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so who is religous here? |
PeterKay
Joined: Jul 08, 2003
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From: The Ummah
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@scotsboyuk, what is Taoism? what do you believe?
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scotsboyuk
Joined: Jun 02, 2003
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From: UK
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Taoism/Daoism
The first thing I would like to do is link to the Tao Te Ching, which you can find here.
The Tao Te Ching is the seminal work of Taoism, it explains and encapsulates what Taoism is. The Tao Te Ching is organised into 81 chapters, each dealing with a different aspect of the Tao.
The Tao is all and nothing. It is everything we can imagine and everything we cannot. It is unknowable yet we are of it. The Tao is all that has been; all that is; and all that will be. It is both life and death; light and dark; day and night; existence and nothingness.
Tao means 'The Way'. The 1st chapter of the Tao Te Ching says of The Way:
The Way that can be experienced is not true;
The world that can be constructed is not real.
The Way manifests all that happens and may happen;
The world represents all that exists and may exist.
To experience without abstraction is to sense the world;
To experience with abstraction is to know the world.
These two experiences are indistinguishable;
Their construction differs but their effect is the same.
Beyond the gate of experience flows the Way,
Which is ever greater and more subtle than the world.
Taoism stresses the importance of naturalness, of acting in harmony with that natural order of things. Taoists seek to practice Wu Wei, which means 'creative inaction'. This is a process, by which one acts so in harmony with the natural order that one's actions are not perceptible as actions.
Of 'Without Action' the Tao Te Ching says:
Not praising the worthy prevents contention,
Not esteeming the valuable prevents theft,
Not displaying the beautiful prevents desire.
In this manner the sage governs people:
Emptying their minds,
Filling their bellies,
Weakening their ambitions,
And strengthening their bones.
If people lack knowledge and desire
Then they can not act;
If no action is taken
Harmony remains.
Wu Wei is not laziness or a lack of will to act, rather it is action, which achieves the best possible result using the least possible effort. Beliefnet.com describes Wu Wei thusly:
Quote:
| So wu wei is not non-action but effortless action. It is action without meddlesome, contentious, or egotistical exertion. It's the effortless action that results from combining your inner nature (P’u and Te) with the natural laws operating around you. In short, it is being in harmony with the Tao. |
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This is the essence of Taosim, to be in harmony with the Tao.
One must first learn to sense the Tao before one can harmonise with it. When one is in harmony with the Tao one finds that the correct action will find you, this is Wu Wei.
Wu Wei does not come through ego or forcefullness. It comes through patience and harmony. Knowledge is not the key to Wu Wei, knowledge is cleverness, which seeks to find better ways to do things. Wu Wei is not about effort or force, it requires no thought. It simply is. Taoism teaches us not to try, but to do or to do not. Nature does not try, it does or does not.
This is a very important aspect of Taoism because to practice Wu Wei we must let go. Nature takes the path of least resistance and this is Wu Wei; with Wu Wei nothing much seems to happen, but things get done. Trying too hard will lead to failure.
You may wonder why I focus so much on Wu Wei, I shall tell you. Wu Wei is the key to harmony. To practice Wu Wei is to act with effortlessness and be in harmony with the Tao. This leads to natural action and allows one to traverse the Way. It is abalnce and acceptance, understanding and compassion.
Desire is something that Taoists seek to let go of. Desire leads to suffering. Taoists seek simplicity in their lives. Desire is a want, it is something that leads one to conflict and disharmony. One must learn to let go.
When one acts in harmony with the Tao one acts with compassion, understanding and wisdom. One learns to accept life and maintain balance.
If anyone has any specific questions please do not hesitate to ask and I will do my best to answer.
_________________
"I may be drunk my dear woman, but in the morning I will be sober, and you will still be ugly." WSC
[ This Message was edited by: scotsboyuk on 2005-07-14 21:49 ] |
Sammy_boy
Joined: Mar 31, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Staffordshire, United Kingdom
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I think I read somewhere that someone had also managed to register being a 'Jedi' as an official religion! 
And you can actually register yourself as a follower of this 'religion' and put it on application forms etc.
On a different note, I'd also like to thank PeterKay for his wonderful and informative insights into Islam and the Holy Quran, very interesting to get insight into this religion which hasn't been bent and distorted by the tabloids and the media. 
"All it takes for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing" - Edmund Burke
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scotsboyuk
Joined: Jun 02, 2003
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From: UK
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@Sammy_boy
'Jedi' is not an official religion, although anyone is perfectly entitled to affiliate themselves with it. There was a mistaken belief that if enough people entered 'Jedi' on their census forms it would be recognised as an official religion, but this is not the case. Rather it is simply counted as being 'of no-religion'.
