Portal:Taoism

TAOISM PORTAL

Taoism (often written as Daoism) is the English name for:

(a) a philosophical school based on the Tao te Ching (Daode Jing), ascribed to Laozi, and the Zhuangzi.

(b) a family of organised Chinese religious movements such as the Tianshi Dao ("Way of the Celestial Masters") or Quanzhen ("complete reality") sects, which collectively trace back to Zhang Daoling in the late Han dynasty;

(c) a Chinese folk religion.

The English word "Taoism" is used to translate the Chinese terms Daojiao (道教) and Daojia (道家). The character Tao 道 (or Dao, depending on the transliteration scheme one prefers) literally means "path" or "way", but in Chinese religion and philosophy has taken on more abstract meanings. The compound Daojiao refers to Daoism as a religion (i.e., people worshipping at altars); Daojia refers to the activity of scholars in their studies. (It must be noted that this distinction is itself controversial and fraught with hermeneutic difficulty.)

Much uncertainty exists over the meaning of "Taoism". In some countries and contexts (for example, the national "Taoism" organisations of China and Taiwan), the label has come to be applied to the Chinese folk religion, which would otherwise not have a readily recognizable English name. However many, if not most, of its practitioners would not recognize "Taoism" (in any language) as the name of their religion. Moreover, the several forms of what we might call "elite" or "organized" Taoism often distinguish their ritual activities from those of the folk religion, which some professional "Taoists" (Daoshi) view as debased. {{Wikipedia:Wikiportal/box-footer | Learn more about Taoism... }}