User:Wound theology/Taoism

Taoism
Taoism
	The Chinese character for the Tao, often translated as 'way', 'path', 'technique', or 'doctrine'
Chinese name
Chinese	道教
Hanyu Pinyin	Dàojiào
Literal meaning	"Religion of the Way"
Hanyu Pinyin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Dàojiào
Bopomofo	ㄉㄠˋ ㄐㄧㄠˋ
Gwoyeu Romatzyh	Dawjiaw
Wade–Giles	Tao4-chiao4
Yale Romanization	Dàujyàu
IPA	[tâʊ.tɕjâʊ]
Wu
Romanization	Doh入 goh平
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanization	Douhgaau
Jyutping	Dou6gaau3
IPA	[tɔw˨.kaw˧]
Southern Min
Hokkien POJ	Tō-kàu
Tâi-lô	Tō-kàu
Middle Chinese
Middle Chinese	dáw kæ̀w
Old Chinese
Baxter–Sagart (2014)	*[kə.l]ˤuʔ s.kˤraw-s
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese alphabet	Đạo giáo
Chữ Hán	道教
Korean name
Hangul	도교
Hanja	道敎
Revised Romanization
Transcriptions
Revised Romanization	do gyo
Japanese name
Kanji	道教
Hiragana	どうきょう
Romanization
Transcriptions
Romanization	Dō kyō

Taoism, also Daoism (Chinese: dàojiào) is an East Asian religion native to China, traditionally attributed to the legendary sage Laozi.

Overview

Taoism is centrally concerned with the Tao, "a nameless, formless, all-pervasive power which brings all things into being and reverts them back into non-being in an eternal cycle."^[1]

History

In the early Han dynasty, scholars retroactively attributed labeled classical writings with no clear historical connection as "Taoist."^[2] The first self-identified Taoists appeared in the 5th century CE, stimulated by the introduction of Buddhism to China.^[3]

Mythological origins

Taoism is traditionally attributed to the works of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu, two legendary figures of early China.

Sects and schools

Historiography

Western scholars have traditionally split Taoism into "religious Taoism" (道教; dàojiào) and "philosophical Taoism" (道家; dàojiā).^[4]^[5] More recent scholars, such as Russell Kirkland, have considered "mystical models" in relation to "liturgical models", while Livia Kohn has proposed a tripartite typology of literati, communal, and self-cultivation Taoism.^[6] These terms are foreign to Taoism itself.^[7] Modern Taoists make a distinction between "Northern Taoism" and "Southern Taoism."^[8]

Relationship to other religions

Tang-era Taoists wrote extensively on "Tao-nature", which closely resembles "Buddha-nature" in East Asian Buddhism. Northern Taoism interacted intimately with Chan and late imperial Confucianism.^[9]

References

Citations

^ Oldstone-Moore 2003, p. 6.
^ Kirkland, Russell (2002). "The History of Taoism: A New Outline". Journal of Chinese Religions. 30 (1): 177–193. doi:10.1179/073776902804760257. ISSN 0737-769X.
^ Kirkland 2004, p. 16.
^ Oldstone-Moore 2003, p. 13.
^ Kirkland 2004, p. 2: "For one thing, most scholars who have seriously studied Taoism, both in Asia and in the West, have finally abandoned the simplistic dichotomy of tao-chia and tao-chiao -- 'philosophical Taoism' and 'religious Taoism.'"
^ Kirkland 2004, p. 2.
^ Kirkland 2004, p. 2: "It should be noted in this connection, however, that Taoists have never made any distinctions of such kinds, and it is such very facts that challenge our hermeutical imagination."
^ Kirkland 2004, p. 4.
^ Kirkland 2004, p. 5.

General sources

Kirkland, Russell (2004). Taoism: The Enduring Tradition. New York, NY: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-26322-0.
Oldstone-Moore, Jennifer (2003). Taoism: Origins, Beliefs, Practices, Holy Texts, Sacred Places. Oxford New York: Oxford University Press, USA. ISBN 978-0-19-521933-3.