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Dao concept

Tao denotes in Chinese philosophy the eternal action or principle of creation, which is responsible for the origin of unity and duality, and at the same time for the beginning of the world and creation (“10,000 things”).

From Tao, the polarity of Yin and Yang arises, and as a result, opposites arise, from the coordination of actions of which change, movement and mutual penetration arise - and as a result, the world arises. The emergence of the world does not mean the fact of some time when the world began to exist. The world has always existed. This is not about the beginning of time, as in the Bible, but about understanding the principle of existence. Therefore, in fact, both “emergence” and “Beginning” are words that do not correspond to the spirit of thinking about Tao. In fact, they need to be replaced by something, but it is so difficult that we are forced to use the wrong words in order to somehow describe the existing.

Tao in the concept of Chinese materialism

“Tao is the management of real things. Lao Tzu was blind when he said that the Tao exists in the void […] Buddha was blind when he said that the Tao exists in silence […] One could go on ad infinitum, issuing such meaningless maxims, but no one has yet escaped the concreteness of things.” (Wang Fuzhi, 1619-1692 Ch'uan-shan i-shu)

Tao in Christianity, Orthodoxy and Orthodox texts in Chinese

The Chinese philosophical concept of Tao as the Way, Power and Word has its parallels both in Greek philosophy (the concept of the Logos) and in the subsequent Christian, Orthodox philosophy built on its basis, which was noticed by researchers of the philosophy of the East and West of different eras.

For a Christian, the path (that is, Tao) is Christ," pilgrimage (that is, following the Tao) is the path to Christ. If the main meaning of pilgrimage is to come to the origins of Christianity, then the essence of pilgrimage as a Christian feat is in asceticism: in overcoming not only the difficulties of the path, but also one's physical and sometimes spiritual weakness. The feat of wandering is always rewarded with the spiritual joy of knowing the beauty of God's one world - both natural and man-made. After all, to know the world means to open one's heart to the world; to perceive the world as it is , great and diverse. This essential thing is taught to us, sinners and doubters. Based on the book "Wanderings of Vasily Grigorovich-Barsky through the Holy Places."

In our time, in connection with the spread of the Orthodox and Christian faith in China, the concept of Tao has great value and is used with might and main to translate liturgical texts into Chinese and adapt Christian theological concepts to the worldview of the Eastern reader.

In the middle of the XII century. During the Song Dynasty, Jewish settlers arrived in China. They presented the emperor with the Old Testament, which in Chinese was called "daojing" (book of the way) and "zhengjing" (book of truth).

In the book of Hieromonk Damaskinos, “Christ, the Eternal Tao,” we read the following: “This was the Logos about which Heraclitus said that people “are unable to comprehend” him; this was the Tao of which Lao Tzu said that "no man in the world can understand." Subtly feeling Chinese translators, knowing that the Tao for the Chinese people means the same as the Logos for the Greek, the first line of the Gospel of John was translated as follows: “In the beginning was the Way (Tao)” (太初有道，道与神同在，道就是神。)."

In this way:

神 - God, Lord, Allah, Tengri, Hoda;
道 - Dao, Way, Word;
神道 - Divine Tao, Divine Logos, Divine Word, God's Way. And at the same time, it is with these hieroglyphs that it is customary to denote the Japanese teaching of Shinto, that is, the path of a deity, which is usually translated into Russian as the path of the gods.
道德經 - Tao Te Ching, the Book of the Way and Strength, the Book of the Way and Grace;
道經 - Book of the Way (the designation of the Old Testament, Torah in the XII century);

Tao and Islam

The concept of Tao, which is an important component of Chinese philosophy, has been used and continues to be successfully used to adapt and reformulate the ideas of Islam for the Chinese world and vice versa - the concepts of the Chinese world based on the Islamic worldview. See e.g. Sachiko Murata's Tao of Islam.

In Islam, in particular in Sufism, the ideas of the Way, Power and Word are also traced. In particular, there are the concepts of God's Word (Kalam, Koran), God's Book (Maktub), the idea of wandering (the worldview of wandering dervishes and hojas), which can be adapted to the Chinese worldview using the concept of Tao.

Notes

Literature

老子 Lǎozĭ 道德經 Dàodéjīng
Lao Zi Dao Te Ching: A paragon ebook , LAO ZI most-comprehensive ebook for FREE in PDF & HTM format, contains 50 translations in 6 different layouts, by Sanmayce.
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Golovacheva L. I. On the meaning of "Tao" and "De" in the early Confucian monument "Lun Yu" // Twenty-first Scientific Conference"Society and State in China" Part I., M., 1990. P.39-43.
Tao and telos in the semantic dimension of Eastern and Western cultures: Monograph /S. E. Yachin and [dr]. -Vladivostok: Publishing House of the Far Eastern Federal. un-ta, 2011. - 324 p. - ISBN 978-5-7444-2648-4
Dumoulin G. History of Zen Buddhism. - M .: ZAO Tsentrpoligraf, 2003. - 317 p. - ISBN 5-9524-0208-9
Martynenko N. P. Methodological problems of translation and understanding of the hieroglyph "Tao" // Bulletin of the Moscow University. Series 7. Philosophy. M., 2003. No. 5. S. 106-120.
Pirogov G. G. Tao-teaching about the world trajectory of development // Philosophical Sciences. M., 2002. No. 3. S.78-88.
Savrukhin A.P. The concept of Tao and the style of "Tao de jing" // Nineteenth Scientific Conference "Society and State in China". Ch. I. M., 1988. S. 106-108.
Spirin V.S. On the prehistory of the concept of "Graph" (Tao) // Written monuments and problems of the history of culture of the peoples of the East M., 1975. Issue. IX.
Spirin V.S. Examples of a relatively simple meaning of "dao" // Ninth Scientific Conference "Society and State in China". M.1976. Part I
The Philosophical World of Tao at the IFES RAS // Problems Far East. 2006. No. 5. S. 8-19.
LaFargue, Michael. Tao and Method: A Reasoned Approach to the Dao De Jing (SUNY Press, 1994) ISBN 0-7914-1601-1.
LaFargue, Michael. The tao of the Dao De Jing: a translation and commentary (SUNY Press, 1992). ISBN 0-7914-0986-4.
Liu Da. The Tao and Chinese culture (Taylor & Francis, 1981). ISBN 0-7100-0841-4.
Thesing, Joseph and Thomas Awe. Dao in China and im Westen. Impulse für die Moderne Gesellschaft aus der Chinesischen Philosophie. Bonn: Bouvier, 1999.
Xie Wenyu. "Approaching the Dao: From Lao Zi to Zhuang Zi." Journal of Chinese Philosophy 27.4 (2000), 469-88.

