What is Taoism (Daoism)?

[Prycejosh1987]

Finding the True Self is the primary way which can lead one to the world of Dao. People, who live in the Dao, will stay away from suffering, and enjoy happiness.

How can we find true happiness in ourselves without connecting to a God. What about true self, that would mean that there is a false self, suffering is something which comes to everybody. Its why the world has problems believing in God. How would a taoist connect to the spirit. How can a taoist enjoy happiness, what makes one different from a successful atheist or agnostic?

 

[wil]

How can we find true happiness in ourselves without connecting to a God. What about true self, that would mean that there is a false self, suffering is something which comes to everybody. Its why the world has problems believing in God. How would a taoist connect to the spirit. How can a taoist enjoy happiness, what makes one different from a successful atheist or agnostic?

Much of the world finds happiness without connecting to G!d, or without consciously connecting, without praying, without temples.

We find happiness within, happiness in observing nature, happiness in our children's growth, happiness is a choice, an opportunity to be taken

 

[Cino]

How can we find true happiness in ourselves without connecting to a God. What about true self, that would mean that there is a false self, suffering is something which comes to everybody. Its why the world has problems believing in God. How would a taoist connect to the spirit. How can a taoist enjoy happiness, what makes one different from a successful atheist or agnostic?

While I'm not a Taoist, maybe I can help a bit with translating concepts:

True Self: to a Christian, maybe the Still Small Voice.

False Self: what we want others, and ourselves, to believe about us.

Suffering: Taoists tend to think in terms of the way of responding to suffering, of the dynamic, the personal, rather than a static abstract "problem of suffering".

Taoists have their own ways of connecting to the spirit. Plenty of rituals and practices, from what I've seen.

Your last question, I have no answer for. But a Taoist might ask in return, whether the existence of Taoists diminishes your own happiness?

 

[Ahanu]

The second group of three Chinese characters is 非常道 (fēi cháng dào). The two characters 非常 (fēi cháng) translate in everyday conversational Chinese as “very”. But in this context they mean “change” or “non-eternal”. The idea is that this aspect of the Tao is manifesting and mutable.

After reading post number 18, I myself was confused by the use of 非常 here until I read your other post.

 

[Nick the Pilot]

After reading post number 18, I myself was confused by the use of 非常 here until I read your other post.

If you have any more questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

 

[Ahanu]

If you have any more questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

Well, I was reading the commentary from the link to the website you shared earlier. It says "there is no idea of 'telling' or 'being told' in the verse":

The first verse is as follows (in pinyin): “dào kě dào, fēi cháng dào”. A common translation is something like this: “The tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao” (tr. Stephen Mitchell). However, if we look at the text closely we will immediately see a problem with this. Let us break down each term.

dào: the mysterious term, which HPB equates with Anima Mundi. We have given our own interpretation of its esoteric meaning here: The Meaning of Tao.
kě: can; may; able to
dào
fēi: non-; not-; un-
cháng: always; ever; often; frequently; common; general; constant
dào

If we were to follow the common method of translating this verse we would be required to give it more literally as “The tao that can be taoed is not the eternal tao.” There is no idea of “telling” or “being told”, etc., in this verse—the common translations attempt to give a certain meaning, as the translators see it, but in their attempt they fail to follow the very terms themselves. However, as HPB hints at above, there is another way. Her translation of this opening verse is: “The Principle which exists by Itself, developing Itself from Itself.” Ours follows a similar approach.

The translation I have states: "The Tao that can be Told is not the True Tao." I was trying to find the reasoning behind the translation. Where does "told" come from? According to one page I was reading, one translation of 道 is "told" in this context. "Most importantly for this text, the word dào itself can refer to a path or road, but it can also be a verb meaning to say or tell." This meaning is uncommon in modern usage. Any thoughts on that?

 

[Nick the Pilot]

It is true that 道 (dao) can mean to say, speak, talk.

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But I do not think this is the meaning of 道 in 道可道, (Dao ke dao), I think it only means the way or path, that we are on the path (Dao) to somewhere, but we are unable to truly understand what that final destination is.