Taoism

Taoism

It is always present in you. You can use it anyway you want.

-- Lao-tzu

Taoism is one of the two great philosophical and religious traditions

that originated in China. The other philosophy native to China is

Confucianism. Both Taoism and Confucianism began at about the same time,

around the sixth century B.C. China's third great religion, Buddhism, came

to China from India around the second century of the common era. Together,

these three faiths have shaped Chinese life and thought for nearly twenty-

five hundred years. One dominate concept in Taoism and Buddhism is the

belief in some form of reincarnation. The idea that life does not end

when one dies is an integral part of these religions and the culture of

the Chinese people. Although not accepted by our beliefs, its

understanding helps build strength in our own religion. Reincarnation,

life after death, beliefs are not standardized between the religions.

Each religion has a different way of applying this concept to its beliefs.

Ignorance of these beliefs is a sign of weakness in the mind. To truly

understand ones own religion, one must also understand those concepts of

the other religions of the world. Hopefully this will be an enlightenment

on the reincarnation concepts as they apply to Taoism and Buddhism.

The goal in Taoism is to achieve tao, to find the way. Tao is the

ultimate reality, a presence that existed before the universe was formed

and which continues to guide the world and everything in it. Tao is

sometimes identified as the Mother, or the source of all things. That

source is not a god or a supreme being as with Christians, for Taoism is

not monotheistic. The focus is not to worship one god, but instead on

coming into harmony with tao. Tao is the essence of everything that is

right, and complications exist only because people choose to complicate

their own lives. Desire, ambition, fame, and selfishness are seen as

hindrances to a harmonious life. It is only when one rids himself of all

desires can tao be achieved. By shunning every earthly distraction, the

Taoist is able to concentrate on life itself. The longer the one's life,

the closer to tao one is presumed to have become. Eventually the hope is

to become immortal, to achieve tao, to have reached the deeper life. This

is the afterlife for a Taoist -- to be in harmony with the universe.

To understand the relationship between life and the Taoism concept of

life and death, the origin of the word tao must be understood. The

Chinese character for tao is a combination of two characters that

represent the words head and foot. The character for foot represents a

person's direction or path. The character for head represents a conscious

choice. The character for head also suggests a beginning, and foot, an

ending. Thus the character for tao also conveys the continuing course of

the universe, the circle of heaven and earth. Finally, the character

for tao represents the Taoist notion that the eternal Tao is both moving

and unmoving. The head in the character means the beginning, the source

of all things, or Tao itself, which never moves or changes; the foot is

the movement on the path.

Taoism upholds the belief in the survival of the spirit after death. To

have attained the human form must be always a source of joy for the Taoist.

It is truly a reason to rejoice because despite whatever is lost, life

always endures. Taoists believe birth is not a beginning and death is not

an end. There is an existence without limit. There is continuity without

a starting point. Applying reincarnation theory to Taoism is the belief

that the soul never dies, a person's soul is eternal. It is possible to

see death in contrast to life; both are unreal and changing. One's soul

does not leave the world into the unknown, for it can never go away.

Therefore there is no fear to come with death.

In the writings of The Tao Te Ching, tao is described as having existed

before heaven and earth. Tao is formless; it stands alone without change

and reaches everywhere without harm. The Taoist is told to use the light

that is inside to revert to the natural clearness of sight. By divesting

oneself of all external distractions and desires, one can achieve tao. In

ancient days, a Taoist that had transcended birth and death and achieved

tao was said to have cut the Thread of Life. The soul, or spirit, is

Taoism does not die at death. The soul is not reborn, it migrates to

another life.