Links

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"Those who say they can explain the Tao don't understand it, and those who understand it don't explain anything..."

Once in Zhou China, along with three powerful religions ( Confucianism and Buddhism) a unique philosophical doctrine arose, at the origins of which, according to legend, was the sage Lao Tzu(Old baby) who wrote a Taoist treatise "Tao Te Ching", which outlines the main provisions Taoism. Central to the religious doctrine of Taoism is the doctrine of Dao(which is also called neo-Confucianism). Dao- "the unborn, giving rise to all that exists", the universal Law, dominating forever and everywhere, the Fundamental Principle of being. Incomprehensible to the senses, inexhaustible and constant, without name and form, Tao gives name and form to everything. Target practicing Taoism - to become one with the Tao, to merge with Him, knowing ...

In his treatises on the Tao, Lao Tzu wrote that "in the face of death, everything is insignificant, because of everything that exists, Nothing peeps through. Nothing is the fundamental principle of the world, everything arises from nothing. Nothing is the path of things, phenomena, processes, because everything follows from Nothing and everything returns to Nothing". Losing the personal beginning (ego, "I"), the Taoist joins the Tao - the Great Nothing, comprehending the Great Nothing and becoming it, he is able to become anything, not being more than "I", but becoming Everything and Nothing at the same time ...

Everything in the world happens spontaneously, naturally, according to the will of Heaven, the Taoists believe, thanks to a mechanism called the "heavenly spring". Trying to influence the course of events, a person violates harmony, therefore one of the Taoist principles is inaction(whale. wu wei). Wu-wei is not inaction, it is action outside the mind, outside of reasoning, action in a meditative state of silence of the mind, when actions flow naturally, without assumptions about the course of events, without interpreting them, without explanations ... In the state of Wu-wei, you can chop wood , paint pictures, cultivate a garden - do anything if your mind is silent at the same time. The adept takes an observant position towards everything, especially towards himself. He is unflappable and analyzes through intuitive thinking, but not discursive.

The heavenly spring, a kind of "first push", initiates a person's life, which then spontaneously proceeds from birth to death. Observing nature, studying medicine, alchemy, astronomy, geomancy etc., engaging in Taoist breathing, meditative practices, an adept can achieve connection, merge with Tao, acquire the state of Tao, the state of immortality. The world in its essence does not contain contradictions, but an eternal transformation takes place in it. The practitioner of Tao must meekly follow His flow, staying in naturalness and natural simplicity; to accept everything that life offers, internally calmly and naturally, without contradicting one's true nature, without waging war with oneself. Calm down and accept the world as it is here and now. Following this path, being in natural harmony with the world, in harmony with nature, it is possible to gain longevity and prosperity of the spirit. According to the Taoists, nature creates itself and organizes itself, having a higher spiritual principle in its fundamental principle. All manifestations of nature are manifestations of this spiritual principle. It is in the comprehension of constant natural activity that the source of the deepest Truth about the world is hidden, the Taoists believe.

Lao Tzu wrote that there are three treasures which are the highest mentors of man are love, moderation and humility.

Taoist doctrine is based on the postulate of the Eight Pillars, which are branches of Taoist practices and philosophy. The main emphasis in them is on health and longevity, on health-improving systems of exercises and harmonious relations with the outside world.

Dao(path) philosophy. A person should strive to comprehend the meaning and purpose of life, his destiny, the laws of nature and society.
Tao update. Through exercise and meditation, the practitioner should achieve health and longevity.
Tao of proper nutrition. Taoist food is based on vegetarian cuisine.
The Tao of Forgotten Food. It is also necessary to remember about therapeutic nutrition, including fasting, diets and herbal medicine to ensure a certain dietary regimen.
Tao of healing. The regulation and correct use of the vital energy given to us in this incarnation is required. The method of repositioning of protruding organs by massage, acupuncture and other forms of manual therapy is used.
Tao of sexual wisdom. Sex and conception of a child should be conscious and controlled actions.
Tao of perfection. It is necessary to achieve excellence in any area for yourself and others, including with the help of prediction systems (astrology, fingerprint divination, numerology, horoscopes and forecasts for the future).
Dao of success. It is necessary to develop a strategy that will allow the adept to harmonize the laws of nature and society. This strategy implies a relentless mastery of the sciences, psychology and philosophy, including in practice.

The Taoists believe that man is eternal substance, and his body is a kind microcosm, the accumulation of spirits and divine powers, the result of the interaction of Yin and Yang, male and female principles. Anyone who seeks to achieve immortality (or youth and longevity) must first of all try to create conditions for all these spirit-monads (there are about 36,000 of them, according to the ancient Taoists) so that they do not seek to leave the body. This is achieved through food restrictions, special physical and breathing exercises. Also, in order to achieve immortality, a practitioner must perform at least 1200 good deeds, and at the same time one bad deed nullifies everything.

Taoism considers the human body as the sum of energy flows. qi, which is similar to the Universal life force inherent in everything in this world and filling with life all the organs of the human body. The flow of Qi energy in the body correlates with the flow of Qi energy in the environment and can change. Taoism defines a close relationship between the body, mind and environment. Many principles originate from this Taoist postulate. Chinese medicine and various psychophysical practices. Breathing exercises allow you to control the energy in the body. Concentrating while doing the practice, a person must connect his Qi energy with natural Qi. This allows you to improve your internal Qi energy, which in turn contributes to longevity and an increase in human capabilities.

Taoism has come a long way and for today is a traditional Chinese religion. Opened in recent years a large number of Taoist temples and monasteries. Today, the revival of interest in Taoism is largely due to the special popularity of qi gong techniques, which directly goes back to Taoist internal alchemy. Taoism in its modern form is a kind of religion, with magnificent rites and rituals, beautiful temples and the deepest esoteric content based on ancient sacred techniques for improving the body, mind and spirit. And although today it is believed that Taoism is experiencing another decline, however, the purpose of its existence continues to justify itself - it leads more and more seekers to an understanding of what exactly inner life human being is the most important thing on this earth.

A civilization that largely influenced the development of world history. Not every modern person understands what Tao means, but there are quite a few wise men who are ready to enlighten on this issue. A huge number of works have been published. Various eminent authors have repeatedly raised the topic of Tao in their works in an attempt to understand the essence of this unique phenomenon, the teaching that came to us from eastern countries.

What is this about?

It is customary to say that Tao is an abstract world order. The phenomenon is absolutely natural, reflecting the development of our world and everything that exists in it. Tao expresses dynamism as the most significant characteristic of space and civilization. There is no real Tao, perceptible by hands, accessible to taste or hearing. This term denotes some idea, and many even call Tao the essence of the world.

