Read Huston Smith's chapter on Taoism. Be prepared to discuss the following questions:
Reading: Chapter V
Opening Words
Without opening your door,
you can open your heart to the world.
Without looking out your window,
you can see the essence of the Tao.
The more you know,
the less you understand.
The Master arrives without leaving,
sees the light without looking,
achieves without doing a thing.
—from the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu,
translated by S. Mitchell
Questions for Discussion
1. What do you find most appealing or intriguing about Taoism, based on your reading? What
do you find difficult to accept or understand?
2. Huston Smith says that Tao is “the way of ultimate reality” (p. 198). It is also “the way of the
universe” and “the way of human life.” What is your understanding of the Tao? How is the
Tao different than, or similar to, the idea of God?
3. Ch’i is the generic Chinese term for vital energy, and Taoism advocates various techniques
for increasing the flow of ch’i, for example, through nutrition, tai chi chuan, and acupuncture.
Is there any Western equivalent for the concept of ch’i? How do diet, exercise, and health
practices affect your own spiritual well-being?
4. Popular Taoism, according to Smith, includes many elements that might be considered
magical, for example, astrology, divination, and psychic healing (p. 205). Do you believe in
magic? Why or why not?
5. “Creative quietude” or wu wei is at the essence of philosophical Taoism (p. 207). What is
your understanding of wu wei? Can you offer examples from your own experience of the
power of “creative quietude”?
6. Define yin and yang. Is it a help or a hindrance to speak of “masculine” and “feminine”
spiritual energies?
7. Smith says that “in the Taoist perspective good and evil are not head-on opposites. The West
has tended to dichotomize the two, but Taoists are less categorical” (p. 215). Are some
actions intrinsically good and others intrinsically evil, or are all values relative and
contextual?
8. According to Smith, the symbol for Taoism is a circle, suggesting that “life does not move
onward and upward toward a fixed pinnacle or pole. It bends back upon itself” (p. 215). Is the
life journey one of forward progression toward a goal, or one that ventures outward only to
return to its own origins?
9. Humor and play seem to be an important part of Taoist teachings (p. 217). Can you think of
any other religious traditions that place a high value on being lighthearted?
10. What other questions do you have about Taoism?
Closing Words
There was something formless and perfect
before the universe was born.
It is serene. Empty.
Solitary. Unchanging.
Infinite. Eternally present.
It is the mother of the universe.
For lack of a better name,
I call it the Tao.
—from the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu,
translated by S. Mitchell
