FAQ

V11.0

By Taoism Network

Influence of Taoism

Below are some notable examples

• Jesus said I am the way. The way is a translation of the Tao
• Zen is a rebranding of Taoism
• 'Star wars' is Taoism
• Base of information technology, binary system is from Taoist science I-Ching
• Taoism is environmentalism
• Laissez-faire is a translation of key Taoist term 'Wu Wei'
• Bigu diet of Taoism is gluten-free and vegan

What is Taoism?

Taoism is  a different way of thinking for some. It challenges common assumptions. If you are familiar with scientific thinking at advanced level, you are not far away from Taoism. Famous Greek philosopher Heraclitus's central views are  similar to Taoist philosophy. Logos in Heraclitus' words, dharmakaya of Buddhism, brahman of Hinduism,  Ik Onkar of Sikhism, Dreamtime of Australian Aboriginal mythology, Ein Sof of Kabbalah (mysticism in Judaism), The Force of Star Wars (film), theory of everything and universal consciousness are the Tao of Taoism. Core content of the earlier Taoist text 'I-Ching' was passed down from prehistory. 'Tao Te Ching' was produced at around 400BC, Heraclitus and Founder of  Buddhism lived at the similar time. Laozi, the Author of Tao Te Ching, is a legendary figure (not totally real). He isn't the founder of Taoism. There is no founder. Taoism started as a culture and philosophy. Some schools changed into organised religions. Others remain philosophy. The Taoist logo (Taijitu) is  presented in Pre-celtic (ancestry of Irish, a group of early settlers of Europe) culture. Taoism culture, Heraclitus, and pre-celtic culture are offspring of one older, human culture/philosophy. You can learn more about Taoism from our CD.

What is Tao? What does the Taoist Symbol Stand for?

Tao is translated to 'the way' historically. A better translation is the 'theory of everything',  a term used by modern physicists. The Taoist symbol, Taijitu, represents Tao. There are three major characters of Tao. 1) Evolution/Changing: Things in the universe are  constantly changing, harmony is eternal. Harmony here means equilibrium.  2) Relativity/Unity: Two sides of things (Yin and Yang, eg. good vs. bad )  depend on each other, and are united in one. There isn't good without bad. Heraclitus called Yin and Yang 'the way up and the way down'. 3) Extremes meet(cyclic universe): when things reach one extreme, they bounce back to the other extreme. The three views are described in Taijitu: the symbol appears to be rotating; It is the constant interplay and unity of two opposite forces; The small dots inside each force are seeds of opposite which appear at the maximum of original.

What it is like to do Taoist meditation?

The ultimate Taoist mental activity is similar to the subconscious: Responding naturally/purposelessly.  Taoist texts say: Tao (truth) is in your mind, it cannot be found by travelling around. In Zuowang type of meditation, people are asked to forget about ego-identity.

What is Taoism's attitude to women?

Taoism contrasts to patriarchal systems. Females qualities, such as compassion and altruism, are highly respected.

In fact, scientifically people should call female Yang/Sun, male Yin/Moon.

What is considered good in Taoism?

The character of Tao (道) means morality and rules. Taoism believes people should act according to the rules of the universe (the Tao). Morality is considered an important part of the rules. The Three Treasures defined by 'Tao Te Ching' are: compassion, frugality, and humility. Taoist texts discourage domination, ownership, extremes, deceptions, competition etc. The texts encourage assuming good faith of people. Wu Wei (the action of non-action) is a key term in Taoism: Things you want to control, control you.

One fundamental principle of Taoism is the love of connectivity. In other words, the avoidance of blockages. This principle applies to all things. An example is financial management: You should let your assets flow; hoarding is usually discouraged. In the context of health, diseases are considered coming from the blockages of body channels (such as different kind of circulation/metabolism), so the methods of treatment should be to open the blockages. In social life, it means more friends are usually a good thing.

What is Taoism's attitude to other life forms?

