and existence, is often compared to the universal order of Tao. Tao is often considered to be the source of both existence and non-existence. It is compared to what it is not, which according to Keller is similar to the negative theology of Western scholars.^[7]

"Tao" may be used in Chinese as a noun, verb, or adjective, and its meaning can vary significantly depending on context. While Tao is often unavoidably referred to in the sense of the Tao in English, in that context the word is more properly considered a convenient and potentially misleading label for a universal, all-encompassing essence that has no true representation in language. The opening of the Tao Te Ching illustrates this point: "The Tao that can be spoken of is not the real Tao."^[8]

Tao is often compared to water: clear, colorless, unremarkable, yet all beings depend on it for life, and even the hardest stone cannot stand in its way forever.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] As a concept and label

Liu Da interprets the Tao Te Ching as distinguishing between the label "Tao" (the "named Tao") and the "real" Tao that cannot be spoken of (the "unnamed Tao").^{[notes 1]} This suggests that the word "Tao" may be used to emphasize particular aspects of the broader (unnamed) Tao. Liu Da asserts that Tao is properly understood as a experiential and evolving concept. The I Ching, a text integral to both Taoism and Confucianism, supports these conclusions.^{[notes 2]} Not only are there differences in the personal interpretation of Tao, but what people perceive in Tao is likely to be founded in their own character.^[9]

[edit] Te

Tao is associated with the complex concept of De (德) "power; virtue; integrity", that is, the active expression of Tao.^[10] De is the active living, or cultivation, of that "way".^[11]

[edit] Taoist interpretations of Tao

In religious Taoism, Tao is understood in terms of these constituents: Jing 精 corresponding to energy; Qi 氣 or flow of energy; and Shen 神 or the Spirit. The triad Jing Qi Shen 精氣神 constitutes the Tao of all that is, and are represented as deities in the Three Pure Ones.^{[citation needed]}

There are characteristics of Tao that are commonly noted and used to describe its functioning, particularly as guidelines for practicing te.

Tao is undifferentiated

All distinctions are actually relative comparisons bound together by their mutual reference. Thus (chapter 2) there is no such thing as 'long' except by comparison to 'short' and vice-versa; there is no such thing as 'being' except by comparison to 'non-being'. Because Tao itself has no shape or size, all comparisons fall within it, so there can never be 'real' differences. Often this is used to suggest a neutral, giving attitude - see TTC chapter 49.

Tao return

"Return" is a complex concept: in one sense it is similar to 'nature abhors a vacuum' - "That with no substance enters there with no space" (TTC chapter 43); in another it reflects the natural cycles of the world (changing of the seasons, births of new generations); in yet a third it implies the natural return to quiescence that is the end result of all action (TTC chapter 14). This concept is often used to argue against forceful action, on the grounds that Tao (and its manifestations) will flow back, circumvent, and eventually undo any attempts to force it into a particular path.

Tao is subtle and quiet

The most important aspects of Tao are its unremarkable, unnoticed, everyday workings - "the softest thing in the world overcomes the hardest" (TTC chapter 43). Many places in the Tao Te Ching point out that dramatic, enticing or noteworthy events may catch the eye and assume significance, but that it is the slow, slight, unobserved and continuous movement of the manifestations of Tao that actually accomplish things. In this context, practitioners are cautioned to be unobtrusive, undemanding, and unsophisticated in their actions, and to know when to let go so that the unseen workings of Tao can carry the act to its completion.

Tao is simultaneously dispassionate and nurturing

Because all beings are manifestations of Tao, Tao - by definition - gives of itself wholly and completely to each. But by the same token, Tao is indifferent to the disposition of mere manifestations. Birth and death and life itself, from the perspective of Tao, are only movements and transformations of form. This is often used to suggest selflessness and detachment to practitioners; compare with the Buddhist notion of anatta (no-self).

[edit] Confucian interpretations of Tao

The tao, or Way, of Confucius can be said to be 'Truth'. Confucianism regards the Way, or Truth, as concordant with a particular approach to life, politics, and tradition. It is held as equally necessary and well-regarded as te (virtue) and jen (humanity). Confucius presents a humanistic 'tao'. He only rarely speaks of the t'ien tao (Way of Heaven). An influential early Confucian, Hsiin Tzu, explicitly noted this contrast. Though he acknowledged the existence and celestial importance of the Way of Heaven, he insisted that the Tao principally concerns human affairs.^[12]

