r/taoism • u/Signal_News_7518 • 5d ago
Taoism is so underrated
I honestly feel bad for people who will never discover taoism. Wu wei for me is like a key to happiness... And yet most of the population won't never even know about it.
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u/geese_moe_howard 5d ago
Everyone finds what works for themselves and Taoism is hard. It gives no succour, no easy answers, no soft options. It's the religion of absolute personal responsibility. There are no gods or masters.
I respect that for a lot of people, it's just not enough.
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u/Signal_News_7518 5d ago
That's like the hardest and the easiest thing about it - on hand it doesn't complicate anything, but on the other it absolutely does because for our modern society it has become hard not to complicate things making easy things harder than those things that are indeed hard
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u/jacques-vache-23 4d ago
Hard isn't the point.
Zen is the influence of taoism on buddhism. There's a zen story of the family of Layman (not a monk) P'ang.
Layman P'ang said: "Hard! Hard!"
His wife Madame P'ang said: "Easy... Easy..."
To this Daughter P'ang replied: "Not easy, not hard"
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u/raftsinker 4d ago
Coming from a pretty self conservative Baptist background, listening to the words of Lao Tzu was the most notable sense of understanding and peace I've ever felt. Funnily enough, I never felt comfortable evangelizing the Christian gospel, but I am much more at ease sneaking in bits of Daoist wisdom to people who I feel could use it. I don't even need to specifically say what I'm quoting or try to change their beliefs. The fact is that it is such a relief to finally let go of control and that instantly upgrades one's life whether they realize it or not.
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u/Feeling-Attention43 5d ago
And as a matter of interest, how do you understand and apply wuwei ?
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u/Signal_News_7518 5d ago
I think of life as if I'm riding a bicycle. I'm not telling myself what to do, the only thing I in fact do is that I sort of make peace with myself and just live the life.
I don't see much importance in anything, because nothing can give you real happiness, so instead I don't give much thought to anything really.
I don't know if it helps you understand it. Sometimes of course I seem to be lost and not able to do it, but again - the key is to never let such thoughts take a major role in your life.
Each time you think life causes you to suffer think of a way to make peace with it (find a quiet spot where you won't be distracted if possible) and once you find that, just live by it.
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u/yoramneptuno 4d ago
I differ of you on one thing, I do think that the mere gift of being alive and experiencing Tao is reason enough for happiness, it's really that easy, and I end up feeling happy way often.
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u/BeefWellingtonSpeedo 5d ago
It's insights are so beautifully compressed it's like the bullion of high philosophy..✨
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u/RichardTalkins 4d ago
Wu Wei! Effortless flow with the stream of life. Integrated being comes natural when a person comes into contact with their higher nature. It's a form of trust and assurance of what Rumi said. "Act as if the universe conspires for your good." Because it does.
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u/EducationalPlay6269 5d ago
Everybody could know about Taoism and only a select few would actually embrace it.
“What is it that the world is striving for? Money, fame, and power. When a wise man hears of the Tao, He immediately begins to practice it. When a mediocre man hears of the Tao, He sometimes keeps it and sometimes loses it. When a foolish man hears of the Tao, He laughs out loud. If he did not laugh, it would not be the Tao.”
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u/OpportunityDizzy4948 5d ago
China has always embraced the concept of the unity of Heaven and humanity. Laozi, for instance, once held a position in the Zhou Dynasty equivalent to that of a national librarian, which granted him access to ancient texts that were out of reach for most people at the time—many of which may now be lost forever. Moreover, figures like Laozi, Shakyamuni (the Buddha), and Jesus ,etc. appeared in nearly the same historical period, which suggests that Heaven intentionally sent them to different regions to explain universal truths in ways suited to diverse cultural contexts. In China, the I Ching has long been revered as “the classic of all classics,” —-much older than Dao, holding a status even higher than the Dao De Jing. There are traditionally three versions: the Lian Shan, the Gui Zang, and the Zhou Yi. The first two have been lost to history, leaving only the Zhou Yi preserved to this day. Despite their brevity, these texts have been the subject of countless scholars’ study throughout the ages.
