Group 3 Taoism

I. Introduction

Taoism
The Daode jing focuses on dao as a way or path- that is, the appropriate way to behave and to lead others- but the Daode jing also refers to Tao s something that existed before Heaven and earth, a primal and chaotic matrix from which all forms emerged. Taoism is an ancient tradition of philosophy and religious belief that is deeply rooted in Chinese customs and worldwide. Taoist ideas have become popular throughout the world through Tai Chi Chuan, Qigong, and various martial arts. Taoism is also referred to as Daoism, which is more accurate way of representing in English the sound of Chinese word. Taoism is about Tao. Tao means way. But its hard to say exactly what this means. The Tao is the ultimate creative principle of the universe. All things are unified and connected in the Tao. The Way, according to Taoist, is the spiritual force that underlies the universe and is found in all things. Even though it is a part of all things, it is greater than all things. It is the ultimate reality. Taoism originated in China 2000 years ago. Taoism was started by the Chinese philosopher Lao Tze, the Supreme master, in the 6th century BCE. Tao lived in the same time as another ancient Chinese philosopher, Confucius. It is said that one day Lao Tze left his job and rode off west on an ox. At a mountain pass the guardian asked him to write down his teaching. This how the sacred book of Tao called the Doodejing came to be written. It also why you see statues and figures of Lao Tze is an ox. It is religion of unity and opposites; Yin and Yang. The principle of Yin and Yang sees the world as filled with complementary forces action and non-action, light dark, hot and cold, and so on. Yin and Yang symbol stand for It represent the harmonious interaction of the two opposing forces in the Universe, male or yin and female or yang.

The Dao The word Dao has two main meanings, namely way and method. These two meanings refers, respectively, to way in which something

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is or functions, and to the way of doing something (including the extended meaning of practice in a religious senses). The early Taoist texts are the first ones to use this word to mean the absolute. For the Daode jing, the Dao has no name and is beyond any description or definition; the word Dao itself is used only because one is forced to refer to it. The Dao is unknowable, has no form and therefore does not undergo change, is constant, and is invisible, inaudible, and imperceptible. The two principles of non-being (wu) and being (you) are contained within it. Yet the Dao, in spite of its being indistinct and vague (huanghu), contained an essence (jing) that is the seed of the world of multiplicity. Under this second aspect which can be distinguished from the previous one only from the perspective of the domain of relativity the Dao is the beginning of the world and its mother. The faculty that the Dao has o give life to and nourish the individual entities is its de, or virtue. The daode jing outlines generative process from the Dao to existence, which happens spontaneously and has no causes or purpose, in a well-known statement: The Dao generates the One, the One generates the two, the Two generates the three, the Three generates the ten thousand things. According to this formulation, the Dao first generates the one (yi), the principle of the unity of existence in which the individual entities defined by forms and names are included, but have not yet separated from each other. The One differentiates itself into the two polar and complementary principles, Yin and Yang. The three is the product of the joining of Yin and Yang; it represent the One reestablished at the level of each individual entity. The ten thousand things (wanwu) are the sum of entities generated by joining of Yan and Yang. The sentence of the Daode jing quoted above, therefore, formulates both a metaphysics, by arranging the single items in a hierarchical sequence designed to show their ultimate origin in the Dao, and cosmogony, which does not take place once and for all at the beginning of time but is continuously reiterated within each of the cycles that the Dao brings into existence. Discussion

A. Creed
Taoist believes that they should live in harmony with the Tao or Way. If they do this they will merged with the Tao, free their soul, and become one of the immortals.

