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How do describe Taoism to a protestant? (self.taoism)

evanthesquirrel が 投稿

I currently see myself as a Taoist Christian, and honestly new to both. They are both useful spiritual tools that sometimes overlap and sometimes have their own areas of expertise.

I'm talking to a protestant who is curious about what this is. Instead of giving my relatively weak perspective I was wondering what might be some good resources to share with my friend as a primer to my philosophy.

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[–]The_Guava_King 2ポイント3ポイント  (3子コメント)

I like how you use the word "tools."

[–]evanthesquirrel[S] 0ポイント1ポイント  (1子コメント)

What do you mean?

[–]The_Guava_King 4ポイント5ポイント  (0子コメント)

I think it is a good place to start from. Taoist thought/experience from my perspective, rapidly does away with the idea of objective truth. Beliefs are not meant to be believed, but to push you in a certain direction.

This is not an argument for relativism, merely God/Tao/Truth is unknowable in an intellectual sense.

God/Tao/Truth can be experienced by living in harmony with (ones true) Nature. In this situation, truth is self-evident (yet still unspeakable), and action ceases.

If you act/think in accordance with Gods plan, you cease to think and act, and are instead carried along by the whole "thing".

[–]essentialsalts 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

I would make sure to stress to him that one doesn't 'worship' the Dao, since it isn't really equivalent with any western notion of God or a deity. I would put it like this: the Dao is the word for 'the way' that everything works together. I'd suggest that he listen to "The Taoist Way" lecture by Alan Watts, on youtube. No, Alan Watts is not the start and end of Daoism; yes, he inserts plenty of his own interpretations of eastern philosophical ideas. But, he has an understanding of Christianity and western philosophy that makes him a good starting point - he explains a lot of the core concepts well and relates them, at times, to other religions. At the end of that lecture, he'll have a beginner's knowledge of the Lao Tzu and Zhuang Tzu's fundamental concepts, and the role of Daoism in the context of Chinese society.

[–]Vidyaraja 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

There is a book that specifically relates Daoism to Christianity, albeit Eastern Orthodox Christianity, entitled Christ the Eternal Tao that might be worth a read, though I am not sure all the concepts are entirely accurate (the author equates the Dao with the Logos, whereas in Daoism the Dao would be both the Logos and the Godhead in its entirety.)

Christian material that I see closely related to the Daoist spirit and worth seeking out would be Meister Eckhart and the other Rhineland mystics, John Scotus Eriugena, Pseudo-Dionysius, Jakob Boehme, Karl von Eckharthausen, The Cloud of Unknowing, and perhaps Jean Pierre de Caussade.

[–]xNatxu 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

I would introduce Book of Tao to your friend since it is short and the main ideas are presented repeatedly; it's easier to contemplate than denser texts.

I like this translation best for the footnotes and clear wordage.

[–]Beatnuk 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Taoism is a mystical naturalist tradition in which the practitioner seeks to attain harmony with "Tao", and to embody it's Virtue. The Tao is not personified or deified, but considered to be transcendent of any imagery or conceptualization, it is considered to be the underlying force of all existence, the Alpha and Omega, the primal Law of not only the universe, but of itself.

The Taoist is someone who through observation of nature and practice seeks to recognise the Golden Mean through which one can align oneself to the Tao. The Tao Te ching is a compilation of such observations, as well as the Nei Yeh (Inward Training).

The Nei Yeh describes this better than I can, here are the first two chapters:

"One: The vital essence of all things: It is this that brings them to life. It generates the five grains below And becomes the constellated stars above. When flowing amid the heavens and the earth We call it ghostly and numinous. When stored within the chests of human beings, We call them sages.

Two: Therefore this vital energy is: Bright! - as if ascending from the heavens; Dark! - as if entering an abyss; Vast! - as if dwelling in an ocean; Lofty! - as if dwelling on a mountain peak. Therefore this vital energy Cannot be halted by force, Yet can be secured by inner power [Te]. Cannot be summoned by speech, Yet can be welcomed by awareness. Reverently hold onto it and do not lose it: This is called "developing inner power." When inner power develops and wisdom emerges, The myriad things will, to the last one, be grasped."

Here is the full text: http://www.stillness.com/tao/neiyeh.txt

[–]idiot321321321 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Also, if your friend has time, the EdX (or Coursera?) MOOC on Chinese thought has a lot of relevant information on the cultural context in which Taoism abides. It's really easy to misunderstand things just from reading the English translation.

[–]TotesMessenger 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

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[–]letharin -1ポイント0ポイント  (0子コメント)

What is daoism for you?