The Taoist Philosophy originates from a single word called Tao. It means “Path”. The basic idea is that there is a deep relation between the universe and the way humans should lead their life being a part of it. Taoism seeks to find that way through spiritual means. This article explains about Taoism, its philosophy and essence of its principles.
The cornerstone of Taoist philosophy:
Taoist philosophers realized that the first step to come close to nature is by knowing about it by observation. They observed that things have their essence in relation to others. For example, day is so because there is night, cold is so because there is hot. Thus , things are interdependent and are constantly changing from one form to another, just like night follows day followed by day again.
In this way the Taoist believed that they could come closer to the nature and know their role in the big picture.
The doctrine of doing-by-not-doing:
The Taoist philosophers observed that events in nature happen effortlessly without any instructions being given. They believed that life should also be allowed to flow in this way without any attempt from our side to manipulate people or orchestrate events. This is the doctrine of doing-by-not-doing. It is the basic Taoist practice.
Finding the way:
The Taoist philosophers believed that only by cultivating our spirits, going beyond our sense perceptions , can we find the way. Cultivating our spirit involved sticking a balance between our emotional and intellectual mind. The emotional mind activates the intellectual mind, which in turn controls the emotional mind. Thus, controlling the spirit is to control the emotions within us. Once this is done , we find our way. But following it is also not easy.
Being in the way:The central concept in Taoist Philosophy
In an enlightened state of mind , we have the universal principles governing the nature being reflected effortlessly. To be in such enlightened state, we need to abandon the society, association with which only leads to confusion. As our inner world is protected from the outer world and its diversions, our spirit develops, and we leave behind our old ways of thinking and behavior. In this way, we free our self from the damaging effects of society on our spirit and be close to nature which is the essence of Taoism.
