Taoism is often taught in the West as an atheist or agnostic philosophy, but in China and Taiwan particularly, Taoism still functions like any conventional religion, and not like an abstract philosophy of life.
Taoist pantheon
Taoism does not have a God in the way that the Abrahamic religions do. There is no omnipotent being beyond the cosmos, who created and controls the universe. In Taoism the universe springs from the Tao, and the Tao impersonally guides things on their way.
Taoism is not a religion; it is a philosophy – a way of looking at life and a way of thinking about things. Taoists believe that if one looks at life and thinks about things in the right way, then one will be much happier.
Taoism (also called Daoism) is a Chinese religion that developed a bit after Confucianism, around two thousand years ago. In contrast to Confucianism, Taoism is mainly concerned with the spiritual elements of life, including the nature of the universe.
Philosophical models not falling within established religious structures, such as Daoism, Confucianism, Epicureanism, Deism, and Pandeism, have also been considered to be nontheistic religions.
Taoist deities include nature spirits, ancient legendary heroes, humanized planets and stars, Hsien (humans who became immortal and achieved divinity through Taoist practices and teachings, see: 8 Immortals), ancestor spirits (see: Ancestor Worship in Taoism, Joss paper) and animals such as dragons (see: dragon dance), ...
Taoists believe that good actions will mean a better life for their soul so Taoists follow rules and guides for living. They are not allowed to tell lies, steal, commit adultery, commit murder or drink alcohol. They also have a list of good deeds to further guide they way they live.
Taoism is a religion based on the “Tao” doctrine - the way to achieve harmony. Tao is the beginning of everything and its main rule is to follow the fate (“the flow of life”) without resistance, and sometimes just drifting - going with the flow.
In Taoism perspective, life after death refers to the belief that one will die and be reborn in another being based on their previous lives. This interpretation, he said, should encourage human beings to do good and benefit others because their virtues will spread positive energy.
Today, the Taoist religion is one of the five religious doctrines officially recognized by the People's Republic of China (PRC), including in its special administrative regions (SARs) of Hong Kong and Macau.
In Taoism, the place of worship is a temple that is called the Gong. The Gong temples look somewhat similar to Buddhist temples in construction, but they differ in that they have statues of the Dragon and the Tiger in front of them, where Buddhist temples do not, but may instead have statues of large giants.
Yes, Taoism can be followed in a philosophical way. There is religion path in Taoism as well, but you are free to choose whatever religion you want to follow.
The Tao is not God
Taoism does include many deities, but although these are worshipped in Taoist temples, they are part of the universe and depend, like everything, on the Tao. The Tao includes several concepts in one word: the source of creation. the ultimate.
Jesus both lived in accordance with the Tao (providing an example for us) and opened the path back to the Tao for the rest of us -- undoing the breaking of the Tao done by our ancestors. Except through him, none have come to the Tao and only through him can one come to the Tao.
They are neither good nor bad, they simply are. So whether or not you believe that The Tao is a real thing, the principles and way of life that Taoism promotes can still have a positive influence on the way we live our lives.
Taoism as a Religion: While many Western religions emphasize a duality between good and evil, urging devotees to embrace the good and spurn the evil, Taoism saw these moral qualities as two extremes of a single spectrum.
Taoism philosophy is based on three pillars: simplicity, patience, and compassion.
Seventy percent of your diet should consist of fresh fruits and vegetables. The other thirty percent must consist of about twenty percent organic seafood or meats and ten percent should be made up of natural fats found in seed or nuts.
Karma is an important concept in Taoism. Every deed is tracked by deities and spirits. Appropriate rewards or retribution follow karma, just like a shadow follows a person. The karma doctrine of Taoism developed in three stages.
The main goal of a follower of Taoism is to achieve oneness with the Tao. The Taoist pursues this aim by focusing on personal development with an emphasis on ethics such as kindness, generosity, and humility.
However, both religions are vastly different from one another. For one, Buddhism is considered an offshoot of Hinduism, which has its foundation on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama. Taoism, on the other hand, is based on the philosophical ideas of Lao Tzu.
Answer and Explanation: Taoism can be easily differentiated from other prominent religions such as Christianity and Islam. Taoism could be portrayed as a pantheistic religion, as it believes that the Tao is a universal and impersonal being which unifies all of reality in a continuity across time and space.
The monastic traditions of Taoism, which originated in China, also prescribe abstaining from garlic and onions because of their potential to interfere with mental clarity. The Taoist version of "five pungents" includes garlic, onions, coriander, rapeseed plant, and Chinese chives.
For instance, one introductory text claims, "Taoism has no doctrine of sin. Ethics should be incidental to spiritual values, and indeed, there is no ideograph in Chinese which conveys the Western conception of sin and a sense of guilt." As mentioned above, zui 罪 means both "sin" and "guilt."
Taoist vegetarians follow the principle of "simple eating," which is essentially vegetarian in rejecting all meat, milk, and eggs, although it allows shellfish.