Art of Faith TV - Tao Te Ching - Oliver Benjamin - Osho aka Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh - Isabelle Robinet - Lao Tzu -
In China and Japan more than a hundred million people follow the faiths and folk traditions of Daoism and of Shinto. Art of Faith: Daoism & Shinto, Sky Arts 2008
Mount Tai is a five-hour train ride south of Beijing. ibid.
White Cloud Temple, Beijing: established in the mid-8th century. ibid.
Dao is the way or the path. ibid.
There are many deities in Daoism. ibid.
Daoism offers a social and moral framework for how to live in today’s world. ibid.
The Tao that can be expressed is not the eternal Tao; The name that can be defined is not the unchanging name.
Non-existence is called the antecedent of heaven and earth; Existence is the mother of all things.
From eternal non-existence, therefore, we serenely observe the mysterious beginning of the Universe; From eternal existence we clearly see the apparent distinctions.
These two are the same in source and become different when manifested.
This sameness is called profundity. Infinite profundity is the gate whence comes the beginning of all parts of the Universe. Tao Te Ching
We believe that the Dudeist tradition started as a response to the excesses of civilization. That was Lao Tzu’s deal anyway. Lots of similar traditions dealt with issues of work and status and anxiety and nature the same way. But they were all, pretty much, taken over by fascists and real reactionaries. Even Taoism was taken over by charlatans and phonies. But the pure undogmatic centre of lots of traditions (Christianity, Vedism, Buddhism etc.) is all the same. And that's Dudeism. Oliver Benjamin
Tao mystics never talk about God, reincarnation, heaven, hell. No, they don’t talk about these things. These are all creations of human mind: explanations for something which can never be explained, explanations for the mystery. In fact, all explanations are against God because explanation de-mystifies existence. Existence is a mystery, and one should accept it as a mystery and not pretend to have any explanation. No, explanation is not needed – only exclamation, a wondering heart, awakened, surprised, feeling the mystery of life each moment. Then, and only then, you know what truth is. And truth liberates. Osho aka Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh
It took shape only gradually, during a slow gestation that was actually a progressive integration of various ancient lines of thought. No precise date can be set for its birth, and the integration of outside elements into the religion has never ceased. If we add to this the enrichment of Taoism throughout its history with new revelations and new inspirations, we can see how open a religion it is, constantly progressing and evolving, and how difficult it is not only to date its first appearance but also to define its boundaries. Thus we can legitimately say, along with Livia Kohn, that ‘Taoism has never been a unified religion, and has constantly consisted of a combination of teachings based on a variety of original revelations.’ Thus it can be grasped only in its concrete manifestations, and it is meaningless to speak of Taoism as a whole. As I put this work together, however, I came to realize that if there is a single thread that runs through Taoism, it lies in its genealogy and in the cumulative and integrative process of its evolution. Isabelle Robinet, Taoism: Growth of a Religion, 1992
The Tao [Way] that can be told of is not the eternal Tao;
The name that can be named is not the eternal name.
The Nameless is the origin of Heaven and Earth;
The Named is the mother of all things. Lao Tzu, Tao-te Ching
Thirty spokes are united around the hub to make a wheel,
But it is on its non-being that the utility to the carriage depends. ibid.
Let people hold on to these:
Manifest plainness,
Embrace simplicity,
Reduce selfishness,
Have few desires. ibid.
Reversion in the action of the Tao.
Weakness is the function of the Tao.
All things in the world come from being.
And being comes from non-being. ibid.
One may know the world without going out of doors.
One may see the Way of Heaven without looking through windows.
The further one goes, the less one knows. ibid.
The sage does not accumulate for himself.
The more he uses for others, the more he has himself.
The more he gives to others, the more he possesses of his own.
The Way of Heaven is to benefit others and not to injure.
The Way of the sage is to act but not to compete. ibid.