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Essence of World Religions
immortality, alchemy, breath control and hygiene (internal alchemy), a pantheon of deities, monasticism, and the ritual of community renewal, and revealed scriptures. Buddhism influenced the Taoist liturgy and theology. The Tao, or the Way, has never been put down in words; rather it is left for the seeker to discover within himself. Lao tzu said, "The Tao that can be expressed or named is not the eternal Tao.” Taoism is concerned with man's spiritual level of being. The awakened man is compared to bamboo; upright, simple, useful outside, and hollow inside. Radiant emptiness is the spirit of Tao, but no words will capture its spontaneity, or its eternal newness. The followers are taught to see the Tao everywhere, in all beings and in all things. Taoist shrines are the homes of divine beings that guide the religion, bless and protect worshipers. Zhuangzi taught that, from a purely objective viewpoint, all opposition are merely the creations of conceptual thought and imply no judgments of intrinsic value (one pole is no more preferable than its opposite). Hence, the wise person accepts life's inevitable changes. Lie Xi said that the cultivation of Tao would enable a person to live for several hundred years. Taoism teaches the devotee to lead a long and tranquil life through the elimination of one's desires and aggressive impulses. Beliefs The Eternal may be understood as the Tao or the Way, which embraces the moral and physical order of the universe; the path of virtues, and the Absolute, understood as that "the Tao that can be described is not the eternal Tao". The sage Lao Tsu is uniquely great as is his disciple Chuang Tsu. The Tao te Ching and the writings of Chuang Tsu are important spiritual insights. Man aligns himself with the Eternal when he observes humility, simplicity, gentle yielding, serenity, and effortless action. The goal and the path of life are essentially the same, and that the Tao can be known only to exalted beings who realize it themselves -reflections of the beyond are of no avail. The omniscient and impersonal Supreme is implacable beyond
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