Tao - The Way - Special Edition: The Sayings of Lao Tzu, Chuang Tzu and Lieh Tzu

Product Information

Huahujing ( Classic on converting the barbarians), an old text (5th–6th century BCE) that claims that Laozi traveled to China and is thus the source of Buddhism. Yinfu jing ( Scripture on the Inner Talisman), a 6th century CE text that was adopted by Quanzen school as one of their key scriptures. [310] Both terms were used to designate individuals dedicated to "...magic, medicine, divination,... methods of longevity and to ecstatic wanderings" as well as exorcism. [41] The fangshi were philosophically close to the School of Naturalists and relied greatly on astrological and calendrical speculations in their divinatory activities. [42] Female shamans played an important role in the early Taoist tradition, which was particularly strong in the southern state of Chu. Early Taoist movements developed their own tradition in contrast to shamanism while also absorbing shamanic elements. [43]

Some Taoists thought of the human body as a spiritual nexus with thousands of shen [177] (often 36,000), [262] gods who were likely thought of as at least somewhat mental in nature because of the word's other meaning of consciousness, that could be communed with by doing various methods to manipulate the yin and yang of the body, as well as its qi. [177] These Taoists also thought of the human body as a metaphorical existence where three " cinnabar fields" [177] that represented a higher level of reality and/or a spiritual kind of cinnabar that does not exist in normal reality. A method of meditation used by these Taoists was "visualizing light" that was thought to be qi or another kind of life energy a Taoist substituted for qi [177] or believed in the existence of instead. The light was then channeled through the three cinnabar fields, forming a "microcosmic orbit" or through the hands and feet for a "macrocosmic orbit". [177] Liexian Zhuan (Biographies of Immortals), a Han dynasty text that is the earliest Daoist hagiography of Daoist immortals. Despite these hierarchies of deities, most conceptions of Dao should not be confused with the Western sense of theism. [ further explanation needed] Being one with the Dao does not necessarily indicate a union with an eternal spirit in, for example, the Hindu theistic sense. [238] [161] Practices [ edit ] Xuan Yuan [Yellow Emperor] Inquires of the Dao, National Palace Museum, Taipei, Early Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). This silk scroll painting is based on the story that the Yellow Emperor went out to the Kongtong Mountains to meet with the famous Daoist sage GuangchengziAfter this point, Taoism did not have nearly as significant an effect on the passing of law as the syncretic Confucian- Legalist tradition. [ citation needed] Three Kingdoms and Six Dynasties eras [ edit ] A Taoist talisman from one of the Lingbao Scriptures. Furthermore, the Dao is something that individuals can find immanent in themselves, as well as in natural and social patterns. [136] [130] Thus, the Dao is also the "innate nature" ( xing) of all people, a nature which is seen by Taoists as being ultimately good. [137] In a naturalistic sense, the Dao as visible pattern, "the Dao that can be told", that is, the rhythmic processes and patterns of the natural world that can be observed and described. [130] Thus, Kohn writes that Dao can be explained as twofold: the transcendent, ineffable, mysterious Dao and the natural, visible, and tangible Dao. [130] Taoist generally do not consult published versions of the Daozang, but individually choose or inherit texts included in the Daozang. These texts have been passed down for generations from teacher to student. [316] The sages as thus because they have attained the primary goal of Daoism: a union with the Dao and harmonization or alignment with its patterns and flows. [211] This experience is one of being attuned to the Dao and to our own original nature, which already has a natural capacity for resonance ( ganying) with Dao. [212] This is the main goal that all Daoist practices are aiming towards and can be felt in various ways, such as a sense of psychosomatic vitality and aliveness as well as stillness and a "true joy" (zhenle) or "celestial joy" that remains unaffected by mundane concerns like gain and loss. [213]

Rituals [ edit ] A Taoist ritual at the Gray Goat Temple (Qingyang Gong, 青羊宫) in Chengdu, Sichuan. Taoist ritual specialists in a procession, Taiwan. Qīngjìng Jīng (清静经, Classic of Clarity and Stillness), Daoist teachings from the Daodejing with Mahayana Buddhist ideas. The text was adopted as one of the key scriptures of the Quanzhen school. [310]Significant movements in early Daoism disregarded the existence of gods, and many who believed in gods thought they were subject to the natural law of the Tao, in a similar nature to all other life. [47] [48] Roughly contemporaneously to the Daodejing, some believed the Dao was a force that was the "basis of all existence" and more powerful than the gods, while being a god-like being that was an ancestor and a mother goddess. [49] Livia Kohn writes that the main goal of internal alchemy is generally understood as a set of three transformations: "from essence (jing) to energy ( qi), from energy to spirit (shen), and from spirit to Dao." [275] Common methods for this include engaging the subtle body and activating the microcosmic orbit. [275] [267] [177] Louis Komjathy adds that neidan seeks to create a transcendent spirit, usually called the "immortal embryo" (xiantai) or "yang spirit" (yangshen). [274] Texts [ edit ] A part of a Taoist manuscript, ink on silk, 2nd century BCE, Han Dynasty, unearthed from Mawangdui tomb 3rd On the other hand, traditionally minded Taoists in the West are often either ethnically Chinese or generally assume some level of sinification, especially the adoption of Chinese language and culture. This is because, for most traditional Taoists, the religion is not seen as separate from Chinese ethnicity and culture. As such, most Western convert Taoist groups are led either by Chinese teachers or by teachers who studied with Chinese teachers. [125] Some prominent Western Taoist associations include: Associacion de Taoism de España, Association Francaise Daoiste, British Daoist Association, Daoist Foundation (San Diego, California), American Taoist and Buddhist Association (New York), Ching Chung Taoist Association (San Francisco), Universal Society of the Integral Way (Ni Hua-Ching), and Sociedade Taoista do Brasil. [126] A key element of many schools of Daoism are alchemical practices, which include rituals, meditations, exercises, and the creation of various alchemical substances. The goals of alchemy include physical and spiritual transformation, aligning oneself spiritually with cosmic forces, undertaking ecstatic spiritual journeys, improving physical health, extending one's life, and even becoming an immortal ( xian). [270]