Daoism-IB World Relgions

Alchemy(internal and external)

Transforming human being so as to give them a longer life and bring them closer to the Dao.

Bagua

Eight trigrams used to represent the fundamental principals of reality.

Celestial Masters/Orthodox Unity School

Early form of Daoism characterized by communal practices, rituals, and common external alchemy:;eventually morphed into the Orthodox Unity school of Daoism; closets school to arcane indigenous religions of China and Folk Daoism.

Cinnabar Fields

Locations in the human body important for the practice of internal alchemy.

Complete Perfection School

Main official branch of Daoism in continental China

Dao

“The way” or “the path”; the absolute principle underlying the universe, combining within itself the principles of yin and yang and signifying the way, or code of behavior that is in harmony with the natural order.

De

Inherent character; inner power, integrity, moral character; virtue; morality

Five Marchmounts

north, south, east, west, and center: system of though employed by the Han dynasty and royal Confucianism.

Gui Spirits

The spirits of people who committed sins out of greed when they were alive, and have been condemned to suffer in hunger after death.

Eight Immortals

A group of legendary xian(”immortals”) in Chinese Mythology. Each immortal’s power can be transferred into a vessel that can bestow life or destroy evil. They are revered by the Daoist and are said to live on a group of five islands in the Bohai sea.

Li

Underlying reason and order of nature as reflected in its organic forms.

Pu

State of purity before the arising of conceptual distinctions.

Sage

In general, refers to someone who understands and embraces the Dao(a way of harmony in the world); considered to be the highest good.

Shen Spirits

One of the three treasures that constitutes life:

jing: the essence

ch’i(qi): the life force

shen: the spirit

Tai Di

“Earth”

Tai Ji

“great pole”; term for the supreme, ultimate state of undifferentiated absolute and infinite potential

Taijiquan(Tai Chi Chu’an)

Expression of Daoist idea in martial arts

Tian

heaven or sky(aka: “the transcendent”)

Wu Wei

“not doing” or “inaction” in the sense of taking no action contrary to the natural flow; natural action that does not involve struggle or excessive effort

Wu Xing

Five-fold conceptual theme to explain the nature of the world and the interaction within it, 5 Phases or elements

Xi’an

Daoist immortals and imperfected individuals; enlightened person, spiritually immortal

Yijing

A Chinese book of ancient origin consisting of 64 unrelated hexagrams

Laozi(Lao Tzu)

Founder of Daoism, who recommended retreat from society into nature. He believed the individual should seek to become attuned with the Dao.

Dao De Ching

Book with the teachings of Daoism, attributed to Laozi; philosophical test and" “the classic on the way and its power or virtue”; the foundational text of Daoism.

Chuang-Tzu

Daoist philosopher who advocated a skeptical approach to knowledge and a willing acceptance of change as a means of unifying oneself with teh Dao.

Feng Shui

The way or the path, yin and yang principle, the study of the two opposing universal forces.

Qigong

A form of gentle exercise composed of movements that are repeated a number of times.

Falun Dafa

“Practice of the Law Wheel”; combines meditation and qigong exercises with a moral philosophy centered on the tenants of truthfulness

Shang Di

God who controlled victory in battle, Chinese term for supreme deity or highest deity.

Ancestor Veneration

Veneration of the dead ancestor reverence is based on beliefs that dead(family) have a continued existence, and may possess the ability to influence the fortune of the living, the worship of deceased ancestor

Fu

“returning”, that is returning to the beginning or the roots

Yin

The dark, “receptive”, female energy in the universe

Yang

The “active” principle of the universe, characterized as male and associated with heaven, heat, and light

Ch’i/Qi

The force that animates the universe, “breath”

3 Main Beliefs in Daoism

The most important Daoist principles are:

-Inaction

-Simplicity

-Living in harmony with nature