There is no precise description of what the intended universal order is in the Tao books, and some find justification for their actions in this obscurity. If you wish, you can call anything Tao, explain the phenomenon by this, and you will not be able to find arguments that can refute the statement. At the same time, one should not use the term in this way, since such use conflicts with the essence of the Tao.

No beginning and no end

Tao is a unique order from which the interaction and opposition of black and white, male and female, Yin and Yang is born. Tao includes opposites as the main phenomenon of our world, its foundation. Taoism says: without oppositions, opposites, life would be impossible. White can only exist when there is black - and this is true in reverse direction.

The uniqueness of the phenomenon of Tao is the simultaneous unification in this term of a specific order of things and our entire world as a whole. It is impossible to divide Tao into parts - it is an integral and indivisible reflection of the essence of the world. It simultaneously represents all the events taking place around, but is also their absence.

Taoism: a general concept

Among all philosophical teachings, developed by the Chinese sages, especially stood out Taoism - the school of Tao. This is a philosophical movement founded by Lao Tzu as early as the 6th century before the beginning of the current era. The author of the doctrine is a contemporary of Confucius, a philosopher who was somewhat older than the famous Chinese sage.

It was he who created the famous work "Tao De Jin", in which he described the main aspects of ideology. In the future, the current attracted the attention of outstanding minds and actively developed. A significant contribution to Taoism was made by Yang Zhong, Le Ching. A couple of centuries after the first formation, the general current was divided into two branches: one of them was inclined towards religion, and the other was dominated by philosophical ideas.

Religious Taoism (school of Tao) is a direction in which attention was paid to magic and medicine. The people dedicated to this specialized in alchemy and studied demons, and also considered other elements, devoting a considerable amount of time to them, creating significant works on this topic. Many of them have survived to this day. Despite the considerable cultural value of the works, it is worth recognizing that there was very little in common with classical Taoism in this movement.

How did it all start?

The work "Tao De Jin" set the classical course of Taoism. It is in it that it is indicated that this phenomenon penetrates into all areas and spheres of life, is the basis of everything that exists. Tao is both reason and the proper path to follow, as well as grace and truth. It is impossible to translate and define Tao in words. Even in the primary teachings it was said: "Tao is a void without limits, but filled with an incalculable amount of information, knowledge."

As follows from the Tao Te Ching, philosophers adhering to Taoism are obliged to follow the path of Tao, which means to follow the natural development of events, taking into account the nature of things. It is necessary to strive to achieve a stable and harmonious existence with the cosmos, the universe. The task of man is to comprehend the unity between nature and civilization.

The essence of Taoism is the pursuit of naturalness, which is usually understood as an accidental, uncontrolled embodiment of true nature. The addition of this idea is realized through "non-action", that is, the prevention of violation of natural laws by one's activity. In Taoism, special attention is paid to the ability of a person to control and regulate their mental reactions.

Theory and application in practice

Speaking of terms, it is worth remembering the Tao sword. This name was given to a specific blade, developed in ancient times and actively used in Eastern countries. Only those who comprehended the path in accordance with the classical philosophy of Taoism could master it perfectly.

In this teaching, a person masters the theory and learns to put into practice the mechanisms for controlling his behavior. On the basis of this regulation, a combat school was created. Martial arts, including the ability to wield a special sword, were also described in books on the Tao, devoted to the applied aspects of philosophy.

Traditions and teachings

Within the framework of Taoism, the followers of this doctrine mastered not only the religious nuances and subtleties of mystical spheres. Have been developed special methods divination, scientific approaches, methods of meditation, and even shamanic traditions. Lao Tzu's "Tao Te Ching" was a basic work on the great doctrine of the Absolute and the law.

An ambiguous phenomenon, which the great Chinese philosopher tried to consider, still attracts the attention of the outstanding minds of our planet to this day. It is not easy to realize the infinite movement, as well as to understand the essence of the cosmos and the rules by which being, the universe, the world develop. Initially declared: “Tao is everywhere, has no boundaries and dominates what is happening. From it comes the beginning. Tao sets the form and indicates what the name should be for everything that exists and happens. The sky, no matter how great it is, also follows the Tao” - this is what the ancient teachings say.

The path of the Tao is dedicated to merging, achieving unity and harmony. Man must strive to unite the soul with the order that governs our world. Achieving fusion is a major theme dealt with in Taoism.

historical panorama

It is worth noting that the basic work of Taoism was not born by chance. Lao Tzu's "Tao Te Ching" was created in the unusual situation of the relative isolation of the country from the outside world. Ancient China was rather isolated; until the beginning of the last century, it had a minimum of close contacts with other civilizations. This explains such an original system of philosophy, religion, medicine, social structure.

The newest scientific, philosophical, educational achievements of the European powers practically did not reach here, and those that did not find a response in the minds of people - they were too far from the usual way of life.

Lao Tzu, who lived many centuries ago, grew up in this specific environment, and his philosophical talent was nurtured by the surrounding society. He himself believed in the development of the universe in accordance with destiny, and this is what he taught others. Lao Tzu called to seek happiness, wisdom in adapting to the order of what is happening around. He taught to recreate the path of Tao within oneself, without trying to change the movement of the world.

Lao Tzu's reflections on the Tao turned out to be exceptionally in demand and popular in society. They greatly influenced the life of the Chinese people and the development of a great civilization.

Scholars today say that without the teachings of the Tao, the world would be a much poorer place. The works of Lao Tzu became the foundation for the most important philosophical direction. True, the modern study of ancient Chinese history allows only in general terms imagine what the author of the path of Tao was like. Obscure information allows us to present him as a wise, calm, philosophical person, who had a good sense of humor.

However, the image is more legendary than realistic, although many are ready to prove, citing an abundance of documents, that he actually lived. Known, for example, the story of a visit to his Confucius. Philosophers have spent a lot of time in conversation. There are references to Lao Tzu in various writings of future generations.

Movement and calm

It is believed that Lao Tzu's teachings about Tao were formed under the influence of problems that bothered ordinary people of that time. The author of the first book that gave rise to Taoism saw around him many, many Chinese who were interested in finding answers to questions that could not be resolved. This is what inspired him to write his work. Back in those days, the people of China put a lot of effort into trying to realize themselves, their personality, their nuances of life and ways to change it for the better.

Who could they be, how to become better and how to change your life in better side what fruits an attempt to change can bear - all these doubts tormented numerous contemporaries of the thinker. It is believed that society as a whole was optimistic, and the ancient Chinese looked to the future with confidence, believing in the best.

In his teaching on the Tao, Lao Tzu drew attention to nature: its development is natural, not subject to momentary whims, harmonious and consistent. The inhabitants of Ancient China understood and believed that they are also part of nature, and Lao Tzu was an element of this society, having absorbed the understanding of the unity of civilization and the world around it from childhood.

