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Taoism And The Taoist Arts |
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Background & History |
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Background & History: The Taoist Arts: |
A Brief History Of TaoismSelf conscious Taoism seems to have emerged about 300 BC but its roots
stretch back much further in time - many thousands of years, in fact. As
a growing philosophy Taoism was influenced by a number of strands of thought
which were popular in China long before this time such as Ancestor Worship
and Shamanism, and later Buddhism and Confucianism.
The common folk of ancient China held a strong belief in spirits and magic, and would have relied on shamans or holy-men to interpret and influence the unseen world; Carvings on bone and metal show that Ancestor Worship was common in China as long ago as the 11th century BC. Later, Buddhism arrived from India bringing with it a host of Gods, and as Confucianism began to emerge complex rituals were added to the mix. These strands were constantly intermingling as China developed, and even today they are all followed to a greater or lesser extent. And all the while the more enlightened Chinese were training themselves with meditation and physical exercise such as martial arts, all of which looked to, and in turn influenced, the emerging philosophy that we now know as Taoism. Eventually Taoism became a religion. This was a natural progression from the philosophy that had already developed, especially considering the popularity of the Buddhist Pantheon, and for some time Taoism was the State Religion of China. But this site is interested in the philosophy of Taoism, which stands separately from the religion, and has its basis today in the texts left over from ancient times. For more on Taoist religion, click here
Main Texts and Characters of Taoism
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A Few Words On Choosing Translations
These three classic texts of Taoism are all available in a number of English translations, and a quick glance at a few will reveal that they can differ from each other a great deal. This is due at least in part to the way the Chinese language works - its pictographic script will often not translate easily, and many of the concepts familiar to the Chinese are foreign to outsiders.
Some of the passages refer to Chinese stories or use unfamiliar phrases, for example, 'the ten thousand things' refers to all things in existence and the words 'spirit', 'virtue' (te) and 'heaven' do not have the same meanings as they do in our own culture.
Nevertheless, a number of excellent translations are available. I recommend looking for translations by Taoists where possible - the Tao Te Ching in particular has been translated many times by Western academics who, though they may well have studied Taoism, do not fully understand its principles.
As I have said, the only way to fully understand Taoism is to live it, so a translation by a Taoist will often have a depth of meaning lacking in other translations.
"It is very hard to find any of the spirit of Taoism
in the lifeless writing of the humourless Academic Mortician, whose bleached
out Scholarly Dissertations contain no more of the character of Taoist wisdom
than does the typical wax museum."
~ From 'The
Tao Of Pooh', Benjamin Hoff
But the best way to choose a translation is to browse through a few copies (if you can find them) and see which appeals to you most. Do not necessarily go on recommendations - what appeals to one may not do so to another. Go with your gut feeling. One copy may 'speak' to you more than any other - if so, go with that one.
Take a look at these, and other Taoist related books, in the Taoist
Bookshop
Background and History pt 2 >>
Introduction / Background & History 1 / Background & History 2
Main concepts 1 / Main concepts 2 / Meditation / Martial Arts
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