Daoism
When and where did Daoism originate?
- Daoism originated in China and began in 142 C.E.
- The founder of Daoism was Lao Tzu. Lao Tzu was a Chinese philosopher and writer.
- Though most religions have "supreme beings", Daoism didn't have one. Instead, this religion emphasized living in harmony rather than worshipping god(s).
- Daoism is a polytheiastic religion, they worship many gods or deities.
- Daoists worship in Taoist Temples.
- Daoists' or Taoists' practices include feng shui (the orientation of things in order to bring in the positivity), meditation, reding/chanting of scripture (Taode jing and Zhuangzi) and fortune telling.
- Both the Taode jing and Zhuangzi are polemical texts; that is, they criticize or mock other popular views, especially those of Confucius.
- The well-known "Yin Yang" is the symbol used to represent Daoism.
- The symbol consists of two swirls (black and white).
- The "Yin" or the dark swirl represents shadows, femininity, and the trough of a wave.
- The "Yang" or th elight swirl represents brightness, passion and growth.
- The Yin Yang symbol describes how seemingly opposite or contrary forces may actually be complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world, and how they may give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another.