As a formal religious concept in Confucianism, Tao is the Absolute towards which the faithful move. In Chung Yung, harmony with the Absolute is equivalent to integrity and sincerity. The Ta Hsueh expands on this concept explaining that the Way illuminates virtue, improves the people, and resides within the purest morality. During the Tang Dynasty, Han Yu further formalized and defined Confucian beliefs as an apologetic response to Buddhism. He emphasized the ethics of the Way. He explicitly paired 'tao' and 'te', focusing on humane nature and righteousness. He also framed and elaborated on a "tao t'ung" (tradition of the Way) in order to reject the traditions of Buddhism.^[13]

[edit] Neo-Confucian interpretations of Tao

During the Sung Dynasty, Neo-Confucians regarded Tao as the purest thing-in-itself. Shao Yung regarded the Tao as the origin of heaven, earth, and everything within them. In contrast, Chang Tsai presented a vitalistic Tao that was the fundamental component or effect of ch'i, the motive energy behind life and the world. A number of later scholars adopted this interpretation, such as Tai Chen during the Qing Dynasty.^[14]

Chu Hsi, Cheng Ho, and Cheng Yi perceived the Tao in the context of li (Principle) and t'ien li (the Principle of Heaven). Ch'eng Hao regarded the fundamental matter of li, and thus Tao, to be humaneness. Developing compassion, altruism, and other humane virtues is the following of the Way. Ch'eng I followed this interpretation, elaborating on this perspective of Tao through teachings about yin-yang interactions, the cultivation and preservation of life; and the axiom of a morally just universe.^[15]

In total, the Tao is equated with the Absolute. Wang Fu-chih expressed the Tao as the tai chi, The Great Ultimate, as well as the road leading to it. Nothing exists apart from the Principle of Heaven in Neo-Confucianism. The Way is contained within all things. Thus, the religious life is not an elite or special journey for Neo-Confucians. The normal, mundane life is the path that leads to the Absolute, because the Absolute is contained within the mundane objects and events of daily life.^[16]

[edit] See also

Look up 道 in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Taoism portal

• Dō (Way)
• Dharma
• Logos

[edit] Notes

1. ^ Tao Te Ching, Chapter 1. "It is from the unnamed Tao
   That Heaven and Earth sprang;
   The named is but
   The Mother of the ten thousand creatures."
2. ^ I Ching, Ta Chuan (Great Treatise). "The kind man discovers it and calls it kind;
   the wise man discovers it and calls it wise;
   the common people use it every day
   and are not aware of it."

[edit] Citations

[edit] Bibliography

• Cane, Eulalio Paul. Harmony: Radical Taoism Gently Applied (Trafford Publishing, 2002). ISBN 1412247780.
• Chan Wing-tsit. A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy (Princeton, 1963). ISBN 0691019649.
• DeFrancis, John (ed.). ABC Chinese-English Dictionary: Alphabetically Based Computerized (ABC Chinese Dictionary) (University of Hawaii Press, 1996). ISBN 0824817443.
• Hansen, Chad D. A Daoist Theory of Chinese Thought: A Philosophical Interpretation (Oxford University Press, 2000). ISBN 0195134192.
• Keller, Catherine. The Face of the Deep: A Theology of Becoming (Routledge, 2003). ISBN 0415256488.
• LaFargue, Michael. Tao and Method: A Reasoned Approach to the Tao Te Ching (SUNY Press, 1994) ISBN 0791416011.
• Liu, Da. The Tao and Chinese culture (Taylor & Francis, 1981). ISBN 0710008414.
• Martinson, Paul Varo. A theology of world religions: Interpreting God, self, and world in Semitic, Indian, and Chinese thought (Augsburg Publishing House, 1987). ISBN 0806622539.
• Maspero, Henri. Translated by Frank A. Kierman, Jr. Taoism and Chinese Religion (University of Massachusetts Press, 1981). ISBN 0870233084.
• Sharot, Stephen. A Comparative Sociology of World Religions: virtuosos, priests, and popular religion (New York: NYU Press, 2001). ISBN 0814798055.
• Taylor, Rodney Leon & Choy, Howard Yuen Fung. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Confucianism: N-Z, Volume 2 of The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Confucianism (Rosen Publishing Group, 2005). ISBN 0823940810.

[edit] Further reading

• Chang, Dr. Stephen T. The Great Tao. Tao Publishing, imprint of Tao Longevity LLC. 1985. ISBN 0-942196-01-5.
• Gia-Fu Feng & Jane English (translators). 1972. Lao Tsu/Tao Te Ching. New York: Vintage Books.
• Robinet, Isabelle. Taoism: Growth of a Religion (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1997 [original French 1992]) page 14,20. ISBN 0-8047-2839-9.