Tuesday, October 10, 2017

ENGL 2013: Taoism


Taoism

Tao means, literally, the Way – a common concept in Eastern thought.  In Taoism, the Way of the Universe is flow: the universe is always in motion.  The only thing that always is, Lao Tsu (who is the creator of Tao Te Ching) tells is, is change. 

Ci or T’zu: Compassion.  One of the Three Jewels of Taoist Ethics.  Also translates as love or kindness.  It is the virtue of doing/loving/feeling for others as you would do/love/feel for yourself.

Jian: Another of the Three Jewels of Taoist ethics, Jian means simplicity.  We should strive to simplify our lives. Living the simple life leads to purity of the soul/nature. 

Wu Wei: To act like water.  This is a central concept in Taoism.  We are meant to be like water, fluid, yielding, soft, flowing always away, and yet, (as Lao Tsu notes) through the act of yielding and softness, the strongest thing in the universe.  Water is always changing and always eternal (like the Tao).  Weak as it is (anything can shape it, anything can shift it) water wears away stone and breaks down walls and is never destroyed.

The Last of the Three Jewels: (Bugan wei tianxia xian)This one is a phrase, not a simple word, and harder to translate.  It has to do with not have ambition.  Stay away from wanting to be famous.  Calm down, don’t try to triumph, don’t fret about getting rich and winning the prizes.  All that is a bad plan and doesn’t lead to the Tao.

Taijitu symbol
Taijitu: This is that famous yin/yang symbol you’ve seen everywhere.  Taoist thought says we flow constantly between states (as water flows between ice and liquid and steam and so on) and to stay in one – the male or the female, for instance – is not Tao.  The Taijitu is a symbol of that.                                   


Taoism is not a religion – though some have made it into one.  It’s a way of living: good advice that Lao Tsu thought some people might want to hear.

No comments:

Post a Comment