Taoism:
Lao-tzu was a contemporary philosopher of Confucius, and his teachings were sometimes
called Taoism, which is not correct because his original teachings were philosophical in nature, pure and unadulterated. It was therefore, strictly speaking, not a religion, just like Confucianism. Whereas Confucius' teachings dealt mainly with human conduct and relationships, the teachings of Lao-tzu were more concerned with human character, and it would be more appropriate to call it Laoism. For example, he taught that people brought sufferings upon themselves by striving for things they could not get by righteous means (Compare Buddhist teaching of 'yam piccham na labhati tampi dukkham). If they refrained from doing this, they could experience greater inner peace, and consequently the country would be more peaceful with fewer criminal acts. His philosophical teachings were too difficult for the common Chinese to understand, and with the onslaught of Buddhism, decadence began to set in after the Sung Dynasty, about 6th. century A.D. Its decadence occurred gradually and became a low form of popular superstitious practices and beliefs in many kinds of gods and demons, such as we find still popular mainly among the common and lowly-educated Chinese today. It also developed a vast pantheon of gods, which gradually absorbed some of the gods of Mahayana Buddhism in China, when this|itself degenerated into a popular form of Buddhism catering mainly to the needs of the common people.
Traditional Taoism did not believe in the existence of a Creator. It was non-theistic, and Lao-tzu's teachings never gave the impression that the Tao or (Way) could in any circumstance be regarded as God IA close parallel of his teaching to Buddhism was that all phenomena in the manifest world were in a perpetual state of flux where everything was constantly changing and there was nothing permanent. It is not possible to express the Tao in words; it is a way of life which has to be lived, and lived well, in order to understand the Tao. As in Buddhism, there was no dogma in Taoism. This gave the follower of Taoism complete freedom to attain the highest achievement through his own efforts, instead of taking the easiest way by following what is established and fixed. Although the principle of Yin-yang was not Taoist in origin, it nevertheless formed a basic element of the Taoist philosophy, which taught that the operation of Tao inevitably resulted in a spontaneous creation owing to the interaction of the yin and the yang.
A Buddhist who lives in accordance with the dhamma is protected by the dhamma (dhammo have rakkhati dhamma cari)y and if he follows the Noble Eightfold Path, nothing can iryure him. In a similar manner, a person who lives in accordance with the Tao knows how to conduct himself well in all circumstances and nothing can injure him. In theistic religions, a person who does an evil or wrong action (papa) is said to have committed a sin whereas in Buddhism, he is said to do it because of his ignorance (avijjd). Taoism also has no doctrine of sin, which is also seen as ignorance, or stupidity. Since sin is regarded as ignorance rather than as disobedience to divine command, the Taoist is not plagued by the guilt complex. He should strive to gain wisdom and thus live in harmony with nature, for the man with wisdom does not sin. Furthermore, through his wisdom, he is able to overcome the effects of his bad kamma. To feel remorseful or repentant for one's evil deeds is only a violent emotion out of harmony with| nature unaccompanied by an increase in wisdom and understanding. Realising his stupidity in performing an evil deed, he should not repeat it. The advice given by the Buddha in verse 117 of the Dhammapada is worthy of note:
'Papan cepuriso kayira Na tarn kayira punappunam Na tamhi chandam kayirdtha Dukkho pdpassa uccayo.
(Should a person commit evil, he should not do it again and again; he should not find pleasure therein; painful is the accumulation of evil.) Again, the Law of Kamma is seen in the Taoist doctrine which says living in conformity and harmony with the Laws of Nature is the right thing to do; if one fails to do this, then automatic retribution, disharmony and misery will follow.
The original teachings of Lao-tzu, pure and unadulterated, had contributed much towards moulding Chinese culture for centuries, along with the teaching of Confucius. However, it proved to be too metaphysical and intellectual for the understanding of the common Chinese people, who had been used to the simple types of worship for a long time. With the coming of Buddhism, which provided spiritual food and comfort for the people, Taoism began to degenerate after the Sung dynasty (6th. century A.D.). There arose a vast number of superstitions which the rich imaginative mind of the Chinese could concoct, and many of these superstitious beliefs, still observed by the majority of common Chinese people at the present time, were wrongly attributed by non-Buddhists to Mahayana Buddhism which played an important role in supplanting Taoism as the foremost religion in China. Popular Taoism invented a system of incantations against evil spirits. There were also good spirits which were believed to possess the power of healing the sick. These spirits communicated through mediums who were people believed to have received the 'call' from the spirits, and who accepted only a small payment in a red envelope for their services. Pieces of yellow paper on which were written characters in black ink called 'Hu' were given to the patients to be burned and dropped in water and then drunk. Sometimes, this was found to be effective in curing certain kinds of illnesses. Charms and spells became popular to keep evil spirits away. Taoist priests became adept in the art of spells and exorcisms, which were generally done for a good purpose. It was their firm belief that occult powers should not be used for evil or such evil might boomerang back upon its perpetrator.
It is common to see on the altar of Chinese families who observe popular Taoist beliefs and practices an array of images of various gods They pray to the gods without knowing who they are or what they can offer them. To them, it is better to pray to many gods for one never knows which god one has offended by not so doing. Besides, since each god is able to grant a different favour, the more gods they worship the more favours they can receive. These conservative Chinese are often criticized for praying to many gods which probably do not exist. To their critics, the reply is, 'it is better to believe that the gods exist than to believe that they do not exist; after all, what harm have they done if they do not exist, whereas, if they do exist, they may be angry and take revenge if no respect is shown to them. If you believe in the existence of gods, then they are there; if you don't believe, then there are none!'
Tang Tein Beng
More in the Buddhism Beliefs Series:
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