DAOISM

INTRODUCTION
Daoism functioned as a philosophy of abandonment and
withdrawal from the rampant warfare and social unrest which
characterized the reign of the Zhou dynasty--a period of
constant struggle for power, wealth, and prestige. It began in the
state of Chu in the southern part of the present

Daoists strugglest to fight for individual autonomy in the midst

of the struggle of rulers and moralists to bring people to
roform tu social patterns to achieve social harmonge The
ultimate goal of Darts was to conform to the great patters of
nature, which is called Deo or "The Way As a philosophy,
Daciam focuses on the great mysteries of the Dao as a
religion, its goal is to achieve long life and, ultimately,
immortality
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Laozi ( lao - tzu) , meaning "Old Master", is believed to have
authored the Dao De Jing ( Tao te ching or The book of the
Way and its Power), Dating back to around third century
B.C.E According to myth, laozi was convinced by a shooting
star and was born of a virgin mother who keep him in her
womb for 82 years, laozi was said to be born with flowing
hair which signified that he would become a wise man. He is
considered as the important daoist who is believed to be
senior contemporary of concluding (said he even become
kung fuzi's adviser) although there is a much debate on his
state and identity.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
The chinese historian Sima Qian wrote a biography of Laozi in the
historical records (Shih chi) in the late 2nd century B.C.E according
to sima qian, Laozi family name was Li, his given name was Erh
and he was also known as tan. According to his biography, he work
as a government archivist but became frustrated with government
corruption, and then see his unavoidable disgrace he left chu and
was detained at han-ku pass by a gatekeeper mean Yin Hsi, who
requested him to write a book for him before leaving Laozi
agreeably wrote two chapters about the Dao (way) and De
(individual power) , which came to be named Dao De Jing or Laozi.
SACRED SCRIPTURES
Daoism's foundational text is the Tao le Ching or Dao De Jing, meaning "The Book of
the Way and its Power." It is a mysterious collection of enigmatic remarks which
many find hard to understand. Its opening line which is often translated as "The
name that can be named is not the eternal name," implies the difficulty of putting the
truth into words, and can only be explained through riddles and paradox. The Dao
De Jing has often been attributed to Laozi, but some believe that it was a product of
the collective efforts among various groups in China, since a closer analysis of the
scripture reveals that there is no integrated philosophy in the Dao De Jing; instead,
it was a collection of sayings and proverbs, lines from popular songs, and clever
Dao De Jing maxims coming from various contributors with various concerns. The Doo De Jing,
which literally means The Book of the Way and its Power, expounds on the meaning
of Dao and its accompanying concept of De-the power or virtue acquired by a
person by means of living in harmony with Dao. It is said to have a paradoxical
element, meaning it contains assertions that were rather contradictory and illogical,
yet contain deeper meaning which can be understood through intuition than through
rational thinking,
SACRED SCRIPTURES
Another important scripture is the Zhuangzi, dating to the third century B.C.E.
and attributed to a man named Zhuangzi, the second founder of Daoism. It
consists of delightful parables, metaphors, and poetic passages, and is praised for
its high literary value which represents the most significant formulation of early
Daoist thought. Zhuangzi is divided into three sections: the Inner Chapters, Outer
Chapters, and Miscellaneous Chapters. According to some experts, certain
chapters of the text were written by scholars during the early part of Han
dynasty. But some question this allegation, saying that some of its chapters are
quoted by Han Feizi and Lushi Chunqiu, which had been completed before the
Dao De Jing Ch'in (Sharma 1993). All in all, the book, which is an anthology of essays that
make use of parables and allegories, discuss his mind is undistracted that is why
he is able to discover the simplicity in the Dao. In this regard, he is likened to a
cat, which has much in common with the sage. Like the cat which does not
deviate from its own nature and being fully aware of the situation at hand, it
always lands on its feet no matter what. (Brodd World Religions: A Voyage of
Discovery).
 ON CE PT S &
C
BEL IE FS
THE DAO
according to laozi, the dao, which is the essential concept
and creative principle in daoism, existed before the world.
all things come from it, and the way in which nature and
the universe exist. All this come from it, and nourished by
it, that is why sometimes the Dao called "Mother." The Dao
is distinct from God. It is not being for it is the origin of all
beings, and its great virtue is that it does everything but
desires nothing. It is "emptiness", which does not compete
with other forces but is content with itself. This
contentment, when practiced by people, will enable them
to lead good lives.
 THE DEITY/GOD
Daoism does not have a God, for Daoists believe that the universe
originated from the Dao, which created and controls the universe
and distantly guides things on their way. However, the Dao itself is
not God and is not worshipped by the Daoists. Instead, they
worship deities, who are gods of a particular role, and they
traditionally worship Laozi not only as the first god of Daoism but
also as the representation of the Dao. For the Daoists, the Dao
possesses heavenly qualities. Daoists also believe that the Dao can
only be found in silence since it is heavenly and beyond change. For
the Daoists, God is found inside us, in the thoughtful emptiness
from which all power and life originates in all directions; it is the
"Nothing" within all of us where all our energy comes from.
 THE DE
The De, which means virtue or the proper adherence to
Dao, is another basic concept in Daoism. It encourages
inaction in nature and advocates the quiet and passive
nature of a person so that the Dao, or the creative
principle in the universe, may act through them without
interference. People should simply follow the Dao and
must do nothing on their own. In this regard. Laozi
professed a distaste for culture and civilization for they
are products of human activity and proof of humanity's
tampering with nature. In line with this, he preferred the
use of inaction in ruling the people.
 THE DE
"Non-competition in Emptiness" is said to be the
other side of the principle actions, and emptiness
is the corresponding inner state, which also means
"absence of desire." Daoists believe that when a
person becomes peaceful. that person acquires
power to overcome all things without having to
compete with others.
"Contentment,
with what is"
"There is no greater sin than the
desire for possession, no greater
curse than the lack of
contentment."
 THE DE
"Non-competition in Emptiness" is said to be the
other side of the principle actions, and emptiness
is the corresponding inner state, which also means
"absence of desire." Daoists believe that when a
person becomes peaceful. that person acquires
power to overcome all things without having to
compete with others.
 WU WEI
(CHINESE: 無為; PINYIN: WÚWÉI)
-It means "no behavior
or "doing nothing". It is a
concept used to negate
or limit human actions. It
advocates a "Go with the
flow" attitude by
cultivating a state
 YIN YANG
Yin and yang is a Chinese philosophical concept
that describes opposite but interconnected forces.
In Chinese cosmology, the universe creates itself
out of a primary chaos of material energy,
organized into the cycles of yin and yang and
formed into objects and lives. Yin is the receptive
and yang the active principle, seen in all forms of
change and difference such as the annual cycle
(winter and summer), the landscape (north-facing
shade and south-facing brightness), sexual
coupling (female and male), the formation of both
men and women as characters and sociopolitical
history (disorder and order)
WORSHIP & OBSERVANCES
Ritual or liturgical expressions are important to the
Daoist religion. Ritual initiation purifies and renews the
human life cycle and development. Daoist priests are
licensed to perform rituals of specific traditions.
 Daoist forms of Rituals
Burning of Incense
Festivals
Exorcism
 WORSHIP & OBSERVANCES
Meditative Practices
Daoism prioritizes humility and non-competition. The fundemental
value of wu wei is naturalness, naturalism, non-aggression, and
passive rule.
Moral Practices
GOAL PRACTICES

