Category: Taoism
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Lao-Tzu and the Tao Te Ching: an analysis
In contrast to other philosophies, Taoism provides practical, hands-on advice for living happily. Its originator, Lao-Tzu, had worked for years in the royal court and came to the conclusion that the traditional lifestyle did not lead to happiness. The Tao Te Ching, which the tradition attributes to Lao-Tzu, revolves around one idea, namely, that individuals…
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Taoist principles
Taoism revolves around a single idea, namely, that it’s better to live in alignment with the Tao. If our actions are misaligned with the Tao, they will produce a negative outcome; and if they are widely misaligned, the outcome might prove very negative. Aristotle (384-322 BC) lived one and half centuries later than the first…
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What is the Tao in Taoism?
Long after Lao-Tzu had written the Tao Te Ching, Aristotle (384-322 BC) devoted extensive efforts to studying nature. In his works, Aristotle adopted a quasi-mechanistic understanding of nature, where event A would lead to outcome B and then C. Lao-Tzu would have been surprised to learn that Aristotle had studied human nature separately from nature…
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Taoism and the Yin Yang concept explained
For the Western mind, Taoist paradoxes are at the same time intriguing and annoying. On the one hand, they may arouse curiosity; on the other hand, they make Aristotelians impatient. If Yang-Tzu, Lao-Tzu, and Chuang-Tzu wanted to convey an key message, why did they not use straightforward words? Taoist paradoxes often rest on the concepts…
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Taoism’s quotes from the Tao Te Ching
All quotes from the Tao Te Ching can be summarised in a short sentence. In fact, this short sentence is enough to sum up the whole Taoist philosophy: If we align our actions with the Tao, we will do well. Neither Lao-Tzu, nor Yang-Tzu, nor Chuang-Tzu employed this precise wording, nor did they define precisely…
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Taoism and spiritual enlightenment
The Taoist concept of spiritual enlightenment represents the direct opposite of other philosophies. Instead of a supernatural quest, Lao-Tzu called for earthly alignment with the Tao. Instead of intoning solemn hymns, Chuang-Tzu was fond of listening to the sounds of nature; and instead of ritualistic self-chastisement, Yang-Tzu had emphasised self-protection. I would depict the Taoist…
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Taoism’s teachings for mental clarity
Balance, physical and philosophical, is the Taoist recipe for mental clarity. It rests on the habit of doing things carefully and with measure, not too fast and not too slowly, not in excess and not insufficiently. In their speaking style, Taoists refrain from exaggeration, in particular when it creates false impressions, hopes or promises. Lao-Tzu…
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Taoism and the path of least resistance
Persistence in error is not a sign of wisdom, and should be rather called stubbornness. Unfortunately, we have a long list of examples in history where stubborn individuals have been characterised as heroes. Taoists follow the opposite approach, that is, the acceptance of constraints and occasional failure as part of life. When their actions turn…
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Taoism’s influence on martial arts
Can martial arts films gain philosophical depth by inserting Taoist quotes in their dialogues? The practice has become very successful because it gives the hero a halo of thoughtfulness. If we remove the Taoist insights, I suspect that those films would lose a good part of their appeal. A different question is whether Lao-Tzu, Chuang-Tzu,…
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Lao-Tzu’s simplicity in today’s world
We can be sure that Lao-Tzu never had to face the problems of a highly complex society. I’m talking about macro-economic shifts, mass migration, inflation, unemployment, bank runs and credit ratings, just to mention a few. Nor was Lao-Tzu ever confronted with bankruptcy, chain collisions on the highway, radio-magnetic pollution or the high costs of…
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