Taoism or Daoism refers to either a school of philosophical thought or to a religion; both share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the Tao (Chinese: pinyin: Dào; lit. ‘Way’, ‘Thoroughfare’). The Tao Te Ching, a book containing teachings attributed to Laozi, together with the later writings of Zhuangzi, are both widely considered the keystone works of Taoism.
In Taoism, the Tao is the source of everything and the ultimate principle underlying reality. Taoism teaches about the various disciplines for achieving perfection through self-cultivation. This can be done through the use of Taoist techniques and by becoming one with the unplanned rhythms of the all, called “the way” or “Tao”. Taoist ethics vary depending on the particular school, but in general tend to emphasize wu wei (action without intention), naturalness, simplicity, spontaneity and the Three Treasures;, compassion, frugality and humility.
The roots of Taoism go back at least to the 4th century BCE. Early Taoism drew its cosmological notions from the School of Yinyang (Naturalists) and was deeply influenced by one of the oldest texts of Chinese culture, the I Ching, which expounds a philosophical system about how to keep human behavior in accordance with the alternating cycles of nature. The Legalist Shen Buhai (c. 400 – c. 337 BCE) may also have been a major influence, expounding a realpolitik of wu wei, or qualified inaction.
Taoism has had a profound influence on Chinese culture in the course of the centuries and Taoists ; dàoshi, “masters of the Tao”), a title traditionally attributed only to the clergy and not to their lay followers, usually take care to note the distinction between their ritual tradition and the practices of Chinese folk religion and non-Taoist vernacular ritual orders, which are often mistakenly identified as pertaining to Taoism. Chinese alchemy (especially neidan), Chinese astrology, Chan (Zen) Buddhism, several martial arts including kung fu, traditional Chinese medicine, feng shui and many styles of qigong have been intertwined with Taoism throughout history.
Today, the Taoist religion is one of the five religious doctrines officially recognized by the People’s Republic of China (PRC), including in its special administrative regions (SARs) of Hong Kong and Macau. It is also a major religion in Taiwan and has a significant number of adherents in a number of other societies throughout East and Southeast Asia, particularly in Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam.
Watch the below videos to learn more about Taoist Philosophy
TAOISM | The Philosophy Of Flow
TAOISM | The Philosophy Of Flow
A well-known concept that has emerged from Taoist philosophy is wu wei, that can be translated as “non-action”, “effortless action”, or the paradoxical “action of non-action”. Cuts, voice, footage, script by Einzelgänger.
View More
The Deep Meaning Of Yin & Yang
The Deep Meaning Of Yin & Yang
The concept of Yin & Yang lies at the basis of Taoist philosophy. Cuts, voice, footage, script by Einzelgänger.
View More
Taoist Wisdom For Inner Peace
Taoist Wisdom For Inner Peace
What can we learn from the Taoists about achieving inner peace? Cuts, voice, footage, script by Einzelgänger.
View More
The Taoist Way of Letting Go
The Taoist Way of Letting Go
A Taoist approach to letting go. Cuts, voice, footage, script by Einzelgänger.
View More
TAOISM | The Power of Letting Go
TAOISM | The Power of Letting Go
The power of letting go is a form of strength that’s based on sophistication rather than force. We can approach life more intelligently, more efficiently, and go with the flow, “effortless action” (or the paradoxical “action of non-action”) rather than swimming against it. Cuts, voice, footage, script by Einzelgänger.
View More
TAOISM | How to Get Drunk on Life
TAOISM | How to Get Drunk on Life
Instead of escaping the experience of life, in all its rawness, with all its emotional highs and lows, its joys and hardships, can’t we just enjoy life as it comes, soberly, as much as we enjoy the state of drunkenness? Or simply put: how can we get drunk on life?
View More
TAOISM | The Art of Not Trying
TAOISM | The Art of Not Trying
The Taoists observed that humans tend to act in ways that are counterproductive. And in their attempts to alter the natural way, they only make things worse. All these strivings, rules, ethics, values, surely are invented to benefit humanity. But according to the ancient Taoist sages, we should get rid of them all. Why? Because all these manmade ideas only remove us further from the natural flow of life. Trying to alter what nature has intended, is like swimming against the stream: it’s exhausting and gets us nowhere. This video is about not trying to change the world, to gain the world.
