TAOISM

GLOBAL VIEW OF CHINA

CONTINENT VIEW OF CHINA

COUNTRY VIEW OF CHINA

OK… So then what is Taoism?Taoism is both a philosophy and a religion. The beginnings of Taoism are generally accredited to Lao-tzu, a sixth century philosopher, believed to be from the Henan Province.

Here are three of the major Taoist concepts: TE means power. The power of a thing is its virtue, its identity, its integrity. So the te of a person is their authentic self, or genuineness. Te is expressed through humility and meekness. WU-WEI is a concept involving relaxing the conscious mind. It seeks the denial of anything personal and the dissolution of the conscious, individual self. Wu-wei is best illustrated by water; it is supple yet strong, it flows over and fills what it encounters. It means to simply follow the way of nature. P’U is a term which literally means “unpainted wood”. P’U stresses the importance of simplicity and the need to leave things in their natural state.

Oh… So then what do Taoists believe?

Say What??In plain English:Taoists advocate a simple honest life and noninterference with the course of natural events Taoists don’t like politics, administration, or elaborate rituals.

So then how would you have government? Do not emphasize status, intelligence, or possessions. Govern with least visibility and with a serving attitude. Reduce laws and govern lightly. Take few actions that involve the people. Treat other countries non-aggressively.

Taoists believe that the purpose of life is to live according to the Tao.

That requires calmness, passiveness, and humility.

CREATIONTaoists believe that there is no one creator, that at the beginning, there

was only chaos, or a void, called Wuji.

Then from the void (Wuji) the cosmos came into being.

With the cosmos came the energies of yin and yang which combined to create what

is called the Taiji Du

Qi emerged from the blending of yin and yang

The concept of the joining of yin and yang is often compared to the big

bang theory.

The concept of Qi may be more easily understood through Filmmaker George

Lucas’ idea of “the force” in his film Star Wars.

Qi is the very stuff of life. It fills the universe permeating everything, rocks, trees, water,

clouds, animals, and people.

Qi is often compared to quantum physics. It is like the atom, the building block of life.

Wuxing, or the 5 qualities (elements) developed from Qi.

These 5 qualities make up all known substances. They are:

Fire, earth, metal, water and wood.

Diagram

The gravity defying Hanging Monastery was built on extremely sheer cliffs above

Jinlong Canyon 1400 years ago.

Bridges and corridors connect those pavilions and caves in which dozens of bronze, iron,

stone and clay statues are enshrined.

In the Three Religions Hall, Buddha, Confucius and Lao-tzu are all enshrined together. This is because in

present day the three faiths co-exist in the temple.

The mythical creatures on the eaves serve to protect the monastery from evil spirits.

Why would someone build a monastery on a cliff?The monastery was built at this location because it was convenient for passing

pilgrims. It was an important passage leading to a shrine to the South and Datong City to the North. The problem is that the river which flowed past the foot of the cliff would flood whenever there was a storm. In those days it was believed that a golden dragon was the cause of the flooding, therefore they built the temple high up on the cliffs to keep away from the flooding, and ward off the influence of the

dragon.

Hengshan Mountain

QINGYANG PALACE

The Qingyang Palace, also called The Grey Goat Palace, is located in the suburbs of Chengdu. In

the Sichuan province of China.

Qingyang is one of the oldest and most extensive Taoist temples in Chengdu area. Legend says that Lao Tzu asked a friend to meet him there. When the friend

arrived he saw only a boy leading two goats on a leash. He soon realized the boy was Lao Tzu. That is the

reason that in the compound, stand two eye-catching bronze goats. Although called a goat, one of them is

actually a strange creature with mouse ears, an ox nose, tiger paws, rabbit back, snake tail, dragon horns, horse

mouth, goat beard, monkey neck, chicken eyes, dog belly and pig thighs. It is said that this goat has some supernatural powers and anyone who touches it could

survive from illness and mischance.