Tao Basics

Taoism

Imagine a substitute for events in live, that will make things a bit easier to understand. Imagine a filosophy that relativates events and situations. Imagine a way of looking at the world, without actually changing anything in it, but accepting it and naming it after a general name.

Taoism isn't about a entity god named Tao, or about having to believe in a supernatural event. Taoism relies on all that is existing and seeks to explain non-conflicting (neither in word nor in intention to others) how things 'can' hang together.

 

Tao Basics

"The Tao that can be named, is not the true Tao"

This is the first line of the Tao Teh Ching. This is the book that is stated to be the base of Taoism (like the bible for Christianity, however Taoism is generally not seen as a religion).

Tao can be, at best, described as essence of existence. It also refers to the meaning everything. As most people know the sign of Tao to be a black and white circle divided with a contrasting dot in the opposite (image on the right).

Before understanding anything of Chi Kung, Kung Fu or Chinese medicine in general, it is important to understand how it is "built" from Tao.

 

What is Tao?

Tao is the essence of existence and its counterpart. It is matter and energy and that which is the reason for both. Yet again it is also its opposite. It generates Yin and Yang, it is all you see and all you can't see. It is all you can imagine and the reason you can. As it is all this, there is no clear name for it. However the meaning of Tao (the word: the way) refers to a direction and therefore an implicit movement. Understanding the multiplicity of meanings and implicit derivals makes you able to track the way ancient people followed to grow from the simple acceptance of existence of Tao onto a way of going through live as a Taoist.

 

Is Tao an Entity?

No, Tao is like a concept but less definable, but also a word to indicate an essence that even less graspable than a thought.

 

Does Tao think or judge?

No, Tao is not sentient. Tao is us and all we are not, though we are sentient, air and rocks are not. They still have a meaning as does space, but neither judge. A rock that falls isn't evil, neither is a rock that falls on your head. Only human reason (as in giving reason to) judges and knows the words and meaning "right" and "wrong".

 

Is Taoism a religion?

A religion is a social commitment to believe. As Taoism (in origin) only explains how existence works it does not hold as religion, rather as a philosophy. Its base rule: be instead of believe to be, puts responsibility and choice with every entity as where a religion tells you what and how to believe and how and what to do.
 

Is Taoism Atheism?

Atheism is renouncement of any reason for existence, Taoism only equals this in the renouncement of existence at all. However as all existence comes from Tao, one should respect it. Atheism sees no reason for ethics and respect as you merely live, procreate and die. Taoism sees Tao as one in all, so one never perishes. Merely (as Buddhists believe) reincarnate.

 

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Tao animates all, it can be seen in Yin and Yang. 

 

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