Taoists pray to the heavens and also to their ancestors as a mark of respect.It would be incorrect to conceive “Wu-wei” as a passive force, or of having an attitude of waiting for things to happen. “Wu-wei” encompasses actions, a set of natural course of actions without any other motives. “Wu-wei”, therefore, helps to instill not only a positive attitude in its believers, but also a propensity to seek truth and to refine manners. In public we should also be mindful of our actions and be very careful and thoughtful when settling disputes and arguments. The text exhorts us to be mindful of the food we eat and not to hurt others by what we say. Reflect on the wrongdoings and never repeat it again”. The Taoist text “Yunji Qiqian” has this advice to offer: “Be mindful of the food we take, mindful of the words we say, cautious of disputes, and to be cautious of struggles. If one can achieve harmony with the world and is mindful of one’s speech and action, calamity can be averted. The subjects, too, should not act recklessly nor do things blindly they should also follow the heavenly way to attain peace of mind. Taoists believe that “The Heavenly way is natural and spontaneous” hence a ruler should follow the laws of heaven, the natural development of earth and the wishes of the people. It also serves as a guideline in the ruling of a country. “Wu-wei” is a fundamental Taoist principle connected to the act of cultivating one’s mind and conducting oneself in society. “Wu-wei” is often misinterpreted as “non-action” and “non-interference”. There is a Taoist saying which goes like this: “ By doing 3,000 good deeds, one will accumulate 800 merits”, which means that if one hopes to attain immortality, he/she must at least perform 3,000 good deeds to reach this state of perfection. Taoist strongly believes in accumulating merits and doing good deeds to benefits society, and also in educating and encouraging others to develop their morality and value system. Taoist believes that “ Dao” is eternal and everlasting, and hence through cultivation one can achieve the “ Dao”, enjoy good fortune and blissful life on earth, and also live on eternally in the heavenly realms. The fundamental believe of Taoism is “ Dao”, a belief that myriad things of the universe are created by “ Dao”. Although there are many Taoist sects today, their teachings are all based on the principles of “ Dao”. The Book of Dao and its’ Virtue ( Dao De Jing), regarded as the main text of Taoism, establishes that one can attain immortality through self cultivation. Promoted by Lao Tzu during the Spring and Autumn period, it was organized as a religious movement during later years of the Eastern Han Dynasty by Celestial Master Zhang Daoling. Taoism has existed since the time of the Yellow Emperor some 4,700 years ago. As “ Dao” is a central to belief of this faith, the religion is called “ Daoism” or “ Taoism”. The key purpose of the religion is to learn the “ Dao”, cultivate the “ Dao” and practice the “ Dao”. Taoism is the indigenous religion of Chinese.

Tao religion