教義 · Teachings
Our Teachings
Taoism has no single creed to be recited. It has a Way to be walked. What follows is a summary of the teachings our Society holds, with references to the scriptures in our library.
The Dao (道)
The Dao is the source and the way of all things. It cannot be fully named or described: "The Dao that can be spoken of as a dao is not the constant Dao" (Daodejing 1). It gives birth to Heaven and Earth and nourishes the myriad things, yet it claims nothing for itself.
We do not think of the Dao as a person who commands, but as the living order and origin that is present in all things and in ourselves. To follow the Dao is to return to that origin.
Virtue (德)
De, "Virtue" or "power," is the Dao as it is present and active in each being. The scripture says: "The Dao gives them life; Virtue nurtures them" (Daodejing 51). A person of Virtue does not display it; "superior Virtue is not conscious of being virtue" (Daodejing 38).
Non-action and what is so of itself (無為 · 自然)
Wuwei, "non-action," does not mean doing nothing. It means acting without forcing, without selfish striving, in the way water nourishes all things without contending. Ziran, "what is so of itself," describes how things are when they follow their own nature. "Humans take Earth as their model; Earth takes Heaven; Heaven takes the Dao; the Dao takes as its model what is so of itself" (Daodejing 25).
The Three Treasures (三寶)
"Three Treasures" is used in three ways in Taoism, and all three matter to us.
In conduct, Laozi names three treasures: compassion (慈), frugality (儉), and not daring to put oneself ahead of others (不敢為天下先) (Daodejing 67).
In faith, believers take refuge in the Three Treasures of the Dao (道), the Scriptures (經) and the Masters (師). This is the basis of taking refuge.
In cultivation, the body holds three treasures: essence (精), qi (氣) and spirit (神). The Jade Emperor's Mind Seal Scripture calls them "the supreme medicine in three grades" (read it).
Clarity and stillness (清靜)
"If a person can be constantly clear and still, Heaven and Earth will all return to him" (Scripture of Clarity and Stillness). The human spirit loves clarity, but the heart-mind disturbs it; the heart-mind loves stillness, but desires pull at it. Daily practice begins with sending desires away and letting the heart-mind settle.
Cause and response (感應)
Good and evil bring their own consequences, "as a shadow follows the body" (Treatise on Response and Retribution). Taoist ethics asks us to do no evil, practise every good, and repair our faults. This is not fear of punishment. It is the recognition that our actions shape our lives and the lives of others.
The Shangqing path
The Shangqing tradition places special weight on inner cultivation:
- Purification of body and heart-mind through precepts, simplicity and quiet.
- Recitation of the scriptures as a form of devotion and concentration.
- Visualization (存思) of the deities and lights within the body, a practice that is characteristic of the Shangqing school.
- Refinement of essence, qi and spirit, so that body and spirit "both become wondrous and unite with the Dao in its truth."
These methods are taught step by step, by a teacher, to students who are ready. They are not published as do-it-yourself techniques. See Discipleship.
Basic precepts
Every believer is asked to keep five basic precepts (五戒), as taught in many Taoist traditions:
- Do not kill.
- Do not steal.
- Do not commit sexual misconduct.
- Do not lie.
- Do not become intoxicated.
Precepts are a support, not a punishment. When we fail, we acknowledge it, repent, and begin again.