When was taoism introduced to china

Taoism has no founder and no founding date. It grew out of various religious and philosophical traditions in ancient China, including shamanism and nature religion. Taoism as a religion began in the year C. Zhang Daoling became the first Celestial Master and founder of the first organized Taoist school of thought. This tradition continues to the present day, with the current Celestial Master living in Taiwan.

Early religious Taoism was rooted in the ideas of the Taoist thinkers, to which were added local religious rituals and beliefs, both to provide examples of Taoist philosophy, and integrate Taoism into the existing world views of all levels of the Chinese people.

Taoism was first recognised as a religious system during the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE. The publication of the Tao Te Ching and other works provided a focus for Taoist thinking. Taoism became a semi-official Chinese religion during the Tang dynasty and continued during the Song dynasty. As Confucianism gained popularity Taoism gradually fell from favour, and changed from an official religion to a popular religious tradition.

As the founding text of Taoism, the Daodejing is a monument in the history of Chinese culture. The Tao expounded in the Daodejing has become the most sublime idea in the minds of the Chinese people. Over the past millennia, this text has been commented upon by countless people, including emperors, well-known writers, and Buddhists as well as Taoists. People ranging from pre-Qin philosophers to the great Neo-Confucians of the Song and Ming dynasties were all inspired by the philosophical thoughts of the Daodejing.

This same text was also important for generations of military thinkers, strategists and commanders. The Daodejing greatly influenced the politics, philosophy, military affairs, literature, and art of ancient China, and even deeply affected the national character and spirit of the Chinese people. Since modern times, with increased international exchanges, the Daodejing has spread widely in the world and has become part of the shared spiritual wealth of all mankind.

It has stimulated the interest of and inspired many foreign philosophers, scientists, statesmen, and entrepreneurs. The earliest edition of the Daodejing that is held today is the Warring States bamboo text, which was unearthed from a tomb of the State of Chu in Guodian, Jingmen, Hubei Province. As early as the Tang Dynasty, the Daodejing was translated into Sanskrit, and in modern times it was introduced to the West.

The Tao or Dao is hard to define but is sometimes understood as the way of the universe. Taoism teaches that all living creatures ought to live in a state of harmony with the universe, and the energy found in it. The Tao Te Ching and other Taoist books provide guides for behavior and spiritual ways of living in harmony with this energy. However, Taoists do not believe in this energy as a god. Rather, there are gods as part of the Taoist beliefs, often introduced from the various cultures found in the region known now as China.

These gods are part of the Tao, like all living things. Taoism has temples, monasteries, and priests who make offerings, meditate , and perform other rituals for their communities.

One of the main ideas of Taoism is the belief in balancing forces, or yin and yang. These ideas represent matching pairs, such as light and dark, hot and cold, action and inaction, which work together toward a universal whole.

Yin and yang show that everything in the universe is connected and that nothing makes sense by itself. Taoism became well-known in the eighth century C. In the following centuries, it existed alongside Buddhism and Confucianism another philosophical religion.

However, during the Communist takeover in , Taoism, Confucianism, and other religions were banned. This caused a decline in the practice of Taoism in China. Many modern Taoists live in Taiwan, although recent reforms in China have increased the number of Chinese Taoists. Chinese philosophy and religion emphasizing noninterference with the course of natural events. The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit.

The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited. Tyson Brown, National Geographic Society. National Geographic Society. Gina Borgia, National Geographic Society. For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service.