At the same time, he saw how some try to fight, neglecting traditions, changing what they are given without accepting, and cannot succeed. It was then that he urged people to choose other ways to achieve wisdom and satisfaction.

The methods used by many of his contemporaries made them, according to Lao Tzu, blind. The doctrine is based on his statements about the balance of simplicity and satisfaction, about the correspondence of acceptance and kindness, the analogy between faith and wisdom. He urged to understand how the world works, come to terms with it and adjust oneself to it - but not vice versa.

Way and our world

For the first time people started talking about Tao in life much earlier than Lao Tzu was born. This term denoted the path of development of the universe, nature. Do not forget that civilization and each individual person are only elements of the Universe. The naturalness of man is in the observance of natural laws. Man is a part of the vast world. If he does not hinder the Tao, and allows everything to go on as usual, the world will develop according to the most positive scenario, since the Tao represents perfection and harmony without the slightest flaws.

Tao in life is the source of it, as well as of everything that exists. Tao can be said to be the cause of everything that exists, including divine beings. At the same time, Tao is not a god, but a reality. Tao preceded our universe, it was created by its forces, through it the world receives energy for existence.

Everything that happens and decays, coming and going are just opposite energy entities that are present in Tao and give rise to our world. So it was, is and will be. At the same time, Tao does not force a single person to act in some specific way, but only sets a general direction.

Step by step

At present, in many ways close to the classical teachings of Shou-Dao - a philosophical direction that diligently preserves the basic principles formulated by Lao Tzu and his students. They considered Tao to be a way of being, they aspired to nature as a proper order. The early followers of philosophy suggested abandoning customs, rituals, civilization, since all this represents an interference in the path of the universe.

The early followers of Taoism believed that in the past, people existed in absolute harmony, strictly following the natural order of things. They were free, their life was simple, and the benefits that everyone aspires to have been lost to civilization since the end of that period.

However, modern authors can argue with them (a good example is the book by Irina Khakamada "The Tao of Life"). In ancient times, followers of the Tao believed that nature can provide answers to any life question, and only in harmony with it can one find happiness. Naturalness gives inner peace, allows you to accept everything that is given from the outside. Aggression, ambition are contrary to nature, and a person begins to conflict with himself, thereby excluding the possibility of his happiness.

followers and opponents

The ideas of Lao Tzu were impartiality, harmony, calmness, acceptance of what is happening. Among his contemporaries, however, there were many who disagreed with this position. People sought to bring change to society, were not satisfied with the existing order and loudly expressed their opinions.

By the way, Confucius was one of these people, who actively carried his ideas of virtue around the country as the only possible way to prosperity. He suggested that everyone and everyone strive to fulfill their duty, duties - only in this way can happiness be achieved. It is worth noting that this camp of the Tao also referred to the lost times of absolute happiness, but they explained that period by the ability of people to follow their duty. It was assumed that it was possible to revive a happy time if everyone was taught to interact productively with each other.

No less interesting Tao - Viet Vo. This system was completely aggressive, and eventually developed into martial arts and was used to eliminate the enemy and for a quick victory. The development of philosophy followed this path in Vietnam. And to this day in this country there are many adherents of the combat school, which has proven itself over many centuries.

Not without conflict

Perhaps, many disputes would certainly arise if adherents of the teachings of Lao Tzu and Confucius from previous centuries met, as well as our contemporaries inspired by Irina Khakamada's book "The Tao of Life". Each person has his own vision, and supporters of different camps argued with each other a lot in earlier centuries. The first Taoists spoke of achieving virtue and fulfilling one's duty only through the natural course of things, and striving for the good is an erroneous line of thought. They argued that the good will appear by itself when attempts to achieve it cease, and the search for virtue will not allow it to be obtained.

The typical reformers were disapproved of by Lao Tzu and his disciples, and the introduction of rules to improve life was considered by them to be the wrong approach. The reformers tried to explain to people how to become righteous, how to achieve purity. Lao Tzu drew attention to the fact that nature is not characterized by human disputes, it is always natural, and there are no arguments that can lead it astray. Earthly forces do not insist on their own, do not enter into disputes, but only work as they should.

Tao does not require strength - the power of this phenomenon is in the absence of tension and in constant action. A person who adheres to such a teaching must give up the power that destroys goals. The one who tries to remake the world according to his vision harms himself and those around him, and the stubborn one who achieves selfish goals only drowns in efforts and loses the value of what he is looking for. Man with his own hands destroyed the ideal, which leads to its collapse.

By examples

In Irina Khakamada's book "The Tao of Life" one can find many curious examples, but the most expressive one to this day remains the one that was invented by Lao Tzu in his time. He suggested imagining a body of water filled with dirty water. If you mix its contents, purity will not increase, but left on its own, the pond will gradually clear up. Similar processes occur in people even at the level of civilization. Such an example is especially important to understand and present to the ruler.

Another expressive picture formulated by Lao Tzu was the following: small fish - that the people and the management of people are similar to cooking a dish. You need to be careful. Overcook, overcook, stir too vigorously, and everything will fall apart, crumble, and lose its taste.

Lao Tzu also said that he who believes that he knows a lot about others can consider himself wise, but only he who knows himself can master the truth.

Speak or be silent?

Information about Lao Tzu's dislike for conversations has come down to our days from ancient works. This was also the case with his first and most important student and follower, Chuang Tzu. They argued their position by the impossibility of expressing Tao through speech.

And yet people demanded of philosophers precise definitions, concepts, terms. Lao Tzu spoke as follows: “Tao - as if crossing a river in winter - cautious, indecisive, like a person who is afraid of his neighbors. At the same time, it is a modest guest and a soft, pliable essence, like ice ready to melt.” It is believed that this description reflects the nature of things and it is for this reason that it has value, and not at all because of the name of the author who formulated it.

The following story is known:

Zhuang Zi was on a fishing trip when the provincial dignitaries decided to visit him. Although he did not take his eyes off the rod, officials began to talk to him, praising his wisdom, and also offered him a position in management in order to achieve recognition. Without looking up from fishing, the sage told the story of a sacred tortoise that had died three millennia ago and was preserved by the prince.

He suggested that officials choose what would bring the turtle more happiness: being a prayed-for remains or living in a pond. The officials reasonably replied that it is always happier for a living being to live in his own environment, to which Chuang Tzu replied, "That's how I am." So he refused a post in the government, choosing instead natural flow life.

What should be appreciated?

The doctrine of Tao pays special attention to understanding what is really worth the effort. Tao does not require a person to sit idle all his life. The difficulties of everyday life surround people, and the philosophy of life should reflect the current of thought. Philosophers of ancient times formulated three basic values - humility, moderation, love. Love allowed them to be brave, moderation gave security, and humility became a method of managing those in power.

