Taoism is the one of four eastern systems
that is philosophical. It is often placed together with Hinduism, Buddhism
and Confucianism. Like Confucianism, it is a rough contemporary of Buddhism,
while Hinduism predates all of them. Its founder, known as Lao Tzu, is said
to have been born around 604 BCE, which makes him earlier than both Buddha
and Confucius, but it is not clear if there ever really was such a person,
or whether he was a later recreation to provide a single author for the
book Tao Te Ching which translates as The Way and its Power and lays out
the basic philosophy of Taoism.
The classic I Ching took its final
form around 2500 BCE. Over the centuries certain sages have applied interpretations
of the I Ching to the social cultural forces of groups in organizations,
romantic connections between individuals, the many aspects of business and
personal transformation.
Interpretations of the I Ching can
be done for the moment at hand, to plan the future, interpret an event or
identify a course of action. The Matrix of 64 Figures encompasses the span
and depth of human associations, both individually and collectively.
The word Tao (pronounced 'dow') means
'way' or 'path' and refers to the way of ultimate reality. Taoism states
flatly that this is too vast for human rationality to fathom and that words
are not adequate to describe it.
Three forms of Taoism have evolved,
Philosophical Taoism, Religious Taoism, and a cluster of beliefs called
Vitalizing Taoism. All of them deal with increasing and harnessing the power
(te) of energy (ch'i) to maximize its effectiveness in an individual. This
is accomplished through nutrition, exercise, meditation and yoga.
Taoism seeks complete self-knowledge
that, as it is achieved, leads to extraordinary power over people and things.
This power is not overt but subtle. It manifests itself in the ability to
get things done without seeming to actually do anything, especially avoiding
recourse to violence, coercion, or pressure. Its mode of operation can summed
up in the following verse:
A leader is best
When people barely know he exists
Of a good leader, who talks little,
When his work is done, his aim fulfilled,
They will say, "We did this ourselves."
Taoists do not see opposites (such
as good/evil, light/dark, active/passive) as in conflict or contradictory
with each other but as somehow one. It is represented by the Yin Yang symbol.
In its rejection of the ability of words to capture its deep ideas and its
embrace of contradictions, Taoism is somewhat Zen-like. It is opposed to
violence to the point of pacifism that is not passive. In regards to Confucianism,
which elevates the status of the scholar in society, Taoism placed the soldier
at the bottom. Whereas Confucianism is deeply concerned with the role of
the individual in society and how to make society function better, Taoism
is more Buddhist-like in turning away from the material world and seeking
to understand oneself.
Taoism and Confucianism represent the
two indigenous poles of the Chinese character. Confucius represents the
classical, Lao Tzu the romantic. Confucius stresses social responsibility;
Lao Tzu praises spontaneity and naturalness. Confucius's focus is on the
human, Lao Tzu's on what transcends the human. As the Chinese themselves
say, Confucius roams within society, Lao Tzu wanders beyond.
Taoism, while focusing on the transcendental,
does not seem to have the concept of a personal god. It recognizes, in the
mystical form, the existence of otherworldly entities like ghosts and spirits,
and it has a pantheon of deities which include the founders of the philosophy.
Some Taoists resort to soothsaying, faith healing and the like, and have
rituals that are claimed to have magical effects if done correctly. Taoists
also created a church and a sort of 'papal succession' that still exists.
So unlike Buddhism and Confucianism, there is plenty of stuff in Taoism
that would be beyond the pale of science.
Both Buddhism and Taoism are inward
looking, seeking enlightenment and self-improvement as the ultimate goal,
with correct interactions with others serving as a means to achieving this
self-fulfillment.
The I Ching remains as vital today,
in the 21st century as it did thousands of years ago.
The one called Dale Bruder,
is among the cultural innovators who have devised
implements and techniques to use the I Ching in describing and predicating
elements, processes and experiences in practices involving special uses
of the mind and body
