Daoism

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Daoism (Taoism) is in some ways a religion and in others a philosophical system. The founder of Daoism, Laozi (Lao tse) was to some a god and to others the greatest of philosophers (see Laozi). He is said to have contributed the popular work called the Daodejing (Tao Te Ching), probably in the later years of the first millennium BCE. Another source for Daoist thought is the Zuangzi (Chuang-tzu) attributed to the second of the great Daoist thinkers, Zuangzi (see Zuangzi). At the center of Daoist thought is the Dao (Tao) or “Way,” the totality of existence conceived of as a whole. The way to mystical freedom is by way of letting go of conventional concerns and achieving union with the Dao. Once union has been achieved, such conditions as poverty and wealth will become meaningless, and ordinary societal values will no longer apply.