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This 3 page paper discusses Taoist beliefs and how the difference between those tenets and western thinking are relevant today. Bibliography lists 2 sources.
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3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_HVTaoWst.rtf
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aspects. This paper considers the nature of Taoism and how it differs from Western thinking and the contemporary relevance in these differences in understanding. Discussion Taoism is over 2,500 years
old and is termed a "spiritual practice" which is somewhat similar to Zen (Rasmussen, 2001). The "main texts of Taoism are the Tao-te Ching by Lao Tzu and Inner chapters
by Chuang Tzu" (Rasmussen, 2001). Another sources tells us that Taoism is "... basically indefinable. It has to be experienced" (Robinson, 2006). Robinson quotes Arthur Wolf, who makes the Tao
sound rather like the Force from Star Wars: "It refers to a power which envelops, surrounds and flows through all things, living and non-living. The Tao regulates natural processes and
nourishes balance in the Universe. It embodies the harmony of opposites" (Robinson, 2006). That is, there is no light without darkness, no love without hate, no hope without despair, no
life without death, and so on (Robinson, 2006). If we examine some Taoist principles, we can see how they compare to Western thinking. First, the Taoist concept of God is
that he/she/it is an "ultimate truth" that is "beyond words or any conceptual understanding" (Rasmussen, 2001). When Taoists are asked to put a name to their Deity, they usually refer
simply to the "Tao" or "the Way" (Rasmussen, 2001). They "seldom refer to God" (Rasmussen, 2001). In addition, they do not refer "to any specific incarnation of God" such as
the Father, Son and Holy Ghost of the Christian tradition (Rasmussen, 2001). With regard to the origin of life and the universe, Taoist beliefs teach that "[A]ll matter is a
manifestation of the Ultimate Reality" (Rasmussen, 2001). Because of this, Taoists have no problem accepting modern scientific discoveries, which do not contradict their thinking (Rasmussen, 2001). They have few beliefs
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