History of Taoism

The history of Taoism stretches throughout Chinese history. Originating in prehistoric China, it has exerted a powerful influence over Chinese culture throughout the ages. Taoism evolved in response to changing times, with its doctrine and associated practices being revised and refined. The acceptance of Taoism by the ruling class has waxed and waned, alternately enjoying periods of favor and rejection. Most recently, Taoism has emerged from a period of suppression and is undergoing a revival in China.

Laozi (Lao Tzu) is traditionally regarded as the founder of the Taoist religion and is closely associated in this context with "original", or "primordial", Taoism.^[1] Whether he actually existed is disputed,^[2] and the work attributed to him – the Daodejing (Tao Te Ching) – is dated between the 8th and 3rd century BC.^[3]^[4] The Yellow Emperor, Huangdi (2697–2597 BCE) is also often associated with the origin of the Tao; his works are believed to have greatly influenced Laozi. It is possible Taoism existed before Laozi, as he refers to the "Tao masters of antiquity" in the 15th chapter of the Daodejing; however it is also possible he was referring to masters—mythical or historical—of the wisdom to which Taoism points, rather than masters of Taoism as an already established religion.

Sinologist Isabelle Robinet identifies four components in the emergence of Taoism:

Philosophical Taoism, i.e. the Daodejing and Zhuangzi
Techniques for achieving ecstasy
Practices for achieving longevity or immortality
Exorcism^[2]

Some elements of Taoism may be traced to prehistoric folk religions in China that later coalesced into a Taoist tradition.^[5]^[6] In particular, many Taoist practices drew from the Warring-States-era phenomena of the Wu (shaman) (connected to the "shamanism" of Southern China) and the Fangshi (which probably derived from the "archivist-soothsayers of antiquity, one of whom supposedly was Laozi himself"), even though later Taoists insisted that this was not the case.^[7] Both terms were used to designate individuals dedicated to "... magic, medicine, divination,... methods of longevity and to ecstatic wanderings" as well as exorcism; in the case of the wu, "shamans" or "sorcerers" is often used as a translation.^[7] The fangshi were philosophically close to the School of Yin-Yang, and relied much on astrological and calendrical speculations in their divinatory activities.^[8]

^ Robinet 1997, p. 63
^ ^a ^b Robinet 1997, p. 25
^ Robinet 1997, p. xix
^ Bellingham, David; Whittaker, Clio; Grant, John (1992). Myths and Legends. Secaucus, New Jersey: Wellfleet Press. p. 124. ISBN 1-55521-812-1. OCLC 27192394.
^ Demerath 2003, p. 149
^ Hucker 1995, pp. 203–04
^ ^a ^b Robinet 1997, p. 36
^ Robinet 1997, p. 39

[1] Robinet 1997, p. 63

[Robinet_1997,_p._25-2] Robinet 1997, p. 25

[3] Robinet 1997, p. xix

[4] Bellingham, David; Whittaker, Clio; Grant, John (1992). Myths and Legends. Secaucus, New Jersey: Wellfleet Press. p. 124. ISBN 1-55521-812-1. OCLC 27192394.

[5] Demerath 2003, p. 149

[6] Hucker 1995, pp. 203–04

[Robinet_1997,_p._36-7] Robinet 1997, p. 36

[8] Robinet 1997, p. 39

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