View More
TAOISM | The Fasting of the Heart
TAOISM | The Fasting of the Heart
In psychology, as well as popular culture, we see the emerging of different types of detox. The dopamine detox, for example, also called the ‘dopamine fast’ is currently presented as a way to “reset” our brain’s reward system, by abstaining from all kinds of activities that bring pleasure. The idea of detoxing ourselves from outside influences isn’t new. The ancient Taoists acknowledged the value of letting our minds rest, so we stop the exhausting maelstrom of judging, identifying, analyzing, fantasizing, et cetera. According to the Taoists, silencing our faculties for a while not only replenishes our energy, it also brings us closer to a mysterious and incomprehensible force referred to as ‘Tao’. The ‘fasting of the heart’ entails temporary abstinence from intellectual as well as sensual activity. This concept isn’t just about detoxing the mind; it’s about detoxing the soul, by shutting down the mind and the senses. This video explores the ‘fasting of the heart’.
View More
Win Without Trying
Win Without Trying (A Taoist simile about losing your flow)
Competitions can be nerve-wracking. The more we live up to the day on which we are supposed to shine, the more anxiety builds up. What if I perform badly? What if something goes wrong? An Olympic swimmer trains thousands of hours, just to get that medal. A musician practices for days on end, just to perform well those few times on stage. And a student practices a speech in front of the mirror multiple times, just for that moment in front of the audience. When all their efforts come down to one defining moment, how can they not succumb to the pressure of the need to succeed? Taoist sage Zhuangzi (Eastern philosopher) was a keen observer of nature, including human nature. He figured out that the burden of the future often negatively affects our performances in the present moment. This video expands on a Taoist story that’s concerned with this pressure and the fear that it generates. Is it because we’re trying too hard that we don't seem to enter a flow state? If so, how can we win without trying?
View More
TAOISM | Be Like WaterTAOISM | Be Like Water
TAOISM | Be Like Water
Many people are hijacked by the rigidity of their minds. Thinking in categories and fixed ideas can be a great crutch for survival, as it creates clarity in a chaotic universe. But thinking too rigidly also has its negative consequences. Seeing the world in categories and separate boxes limits our perception, so we become stuck in our ideas of how things are, or supposed to be. As the universe is ever-changing, and most things, if not everything, is more complex than our minds can comprehend, a more fruitful approach to life, would be one that is flexible, tangible, that enables us to flow along. You know... a bit like water. The ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu (Taoism) celebrates flexibility in his timeless work named the Tao Te Ching, in which he opposes the rigid life stance that some people choose to take. In contrast to what many think, weakness, and softness, or more specifically, the ability and willingness to yield, can actually be a great strength, according to Taoist philosophy. Hence, Lao Tzu states that the supreme good is like water. This video explores the benefits of being a bit less rigid and a bit more like water.
View More
TAOISM | 5 Life Lessons From Lao Tzu
TAOISM | 5 Life Lessons From Lao Tzu
Can you celebrate life and not cling to it? Can you give up control and still get things done? Can you achieve your goals without forcing? These are all themes we find in the ancient Taoist key work called the Tao Te Ching, which was written by a mysterious sage named Lao Tzu. There isn’t much known about this character of Chinese antiquity, and some historians even doubt that he truly existed. But whoever wrote the Tao Te Ching has inspired millions of people to see the world in a different light. Taoism deeply respects the passive, receptive part of existence, which is generally undervalued. By becoming aware of the strength of, what the Taoists call, the ‘feminine’ or the ‘yin’-aspects of life, we’ll see that effort and force aren’t always the best tools in the toolbox for getting things done. In a previous video, The Philosophy of Flow, I expand upon the so-called ‘flow state’, known as the soft power of ‘wu wei’ or ‘effortless-action’, also described as being ‘in the zone’ when participating in certain activities like sports and painting. This video, however, explores how the wisdom of Lao Tzu can help us go with the flow in a more general sense. How can we let go, and let ourselves be carried along with the river of life? How can we live more effortlessly, with less stress and anxiety? How can we live a rich life and enjoy it to the fullest, with minimal interference of the natural course? The following five lessons based on the writings of Lao Tzu might inspire you to live life in an entirely different way. Here are 5 life lessons from Lao Tzu.