To obtain use of potions (led to the practice of alchemical experiments which made lasting
contributions in various fields such as chemistry medicine and pharmacology)
longevity and practice meditation (includes experiments with one's self especially the body through the
immortality use of methodsof inner alchemy associated with yoga and other forms of meditation)
breathing technique (to be in contact with a, for forgesity and to counter and

Sao Festival for the rite of cosmic renewal, celebrated to dedicate the local temple and to
renew the whole community by claiming it from suffering and hardships
To dispel illness or Refrain from eating grain, based on the Daoist belief that illness is caused by three courpse
suffering worms which reside in the body, and eating grain will encourage the worms to stay
Confession and purging of one's sin (based on the belief that illness may be caused by
wrong doings)
SE LE CT ED
IS SU ES
 FATALISM
Fatalism. Like any other religion, Daoism has its share of
issues. One of them is that Daoism has often criticized for
propagating laziness by letting nature take its course and
reminding Daoist to Just go with the flow. It means performing
all one's actions by not doing force or aggressive actions.
 SUPERSTITION
Another issue encountered by Daoism is the belief in superstitious practices. For
instance, there is a misconception that Daoism involves sorcery, which includes
the drawing of signs, chants, and other practices which led to the notion that
Daoism promotes superstitious practices. But the practice of ancestor worship
has been an aspect of Chinese culture which found its way in Daoism, similar to
the Shinto practice among the Japanese, thus Daoists often find themselves in
temples, praying to their ancestors for guidance in their everyday lives. Daoists
also pray as a way of remembering their source to repay kindness and sow
gratitude.
URBAN DEVELOPMENT
Daoist believe in the dictum "Leave nature alone
and nature will thrive". Daoism has advocated a
utopian version of society characterized by order
and harmony, and an emphasis on self-
cultivation as a means of achieving social
harmony
THANK YOU
Xiè xiè nín
谢谢你