Taoism
Taoism
Traditional religion of China, Taoism is based on concepts similar to those of Confucianism, as the yin-yang dualism and unifying principle tao. Complex and little known in the West, has large quantity of writings, among which the Tao-te Ching, the Chinese work more translated.
Taoism: a mystical and complex religion
Taoism is a traditional religion in China, which relies on very old concepts, common to Confucianism.The most prominent are the alternating yin-yang, which may have originated in daily, monthly and annual rhythms, and the unifying principle, the tao, which summarises the diversity of opposites.
The time in Taoism is obscured by a whole mystique that denies the limits of human life to preach the immortality of physical character. As this idea goes against common sense, the study of Taoism comes into a world that demands the abandonment of some certainty and where the landmarks are diluted, generating a timeless message.
The Taoists say his teachings come from Huang-ti, the Yellow Emperor, dated legendariamente the centuries XXVII-XXVI a.e. c, considered to be the prototype of the Taoist Sage. To 100 years of age, was able to create the "Golden elixir", chin-tan, who converted him into an immortal being, which was elevated to the heavens and converted into mythical Emperor of the center of the world, which corresponds to the Earth element. The Huang-ti if attributed the paternity of a first treaty Taoist, quintessence of wisdom, who was lost.
Taoism is hard to be defined and understood, even in their origins, since there are scholars who give some credibility to the legendary traditions postulate a Taoism very archaic, whereas others argue that only from the 4th century a.e.c. authentic can reliable documentation of that religion.
Taoism is a religion of the first order, with a large number of writings, which were only known and valued with objectivity by scholars not Chinese from the years 1930.
Altar of a Taoist pagoda in Saigon, Viet Nam.
Lao-tzu
About the sage Lao tzu meets a series of biographical data which seems more verossímel legendary. Legend has it that it was bigger than Confucius and who fought with him a debate which came out largely winner.
Was responsible for the Court files of one of the Chou emperors, but after a series of disagreements with the monarch sailed to the West, where, on the edge of Hsien-ku, at the request of the border guard, wrote the compendium of his wisdom in 5000 characters, to then disappear.
A mythical late tradition makes him the master of the Buddha. Is awarded the writing of the Tao-te Ching. In it, Tzu proposes that the personal wisdom and the harmony of society can be reached by following the tao. It consists of a personal path to adapt to the natural order without acting ".
Major Taoist currents
By its complexity, has been trying to explain Taoism through sistematizações. Usually proposes a distinction between philosophical Taoism (tao-chia) and religious Taoism (tao-chiao).
The philosophical Taoism (tao-chia) has been considered as the most pure by a good number of sinólogos imbued with prejudices and ethnocentric religiocêntricos. It has its main representatives in IV-III a.e.c.
The religious Taoism (tao-chiao) generated a very complex theology from the centuries ll-lll, with very different cult models and a primary interest in the acquisition of physical immortality.
Taoist pagoda in ssangyong, Viet Nam.
The distinction between these two schools, however, lacks real interest, since much of the tao-chiao is based clearly in the previous, while some Taoists "philosophers" insist in search of immortality. Neither looks like the tao-chia and much less the tao-chiao have true cohesion, since the subescolas are very numerous, with teachings of nature very varied.
It is more convenient to approach the study of Taoism with criteria different from those of greater or lesser purity of religious message and understand that there were different ways to understand the religion, as ages and social groups. There was a single aristocratic Taoism developed by small groups of literati, far away from the popular Taoism that was your interest in rites of cohesion and also in a practical magic which favored making talismans and the use of recipes. There was also a Taoism of masses unified around a millennialist message, disaffected groups against the imperial power, before which contrasts a Taoism developed State by some monarchs, as the Kingdom of Wei, or a Taoist nuns, which organizes the practice the style of Buddhist monasteries.
The diversity of Taoism may have its best example on the complexity of your written tradition, very abundant and varied and only partially known in the West.
The Daoist texts
Taoism is known in the West for three major works: the Tao-te Ching, Chuang-tzu and Lieh-tzu. The Tao-te Ching, "book of life (tao) and virtue (te)", is attributed to Lao tzu.This booklet is the work best known Chinese and translated, although unusually cryptic and result have been mistreated by legions of translators who have such disparate versions, which in many cases are irreconcilable.
This disparity in the translations is due to the enormous difficulty inherent in the task of shedding for another language the complex concepts that are expressed in signs laden with meanings that multipurpose combine to form this classic of literature.
