the tao te ching still has a profound influence on Chinese philosophy today. When Buddhism was introduced to China, the concepts of Tao Te Ching dovetailed perfectly with Indian religion, leading to a school of thought called Chan Buddhism. This spread to Japan, where it developed into Zen Buddhism. Taoism and Tao Te Ching also became prominent in Vietnam during the 11th century AD, where it continues to influence traditional beliefs.
the chuang tzu
After the tao te ching, the second most prominent sacred text in Taoism is the zhuangzi or chuang tzu, named after its author “master chuang”. his full name was zhuang zhou. Unlike Laozi, there is some historical evidence that Zhuangzi was a real person. he lived in the 4th and 3rd centuries AD. in what is now anhui province in central china. Like Laozi and Confucius, he too was a court official. he too was a committed Taoist, a philosophy already at least a century old during his lifetime.
You are reading: Sacred books of taoism
zhuangzi was a talented poet and prose writer, which helped him convey Taoist philosophy in an accessible and insightful way. In his book, Zhuangzi provides a series of humorous sketches, poems, and short verse commentaries that deal with many of the same topics as the Tao Te Ching. he appears as a character in many of the book’s sketches :
chuang tzu and hui tzu were walking around the hao river dam when chuang tzu said, “see how the minnows come out and scamper about wherever they want! that’s what fish really enjoy!”
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hui tzu said, “you’re not a fish – how do you know what fish enjoy?”
chuang tzu said, “you’re not me, so how do you know I don’t know what fish enjoy?”
Hui Tzu said, “I’m not you, so I certainly don’t know what you know. On the other hand, you are certainly not a fish, which shows that you don’t know what fish enjoy.” !”
chuang tzu said, “let’s go back to your original question please. you asked me how i know what fish like, so you already knew i knew when you asked me the question. i know by standing next to the hao . ”
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(chapter 17, translated by burton watson)
statue of confucius in beijing
Another important philosophical system in China in this time period, and one that remains influential today, was Confucianism. Unlike Taoism, Confucianism is much stricter in its approach to life, emphasizing order and hierarchy. Zhuangzi devoted many parts of his book to criticizing Confucianism. he imagined a series of conversations between laozi and the philosopher confucius, in which confucius is portrayed as subordinate and deferential to laozi, who advises him to stop following established rules and instead live the life in a more natural way according to the tao. interestingly, in his own magnum opus the analects, confucius makes no reference to having met laozi.
lesson summary
Taoism is a major religion and philosophical system originating in China. It was founded by laozi, a legendary scholar and philosopher who lived around 500 BC. Taoism teaches its followers how to live in harmony with nature by following tao, or the way. Its founding text is the Tao Te Ching, a book of poetry, mysticism, and practical knowledge for China’s rulers and their subjects.
The second most important figure in Taoism is zhuangzi, also called chuang tzu or master chuang. His book, named after him, includes humorous sketches, poems, and short essays on Taoism and features imaginary debates between Laozi and Confucius, another important Chinese philosopher.
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