|
|
|
Daoism (Taoism), which was based on the teachings of Laozi, was more of a way to achieve personal enlightenment, while, the teachings of Kong Fuzi (Confucianism), dealt more with ethics and education. Daoism has provided a synergetic complement to the traditional teachings of Kong Fuzi in China. The two traditions coexist peacefully, even within the individual follower. The Chinese religious traditions of Daoism and Confucianism were interwoven together in the souls of the people whose reverence for ancestors and striving for harmony with nature were elevated by the ethics and ideals of them both. Daoists focused on intuitive insights into Nature, while, those that followed the teachings of Kongzi emphasized education and the rational, intellectual approach. The two traditions have peacefully coexisted together for so long because the "I Ching" and the metaphysical Yin-Yang cosmology were included in both of them. The commentaries of the "Book of Changes", a divination oracle, were imbued with the values and ethics taught by Kongzi. Daoism was a path where the goal was for everyone to become one with the Dao (Tao), the force which flows through everything, the primal cause of life. The overall goal of the philosophy of Kongzi was to cultivate the ethical transformation of the individual self while contributing to the attainment of an ideal, harmonious society.
|
|
|