The Chuang-tzu, presumably debtor to the eponymous Sage who lived between 369 and 286 a.e. c, is less enigmatic. The Lieh-tzu ("True book of perfect emptiness"), attributed to the Sage of that name, dating from the 4th century a.e. c, is a compilation of Taoist writings of various authors, dated between the a.e.c. IV and II.
In addition to these three works, probably dating from the pre-Buddhist era or of the first moments of Buddhist impact, there is an extraordinary number of writings gathered in the Daoist Canon (Tao-tsang).
Demonstrations of Taoism
In his time more remote, Taoism has created the ideal of wise, counselor to the sovereign, whose maximum virtue was not to get noticed. In later centuries, became a popular religion with countless gods, in that Supreme was to achieve immortality.
Monk, Taoist Luinghai in Xining, China
The most ancient Daoism
At the time prior to the consolidation of Confucianism (2nd century a.e. c), Taoism became interested in public life and the art of governing. Created an ideal wise very different from the Confucian Sage, as the Taoist lives hidden, removed from power and fame. Stands out for its ability to advise and assist the sovereign. His virtue is wu wei, "don't act", not to be noticed.
Another fundamental concept in Daoism oldest is the relativity of contraries; There is no criteria to discern overall the good from the bad. It is relative concepts already ending in short on coincidence, which is the DAO.Male and female are not radically different, life and death either; is there a way to overcome the contradictions on a human scale and this is the purpose last of wisdom.
Taoism is also an option not intellectual who stands out for the simplicity and naturalness, facing social standards and even the Government. The man should get the submission to nature, then this path is not to Act (wu wei), adapt to the tao. Hence the importance of meditation to achieve this Union with tao, who work various techniques.Taoism does not present the oldest less systematic pretence, there doesn't seem to be in need of a theology or a complex cosmology, seems an intuitive expressed badly through the language.
Elegant meeting in the garden of peach trees, Xie Huang, Ming Dynasty (1588-1644).Metropolitan Museum, New York. The peach trees are a symbol of immortality.
Taoism after the official consolidation of Confucianism
With the consolidation of Confucianism as a State religion, the Taoist thinkers have lost interest in the practice of Government;on the other hand, focused on improving the techniques to achieve longevity and immortality. The Buddhist impact took, from the 8th century, the development of a Daoist Monasticism.
Taoism has diversified its message, multiplied the magic rites, making talismans (fu), the prescriptions, the techniques of geomancy, the moral advice, becomes a popular religion, unrelated to the circles of scholars and thinkers.
The increasingly complex theology, is populated by gods and immortal beings who can communicate the secrets to achieve wisdom conquers death, as well as recipes for making talismans and magic objects. Thereby, the immortals communicators of secrets come back into the Taoist adept instead of swarming by the outside world, and the mystical physiology is a way to overcome death.
Death and immortality in Taoism
For certain Taoist schools, the human body is a microcosm in which reflects and incorporates the entire universe. The key to achieve immortality in nourishing the vital principle: Yang-Hsing. For that, you need to feed the life, Yang-Sheng, and the spirit, Yang-Shen.
The Palace of Nine Perfections, detail of a painting of Chinese Yuan Jiang. T sing dynasty (1644-1911). Metropolitan Museum, New York
According to Taoism, the body is a vessel in which there are multiple spirits, whose dispersion must be prevented by means of different techniques, since damage brings the old age and death. Only the body offers the unit all principles and, as a result, death can only be won by keeping the identity, that is, keeping the body.
Taoism is the only major religion that promises the durability of the physical body, not the soul. This physical immortality means confusion between the afterlife and the world: the afterlife is within the limits of the world or in the middle of the world, but is not visible to everyone.
To achieve immortality, combined several techniques:
- Tao-yin: gymnastic exercises to stimulate the correct movement of chi (qi).
- T'ai-ch'i: embryonic breathing consists of techniques, how to retain the breath 1000 times.
- Pi-ku: power techniques, is to refrain from cereals, meat and alcohol and consume products especially wild herbs, berries or fruit.
- Fu-lu: use and manufacture of talismans, magic-related technical.
- Wai-tan: cinnabar outside external Alchemy technique consisting of ingest purified mercury sulphate cinnabar.
- Nei-tan: cinnabar interior, internal alchemy that technique was to create a body of supporting the flowerof gold through the Union of the yin yang principle principle.
- Fan chung: art of alcove, techniques of sexual Union addressed to obtain immortality.
Category: Religion History
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