Daoism EACS

wu-wei

"actionless action". Basically do not act with intentions or desires; part of Daodejing. Wu is literally translated to "without" and wei translates to "do, act or serve", so fully, wu-wei is translated to "inaction", which states that to experience the dao, one must let go and "do nothing".De is not shown through striving, planning or training, instead it is exhibited through a sort of effortlessness, which daoists call wu-wei.

dao

"the way" as in path, method. If one moves in harmony with the dao, one will achieve de (excellence, virtue, power, energy, charismatic force). Gives rise to all things, but has no will or intention. Cannot be described with words. When great dao is abandoned, ren and righteousness (yi) will disappear. Which he said that in order to live properly, one must live according to the dao. Dao can be used as a verb or a noun, but it is not a synonym for god. The dao is the source of the creation of yin-yang forces, it determines all things and flows as the energy (de) of the universe, and abandoning the dao will lead to distinctions in morality, politics and religion.

Huang- Lao

"the yellow emperor". credited with many innovations (Writing, medicine, etc). symbolic ancestor to all chinese people. Both Huangdi and Laozi were the founders of this type of Daoism. The Huanglao tradition originated during the Warring States period of Emperor Wu.

Daodejing

Daoist text attributed to Laozi. Says one should be active unlike wuwei (inaction). The Daodejing is the first text of Daoism, which translates to the "classic of the way and its power", is attributed to Laozi. Although it is said that the dao cannot be explained, the Daodejing explains the nature of the dao. It states that the dao is the source of the creation of yin-yang forces; the dao determines all things and flows as energy of the universe and in order for one to experience the dao, one must let go and "do nothing".

Qi (chi)

In traditional Chinese culture, qi or also known as ch'i is an active principle forming part of any living thing. Qi is frequently translated as "life force" or "energy flow, but the literal translation of "qi" is air, breath, or gas. The ancient Chinese believed qi permeated everything and linked their surroundings together. They likened it to the flow of energy around and through the body, and by understanding its rhythm and flow they believed they could guide exercises and treatments to provide stability and longevity. (meditating to increase one's life force) is the way to immortality

Zhuangzi (text)

It is the second greatest Daoist text that is attributed and named after an old sage, Zhuangzi, and has lively parables and paradoxes, as well as explores the mysterious dao in everyday human life. In his text, there is a passage about Zhuangzi having a dream about him being a butterfly and it made him think about whether it was him dreaming that he was a butterfly or if he was a butterfly dreaming that he was Zhuangzi. This dream passage hints at many questions about life, explores death, provides a balance for Confucian rules and emphasizes "nature", which inspired more poets.The traditional view is that Zhuangzi himself wrote the first seven chapters (the "inner chapters") and his students and related thinkers were responsible for the other parts (the "outer" and "miscellaneous" chapters)

Religious Daoism

Religious daoism is a lot like Confucianism (respects the state and Confucius). Believed in physical immortality, alchemy, breathe and control hygiene (internal alchemy) and a lot of deities. Religious Daoism takes filial piety, or xiao, as its basis. Religious daoists seek immorality through different means than philosophical daoists. Some emulate sages as the "8 Immortals" who rode on clouds and lived on islands in the eastern sea.

de

The Chinese term de refers to "excellence", "virtue", "power", or "charismatic force", and it is expressed as wisdom, moral bearing and confidence. De is another main idea of Confucius and he states that if one moves harmonically through direct experience of the mysterious and profound dao, one will achieve de. The key concept of the wu-wei tells us that de is not shown through striving, planning or training.

Zhuangzi

Zhuang Zi is a famous Daoist sage and philosopher that lived during the Warring States period. The second greatest Daoist text is named after him. Zhuangzi aims to make it clear that a man should not be allowed to tamper with what is created by nature. This is the so called Lao-Zhuang philosophy of "leaving things alone" or "doing through not doing."

Laozi (text)

chinese classic text by Laozi. fundamental to both philosophical and religious Daoism. The passages are ambiguous, and topics range from political advice for rulers to practical wisdom for people. The text encourages Daoists to follow the natural order, or dao, instead of human authority. The Laozi has "preserved" the ideas of Lao Dan, which believes that the text "embodied" the teachings of Laozi.

Laozi

the "founder" sage of Daoism, who was probably just a compilation of sages. Daodejing (text that talks about wuwei) is attributed to this "old sage". Encouraged his readers to live their lives in accordance with the mysterious principle of nature known as the "Way" or Dao. author of the Daoist classic text, the Daodejing, which is sometimes also referred to as the Laoz, alleged to have lived in the 6th century BCE. In the Daodejing, Laozi taught a kind of "nature mysticism" that encouraged his readers to live their lives in accordance with the mysterious principle of nature known as the "Way" or Dao. He also devotes a number of passages to the art of kingship and statecraft for political rulers.

Philosophical Daoism

the part of daoism that came from the Daodejing and later thinkers. Contemplated about the nature of the dao, thought that the energy (de) of the Dao is perceived through yin/yang. Based on study of close observations and studies of nature. It is a philosophical school based on the texts of the Daodejing and Zhuangzi.