Taoism1

Taoism: (NOT Daoism)

//The Taoist Symbol. Symbolizes the inner conflict// //of good and bad reality's.// Origin - Began in China from the philospher Lao-Tse (604-531 B.C.) - Began as a mixture of philosophy and psychology. - Its similar to confucianism but confucianism concerns with the social and moral side and Taoism focus on the individual spiritual side of life. -People associated the word __Dao__ with Taoism because is used in some cultures. - **Basic belief:** Taoism was originally used to instruct people on how to behave and lead others. It teaches them to be unnoticed which leads to the current belief that they do nothing. //***Tao means the path or the way. (the nature order of the universe.) Tao is life itself.// Ch'i - the energy or life force that consist of all things. Taoist use breathe control to control a level of ch'i in there body. Example: the force in //Star Wars.//  //"The Taoist sees the use in what most would consider as useless"// *Death is a simple transformation and it should not be feared or desired. Main purpose: living in accordance with the Tao and attaining immortality. 8 Immortals: Figures from tang and song dynasty who the taoist worship. They live in perfect place called the "Isles of the Blessed". They guard the 8 directions and bring good fortune and healthy offspring to those who display them in their home. In paintings they are dressed in iconic costume and are each holding objects that reflect their form of magic. Taoist worship the Immortals and some seek to find them to gain immortality. The 8 I mm  ortals: Ageless, eat air, drink dew, and can fly. . []

//The eight immortals crossing the red sea.// Sacred text: *The Tao Te Ching : Contains proverbs and paradoxical statements. *Chuang Tzu: Contains stories, anecdotes and philosophy.

Practices: Live in harmony of all aspects of the world. A Taoist does not struggle, oppose, or strive. They are pacifists. Do not believe in fighting: a very peaceful people. The non-action means that they try to go unnoticed rather than being labeled as people who do not do anyth ing //Picture of where the 8 immortals reside//.

Interesting Facts: 1.Try to harness sacred energy by retaining semen in their body instead of exerting the pleasureful experience. 2.Estimated to be 50 million Taoist believers in China alone. 3.They achieve there goal by what appears to be doing nothing. 4. The 5 Major organs of the body correspond to the five part of the sky: water, fire, wood, metal and earth. 5. Taoist strongly promote health and vitality.