"I may be drunk my dear woman, but in the morning I will be sober, and you will still be ugly." WSC |
absinthebri
Joined: Feb 11, 2004
Posts: 476
From: London, UK
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Quote:
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On 2005-07-14 22:41:24, scotsboyuk wrote:
Taoism/Daoism
The first thing I would like to do is link to the Tao Te Ching, which you can find here.
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A Daoist resource I like is here. On the site are some good English translations, A good Chinese rendition and a pile of screensavers, themes and such.
[addsig] |
scotsboyuk
Joined: Jun 02, 2003
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From: UK
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@absinthebri
That looks rather good. Thank you very much.
"I may be drunk my dear woman, but in the morning I will be sober, and you will still be ugly." WSC |
02
Joined: Sep 24, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: UK Birmingham
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@sammy_boy
about u saying u definately going to hell..... well u cant think tat way.. hell we Islam cant think tat way for you... heres the reason and the reason why Islam dont promote violence and war etc etc..
For Islam we cannot think or assume that people of the non Islam faith will definately go to hell.. yes it states in the Qu'ran.. but in the Qu'ran it also states that we cant assume that these people will, as their life has not yet ended... therefore... we do not know what the future lies ahead of you... u maybe christian now... wat happens if God has already written tat in 5yrs time in ur life.. u'll realises the true religion.. and convert to Islam... then my words of saying that 5yrs ago "you'll definately going to hell" will be a sin... unless i found u again and ask for forgivness... 
Therefore in simple terms, we Islam Should give other non Islam faith a chance to live and realises the truft... not kill them and war.. if they fail to realise then god will decide his fate in heaven or hell...
hope tat clarify...
Never Give Up! |
scotsboyuk
Joined: Jun 02, 2003
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From: UK
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@O2
Taoism does not exclude other beliefs from exisitng, they would merely be another way of interpreting the Tao.
For a Taoist there is no Heaven or Hell and no God. There is the Tao. When our physical existence ends we join with the Tao. This life is an illusion, it is one possible manifestation of the Tao. We do not really exist in this form so we have nothing to fear from 'death'.
Here is what the Tao Te Ching has to say on the subject of death:
Men flow into life, and ebb into death.
Some are filled with life;
Some are empty with death;
Some hold fast to life, and thereby perish,
For life is an abstraction.
Those who are filled with life
Need not fear tigers and rhinos in the wilds,
Nor wear armour and shields in battle;
The rhinoceros finds no place in them for its horn,
The tiger no place for its claw,
The soldier no place for a weapon,
For death finds no place in them.
_________________
"I may be drunk my dear woman, but in the morning I will be sober, and you will still be ugly." WSC
[ This Message was edited by: scotsboyuk on 2005-07-15 04:09 ] |
whizkidd
Joined: May 14, 2004
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From: India
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Scots, are you a taoist? Or have you just studied the religion? And any similarities between taoism and shinto? Btw, i can volunteer for my religion..........Hinduism.
T230 >> T610 >> Ngage QD >> N73 >> N85 >> Omnia HD >> And countless other review units |
scotsboyuk
Joined: Jun 02, 2003
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From: UK
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@whizkidd
Yes, I am a Taoist.
I shall have to familiarise myself with Shinto once more to answer your question properly.
Please do post some information on Hinduism.
"I may be drunk my dear woman, but in the morning I will be sober, and you will still be ugly." WSC |
02
Joined: Sep 24, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: UK Birmingham
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@scotsboyuk
yes... in Islam we too believe that this world is just an illusion... but when u say Taoism doesnt believe in God.. then whats the reason we're here? what causes this life.. or just what causes me and you.. If theres no heaven and hell... then im safe for doin sins in this world and do wat osama or bush do, War.. But then again... we may think again... then who gives the prophets of Islam and Christian powers..??
Never Give Up! |
absinthebri
Joined: Feb 11, 2004
Posts: 476
From: London, UK
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Quote:
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On 2005-07-15 05:05:50, scotsboyuk wrote:
Taoism does not exclude other beliefs from exisitng, they would merely be another way of interpreting the Tao.
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I find it interesting that, unlike many other countries, three major religions/philosophies (Daoism, Confuscionism and Buddhism) happily co-existed in China simultaneously.
A lesson for us all.
[addsig] |
gelfen
Joined: Nov 22, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: Melbourne, Australia
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i think part of that would be because they are life-philosophies and do not prohibit the existence of other forms of belief, whereas monotheistic religions tend to proclaim the "one true god" - whatever that means.
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absinthebri
Joined: Feb 11, 2004
Posts: 476
From: London, UK
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@gelfen
I think that's part of it. I also think it's due to pragmatic emperors not imposing a state religion - they seem to have said something along the lines of do your work, pay your taxes, respect the status quo and you can do what you like.
[addsig] |
gelfen
Joined: Nov 22, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: Melbourne, Australia
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that is also how a large proportion of modern western societies operate.
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Posted: 2005-07-14 22:05
