This page provides information about Taoist ethics, which concentrate on living in harmony with all things.
Taoist ethics
Last updated 2009-11-12
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Taoist ethics - theory and practice
Theory
The common view of Daoism is that it encourages people to live with detachment and calm, resting in non-action and smiling at the vicissitudes of the world.
Contrary to this common view, Daoists through the ages have developed various forms of community and proposed numerous sets of behavioral guidelines and texts on ethical considerations. Beyond the ancient philosophers, who are well-known for the moral dimension of their teachings, religious Daoist rules cover both ethics, i.e., the personal values of the individual, and morality, i.e., the communal norms and social values of the organisation. They range from basic moral rules against killing, stealing, lying, and sexual misconduct through suggestions for altruistic thinking and models of social interaction to behavioral details on how to bow, eat, and wash, as well as to the unfolding of universal ethics that teach people to think like the Dao itself.
About eighty texts in the Daoist canon and its supplements describe such guidelines and present the ethical and communal principles of the Daoist religion. They document just to what degree Daoist realization is based on how one lives one's life in interaction with the community-family, religious group, monastery, state, and cosmos. Ethics and morality, as well as the creation of community, emerge as central in the Daoist religion.
Livia Kohn, Cosmos and Community
Taoist ethics are concerned less with doing good acts than becoming a good person who lives in harmony with all things and people.
Taoist ethics are inseparable from Taoist spirituality - both contain the same ideas.
If a Taoist wants to live well they should take all their decisions in the context of the Tao, trying to see what will fit best with the natural order of things.
Taoists thus always do what is required by events and their context, but they only do what is required, no more.
But what is required may be a lot less than modern Westerners think:
From the perspective of classical Taoism, Western humanism makes the mistake of assuming that the ability to intervene in life's events translates into a moral duty to do so.
The constant and unmistakable teaching of the Tao Te Ching is that humans are indeed capable of intervening in life's events, but the evidence of life, which humans constantly ignore, is that such intervention is destructive to all involved, and that we therefore have a moral duty to refrain from taking such actions.
Russell Kirkland, Responsible non-action in a natural world
So, in theory at least, Taoists tend not to initiate action - but wait for events to make action necessary - and avoid letting their own desires and compulsions push them into doing things.
Practice
In practice Taoism recommends the same sorts of moral behaviour to its followers as other religions.
It disapproves of killing, stealing, lying and promiscuity, and promotes altruistic, helpful and kindly behaviour.
Taoists believe such good behaviour is an essential part not only of self-improvement but of improving the world as a whole.
Cultivate the Tao within oneself; and one's virtue will be perfected.
Cultivate it within the household, and one's virtue will be abundant.
Cultivate it within the neighbourhood, and one's virtue will be enduring.
Cultivate it within the nation, and one's virtue will be overflowing.
Cultivate it within the entire world, and one's virtue will be universal.Tao Te Ching 54
Personal and community ethics
Personal and community ethics
The Taoist ideal is for a person to take action by changing themselves, and thus becoming an example of the good life to others.
They should develop themselves so that they live their life in complete harmony with the universe. So the philosophy is not do good things; but become a good person.
Changing oneself in that way will make the world a better place, because as a person behaves well towards other people and the world, the community will respond by becoming better itself.
In the Tao Te Ching, the Taoist life is one in which one achieves self-fulfilment as one is selflessly benefiting the lives of others.
Russell Kirkland
Women
Taoism is a gender-neutral religion. This is implied by the concept of Yin Yang which teaches that masculine and feminine are complementary, inseparable and equal.
The Tao Te Ching uses female images such as the mother of the universe and the mother of all things when describing the Tao.
Taoism has always accepted that women have an equal part to play in spiritual life. Women took priestly roles from the earliest days of organised Taoist religion and Taoist legend has many tales of female deities.
Taoism emphasises characteristics that are usually thought of as feminine such as softness and yielding, modesty and non-aggression. It teaches that the weak will overcome the strong.
Politics
Taoist texts suggest that the ideal way for a leader to run their country is by example and with minimal intervention:
I take no action and the people are of themselves transformed.
I love tranquillity and the people are of themselves rectified.
I do not engage in affairs and the people of themselves become rich.
I have no desires and the people of themselves become simple.Tao Te Ching, 57
So a good leader is one that the people respect and whose instructions are willingly followed. The good leader achieves this by living virtuously in private, and living publicly so as to influence his people for the good.
Human nature
Taoism requires human beings to be humble and recognise that not only are they not obliged to make the world a better place, they are actually so ignorant of what is really happening that they are likely to make things worse if they do take action.
A fuller treatment of Taoist ethics can be found in Responsible non-action in a natural world, by Russell Kirkland.
Anarchism
Taoism was adopted by the Hippy movement of the 1960s as teaching an alternative way of life that promoted the freedom and autonomy of the individual over the constraints of society and government.
Taoism does not teach this.
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