ipl-logo

Theme Of Duality In Tao Te Ching

1236 Words5 Pages

Duality can be defined as something having two parts, or the contrast between two concepts or aspects of something, such as the contrast between good and evil, black and white, or light and darkness. In western philosophy and religion, duality refers to the belief that there are two fundamental concepts that oppose each other. However, in eastern philosophy, the contrasting forces compliment each other rather than oppose each other. The concept of duality is commonly referenced throughout the philosophical work Tao Te Ching by Laozi. However, many of the dual concepts in the text can be traced back to a single central idea, which is the Taoist concept of Yin and Yang, two opposing forces that are complementary to each other. While the dualistic ideas and paradoxes presented in Tao Te …show more content…

The composition of Tao Te Ching is itself an example of dualism, as the book is divided into two sections, “Tao” meaning the way, and “Te”, meaning virtue, hence the name Tao Te Ching. The Tao section is focused on one’s spirit and its harmony with the Tao, while the latter section is focused on tangible virtues applicable to the actions of people, such as rulers or soldiers. In chapter 2 of Tao Te Ching, Laozi emphasizes the importance of dualism in the human mind, stating in line 2, “All can know good as good only because there is evil,”meaning that one cannot understand something without comparing to its opposite. These lines are then followed by the paradoxical statement, “Therefore the wise goes about doing nothing, teaching no-talking.” Although the idea of one doing and teaching nothing can seem nonsensical, the statement actually emphasizes the importance of dualism. For example, if one strives for success while ignoring the possibility of failure, they become disillusioned and will be unable to achieve their goal. However, if one strives for “nothing”, or a balance between both, they can

Show More
Related
635 Words | 3 Pages

In the novel Whale Talk, Taoism plays an integral part of the plot from the very beginning. The protagonist of the novel, The Tao Jones, is named by his biological mother after the Taoist book Tao Te Ching. When he enters school, he is often bullied because of his strange name. To avoid being bullied and embarrassed by his classmates, he begins calling himself T.J., his initials. It is very clear that his name is an indicator of what his personality is going to be.

Read More
870 Words | 4 Pages

Growing up is a hard time, and for the three most important characters in the short stories, “Two Kinds,” “The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant,” and “Fish Cheeks” it certainly is no different. It makes them feel unacknowledged when all they want is just independence and acceptance of the ones that they find to be important to them. Acceptance is something every person wants to gain from everyone, it just is not something focused on commonly. For Jing-Mei in the story “Two Kinds” acceptance is not something often found in their family.

Read More
612 Words | 3 Pages

This is the true meaning of yin and yang” (See, page 99). Yin and yang symbolize two complementary forces that can’t exist without one another and serve a greater purpose beyond the two alone. Throughout the novel it is shown that the main characters, Lily and Snow flower, genuinely struggle with knowing the reasons behind their good and bad moments. They soon realize that it’s just the way of life and there is a balance between the two.

Read More
2993 Words | 12 Pages

and you will be smart to not do the same mistake. People will not follow any rules if their is no goverment that is giving out orders. 3. Compare this excerpt to the excerpt of the Tao Te Ching contained in "Laozi on Dao" (p. 188 in the APWH textbook). These two traditions -- Taoism and Confucianism -- have coexisted in China for thousands of years.

Read More
713 Words | 3 Pages

Confucius believed that there is an order in the universe. The key idea of Confucianism is that it is political and ethical and not spiritual at all and the idea of filial piety, or idea that everyone has a specific place or job in a community or family. As in document 1, Confucius wrote “ Filial piety and brotherly respect are the root of

Read More
501 Words | 3 Pages

Similar to Confucius, Laozi also sought out a solution to create harmony in a world full of chaos and fragmentation. But Laozi found the solution through Daosim. The three ideas, the Dao, wuwei and yin and yang, are three key concepts in Daoism that leads to the harmony that Laozi strived for. These ideas, although created hundreds of years ago, still deeply influence Chinese thinking and culture

Read More
1021 Words | 5 Pages

The idea of duality, or “twoness” of the consciousness, was a concept coined by W.E.B. DuBois in the Harlem Renaissance. According to the DuBois, the term is used to describe an individual whose identity is divided into several facets, but can also be used to describe the psycho-social divisions in America at this time. “All these things set her aside from Negroes.. Janie’s coffee-and-cream complexion and her luxurious hair made Mrs. Turner forgive her for wearing overalls like the other women who worked in the fields” (page 140). Janie is multi racial, half Black and half White.

