Taoism

[Vouthon]

Its also important to remember:

“…The dialogue of religions should become more and more a listening to the Logos, who is pointing out to us, in the midst of our separation and our contradictory affirmations, the unity we already share…”

- Pope Benedict XVI

Christians and Taoists share very similar understandings of the Logos/Tao.

And also:

“…You do not find a different faith in each religion; rather, they each presuppose one and the same faith…”

- Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa (1401 – 1464)

 

[Izdaari]

Of all non-Christian religions, I find Toaism most interesting. It’s based on the natural order of world, and in many points agrees with the teaching of Christ. I think this is to be expected, since reflecting on the world around us will lead us to some truth, and the Holy Spirit uses such teachings as a preparation for the Gospel. But at the same time, some teachings of Toaism are rather disturbing, such as those relating to governance. They lend themselves too easily to a tyranical form of rule.

I’m not seeing that last bit. I see Lao Tzu as kind of a proto-libertarian. His advice to rulers (bearing in mind the historical context, that China was a land of emperors and warlords) was always to tax lightly, rule with a very light hand and leave the people alone as much as possible. In other words, the same advice a modern classical liberal or libertarian would give.

 

[TGarner]

Thank you all. I found this thread very interesting. Being a new Catholic as of his spring and having studied Eastern philosophy before this all makes very good sense.

Would love to hear more

Have a blessed day!

 

[Lokabrenna]

I read somone asked Lao Tzu what one does when one achieves enlightment…before…chop wood carry water…after enlightenmen…chop wood carry water."

I guess both work however.

That’s actually a quote from the Xinxin Ming–not written by Laozi. It’s a Ch’an Buddhist text, not a Daoist one.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of misconceptions of Daoism that have been perpetuated by Western scholars (and the communist government in China suppressing all mention of religion did not help matters). Here is a handy guide to some common misconceptions, including an extensive further reading list: daoistcenter.org/Daoism_Misconceptions.pdf

That is not to say that the type of Daoism that has been imported by the West isn’t helpful, it’s just not a complete picture of this complex faith.

 

[Cavaradossi]

Of all non-Christian religions, I find Toaism most interesting. It’s based on the natural order of world, and in many points agrees with the teaching of Christ. I think this is to be expected, since reflecting on the world around us will lead us to some truth, and the Holy Spirit uses such teachings as a preparation for the Gospel. But at the same time, some teachings of Toaism are rather disturbing, such as those relating to governance. They lend themselves too easily to a tyranical form of rule.

That’s news to me. Perhaps you are confusing Taoism for some other Chinese school of thought.