Taoism

Taoism has been one of the most influential religions of Eastern culture, and is one of the most unique of all religions. Many Taoists do not even consider it a religion; and in many ways it is not. Taoists make no claim that the Tao exists. That is what essentially separates Taoism from the rest of the world religions: there is no heated debate or battle over Taoist doctrine; there have been no crusades to spread the religion. The very essence of Taoism is quite the opposite. Taoism’s uniqueness and open-endedness have allowed the religion to flourish almost undisturbed and unchanged for over two thousand years. The founder of Taoism was a man named Lao Tzu, who lived around the year 604 B.C.E. According to Chinese legend, Lao Tzu was an archivist in the imperial library at Lo Yang was known for his knowledge, although he never taught. When Lao Tzu left his position at the library, he went to the Chinese province of Chou. At the border, however, he was stopped and forced to write down his teachings. During this time, he wrote the Tao Te Ching, the major scripture of Taoism.

In original Taoist text the wu wei was associated with water and its yielding nature. The Taoist believed that even though water was soft and weak it has the capacity to erode and create things out of solid rock. Another way to look at it would be to say that wu wei is that act of natural action. Wu can be translated to without; Wei can be translated as do or act. The literal meaning of wu wei is “without action”. Taoists believe that the wu wie is aimed to achieve a state of equilibrium with the Tao. This concept comes from the theory of the Yin and Yang. The Yang, along with wei, is the practice of doing. The Yin, along with wu wei, is the practice of not-doing. One compliments the other, and each cannot exist alone. The Tao tells people to practice not-doing because it will bring happiness in their life. By not-doing, the Tao means not performing actions, which are unnecessary and...