2. Table of contest
1. What is it?
2. The history of Taoism
3. Ethics
4. Cosmology
5. Symbols and images
6. Bibliography
3. What is it?
Taoism is a philosophical and religious tradition that
emphasizes living in harmony with the Tao. The
term Tao means "way", "path" or "principle", and can also
be found in Chinese philosophies and religions other than
Taoism. In Taoism, however, Tao denotes something that is
both the source and the driving force behind everything
that exists.
4. The history of taoism
The keystone work of literature in Taoism is the Tao Te Ching,
a concise and ambiguous book containing teachings
attributed to Laozi. Together with the writings of Zhuangzi,
these texts build the philosophical foundation of Taoism.
Taoism has had profound influence on Chinese culture in
the course of the centuries.
5. Ethics
1 Tao and Te :
• Tao - literally means "way", but can also be interpreted as road,
channel.
• Te - the active expression of Tao is called Te.
2 Wu-wei - Wei refers to any intentional or deliberated action,
while wu carries the meaning of "there is no ..." or "lacking, without".
3 Naturalness - is regarded as a central value in Taoism. It describes the
"primordial state" of all things.
4 Three Treasures - are basic virtues in Taoism comprising Compassion,
Moderation, and Humility. They are also translated as kindness,
simplicity and modesty.
6. Cosmology
Taoist cosmology is based on the beliefs of the School of
Naturalists.
In this belief, the Universe is seen as being in a constant process
of re-creating itself, as everything that exists is a mere aspect
of qi, which "condensed, becomes life; diluted, it is indefinite
potential". Qi is in a perpetual transformation between its
condensed and diluted state.
7. Symbols and images
a) Taijitu is a term which
refers to the
Chinese symbol Yin and
Yang ( Taiji ).
8. b) Ba gua - The ba gua are eight trigrams used in
Taoist cosmology to represent the fundamental
principles of reality, seen as a range of eight
interrelated concepts.
八卦 Bāguà—The eight trigrams
乾 Qián 兌 Duì 離 Lí 震 Zhèn 巽 Xùn 坎 Kǎn 艮 Gèn 坤 Kūn
☰ ☱ ☲ ☳ ☴ ☵ ☶ ☷
Heaven/S Lake/Mar
Fire Thunder Wind Water Mountain Earth
ky sh
風(风)
天 Tiān 澤(泽) Zé 火 Huǒ 雷 Léi 水 Shuǐ 山 Shān 地 Dì
Fēng
9. c) Big dipper - The Big Dipper, also
known as the Plough or
the Saptarishi (after the seven
rishis), is an asterism of
seven stars that has been
recognized as a distinct grouping
in many cultures. The
component are the seven
brightest stars of the Ursa Major
constellation.