In the beginning Taoist believed there were no GODS or GODDESSES only the Tao but over time people began worshiping Lao Tze and other important Taoist teachers. They also began worshiping force of nature such as the sun, moon, stars and tides. In Taoist belief or observation there are three basic spheres of life: Earth, Humanity and Heaven. At a very pragmatic level, each one of these spheres has a major influence on the life of human being. For example: The earth and its seasons determine where and how the individual lives. Our basic sustenance of food, water, air, and shelter comes from the earth. Human civilization is also a major influence. The relationship of woman and man is vital to the perpetuation of the species. The ways our communities are organized significantly impacts on the lifestyle of the individual. Heaven brings light to the world, defines our seasons, and brings celestial influences into the spheres of the earth and humanity. Taoism believes in heaven the form of vastness of naturally occurring celestial bodies, but also heaven in the form of subtle, mysterious energy that extends beyond and interpenetrates the mundane physical reality and also exists as an integral part of the human being. Extending on the previous points of discussion, there are a couple aspects of Taoism that need to be highlighted in order to provide a greater or more complete view of Taoism beliefs. Firstly is the Taoist veneration of nature. For the most part, Taoists avoid abstraction of reality and strive to see things as they are in the given moment. Recalling the previously mentioned phrase from Lao Tzu, Taoists subscribe to the view that humans should be following the ways of the Earth. Meaning we should be following the ways of nature because the natural world is a direct emanation of Tao. Taoist veneration of nature is not just focused externally on the macrocosm, but also internally toward the microcosmic inner life of the practitioner. Meaning that there is concreted effort to become familiar with the natural landscapes with oneself. Becoming integrally attuned to ones true inner nature, often referred to as ones virtue, is synonymous to being one with Tao.

B. Code Taoist believes that good actions will mean a better life for their soul sp
Taoist follow rules and guides for living. They are not allowed to tell lies,

steal, commit adultery, and commit murder or drinks alcohol. They also have list of good deeds to further guide the way they live. They are encouraged to obey their elders, love their parents, be tolerant, help others act, stay in excellent physical and mental shape, practice self control of mind and body, and act without thinking of themselves, in other words act selflessly. According to The Ultra Supreme Elder Lord's Scripture of Precepts, the five basic precepts are: The first precept: No Murdering; The second precept: No Stealing; The third precept: No Sexual Misconduct; The fourth precept: No False Speech; The fifth precept: No Taking of Intoxicants. Their definitions can be found in an excerpt of The Ultra Supreme Elder Lord's Scripture of Precepts: The Elder Lord said: "The precept against killing is: All living beings, including all kinds of animals, and those as small as insects, worms, and so forth, are containers of the uncreated energy, thus one should not kill any of them." The Elder Lord said: "The precept against stealing is: One should not take anything that he does not own and is not given to him, whether it belongs to someone or not." The Elder Lord said: "The precept against sexual misconduct is: If a sexual conduct happens, but it is not between a man and a woman who are married to each other, it is a Sexual Misconduct. As for a monk or nun, he or she should never marry or practice sexual intercourse with anyone."* The Elder Lord said: "The precept against false speech is: If one did not hear, see, or feel something, or if something is not realized by his Heart, but he tells it to others, this constitutes False Speech." The Elder Lord said: "The precept against taking of intoxicants is: One should not take any alcoholic drinks, unless he has to take some to cure his illness. The Elder Lord had said: "These five precepts are the fundamentals for keeping one's body in purity, and are the roots of the upholding of the holy teachings. For those virtuous men and virtuous women who enjoy the virtuous teachings, if they can

accept and keep these precepts, and never violate any of them till the end of their lifetimes, they are recognized as those with pure faith, they will gain the Way to Tao, will gain the holy principles, and will forever achieve Tao -- the Reality."

C. Ceremonies Order and Harmony

o At the heart of Taoist ritual is the concept of bringing order and harmony to many layers of the cosmos: the cosmos as a whole (the world of nature), the world or human society, and the inner world of human individuals. o Taoist rituals involve purification, meditation and offerings to deities. The details of Taoist rituals are often highly complex and technical and therefore left to the priest, with the congregation playing little part. The rituals involve the priest ( and assistants) in chanting and playing instruments(particularly wind and percussion), and also dancing. o o One major Taoist ritual is the chiao (jiao) , a rite of cosmic renewal, which is itself made up of several rituals. A shortened version of the chiao is ritual in which each household in a village brings an offering for the local deities. In the ceremony a Taoist priest dedicates the offerings in the names of the families, perform a ritual to restore order to the universe, and asks the Gods to bring peace and prosperity to the village.

