Category: Philosophy
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Who founded Taoism and why
When confronted with adversity, people react in accordance with their ideas. Sound, consistent ideas enable individuals to solve problems quickly and regain the lost ground. In contrast, confusion and contradictions are bound to make things worse. Lao-Tzu (6th century BC), a contemporary of Confucius, is credited with having initiated the body of thought that we…
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The Taoist prescription for work-life balance
Denying reality seems like a full-time job for many people. If they are confronted with problems, they will try to play them down and pretend that everything is fine. If the problems grow, no solution will be attempted, hoping that things will return to normal all by themselves. Finally, when the problems become overwhelming, it…
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Taoism and work-life balance
While millions of people today struggle to balance out their work and private lives, Taoist do it automatically and without effort. How is this possible? The Taoist work-life balance does not come from applying strict time controls, but from a unique sense for priorities. Diogenes Laertius (third century AD) tells us in his book “Lives…
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Smoothness and the Taoist lifestyle
The word “worry” cannot accurately describe the emotional reaction of being confronted to a wide variety of threats, risks, and problems. In daily life, modern individuals face problems that their ancestors could not even imagine. No wonder that, confronted with stress and preoccupations, people look in awe at ancient Taoist masters and their insights about…
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Taoism as a way of life
What’s the key trait that distinguishes Taoists from everyone else? What makes the Taoist way of life different from that of Christians, Buddhists, Marxists, and the followers of other sets of ideas? Chuang-Tzu viewed autonomy as a key trait of Taoism. I’ve a preference for using modern terms such as self-reliance, self-sufficiency, and balanced thinking.…
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How Taoist meditation works
I have never known anyone who has improved his life by sitting on the ground for hours, lighting candles, chanting some mantras, and engaging in so-called meditation. In saying that, I do not mean that I am against meditating. I am just saying that we should do it effectively, so that we can draw real…
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Pacifism as essential to Taoism
Martial arts movies love to quote Taoist texts to give the impression of wisdom. The viewer gets the idea that kung-fu and karate fighters are thoughtful souls, who carefully assess the ethics of every situation, and who will not engage in combat unless they are totally sure of being in the right. I wish that…
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The reason for the paradoxes in Taoism
Western thought is based on the logical principles identified by Aristotle (384-322 BC). We routinely look for connections between premises, so that we can draw definite conclusions. If we cannot reach certainty, we assume that we lack information, and that we need to keep gathering data. The problem with Aristotelian logic is that, if it…
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What makes Taoism unique
It happens often that the practitioners of certain ideologies, philosophies or doctrines will claim that theirs is superior to all others. Taoism does not claim any such thing, but there is one element that enables it to deliver excellent results. I must leave to each reader to assess how Taoism compares to other systems of…
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Lightness as a major Taoist virtue
While Western culture prompts us to do our utmost, achieve the maximum, and rise the highest, Taoism preaches lightness as a lifestyle. Chapter 9 of the Tao Te Ching admonishes those who do too much because, more often than not, they will spend more resources than necessary and end up incurring losses. Lao-Tzu warns us…
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Recent Posts
- The cost of Taoist harmony
- Taoist harmony in the middle of chaos
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- Taoist views on balance and harmony
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