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Concept
Taoist philosophy
Summary
Taoist philosophy (Chinese: 道學; pinyin: Dàoxué; study of the Tao) also known as Taology refers to the various philosophical currents of Taoism, a tradition of Chinese origin which emphasizes living in harmony with the Dào (, also romanized as Tao). The Dào is a mysterious and deep principle that is the source, pattern and substance of the entire universe.
Since the initial stages of Taoist thought, there have been varying schools of Taoist philosophy and they have drawn from and interacted with other philosophical traditions such as Confucianism and Buddhism. Taoism differs from Confucianism in putting more emphasis on physical and spiritual cultivation and less emphasis on political organization. Throughout its history, Taoist philosophy has emphasised concepts like wúwéi ("effortless action"), zìrán (self-so, "natural authenticity"), qì ("spirit"), wú ("non-being"), wújí ("non-duality"), tàijí ("polarity") and yīn-yáng (bright and dark), biànhuà ("transformation") and fǎn ("reversal"), and personal cultivation through meditation and other spiritual practices.
While scholars have sometimes attempted to separate "Taoist philosophy" from "Taoist religion", there was never really such a separation. Taoist texts and the literati and Taoist priests that wrote and commented on them never made the distinction between "religious" and "philosophical" ideas, particularly those related to metaphysics and ethics.
The principal texts of this philosophical tradition are traditionally seen as the Daodejing, and the Zhuangzi, though it was only during the Han dynasty that they were grouped together under the label "Taoist" (Daojia). The I Ching was also later linked to this tradition by scholars such as Wang Bi. Additionally, around 1,400 distinct texts have been collected together as part of the Taoist canon (Dàozàng).
Compared to other philosophical traditions, Taoist philosophy is quite heterogeneous. According to Russell Kirkland, "Taoists did not generally regard themselves as followers of a single religious community that shared a single set of teachings, or practices.
Official source
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