The earliest forms of Tao were revealed from the Wu (shamans) as a way to peace and harmony with one's surroundings and the essence of all things. The spirit journeys they undertook let them communicate with vegetation, animals, rivers, the Earth, and other planets, stars and galaxies to learn and grow. The essences of nature they discovered were then taught as principles through the eight trigrams, leading to the I Ching (Book of Changes) as a way to understand the root issues and changes underlying life's situations.
Seeing the rise of stronger governments, the sage Lao Tzu included in the Tao Te Ching specific advice to rulers as a guide to ruling with benevolent wisdom to make the people more virtuous. Rather than compulsion and rules, the principles of integrity, honesty, careful deliberation, individual worth and trust are emphasized.
As the Taoist thought was exposed to neighboring philosophies, a more formal pantheon was created in order to represent the understanding the Wu had of divine nature. The 'Three Pure Ones' were honored as the Wu understood the Divine and given specific characteristics and items to represent their natures and powers. Later the 'Eight Immortals' were honored as representations of the eight forms of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) specifically to emphasize that there were an endless varieties of ways to practice Tao and become harmonious and balanced. The rise of Imperial dynasties resulted in the Taoist pantheon being revised to show how virtuous ideal leaders of the past revered the Tao, with ancient leader shamans being promoted to the title of Emperor. These trappings along with the altar, the icons and stations were created as an answer to the pantheons, icons and trappings of other religions the taoists encountered. They were used as references or guides to understanding the Tao, but quickly outgrew their place as teaching tools and became altars and points of focus for reverence, which I contend as heresiarch, diluted then supplanted and even subordinated the true Tao as the focus of Taoism.
During the Confucius period additional pressure in the form of edicts, suppression, burnings, expulsions and various forms of force to in order to create rigid conformity to a single school of thought made Taoism adapt into itself new philosophies which were diametrically opposed to the core of the Tao. And again during the 'Cultural Revolution', Taoism was attacked, changed and driven out, then later homogenized, diluted and spread as a weak shadow of truth.
The Chinese people's understanding of Taoism also from early on manifested itself in 'Shenism' or the appeasing and worship of the spirits around them, and Shenism worked it's way back into the understanding of Tao. Again as heresiarch, I contend that the Tao is not meant to be appeasement or worship of the spirits of things, but rather harmonious, balanced spiritual living with a positive outlook and the goal of true happiness, led by the guidance of the divine. The Tao is truly a way of life which can supplement and enhance any religion.
Of course, in the interest of full disclosure of my motives I must state as heresiarch that I am a practicing Christian, which does motivate my study of the origin of the Tao. However, I am seeking the true Tao, not a new synchretism of Taoism with Christianity. Taoism in it's truest form stands apart from religion or belief systems as an understanding of natural and spiritual interaction, balance and peaceful harmony.
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