D. Temple rituals
o Temple rituals can be used to regulate Chi and balance the
flow of yin and yang both for individuals and the wider community.

o Other rituals involve prayers to various Taoist deities,

meditations on talismans, and reciting and chanting prayers and text. There are two main types of ritual: 1) funeral rites or periodic rites on behalf of ancestors, which are performed only by some sects, sometimes in tandem with Buddhist priests; and 2) rites on behalf of

local communities. Both types include rites to install the ritual space, rites of fasting, rites of communion or offering, and rites to disperse the ritual space. Rituals on behalf of the community may involve tens or even hundreds of villages, and occur every three, five, or twelve years. They can be extraordinarily expensive, and are paid for by household donations and community leaders. Aside from the rituals themselves, there will also be plays, processions, military parades, and communal meals.

As for the performance of the rituals themselves, no mistakes can be made; no step or recitation must falter. Apprenticed Taoshi serve as musicians; more advanced trainees assist by lighting incense and reciting certain passages. The heart of the ritual is conducted by five Taoshi: a Great Master and his four assistants. One of these assistants heads the intricate and complex processions and dances, and is responsible for knowing the entire sequence of rites that make up the full ritual. Another prepares in advance every communication with the celestial bureaucracy that is used during the course of the entire ritual, and recites all of the invocations and consecrations, the texts of purification, elevation, and confession. During much of the activities, the Great Master is preparing for his role, quietly murmuring secret formulas and doing mudras with his hands inside his sleeves. At times he picks up the incense burner and holds it as he breathes in and out, facing different directions, or he burns talismanic symbols or initials documents. Primarily, he enacts internally the actions spoken by the texts that are being recited by his assistant. At a certain point, he rises and performs the "dance of the stars," the step of Yu or Taiyi. Then he falls prostrate, in a fetal position with arms and legs under his body face in hands, as he internally journeys to the Heavenly Assembly, locus of the Heavenly Worthies, accompanied by divine escorts (all described in the recitation that accompanies these acts). In this sense, the master is the mountain, just as the incense burner and the altar are also the mountain. In ancient times, the altar was built upon a series of graduated steps, so that the master actually ascended the steps at this point in the ritual, but these days the ascent is entirely internal. There he presents the memorial that is the heart of the ritual texts. The memorial is a petition to the gods, written in literary language, stating

the name and purpose of the ritual, its date and location, the names and addresses of the participants, and a vow that is a request and a pledge on behalf of all the participants.

Standing again, the master burns the memorial and scatters the ashes, gathers his escorts, and returns. Afterward, there is more chanting and more music, but the main portion of the ritual has occurred. In breaking down the ritual space, all talismans, writs, and other markers of the ritual space are burned. Afterward there is a communal banquet, with plenty of food available for the orphan souls who cannot become ancestors. Taoist rituals are colorful, filled with music, incense, and stylized movements. Much of Chinese drama is influenced by Taoist ritual. Puppet theatre especially has roots in Taoist ritual, and continues to mimic it in many important ways, including the consecration of the participants before the show begins, the construction of the stage with four corners, and the appropriate talismanic symbols. The master puppeteer is located at the center, just as is the Taoist master who presides over a ritual. Some puppet plays are so fearsome in their spiritual power that ordinary people avoid watching them, just as they avoid watching Taoist rituals. Some forms of ritual involve medium ship, trance, and the exorcism of demons. These usually occur during festivals, and are regarded as being of a lower order than the rituals of the Taoshi. The "barefoot masters" walk beds of hot coals, climb ladders of swords, or pierce themselves with sharp objects. In ritual spaces far less defined than those of the Taoshi, they will call on the powers of local spirit generals and spirit armies and, in the course of dramatic performances, invoke their power for aid and protection on behalf of the community. To communicate with the dead, a miniature sedan chair carried by two people may become the seat of a deity who will, through the movement of the chair, dictate a response to settle a conflict between dead and living family members. Both mediums and puppets can also undertake expeditions against demons who have caused problems for a person or community. The barefoot masters, like the Taoshi, have their ritual texts, long epics that describe voyages to spirit realms. They often paint their faces in elaborate masks, like those of Chinese opera characters. They might enact a battle against the demons, with swords and military music, and strike themselves with their weapons, drawing blood. The blood is

regarded as protection against evil, and the act, a form of expiation for the sins of all. Tissues are applied to the wounds to soak up a bit of blood, and then taken home and stuck on doorframes to ward off evil.

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Conclusion

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Critiques/ Christian