Quote: "Taoism emphasizes living in harmony with what is known as the Tao—generally understood as being the impersonal, enigmatic process of transformation ultimately underlying reality."
A Chinese philosophy emphasizing harmony with nature, wu-wei (effortless action), the Tao (universal flow), and the Ying-Yang balance.
Quote: "The Tao is represented in Chinese by the character 道 (pinyin: dào; Wade–Giles: tao4), which has several related meanings; possible English translations for it include 'way', 'road', and 'technique'."
Quote: "Symbols such as the bagua and taijitu are often employed to illustrate various aspects of the Tao."
Quote: "Taoist thought has informed the development of various practices and rituals within the Taoist tradition and beyond, including forms of meditation, astrology, qigong, feng shui, and internal alchemy."
Quote: "There is generally an emphasis on virtues such as effortless action, naturalness or spontaneity, simplicity, and the three treasures of compassion, frugality, and humility."
Quote: "Due to the terse quality of Classical Chinese as well as the abstract nature of the ideas themselves, many of these concepts defy simple definitions."
Quote: "The core of Taoist thought crystallized during the early Warring States period c. the 4th and 5th centuries BCE."
Quote: "The two works widely regarded as the principal expressions of Taoist philosophy, the epigrammatic Tao Te Ching and the anecdotal Zhuangzi."
Quote: "Early Taoism drew upon a diverse set of influences, including the Shang and Zhou state religions, Naturalism, Mohism, Confucianism, the Legalist theories..."
Quote: "Later, when Buddhism was introduced to China, the two systems began deeply influencing one another, with long-running discourses shared between Taoists and Buddhists."
Quote: "The status of daoshi, or 'Taoist master', is traditionally only attributed to clergy in Taoist organizations."
Quote: "Daoshi often take care to note distinctions between their traditions and others throughout Chinese folk religion, as well as those between their organizations and other vernacular ritual orders..."
Quote: "Many denominations of Taoism recognize various deities, often ones shared with other Chinese religions, with adherents worshiping them as powerful, superhuman figures exemplifying Taoist virtues."
Quote: "The highly syncretic nature of Taoist tradition presents particular difficulties when attempting to characterize its practice and identify adherents: debatably moreso than with other traditions..."
Quote: "Today, Taoism is one of five religious doctrines officially recognized by the Chinese government, also having official status in Hong Kong and Macau."
Quote: "It is also considered a major religion within Taiwan, and it has significant populations of adherents throughout the Sinosphere and Southeast Asia, particularly in Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore."
Quote: "Taoism has also taken on diverse forms in the West, including those hewing to historical practice, as well as highly synthesized practices variously characterized as new religious movements and often associated with the New Age subculture."