Understanding the Tao 道 ☯️
In a series of post we will share to you our Taoist views and perspectives on a wide range of topics. A sort of compedium and a guide post on where our Neo Tao Society sees the "ten thousand things".
From the origin of creation, the universe, our planet earth, the purpose and meaning of life and death and afterlife, soteriology and eschatology, mankind and its destiny, our society, the individual, the government, family, marriage, children, health, science, virtues, morality, ethics, good and evil, joy and pain, nirvana and suffering, health and sickness, comparative ideas and ideals, innerview and worldview, philosophy, religion, tradition, and spirituality, scitech and artificial intelligence, to the complex, interacting, interconnected psychological- socio-geo-historico-political-cultural-economic-environmental issues affecting one way or another our daily lives.
For this post, we'll start with the concept of the Tao. The concept of the Tao 道 is a central and influential idea in Taoist philosophy, religion, spirituality, and way of life, but its interpretation and understanding can vary across different cultural and historical contexts, across different space and time. At least that's how we see it from our point of view.
Therefore, first and foremost to the understanding of Taoism, is a good understanding of the Tao, and from there then we can move into the -isms of Tao, or the ways, means, ideas, and practices of the understanding of the Tao and the myriad manners depending on your Taoist school of thought on how to harmonize in varying degrees with the Tao. Traditional and classical Chinese Taoism alone has over 2000 years of rich and fascinating tradition of complete human life-cycle healthcare and wellbeing practices. If we add some more modern and innovative Taoist practices then indeed a multiple lifetime might not be enough to cover all.
The Tao Te Ching clearly stated that ultimately the Tao cannot be defined completely using the human mind, language, and construct. Nevertheless, we can acknowledge with absolute certainty the fact that the Tao is for real and the truth, whether we believe it or not. Allow us then to share with you the many ways in which the idea of the Tao has been interpreted and understood in different contexts.
In Taoism, the Tao is seen as the natural way and order, an uncreated force, the first principle, the ultimate, the ineffable source and the underlying unity and reality of all existence. Although not seen as a god in theistic interpretation whom we can have some sort of personal relationship, communion, or union.
Hence the Tao is not being worshipped by Taoists unlike many other god-centric religions. the Tao is considered as the originator and sustainer of life here on Earth and the myriad things in the Universe, but Taoists don't see it as a god(s), creator, divine cosmic being, or a personalistic intelligent designer.
Taoism is non-theist although there are certain traditions within the highly diverse Taoist communities that believe in mythical deities or embodiments of the Tao, and there are also those who revere xians or highly respected Taoist role models, community organizers, funders, patrons, teachers, scholars, and sages.
Taoist texts like the Tao Te Ching and the Zhuangzi and the hundreds and thousands of the text included in the Daozhang or the Taoist canon offer both philosophical and religious reflections on the nature of the Tao, describing it as "the way" that transcends all conceptual distinctions and dualisms.
Taoists emphasize wu wei 无为, the importance of aligning and harmonizing one's life through effortless unforced actions aligning with the natural flow and harmony of the Tao known and enhanced often through many self-cultivation practices like meditation, mindfulness, contemplation, fusion of modern and traditional wellness and healthcare, loving-kindness and compassion, and living in harmony with the patterns and rhythms of nature.
Taoists acknowledged that living a wu wei life aligned and harmonized with the Tao results in a more meaningful, purposeful, joyful, healthier, and fuller life. Taoism therefore is an invitation to live life to the fullest. To carry on with life amidst all its pains and joys, certainties and uncertainties, assurances and worries, health and sickness, ups and downs and ups. A Taoist is both firm and cool, anchored on a pliant strong foundation. A Taoist can both look at life and death straight to its eye with calm confidence.
