The History of Chinese Religion

The History of Chinese Religion

Taoism has been thought by western culture to be just another complex eastern religion, but in fact Taoism can be easily understood with an open mind and interest. Taoism has a history rooted in China and Lao Tzu, beliefs that are based on the writings of Lao Tzu as well as other authors, and simple practices based around nature.

Taoism has a history rooted in China where it began by Lao Tzu and fell, but Tao still has a major role there and throughout the world. The path or the way, as Tao can be roughly described as in English is not easily described, but must be experienced. The classical Taoist description is the development of ancient traditions of worshipping nature. Lao Tzu and the writings following the establishment of Taoism were the foundation for the entire religion in the beginning. Taoism is not only a philosophy and a religion, but also the basis for traditional Chinese medicine. The religion is a representation of an accumulation of knowledge of over 5,000 years of Chinese history. Taoism started to develop around the second century AD; it developed from Taoist philosophy with ideas and practices from other religions, such as Buddhism. Lao Tzu developed his philosophy, which lead to Taoism after his travels. “After Lao Tzu retired from the position of royal archivist, he traveled through the mountain passes in the west. During this time, he wrote 5,000 words for the benefit of posterity. 'They set forth the Tao, the Way, which existed before the heavens and the earth'”. “Taoism started as a combination of psychology and philosophy, but evolved into a religious faith in 440 AD, when it was adopted as a state religion”. The development of his philosophy came as a result of influences of other religions and his personal beliefs. “He was searching for a way that would avoid the constant feudal warfare and other conflicts that disrupted society during his lifetime. The result was his book: the Tao Te Ching”. Lao Tzu disagreed intently on conventional Chinese morality and political control: “The more laws and order are made prominent, the more thieves and robbers there will be”. Lao Tzu became widely recognized as a deity in the religion. By the end of the 5th century AD, the Taoist religion had priesthood, temples, rituals, a system of ethical teachings, and a belief in many gods[1]. The writings of the Taoist religion, such as the Tao Te Ching and other famous writings helped to shape the religion itself. The Tao Te Ching is one of the many writings in the Taoist religion such as The Nei-yeh, The Chuang-tzu, The Huai-nan-tzu, and The Lich-tzu.

The origin of the Tao Te Ching came from ideas from anonymous people of the 4th-6th century BC, who were probably local elders, which included women. The Tao Te Ching included teachings about meditative practices and spiritual beliefs, whose tradition was influenced by the tradition which produced the Nei-yeh as ...