Taoism 101

Lesson 1: Origins of Taoism

Zhuangzi

What is generally accepted as the second most important work of literature in Taoist thought is the book that is known as the Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu), attributed to an author of the same name. Like the Dao de Jing it is highly mystical in thought, and over the ages has been interpreted and re-interpreted, and has been used by various philosophical and religious groups.

Zhuangzi did not hold an official post in the imperial bureaucracy - he was simply a wise philosopher. He is thought to have lived from around 370 BCE to 285 BCE, though reliable figures for his life have not been agreed upon. Since his predecessor, Laozi, may have been largely fictional, some consider Zhuangzi the true founder of Taoism - at least, a historical starting point.

The book itself consists of thirty three sections, seven of which are called the inner chapters - these seven are likely the only truly written by Zhuangzi, the rest being additions by his later followers. These are also most often considered to be most inspired writings found in the book. Like the Dao de Jing, the Zhuangzi speaks of the means to unite with the Tao, but rather than focus on political reform it espouses an abandoning of civilized systems and retreating to a life of contemplation.

The book most often deals in short stories that illustrate the points Zhuangzi had hoped to make. He often used as his characters talking animals or famous historical or mythical figures, though it is unclear whether he meant to have any or all of these stories taken literally. One story involves Laozi and Confucius. The story indicates that Confucius approached the Sage in hopes that he could be taught more about ritual performance, but was disappointed to discover that the advice and instruction Laozi offered was beyond comprehension for an average individual. This story is often seen as a dual insult to Confucians - Confucian tradition focuses a great deal on ritual, thus it is to their detriment that their key figure approached the traditional founder of Taoism for insight. As well, it implies that Confucius was unable to adequately understand the higher teachings of Taoism, but passed his inferior ideas to the Confucians despite his awareness of Taoism.

Another popular story from the Zhuangzi involves Zhuangzi's own recollection of a dream. In this dream he floated about as a butterfly, doing the things that a butterfly would naturally do. Eventually he awoke from his dream, but wondered whether he was a human awaking from a dream of being a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming that he was a human being. Such stories are common in the Zhuangzi, illustrating the tendency towards mysticism.

Finally, we see Zhuangzi's stance of keeping civilization at a distance when asked if he would accept a position in the civil service. His response was a question: would a turtle rather be nailed to a wall and venerated or play in the mud? The turtle's answer was Zhuangzi's answer as well - the philosopher was content to continue spending his days playing in the mud.

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