1、Early Religions: Taoism,“The Tao surrounds everyone and therefore everyone must listen to find enlightenment.”-Lao-Tse (604-531 BCE),Practices of Taoism,ultimate goal is to become one with Taoseek answers to lifes problems through inner meditation and outer observationmust nurture the Chi given to t
2、hem,The Founder,Lao-Tse (604-531 BCE) He has been credited with writing the seminal Taoist work Example Dao De Jing (道德經) As well he is acknowledged as the founding father of Taoism Chinese name: 老子,Place of Origin,- Taoisms origins have been traced backed to the prehistoric Chinese religion - The o
3、rganization of the Dao De Jing is the first record of Taoism in the third or fourth century BCE- Taoism, became one of Chinas great religions,History Of Taoism,Tao roughly translates to “the path”It evolved into a religious faith in 440 CE when it was adopted as a state religion With the end of the
4、Ching Dynasty in 1911, state support for Taoism ended,History Of Taoism (cont.),After the Communist victory in 1949, religious freedom was severely restricted. Monks were put into labour camps. Several million were reduced down to less then 50 000.Some religious tolerance has been restored under Den
5、g Xiao-ping from 1982 to the present time.,SYMBOLS,There are many symbols and images associated with Taoism. However, there is once central symbol, known as:,THE YIN-YANG or TAIJITU (太極圖),Yin (black) represents eternity, dark, feminine, left side of the body, etc.,Yang (white) is its opposite and re
6、presents history, light, masculine, right side of the body, etc.,Together they represent the peace and harmony of the opposing sides.,ADHERENTS,Last year, the estimated Taoist population was 31 million outside China ( primarily centered in Taiwan) and around 30,000 Taoists living in North America.,I
7、NFLUENCE IN THE 21st CENTURY,Taoism can be seen in Western societies in areas of acupuncture and herbalism, certain exercises and martial arts such as Tai-chi, and other art forms such as feng-shui.,Tai Chi,slow moving exercisebalances energy flow, promoting healthy lifeexercise that requires whole
8、body concentration,Taoism,three jewels: compassion, moderation and humilityTaoists follow art of wu weistrongly promote health and vitality,Religious vs. Philosophical,rituals such as presenting sacrifices, bowing toward an altar holding insense in ones hand, parades, dragon dances coinciding with lunar calendar,
