Expert: Joe McSorley - 2/27/2006

Question
Dear Sir;
  I am a student in a online class titled “Eastern and Western Thought”. As a project in the class, my classmates and I have been asked to interview and expert regarding Confucianism, Daoism, or Buddhism. If it would not be too much trouble I would like to ask you a few questions regarding Daoism.

1)   According to some encyclopedias, Daoism is classified as a philosophy rather than a religion. How do you classify Daoism? Why? Are there people who are both Taoist and believers in a more traditional religion?
2)   Is Daoism a common practice today? If so are there certain customs that one can identify with Daoism? Or rather is it a personal life philosophy? Does modern Daoism differ from traditional Daoism?
3)   What are the characteristics of Daoism (if any) that make it truly “eastern”. In your opinion could such a philosophy and or religion have existed in “western” cultures?

I really appreciate your time
Sincerely
Hallie Tuchman


Answer
Dear Hallie,

    Here are my answers:

1)According to some encyclopedias, Daoism is classified as a philosophy rather than a religion. How do you classify Daoism? Why? Are there people who are both Taoist and believers in a more traditional religion?  

Taoism is a philosophy in its purest form.  There are many folk practices of Taoism today in China that involve deities and other worship but that were never part of the original teachings.
Yes, people do incorporate other religions with Taoism although I think they are generally misguided in doing so.  There is no savior or heaven in Taoism so I don't know how these can be contrived into the belief.


2) Is Daoism a common practice today? If so are there certain customs that one can identify with Daoism? Or rather is it a personal life philosophy? Does modern Daoism differ from traditional Daoism?

   Practicing Taoism is a tricky thing.  Since there is no dogma and the truth is something only the individual can come to there is no central belief system.  In China Taoist temples will incorporate Buddhism and all other religions, whatever is useful they use.  Taoist practice in the temples would be meditation and breathing exercises. Taoist meditation is vastly different from the Indian kind.  It is not detachment but an attempt to develop and strengthen the vital forces of the body through breathing and exercise like kung fu and Tai chi. Many Chinese would consider themselves Taoist and Buddhist at the same time.  Neither is theistic and both involve self -awakening.
There are customs like burning incense at the shrines of your ancestors but many Eastern philosophies do this.


3) What are the characteristics of Daoism (if any) that make it truly “eastern”. In your opinion could such a philosophy and or religion have existed in “western” cultures”

To try to define Taoism or the Way immediately creates a problem.  It's a problem because it is not a particular thing or way.  There are no tenets, dogma, belief or laws and no central authority.  Tao is often understood as the way nature works or the natural order of things but its meaning is really deeper than that.  I would say that the central theme of Taoism is the ‘interpenetration' of things.  Many might say harmony with nature but this would be a superficial understanding. Many talk about following the Tao (way) which is the natural order of things but that is an anthropomorphic concept.  By this I mean that it is a construct of human thought trying to say what is natures' way and what is not natures' way.  How can humans speak for all of nature? Taoism has many articulations but if you look into the heart of Lao Tzu and Chuang tzu what you find is the emphasis on interpenetration.  What this means is that things are co-originating, intertwined and mutually defining.  This is the meaning of the yinyang/Tai Chi symbol that I am sure you have seen.  The black and white swirls in the circle with the dots of opposite colors in them.  What this icon symbolizes is that opposites actually define one another.  That the foundation for darkness is light and vice versa.  Thus in the dark field you have a white dot and in the white field you have a black dot.  Each is the foundation for the other and cannot be separated from the other.  All being is defined by non-being.  Life is life precisely because you can die and without life there is no death.  Mutually defining and existing.  This is the heart of Taoism.
 So all nature is an expression of the Tao and Tao is the expression of all nature.  In the West we have a split that is God/Man/Nature, all separate but in the East it is Man=Nature=Man, not split so this is why nature is integral to Taoism.
Could it exist in the West?  Well, if you define the West as the Judeo/Christian/Muslim tradition the answer is no because there is no theism or conversion in Taoism.  In fundamentalist Christianity the only way to salvation is through the Christ so they wouldn't accept it.  Since everyone is equal in the Tao you have no prophets or any other hierarchy so that wouldn't fly either.  However, there are practioners of Taoism in the West now but since man is the central authority and focus of Taoism as it is in the Western traditions I doubt it will ever have any impact on us.

 take care,
        Joe