Origins of Taoism

 Taoism is a traditional Chinese native

religion Laozi (also called: Lao Dan, Li Er,
Laotzu, and Laotse) is the founder of this
religion. The Doctrine of Morality is
regarded as their holy Bible.
 It was started by a child name Lao Tzu
who lived in China around 600 B.C. He is
called Lao Tzu ("Old Boy"), because
nothing is known of his youth or origins.
He worked in the Chinese government,
 Taoism (pronounced Dao-ism) is believed
to have originated around 300 B.C. The
word "Tao" means “the way” or “the path
 Many people interested in the Tao are still under
the impression that Lao Tzu founded Taoism
about 2,500 years ago. There is some truth to
this, as long as we are only talking about
philosophical Taoism (Dao Jia) or religious
Taoism (Dao Jiao). However, the one thing that
most people do not realize is that both variants
of Taoism came from a much older tradition,
known to the Chinese simply as the Tao.
 It is not possible for Lao Tzu to be the
founder of this ancient tradition for the
simple reason that it began at leasht
2,300 years before his time
 Fu Hsi was the first of the legendary
emperors of ancient China. His reign
marked the starting point of Chinese
civilization, and the Tao concept that
originated at the same time also reflected
the spirit of Chinese culture from this
ancient beginning We can see the
evidence for this when we get closer to
Chinese culture.
Key Beliefs of Taoism
 Tao
 Tao is literally translated as “the way” or
“the path.”
 Many different beliefs as to what Tao
really is.
 Taoists say that the “eternal Tao” can
never be truly defined.
 A non-personal energy that created, and
resides in all living things.
 Wu Wei
 Literally translated as “not doing.”
 Means not doing anything that goes
against nature.
 Wu
 Literally translated as emptiness.
 The ideal state of mind, empty of any
thoughts or desires that conflict with the
Tao.
 Yin and Yang
 The two complimentary forces that exist in
nature.
 Yang represents everything masculine and
active.
 Yin represents everything feminine and
passive
 Too much of either is bad, a balance
needs to be achieved.
 Qi
 Qi (or Chi) is literally translated as
“breath,” or “air”
 It is the life energy present in all living
things.
 The martial art of Tai Chi is designed to
aid the flow of Qi throughout the body.
Key Figures
The supreme belief of Taoism is "Tao" (the Way), which is
indescribable and beyond human perception and understanding.
"Tao" is believed to be the origin of the universe, the basis of the
existence of all creatures, and the laws of development and
change ruling all creatures. "Tao" sublimates into the qi (vital
energy or breath), and gathers to form the Three Purities, i.e.,
the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning or Jade Purity, the
Celestial Worthy of Numinous Treasure or Highest Purity, and the
Celestial Worthy of the Tao and its Virtue or Supreme Purity.
Below the Three Purities, the emanations of Tao are a mass of
deities such as the Jade Emperor, the Four Heavenly Emperors
and the Five Emperors of the Five Directions, and the immortals
who humans can become through self-cultivation. Deities and
immortals, models in achieving Tao, make it their duty to teach
and redeem all creatures, and are therefore worshiped by the
Taoism followers
 Lao Tzu (Laozi)
 Might have founded
Taoism
 a major figure in
Chinese philosophy
whose
historical existence is
debated.
 Lao Tzu: Old Master
 If he did exist he
could’ve been Li Erh, an
archivist
 He wrote Tao Te Ching
 Three Purities
Three Purities were the supreme Taoist deities: the Celestial
Worthy of Primordial Beginning, the Celestial Worthy of
Numinous Treasure, and the Celestial Worthy of the Tao and
its Virtue. The rule over the highest three celestial realms of
Jade Purity, Highest Purity, and Great Purity. According to
Taoism, they are emanations of Tao, omnipresent and
supreme.
 Jade Emperor

The Jade Emperor is

believed to be the
highest deity ruling the
universe, lower only to
the Three Purities,
parallel to the emperor in
the human world.
 Taoism

