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DAOISM
Literallymeaning"theway,"DaoismisoneofthetworeligiousphilosophiesthathaveshapedChineselifeforthelast2,000years.(TheotherisConfucianism.)
ItisdifficulttodescribeDaoistconceptssimplybecauseTaoismisaboutdefiningtheundefinable.Itevolvedintoareligionwithmanydifferentmanifestations
anddominatedChinaforseveralcenturiesbeforebeingsupplantedbyBuddhism.
Laotzu
AlsoknownasTaoism,DaoismoriginatedasaphilosophyinancientChinaduringtheEraofWarringStatesfromca.475to221BCE.Laotzuis
consideredthefounderofDaoismforhisteachingsdescribedintheTaoteching,althoughitisunclearwhetherLaotzuwasalegendaryorhistoric
figure.TheclassicChinesebookZhuangzi,byfourthcenturyBCEauthorZhuangzi,statesthatLaotzuwasaDaoistmasterwhowasaneldercontemporaryof
Confucius.AnotheraccountintheShiji("historicalrecords")statesthatLaotzuwasanarchivistintheroyalcourtandmetConfuciusbeforeheadingwest,
nevertobeheardfromagain.ModernscholarsquestionwhetherLaotzuevenexisted.
Nonetheless,theTaotechingandlaterwritingsbyZhuangziprovidedthefoundationforaphilosophicalDaoismthatcametodominateimperialcourts
throughoutmuchofChinauntilthesecondcenturyCE,whenareligiousformofDaoismevolvedintheprovinceofSichuan(Szechuan).ZhangDaolingclaimed
toreceivearevelationfromLaotzu,whoinstructedhimtoimplementhis"orthodoxandsoledoctrineoftheauthorityofthecovenant."ZhangDaolinglater
earnedthetitle"heavenlymaster."Asuccessionoffollowers,alsocalledheavenlymasters,foundedanindependentorganizationtoinstructthefaithfulonthe
workofLaotzu,withanemphasisonteachingtherightactionsandgoodworks.
HeavenlymastersoftenacquiredinfluentialrolesinChinesecourtsasintermediariesbetweentherulerandthepeople.By300CE,mostofthepowerful
familiesinnorthernChinahadbecomeadherentsofDaoism.Beforelong,religiousDaoismwasbeingimposedonsoutheasternChina.AsDaoismspread,the
heavenlymasterspracticedincreasinglydiverseandelaborateceremoniesandrituals,includinghygienicandrespiratorytechniques,exorcisms,andother
activities.Theyalsoorganizedasystemoftemplesandhereditarypriesthoods.SomeDaoistsectsdevelopedmonasterieswherereligiouscommunities
facilitatedeverydayobservanceofDaoistmeditation,liturgy,hygiene,andothermatters.
Inthefourthcentury,BuddhismmadesignificantinroadsintoChina,andthetworeligions,althoughverysimilar,wereatconstantoddswitheachother.Bythe
sixthcentury,BuddhismhadovertakenDaoismasthedominantreligioninChina.
AvastquantityofsacredDaoisttextsexist.ThefoundingdocumentistheTaoteching,whichlaysoutthefivefundamentalprinciplesofDaoism:Dao,relativity,
nonaction,return,andgovernment.Zhuangzi,namedafteritsauthor,isconsideredtobetheotherfundamentalDaoistscripture.Writteninthefourthorthird
centuryBCE,thetextdescribesDaoistphilosophyandincludesaccountsof"spiritjourneys,"descriptionsofDaoistmastersanddisciples,andtechniqueson
breathing,meditation,sexualactivity,anddiets.TwoothersignificanttextsaretheTaipingjing(ClassicoftheGreatPeace)andtheBaopuzi(Master
EmbracingSimplicity).BothwerewritteninthethirdandfourthcenturiesCEanddescribewaysforDaoiststoseekimmortalitythroughspecialdiets,sexual
activities,andalchemysubstances(theDaoistresearchfordifferentchemicalcompoundsresultedinthediscoveryofgunpowder).
TheDaoisasingle,imperceptible,formlessstatethatunderliesbothbeingandnonbeing.Itisapurposeless,amoral,andimpersonalcosmicentitythatserves
astheunderpinningforeverythingthatexists."Look,itcannotbeseenitisbeyondform,"statestheTaoteching."Listen,itcannotbehearditisbeyond
sound.Grasp,itcannotbehelditisintangible."ThelawoftheDaostatesthatallphenomenagothroughaprocessofreversalinwhichtheyreturntotheir
originalstate.SincetheDaobecomeseverything,everythingreturnstotheDao.
Zhuangzi

