Three Schools of Taoism

The Tao is defined as the "way." This is a somewhat ambiguous term, because it is used to define ultimacy. Tao is seen as the underlying reality, the core of reality, or the way of ultimacy. It is perceivable, but not readily describable. One of the more popular sayings within the Tao is that those who say that they know the Tao, really do not, while those who do know the Tao, do not talk about it. Another popular way of looking at the Tao is expressed by the idea that the Tao which is known is not the real Tao. In other words, by definition, Tao is mystery, unknowable, indefinable, indescribable.

At the same time, however, the Tao is viewed as representing both the norm of the natural world and the norm of human life. Again, the Tao is at the center. It is ultimacy, but it also infuses all of life, becoming immanent, or expressed in immanence. The task of the individual is to move into harmony with the Tao, to flow with the flow of the Tao in human life, in nature, and in the universe as a whole.

Philosophical Taoism expresses one aspect of that task. It is the perspective, or attitude, which one takes toward life. One of the central concepts of philosophical Taoism is wu wei, which is vario

. . .
Some common words found in the essay are:
Philosophical Taoism, Taoism Tao, Religious Taoism, Tao Tao, Chinese Communists, Physical Taoism, religious taoism, philosophical taoism, Tao Introduction, physical taoism, Reference Smith, taoism religious, harmony tao, taoism religious taoism, Taoism Religious, categories taoism, Harper SanFrancisco, philosophical taoism physical, tao tao, human life, tao viewed, everyday life, taoism physical taoism,
Approximate Word count = 947
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page)

More Essays on Three Schools of Taoism