Now let's go to another viewpoint, Confucianism, which has tremendous influence in East Asian countries. In Confucianism, the Tao is often understood as the natural order, moral principles, and social/political harmony that should guide human conduct and the proper functioning of society. Confucian thinkers like Mencius and Xunzi emphasized the importance of cultivating virtues and fulfilling one's social and familial responsibilities in alignment with the Tao. The Confucian concept of the "Mandate of Heaven" (天命, tianming) is closely tied to the idea of the Tao as the moral and natural order that legitimizes political authority.
Buddhism is considered the closest philosophical outlook to Taoism. In some Chinese Buddhist traditions, the Tao has been equated or closely associated with the concept of "emptiness" (sunyata)—the ultimate, non-dual nature of reality. Chinese Buddhist thinkers like Huineng and Zongmi incorporated Taoist ideas and terminology into their philosophical frameworks, blending them with Buddhist concepts. The emphasis on non-duality, spontaneity, and the transcendence of conceptual thought in Zen Buddhism has been influenced by Taoist understandings of the Tao.
Taoism has great influence over Sinosphere countries including Vietnam, Korea, and Japan. In Vietnam, the Tao and Taoism known locally as dao giao blended with Vietnamese Thien (Zen, Chan) Buddhism. In Japanese philosophy and culture, the Tao is known as the "Dao" and is closely related to the ideas of "Kami" (divine spirits) and "Wa" (social harmony). Japanese Zen Buddhism has many commonalities with Taoism as the first Japanese Zen Buddhists were actually educated in China and thus have been exposed to both Buddhism and Taoism and its syncretism.
Korean Neo-Confucianism incorporated Taoist concepts like the Tao and yin-yang into its philosophical framework, blending them with Confucian and Buddhist ideas. In fact, the South Korean national flag, the taegukgi prominently features the symbol of the yin-yang symbol. Elsewhere where there are large Sinic communities like in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, the understanding of Tao resulted in a life outlook anchored on the yin-yang concept of balance and harmony adapted and reinterpreted within their own unique historical, social, and religious contexts. Interestingly, in Filipino-Tagalog language, "tao" also means mankind.
Indigenous Religion and Syncretic Traditions have also profound viewpoints of the Tao. In some indigenous cultures, the Tao has been understood and integrated with local spiritual and cosmological beliefs, such as the Hopi concept of the "Great Spirit" or the Aztec idea of the "Ometeotl." In syncretistic traditions, like Taoism's incorporation of elements from Chinese folk religion, demonstrate the flexibility and adaptability of the Tao concept across different cultural and religious contexts.
As Taoism spread across time and space, Western interpretations of the Tao also emerged. Some Western scholars and philosophers have attempted to understand and translate the Tao concept, sometimes equating it with notions of the Absolute, the Infinite, the Logos, the One, God, or the Divine Creator often lensing the concept of the Tao in Western philosophical foundation and through the Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam through its exoteric and esoteric mystical interpretations.
Relatedly, Western New Age and Western spiritual movements have also adopted and interpreted the Tao through the lens of their own cultural and religious perspectives, often blending it with other metaphysical and mystical ideas. Ultimately, Taoism in the West would have its own unique and interesting form and practice, but its core and substance would fundamentally be the same with the East.
Just as Taoism survived and thrived for over two milllenium beginning in Asia, the worldwide spread of Taoism would carry on for the next 100, 1000, 2000 years and more amidst all the many earth-shaking events that is going to happen, up to the point when the "tao" (mankind) harmonizes all its thoughts and actions and civilization to the ways of the "Tao" (道) bringing about unprecedented peace, harmony, and spiritual-scientific progress for all neo-tao, new mankind.
In closing, as far as Neo Tao Society viewpoint is concerned, the diverse interpretations and understandings of the Tao across different cultures and traditions reflect the profound and multifaceted nature of this concept. While the core idea of the Tao as the foundational, unifying principle of the universe is profoundly influential, its specific meanings and applications have been shaped by the unique cultural, historical, and philosophical contexts in which it has been engaged. Indeed, the diverse understandings of the Tao reflect the richness and complexity of human attempts to grapple with the fundamental nature of reality and our place within it.
- JR Estallo ☘️
