semen

1. Tao

The Way of nature, the ultimate source and the principle order in the universe. Sometimes lowercase to refer more generally to an individual tao, or “way.”

2. Tao Te Ching

(Chinese for “The Book of the Way and Its Power”) Taoism’s foundational text, traditionally thought to have been authored by Lao Tzu in the 7th or 6th century BC.

3. Chuang Tzu

The second foundational text of Taoism (along with the Tao Te Ching), containing teachings and anecdotes traditionally thought to have come from the sage Chuang Tzu, who lived in the 4th and 3rd centuries BC.

4. Paradoxes

Assertions that seem illogical and contradictory on the surface and yet contain deeper truths that are accessible more through intuition than through logical thinking.

5. Yin

The negative, passive, feminine, earthly component of the universe, characterized by darkness and weakness; complements yang.

6. Yang

The positive, active, masculine, heavenly component of the universe, characterized by light and strength; complements yin.

7. Wu-wei

(Chinese for “non-action”) The supreme Taoist virtue, practiced by being so perfectly in harmony with nature that nature’s energy infuses and empowers the individual. The term in English variously means “actionless activity,” “pure effectiveness,” “yielding to win,” “creative quietude,” and so on.

8. Ch’an

(Chinese for “meditation”) A Chinese sect of Buddhism that focuses on the experience of enlightenment; it began to flourish under the direction of Hui-neng in the 7th century AD; the Japanese equivalent is Zen.

9. Roshis

Zen masters who are deemed competent to teach others.

10. Rinzai

The school of sudden awakening, brought to Japan in the 12th century AD; one of the two major sects of Zen.

11. Satori

The Zen experience of enlightenment, a flash of insight in which the true nature of one’s being is known directly.

12. Koan

A verbal puzzle designed to short-circuit the workings of the rational, logical mind; used especially in Rinzai Zen as a means of triggering satori.

13. Soto

The school of gradual awakening, brought to Japan in the 13th century AD; one of the two major sects of Zen.

14. Zazen

(Chinese for “seated meditation”) The basic method of Zen meditation, traditionally practiced while seated in the lotus position.

15. Kami

Anything that the Japanese hold as sacred, including deities, certain human beings, natural entities, and animals; the term kami can be either singular or plural.

16. Kamidana

The “kami shelf”; a small altar in the home, patterned after Shinto shrines, that serves as the focal point of domestic worship.

17. Samurai

A Japanese medieval warrior knight; the term samurai can be either singular or plural.