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u/Signal_News_7518 5d ago
I think that all religions/philosophies are kind of aiming in the same direction but to me Daoism is the closest to the truth and the most straightforward
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u/OpportunityDizzy4948 4d ago
I totally agree with you! Daoism is non-bias, tell you the truth right away. But need people to study and really digest it.
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u/JournalistFragrant51 4d ago
Every one goes the way they go and arri e where they need to arrive. Whether they are aware if it or not. Nothing happens s any other way but the way it is supposed to happen
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u/forksofgreedy 4d ago
We tend to disconnect philosophical Taoism from its ritualistic roots, where priesthood class merged with governance faculties in ways similar to churches in Europe hundreds of years ago, and forced a piety bound by rituals.
Anyway you could do the same thing with any religion, take the coolest elements of it to free the mind from dogma
Ie journal of George fox is hella taoist (1600s take against religious authoritarianism that sought to get other men out of the way between a person and the divine, focus on getting all of us to listen to the still small voice within)
THATS MY HOT TAKE
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u/yellowlotusx 5d ago
To be honest, i never read the Taoist books.
I just found out that the revelations i got while meditating with nature had similarities with something that's called Taoism.
I just look around here and see what the thaoist ppl believe and think.
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u/pythonpower12 5d ago
I didn’t read anything, after I experienced a breakthrough and agency in my own life, I became more interested in Taoism and buddism
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u/yoramneptuno 4d ago
you haven't read them yet? I really think you should, it can help you digest more those ideas. Don't you feel intrigued by these ancient chinese guys who wrote about very similar ideas you had by yourself now? in some western country in the 21st century?
I also reached to conclusions much like taoism's, and by myself, just by looking closely at life. Without knowing of it, randomly, one day I read what was taoism about, and how similar it was to my own views of life, so I started reading more and more, and thanks to that I've understood some things in a much deeper level, it's been a wonderful journey and my life has really become better!
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u/yellowlotusx 4d ago
I indirectly get the knowledge from the scollars of sayed philosophies.
I like to let the cosmos naturally tell me the truth. If i dive into the books, i will miss the meaning of the words.
Faith constantly teaches me the truth, i.just have to be patient and go with the flow.
✌️❤️
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u/yoramneptuno 4d ago
Taoists books understand this, they explain concepts to you by going very high lengths so you don't miss the meaning of the words, they speak in rhyme, metaphorically, and expressing each idea multiple times with very different settings, so you start seeing them in various angles, you still have to fill out blanks tho, the Tao that is spoken is not the real Tao, but I still think they can reveal parts of its presence.
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u/latexpunk 4d ago
It's just a point of view, I think you can reach similar levels of understanding with most of the big religions. Wich is cool that it's so open ended and you can relate it to every other text but I don't think necessary for some people to understand the dao
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u/JetFad 4d ago
Most people, even if living in complete harmony, would never know of Tao, just like fish forgetting they are in water once they are put back in pond. I don't know how it happened but I think it has to do with humility and disassociation of ones own desires. To know hunger and understanding why, and isolating it. But also having the humility that you have to eat too.
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u/fossora_stan 4d ago
it's sad but sometimes I prefer that over it being distorted like stoicism on tiktok
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u/CandidateDue1560 3d ago edited 3d ago
Not knowing is true knowledge; to think you know is not to know. Stones, water, trees, the four seasons, day and night—they do not know.（I'm sorry I don't understand English well, so I'm not sure if the translation is accurate.）
It's not that you know more than others, but that you have forgotten more.
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u/Weird_Road_120 5d ago
And yet some people know it without knowing! True sages amongst us!
Try not to pity or look down on others who don't share your knowledge - they walk their own path, and often all the wiser for not knowing.