Understanding Tao, Research Paper Example

The XX and XXIst centuries are characterized by crises of personal identity and modern values systems of global society. That is why the interest to the Ancient values, religions and philosophies has increased in the recent centuries. On the other hand, comprehension of the Ancient wisdom turns to be complicated for people who are born in the age of industrialized revolution, urbanization and market economy.  Although the interest increased, comprehension of Ancient ways remains incomplete and far from the initial meaning. This is the case of Taoism and its various interpretations in Feng Shui and martial arts. Although Taoism is quite popular and much applied in the modern Western civilization, its true meaning and complete understanding is not quite adequate. This is explained by the process of Westernization of the philosophical thought or, in other words, its interpretation through the framework of Western culture. Thus, the actual Taoist ideas are interpreted for the convenient comprehension by the Western audience. Subsequently, during this process certain part of knowledge and initial meaning is lost, which results in misperception of philosophy or its complete rejection. This research aims to explain the reasons for the difficulty in understanding Tao by Western civilization and how it can be improved through the historical retrospective. The meaning of the Tao implied by Lao Tzu in his work Tao Te Ching will be revealed in the framework of thepolitical system and the state rule.  The possibility of the Tao concept implementation in the modern state government will be also explained.

In order to get to the Lao Tzu and explainthe meaning of Tao, one should clearly understand why the topic is so controversial and the meaning continues escaping Western minds. There are various reasons. In this research, the main three are taken into consideration. First of all, Tao is difficult for comprehension by the modern Western civilization, because two civilizations are based on different values systems (Carey). Western civilization is based on the principle of homocentrism and supremacy of a human being over nature; all resources are used for satisfaction of human needs and desires. In the realm of politics and state rule, principles of control, subordination and interventionism are applied. The ideal relations between people are equal, but, in reality, they are conditioned by social system and principles of income distribution. Overall, in the Western civilization material prevails over spiritual. The Eastern civilization based on the principles of Taoism puts the universe in the centre of its values system; thus, human being is considered to be a part of the whole system and is interconnected with it (Hsiao-Lan Hu 125). The world does not exist exquisitely for the satisfaction of human needs. In the sphere of political relations and state government, mutual respect and loyalty are the corner stone of a successful rule. Relations between people are equal because they are not based on the market system values. Lao Tzu believed people would become happy and prosperous if profit meant nothing to them – “I let go economics and people become prosperous” (Lao Tzu 29). As it is seen from this comparison, one civilization cannot understand wisdom of another one if the framework and perception are conditioned by it’s (the first one) traditional thought.  In order to understand another culture, one should get deep into it and judge it outside personal traditions of thinking and value system.

Secondly, it is true that any literary or philosophical creation should be studied in respect to the historical frame in which it was created. The problem of Tao concept is that it can be interpreted in two ways. In the first case, it can be analyzed by the time when Lao Tzu wrote his work Tao Te Ching, meaning 600 BC. This approach would consider him to be the founder of the concept of Tao as philosophical and religious thought; thus, the comprehension would be conditioned by the events of China’s political and social disruption and failure of successful ruling. Subsequently, the concept would be seen as guidance for the situation improvement, meaning that the existing order was not functioning well (Hsiao-Lan Hu 78). On the other hand, Tao can be interpreted through the perspective of much earlier time, meaning the Ancient China ruled by the first emperors Fuxi and Yellow Emperor, referring to the 3^rd millennium BC (Kirkland 21). If Tao is analyzed through the framework of the early time, than it would refer not only to philosophical or religious matters, but to every part of life conduct, and nature would be the central idea of it, because than technology and human inventions were unsophisticated and mattered little (Lin).  Although both time frames refer to the Tao and help to comprehend it, separation of Tao Te Ching from the overall evolution of the previous thought (although the creation of LaoTzue synthesized it) results in the partial comprehension of the concept itself.  The meaning of the Tao is totally understood if the history before the Tao Te Ching is analyzed and understood.