It is believed that one who has realized Tao can see it in the environment - in civilization, in the Universe, in every being. Such a person is aware of his well-being as good for others. This also works in reverse. AT old times it was called "being in a state of love." Having comprehended the Tao, you can start doing good for everyone and make love your payment, regardless of your attitude. But a different response to hatred, even a fair one, will not bring a positive effect - evil returns with evil, and the result is disappointing. Love is a state that gives courage. Having comprehended the Tao, one can trust the world without looking back and feel its trust in oneself.

By following the Tao, a person gains the ability to control, restrain thoughts and actions. Satisfaction is impossible in the presence of excess, and the next Tao cannot say in advance how and when he will act. Deciding beforehand how to behave is against the way of the Tao. A person adhering to it should carefully follow the simplest path. Only this allows you to be sure that the right actions are being taken.

Everything has its time and everything has its place

Neither the founder of the classical doctrine of Tao, nor his students and followers aspired to occupy positions in the government, since this conflicted with the very idea of Taoism. You cannot help if you direct the action of a person. You can achieve what you want faster, being in a modest place, and the superiority of one over the other is not characteristic of our world. Mutual help and naturalness - this is the optimal atmosphere for living in the world, and success, personal wealth are erroneous aspirations.

The earth does not change, but the sky above us is eternal. They are like this because they don't care about momentary desires, and this allows them to always be. The wise man must deny himself. Nevertheless, he will remain in front, and the one who remains on the sidelines will be present in the case.

The main treasures of the Tao teachings are available to everyone, even if there is no personal teacher, a familiar philosopher, who is ready to convey the essence. Tao is based on the inherent characteristics of a person, although we do not usually look at them. To find the Tao in yourself, you need to get rid of fears, reject the familiar, abandon the superficial. Not finding the Tao in himself, not trying to realize it, a person behaves unnaturally, does not realize and cannot achieve happiness - he is depressed.

The word 道, "dao", is a fundamental concept in Chinese philosophical thought. Throughout the world, the generally accepted translation of this term is considered to be the concept of "way", although linguists in the translations of Chinese canonical books willingly translate Tao with many other equivalents, depending almost only on the context in which the word Tao occurs in the text. Thus, the main concept of Chinese philosophy is still a mystery, its exact semantic meaning is, in fact, unclear.

The term Dao is present in almost all canonical Chinese texts. Its meaning is written sources discussed by Confucians, Taoists, Mohists and Buddhists. The famous historian, orientalist L.S. Vasiliev writes the following about the origin of the term Tao in Chinese culture: ancient China religious beliefs and ideas were reduced to the deification of the forces of nature and dead ancestors ... The emergence of Heaven as a deified abstract universality that rules the world (the Zhou ideas of tianming- the divine mandate of Heaven, the right to power in the heavenly or about tian tzu- "Son of Heaven", the Chinese ruler of the Celestial Empire), with practically total absence at that time, other more or less noticeable deities of all-Chinese or at least regional significance, apparently played a certain role in preparing the conditions for the development of ideas related to Tao about the fundamental principles of being.

AT modern world interest in the term Tao-道-is huge and ubiquitous. The philosopher, the linguist, and the esoteric want to comprehend this philosophical concept. In almost all Chinese canonical texts, the essence of the concept of Tao is reduced to the following description: “Tao is the fundamental principle of all things, the beginning of all beginnings. It gives birth to all things, but it cannot manifest itself. It is incorporeal and nameless, empty and inexhaustible, infinite and eternal. Having no form and essence, it at the same time hides everything in itself; not acting actively, it contributes to the fact that everything in the world is accomplished. Whoever knows the Tao has comprehended the laws of being. But it cannot be comprehended either with the help of words or through acquired knowledge. Only by getting rid of desires, freed from passions and focusing on one thing, one can comprehend the Tao, get it in one's heart, dissolve in it. Whoever comprehends it does not reason; whoever follows it does not enlighten; in a word, whoever serves the Tao is identical to it, and merging with the Tao promotes longevity and even immortality.

Since Tao itself cannot be manifested, its manifestation, its emanation in the phenomenal world is de. Te - in essence, the same Tao, manifested in things and people, the realization of its potential in the world, in society. Who comprehended de, thereby cognized the Tao. The one who has comprehended de and tao strives for naturalness, the manifestation of which is non-action (refusal of vigorous activity, allowing everything to follow its proper path, i.e. according to the laws of Tao).»

So, back to the generally accepted meaning of the word 道, - "way". Does the generally accepted translation make the meaning of this term more clear? Hardly, otherwise there would not be so many translations of the same passages in different canonical Chinese texts, where the word “tao” is used, which are different in meaning. However, we believe that it is necessary to solve this problem of an accurate translation of the term Tao, first of all, it is necessary to find out why the translation of Tao (and other similar terms) has not been carried out. In this article, we have posed the problem of deciphering 道 Tao as the main term of ancient Chinese and East Asian philosophy in general. The translation of the term Tao as a “way” is inaccurate, moreover, from our point of view, such a translation of this concept is outdated, it too vaguely reflects the essence of this most important philosophical and metaphysical concept, it does not correspond to the state of development of modern philosophical and scientific thought, and also development of the metasciences in the world. Moreover, the word "way" as the most common translation of the term Tao in canonical literature is not, strictly speaking, translation this deep metaphysical concepts. After all, who were the founders of the philosophy of Tao in China, the Taoists, if not professional metaphysicians, whose main occupation was the study of the secret processes of being, penetration into the afterlife and the study of the possibility of immortality, comprehension hidden secrets the meaning of life and the alchemy of immortality?.. “Once Chuang Tzu dreamed that he was a small butterfly fluttering merrily among the flowers. Waking up, the philosopher could not decide whether he was Chuang Tzu, who dreamed that he was a butterfly, or a butterfly who dreamed that she was Chuang Tzu? ..». The basis of Taoism is metaphysics. At present, this is an emerging science, however, without the development of this science, any of our interpretations of sacred philosophical terms will be inaccurate and incomplete.

There is no translation of the term Tao, there are only guesses following from the context (the context itself, the micro-context of the ancient Chinese language wenyan itself is a controversial thing, because the grammar of wenyan is devoid of a clear, logically built system of rules, and this has always made it difficult to interpret texts). Therefore, there are many different translations of the same ancient Chinese source, different translators build their own hypotheses regarding the meaning of the context and the meaning of the Tao itself. Here, drawing up a semantic portrait of a word usually comes to the rescue. Translation options are still limited by the available grammar rules and, of course, the hieroglyphs themselves, which have not lost almost their original meaning to this day.

Tao is, of course, not the only frequently used philosophical term in the Chinese canonical books. It must be said that all the main terms of ancient Chinese philosophy (te 德, tian 天, xiao 孝, etc.) have a more or less “blurred” etymology, especially the second most popular in the canons after Tao Te. But if, proceeding from the texts themselves, the semantics of these terms is limited in variations by the context and logic itself, then the use of the word Tao in the context is not subject to logic. Sometimes, the speeches of ancient authors, especially where the term Tao is used, from a European point of view, resemble an illogical, incoherent stream of words. The modern Chinese themselves, however, also do not understand their ancient texts very well. It turns out that the ancient authors, the Wise Men, who tried to convey their thoughts to mankind, did not succeed in achieving a satisfactory result, because. understanding of Chinese canons around the world is difficult. The main reason for this misunderstanding of the ancient texts, in our opinion, is the unsatisfactory interpretation of the most important terms of ancient Chinese philosophy, the most important of which is the term Tao (道).

Oddly enough, after our reflections, to declare this, but sinologists, experts in ancient texts, have long come to terms with this state of affairs and consider the lack of translation of the main concepts to be the norm. In our article, we will highlight their opinions in detail and consider them from a new angle.

In his work on the treatise Chuang Tzu, V.V. Malyavin writes: “The artistic merits of Chuang Tzu’s book so impressed its ancient readers that almost half of the review of his teaching in its last chapter is devoted to them. We read there: “In slurred speeches, extravagant words, daring and boundless expressions, [Chuangzi] gave himself free rein, limiting himself in nothing; it is impossible to understand it, reasoning detachedly. He believed that the world was mired in filth, and he had nothing to talk about with him ... Although his writings are pretentious, their unrestraint is harmless. Although his speeches are chaotic, their intricacy is a pleasure.

The authors of this juicy description frankly contrast the literary talent and flight of fantasy of the Taoist writer with the wretched sanity of the "vulgar world." Malyavin also explains the “necessity” of leaving the exact translation “behind the scenes”: “Therefore, in order to understand the philosophy of the Taoists, it is necessary first of all to understand their attitude to metaphysical thinking. Chinese commentators of past centuries, revolving in the vicious circle of traditional terminology, say too little for us. Most European and modern Chinese researchers tend to talk too much. They often take the unified Taoists for what it was in Europe - a prototype of the logical universality of the laws of reason. They are trying to recreate the philosophical synthesis of Taoism, and they are driven not only by school habits. The requirement to "know" lies at the very heart of European thought - it is it that connects Athens and Jerusalem, so incompatible in everything else. The One in Europe has always been endowed with the power of logical objectivity, and few of the creators of its classical philosophical tradition admitted that a thinker can neglect conceptual perfection and perceive the One purely situationally, without “why” and “why” - like a poet who, speaking of uniqueness, reveals the unconditional unity of things. Further, Malyavin cites the attitude of the Taoists to words as a kind of justification for the impossibility of interpreting their concepts “in a European way”: “The Taoists opposed only the use of the word as an objectified, conventional sign, fixing an equally definite, clearly limited essence. Most of the time, Chuang Tzu talks about "words" (yang) in this sense, but sometimes he makes a distinction between a word and what might be called logical, verifiable statements (bian): "Tao, manifesting itself, is no longer Tao. ; words, becoming logically deduced judgments, do not reach [the truth of the unthinkable] ”He also has his own ideal of the word. With his usual irony, but not without pride, he declares that his words are "great and merciless." Moreover, he recognizes the role of language as a necessary tool in the knowledge of truth: “a trap is needed to catch hares. Having caught a hare, they forget about the trap. Words are needed to express an idea. Having comprehended the idea, they forget about the words. Where can I find a person who has forgotten the words to talk to him?

However, trying to be objective, V.V. Malyavin himself falls into his own "trap" of concepts. Is the "denial of the word" according to Malyavin, the primacy of the irrational over the rational a sign of approaching the Truth? Is it only the rejection of the rational, of explanations, scientificity and thinking itself that can bring a person closer to the Absolute? And this means that the metaphor should be taken literally, without trying to understand what is behind it. Let's see how Eastern philosophy itself, namely Buddhism, will respond to this. Daisetsu Taitaro Suzuki writes in his book "Fundamentals of Zen Buddhism": "Thinking is being" - this saying belongs to Descartes and, as far as I understand, all modern philosophy in Europe begins with this.

But in reality the reverse is also true: "Being is thinking." When a person says "I am", he is already thinking. It cannot assert its existence without resorting to the process of thinking. Thinking precedes being, but how can a person think if he does not exist? Being must precede thought. Without an egg there can't be a chicken, and without a chicken there can't be an egg.

By reasoning in this way, we will never come to any definite conclusion. However, we are constantly involved in this game and do not realize that we are wasting our mental energy ... To illustrate, I will give the following example.

During the reign of the Tang Dynasty in China, there lived a Buddhist monk who was very worried about the problem of life and death, existence and non-existence, as well as good and evil. One day his teacher invited him to go with him to a village where a relative of one of the villagers had just died. The monk, Zegen, upon arriving there knocked on the lid of the coffin and asked Master Dogo, "Is he alive or dead?"

The teacher replied: “Alive. I wouldn't say that. Dead. - And I would not say that. The monk asked: “Why not say either alive or dead?” Of course, it is clear that the author took the dictum of R. Descartes too literally, mundanely, because it is clear that being is meant as a meaningful process of creation and self-development, and not a primitive biological presence . But let's forgive this unfortunate omission to the researcher - as far as his native Buddhist philosophy is concerned, he, as a representative of Eastern philosophical thought, testifies that the irrational principle is neither higher nor lower than rational cognition. Zen Buddhism itself (Chan Buddhism in China) is essentially rationalistic metaphysics, and if we consider it a religion, then it is the most rationalistic of all religions, devoid of the ethical contradictions of other religions and directly “touching”, exploring the forbidden world, the world different, and also directly setting itself the tasks of epistemology at the level of the Universe and solving the problems of self-knowledge and spiritual enlightenment of a person by practical methods. And, despite its rationality, it is perhaps the most mysterious of the world's religions. Combination of incongruous- that's what Daisetsu Taitaro Suzuki talks about, that's what Eastern philosophy and Eastern thinking tells us. Dualism, as part of human thinking, is not acceptable in the cognition of superhuman categories. Dualism is not acceptable for the knowledge of the Tao, as the highest category in Far Eastern philosophy. It is impossible to assert only one approach in the knowledge of truth, as the only true one, as Malyavin believed. Therefore, the scientific study and analysis of canonical Chinese texts is necessary in the same way as their intuitive-emotional perception. Malyavin was also mistaken in overestimating the role of metaphor and allegory in these texts. Aren't there detailed explanations of the meaning of philosophical terms in all canonical Chinese texts: "Tao Te Ching", "Long Yue", "Mengzi", "Chuangzi", etc.? Do not different characters try to answer the direct questions “what is Tao” in their own way, and the sages instruct, carefully analyzing meaning these terms? And, in fact, key question: do not all these texts, conversations and reasoning serve the purpose of conveying to the reader the essence of philosophical terms, in particular Tao? ... What is the meaning of these canons, if they do not benefit in the form of transformation of human consciousness in the mass, if for all these millennia their content , despite the abundant number of commentators, both their own, Asian and European, did not add any tangible clarity to the texts for human "dualistic" perception. Moreover, the exaltation of only one, namely, the irrational approach (allowing the absence of a logical construction of thought, as well as an accurate transfer of meaning), does not solve anything and only serves as a sign of humility in front of the problem of those who simply could not solve it. After all, the goal of the ancient authors was to convey some important, in their opinion, message to humanity with these texts, and not at all confuse it for many thousands of years, while some came up with new and new interpretations of contexts, picked up, as if puzzles suitable for that same “European” logic, translations of the main terms, and some in despair asserted the impossibility of an accurate translation and bowed before the greatness of “eastern irrationality”. And the goal of the ancient authors remained unattained - while mankind played games with the interpretation of texts, these texts did not really change anything in the minds of people during all this time, because people, both in the West and in the East, will look at the truth in the eyes, despite the beautiful metaphors, they do not understand these terms so much that these texts become clear to them. And this, you see, does not correspond to the desire of any author.

However, here the solution is quite obvious. Let's not forget that the time of writing all these treatises is the times of ancient times, so different from ours in all aspects of life, from science to vocabulary, that modern man to equal the level of rationalistic knowledge of these books is at least unreasonable. In ancient times, a person, even if he was a priest of a tribe, could not “rationally” explain such a phenomenon as electricity. This means that, with all their will, the ancient Chinese sages would not have been able to explain Tao and other similar terms except as metaphors, just as they would have explained the phenomenon of thunder, rain, etc. And Tao is a phenomenon not of a natural biological, but, based on their own explanations, of a metaphysical nature, therefore honor and praise to these ancient authors, whoever they may be, for trying to explain such phenomena that even modern science unable to explain. However, everything is not so simple here. Not only were the ancient authors unable to explain the Tao rationally, but they knew it de facto. They realized that their explanations would be useless to posterity: those who asked questions of the Tao and received an answer do not know the Tao . Though they ask questions of the Tao , but never heard the Tao. One cannot ask about Tao, and if asked, one cannot receive an answer.” Then another question arises: why did they do it?

Tao as a concept really cannot be fully interpreted, but not because of the "irrationality" of Eastern texts, but for other, more mundane reasons. As N.I. Conrad: "What is Chuang Zhou's attitude towards the Chuang Tzu book? Apparently the same as in previous cases: Zhuang Zhou is not the author of Zhuangzi, but its hero. This book is a compilation of what went around in the society of that time as being attributed to or associated with Zhuang Zhou himself. Of course, someone made this code: one of the students and, in general, followers of this thinker. It is even likely that the text that we have is the work of several people who acted in different time." This is also the case with many other cultural monuments, and this fact alone destroys the possibility of a strong proof of the truth of the meaning of the texts themselves ... Well, let's say that despite the unidentified authors, the ancient texts still deserve our trust, at least in content that seems deep . But what about the fact that in fact the most important concept of all Chinese philosophy 道, Tao, is different in different teachings, with different Teachers?

This is how Zhuangzi understands the meaning of Tao: “Zhuangzi directly mocks the preachers of humanity and duty, whom he calls “bearers of tao- "Ways". He remembers about Zhe, a famous robber, a robber. “Zhe was asked: “Do robbers have their own Way?” Zhe replied: “Shouldn’t there be a path in order to walk? In order to realize that there is rich property in such a house, intelligence is needed. It takes courage to enter this house first. In order to divide the booty among all equally, you need a sense of humanity. It has never happened before that anyone in the Celestial Empire could commit a great robbery without possessing these five properties. ”(Ch. X).

Having thus rejected the moral principles so glorified by Confucius and Mencius, Zhuangzi also takes up arms against the so-called "perfect" (shenzhen), i.e. on those “perfectly wise” people whom Confucius and his followers elevated to the rank of ideal personalities:

“If you drive away all these shenzhens, and leave the robbers alone, then order will reign in the Celestial Empire. When the Shenzhen die, the robbers will also disappear, and peace will be established in the Celestial Empire, there will be no disasters. As long as the Shenzhens do not die, the big robberies will not end.” (Ch. X)... Thus, Zhuang Tzu opposes the primordial properties of human nature itself to all kinds of high moral qualities: or rather, it itself, this nature. It is precisely this nature that a person must protect in every possible way from everything “made by people”, therefore, not natural, but artificial, not organic, but introduced from outside.

And here is how Confucius understands the Tao: “In order to determine the path by which you can come to the elimination of all these evils, it is necessary to establish their root cause. Confucius saw it in the imperfection of the human personality, and thus of the whole society. Consequently, for him, the path to achieving the proper social condition passed through the improvement of the person himself. It can be improved on the basis of jen, "the human principle" in man, to what constitutes the very essence of his nature. The means of raising their human quality in people is wen - education, enlightenment, high intellectual and moral culture. And since the “human principle” in human nature is an active factor, expressed in actions, in deeds, then spiritual culture is something that is created precisely by human activity. This is for Confucius tao, "The Way." Thus, we see how different meanings these philosophers attach to Tao. How can one give a single translation to a concept that is different for everyone? This is where the root of the translation problem is Tao, 道, and not at all in its “metaphorical nature”, which does not need to be violated, “irrationality” and metaphysicality.

If these texts have survived to this day in a more or less original form, it means that they were tried to be preserved from the time of the initial writing, which means that people who lived in those distant times Knew something about the value of the information presented in the treatises. They knew and tried with all their might to pass on to their descendants, so these books “survived” to this day. At the same time, in no era was there a clear understanding of what was stated there. And this suggests that the picture is unlikely to change in the future, and the meaning of the most important terms of Chinese, and at the same time Asian culture as a whole, will become clearer. This means that everything that was done before was done in the wrong direction - this is the only correct conclusion for this situation.

