Blackwell Reference Online

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Taoism takes its name from the concept of Tao, or Way. In Chinese, the word “Tao” (or dao in hanyu pinyin ) is made up of two components, one depicting a human head, the other a motion verb meaning to pass, go through, or walk. The earliest and most important work on Taoism is a short book of some 5,000 characters known as Daode Jing ( Classic of the Way and Virtue ) by the legendary Laozi (literally, Old Master, around sixth century bce ). The oldest manuscripts of the Daode Jing , unearthed in 1973 from an ancient tomb in Changsha, Hunan province, China, dated to about 200 bce . Next to the Bible, it is probably one of the most translated works in the world, with close to 100 translations in English (see Lee et al. 1994 ). The “Tao” is conceived as a metaphysical reality, the origin of heaven and earth, and the very beginning and end of all things. In Chapter 42 of the Daode Jing , it states: “The Tao gave birth to the One. The One gave birth to the Two. The Two gave birth to the Three. And the Three gave birth to the myriad creatures.” This process of creation can also be understood as a process of differentiation from unity to multiplicity. The origin of religious Taoism is extremely complex. As an organized religion, it probably started during the Eastern Han dynasty (25–220 ce ). However, religious Taoism did not occur suddenly in a historical and religious vacuum. ... log in or subscribe to read full text