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Pepper Yang

Mr. Olszyk

Comparative Religion Block B

October 8 2016

The Wisdom in Wuwei

Taoism makes up a large part of Chinese religion which emphasis "naturalness and

yielding"(Brodd, 120). Tao means "the Way of nature"(120), and the teaching of Taoism is

primarily about wwi, which means "action less activity"(120). The principle behind this

central belief is to have "harmony with nature"(120) and let energy in nature empower.

Founders

Taoism emerges in late Han dynasty 1800 years ago, and Lao Tzu as well as Chuang Tzu

are considered to be the founders of this religion. Tao Te Ching and Chuang Tzu, two

fundamental teaching books of Taoism, were so influential that they "affected East Asia culture

for more than two millennia"(120).

There are many implausible legends of Lao Tzu, but the authentic one states that he

works in a palace where he gains wisdom and knowledge, and one day he decides to live like a

monk and get away from the chaos of that era. When he tries to get out of the palace, the guard

does not let him go until he tells the philosophy. Then, Lao Tsu spends three days to complete his

teaching, Tao Te Ching. Another interesting story is about his birth. According to the story, his

mother is pregnant for eighty-one years, and when Lao Tzu is born, he has white beards.

Therefore he is called Lao Tzu, in which "Lao" means old in Chinese. Lao Tzu's philosophy is so

influential that Confucius has visited Lao Tzu and asks questions about Taoism.
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Chuang Tzu, the other founder of Taoism who lives hundreds years later than Lao Tzu,

has a different story. He becomes knowledgeable by traveling around different countries(during

the time he lives, China is not united), and studying multiple branches of philosophies. The king

of Country called Chu wants him to be the prime minister with a considerable sum of money, but

Chuang Tzu refuses because he prefers poor but free life.

Both stories reflect the belief of Taoism, action less activity, by showing the preference of

lifestyle and personal choices.

History

Taoism flourishes in Han dynasty when upper class studied Tao De Jing to pursue a

higher achievement in philosophy, literature, and art. Liu An, a "brilliant scholar who is

interested in philosophy than politics", established the school for Taoism in Han(Hardy 1). Later,

Taoism becomes the official religion of Tang dynasty because the emperors claim Lao Tzu is

their ancestor. Also, emperors of Tang use the principles of Taoism to rule the country. Tang

dynasty is one of the most prosperous and long lasting dynasty in Chinese history. Taoism altered

and influenced China through out the history and it even survived the Cultural Revolution. In the

Cultural Revolution, "many Taoist temples and sites were damaged and Monks and priest were

sent to labor camps"(Bot 2). After the persecution stops, Taoists revive their traditions and

reopen their temple.

Even within economy nowadays, Taoism can still be used to explain laissez faire. Taoism

believes the power of nature, and humans do not need to do anything to change it. Everything

will turn out fine without human action. Similarly, laissez faire states that there is an invisible
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hand guiding the market, which is the nature of market. All the historical accounts mentioned

above help prove the truthfulness of Taoism.

Practices

Taoism does not have a "rigid division between body and spirit"(BBC 1), so taoists

believe that "physical action can have spiritual effect"(BBC 1). Taoists emphasize purity in order

to gain spiritual health. Therefore, they have moderate diet and state of mind. Meditation is also

an important part of the Taoism practice. Meditation can be practiced everywhere to "create

mental stillness and enhance mindfulness"(BBC 1). In addition, the way of breathing plays an

vital role to reach the state of balance and peace. Breathing correctly allows the flow of energy in

the body becomes regulated and harmonized. The most popular and well known practice of

regulating the energy is Tai Chi. "Visualization practices are common, such as visualizing gods

within the body or visualizing journeys to the celestial places"(Hardy 1). In Song dynasty, the

rituals were performed to bring harvest and good luck. The rites include "purification, invocation

of the deities and prayers"(Hardy 1).

Beliefs

Chinese philosophy "has been characterized by an awareness of man's close relationship

with nature and universe"(Taoist Beliefs 1). Focused on this point of view, Taoism concerns

about individual's spiritual life. The idea about death is interesting that taoists believe that death

is a "transformation from being to non-being; from yang to yin"(Taoist Belief 1). Contrast to

Confucius' view, Tao De Jing states that nature is amoral, it cares about nothing for humans, and

death is a part of natural cycle. "Individuals have to accommodate themselves to nature laws and

patterns"(Hardy 1). Otherwise, they will encounter trouble and challenges brought by nature.
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Taoism advocates tranquility and opposes violence. To harmonize with Tao, one needs to "do

without doing".

"The best (man) is like water. Water is good; it benefits all things and does not compete

with them. It dwells in (lowly) places that all distain"(Brodd 124). This saying from Tao De

Ching is an epitome of Taoism. A person need to be like water in order to get enlightened,

because water represents the ultimate state of a taoist. Like what Taoism advocates for, water has

the shape of its container and become the thing that adds to it. Water does not compete with the

environment; instead, it accommodate the environment.

One of the goals of Taoism is to be immortal in ancient China. The symbol of longevity is

crane, because it has the ability to fly. Yin and yang is also a famous symbol for Taoism which

describes opposite things can be complementary and interdependent. Also, the white dot in the

black space and the black dot in the white space mean that even opposite things can have

something in common. For example, it means the balance between living and death is an

ongoing cycle. Additionally, Lao Tzu finds that the new born things are weak but energetic, but

when they become stronger, they also start to grow old. His finding makes the principle of yin

and yang easy to understand.

The most important belief of Taoism is "wuwei", which means do nothing. The concept

of "wuwei" is controversial and difficult to understand. According to Tao De Ching, "the softest

things in the world overcome the hardest things in the world. Non- being penetrates that in which

there is no space"(Brodd 128). This can be readily observed in the nature where water can

penetrate rocks after a long time of dropping on the same spot. "Wuwei" is also very commonly

used in ruling the new established country in ancient China. It is effective because citizens can
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make more profit live a happy life easier without many regulations. However, the concept is

questioned by many people who claim "wuwei" is unreliable, and Kong Fu Panda can effectively

argue against their point. There is a scene where Shifu is unconfident about Po, and Master

Oogway tells him that Po will succeed when he stop controlling Po. Taoism teaches people that

believing can help accomplish one's goal. When people start to believe, they would feel less

pressure, so it is easier for them to accomplish their goals in a calm and clear mind.

All in all, Taoism is a influential religion that is worth studying. The wise and practical

belief allow individuals discover their own Tao. The daily practices let people experience

tranquility and benefit their health. Meanwhile, by understanding Tao, people can realize the

importance of harmonizing with the nature.

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Work Cited

Brodd, Jeffrey. "Taoism." Primary Source Readings in World Religions. Winona, MN:

Saint Mary's, 2009. N. pag. Print.

Taoist Beliefs. ReligionFacts.com. 10 Nov. 2015. Web. Accessed 9 Oct. 2016.

<www.religionfacts.com/taoism/beliefs>

"Taoism: Physical Practices." BBC. N.p., 12 Nov. 2009. Web. 9 Oct. 2016.

Taoism Ritual, Worship, Devotion, Symbolism, Taoism Worship and Devotion in Daily Life.

N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2016.

Wikipedia. Ed. Bot C. Green. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2016.