I've heard of it, but I haven't looked into it much. All I know is that it came from Japan...
China, actually.
Aug 29, '08 at 5:38pm, BumplemuffinBaker wrote:
I am a Toaist, which means that I believe in being in harmony with the Earth and the Spirit. Toaism has no gods. Have you ever heard of Toaism?
(Ironically?) I have never heard of Taoism until someone noted that I followed the precepts of Taoism. But would "Toa"ism be what Polynesian warriors believe? There are other issues of semantics I won't touch upon, but I find something odd in your choice of words, although that may be my misunderstanding.
Taoism is not necessarily a religion if it has no gods. Really the defining character in religion is if you have god(s). What do you exactly mean by being "in harmony." When you write about a religion, you need to be extremely specific.
Taoism is not necessarily a religion if it has no gods. Really the defining character in religion is if you have god(s). What do you exactly mean by being "in harmony." When you write about a religion, you need to be extremely specific.
There are those who separate Taoism into religious Taoism and philosophical Taoism; some don't make that distinction. There are "gods" in a sense. There are "immortals" in a sense. It's the same way as Buddhism). Is that a religion if there are no gods? Is Buddha a god?
To be in harmony, as I have read, is not to act against the Tao, but to act with the natural, to act with what's give by what you have. Harmony.
To be in harmony, as I have read, is not to act against the Tao, but to act with the natural, to act with what's give by what you have. Harmony.
Again, you need to be extremely specific, what do you mean by all this. Here is the dictionary definition of religion...
a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.
[quote]To be in harmony, as I have read, is not to act against the Tao, but to act with the natural, to act with what's give by what you have. Harmony.
Again, you need to be extremely specific, what do you mean by all this. Here is the dictionary definition of religion...
a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.
Does it fit in all categories?[/quote]
That is the definition as I know it. I'm not sure if that is part of the part that cannot be understood unless it is intrinsically understood. Google the carving of the ox by Zhuangzi, which is about a butcher carving an ox for Wen Hui (not the carving of the Confucian Ox. that's something else). That is what first comes to mind, but I think there might be a better explanation. I'll have to look into it tomorrow. Maybe this will help. It's something like "going with the flow". I'm not sure if this is exactly proper, but on a simplistic level: When you are hungry eat. When you are tired sleep.
Look, there can be no definition of religion it is basicly a mental comfort incase u get screwed in life kinda like a safety net for wrong stuff. if u say urs is better then u have no reason to argue because nobody knows what it truly is becuase who has experienced it? do u know of what you speak? have u seen first hand? DO YOU KNOW that you are right? HOW DO YOU KNOW that you are right how can u be true when everyones definiton varies from person to person because we all interpret differantly taoism can be true, so can christanity but no one knows for sure the truth behind life or religion because NO ONE KNOWS for real whats happening in life who knows if theres a greater existence or being or whatever u believe in. there is no definiton in life for ANYTHING of importance. well there might be but it doesnt help ppl understand the meaning behind life
I am actually a type of pagon myself. but i know not of what religon is because im 15 but, if u ACTUALLY INTERPRET MY WORDS u will understand my meaning when i say that there is no true form of religion because they are all different yet the same BECAUSE they are all different, u could call me a freak or even a moron for my words but atleast i stand by them.
Look, there can be no definition of religion it is basicly a mental comfort incase u get screwed in life kinda like a safety net for wrong stuff. if u say urs is better then u have no reason to argue because nobody knows what it truly is becuase who has experienced it? do u know of what you speak? have u seen first hand? DO YOU KNOW that you are right? HOW DO YOU KNOW that you are right how can u be true when everyones definiton varies from person to person because we all interpret differantly taoism can be true, so can christanity but no one knows for sure the truth behind life or religion because NO ONE KNOWS for real whats happening in life who knows if theres a greater existence or being or whatever u believe in. there is no definiton in life for ANYTHING of importance. well there might be but it doesnt help ppl understand the meaning behind life
This line of thought is so "Western" and unoriginal that it is almost irrelevant and frankly, insulting if not off-topic. No one is arguing who's religion is better or the validity of religion. Eastern philosophies-become-religions (read as one term), like Buddhism and Taoism (and perhaps Confucianism), are not like the Abrahamic religions, regardless of whether or not it's listed as a religion in a government census. There are Buddhists who say Buddhism is not a religion. There are Taoist who say Taoism is not a religion. I'm not sure how many of the Abrahamic religions cans say what they believe is not a religion.
And as Drace stated earlier, if Taoism is a religion, then so is nihilism, but obviously, nihilism cuts more into philosophy. Who's to say that it won't one day, some centuries later, become a religion with Nietzsche as a god or at least an exalted person? Of course, no one has to do anything about it.
Aug 30, '08 at 12:50am, dragon624 wrote:
I am actually a type of pagon myself. but i know not of what religon is because im 15 but, if u ACTUALLY INTERPRET MY WORDS u will understand my meaning when i say that there is no true form of religion because they are all different yet the same BECAUSE they are all different, u could call me a freak or even a moron for my words but atleast i stand by them.
Heck, in an interview some years ago George Lucas said he believed all religions were different parts of the same elephant when he was discussing the influences of Star Wars (I think Episode I). But really you seriously come off as trolling even if that's not your intention.
Taoism is not a religion because there is no belief or description of an afterlife. Because it does not confirm/deny/explain and afterlife, it is a School of Thought. Taoism is from China, not Japan. A person who practices Taoism can also believe in Confucianism, because it is also a School of Thought.
I know this frommy Global Class last year. My teacher studied Taoism and the other Schools of Thoughts in college.
As far as I know, there is a form of religious Taoism, which involves the veneration of Lao-tzu and the Yellow Emperor, as well as other ancient figures as gods. The way some people speak of Tao as some mystical force however, can sometimes make it difficult to discern between Classical (philosophical) Taoism, and Religous Taoism. Anyone wanting an overview, but not too much, might try "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Taoism". On that note, and slightly off topic, does anyone else know of a place where I could get a copy of John H McDonald's translation of the Tao Te Ching? I can find copies on the net, but I really want a paper copy. Oh, and I'm a philosphical Taoist by the way. =]