Symbols/Images
 Introduction
 Yin Yang most well-known Taoist symbol
 Taiji tu visual of all of Taoist cosmology
 The Five Elements which produce the Ten-
Thousand Things
 The Guodian bamboo strips
Yin-Qi & Yang-Qi Give Birth to
the Five Elements:
 Wood Element Correspondences:
Yin Organ: Liver
Yang Organ: Gallbladder
Season: Spring
Color: Green
Flavor: Sour
Sense Organ: Eyes
Tissue: Tendons
Odor: Rancid
Direction: East
Emotion: Anger
Virtue: Kindness
Planet: Jupiter
Sound: Shouting
Musical Note: mi
Heaven Stems: Jia & Yi
Environment: Wind
Domestic Animal: Goat/Sheep
Five Animal Qigong: Tiger
Developmental Stage: Birth
 Fire Element Correspondences:
Yin Organ: Heart/Pericardium
Yang Organ: Small Intestine/Triple Burner
Season: Summer
Color: Red
Flavor: Bitter
Sense Organ: Tongue
Tissue: Vessels
Odor: Scorched
Direction: South
Emotion: Anxiety
Virtue: Joy
Planet: Mars
Sound: Laughing
Musical Note: sol
Heaven Stems: Bing & Ding
Environment: Heat
Domestic Animal: Chicken
Five Animal Qigong: Monkey
Developmental Stage: Growth
 Earth Element Correspondences:
Yin Organ: Spleen
Yang Organ: Stomach
Season: Late Summer
Color: Yellow
Flavor: Sweet
Sense Organ: Mouth
Tissue: Flesh/Muscle
Odor: Fragrant
Direction: Center
Emotion: Worry/Pensiveness
Virtue: Equanimity
Planet: Saturn
Sound: Singing
Musical Note: do
Heaven Stems: Wu & Ji
Environment: Dampness
Domestic Animal: Ox
Five Animal Qigong: Bear
Developmental Stage: Transformation
 Metal Element Correspondences:
Yin Organ: Lung
Yang Organ: Large Intestine
Season: Autumn
Color: White
Flavor: Pungent
Sense Organ: Nose
Tissue: Skin
Odor: Rotten
Direction: West
Emotion: Grief/Sadness
Virtue: Courage
Planet: Venus
Sound: Crying
Musical Note: re
Heaven Stems: Gen & Xin
Environment: Dryness
Domestic Animal: Dog
Five Animal Qigong: Crane
Developmental Stage: Harvest
 Water Element Correspondences:
Yin Organ: Kidney
Yang Organ: Urinary Bladder
Season: Winter
Color: Blue/Black
Flavor: Salty
Sense Organ: Ears
Tissue: Bones
Odor: Putrid
Direction: North
Emotion: Fear
Virtue: Wisdom/Awe
Planet: Mercury
Sound: Groaning
Musical Note: la
Heaven Stems: Ren & Gui
Environment: Cold
Domestic Animal: Pig
Five Animal Qigong: Deer
Developmental Stage: Storage
 The Guodian Bamboo Strips
 The Guodian Chu Slips (Chinese: pinyin: Guōdiàn Chǔjiǎn),
comprising about 804 bamboos slips, or strips, containing "12072"
Chinese characters, were discovered in 1993 in Tomb no. 1 of the
Guodian tombs in Jingmen, Hubei, China. The tomb was dated to
the latter half of the Warring States period, and it is thought that
the texts were written on the bamboo strips before or close to the
time of burial.
 "The tomb is located in the Jishan District's tomb complex,
near the Jingmen City in the village of Guodian, and only 9
kilometers north of Ying, which was the ancient Chu capital
from about 676 BC until 278 BC, before the State of Chu was
over-run by the Qin. The tomb and its contents were studied
to determine the identity of the occupant; an elderly noble
scholar, and teacher to a royal prince. The prince had been
identified as Crown Prince Heng, who later became King
Qingxiang of Chu. Since King Qingxiang was the Chu king
when Qin sacked their old capital Ying in 278 BC, the Chu
slips are dated to around 300 BC.
 There are in total about 804 bamboo slips in this cache,
including 702 strips and 27 broken strips with 12072
characters. The bamboo slip texts consist of three major
categories, which include the earliest manuscripts of the
received text of the Tao Te Ching, one chapter from
the Classic of Rites, and anonymous writings. After
restoration, these texts were divided into eighteen sections,
and have been transcribed into standard Chinese and
published under the title Chu Bamboo Slips from Guodian on
May 1998. The slip-texts include both Daoist and Confucian
works, many previously unknown, and the discovery of these
texts in the same tomb has contributed fresh information for
scholars studying the history of philosophical thought in
ancient China. According to Gao Zheng from the Institute of
Philosophy of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the
main part could be teaching material used by the
Confucianist Si Meng scholars in Jixia Academy. Qu
Yuan, who was sent as an envoy in State of Qi, might have
taken them back to Chu.
 "The 800 bamboo strips bear roughly 10,000 Chinese
characters; approximately one-tenth of those characters
comprise part of the oldest extant version of the Tao Te
Ching (also known as Daodejing), a foundational text by the
Taoist philosopher Laozi, who lived in the sixth century B.C.
and is generally considered the teacher of Confucius. The
remaining nine-tenths of the writings appear to be written by
Confucian disciples, including Confucius' grandson Zisi, in the
first generation after Confucius' death. (Confucius lived from
551 to 479 B.C.) These texts amplify scholars' understanding
of how the Confucian philosophical tradition evolved between
Confucius' time and that of Mencius, a key Confucian thinker
who lived in the third century B.C.
 Masculine
Active
Feminine Light
Passive Warmth
Darkness Strong
Cold Heaven;
Weak Sun
Earth;
Moon
Rituals and Practices
 Rites and Ceremonies
 Written memorial on
behalf of the people to
their God’s
 Major festivals can last
for days
 Rites can vary from
purification, invocation of
the deities, prayers,
consecration and
offerings, hymns and
dances
 Rituals
 Can involve tens and hundreds of villages.
 Occur every five to ten years.
 Communal Meals, Military Parades, and plays
 Meditation
 Taoists practice meditation
 Stillness of body lets them collect full chi
 Chi can be described as energy and
matter
 Tai Chi Chuan
 The martial arts form
practiced for balance
 Spiritual, emotional,
and mental aspects
 Form of movement
meditation
 Used for self defense
Lao Tzu (Laozi) Quotes
!Thank You!