Religion project -

Taoism
By Ava Groarke, Amy Fahy, Rachel
O'Neill and Cliona Moore
What Taoism teaches
• Taoism does not necessarily have
an official “God” instead the
teachings of Taoism is to one's self
in nature. The Taoist goals in life
are to find a place in nature where
they belong and follow the ways
of the universe.
• Taoism teaches the people to
follow the flow of life. Taoism is
very much down to each
individual. There are many
different variations of the religion.
Some practices the people follow,
are slightly more philosophical
than religious and some are the
other way around. Taoism is
designed not to limit
an individual, so it does not apply
labels to its nature. Taoism
embraces the truth of every
person and teaches people to
embrace life.
What Taoism teaches
• Some of the teachings of Taoism:
• Help those who need it.
• Be true to yourself.
• Treat the world as you want to be treated.
• Do not discriminate in any way.
• To anyone who does not accept you do not take
action instead let them remain who they are.
• You own nothing you are merely a custodian.
 Teachings of
Taoism

• I have outlined some

teachings of the religion in
the previous slide however
Taoism is more than rules
it's what an individual
believes to be true.
• Here is a quote I found that
describes taoism:
• Taoism is acceptance of your life.
Taoism is following your breath
to find peace.
Taoism is opening up a smile to
enable possibility.
What the founder
teaches
• The founder of Taoism is called Lao-Tzu (also known
as Laozi or Lao-Tze). Lao-Tzu was a Chinese
philosopher born in the 6 th century. He worked as a
record keeper in the court of central Chinese Zhou
Dynasty. Lao-Tzu was also a peer of Confucius,
another well-known Chinese philosopher.
• As the court became more corrupt, Lao-Tzu began
to tire of his work there. It is said he rode to the
border of China. The guard at the border recognised
Lao-Tzu. The guard asked Lao-Tzu to write down his
wisdom. Lao-Tzu then wrote what is now known as
the Tao Te Ching, the main sacred text in Taoism. It
is said that he rode across the border and was
never seen again. While this is a popular legend,
some do speculate the Lao-Tzu was purely a
fictional character and the Tao Te Ching was written
by multiple authors.
What the founder teaches
• While he is the credited as the 'founder’ of the religion,
he did not officially establish the religion. All the beliefs in
Taoism come from Lao-Tzu’s teachings and philosophical
beliefs. He is credited for writing the Tao Te Ching, which
is the main sacred text in Taoism.
• Many of Lao-Tzu’s teachings revolved around protecting
and respecting the environment. One famous quote by
him is:
• “The world is a sacred vessel that cannot be changed. He
who changes it will destroy it. He who seizes it will lose
it.”
What the Founder
Teaches
Lao-Tzu believed that humans should be ‘humble in the front
of nature’. He understood that we are stewards to the Earth,
and we must take care of our resources. Although he lived in
the sixth century China, he was an advocate for recycling or
‘zero’ waste lifestyle. One of his philosophies was to cherish
all things so there is no waste. He wanted people to not only
see the things they could gain from the environment, but to
see the value in every living thing.
Lao-Tzu also made a ‘prediction’ of climate change, in a time
when the phrase didn’t even exist. He warned people that if
they exploited natural resources for their own greed,
humanity would face a tremendous tragedy, such as natural
disasters. I think this teaching is especially important in the
modern age where natural disasters are becoming more
common and more powerful.
The Sacred
Texts: Tao Te Ching
• Tao Te Ching is considered the most
influential and famous Taoist text. It was
written by Laozi (according to legend but
it is not officially known).
• It was originally written on bamboo
tablets with the first dating back as far as
the late 4th century BC.
• The main themes surround the nature of
Tao and how to attain it, accomplishing
great things through small means.
Zhuangzi
• Zhuangzi is the writings from many sources
and is considered the most important of all
Taoist writings. The writing uses anecdotes,
parables and dialogues to show a main theme,
which is aligning oneself to the laws of the
natural world and "the way" of the element.
• This means they have great respect
for the natural world and have a connection
with it. They respect the world and they are
taught to follow the laws of the world.
They do not abuse the
world by littering or using unnecessary things
that damage the world.
I Ching and The
Daozang
• I Ching consists of 64 combinations of
8 trigrams traditionally chosen by
throwing coins or yarrow sticks, to
give the diviner ideas of the
current situation and, by reading the
"changing lines", it gave ideas of what
is coming. It is often looked at as
meditation on how change occurs.
• Daozang consists of three parts The
Zhen (Truth), The Xaun (Mystery)
and The Shen (Divine)
What Taoism Teaches
in Modern Times
• The Tao Te Jing (sacred text) says: 'Humanity follows the Earth,
the Earth follows Heaven, Heaven follows the Tao, and the Tao
follows what is natural.' Taoists therefore obey the Earth. In
simpler words; the Earth respects Heaven, Heaven abides by the
Tao, and the Tao follows the natural course of everything.
Humans should help everything grow according to its own way.
We should cultivate the way of no-action and let nature be itself.
• Taoism, everything is composed of two opposite forces known
as Yin and Yang. The two forces are in constant struggle within
everything. When they reach harmony, the energy of life is
created. Someone who understands this point will not exploit
nature, but will treat it well and learn from it. It is obvious that in
the long run, the excessive use of nature will bring about
disaster, even the extinction of humanity.
• "What the Tao is to the world, the stream is to the river and the
sea." -Tao Te Ching