Daoism Research Paper

2398 Words10 Pages
Daoism is a philosophical tradition that originated from ancient China and is still prevalent today as a way of life or religion. Zhuang Zi, an ancient Chinese philosopher that is a Daoism advocate, believes in being in harmony with the world we live in. The world is an all encompassing entity to Zhuang Zi, and, besides placing importance on equality, he believes that knowledge acquirement is an unrushed and natural process. The best way, to Zhuang Zi, to attain the Way is to be natural. While I do agree with Zhuang Zi that one should strive for equality and be constantly well-paced in life, there are some aspects of life that one can only attain through pursuit and hard work. In the essay that follows, I will highlight my take on Zhuang Zi’s…show more content…
He states that we should view the world as “one breath”, and the “sage”, one that is held in high esteem”, “never ceases to value oneness.” The choice of diction “one” creates the effect of wholeness and interconnectedness, showing that the world is one whole all-encompassing entity. Zhuang Zi points out that the concepts one views as opposites are in fact complementary, as are life and death. He said that “Life is the companion of death, death is the beginning of life’. (Zhuangzi; translation, Watson, Section Twenty Two) The choice of diction “companion” creates the complementary effect that reveals the cycle-like structure of life and how Zhuang Zi views life as a whole. The Daoist symbol – the Yin and Yang, is one of black and white merging into one, with black in the white and white in the black. This once more shows complement and how one entity flows naturally into the other, and each contain a hint of the other. This fluidity of the opposites further exemplifies the wholeness of the…show more content…
The Way promotes self-cultivation, which is flexible and up to each individual to interpret, and how it works differently for different people. Zhuang Zi’s emphasis on a balanced and well-paced life is also very important in today’s context, although there are times where we still need to go against the currents to fulfill what we have to. Zhuang Zi’s Daoism can be a very good principle to follow, since it promotes being at peace with oneself. However, it is still important to note that it is not an excuse to use the Way to deny one’s responsibilities. Although Zhuang Zi does advocate a simplistic life, he also believes in fulfilling one’s responsibilities. After all, “Do-Nothing-Say-Nothing” does know what he needs to know, and is not
Show More
Related

  • Tai Chi Philosophy

    1735 Words  | 7 Pages

    Nazarbayev University Title: The Interaction of Daoism and Confucianism with Tai Chi Philosophy REL 213 Chinese Religious Traditions 10.30.2014 Zhanna Kurmangaziyeva   Chinese religions are very diverse implementing their philosophy to people’s lives. Religious influence is evident from studying Chinese leisure and activities, such as Tai Chi Chuan. (Wang and Stringer 2000, 33-41). Traditional and religious context directly affected the perception of martial arts and Tai Chi exercises giving rise

    Read More

More about Daoism Research Paper

Open Document