The Tao Te Ching is a Chinese classic text and foundational work of Taoism written around 400 BC and traditionally credited to the sage Laozi,though the text's authorship,date of composition and date of compilation are debated. The oldest excavated portion dates back to the late 4th century BC,but modern scholarship dates other parts of the text as having been written—or at least compiled—later than the earliest portions of the Zhuangzi.
Taoism or Daoism refers to a Chinese philosophy,or a set of Chinese traditions and religions that emphasize living in harmony with the Tao. The Tao is generally defined as the source of everything and the ultimate principle underlying reality. The Tao Te Ching and the Zhuangzi are widely considered key Taoist texts and are distinctly philosophical in nature and theme.
Michael R. Saso is a professor emeritus of the Department of Religion at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He is a scholar of the religious practices of Japan and China,with a particular emphasis on Taoism.
The Liezi is a Taoist text attributed to Lie Yukou,a c. 5th century BC Hundred Schools of Thought philosopher. Although there were references to Lie's Liezi from the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC,a number of Chinese and Western scholars believe that the content of the current text was compiled around the 4th century CE by Zhang Zhan.
The Daozang is a large canon of Taoist writings,consisting of around 1,400 texts that were seen as continuing traditions first embodied by the Daodejing,Zhuangzi,and Liezi. The canon was assembled by monks c. 400 CE in an attempt to bring together these disparate yet consonant teachings,and it included commentaries and expositions from various masters on material found in the aforementioned core texts of Taoism. The anthology consisted of three divisions based on what were seen at that time in Southern China as Taoism's primary focuses:meditation,ritual,and exorcism. These three grottoes were ranked by skill level—with exorcism being the lowest and meditation the highest—and used for the initiation of Taoist masters.
Neidan,or internal alchemy,is an array of esoteric doctrines and physical,mental,and spiritual practices that Taoist initiates use to prolong life and create an immortal spiritual body that would survive after death. Also known as Jindan,inner alchemy combines theories derived from external alchemy,correlative cosmology,the emblems of the Yijing,and medical theory,with techniques of Taoist meditation,daoyin gymnastics,and sexual hygiene.
Tu'er Shen or Tu Shen,is a Chinese deity who manages love and sex between men. His name literally means "rabbit deity". His adherents refer to him as Ta Yeh.
The history ofTaoism stretches throughout Chinese history. Originating in prehistoric China,it has exerted a powerful influence over Chinese culture throughout the ages. Taoism evolved in response to changing times,with its doctrine and associated practices being revised and refined. The acceptance of Taoism by the ruling class has waxed and waned,alternately enjoying periods of favor and rejection. Most recently,Taoism has emerged from a period of suppression and is undergoing a revival in China.
Deng Ming-Dao is a Chinese American author,artist,philosopher,teacher and martial artist. Deng is his family name;Ming-Dao is his given name. From a young age,he studied Taoist internal arts such as Qigong and Kung-Fu.
Zhengyi Dao,also known as the Way of Orthodox Unity,Teaching of the Orthodox Unity,and Branch of the Orthodox Unity is a Chinese Taoist movement that traditionally refers to the same Taoist lineage as the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice and Way of the Celestial Masters,but in the period of the Tang dynasty and its history thereafter. Like the Way of Celestial Masters,the leader of Zhengyi Taoism was known as the Celestial Master.
The Wuzhen pian is a 1075 Taoist classic on Neidan-style internal alchemy. Its author Zhang Boduan was a Song dynasty scholar of the Three teachings.
The Wenzi is a Daoist classic allegedly written by a disciple of Laozi. The text was widely read and highly revered in the centuries following its creation,and even canonized as Tongxuan zhenjing in the year 742 CE. However,soon afterwards scholars started questioning its authenticity and dismissing it as a forgery that was created between the Han dynasty and the Tang dynasty. The text's fate changed in 1973,when archeologists excavated a 55 BCE tomb and discovered remnants of a Wenzi copied on bamboo strips,which offer us a glimpse of what the text looked like prior to its drastic revision into the current text.
Zhang Guoxiang was the fiftieth Celestial Master,who was the head of the Daoist Zhengyi School based at Longhu Shan in China's Jiangxi province.
Kristofer Marinus Schipper,also known as Rik Schipper and by his Chinese name Shi Zhouren,was a Dutch sinologist. He was a professor of Oriental studies at Leiden University,appointed there in 1993. Schipper worked as researcher for École française d'Extrême-Orient and later taught as directeur de recherche in History of Daoism studies at the École pratique des hautes études in Paris. He was head of the Institut des Hautes Études Chinoises from the Collège de France. He also taught at Fuzhou University and Zhangzhou College. After his retirement,he and his wife Yuan Bingling moved to Fuzhou (Fujian) in China.
Zhang Junfang was a Taoist practitioner and scholar of the Northern Song Dynasty.
The Zuowanglun or Zuowang lun is a Taoist meditative text that was written by the Shangqing School patriarch Sima Chengzhen (647–735). Taoism incorporated many Buddhist practices during the Tang dynasty (618–907),and the Zuowanglun combined meditation techniques from Taoism,Buddhism and Confucian concept (正心誠意).
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Taoism:
Liu Haichan was a Daoist xian who was a patriarch of the Quanzhen School,and a master of neidan "internal alchemy" techniques. Liu Haichan is associated with other Daoist transcendents,especially Zhongli Quan and LüDongbin,two of the Eight Immortals. Traditional Chinese and Japanese art frequently represents Liu with a string of square-holed cash coins and a mythical three-legged chanchu. In the present day,it is called the Jin Chan (金蟾),literally meaning "Money Toad",and Liu Haichan is considered an embodiment of Caishen,the God of Wealth.
Taoist philosophy also known as Taology refers to the various philosophical currents of Taoism,a tradition of Chinese origin which emphasizes living in harmony with the Dào. The Dào is a mysterious and deep principle that is the source,pattern and substance of the entire universe.
The roles of women in Taoism have differed from the traditional patriarchy over women in ancient and imperial China. Chinese women had special importance in some Taoist schools that recognized their transcendental abilities to communicate with deities,who frequently granted women with revealed texts and scriptures. Women first came to prominence in the Highest Clarity School,which was founded in the 4th century by a woman,Wei Huacun. The Tang dynasty (618–907) was a highpoint for the importance of Daoist women,when one-third of the Shangqing clergy were women,including many aristocratic Taoist nuns. The number of Taoist women decreased until the 12th century when the Complete Perfection School,which ordained Sun Bu'er as the only woman among its original disciples,put women in positions of power. In the 18th and 19th centuries,women Taoists practiced and discussed nüdan,involving gender-specific practices of breath meditation and visualization. Furthermore,Taoist divinities and cults have long traditions in China,for example,the Queen Mother of the West,the patron of xian immortality,He Xiangu,one of the Eight Immortals,and Mazu,the protectress of sailors and fishermen.
