The Role of the Natural Environment in the Shaping of Daoism [1] While the majority of Asian religions and philosophies reference nature, none make nature and naturalness their fundamental focus as Daoism does. Daoism is built upon the belief that the Dao , or the Way, is in harmony with the natural environment and that ziran , naturalness, is the ideal behavior for humans. In the Dao De Jing and Zhuangzi , nature and natural elements are woven into the texts to illustrate Daoist virtues, values, and practices. The Taijitu ( yin - yang symbol) is an important Daoist image that portrays the continuous transformations and harmonious balance believed to be a way of the natural world. Knowledge of nature and natural ingredients are important for the Daoist practice of alchemy and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). In addition, Daoist beliefs criticize development and modernization, because such things are not in harmony with wu wei , non-action. Instead, Daoism promot...
My Academic Essays Focused on China and East Asia