Taoism – 398 Million Believers – indigenous pantheism and philosophy based on the harmony of nature, (Taoism, Confucianism, Shintoism)
1750 BC – Taoism is based on indigenous Chinese beliefs that originated with early Shamans, the Wu Xing and the formation of the Bagua. The teachings of Lao Tzu and Confucius formalized Taoism as they blended and complimented one another along with indigenous Shintoism.
Taoist Belief - Dao, or ‘the way’, embodies the harmony of opposites. Taoists believe that nature is a continual balance between yin and yang, and that any attempt to go toward one extreme or the other will be ineffective, self-defeating, and short-lived. Yin and yang are often described in terms of sunlight playing over a mountain and a valley. As the sun moves across the sky, yin and yang gradually trade places with each other, revealing what was obscured and obscuring what was revealed.
Wuji – the limitless produces the delimited, and this is the absolute
Taiji - produces two forms, named yin and yang
Yin – ‘shady place’ or ‘north slope’ is the dark area created by the mountain. It is slow, soft, yielding, diffuse, cold, wet, tranquil; water, earth, moon, femininity, and nighttime.
Yang – ‘sunny place’ or ‘south slope’ is the brightly lit portion. It is fast, hard, solid, focused, hot, dry, or aggressive; fire, sky, sun, masculinity and daytime.
Taoist Symbol - Yin-Yang diagram is the most important of all Taoist symbols, yin and yang represents the Movement of Heaven or the Tao. “When the world began, there was heaven (yang) and earth (yin). Heaven mated with the earth and gave birth to everything in the world. Heaven is Qian-gua, and the Earth is Kun-gua. The remaining six gua are their sons and daughters”.
670 – 590 BC – Lao-Tzu – Many believe he never existed, while historians can point to several possible historical identities. The most popular story is that he was born in Ch’u, Henan Province, Lao Tzu, which literally means “old master”, is also sometimes referred to as Lao Tan or Li Er. He was appointed the keeper of the Imperial Archives by the King of Zhou in Luoyang, and may have been a teacher to Confucius. He studied the archive’s books avidly and his insight grew. Lao Tzu perceived that the kingdom’s affairs were disintegrating, so it was time to leave. He was traveling west on a buffalo when he came to the Han Gu Pass, which was guarded. The keeper of the pass realized Lao Tzu was leaving permanently, so he requested that Lao Tzu write down some of his wisdom so that it could be preserved. Lao Tzu climbed down from his buffalo and immediately wrote the Tao Te Ching.
Sacred Text – Tao Te Ching - The Book of the Way and Its Power. A book that contains 84 short verses on life and is the sacred book of Taoism along with the I-Ching or Book of Changes.
Confucianism
Confucian belief - is characterized by a highly optimistic view of human nature. The faith in the possibility of ordinary humans becoming awe-inspiring sages is deeply rooted in the Confucian heritage. Confucius regarded Heaven (T’ien) as a positive and personal force in the universe; he was not, as some have supposed, an agnostic or a skeptic. The main principles of Confucianism ren – humaneness or benevolence signifying excellent character, li – ritual norms, zhong – loyalty to one’s true nature, shu – reciprocity, xiao – filial piety, de – virtue.
Confucian Symbol - Chinese ideogram for water. It represents the ‘source of life’ in Chinese philosophy.
551 – 479 BC – Confucius – was born in the small feudal state of Lu, Shantung Province. His father died when Confucius was three years old. Confucius distinguished himself as a passionate learner. He married a woman of similar background when he was 19. His mastery of the six arts—ritual, music, archery, chariot, calligraphy, and arithmetic—and his familiarity of poetry and history, enabled him to start a brilliant teaching career in his 30s. Confucius developed concepts about education, society and government that he hoped to put into practice. At 56, when he realized that his superiors were uninterested in his policies, Confucius left the country to find another feudal state to which he could render his service. Despite his political frustration, he was accompanied by an expanding circle of students. At the age of 67 Confucius returned home to teach and preserve his traditions by writing and editing. He died in 479 BC, at the age of 73.
Sacred Text - I Ching (Classic of Changes) – divination based on a set of 64 hexagrams that reflect the relationship between Yin and Yang in nature and society. The hexagrams are combinations of eight trigrams or gua, (collectively called bagua), resulting in sixty-four possible combinations. Each hexagram has six Yin or Yang lines. When cast, each gives a reading with an image, a judgement and commentaries on the lines. The shift of one or more lines from Yin into Yang (or the reverse) gives rise to another reading, representing a change.
Shih Ching (Classic of Odes) – collection of 300 poems and songs.
Shu Ching (Classic of History) – collection of documents and speeches
Ch’un Ching (Spring and Autumn Annals) – extracts from the history of the state of Lu, compiled by Confucius
Li Ching (Classic of Rites) – three books on the Li (Rites of Propriety)
QUANZHEN DAO – The Way of Complete Perfection by Wang Zhe
Shintoism
Shinto Belief – is an ancient Japanese religion that was originally a mix of nature worship, fertility cults, divination techniques, hero worship, and shamanism. Shinto means kami way - “the way of the gods.” Shinto is the indigenous religion of Japan. The basic belief of Shinto is that the gods or spirit is found in all living things. Gods, or “kami” (are found to reside in beautiful, sacred places like waterfalls, and ancient forests. Artists who display exceptional skill and some non-living things like rocks, are believed to contain the presence of kami. It emphasizes a constant searching for harmony with nature, and the recognition of and appreciation for god’s presence in one’s surroundings. It is in these sacred spaces one can truly connect with the spiritual realm.
Shinto Symbol - A torii is a traditional Japanese gate commonly found at the entry to a Shinto shrine. It has two upright supports and two crossbars on the top, and is frequently painted vermilion. The origin of the torii is said to come from an old Japanese legend, when the sun goddess became extremely annoyed with her prankster brother. She hid herself in a cave and sealed the entrance with a rock, causing an eclipse. The people were afraid that if the sun never returned, they all would die. So, per the advice of a token wise old man, they built a large bird perch out of wood and placed all the town’s roosters on this perch. They all started to crow noisily, causing the curious sun goddess to peek out of her cave. Having opened the door a crack, a large sumo wrestler from the town ran up and pushed the rock away, letting the sun out and thus the world was saved. That bird perch was the first torii gate. From then on, the torii became a symbol of prosperity and good fortune, and spread all over Japan.
Shinto Books – discuss the “High Plain of Heaven” and the “Dark Land” which is an unclean land of the dead, but give few details of the afterlife. Ancestors are deeply revered and worshipped. All of humanity is regarded as “Kami’s child.” Thus all human life and human nature is sacred. Many texts are valued in the Shinto religion. Most date from the 8th century CE:
Kojiki - Record of Ancient Matters
Rokkokushi – Six National Histories
Shoku Nihongi and its Nihon Shoki – Continuing Chronicles of Japan
Jinno Shotoki – a study of Shinto and Japanese politics and history
Believers revere “musuhi”, the Kamis’ creative and harmonizing powers. They aspire to have “makoto”, sincerity or true heart. This is regarded as the way or will of Kami. Morality is based upon that which is of benefit to the group. “Shinto emphasizes right practice, sensibility, and attitude.”
Four Affirmations in Shinto:
Tradition and the family: The family is seen as the main mechanism by which traditions are preserved. Their main celebrations relate to birth and marriage.
Love of nature: Nature is sacred; to be in contact with nature is to be close to the Gods. Natural objects are worshipped as sacred spirits.
Physical cleanliness: Followers of Shinto take baths, wash their hands, and rinse out their mouth often.
Matsuri: The worship and honor given to the Kami and ancestral spirits.
