Taoism

Paper Summary:

This paper examines Taoism as a religion and as a way of life. The paper defines Taoism and discusses the difficulties associated with describing it and then briefly compares Taoism and Confucianism. The paper also discusses the ideas of wu-wei martial arts and takes a look at the symbol most associated with Taoism, the Taijitu (Yin/Yang) symbol.

From the Paper:

"The symbol most associated with Taoism, and quite a few other things including martial arts, is the Taijitu (Yin/Yang) symbol. Originally symbolized by a tiger and dragon, the symbol denotes the idea of harmony through the integration of opposing forces in nature including light and dark, hard and soft, good and evil, feminine and masculine. The Taijitu is synonymous with Taoism and is the idea that forces in the universe are interdependent and one cannot exist without the other and that all things exist in everything else including their opposites. Darkness is just shadowed light."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Googan, Michael D. The Illustrated Guide to World Religions. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.
• Smith, Huston. The World's Religions. New York: Harper-Collins Publishers, 1991.
• Novak, Philip. The World's Wisdom. New York: Harper-Collins Publishers, 1994.
• Toropov, Brandon, and Father Luke Buckles. The Idiot's Guide to World Religions. New York: Alpha Books, 2004.

More papers on Taoism:

• Essay # 74251 : "Taoism"
• Essay # 86098 : "Taoism and Western Society"
• Comparison Essay # 124744 : "Taoism and Confucianism"
• Essay # 4561 : "Female Images in Taoism"

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