This blog has been around since January 2005. At the very outset, I announced that its chief focus would be about philosophical Taoism. While I've stayed true to this theme -- with the addition of a few others -- I've never discussed very much at all about the other aspect of Taoism that I do not subscribe to -- the religious arm.
According to the website, Religious Tolerance:
According to the website, Religious Tolerance:
Taoism started as a combination of psychology and philosophy but evolved into a religious faith in 440 CE when it was adopted as a state religion. At that time Lao-Tse became popularly venerated as a deity. Taoism, along with Buddhism and Confucianism, became one of the three great religions of China.
Of course, as an anti-religious person, I am suspect of ANY belief system that worships a deity. I haven't done much study of religious Taoism, but, what I know of it, it's not unlike other religions which talk about gods, heaven, immortality, messiahs, prophets and possesses an elaborate form of rituals and creeds.
To my way of thinking, this so flies in the face of the thoughts of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu that one could say it represents a bastardization of the core thesis: finding one's own path. Even more so than Lao Tzu, I don't understand how anyone could take the words of Chuang Tzu -- who continually defies convention -- to turn it into conventional thought. Me thinks Chuang Tzu would go completely berserk if he knew that later generations turned him into some kind of divine being!
Lao Tzu himself has been turned into a god. Since modern scholars question if Lao Tzu ever existed at all, it seems out of place to me to elevate a nonexistent person or mythic figure to sainthood.
So, I will continue to focus solely on philosophical Taoism. I firmly believe that the themes of this school of thought can positively impact each of our lives without any of the religious trappings that later came to be associated with it. And I hold firmly to the belief that the Tao that can be named is not the eternal Tao.
[Note: From time to time, you may have noticed that I provide links to The Free Dictionary for certain words. I have begun this practice as the visitors to this blog have become more international, in character. Whether an English speaker or not, some of the words I utilize are not that common and so, to aid in understanding, I'm providing links to their definitions.]
To my way of thinking, this so flies in the face of the thoughts of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu that one could say it represents a bastardization of the core thesis: finding one's own path. Even more so than Lao Tzu, I don't understand how anyone could take the words of Chuang Tzu -- who continually defies convention -- to turn it into conventional thought. Me thinks Chuang Tzu would go completely berserk if he knew that later generations turned him into some kind of divine being!
Lao Tzu himself has been turned into a god. Since modern scholars question if Lao Tzu ever existed at all, it seems out of place to me to elevate a nonexistent person or mythic figure to sainthood.
So, I will continue to focus solely on philosophical Taoism. I firmly believe that the themes of this school of thought can positively impact each of our lives without any of the religious trappings that later came to be associated with it. And I hold firmly to the belief that the Tao that can be named is not the eternal Tao.
[Note: From time to time, you may have noticed that I provide links to The Free Dictionary for certain words. I have begun this practice as the visitors to this blog have become more international, in character. Whether an English speaker or not, some of the words I utilize are not that common and so, to aid in understanding, I'm providing links to their definitions.]
Glad to hear that you're sticking to the real thing. Religion is never the real thing, as we know. In fact, it is the opium of the masses. And that may be the only thing Karl Marx and I will ever agree on.
ReplyDeleteI feel I must make a comment since I think I might have provoked this post! Livia Kohn, a respected scholar of Daoism, notes in "Daoism and Chinese Culture" that it was 19th-century western Christian missionaries "whose initial interaction pattern...with Daoist materials is responsible for the problematic distinction of "philosophical" and "religious" Daoism, and the one-sided positive evaluation of the former and the rigid condemnation of the latter." That seems ironic to me in light of your post--you are not coming from a Western religious perspective.
ReplyDeleteEven if the practices and beliefs expressed in Taoist temples, like the bells and smells and eucharist of a Catholic church, are considered repugnant, I still think a complete appreciation of the ancient thinkers requires some attention to the mystical, metaphysical aspects of the tradition, which included from the outset a focus on self-cultivation through practice, usually with a master and disciple.
I guess my point is the distinction of philosophical and religious Taoism is a fundamentally Western one, not made in its land of origin, China.
Okay, I'll shut up about this now!
'Religion'?. Sorry... I cannot help but laugh! LOL!.
ReplyDeleteWell, some egos need to stick to that word (religion), call it fear for the nothingness, call it lazyness, who knows. It's understandable, but is just a word.
And thank you for the links to the dictionary!. For me is sheer useful!. (: