Taoism Essays (616 words) - Taoism, Chinese Philosophy, Tao, Laozi

Taoism The original form of Taoism is sometimes called philosophical Taoism or classical Taoism. Taoism never even had a name until Buddhism came to China. It was nameless. Lao Tzu even states that ?Tao? is only used because it is the closest word in meaning. Nothing can be said about the Tao without taking away from the meaning. When Taoism finally was acknowledged, it changed from its strict philosophical path to a religious one, with its own priests and holy men. For many centuries Taoism was just a way of life followed by peasant, farmer and gentleman philosopher and artist. They reflected and mediated. They learned from the highest teacher, nature. They meditated using the energy moving through their bodies and mapped out the roads and paths it traveled upon. Each man and woman was his or her own priest. The connection with the divine or Tao was the sacred trust of each individual. Taoism was said to have been created by the father of Taoism, Lao Tzu, which means ?Old Sage.? Lao Tzu was born in 1321 B.C. He was the keeper of the archives at the imperial courts. The legend has it that he went to the west border at age 80, sad because men were unwilling to follow the path of natural goodness. At the western border, a guard named Yin Xi asked Lao Tzu to record his teachings to him. Lao Tzu then wrote the Tao Te Ching. In Lao Tzu's view things were said to create wei or unnatural action by shaping desires or yu. The process of learning the names called ming used in the doctrines helped people to decide which what good and evil, beautiful and ugly, high and low, and "being" (yu) and "non- being" (wu). He believed that those who seek for and follow the Tao are strong of body, clear of mind, and sharp of sight and hearing. Followers of the Tao do not load their mind with anxieties of the world, and are flexible to change. This meant that wanting and desire was unneed ed because it was part of the Way. To abandon knowledge was to abandon names, distinctions, tastes and desires. Thus spontaneous behavior (wu-wei) resulted. Wu-Wei, which is a major theme in Taoism, is to do things in such a way that it does not seem like there is any effort involved. To do this meant to exist without conscious thought just like nature exists. It is letting go of the worldly thought and action so that the Tao might enter. Later in 399 B.C followed Chuang Tzu, who was labeled as the next great voice after Lao Tzu. Chuang Tzu developed even further what Lao Tzu had written about. He adapted what Lao Tzu taught about mystical learning and perspectives. Chuang Tzu's writing was more developed and clearly stated then Lao Tzu. He also emphasized the place humans have in nature. He believed that people should be at peace while moving with the world. He thought that different emotions lead to certain actions like compassion leads to courage or humility leads to leadership. Taoist ideas and images inspired the Chinese to love nature and to occasional retreat to it from the cares of the world to rest and heal. It also inspired an intense affirmation of physical life from health, well-being, and vitality, to even immortality. Taoism took a turn toward the occult. Some Taoists searched for "isles of the immortals," or for herbs or chemical compounds that could ensure immortality and magic but Taoists were more interested in health and vitality the search for immortality. Bibliography: Feibleman, James K. Drugs: Interactions. New York, New American Library, 1976

Analyzing and Interpreting Literature

Analyzing and Interpreting LiteratureAnalyzing and interpreting literature is an important part of higher education. An undergraduate or graduate course on the history of literature should include a large amount of literature analysis. Students in upper level courses, such as literature, will often have classes with readings in that topic, but the problem is that they may have no idea what to do with all of that reading, or they may find a bunch of interesting topics that they aren't familiar with.To make a college-level literature course successful, writing the thesis statement must be closely examined. In other words, it must be realistic. Students should write a two paragraph summary of their main points and then include a few paragraphs that explain why they agree with their summary. Essay writers have found that this process is much easier when students are offered up a sample of a Clep essay to use as a model.For every Clep student, there is a signature essay written by someone else that helps them get started on the right foot. Writing an essay on Clep will be a lot easier if you can select a sample from one of the hundreds of different websites that offer to provide sample essays for free. Most students will want to go to sites like Wikipedia to see how some people write, as it's fairly easy to pick up and learn.The theory behind essay writing about literature is fairly simple; using an essay to analyze and interpret literature helps the writer to understand the concepts and ideas that are contained within the text. Reading texts, especially ones that deal with specific issues, can be incredibly difficult for a student who hasn't done this before. They may have no idea what a word means, or what the historical context is in which it was used.Literature has been around for many years, and it has been used for so many different purposes. Some of the most notable thinkers in the world have worked on a variety of topics through the years. No matter what sub ject they choose to write about, most writers have a way of seeing things from a different perspective, and they know how to do it well. It's a skill that can be learned, and one that can be applied to many different subjects.A Clep syllabus will often be provided by the institution that the student is attending. Students can usually get these free, and it's a good idea to give yourself enough time to read through the syllabus thoroughly before you commit to an essay. Not only should you be able to see exactly what the syllabus is going to include, but you should also be able to figure out if it will be appropriate for your studies.Being able to think critically about a subject that you're studying is going to be extremely important, and this can be demonstrated through writing an essay on that topic. A good way to demonstrate this is to use literature analysis as a tool to help you develop your critical thinking skills. Reading from a good example is very helpful in showing that th e writing is relevant and well-written. Once you start having fun doing this, it can be a very enjoyable exercise.Writing a good essay on literature is a skill that every student should develop. It will teach them to analyze texts and interpret them using a variety of writing techniques. They will also learn to be able to write on a variety of topics, so long as they practice making their own literary masterpieces.