WuWei

The ideal of effortlesness. "No strain". Non-action, the

preferred Daoist path of least resistance, allowing things
to run their natural course
Compilation of Laozi's teachings on Daoism. Go with the Dao De Jing
flow of nature rather than resisting it in artificial
structures of culture. "The Way and Its Power"
heaven Tian

Yang
the active aspect of reality that expresses itself in
speech, light and heat
Yin
the respective aspect of the universe
YiJing
the Confucian book of literature which is still used today
"the book of changes"

energies of the body and world Chi or qi

the Daoist canon consisting of thousands of books and is Daozang
influenced by Buddhism

Zhuangzi
name of author and the book, elaborates the potential
results of being one with the Dao, whimsical stories,
pleasure we can gain with simplicity, work reelects many
common Daoist themes,
Simplicity
urges its followers to eliminate whatever is unnecessary,
and artificial and to appreciate the simple and apparently
ordinary, described in the daodejing when it refers to
dao as a river

Dao
The Way. "The unnamable" "the eternally real". A
mystical reality that cannot be grasped by the mind.
Does not change. Indescribable. Meant to be lived in
harmony with.

•Power De
•Virtue
•Manifestation of the Dao

writer of the key Daoist scripture, the Dao de Jing ("old Lao Zi
man" 600 BCE; not really sure if he was actually one
person or multiple writers and contributors in oral
tradition over time--> what parent names their child "old
man"?)

Beliefs

 cannot be described
 Dao is not a thing
 not a God
 a system of guidance
 how it works and how human beings relate
 to it
 philosophical speculation about the Dao is
not the most important
 can be confusing because:
 Daoist teachings aren't designed to preach
people about how to live
 describe what certain behaviors produce

 objective: reach and maintain harmony with

the Dao=when reached, enlightenment is
achieved
 human purpose: when one’s mind and
energy is balanced and clear
 purification, medication, and offerings to
deities/Daoist rituals
 human nature aligns with the rest of the
nature to attain order and harmony

 The One=essential energy of life

 Wu and Yu=non-being and being, or not-
having and having, also limitlessness or
inexhaustibly
 De=virtue
 Tzu Jan=naturalness or spontaneity
 Wu Wei=going along with the true nature
of the world
 Yin Yang=opposites that fit together and
work in perfect harmony
 Ch’i=cosmic vital energy that links beings
to the universe as a whole

 not according to doctrine

 based on self
 don’t pray, no personal relationship with
anything
 a system of belief, attitudes and practices
 to embrace life in actions that support you
as a person.

Practices

 Taoism recognizes that physical practices

have a spiritual effect, because it does not
make a rigid division between body and
spirit
 It is important to keep the body pure in
order to ensure spiritual health.
 Greed, lust, pride and dishonesty are
examples of things that should be avoided

 Breathing and Meditation

 seated and standing meditation
 It is the most easily perceived form of Ch’i
 Taoist breathing exercises are called
Qigong

 Martial arts
 Tai Chi was created during the 1100s
 Modern forms of Tai Chi are likely to be
secular exercises.

 Diet and Yang Sheng

 Classical Taoist teaching recommends
abstaining from alcohol, meat, beans and
grains