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. While followers of other ideas may adhere to fixed guidelines, Taoists need to figure out for themselves what the Tao demands in each situation.
Take for instance the questions of charity and self-sacrifice. Those constitute major virtues in many philosophies, religions, and ideologies, but play only a minor role in Taoism. The Tao may call for charity and self-sacrifice in some cases, but not in all circumstances and not at any cost.
Chuang-Tzu questioned the logic of actions that entail vast expenditures in the pursuit of small goals. If a sheep gets lost, does it make sense for the shepherd to devote large efforts and expenditures to find it?
Chuang-Tzu and the lost sheep metaphor
If the shepherd owns one hundred sheep, how much effort is it reasonable for him to spend looking for a lost sheep? Should he neglect his remaining ninety-nine sheep because he wants to find the lost one at any cost?
Taoists ask themselves these questions automatically, weigh the alternatives, and try to find the Enlightened Path. They will certainly not drop everything and go to look for the lost sheep, leaving the remaining ninety-nine to fend for themselves.
Chuang-Tzu would have chastised a shepherd that leaves all his remaining sheep alone, exposed to the attack of predators. I would also not endorse following our gut reactions in times of crisis. The best course of action is often not self-evident.
The Enlightened Path cannot be found without thinking. It’s up to each Taoist to assess the pros and cons before choosing a course of action. In contrast to other philosophies, Taoism calls for using one’s resources sparingly, lightly and wisely.
Chuang-Tzu was right in disliking disproportionately costly measures to address small problems or pursue small goals. The virtue of parsimony is deeply ingrained in the Taoist soul. The Tao calls for harmony and proportion, not for blind waste.
Lao-Tzu and the Taoist virtues
Lao-Tzu enunciates this principle in Chapter 48 of the Tao Te Ching. He tells us that, when we align our actions with the Tao, we should consider doing less or not doing anything at all.
I should clarify that Lao-Tzu is not recommending passivity and indifference as a way of life. No, Taoists are not giving up the desire to improve their personal situation and the world in general, but each step should be weighed carefully in advance.
The virtues of autonomy and self-reliance render the Taoist lifestyle remarkably peaceful. Chapter 30 of the Tao Te Ching warns against impositions and violence because they are likely to generate forceful counteractions.
Chapter 30 describes the key traits of the Taoist lifestyle: on the one hand, modesty and circumspection towards opponents; and on the other hand, saying no to violence unless all peaceful alternatives have become unworkable.
How does Taoism compare to other philosophies, ancient or new, in this respect? Let us take for example the lifestyle of St Jerome (347-419 AD), who is one of the most venerated saints of the early Christian Church. Do we find in St. Jerome the key traits of autonomy, self-reliance and peacefulness?
Taoism and St. Jerome
I would not categorize Jerome as highly autonomous in this regard because his religious conversion, at age twenty-seven, from Paganism to Christianity was the result of a dream in which he saw himself dying, going to hell, and being tortured for his sins.
The dream, I would rather call it nightmare, scared Jerome to such an extent that he decided to abjure Paganism for good. He had spent decades learning Latin and Greek, reading Cicero and other ancient philosophers, but the dream turned him into a devoted Christian.
Taoism does not rest on violence or the threat of violence. It would not make any sense for someone to become a Taoist to escape the threat of hell or torture. Neither Lao-Tzu, nor Yang-Tzu, nor Chuang-Tzu tried to gain adepts by means of threats.
Curiously enough, St. Jerome later endorsed the Christian belief in guardian angels, that is, the idea that each individual has a guardian angel that protects him from evil and danger.
St. Jerome believed that our guardian angel will only stop protecting us if we engage in mortal sin. If we commit horrible actions or willing harm innocent people, we will relinquish our soul to the devil, go to hell and suffer eternal punishment.
I must hasten to add that St. Jerome is not the only Christian patriarch who professed the belief in guardian angels. Basil the Great (329-379), John Chrysostom (347-407), Ambrose (340-397) and Augustine of Hippo (354-430) did exactly the same.
Does this doctrine not remind us of the Tao in the depictions of Lao-Tzu, Yang-Tzu, and Chuang-Tzu. They did not threaten us with hell and eternal punishment, but they simply observed, as a matter of fact, that evil people tend to end up badly.
Taoism and the good life
The Tao dispenses justice autonomously because the world, the universe as a whole, tends towards harmony. Taoists aren’t threatened by hell and eternal torture, but the anecdotes retold by ancient Taoists forecast dire consequences for reckless acts.
St. Jerome devoted three decades to religious teaching and the establishment of monasteries, especially in the area around Bethlehem. He did everything within his power to preach the Gospel and lead people by example into a Christian lifestyle.
Taoists would seldom establish monasteries or devote large efforts to preaching the philosophy of Lao-Tzu, Yang-Tzu, and Chuang-Tzu. The Taoist lifestyle revolves around self-reliance, autonomy and balanced thinking, which will rarely involve the attempt to gain followers or adepts.
Finally, St. Jerome preached chastity as part of the Christian lifestyle even if he lived closely to St Paula (347-404 AD) for more than two decades. Taoists would have taken for granted that the two of them lived as a couple, and wished them great joy and happiness.
If you are interested in putting effective insights into daily practice, I recommend my book “The 10 Principles of Rational Living.”