Thirdly, the concept of Tao is difficult for comprehension, because it is analyzed by Western scholars in a Western manner (Kirkland xi). According to Russell Kirkland the problem is a lack of wholeness in studying of the Taoism works and concentration of scholars on certain works like Tao Te Ching without their relation to the previous works in the field (xii – xiii).  Attention is usually paid to the works of the millennia after Lao Tzu, rather than preceding ones. Subsequently, studying of the Tao concepts lack the most crucial element of the concept itself – integrity and wholeness (Kirkland xiv).

Keeping in mind the reasons for the misinterpretation of the Tao concept, it is easier to analyze the meaning of the Tao for the state rule in the historical framework of the time when Tao Te Ching was written.  Lao Tzu is believed to live more or less in the same period as Confucius during the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history, first half of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (771 – 403 BC).  Being a record-keeper of the Zhou Dynasty court, Lao Tzu had an opportunity to see for himself the ruling mistakes of the royal authorities under the contemporary political situation (Hsiao-Lan Hu 29). At the time, the disruption of China’s feudal system of fengjian had started. Although the nominal control over the kingdoms was held by the Zhou Dynasty kings, the actual power was in hands of royal families’ relatives and generals. Thus, kings favored power over the territories of royal “districts” and their capital Luo yi, while remote fiefdoms were ruled by governor-generals. With the weakening of the Dynasty, those fiefdoms broke into smaller states giving start to the political and feudal fragmentation of the kingdom. Further the fragmentation resulted in the internecine wars between newly founded kingdoms (Hsiao-Lan Hu 30). This is the historical background for the time Tao Te Ching was written, and it is the framework through which the meaning of Tao in the perspective of the political system should be viewed.

Seeing the general anarchy in every aspect of political life of the kingdom, Lao Tzu applied Ancient traditional thoughts of Tao in order to show the rulers the right path of prosperity and correct mastering. Thus, he described complete opposition to the events that were taking place in Chinese society of his time. The main concept of Tao is revealed in this passage:

“If you want to be a great leader,

You must learn to follow the Tao.

Stop trying to control.

Let go of fixed plans and concepts,

And the world will govern itself.” (Lao Tzu 29)

In those words, Lao Tzu argues that all efforts of Zhou kings to control and put their governors over districts to protect their rule had no success since they were based on the suppression and exploitation of people. “Fixed plans” and artificially imposed duties are not able to gain any development and success, they cause counteraction, which results in disruption of control and subsequent disintegration of the state (Kirkland 37). Just as Zhou Dynasty, Roman Empire, Empire of Alexander Macedonian and states ruled by Napoleon, Hitler and Stalin, were doomed to disrupt because they were based on fear and control – “There is no greater illusion than fear” (Lao Tzu 28). All artificial concepts of rule created by mankind are ineffective and result in the eventual destruction of the system itself. In order for the state to prosper, the ruler/master should follow the path of Tao, way of passive government. Why it should be passive? How one can govern passively? Simply, by following the natural course of life and sequence of events – “The Tao never does anything, yet through it all things are done” (Lao Tzu 27). In this context, Tao is meant to be the universe, nature of everything. Indeed how can someone say that the universe or existence does something; but, in fact, it does, it exists, and every element of the universe does something, it breathes, moves and dies, it all acts, but the universe is passive (Hsiao-Lan Hu 110). From the perspective of the political government, master’s ruling should remain passive, yet active. Through this bias of opposition, the true nature of Tao is revealed. It is in being two opposite things in the same time – to participate and remain uninvolved. If theoretically it might be possible, practically it would be hard to imagine. “The Great way is easy, yet people prefer the side paths” says Lao Tzu (29).  To remain passive but acting, the master should act when there is a necessity, and only necessity for intrusion to the natural order is justified (Carey). By his intrusion master/ruler aims to provide his people with opportunities to live in accordance to the natural order of things and not to satisfy his personal needs. The main ruling principle of Tao is in mutual respect – people respect each other, they do not need to prevail over one another and they respect their ruler because he acts in their favor not in the name of the state or himself, people are the state and ruler is a means of the state’s actions (Hsiao-Lan Hu 115).The last phrase is close to the idea of democracy, but it lacks the control apparatus and means of compulsion. From the modern perspective, it may seem that Tao ideal state looks like utopia and anarchy – two in one. This idea is just, but one should not forget the time when the book was written and the traditional order of respect and loyalty characteristic for the Eastern civilization.

