Taoism: The Communist Revolution

Up until the Communist revolution, Taoism was a very prominent religion within the nation. Originating in China about 2000 years ago, Taoism focuses on a theme known as “The Tao”. In English, this translates to “The Way”. The Tao is impossible to perceive but we are able to observe its effects on the world around us. People of the Taoist faith believe that all beings are unified or interconnected. As part of this faith, there is no worship of one divine being but, Taoism does permit many deities. However, the deities still remain connected to the universe and depend on The Tao. This aspect of Taoism contributes to one of the doctrines Taoism promotes, achieving harmony with nature. Another concept Taoism promotes is the concept of spiritual

One of Lao Tzu’s successors, Zhuang Zi was also a major influence to the religion, who wrote another crucial book to the religion. In addition to the influences made by certain people, Taoism morphed over time due to the influences from religions. In the beginning, Taoism was a religion focused on simple meditation and recitation of verses, but during the 5th century AD it stole some concepts from Buddhism including reincarnation (unity with the universe) and cosmology. During the 6th century many talismans and rituals became part of Taoism. By the 1200s, the differences between Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism became subtle and less defined. Furthermore, we have knowledge concerning how the concepts and beliefs of Taoism

Inside the temples it is common for there to be the statues of The Three Pure Gods, Yu Qing (Jade Pure), Shang Qing (Upper Pure) and Tai Qing (Great Pure). The placement of these statues allows for people to worship them. In addition to worshiping the deities, people are also able to admire aspects of nature. The constructions inside the temples reflect these admirations by including tortoise, cypress, kylin, dragon and phoenix, and bamboo to represent important themes such as longevity, friendship, warding off evil spirits, auspicious signs, and man of honour respectively. It is important for Taoists to go to see temples, as it is here were people of Taoist faith are able to participate in a ritual known as chiao. As part of the chiao ritual, people of every household in the village are to provide an offering to the deities, in hopes that the deities will help restore peace to the universe. With this information we understand how a Taoist’s connection to nature allows them to worship the