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Taoism
Taoism (also spelled Daoism) refers to a variety of related philosophical and religious traditions and concepts.
The Chinese character Tao 道 (or Dao, depending on the romanization scheme) means "path" or "way", although in Chinese religion and philosophy it has taken on more abstract meanings. Taoist propriety and ethics emphasize the Three Jewels of the Tao: compassion, moderation, and humility. Taoist thought focuses on health, longevity, immortality, wu wei (non-action) and spontaneity.
Reverence for nature and ancestor spirits is common in popular Taoism. Organized Taoism distinguishes its ritual activity from that of the folk religion, which some professional Taoists (Daoshi) view as debased debased品质恶劣的.
Categorization
1. "Philosophical Taoism" (Daojia 道家). A philosophical school based on the texts Dao De Jing (道德經) and Zhuangzi (莊子);
2. "Religious Taoism" (Daojiao 道教). A family of organized Chinese religious movements originating from the Celestial Masters movement during the late Han Dynasty and later including the "Orthodox" (Zhengyi 正義) and "Complete Reality" (Quanzhen 全真) sects, which claim lineages going back to Lao Zi (老子) or Zhang Daoling in the late Han Dynasty;
3. "Folk Taoism". The Chinese folk religion.
Principles
Taoism theology emphasizes various themes found in the Daodejing and Zhuangzi, such as naturalness, vitality, peace, "non-action" (wu wei), emptiness (refinement), detachment, the strength of softness (or flexibility), receptiveness, spontaneity, the relativism of human ways of life, ways of speaking and guiding behavior.
Tao
"Tao" is usually translated as road, channel, way, doctrine, or line.[16]. Wing-tsit Chan stated that tao meant system of morality to Confucians but the natural, eternal, spontaneous, indescribable way things began and pursued their course to Taoists.[17] Hansen disagrees that these were separate meanings and attributes.[18] Cane asserts tao can be roughly stated to be the flow of the...