20241002 Taoism
October 2, 2024•296 words
This page is part of my exploration of the origins of Zen:
https://listed.valdelane.net/55456/20241004-zen
"Taoism or Daoism is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao—generally understood as an impersonal, enigmatic process of transformation ultimately underlying reality. The concept originates in the Chinese word 道 (pinyin: dào; Wade–Giles: tao4). Although Taoism has no simple definitions, possible translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', and 'technique'." Here is the rest of the Wikipedia entry:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taoism
The Tao Te Ching (Daodejing), ascribed to Lao Tzu, is a Chinese classical text widely considered the foundation of philosophical Taoism. Here is my page about it:
https://listed.valdelane.net/55370/20240928-tao-te-ching-lao-tzu
Two additional texts typically grouped with the Tao Te Ching are ascribed to Lao Tzu's followers:
Chuang Tzu
https://listed.valdelane.net/55369/20240927-chuang-tzu
Lieh Tzu
https://listed.valdelane.net/55371/20240929-lieh-tzu
"While Lao Tzu is reserved, Chuang Tzu is exuberant and imaginative, and Lieh Tzu is ironically witty." —Eva Wong
I recommend this pithy commentary on Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu:
Taoism: The Parting of The Way by Holmes Welch (1957)
https://terebess.hu/english/Taoism-Welch.pdf or
https://web.archive.org/web/20230807203007/https://terebess.hu/english/Taoism-Welch.pdf
In particular I enjoyed the Forward, Part 1 which "explains a fact which some translators have concealed from their readers: that neither they nor anyone else can be sure what Lao Tzu was talking about," and Part 2 corresponding to the Tao chia (Taoist school): philosophy of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu. I am not as interested in Part 3 (the Taoist Movement) in its exploration of the Tao chiao (Taoist sect): mystical and religious activity of all those groups that have taken immortality as their goal—alchemists, hygienists, magicians, eclectics, and members of the Taoist church. Here is more about the distinction between Taoist philosophy and religion:
https://www.taoistic.com/taoistphilosophy.htm or
https://web.archive.org/web/20240825090735/https://www.taoistic.com/taoistphilosophy.htm
This page is part of my exploration of the origins of Zen: