Taoism 101

Lesson 2: Development of Taoism

Taoism in the Modern Age

Taoism is not irrelevant to the modern world. Though its origins are shrouded in the mists of prehistory and much of its development is rooted in antiquity, it is still a subject of fervent academic study and religious devotion. However, the face of Taoism has been altered much in recent years, in a great part due to changes in politics in China and culture abroad.

With the rise of communism in the People's Republic of China Taoism went into a less prestigious role. As religion in communist thought is viewed as an enemy of the people, Taoism, along with Buddhism and Confucianism, was targeted for removal. Practices ranging from ridicule of ritual to outright destruction of temples and forced labor of clergy were used by the government in order to disrupt the hold Taoism had over the minds of the Chinese people. However, Taoism had spent so many centuries as the backbone of Chinese thought and culture that any attempt to eradicate it would be fruitless. Though discouraged by the government, Taoist rituals, festivals and mythology are all still popular in the less urban centers of China, and important temples still remain in the cities and on mountain tops. The Chinese government recognizes that it is unable to erase Taoism, and acknowledges this in its census, which lists Taoism as a major religion - though many feel that the numbers given by the government are deceptively conservative.

Taoism is also alive in Taiwan, where the leader of the Heavenly Masters sect fled to when the Communist Party gained control of the Chinese mainland. Today Taiwan has a flourishing Taoist community. In other parts of Asia exist small pockets of immigrant Chinese with strong Taoist communities. These communities are valuable to those who wish to study Taoism unhindered by communist policies.

Taoism is not limited to the East, however. There is a growing interest in Taoism in the Americas, Australia and Europe. There are dozens of translations of the Dao de Jing into several languages, including a remarkable number in English, German and French. Both the Dao de Jing and the Zhuangzi are often listed as classics of world literature. As well, there is a growing fascination with the idea of Tao - a short walk through any bookstore or library will surely reveal a selection of books with titles such as "The Tao of Physics", "The Tao of Horses", "The Tao of Fishing" and even "The Tao of Pooh". Though these books often have little to do with Taoism proper and display a deficient understanding of the nuanced meaning of Tao, it is evidence that the idea of Tao is working its way into the Western lexicon.

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