In general, Taoism believes in the 'equality' of all life forms. Equality here is understood as the interdependence of all life forms and other things on earth. The relationship of life forms are not a triangle. It is more like a circle or a network. The views in the following two science documentaries are similar to Taoism. You can watch them on the official websites

• Myths and Truths about Vegetarianism
• The Superior Human?

In fact, one of the main Taoist Texts 'Zhuangzi' has explicit discussion of equality. It has one sentence saying: '以道观之 物无贵贱'. The sentence means see from the Tao's perspective. things are neither superior nor inferior. So everything in the universe is equal.

Taoist philosophy is like water. The ultimate shape of Taoist organisations are similar: it does not have a defined structure. Common words describe the structures are 'decentralized', 'grassroot'. Sometimes they are called 'anarchy'.

What is Taoism's attitude to world peace?

Taoism is about peace. Taoist texts consider wars as funerals.  The views in the Cartoon FAQ of Peace Network are similar to Taoism.

What is Taoism's attitude to sex?

Taoism has a branch of sexology. It is called Fang Zhong Shu (arts of bedroom). Some branches have sexual abstinence.

Is utilitarianism Taoist?

In general utilitarianism is not compatible with Taoism. Taoism is ultra-long-term thinking, it is holistic. Utilitarianism focuses on short-term, small group interests. utilitarianism is unpopular among Taoists.

 What is the meaning of your name?

Our name is 'Taoism Network'. It shows the fundamental view in Taoism that the universe is a NETWORK of relationships at all levels: social, ecological. subatomic... It also describes the structure of our organisation.

What are the design rationales of your publications?

• The main characters on the designs are females. Because Taoism is pro-female.
• The Twitter banner is a part of the Taoist logo. It means we usually only see part of the Tao (the truth) when we look too close. If we stand back, we can see the complete picture (the Tao).
• The ribbon on our CD cover forms a shape similar to the Taoist logo (Taijitu).
• The hair of the dancer on the CD cover is white/gray. The hair color is a sign of longevity. Taoism respects elders and promotes health. Aging is considered a positive experience, white hair is associated with wisdom.
• Many designs have elements of wind and water, gentle but strong forces in the nature. They are similar to Taoism, soft and extremely powerful. The Taoist science 'Feng Shui' literately means ‘wind water’.

What are the other use of Taoism?

In addition to be a  positive/healthy religion/culture/lifestyle, It teaches you how to understand the world. Similar to astrology,   it can also help you predict all sorts of events in human societies. Taoist texts have lots of advice to national/community leaders about management. Taoism also has great contribution to martial arts: Tai-chi Chuan, Wudang Sword, Xingyi Quan...Taoism is everywhere.

Taoist texts say: if you receive educations, you are put in more and more. If you practise Taoism, you have less and less: assumptions in your mind are removed. This Taoist process is identical to scientific research. Below is a graph explain the relationships between astronomy, Taoist Chinese calendar and Taoist astrology.

Below are science of Wu-Xing,  color, light, energy, body, fire color, synodic period of planets and numbers. Click to enlarge or download printable images (A4 size)

Click here to download the PDF of our Taoist Calendar for 2015.

Science and Culture of East Asia

Taoism is similar to science and the traditional culture of East Asia.

Why Chinese calendar (zodiac) has 12-year cycle? 12 is an approximation of Jupiter (sunspot) cycle. Jupiter is the largest planet in solar system. Similar to the Sun and the Moon, Its impact to the Earth is significant.

Why Chinese call themselves the descendants of the Dragon? Reptile (dragon) is the evolutionary ancestry of human.

How can I study Taoism?

Taoism is heavily intertwined with the culture of East Asia. The best way to learn Taoism is to study ancient Chinese languages and culture. It is not easy,  many Chinese native speakers cannot do it. But this is the only way you can get the authentic Taoism. Thousands people around world have attended our courses. You can study with us too.

Free Online Course

You can learn more about Taoism by reading tweets from our Twitter @TaoismNetwork  for free. Please read the tweets in chronological order, start from the first tweet. You can also buy our textbook 'Taoism and Science' here.

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Taoism Network offers other online courses about Taoism and Chinese language. Please contact us for more information.