The Daoist way

Belief systems tend to come with rules and approved practices, like rituals, dietary restrictions, and laws. Daoism, sometimes called Taoism, is somewhat different because it seems to avoid strict systems of rules and laws. Daoism is a Chinese belief system that it is centered on the practice of wu wei, which means inaction. That might sound like Daoists believe in doing nothing, but that’s not quite right. Instead, it means that a person should do anything that conflicts with the Dao. So what is the Dao?

The Dao, which means “the way,” is the natural order of the universe. Instead of following particular rules, Daoists try to stay in harmony with nature by creating a sense of naturalness called ziran. By being in tune with this, they believe they can avoid violence, suffering, and struggle.

The Dao De Jing is a Daoist text from the around the year 500 CE. The title is sometimes translated as “the Way and Its Power,” and the text describes the central philosophy of Daoism like this:

“Being and non-being create each other.
Difficult and easy support each other.
Long and short define each other.
High and low depend on each other.
Before and after follow each other.

Therefore, the Master
acts without doing anything
and teaches without saying anything.
Things arise and she lets them come;
things disappear and she lets them go.
She has but doesn’t possess,
acts but doesn’t expect.
When her work is done, she forgets it.
That is why it lasts forever.”

The text emphasizes the importance of balancing opposites and obeying the natural order of things. The Chinese thinker Laozi is usually thought to be the author of the Dao De Jing. However, historians aren’t really sure when Laozi existed, or if he even existed at all. Laozi literally means “the elder,” and not much is known about this legendary figure. Some historians think Laozi may have lived at the same time as another Chinese thinker named Confucius. Confucius’ ideas are the basis of another belief system called Confucianism. Paintings from different points in Chinese history show the two thinkers meeting.

Even if Laozi and Confucius never met, their belief systems have important similarities. In fact, the term “dao” is also used in Confucian thought, where it refers to an ethical way of living. However, the Daoist and Confucian communities disagree about what dao means. Unlike Daoists, Confucianists place great emphasis on strict rules. The Daoist community disagrees with having strict rules. They believe that nature, not people, ultimately controls how things change. Therefore, humans and their rules are less important. Daoists also disagree with Confucianists’ emphasis on culture and civilized society, which they see as unnecessary and unnatural. One powerful Daoist symbol is the image of a piece of uncarved wood. Other symbols like a star or cross might symbolize human invention, but uncarved wood represents purity, simplicity, and nature free of human intervention.

Daoism and society

Although Daoism is not focused on action or rituals, Daoists do have a number of practices. Some of these practices influence the ways both communities and individuals act. These include meditation practices, as well as certain forms of martial arts.

Daoists have been involved in politics in different ways, but in general they have stayed out of government in order to live naturally and simply. Similarly, wealth, status, and fame were all no-nos. Instead, Daoists promoted a lifestyle of small, self-sufficient communities in harmony with nature. This meant that Daoists stayed away from many aspects of Chinese culture and society, including language and education. Another excerpt from the Dao De Jing says:

“Though they had boats and carriages, they should have no occasion to ride in them; though they had buff coats and sharp weapons, they should have no occasion to use them.
I would make the people return to the use of knotted cords (instead of written characters).
They should think their (coarse) food sweet; their (plain) clothes beautiful; their (poor) dwellings places of rest; and their common (simple) ways sources of enjoyment.”

The excerpt emphasizes the Daoist belief in living simply. This belief had many effects on society. Both Confucianists and Daoists believed that the family unit was incredibly important. But unlike Confucianists, Daoists did not create a sharp divide between genders. Daoist women were permitted to be religious figures and teachers. In fact, the Dao De Jing places a positive emphasis on things that are often associated with women, although sometimes these associations are not fair. Women are often connected to things like fertility, softness, and submission. The ancient principle of yin and yang, or the idea that society is made up of harmonious opposites, also symbolizes the masculine and the feminine. In Daoist belief systems, the yin is considered feminine, and a necessary and natural part of the universe. Indeed, because Daoists emphasize naturalness and inaction, a having a less dominant yin is seen as beneficial.

Despite the tensions between the Confucianism and Daoism, both influenced Chinese society in significant ways. In fact, some regarded these two belief systems as in a kind of yin and yang balance together. Confucianism guided public life, while Daoism influenced personal life. The combination of belief systems like Confucianism and Daoism, along with Buddhism, have influenced Chinese cultures for centuries. They continue to play a role in Chinese communities today.