Page 132 - Berkshire Encyclopedia Of World History Vol Two

daoism 481

The Great Monad, perhaps the best-known
symbol of Daoism, symbolizing the duality
of the universe of the yin and yang.

Buddhism, and Daoism, the boundaries between them dhism. It builds upon collective concepts, elaborating
have never been sharply drawn. Rather, they are seen as them into a distinct “way.”
complementary, pointing to the same goals: man’s full
possession of his humanness and his immortality through Basic Concepts of Daoism
harmony with Dao. The Chinese share singular concep- Dao, as defined by Laozi, is a metaphysical principle,
tions, most clearly that of Dao, which means “road” or both the ultimate order of the cosmos and the source
“way,” though it is also understood as “way to follow” or from which everything emanates.The term itself is a mere
“rule of conduct.”The fluidity of the term allows for each approximation, as Laozi admits: “I do not know its
of theThreeTeachings to nuance its definition. However, name; I call it the Way. If forced to define it, I shall call it
the concept shares a common cosmology, which de- supreme” (Daodejing chapter 25; these and subsequent
scribes the universe as a hierarchically organized mecha- quotations are from the Beck translation). Although the
nism in which the parts correspond to the whole. The term was originally used to convey an object’s place in a
world is divided into three spheres (Heaven, Earth, and hierarchical order, Dao itself is outside that order. Not a
Man), each with its own Dao, mirroring one another in creator, it is nonetheless the origin of all things in the hier-
a macrocosm-microcosm relationship. Communication archy. For example, Dao is not God (Ti), but God origi-
and harmony between these spheres is crucial to maintain nates in Dao. One of its essential attributes is spontaneity.
a universal order constantly under threat. Chinese Although it is the ordering principle of the uni-
thinkers also see the natural order as mani- verse, “[t]he Way never interferes, yet through
fested in simultaneously antithetical and it everything is done” (chapter 37).
complementary aspects, known as yin and Closely related to Dao is the concept of
yang, each of which cannot be defined de. Usually translated as “power,” de refers
without the other. Yin and yang encapsu- to the Way’s efficacy in the realm of the
late the relativity of all things, because any tangible. De is also “virtue,” not moral
one thing can be either yin or yang in rela- action but the power which the Daoist
tion to another. acquires by living in harmony with the univer-
The complementarity of the Three Teachings’ sal order. Daoists approach de in three distinct
foundational concepts is made apparent by efforts ways: one aims, through meditation, at the conservation
throughout Chinese history to integrate the Teachings of the Dao’s power as it flows through the body; the sec-
into a single movement. However, this complementarity ond, in contrast, seeks to increase de through various pro-
must not be overstated; deep-seated rivalries for influence grams of movement, such as taiqijuan or kung fu
at court and over the masses existed among Confucians, exercises, which unblock the qi (life force or breath) and
Daoists, and Buddhists.Their differences were more than rejuvenate the body; the last offers the help of priests in
political; while sharing basic concepts, each adopted managing de, because Daoist practices are efficacious
a distinct attitude toward life, society, and nature. Con- only if consistently performed.Thus, Daoist priests, who
fucianism, for example, concentrates on creating an understand the flow of qi, help the untrained to unblock
ethico-political system to shape a “right” society through its flow.
propriety. Buddhism abjures Confucian social values, In the concept of de we see the interaction between
while espousing beliefs, like the illusory nature of the Dao and man.As a microcosm of the universal order, the
physical world, diametrically opposed to Daoist doctrine. body mirrors the plan of the cosmos; and the same forces
For its part, Daoism represents a more personal and flow through both. To Daoists, the metaphysics of Dao
spontaneous approach to life than Confucianism, and a and de explain and shape human ethics.The ethical ideal
metaphysics more firmly grounded in nature than Bud- of Daoism is self-suppression—wu, or inner emptiness.