One of two indigenous Chinese religions Dates back to Ancient China at least 1751 BCE some parts very similar to ancient Western religion Only found in China and Taiwan Centers around the ID: 685762
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Slide1
Daoism
BeliefsSlide2Slide3Slide4Slide5Slide6
Background
One of two indigenous Chinese religions
Dates back to Ancient China (at least 1751 BCE) – some parts very similar to ancient Western religion
Only found in China (and Taiwan)
Centers around the
Dao
, or way
Promotes unity, virtue, balance, etc.
Main “scripture” is the
T
ao
T
e
Ching
written by Lao Tzu; Chuang Tzu also important
Li
or ritual is heavily used; ancestor worship, oracles, spirit mediums also used
Polytheistic
kinda
, though
God(s
) are way less important than ancestors/cultural & historical leadersSlide7
The Dao
Means “the way”
Involves essentially going with the flow
i.e. don’t worry about the things you can’t change
Calls for human-spiritual-natural unity and peace
Involves constant balancing act of opposites (think Newton’s law of motion)
Stresses moderation
Almost thought of as a deity—when you die your body and spirit go into ultimate unity with the Dao: neither good nor bad, alive nor dead, etc. Slide8
Yin and Yang & Q
i
Yin and Yang:
Represented in the Symbol of the Great Ultimate
In a sense they are opposites yet together, like the Dao
At the same time they keep the balance
Demonstrate the need for some sort of order that goes with the flow
essence of Daoism
All opposites represented within them:
Yin: black, female, dark, winter, cold, death, hate, etc.
Yang: white, male, light, summer, warm, life, love, etc.
Chi:
Literally self generating energy
Flows throughout body
Some
d
aoists
learn to control theirs and use it to their advantage = Tai ChiSlide9
The hexagram Sheng is a visual symbol of the various meanings attached to “Pushing Upward.”Slide10Slide11
Tao Te Ching
Written by Lao Tzu (more on him later)
Series of short poems about life, philosophy, people, etc.
Divided into 2 parts: Tao (the way) and Te (virtue)
Very relaxed mood and tone; language is very simple
Goal is to promote inner peaceSlide12
Lao Tzu & Chuang Tzu
Lao Tzu
Accredited author of the Tao Te
Ching
Name means “old master”
Don’t know if he was real
not historical records or evidence of him
Also much was oral tradition, so he’s
kinda
like the Chinese Homer (“author” of
Iliad
and
Odyssey
)
Chuang Tzu
Other important
Daoist
philosopher
Was real, lived 369-289 BCE
Wrote in parables, short stories, anecdotes, etc.
Blends Daoism with ConfucianismSlide13
Folk Daoism
Less philosophical and more tangible
Based mainly on oral and local traditions
Daoism also has aspects of archaic Western polytheistic religions;
Gods live on mountain, have variety of roles, special powers, stories, provide luck and hardship based on mood, etc.
People try to harness power for magical and divine abilities (inner alchemy, immortality, flying, etc.)
Temples (large and small) are set to various gods or mythical creatures; religion centers around various festivals usually based within a certain time of year
Today gods and spiritual beings still speak through shamans
Exorcising demons and bad spirits common
Also involves praying to ancestors or great people from your region of China (like household gods)
This includes priests, oracles, shaman and sacrifices, and, of course $$ (both on earth and in heaven)Slide14Slide15
Pilgrimage to holy Mount Huashan. Certain mountains have been revered in China from ancient times to today.Slide16
D
aoism and Chinese history/culture
Folk Daoism blends traditional religion with the idea of yin and yang and the
dao
Indigenous in some areas—it blended with the culture and varied from region to region
Also a very personal thing
the one Chinese religion never persecuted
Constant in Chinese culture for 2500+ years
Persecuted and suppressed under Communists and Mao—esp. in Cultural RevolutionSlide17
Daoism in modernity
Tradition kept alive in Taiwan for 50 years
China began to allow more religion with economic freedom of 1990s
Now it is allowed and even endorsed, temples are opening up, it is thriving
Many aspects of folk Daoism still exist
Exported to west mostly in form of
feng
shui
and tai chi (as well as cheap souvenirs and some new age crap) Slide18
Sites for Daoist and Buddhist temples in China were traditionally chosen according to the ancient art of feng shui, or geomancy, the awareness of the presence and movement of natural energies. The energies of waterfalls and mountains were considered conducive to spiritual practices.
(Buddhist Temple Amid Clearing Mountain Peaks, Northern Song, c.940–67 ce.)