Key Taoist Teachings, Beliefs, and Practices

What follows is an attempt to present central teachings, beliefs, and practices of a major world religion. Few outside a religion are likely to express its essence adequately and therefore completely to do it justice.

Taoism arose in China about 2,500 years ago, at roughly the same time as Confucianism, and focuses on harmony within the self and with others. It has been significantly influenced by Buddhism and reflects ancient Chinese modes of thought, such as belief in an invisible spirit world. Taoism is a collection of different traditions whose adherents share core beliefs. It does not have a centralized structure. Beyond China, Taoism is practiced in Taiwan and Singapore, and there is a sizable Taoist community in San Francisco.

Confucianism and Taoism were in tension from the beginning. Relying on highly structured protocols and rules of etiquette, Confucianism was intended to facilitate a stable society. Its emphasis was on social hierarchy, political organization, and the behaviors that support them. Because Taoists were concerned that strict conformity to behavioral rules and prescriptions could dampen the human spirit, they rejected them. In contrasts, the emphasis in Taoism was inward, on spiritual development, and outward, toward nature.

Unlike Confucianism and Buddhism, Taoism is not primarily based on the ideas and teachings of a single individual but on a universal principle, the Way or Path (Tao or Dào). Tao is taken to be a universal force, the source and hidden energy of all that exists. It is a mystical reality, not subject to logical analysis, which must be sensed, felt, or intuited. Since it cannot be described in words, there is little point to speculating about its nature. According to Taoism, all living creatures are intended to exist in harmony with the cosmos and each other, and therefore with this fundamental energy called chi (ch’i or qi).

A number of Taoist ideas and practices are well known in the West, such as yin-yang, t’ai chi, and feng shui. As in the East, yin and yang are used to refer to opposite but interdependent principles or forces. Although some scholars view Confucianism and Taoism as the yin and yang of Chinese religion, an interacting flow of opposites, Chinese religion often reflects a blend of Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism.

T’ai chi is a Chinese martial art, but it is practiced in the West primarily for its health benefits and secondarily as an aid to meditation. Feng shui is the practice of attempting to harmonize an individual or structure with the environment, and skyscrapers in large Chinese cities are unlikely to be erected prior to consulting a feng shui practitioner about its proper placement.

Taoism’s most influential sage—some would say its founder—was Lao Tzu (Laozi), who was likely born in the sixth century B.C. The title tzu means master or teacher. Lao Tzu is believed to have been the author of, or at least the inspiration for, Taoism’s most revered text, the Tao Te Ching (not to be confused with the I Ching). Its title can be translated as “Classic of the Way and Its Power.” Among its central concepts are the virtue of selflessness and self-examination. It also states that rulers should interfere with the lives of their subjects as little as possible. The last of these ideas added to the conflict between Taoists and Confucianists. Taoism’s other two sacred texts are the Chuang tzu and Dao Zhang sometimes translated as Three Caverns. The last of these contains the first two and supplements them with 1,400 additional texts.

Scholars draw a distinction between religious and philosophical Taoism. Practitioners of the religious form have been suppressed in China, most recently during the mid-nineteenth century’s Taiping Rebellion and in the twentieth century during Mao Zedong’s Central People’s Government and the later Cultural Revolution. As a result, is less prevalent today than it once was. But Taoism’s fundamental modes of thought are deeply rooted in Chinese culture.

Traditional religious Taoism includes ancestor worship, shamanistic practices intended to connect the human and spirit worlds, and regular participation in temple worship. Because religious Taoists treat their ancestors as gods, they honor them with rituals and often build shrines to them in their homes. Religious Taoism has priests called Masters of the Tao, who are often housed in monasteries, and lay masters, some authorized by priests to perform rituals. Taoists in the religious tradition aim at personal transformation. Such transformation is believed to increase health and longevity, and to make it possible to become eternal, if possible one of those worshiped as an “immortal ones.” The oldest and largest subdivision of religious Taoism is the school of Celestial Masters. The Perfect Realization school, founded in the twelfth century, is the most prominent monastic community within Taoism. One of its branches, Lung Men, is located in the White Cloud Monastery in Beijing.

Taoist temples center on different deities, of which there are many. Like everything else, in Taoism the gods are dependent on Tao. A committed disciple of Tao strives to behave virtuously, without drawing attention, and to develop spiritually. As in other dharmic religions, meditation is central to Taoism. A central Taoist belief non-struggle or non-action. When a person aligns with the flow of Tao, whatever he or she does will neither be a struggle nor feel like work. Such flow reflects the interdependence of opposites that balance each other.

Philosophic Taoists view Tao as permeating the universe, but they do not treat Tao as a personal god to whom they pray. Taoism for them is more a mindset and worldview than a religion. Philosophic Taoism has no distinct schools. For some, it involves mysticism and a simple way of life centered on Tao. Philosophic Taoists live naturally, sometimes in secluded places, and they shun the fads, fashions, and trends of consumerist culture. They tend to treat as sacred such features of nature as mountains, rivers, valleys, and meadows.

Differences from Christianity

Many Christians have much to learn from Taoists. The phrase “let go, let God” captures the spirit of Taoism, but to the typical Christian, its value as a reminder can easily be lost. In contrast to the inner peace that characterizes many Taoists, a lot of Christians have unwittingly internalized the secular values of the contemporary western world. There is always the next activity to carry out in the service of getting promoted, making more money, or acquiring more things. Such preoccupation with the future and the hyperactivity to which it leads has been exacerbated by cell phones, social media, and text messages, to the point that the idea of quiet time with God no longer seems to exist. The concept of Tao bears many similarities to the Hindu concept of Brahman, both of which are impersonal cosmic forces. God, as conceived in the three Abraham religions (Christianity, Islam, and Judaism trace their origins to a single patriarch in the Old Testament), is distinctly personal and intentional. Despite this and Taoism’s commendable encouragement to look inward, attend to personal spiritual transformation, and resist distractions, religious Taoism also differs from Christianity, in that Christians do not worship their ancestors, believe in multiple deities, or hope to become immortal and therefore worshiped.