Taoism (also spelled Daoism) is a religion and a philosophy from ancient China that has influenced folk and national belief. Taoism has been connected to the philosopher Lao Tzu, who, around 500 B.C.E., wrote the main book of Taoism, the Tao Te Ching. Taoism holds that humans and animals should live in balance with the Tao, or the universe. Taoists believe in spiritual immortality, where the spirit of the body joins the universe after death.
The Tao Te Ching, or “The Way and Its Power,” is a collection of poetry and sayings from around the third and fourth centuries B.C.E. that guides Taoist thought and actions. The author is traditionally believed to be the philosopher Lao Tzu; however, because these events occurred before the historical record, it is unclear how accurate this credit is. Some people believe that the Tao Te Ching is a compilation of earlier sayings from many authors and suggest that cultural and political reasons underlie the attribution of the book to Lao Tzu. Regardless, Lao Tzu is often understood as the image of the Tao, or a god, and given legendary status.
The Tao (or Dao) is hard to define but is sometimes understood as the way of the universe. Taoism teaches that all living creatures ought to live in a state of harmony with the universe and the energy found in it. Ch’i, or qi, is the energy present in and guiding everything in the universe. The Tao Te Ching and other Taoist books provide guidelines for behavior and spiritual ways to live in harmony with this energy. However, Taoists do not believe in this energy as a god. Rather, there are gods as part of the Taoist beliefs, often introduced from the various cultures found in the region known now as China. Like all living things, these gods are part of the Tao. Taoist temples, monasteries and priests make offerings, meditate and perform other rituals for their communities.
One of the main ideas of Taoism is the belief in balancing forces of yin and yang. These ideas represent matching pairs -- light and dark, hot and cold, action and inaction -- which work together toward a universal whole. Yin and yang show that everything in the universe is connected and that nothing makes sense by itself.
Taoism became well-known in the eighth century C.E. as the religion of the Tang dynasty. In the following centuries, it existed alongside Buddhism and Confucianism (another philosophical religion). However, during the Communist takeover in 1949, Taoism, Confucianism and other religions were banned. This caused a decline in the open practice of Taoism in China until the 2010s, when Chinese leader Xi Jinping changed the government’s stance on religion. Instead of stamping out the practices, Xi sought to integrate religious customs into socialism and use them to strengthen the legitimacy of the government. To this end, Xi’s communist government began framing Taoist traditions as a point of national pride, while at the same time downplaying their religious aspects. People once again began visiting Taoist temples and engaging in Taoist rituals. The Chinese government also promoted Taoism as a way to attract tourists. It restored Taoist temples and promoted Taoist practices, such as meditation and tai chi (a form of martial arts with slow controlled movements). These practices have become popular in many other parts of the world, where their influence extends into new realms of life. Today, many people in and beyond China engage in Taoist practices without considering themselves Taoists.
