Daoism Flashcards
(26 cards)
Historical Background
Zhou Dynasty (1046 bc - 221 - bc
the western zhou (1046-771 bc)
spring and autumn (770-476 bc)
warring period (476 bc - 221 bc)
Icon of Daoism
yin and yang
Who is believed to be the founder
Lao Dan or Lao Zi (604-531bc) mythological figure
What did Lao Dan write
Daodejing (the book of the way) explores the nature of the reality and the government
describe the book of the way (daodejing
composed in short bits of verse
leaves interpretation indeterminate
who is Zhuangzi
mytholiogical character of Dao (369-298 bc
devotes attention to the privated individual
concerns about relationship with nature and humans
the book Zhuangzi
composed of prose. relativist oulook, organic world view. 9 chp by Zhuangzi, the rest by scholars
Daoist belief on human conditions and slavation
nature has no beginning and no end. harmoonious order
in a natural state, humankind is in harmony with each other and with nature. mankind is happy animals
humankind lost its natural state by having its own wills, desires, and demansd
ttherefore humankind suffers
to release one from the suffering is to model after the nature to bceome part of nature agian.
wu-wei
non-action: do nothing, nothing will not be done - prefer natural life to social life
perction exists where
in a state of non-action
un-carved rock (no division of parts)
life in womb (no distinction between life and death.)
everything exists and`
everthying is possible
the fall is
division into parts, the assigning of names, and the desires injuirious to life.
ten thousands things idea
the dao gave birth to the one, the one gave birth to the two, the two gave birth to the three, and the three gave birth to the ten thousand things.
the doctrine of non-action is about?
acting without artificiality, desires, disruption
what is creative quietude
a soft, effortless and gentle wasy of carrying oneself
two most popular daoist metapors
water: spontaneous and effortless (yin), nothing is more soft and yielding than water, yet for attacking the solid and the strong, nothing is better
un-carved rock - simplicity and natural (yang)
Chapter 38 qoute
a truly good man does nothign, yet leaves nothing undone. a foolish man is always doing yet much remains to be done (means wasiting time doing unnecessary things is bad
chapter 76 qoute
a man is born gentle and weak; at his death he is hard and stff. green plants are tender and filled with sap; at their death they are withered an dry. therefore, the stiff ad the unbending is a disciple of death; the gentle and yielding is a disciple of life
dao seek what
immortality
how do they try to achieve immotaluity?
outer alchemy and inner alchemy
what is outer alchemy
works from the outside in. - to strengthne your physical body through moving meditation (martial arts)
-sexual practices
-alchemcical parctices
-dietary practices
seen in chinese traditional science, medicine, dietand pop culture
what is inner alchemy
works from inside out
- stille meditation to cultivate qi, form both the body and the spirit the joint form is our being. in perfect form, onee can reach immortality
- daoism believes in three treasures of mankin are qi, jing, and shen
- qi - out life energy
- jing - origianl qi given by our parents - pre-birth qi, or preheaven qi, sexual energy
- shen - spiritual-self
goal of dao
to build a spiritual self that is immortal
the body diagram she showed in class, descripe parts
a stream represents the spinal cord
- the head - a cahin of mountains representing yang energy
- the monk and the old man sitting in the skull also represent yin ad yang. the two dots between them represent the sun and the moon
- lower part of the otrso is dominated by the yin image of water
- the water turns into fire as it rises up the spinal column, represeiting its transformation into life energy with fire
