Taoism at a Glance

Taoism (also spelled Daoism) is based on the teachings of the Tao Te Ching, a short tract written in the 6th century BC in China. Taoism emphasizes spiritual harmony within the individual, complementing Confucianism's focus on social duty. The two great Chinese belief systems were founded at about the same time and continue to exist side-by-side in today's China. There are two main schools within Taoism, usually called "philosophical Taoism" (Tao-chia) and "religious Taoism" (Tao-chaio). The two are not as strongly distinguished as once thought, but philosophical Taoism tends to focus on the philosophical writings of Lao-Tzu, Chuang-Tzu and other early mystics while religious Taoism emphasizes religious rituals aimed at attaining immortality.

Just as my interest in Buddhism lies in the philosophical teachings, my interest in Taoism is also in the philosophical teachings only, and not the religious aspects of it.

Taoism is about the Tao. This is usually translated as the Way. But it's hard to say exactly what this means. I don’t think there is an English word which can appropriately translate the meaning of Tao – due to the limit of languages.

It is a religion of unity and opposites; Yin and Yang. The principle of Yin Yang sees the world as filled with complementary forces – action and non-action, light and dark, hot and cold, and so on

Many Taoist ideas come from other Chinese schools of thought. It's not always easy to draw accurate distinctions between ideas that are fundamentally Taoist and those that Taoism took in from elsewhere, especially Buddhism.

Taoism is also increasingly influential in the West, especially in the fields of alternative medicine and martial arts like Tai Chi.