LESSON 13 – DAOISM

INTRODUCTION
 The Dao is the origin of all beings whose essence is nothing. Daoism, a philosophy which flourished in China during the late
Bronze Age and emphasizes humanity’s relationship with nature.
 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 Hunan Province. In effect, it served as a protest of common people against
the rising despotism of rulers and served as a reaction to the growing firmness of the moralists, who were followers of
Confucius.
 Daoists struggled to fight for individual autonomy in the midst of the struggle of rulers and moralists to bring people to
conform to social patterns to achieve social harmony. The ultimate goal of Daoists was to conform to the great pattern of
nature, which is called Dao, or “The Way.” As a philosophy, Daoism focuses on the great mysteries of the Dao; as a religion,
its goal is to achieve long life and, ultimately, immortality.
HISTORICAL BACKROUND
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 conceived by a shooting star and was born of
a virgin mother, who kept 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 first important Daoist who is believed to be a senior contemporary of Kung Fuzi (some
said he even became Kung Fuzi’s adviser) although there is much debate on his date and identity.
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’s family name was Li, his given name was Erh, and he was also known as Tan. According to his
biography, he worked as a government archivist but became frustrated with government corruption and sensing his unavoidable
disgrace he left Chu and was detained at Han-ku Pass by a gatekeeper named 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.
Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu), is believed to have lived from 369 to around 286 B.C.E. Sima Qian also wrote a biography of
Zhuangzi in the Historical Records. According to Sima Qian, his last name was Chuang, his given name was Chou, and Tzu means
“master,” thus Chuang Tzu (Zhuangzi) means “Master Chuang.” He was born in the town of Meng in a small state of Sung, near the
border between present-day Hunan and Shandong Province. He served as an officer-in-charge of a royal garden during the middle of
the Warring States period and was said to be invited by King Wei of Chu to become his chief minister, which he declined. Zhuangzi is
considered a great philosopher and a great writer, and he wrote a book, together with his followers, which became known as
Zhuangzi, and was believed to be completed before the Han dynasty (Fairbank and Reischauer 1989).
SACRED SCRIPTURES
 Dao De Jing - Daoism’s foundational text is the Tao te 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 maxims coming from various contributors with various concerns.
 Book of Chuang Tzu/Zuangzi - 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.
BELIEFS AND DOCTRINES
 The Dao - According to Laozi, the Dao, which is the essential concept and creative principle in Daoism, existed before the
world. It is undetectable, indistinct, shapeless, and indefinable, it is the foundation of all being, and the way in which nature
and the universe exist. All things come from it, and are nourished by it, that is why sometimes the Dao is called “Mother.”
Dao is the origin of heaven and earth and it is also the way in which heaven and earth now live. Its meaning differs across
religions and philosophies: for Confucians, it refers to the basic principles of moral philosophy while for the Legalists, it is
the way of power (Brown 1987).
 Deity/God (Dao as the origin of all beings) - Unlike the Abrahamic religions, Daoism does not have a God, for Daoist’s
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 Daoist’s. 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.
 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 (Brown 1987).
 Wu-Wei - Wu-wei means “no behavior” or “doing nothing.” It also means “to do without doing” (wei-wu wei) or “actionless
activity.” It is a concept used to negate or limit human action. It refers to the cancellation or restriction of human behavior,
especially human activities. Wu-wei may refer to certain stages such as nonbehavioral or doing nothing; taking as little
action as possible; taking action spontaneously; taking a passive attitude toward society; waiting for the spontaneous
 transformation of things; and taking action according to objective conditions and the nature of things or acting naturally. It
advocates a “go with the flow” attitude by cultivating a state of being wherein our actions are in harmony with the natural
cycles of the universe. Laozi believed that wu-wei can lead to a peaceful and harmonious society. The opposite of wu-wei,
which is yu-wei, means taking action, which Laozi believes causes vicious actions, theft, and crime. Wu-wei, on the other
hand, brings prosperity, harmony, and peace.