Read More
838 Words | 4 Pages

Or are both of us right and both of us wrong?” We can easily think of situations in which both sides of an argument are wrong (for example, I say hexagons have seven sides while you claim they have five), but how can two opposing viewpoints be right at the same time? Fortunately, we can find such an example in the Zhuangzi itself: The renowned beauties Lady Li and Maoqiang might attract human men, but animals would find them repulsive such that “if fish saw them they would dive deep, if birds saw them they would fly high, and if deer saw them they would cut and run.” By raising the possibility of opposing sides being right at the same time, Zhuangzi emphasizes the importance of perspective. Men, fish, birds, and deer–“which knows beauty rightly?”

Read More
462 Words | 2 Pages

t Comparing the Dao in Confucianism to the Dao in Daoism, similarities or differences Dao in Confucianism represents the entire normative human order. The Dao in Daoism antedates Tian and acts as the basis of the natural order. While in Confucian Dao they hold the ideal political-social-ethical order ordained by tian for the people. Confucianism encourages their perfectibility through self-effort the teaching of ethics and good movement. The primacy of the Confucian Dao requires superior human beings, sages and men of virtue to exert their highest effort to actualized its ideal design.

Read More
777 Words | 4 Pages

Similarities Ancient philosophers in Greece and China had begun to think about the world and attempted to explain some phenomena they observed, however, their theories were mainly based on the observation and their thoughts, which led to inaccuracy. Plato pointed out that sense experiences could be misleading but his solution to this problem was unsatisfying. He believed the only method to acquire true knowledge was by reasoning and remembering which lacked evidence to back up. As for Aristotle, he was opposed of controlled experimentation because he thought the constraints prevented the nature of objects from being revealed, which led to mistakes in his theory in our perspectives. Chinese philosophers established the theory of Five Elements and the theory of Yin and Yang, which were totally based on their thoughts, to explain the operation mechanism of the world, thus being criticized by later philosophers such as Wang Chhung for some paradoxes.

Read More
785 Words | 4 Pages

To begin with, Dualism is the philosophical doctrine, first introduced by Rene Descartes, that the Mind and Body are two distinct separate entities. Rene Descartes believed that the Mind and Body were separate entities that were not only independent from one another, but that both were composed of dissimilar elements. Descartes explains that the body, and all its physiological attributes, are composed of “Physical” matter, and as such, dwells in the material realm and abides the laws of Physics or the laws of nature. Conversely, the Mind and all its attributes, thoughts, emotions and qualia, are composed of “Spiritual” matter, and as such, dwells in the immaterial realm and does not abide to the laws of physics or nature.

Read More
641 Words | 3 Pages

However, after Tzu death, Confucianism was crowned the new philosopher of china. As the newly appointed philosopher, he denies all of Tzu opposing views about mankind, but agrees to Mencius another famous Confucian after Confucius himself optimistic theories. Notwithstanding, Tzu was the first philosopher to develop Confucius observation that holds a general truth, for example “if ain’t broke, don’t fix it” into a system of complete thought that become today one of the significant development of the Chinese philosophy. In contrast, he disagrees with the Confucius ideology of human nature, but accepted his analysis on the importance of education that changed a lot of people throughout the Chinese history to commit their lives relating to serious academic learning. Tzu uses figurative words as a main form of procedure to back up his arguments.

Read More
1520 Words | 7 Pages

The key experience, which should be the main goal, in Taoism is the idea of tao "the way" and developing as a person to become more in touch and in control of one’s own emotions. Emotionally the beliefs in Taoism are strongly rooted in compassion, virtue and meditation to provide different emotions. The three jewels of Taoism are meant to be the virtues of Taoism; compassion, frugality, humility. Compassion is the feeling of great sympathy and sorrow for someone who is stricken by misfortune. Virtue in the other hand being the moral excellence, goodness and righteousness.

Read More
828 Words | 4 Pages

On the other hand, Judaists and Christians believe that the Universe is a battlefield between the one righteous God, YHVH, and the fallen angel Lucifer called Satan. Hence, dualism is how people view the world as similar across the three

Read More
1097 Words | 5 Pages

Duality is an instance of opposition or contrast between two concepts or two aspects of something. The author, Charles Dickens, uses duality throughout the fictional novel, A Tale of Two Cities, to bring characters who would be thought of as polar opposites together. Dickens begins the novel by says, "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times"(3). The author begins the book with the quote to show the duality straight away because best and worst are opposite of eachother. Such as when the discovery of the main characters in England and France are all somehow tied together.

Read More

More about Theme Of Duality In Tao Te Ching

Related Topics

Open Document