How Did I Convert Myself To Taoism

[Bartmanhomer]

A few years ago I used to be a Christian as one point until Christianity have so much dogma and restrictions so I went to ask Earthsong Forums some advice to help find a religion that's right for me. One member told me about Taoism. I research Taoism and it's have so much information about the universe of Taoism, the philosophy of Taoism and the Yin and the Yang. I went to meet to join the Taoism group to convert and so I converted myself to Taoism. That's my story.

[DragonsFriend]

Re: How Did I Convert Myself To Taoism

I have always considered Taoism as more a philosophy than a religion. Are there deities within the Tao teachings? I know (think I know) that Tao is "path" and that Do is "virtue" but I have not studied taoism extensively. There are Taoisms rooted in most religions but the philosophy is more "holistic" than most religions.

Perhaps you could share the diffences between the religion and the philosophy of Tao.

[Bartmanhomer]

Re: How Did I Convert Myself To Taoism

I have always considered Taoism as more a philosophy than a religion. Are there deities within the Tao teachings? I know (think I know) that Tao is "path" and that Do is "virtue" but I have not studied taoism extensively. There are Taoisms rooted in most religions but the philosophy is more "holistic" than most religions.

Perhaps you could share the diffences between the religion and the philosophy of Tao.

I know that the Jade Dragon is a deity of Taoism.

[thalassa]

Re: How Did I Convert Myself To Taoism

I have always considered Taoism as more a philosophy than a religion. Are there deities within the Tao teachings?

There are a number of deities in Taoism.

There are also several sects.

[Bartmanhomer]

Re: How Did I Convert Myself To Taoism

Oh really? Wow! I didn't know that!

[DragonsFriend]

Re: How Did I Convert Myself To Taoism

I am aware of some different sects in Taoism just as in Buddhism. I believe both began as philosophy and later became religion for some.

[DavidMcCann]

Re: How Did I Convert Myself To Taoism

The term Daoism tends to get used in two ways: to refer to the philosophical thought based on the Daodejing and to refer to Chinese religion. It's a Western distinction rather than a local one, though, and the Chinese don't really differentiate between religion and philosophy. For that matter, they don't really differentiate between what appear to Westerners to be different belief systems: a student of Confucian philosophy will attend a Daoist temple.

There's a lot of intellectual snobbery in China. One Confucian wrote "Daoist priests are not highly regarded by the educated." Some Daoist priests take the same approach to their worshipers: one wrote of the "true gods" and the "popular gods" of the "vulgar cults". Whom the vulgar peasants have to look down on, I don't know!

[Thorbjorn]

Re: How Did I Convert Myself To Taoism

There are a host of deities in religious Taoism... the Three Pure Ones, the Eight Immortals, Guan yu, Xuan wu, Jade Emperor, and many more who have been adopted from Chinese folk religion. http://www.taoistsecret.com/taoistgod.html

[DavidMcCann]

Re: How Did I Convert Myself To Taoism

Here's an example of the worship of some Chinese Gods

http://weecheng.com/singapore/9eg/index.htm

[Riothamus12]

Re: How Did I Convert Myself To Taoism

This begs a couple questions though. Are you a Taoist when you've read the Tao Te Ching and the writings of Zhuangze and agreed heavily with them? Or are you a Taoist wen you join one of the sects or engage in traditional religious practices associate with the Han Chinese people?

[Bartmanhomer]

Re: How Did I Convert Myself To Taoism

This begs a couple questions though. Are you a Taoist when you've read the Tao Te Ching and the writings of Zhuangze and agreed heavily with them? Or are you a Taoist wen you join one of the sects or engage in traditional religious practices associate with the Han Chinese people?

Well I read a little bit of the Tao Te Ching but I never heard of the Zhuangze.

[Spiral Arms]

Re: How Did I Convert Myself To Taoism

I have a copy of the Tao Te Ching on my bookshelf-It is probably one of my favorite philosophical tomes-it's nature loving, dogma hating, truth seeking goodness, and is probably the book that most influenced my pantheist leanings. I wouldn't call myself a religious Daoist but the philosophy is probably the closest to my own. I first began reading it around the time I was (loosely)practicing Zen/Ch'an-which is heavily influenced by Daoism. I do dabble (I suppose would be the word)in the I-Ching and have found it remarkably useful as a tool for self-awareness.