View More
TAOISM | The Art of Doing without Doing
TAOISM | The Art of Doing without Doing
Have you ever reflected on the word ‘doing’? ‘Doing’ points to performance, achievement, effort. It also implies that there’s a ‘doer’ who engages in ‘doing something’, and that there’s a passive element or ‘the thing that’s being done’. But does it work that way? Is there a separation between the thing that ‘does’ and the thing that’s ‘being done’? Or is the thing that does actually what’s being done and vice versa? Ancient Taoist writers might urge us to think about ‘doing’ (and ‘not doing’) a bit differently than we’re used to. At the root of Taoist philosophy lies the idea of an all-encompassing force called Tao, from which all elements of the universe derive. The flow of existence is something we can live by or resist. If we follow the Tao, our lives will be easy. But if we try to resist, our lives will be difficult. When we’re mainly focused on striving and straining, because we’re convinced that only through ‘effort’ we’ll get where we need to be, we may be swimming against the stream. So, what if ‘doing’ isn’t always necessary to get things done? What if many of our actions are a waste of time and energy? What if we can take shortcuts in life if we learn how to embark on the natural course? This video explores the paradoxical art of doing without doing (Taoism), and how we can live life the smart way (TAOISM | The Art of Doing Without Doing).
View More
Let It Go, Ride the Wind
Let It Go, Ride the Wind | The Taoist Philosophy of Lieh Tzu
The Lieh Tzu contains many stories with philosophical themes like the nature of reality, the purpose of life, and the workings of the mind. One theme that runs like a thread through this ancient scripture is the tendency of human beings to stand in their own way and thereby sabotaging a spontaneous, effortless mode of living. Dominated by a mind burning with desire, anxiously trying to control the uncontrollable, we’ve become unwilling and unable to let the universe run its natural course, as we have exchanged spontaneity for fear. And the more we fight the universe, the more painful our lives become, as things inevitably change in directions we don’t like. But how can we re-embark the natural flow of life? What if we dare to let go of our attachments and desires, our fears and inhibitions, and become as light as a feather, like Lieh Tzu? This video explores the Taoist philosophy of Lieh Tzu on how to let go and ride the wind.
View More
Letting Someone Go
Letting Someone Go | Taoism for Broken Hearts
The philosophy of Taoism revolves around letting go, accepting, yielding, and going with the flow. All Taoist sages seem to agree that it’s better to be detached and indifferent, allow change to happen, and move along with life’s constant transformations than to resist change and cling to what’s already in the past. When we are romantically involved with someone, we often see the opposite happening of what the Taoists teach. We attach, we cling, we control, and we’re usually very fearful of being abandoned by the person who generates immense bliss within ourselves. At the peak of the so-called honeymoon phase,’ when everything seems carefree, joyful, and happy, we wish it would never end. But as we all know: this period of mutual infatuation never lasts. No feeling is final. The changing nature of our emotional world causes us to fall out of love, sometimes as quickly as we fall in love. When feelings change, the relationship changes. Frequently, the consequence of declined feelings of attraction, for whatever reason, is a breakup. Such a drastic change is challenging to handle, especially when the decline in attraction isn’t mutual. For some, it takes years (or even a lifetime) to get over someone. Others never truly accept the breakup and move Heaven and Earth to win back their old flame, to no avail. When we cannot change outside circumstances, the only way to move forward is to change ourselves, including how we look at the situation at hand. The Taoist ideas in this video could help us see the breakup (and heartbreak in general) in another light.
View More
Wu-wei | The Art of Letting Things Happen
Wu-wei | The Art of Letting Things Happen
Despite humanity’s technological developments and will to progress, we’re still utterly dependent on nature. Human effort has its limitations and is always in conjunction with nature. We cannot grow a plant, for example, completely isolated from natural growth, even though we can influence and manipulate it. The reputed author of the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu, stated that the world governs itself. It doesn’t need our intervention. As Lao Tzu wrote: “When you arrive at non-action, nothing will be left undone.” End quote. This idea resembles the basic understanding of the paradoxical concept “wu-wei.” But when we look for a definition of wu-wei, we quickly discover that there isn’t one fixed meaning. Some translate wu-wei as “non-action,” or “doing nothing,” others as “actionless action,” and others as “effortless action.” We find out that Taoism offers several layers, if you will, regarding how wu-wei can enhance our relationship with the world. And how this ancient art of “letting things happen” doesn’t necessarily make us passive, ignorant bystanders but can actually improve how we act, leading to better outcomes. This video (Wu-wei | The Art of Letting Things Happen) serves as a humble attempt to make the depth of this philosophical idea clear and practical.
View More
Eastern Philosophy
We Worry About Problems We Don't Even Have | Eastern Philosophy
In reality, problems cannot exist without a perceiver, as circumstances aren’t troublesome without someone or something identifying them as such. So, if there’s nothing inherently problematic about reality, doesn’t that mean that we humans repeatedly (and on a grand scale) worry about problems that don’t even exist?
