Taoism

Taoism, along with Buddhism and Confucianism, is one of the three great philosophies/religions of ancient China. There are three fundamental ancient texts that outline various aspects of Taoism. The first, believed to have been written around 4000 BCE is the "I Ching," a text that introduces the Taoist symbol known as the Ba Gual that reflects cosmological principles, including the Five Element theory and the flux of changes caused by the interplay of yin and yang energies. The art of divination that is practiced with this book based on the 64 hexagrams it contains. Feng shui geomancy is based on the Ba Gua as well as contemporary martial art known as Ba Gua Zhang. The text that provides a basic understanding of what the Tao ("way" or "path") is, and what it is not, is the Tao Te Ching, believed to have been written by Lao Tse ("Old Master") about the 6th century BCE. http://philtar.ucsm.ac.uk/encyclopedia/taoism/laotzu.html During the Warring States period (475-221 BCE) important philosophical texts were also written by Chuang Tse and Lieh Tse. http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:ir363oJeHWUJ:www.phil.unt.edu/theses/kane.pdf+Chuang+tse+lieh+tse+warring+states+site:edu&cd=4&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=cr&client=firefox-a The Taoist foundations of Traditional Chinese Medicine, including health practices such as qigong, are included in the "Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine," (Huang Ti Nei Ching) which was written around the second century BCE. http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~rogert/chinawv.html

Around 400 CE, during the Ch'in dynasty, an attempt was made to collect Taoist scriptures to form a Taoist Canon, and later, during the T'ang dynasty, which began in 608 CE, Taoism became an official state religion where Lao Tse honored as a deity. At end of the supportive Ch'ing Dynasty (1644-1911) much of the Taoist heritage of China was destroyed in feudal wars. During Maoism (1949-1976), religious freedoms were also severely restricted; however the use of the Taoist founded Traditional Chinese Medicine was systematized under state rule. http://taoism.about.com/od/throughthedynasties/a/history_3.htm Under Deng Xiaoping in 1982, and to the present time, some religious tolerance was restored within the country - the exception being the Falun Gong taoist sect. http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/washington/news.aspx?id=139457

This web page has a section that contrasts philosophical versus practical approaches to understanding Taoism and, on the right side of the page, there is a list of recommended Taoist books in these two categories. There are two featured videos, one on advanced Taoist meditation and another on general concepts and its origins in China. There are also several other videos on philosophical Taoism. Other resources present on this page include links, blogs and news sections for increasing your understanding of The Tao.

You may think that Taoism is a religion whose is practices are limited to rituals related to a dogmatic understanding of principles and philosophies. It is true that there are temples and ritual practices in the popular culture of China; however, Taoism is not just an intellectual belief system, it also has a whole system of practices such as meditation and qigong, which allow an individual to come to an internal awareness within the body - connecting the mind to the body. These practices, which have some similarities to yoga but have different approaches and effects, can open up a corporeal awareness in the individual - an awareness that supplements and extends intellectual awareness. These practices are part of the Taoist path to achieve immortality. Immortality in this sense may result in greater physical longevity due to the embodied practices, but it actually means to consciously connect with the center of your being, simultaneously attaining a realized awareness of the movement of the Tao.

Tao (pronounced 'Dao') can be defined as a 'path', or 'road'. The way of the Tao is the way of Nature and of ultimate reality. Tao is often described as a force that flows through all life. A happy and virtuous life is one that is in harmony with the Tao, with Nature. So the philosophy of Taoism understands Tao as the One Thing which exists and connects the Many Things. Tao, Nature, and Reality are One. The idea that 'All is One and interconnected' is also found in teachings of ancient Indian and Greek philosophers (Heraclitus),http://www.uni-giessen.de/~gk1415/taoism.htm http://www.holosforum.org/halroth.html who understood the universe as a unity, as have many other philosophers over the past 2500 years.

Views of several modern physicists seem to agree on this understanding. For instance, Fritjof Capra in his book, The Tao of Physics says "A careful analysis of the process of observation in atomic physics has shown that the subatomic particles have no meaning as isolated entities, but can only be understood as interconnections between the preparation of an experiment and the subsequent measurement. Quantum theory thus reveals a basic oneness of the universe. It shows that we cannot decompose the world into independently existing smallest units. As we penetrate into matter, nature does not show us any isolated ‘basic building blocks’, but rather appears as a complicated web of relations between the various parts of the whole." http://www.amazon.com/Tao-Physics-3rd-Updated/dp/0877735948 http://srijith.net/publications/ieee.shtml

The Tao also gives birth to the 10,000 things, or the many manifestations of sensory reality as given in the Tao Te Ching:

• "The Way begot one,
• And the one, two;
• Then the two begot three
• And three, all else." (Blakney translation)
  
  

The Five Element Theory provides the cosomological foundation for explaining the mystery of how things come into being and change. A primer to explain the five element theory is given in the second video featured below.

Philosophical Taoism

1. "Chuang Tse" - translation by Lin Yutang - in the public domain and can be found online at the referenced linkhttp://www.personaltao.com/tao/chuang_tzu.htm
2. "The Way of Chuang Tzu" - translation by Thomas Merton - a collection of readings in the inimitable style of Merton, a Cistercian monk and famous author. http://www.alibris.com/search/books/qwork/7140700/used/The%20Way%20of%20Chuang%20Tzu
3. ""Tao Te Ching" - translation by R. B. Blakney - in the public domain, versions by Legge and Merel can also be found on the referenced site. http://www.personaltao.com/tao/tao_te_ching3.htm
4. "Tao: The Watercourse Way" by Alan Watts and Al Chung-liang Huang. Alan Watts had a special talent for describing Eastern Philosophy. http://www.amazon.com/Tao-Watercourse-Way-Alan-Watts/dp/0394733118
   
   

Practical Taoism - practices that can change your life, connecting the mind and body.

1. "The Way of Qigong" by Ken Cohen. A broad introduction of chi kung practices and their applications. Good reference book. http://www.amazon.com/Way-Qigong-Science-Chinese-Healing/dp/0345421094/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263334357&sr=1-1
2. "Opening the Energy Gates of the Body" by Bruce Kumar Frantzis. A powerful set of beginning nei gung exercises. http:www.energyarts.com
3. "Relaxing Into Your Being, Taoist Meditation Vol. 1" by Bruce Kumar Frantzis. An introduction to Taoist meditation which begins by breathing practices. http://www.energyarts.com/Products/Meditation/Relaxing-into-Your-Being-TAO-Meditation-Book.html
4. "Healing Qigong Arts" - Methods of practicing qigong for healing and improving your energy, including moving exercises, breath meditations, and other qigong practice advice. http://www.qigonghealingarts.org