Robyn Lebron Taoism has never been a unified religion but has rather consisted of numerous teachings based on various revelations Therefore, different branches of Taoism often have very distinct beliefs Nevertheless, there are certain core beliefs that nearly all the schools share Taoist propriety and ethics emphasize the
( sometimes referred to as t he Three Treasures) of the Tao: ǡ generally focuses on nature, Taoist thought men—cosmos correspondence, health and longevity, action through inaction, liberty, and spontaneity Reverence for ancestor’s spirits and immortals are also common in popular Taoism Chinese alchemy, astrology, cuisine, several martial arts, traditional medicine, feng shui, immortality, and many styles of qigong breath training disciplines have been intertwined with Taoism throughout history Many Taoist ideas come from other Chinese schools of thought It’s not always easy to draw accurate distinctions between ideas that are fundamentally Taoist and those that Taoism took in from elsewhere, especially Buddhism and Confucianism Because Taoism has evolved, it might be easier to understand it as or a way of seeing the universe Concepts within Taoism: is the essential energy of Tao, the thing that enables beings to be in harmony with the Tao Taoist texts sometimes refer to the Tao as the and the One as the ǣ It is translated as an awareness of the Tao or a virtue that enable a person to follow the Tao ǣ It is usually translated “that which is naturally so,” meaning how something would evolve and exist as it is permitted to be itself, naturally and without interference or conflict ǣ It is the method of following the Tao In the ǡ this is the central virtue of the wise ruler Wu Wei means to live with the true nature of the world—or at least without interfering—things must take their natural course And certainly pure Taoism requires individuals to live on the basis that the world is working properly, and that they therefore should not interfere with it “Perfect activity leaves Ǣ dz ሺ ao e ChingሻǤ