Taoism 3 Essay Research Paper Taoism which — страница 6

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basic principle of the Tao. It means to commit yourself from moment to moment. Success happens every moment that you do this. In order to understand the logic of Taoism, you must start with a very basic saying; the world is constantly changing. This saying must be understood and believed before anyone can begin to understand the logic of Taoism. The reason for this is that many thousands of years ago, brilliant Chinese philosophers observed nature very closely, and noticing this simple saying. They developed Taoism, Zen, and many other Eastern philosophies, all of which are part of the saying. If you do not agree with the saying, you will disagree with Taoism or any other Eastern philosophies. There have been many English versions of Tao Te Ching. Unfortunately most contain

incorrect translations or mistakes. Mush of this results from the difficulty in understanding ancient Chinese. It is completely different from modern Chinese so that even native speakers have trouble understanding certain passages. Only a few translations of the book are close to perfect, but there are no translations that are completely perfect. Some people question if Taoism is a Religion. Taoism certainly has a religious aspect. Many Christians freely explore the concepts of Taoism. Some even add whatever they think is useful to their own beliefs. The idea is to explore and learn the correct way or the better way to live and to conduct our personal affairs by understanding some of the principles that govern our lives. The number of people worldwide who consider themselves

Taoists is somewhat small, about thirty million, compared to about three hundred million Buddhists. Wherever the Chinese people have gone, they have taken Taoism with them. This is why elements of Taoism appear in many of the countries that came under Chinese influence over the centuries. Taoism has also had a strong influence on Chinese literature and on the technique and subject matter of Chinese art. It has been estimated that the number of Taoists is growing larger and larger every year. Taoism reaches not only into the intellectual and spiritual lives of its followers but also into their physical life. It sees the physical body as a kind of a miniature model of the universe. It also believes that a healthy body is a necessary first step to achieving a high spiritual state.

Taoism has long been associated with certain medicinal and nutritional practices. Taoist masters have recorded the medicinal uses of thousands of plants, trees, herbs, flowers, fruits, and fungi, and also studied nutrition. The masters recommended a balanced diet to maintain health and to promote longevity. For example, broccoli to the Taoists is a good food, but a diet that consists of only broccoli is not good because it is not balanced, and balance is the Taoist way. Meditation is often associated with Buddhism and other faiths from India. Long before Buddhism came to China, Taoists were using a form of meditation to help them come into harmony with the ultimate reality of the universe. The concept of non-doing is central to Taoist meditation. Taoists believe that time spent

in meditation prolongs life. In Taoists belief, longevity is important because the longer one lives, the greater one s chances are of achieving perfect harmony with Tao. The perfect person might hope to become immortal and rise to heaven, not just in spirit but physically as well. Over the centuries, the threads of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism have become intertwined, each absorbing aspects of the others. As the Chinese say, The three teachings flow into one. This blending of traditions is consistent with the Asian approach to religion, which allows for believing in more than one truth. Many people who consider themselves Chinese Buddhists or Confucianists, as well as many people who claim that no one can know whether a god exists but who do not deny the possibility of that

existence, but also practice the aspects of Taoism. Such practice is possible because the traditions do not conflict, but complement one another. Taoists have never made an attempt to spread their religion. Travelers and wanderers, but never missionaries, they do not visit other countries to win converts. Taoist masters prefer to let students come to them and to counsel them one on one. Many early masters did gather followers, and for that reason, many sects resulted. Taoists tend to see the different interpretations of their beliefs as part of the infinite variety of the universe rather than as right or wrong. Over the centuries, Taoism has had many masters and many interpretations. Taoism shares with Confucianism and Buddhism many of the characteristics that make them different