 Yin Yang - As stated earlier, the concept of yin yang was articulated by the Daoist philosopher Zhuangzi who stated that “yin
in its highest form is freezing while yang in its highest form is boiling. The chilliness comes from heaven while the warmness
comes from the earth. The interaction of these two establishes he (harmony), so it gives birth to things. Perhaps this is ‘the
law of everything’ yet there is no form being seen.”
 Qi/Chi - The qi refers to the natural energy or life force that sustains living beings. Qi literally means “air’ or “vapor.” It is the
fundamental substance of nature and living beings, as well as life force. It refers to matter, which is continuous, energetic,
and dynamic. It is sometimes translated as “material force” or “vital force.” It is considered as the foundation of body and
life. Daoist’s believe that everything is made up of qi and will eventually return to qi. Because of this, people should not be
afraid of death, for life and death are but phases of the circulation of qi (Sharma 1993).
WORSHIP AND OBSERVANCES
 Meditative Practices - Humility and non-competition are among the most important virtues in Daoism. These virtues,
together with naturalness and naturalism, as well as non-aggression and passive rule, manifest the fundamental virtue of
wu wei. The physical appearance of the Daoist sage exemplifies the virtue of humility, for on the outside the sage may dress
shabbily but his mind is full of wisdom and his heart, full of compassion. The sage also manifests the virtue of non-
competition by not competing but emerging victorious nonetheless.
 Moral Practices - Physical and spiritual techniques are just as important as ethical or moral techniques or practices. Daoist’s
put emphasis on ethical behavior by incorporating it into their practices. They value the need for a moral life, of good works
as well as of ritual atonement for misbehavior (Ching 1993). Daoism values the virtues of naturalness, behaving as nature
dictates, not as caused by social pressure or personal pride; and naturalism, which entails resisting temptation to meddle
with nature. Daoist’s tend not to initiate action; instead they wait for events to make action necessary, avoiding letting their
own desires and compulsions push them into doing things.
 Goal Practices
1. To obtain longevity and immortality
- Use of potions (led to the practice of alchemical experiments which made lasting contributions in various fields
such as chemistry, medicine, and pharmacology)
- Practice meditation (includes experiments with one’s self, especially the body through the use of methods of
inner alchemy, associated with yoga and other forms of meditation)
- Breathing technique (to be in contact with qi, for longevity and to counter aging)
2. To dispel illness or suffering
- Jiao Festival (or the rite of cosmic renewal, celebrated to rededicate the local temple and to renew the whole
community by cleansing it from suffering and hardships
- Refrain from eating grain (based on the Daoist belief that illness is caused by three corpse worms which reside
in the body, and eating grain will encourage these worms to stay
- Confession and purging of one’s sins (based on the belief that illness may be caused by wrongdoings)
SUBDIVISIONS
 None
SELECTED ISSUES
 Fatalism - Like any other religion, Daoism has its share of issues. One of them is that Daoism has often been criticized for
propagating laziness or espousing a fatalistic attitude in life by letting nature take its course and reminding Daoist’s to just
go with the flow. A closer examination of the wu-wei, however, would reveal that inaction in Daoism simply means avoiding
unnatural actions by not doing forced or aggressive actions. It means performing all one’s actions with natural and unforced
attitude.
 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 Daoist’s often find
themselves in temples, praying to their ancestors for guidance in their everyday lives.
 Urban Development - Another issue in Daoism is environmentalism. Daoist’s believe in the dictum “leave nature alone and
nature will thrive.” Daoism has advocated a utopian vision of society characterized by order and harmony, and an emphasis
on self-cultivation as a means of achieving social harmony. One should have a healthy relationship with nature and it should
begin with one’s own body. Daoism advocates the idea that we should follow the lead of nature instead of controlling it, for
humans are natural creatures who should live in harmony with nature. Daoism emphasized the balance of opposites and
the interdependence of all things, which can be interpreted as an ancient equivalent of today’s notion of the ecosystem.