Two Typical Misconceptions

Taoism addresses the world in an altogether different manner than what most westerners are accustomed to, the Judeo-Christian perspective. It is because of these fundamental differences that many misconceptions abound. In this post, I will discuss two.

The first misconception is that Taoism is a very self-centered philosophical system. Most religions have rituals, creeds, holy books and at least one deity. All of these aspects are missing from Taoism. Most religions -- particularly Christianity, Judaism and Islam -- have codes of conduct and prohibited acts. Taoism doesn't explicitly have either.

If a person joins the faith community of Christianity, Judaism or Islam, there is an institutional system (churches, synagogues and mosques) to instruct the initiate in the ways to live, pray and reach heaven. In Taoism, no such system exists. Instead of a proscribed path to salvation, Taoism teaches that each person must find their own path for themselves.

So, on the surface, I can understand this misconception. If a person doesn't understand the central Taoist idea that everything is connected, then it might seem like a self-centered philosophy. It is this interconnectedness, however, that moves Taoism from a self-centered system to an all-centered system.

While we each must find our own path, we must do so in a way that maintains harmony or balance within ourselves AND the world around us. The path itself will be of our own choosing, but the journey encompasses everything.

The second misconception has to do with the concept of wu wei (action by non-action). A lot of westerners take this to mean that Taoists either are lazy, by choice, or they seek to withdraw from the social world. This misunderstanding seems to fly in the face of the religious emphasis on community.

I've got to be honest. I too initially had trouble grasping the brilliance of wu wei. I used to think it was counterintuitive to get something accomplished by doing nothing. However, little by little I've come to understand the concept and it's not what it appears to be.

Utilizing a sports-based example, wu wei is the same as being "in the zone". When a batter in baseball is on a hot streak, I've often heard them say it's like everything around them slows down and the ball looks as big as a beach ball. They hit it without consciously thinking about it.

Another example is the writer who, struck by inspiration, allows the words and imagery to pour out of them. Many will say it's like the book or poem wrote itself. Both of these examples exemplify wu wei.

When each of us must think consciously of what it is that we must do, we engage in rote motions and follow precise steps or recipes. While we may accomplish the task, we do so without flow. However, when we're "in the zone", we don't consciously think at all; we just do. It flows out of us in the rhythm of the stream and, before we know it, the task has completed itself -- almost as if we are an innocent bystander.

We've completed what we set out to do as if WE didn't really do anything at all.