The implementation of Tao ruling concept in the modernworld politics or in the state government is of particular interest. If such way of the ruling were appliedtoday, it would fail to reach its goal – returning to the natural order of existence. The problem is that, due to the globalization, technological development and prevalence of market relations, the meaning of “the natural order” had changed, and today it cannot be restored as it was meant in times of Lao Tzu. In the utopian variant of the modern world, people would have to give up the value system they are used to, meaning human centrism would have to be replaced by nature and common prosperity values (Kirkland 65). Although it may sound attractive, but most likely people would not be so enthusiastic when they will have to give up their wealth in order everyone to be equal and have a common level of prosperity. Just as huge international corporations would not give up their multimillionaire projects in order to protect nature, people would not give up their conveniences in order to see someone else happier. The concepts of altruism and common good are not characteristic to the Western style of thinking.  It was not in the past, and for sure it is not now. Concerning the passive government in the modern state, it would also be ineffective. First of all, human individualism expressed in the market relations would only progress unless it is limited by state authorities. For instance, if the government did not impose legal responsibility for the toxic wastes pollution and createdcertain norms, pollution would exceed bearable level for human safety. If, in China, there were no one-child policy, the population would be increasing with dramatically, which is nothing close to the natural order of being. Already now the Earth is not able to feed all population of mankind. The current situation of human civilization is so complicated and deviant from the natural order of things and harmony with the universe in its every aspect, that application of the Tao concepts in the government of modern states, would not bring any improvement but substantial deterioration. Since human instincts have evolved through millennia of technological development and had entirely distanced themselves from the natural order and place in the universal system, the application of Tao in states’ government would not be efficient. In other words, people and “natural order” of Lao Tzu are two millennia far from modern people, their urban instincts and distorted perception of “the natural order” and their place in the universal system of existence. Thus, the implementation of Tao on the governmental level would be useless without preceding application and exercising of Tao by people themselves.

Overall, this research showed the main problems of the Taoism misunderstanding by the Western civilization, meaning differences in civilizations’ perception of the universe and human beings in it, historical conditionality of Tao interpretation and its bias and lack of wholeness in the exploration of literary and philosophical creations in the field. The meaning of passive government can be summarized as rulers acting only in cases of extreme necessity and need to provide people with opportunities to live in accordance with the natural order, as part of the universe. The implementation of Tao is achieved by following the natural order and embodying it in every aspect of life.  The understanding of Tao through the historical perspective of the time Tao Te Ching was written gave an idea of its possible implementation in the modern state government. The conclusion is that, due to the modern stage of civilization development conditioned by technological development and remoteness of humanity from the natural order, implementation of Tao would have unsuccessful results and deterioration of the situation. The success can be achieved if people start living in accordance to Tao and then gradually would change the system of governmental rule. Thus, the first step for improvement is to understand Tao.

Works Cited

Carey, Stefan. “Lao-tzu and the Taoist Way of Virtue”. Sunrise Magazine, December 1989/January 1990. Web. 31 May. 2011. <http://www.theosophynw.org/theosnw/world/asia/rel-cary.htm>.

Hsiao-Lan Hu, and Aleen, William Cully. Taoism. Philadelphia, PA: Chelsea House Publishers.2005. Print.

Kirkland, Russell. Taoism: The Enduring Tradition. New York, NY: Routledge. 2004. Print.

Lao, Tzu. “Thoughts from the Tao-te Ching”. A world of Ideas: Essential Readings for College Writers. Ed. Jacobus, Lee A. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s. 2009. 24 – 33. Print.

Lin, Derek. “The Real Origin of the Tao”. Web. 30 May 2011. <http://www.taoism.net/ikuantao/origin/home.htm>.