TheconceptofnonactionasrepresentingthenaturalcourseofthingsisafundamentalbeliefinDaoism,althoughthatdoesnotmeanthat
Daoistsadheretoantiactionactivities.Rather,itreferstotheconstantinteractionbetweentheyangandtheyin,twoantitheticaland
complementaryaspectsoftheDaothatcreatethenaturalorder.Theyangrepresentsgood,masculine,warmth,andpositiveprinciples.Theyinrepresents
cold,feminine,evil,andnegativeprinciples.However,theconceptofrelativitywithholdsanyjudgmentofgoodandbad,largeandsmall,orbeautyandugliness
asabsolutes.Theyarenotpolaroppositesbutrathervaluesimposedbypeople,dependingontheirindividualcircumstances.Alldualities,Zhuangzisaid,are
notreallyoppositesbutidenticalaspectsofthesamereality.
DaoreligiouspracticesareaimedatallowingpeopletodiscovertheDaothroughavarietyofritualsandceremonies.Thegoalistostripapersonofthe
clutteringoutsideinfluencesthatobstructhisorherunderstandingofthecosmicDaoforcesandallowhimorhertobecomeonewiththeDao.Daoists
discouragepassionsandemotionsthatdeflectthespiritualpoweroftheDao.Theyencouragethemasteryofthephysicalsensessothattheycanbeusedto
focusontheDao.Theavenuesforunderstandingaremany.PerhapsthemostimportantoftheDaoistcontemplativepracticesistheshouyi(or"meditatingon
theOne")invisualizationexercisesoftheheavenlybodiesandplanets.
ThemostimportantDaoistceremonyisthejiao,inwhichthecommunityrenewsitscommunicationwiththegods.Thereareotherjiaoritesfortheordinationof
priests,thebirthdaysofgods,andthewardingoffofdisasters.Alljiaoarecelebratedontwolevels:afeastinthevillageandaliturgyinsidetheclosedtemple,
whereanincenseburnerplaysanessentialroleinallrites.
DavidLevinson

FurtherReading
Creel,H.J.,WhatIsTaoism?andOtherStudiesinChineseCulturalHistory,1970Lagerwey,John,TaoistRitualinChineseSociety,1987Robinet,Isabelle.
Taoism:GrowthofaReligion.TranslatedbyPhyllisBrooks.Stanford,CA:StanfordUniversityPress,1997.
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Creel,H.J.,WhatIsTaoism?andOtherStudiesinChineseCulturalHistory,1970Lagerwey,John,TaoistRitualinChineseSociety,1987Robinet,Isabelle.
Taoism:GrowthofaReligion.TranslatedbyPhyllisBrooks.Stanford,CA:StanfordUniversityPress,1997.
COPYRIGHT2016ABCCLIO,LLC
Thiscontentmaybeusedfornoncommercial,classroompurposesonly.
ImageCredits
Zhuangzi:InstructionalResourcesCorporation
Laotzu:Jupiterimages
MLACitation
Levinson,David."Daoism."WorldHistory:AncientandMedievalEras,ABCCLIO,2016,ancienthistory.abcclio.com/Search/Display/596635.Accessed12
Sept.2016.

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