You cannot stop tomorrow from coming. You can beg, complain, throw a tantrum, or refuse to get out of bed. The sun will still rise. This simple truth is the heart of Taoism. Taoists believe life’s frustrations begin when people fight reality instead of understanding it.
Wu wei
Taoists believe humankind, nature, and heaven are interconnected, creating harmony when everything acts according to its nature. This is known as wu wei. A person who practices wu wei avoids aggression and bends to accommodate life’s problems rather than break under their weight.
Advertisement
The Tao
The natural order is an unknowable force called the Tao. Tao can be translated as “the way.” Taoists view the Tao as the connection that makes all life and movement in nature possible.
Yin and Yang
The world is full of opposites that depend on one another. We appreciate rest because we know work, warmth because we know cold, and success because we have experienced failure. The same patterns can be seen throughout nature. Day follows night, summer follows winter, and growth is eventually followed by decline. Taoists call these complementary forces yin and yang.
The interaction of yin and yang is revealed in the changing of the seasons, the flowering of living things, and their eventual decay. Unhappiness comes from people acting against the Tao by disrupting the natural order of life.
The Natural Order
Taoists believe these balances operate not only in human life but throughout the universe. Earthquakes, floods, and other natural disasters are often viewed as signs that harmony has been disturbed. Yet Taoists also believe that nature tends to restore balance over time.
Lao Tzu
Legends say the founder of Taoism is Lao Tzu, though it is possible he never existed. He is said to have been a scholar who worked as a keeper of records for a Zhou lord. Lao Tzu was unhappy with the growing chaos of his time, so as a very old man, he decided to withdraw from society to live as a hermit. While traveling, a gatekeeper recognized him and asked him to write down his wisdom. Lao Tzu wrote the Tao Te Ching, then rode through the gate, never to be seen again.
Advertisement
The Tao Te Ching means “the Way of Life.” It is a concise book—written in ancient Chinese, standard English translations are often fewer than one hundred pages. The Tao Te Ching recommends bending to accommodate rather than breaking under the stresses of life.
Water and Wisdom
Many Taoists compare the Tao to water. When blocked, water seeks the weakest spot in an obstacle and flows around it. Given the slightest opening, water will pass through and widen the opening if possible. Yet water steadily finds the easiest path and follows it for as long as possible. The Tao Te Ching says, “There is nothing stronger and weaker than water, and yet there is nothing better for attacking hard and strongthings.”
A Full Buffet
It is sometimes said that a person could be Confucian in public life, Taoist in private life, and Buddhist in times of hardship. While the saying oversimplifies these traditions, it helps explain an important difference between Eastern and Western thought. In the West, people often view religions as separate choices. In the East, many people saw no contradiction in drawing ideas from all three traditions.
Eastern traditions often operate more like a buffet than a restaurant menu. A person might fill a plate with pizza, fried chicken, French fries, and pot roast without worrying whether the foods belong together. In the same way, many people draw ideas from Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Rather than competing with one another, these traditions are often seen as different ways to build a balanced life.
Three paths
Lao Tzu, Confucius, and the Buddha all lived at about the same time, though there is no evidence that they knew one another. Their teachings developed independently and offered different paths to a meaningful life.
Confucius believed that society worked best when people fulfilled their responsibilities. He taught that children should respect their parents, rulers should act honorably, and citizens should behave with integrity. His goal was to create harmony through good behavior and strong relationships.
Lao Tzu looked to nature rather than society for answers. He taught that people should live in harmony with the Tao and avoid struggling against the natural order. Taoists seek balance, simplicity, and acceptance.
The Buddha focused on suffering. He taught that people could find peace by letting go of selfish desires and following a path of wisdom, self-discipline, and compassion.
Although their teachings differed, all three traditions encouraged people to become wiser, kinder, and more thoughtful. Together, they helped shape the beliefs and values of millions of people across Asia and around the world.
Resources
Download this lesson as a worksheet with activities
Editable File (Microsoft Word)
Printable PDF (Adobe Acrobat)
Mr. Donn has an excellent website that includes a section on Chinese History.