In most belief systems, the word is used symbolically in its sense of "way" as the right or proper way of existence, or in the context of ongoing practices of attainment or of the full coming into being, or the state of enlightenment or spiritual perfection that is the outcome of such practices. Aside from its purely prosaic use meaning road, channel, path, principle, or similar, the word has acquired a variety of differing and often confusing metaphorical, philosophical, and religious uses. The word "Tao" has a variety of meanings in both the ancient and modern Chinese language. The Tao lends its name to the religious tradition and philosophical tradition that are both referred to in English with the single term Taoism.Ĭalligraphy of Tao Description and uses of the concept The bagua, a symbol commonly used to represent the Tao and its pursuit The Tao is "eternally nameless" and should be distinguished from the countless named things that are considered to be its manifestations, the reality of life before its descriptions of it. Laozi in the Tao Te Ching explains that the Tao is not a name for a thing, but the underlying natural order of the universe whose ultimate essence is difficult to circumscribe because it is non-conceptual yet evident in one's being of aliveness. Its name, "Tao", or "Dao" ( Chinese ⓘ), came from Chinese, where it signifies the way, path, route, road, or sometimes more loosely doctrine, principle, or holistic belief. Rather, it is seen through actual living experience of one's everyday being. This seeing of life cannot be grasped as a concept. The Tao is the natural way of the universe, whose character one's intuition must discern to realize the potential for individual wisdom, as conceived in the context of East Asian philosophy, religion, and related traditions.
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