"Nature does not hurry; yet everything is accomplished"
-Laozi
Although it was not as influential as
Confucianism, it was just as wide-spread through the presence of its schools of
thought. Philosophically Daoism means ‘the way’, but the word ‘dao’ means
‘path’ rather than ‘the way’.[1]
These dualistic meanings only make more difficult for Daoism to be defined and
placed within distinctive categories. Daoism bears many similarities to various
religions which proves the process of eclecticism. It is loosely based on the
writings of a mythical figure named Laozi who called for an adherence to the
‘way’, whose followers have interpreted as the return to nature.[2]
The core of the basic belief and doctrine of Daoism is that the ‘dao’ is the
origin and law of all things in the universe. Daoists believes that people can
become deities or live forever through practicing certain rituals and
austerities.
[1] "Taoist Beliefs."
ReligionFacts. http://www.religionfacts.com/taoism/beliefs [accessed November 28, 2017].
[2] Holcombe. A History of East Asia: From the Origins of Civilization To The Twenty-
First Century. 40.
Figureheads:
·
Laozi: according
to one tradition, a man known as Laozi was an older contemporary of Confucius
who served as an archivist in the Zhou capital. In this regard, ‘Laozi’ means
‘Old Master’, but the author of the book Laozi
and when it was written remain uncertain.
·
Zhuang Zhou:
thought to be a real historical figure. He is one of the most significant of
China’s early interpreters of Daoism, whose work, Zhuangzi, is considered one of the comprehensive texts of Daoism
and is thought to be more definitive than the Daodejing in defining Daoism. Zhuang Zhou’s teachings also exerted
a great influence on the development of Chinese Buddhism and had considerable
effect on Chinese landscape painting and poetry.
