Toaism Flashcards
history
Loa-Tzu
- old master
- real name: Li Er, keeper of inperial archives for western zhou dynasty
- solution for anarchy: start society all over again, wipe slate clean, stop cycle
Migration to <pngolia
- lets go of position in ruling and immigrates to mongolia
- asked to write down essence of his wisdom, so compiled 2 books, Tao and Te together make up Toa Te Ching
- goes on ox: go at a good pace, no hurry, but not lagging
Tao Te Ching
- short (language can not contain the ultimate)
- poetic style, riddles, metaphors (water)
Belief - freedom
- from socio-political restraints
- human behaviour (especially elaborate government) os folly and oppression. One may protest by retreating from society through anonymity, contemplation and seclusion
- away from directive governments
- asceticism helps purify yourself
- governments seek to generalize and impose set standards on persons, but this attempt to create sameness out of difference is both undesirable and impractical - structured education is an obstacle to true understanding and spirituality. Education seeks to classify all things, but it is impossible to classify the unclassifiable (classification is irrational)
Belief- freedom from the limitations of this life
- death is neither good or bad, merely natural, therefore it is not to be lamented
- however…life is the greatest of all possessions, therefore, seek immorality - just go with the cycle of things
Hsien
an immortal
Belief - simplicity and oneness with nature
innocence, harmony
eternal search for yin and yang
the most important life lessons are learned from nature:
- master you circumstances rather than trying to control them (work with natures forces, not against)
- spiritual freedom comes from transcending self interest - a freedom found only in nature itself (plants make room for one another)
- always seek to view the world w/ a sense of wonder (innocence)
- reality consists of constant change; in fact, change is the only certainty of life
Belief - The Tao
most common metaphor: flowing stream, winding path in the forest
definitions:
- ultimate reality (deity - not god) - all that is, all that has been
- principles that control the universe
- way of living (in harmony with the universe)
Belief - Te ‘The power of Virtue’
3 cardinal virtues
- simplicity (in action and thought)
- patience (to both friend and enemy)
- compassion (towards oneself and all beings, thereby reconciling all things)
Belief - Wu-wei
inaction as action
- use the least effort for max returns - not doing, not striving
- nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished
The philosophy of flow
- releasing ego (not under our control)
- giving nature/life a chance to unfold (without resistance)
- ceasing to strive
- embracing power of gentleness to overcome hardness/resistance
- focusing on the present rather than worry about the future
focus on moment and live it without hesitation
Belief - harmony
not without passions, but nothing should be out of alignment or balance
imbalance = confusion and chaos
balance = peace and harmony
1. feng shui: balance chi/energy in space
- chi - life energy
- water and wind together
- fire, metal, water, earth, wood (elements)
- setting up environment for flourishing
2. Tai chi: balancing chi/energy within the individual
- slow, harmony
- body has 108 pressure points of meshing
Practice- institutionalization
Temples and monasteries
martial arts: kung fu - control over body, help others, not meant to hurt
Practice - healthy living
apothecary work
homeopathy: natural means for finding ways to deal with wellness
not eating grains
Practice - moral living
practice virtue
charity
bodily hygiene
sexual abstinence
Practice - spiritual living
yoga (align body with nature)
meditation (quiet sitting)
drug induced trances (alchemy)
acupuncture
Practice - wholistic living
syncretism
- lin chao-en sought to harmonize the three great religions of china
- confucian (social concern for all people)
- taoist (meditation)
- buddhist (8-fold path)
Chinese religions in contrast
- Harmony - social order vs individual order
- concern re human relationships bs concern re cosmos
- conf: building blocks of society (5 relationships)
- taoism: building blocks of universe (astronomy, chemistry, botany - pro-government vs anti government (no systems)
- Humanistic vs naturalistic
- conf: optimistic, humanism, the ideal (hu)man
- taoism: simplicity, meditation, closeness to nature - practical faith vs philosophical faith
- engaged in world vs withdrawn from world
- goal: become a sage and servant of society vs become an immortal
