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Taoism Chinese Philosophy
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TaoismChinese PhilosophyThere is tremendous interest in Taoism today. References to it appear in everything from art books to philosophy classes. Qiogong (chi kung) and Tai Chi are taught at community colleges, and spiritually inclined people are investigating Taoist meditations. Scholars credit Taoism with having had a significant influence on Zen Buddhism (thereby accounting for its difference from Indian Buddhism), Chinese classical poets such as Li Po and Tu Fu are widely acknowledge to have consciously included Taoist themes, and every major building in China--even today--is constructed according to Taoist principles. If the English language reader wanted to investigate more about Taoism, they might well be forgiven for thinking that nothing significant had been written since 300 B.C. Readers interested in Taoism have undoubtedly seen most of these books, and yet articles written in magazines, questions asked at lectures, and the confusion many people profess about Taoist principles show that the current body of literature is insufficient support for applying Taoism to daily life. This is not surprising. Translators usually have not had long training as Taoists, so their perspective is academic rather that practical. If readers want to go a step further after reading the popular books on Taoism, they have very few alternatives. A discussion of Taoism requires an examination of: (1) the application of Taoism to everyday life, (2) role of experience and experimentation, (3) character, (4) relation to the outside world, and (5) application to debate. Taoism’s strength in Chinese culture--to the point that it permeates daily life even in the Asia of today--lies in its many ties to the culture at large. What sounds complicated in English is simple in Chinese. Is it possible to see Tao in everyday life, regardless of place or culture? The answer is yes, Taoism is essentially concerned with how individuals act and think in life. While there are theoretical notions, the attempt is to transform them in such a way as to motivate and justify action. The message of Taoism is that one can actually apply the open and accessible ideas of Tao directly to one’s life. Taoism encourages you to explore on your own. That is where true experience lies. That is why Taoism constantly emphasizes meditation. It is far better to turn away from dead scriptures and tap directly into Tao as it exists now. The process of tapping into Taoism as it exists now is at the center of the exploration of meditation. We need to open ourselves to what is unique about contemporary times, throw off the shackles of outmoded forms and instead adapt them to our current needs. Tao fundamentally assumes that an inner cultivation of character can lead to an outer resonance. When confronted with the mysteries of the universe and the adversities of life, those who follow Tao think first to secure their own inner characters or souls. This is directly at variance with a great deal of modern thinking. Currently if we are faced with a river too broad, we build a bridge to span it. If someone attacks us, we immediately assume it to be that person’s fault and loudly call for someone to expel the intruder. If we want to ponder something far away, we quickly fly the distance to explore it. The assumptions of those who follow Tao is much different. It is not that they would never build the bridge, fight an aggressor, or explore the distant. When confronted with the river, they might ask why the bridge was needed. Was there some reason that they were not content with what they had? Before they went to explore the faraway, those who follow Tao would first think to know themselves well. They believe that the outside world is only known in relation to an inner point of view. They could therefore establish self-knowledge before they tried to know others. Self cultivation is the basis for knowing Tao. Although Tao may be glimpsed in the outer world, individuals must sharpen their sensibilities in order to observe the workings of a superior being. In the Western world today, there are thousands of people exploring Taoism for answers they cannot find in their own culture. In this worthy search, many of them lack a companion for their spiritual quests. Taoism can be such a companion. It addresses the awe and devotion of spiritual life, while recognizing that there are times when meditation does not appear to succeed and life is discouraging. Because Taoism is a practical philosophy attempting to explain and integrate its theories within the larger community. The debater will find Taoism less useful when debating criteria. Instead, the works of Taoism will more likely benefit the debater who is examining the relationship between criteria and justification. That is, Taoism reveals how our values lead to desirable or undesirable action. Moreover, Taoism will benefit the debater who is interested in how our mind and inner character are influenced by values and how character influences action. BibliographyTimothy Hugh Barrett. LIAO: BUDDHIST, TAOIST, OR NEO-CONFUCIAN? Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1922.
London: Allen & Unwin, 1974. John Eaton Calthorpe Bloefeld. THE SECRET AND SUBLIME: TAOIST MYSTERIES AND MAGIC. London: Allen & Unwin, 1973. Chi-Yun Chang. LAO-TZU. Taiwan: Min-Kuo 47, 1958. Chung-Yuan Chang. CREATIVITY AND TAOISM: A STUDY OF CHINESE PHILOSOPHY, ART & POETRY. New York Julian Press, 1963. Chuang-tzu. CHUANG-TZU: THE SEVEN INNER CHAPTERS AND OTHER WRITINGS FROM THE BOOK. Boston: Allen & Unwin, 1981. Chuang-tzu. THE INNER CHAPTERS. AC. Graham, trans. London: Unwin Paperbacks, 1986. Thomas F. Cleary, trans. THE ESSENTIAL TAO: AN INITIATION INTO THE HEART OF TAOISM THROUGH THE AUTHENTIC TAO TE CHING AND THE INNER TEACHINGS OF CHUANG‘IZU. San Francisco: Harper, 1991. Douglas G. Clemons. COMPLETING DISTINCTIONS. Boston: Shambhala, 1991. Ming-Dao Deng. SCHOLAR WARRIOR: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE TAO IN EVERYDAY LIFE. San Francisco: Harper, 1990. Hampden C. Dubose. THE DRAGON, IMAGE AND DEMON, OR THE THREE RELIGIONS OF CHINA: CONFUCIANISM, BUDDISM AND TAOISM: GIVING AN ACCOUNT OF THE MYTHOLOGY, IDOLATRY AND DEMONOLATRY OF THE CHINESE. New York: Armstrong, 1886. N.J. Giradot. MYTH AND MEANING IN EARLY TAOISM: THE THEMES OF CHAOS. Berkeley: University of California Ness, 1983. Jan Jakob Maia de Groof. RELIGION IN CHINA: UNIVERSISM, A KEY TO THE STUYD OF TAOISM AND CONFUCIANISM. New York: Putnam, 1912. Max Kaltenmark. LAO TZU AND TAOISM. Roger Greaves, trans. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Ness, 1969. Tao-Chun Li. CHUNG HO CHI: THE BOOK OF BALANCE AND HARMONY. Thomas Cleary, trans. San Francisco: North Point Press, 1989. I-Ming Liu. AWAKENING TO THE TAO. New York: Random House, 1988. Toshihiko Izutsu. SUFISM AND TAOISM: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF KEY PHILOSOPHICAL CONCEPTS. Berkeley: University of California Ness, 1984. Directory: uploads uploads -> 587 Return function, r i(X) r i(0) r i(1) r i(2) r i(3) 1 0 2 4 6 Thermal Station, I 2 0 1 5 6 3 0 3 5 6 10 uploads -> Department of science and humanities department of mathematics part-a questions and answers uploads -> The Case Against the nypd’s Quota-Driven ‘Broken Windows’ Policing What Is It? uploads -> For want of a nail uploads -> Ownership Models There are two different types of ownership models uploads -> Police Militarization uploads -> City of rising star regular meting thursday, july 14, 2016 uploads -> Township of winfield uploads -> Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act of 2014 uploads -> The Black Panther Party’s Ten-Point Program What We Want Now! Download 5.81 Mb. Share with your friends:
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