If we look for parallels of the most important concept of ancient Chinese (and Far Eastern in general) teachings, Tao, with the most important concepts of the main world religions, then it will be closest in terms of the volume of concepts to Buddhist dharma. Dharma is an individual "package" of the formation of any personality, based on the uniqueness of its experience, astral, mental-psychic and physical characteristics, multiplied by the variations of personal growth, life situations inherited by this particular individual, historical time life, place of birth, etc. Unique individuality in the Universe. There is simply nowhere more contradictory and “more individual”, - then the location of the hieroglyph Tao in ancient sentences ceases to be a semantic void. The Tao acquires a concrete meaning, saturated with certain versatile and profound information, a lofty meaning. I think many readers just felt it.

So what is the Tao? Every creature and even natural object has its own task of existence in this physical world. Which should be 1) found 2) understood 3) developed. Individual drawing in the universe, "the path". Now the word "path" has become much clearer, isn't it? The extent to which one person (being, object of nature, etc.) differs from another, in the smallest details, is how different his 道 is. Its 道 is just as different from the universal 道. Confucius had his own, just like Chuang Tzu. And the robber Zhi has his own. And there is nothing to argue about. This is what is meant by the famous saying 道可道非道也 "The Tao that is discussed is not the Tao" (Lao Tzu, "Tao Te Ching").

It is likely that such intricate, illogical, chaotic canon texts were not made as an end in themselves, not for artistic heritage and not for the education of generations. And they were made like tools to convey to humanity the memory of 道. There is no need to subordinate your subjective-personal feelings, thoughts, goals, life to the same subjective-personal set of another person. You don't need anyone's approval to be yourself. We are equal and different in the same way. In fact, everyone is unlimitedly free, regardless of whether it is freedom to be virtuous like Confucius or to deny virtue like Chuang Tzu, each of us still decides for himself. And what these texts actually teach is to be yourself, then there will be answers to all the questions that the sages in the texts so often denied to students.

That is why great books were created, instruments of Truth, written in such a way that the world will never truly understand them - visual Symbols how the simple Truth is hidden behind deceptive tinsel, a kaleidoscope of words and philosophies, the bustle of a short life and transient "great goals" in a series of eternal changes in the world. A world that we endlessly change.

References

Academy of Sciences of the USSR Order of the Red Banner of Labor Institute of Oriental Studies. "Tao and Taoism in China". Publishing house "Science". The main edition of Eastern literature. Moscow 1982
庄子/（战国）庄周著；-昆明：云南人民出版社，2011 6 Zhuang Zi (Zhan Guo) Zhuangzi. Kunming, 2011.
新华字典（大字本）/-10版·-北京：商务印刷馆, 2004 Xin Hua Zi Dian(Da Zi Ben) Datzi-ben (Large print edition). 10th ed. Beijing, 2004.
Buddhism. Four noble truths: - M .: CJSC Publishing House EKSMO-Press; Kharkov: Folio Publishing House, 2000.
5. N.I. Konrad. Selected works. Sinology. The main edition of Eastern literature. Moscow, 1977.

N.I. Conrad, Selected Works. Sinology»

The section is very easy to use. In the proposed field, just enter the desired word, and we will give you a list of its meanings. It should be noted that our site provides data from different sources- encyclopedic, explanatory, derivational dictionaries. Here you can also get acquainted with examples of the use of the word you entered.

The meaning of the word dao

dao in the crossword dictionary

Encyclopedic Dictionary, 1998

tao

DAO (Chinese letters - the way) is one of the main categories of Chinese philosophy. In Confucianism - the path of a perfect ruler, moral perfection, a set of moral and ethical standards. In Taoism - the regularity of existence, its generative and organizing principle. The world is the "embodiment" of the Tao. The sage, following the Tao, renounces goal-setting activity (wu wei, "non-action"), achieves unity with nature and perfection. In the tradition of the "Book of Changes" ("Yijing"), Tao is the pattern of the alternation of yin-yang forces.

Dao

one of the most important categories of Chinese philosophy. The literal meaning of the term "D." ≈ "path"; Confucius and the early Confucians gave it an ethical meaning, interpreting it as "the way of man", i.e. moral behavior and based on morality. social order. In the philosophy of Taoism, the term "D." acquires no longer an ethical, but an ontological meaning, and it means both the root cause of the universe, and the mysterious and unknowable regularity underlying it, and the integrity of life. In neo-Confucian philosophy, the term "D." mostly identified with the term "li" ("principle") and is opposed to the material substrate "qi". Zhu Xi, the founder of the rationalist system of neo-Confucianism, emphasized the identity of the human mind and the surrounding world.

Lit .: Konrad N. I., Philosophy of the Chinese Renaissance, in his book: West and East, M., 1966; Bykov F. S., The Origin of Socio-Political and Philosophical Thought in China, M., 1966: Fung Yulan, A history of Chinese philosophy, v. 1≈2, Princeton, 1952≈53.

V. A. Rubin.

Wikipedia

Dao

Dao(literally - path) is one of the most important categories of Chinese philosophy. Confucius and the early Confucians gave it an ethical meaning, interpreting it as "the way of man", that is, moral behavior and a morally based social order. The most famous and significant Taoist interpretation of the Tao is found in the Tao Te Ching.

Dao (sword)

Dao (, pinyin dao, not to be confused with, dao(way, Tao)) - “single-edged weapon” / “falchion” / “broadsword” / “saber” / “knife” / “cleaver” - a Chinese bladed single-edged weapon, often illiterately translated as “ crooked sword".

Most often under tao(with indication of its type - for example, niuweidao - tao bulltail or luedao - tao"willow leaf") refers to single-edged falchions, sabers and broadswords, both one-handed and two-handed. However, as a meaningful element, the word tao is part of the names of polearms - chuanweidao, yanyuedao, dadao etc.

As a meaningful element, the same hieroglyph is included in the name of some specific weapons of Chinese martial arts (for example, baguadao), but in this case it means only the presence of sharpening along one of the edges of this weapon.

Japanese katanas were also called dao by the Chinese.

Dao (language)

Dao(Maniwo, "X-Ray") is a Papuan language spoken near the Dao River, east of Chenderawasih Bay, west of the central highlands of the Napan sub-district of the Paniai regency of Papua province in Indonesia. The Tao language is lexically 75% similar to the Auye language. The population also uses the Papuan Malay language.

Tao (disambiguation)

Tao is one of the most important categories of Chinese philosophy.
Dao - Chinese sword.
Dao is a Papuan language spoken near the Dao River.
Daozong is the emperor of the Liao dynasty, the Khitan kingdom in northeast China.
The Tao of Winnie the Pooh is a book written in 1982 by American writer Benjamin Hoff.
Dao Thien Hai - Vietnamese chess player, grandmaster (1995).
Tao Wu-di is the founder of the Chinese Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei.
Tao Te Ching - a book that had big influence on the culture of China and around the world.
Dao Zang - complete collection religious and philosophical literature of Taoism.
DAO - Decentralized Autonomous Organization.