1. The cosmology of Tao?

people in ancient China simply believed that everything in the world originated from a primitive state of chaos, and the gradual differentiation of the primitive world led to the formation of various things and phenomena. The cosmology of Laozi's philosophy is to raise the simple concept of our ancestors into a theory. In many places in Laozi's Tao Te Ching, it is clearly said that "Tao" is the root of the creation of all things in the world. ?

Laozi's cosmological theory of Tao points out that Tao is the general source of all things' life, and Tao has the eternal power to nurture all things without being nurtured. Although it is still in the stage of "origin theory", it is a qualitative leap compared with "creationism" and has a higher level of philosophical abstract thinking than "five elements theory", which can be said to mark the highest level of human understanding of the world at that time. ?

second, the ontology of Tao?

The question to be answered by the ontology of philosophy is the "why" or "why trace" in China's traditional philosophy. Lao Zi thinks that this "why" is the "Tao", and that if everything leaves the "Tao", it will lose the basis for heaven, earth and everything. Laozi's "Tao" is not only the origin of all things in the world, but also the essence and basis of the existence of the world in logic. ?

Lao Tzu said, "Tao is the essence of all things" (Chapter 62 of Tao Te Ching), thinking that Tao is the center of all existence, and it does not depend on anything else, but everything else depends on it.

Lao Tzu said, "In the past, the sky was clear, the land was peaceful, God was spiritual, the valley was full, everything was alive, and the marquis thought the world was right.".

Lao Tzu believes that Tao itself is a kind of mixed existence, which does not belong to either side of contradiction and opposition, but all contradictory sides are formed from it. For example, Yin and Yang * * * are born out of Tao, and heaven and earth are born out of Tao; "Tao" itself is a kind of homogeneous existence, which has no difference, but all the differences arise from it, such as the size of things and the life and death of people are all derived from "Tao"; "Tao" itself is an abstract existence without any stipulation, but the stipulation of everything comes from it.

third, the axiology of Tao?

"Tao" in Laozi's philosophy is not only the source of everything and the noumenon of the objective world, but also the source of value and the highest value measure of the world in which people exist. It is not only the object of human knowledge, but also the object of belief. Laozi's "Tao" is not only an objective truth, but also the highest realm of human life, so it should be respected and expensive.

Lao Tzu said, "Man follows the earth, the earth follows the heaven, the heaven follows the Tao, and the Tao follows nature" (Chapter 25 of the Tao Te Ching). It means that "humanity" takes the method of "Heaven" and requires "humanity" to be as natural, quietism and nurturing as "Heaven". ?

The ancient ancestors in China generally believed that there was a Tao in heaven and earth and a Tao in society, that human life was the right way if it conformed to the Tao, and that it was the evil way if it deviated from the Tao, so they always advocated seeking the Tao in various ways, which was full of optimism and perseverance. Laozi's axiology of "Tao" is the theoretical explanation of this thought. ?

fourth, the self-cultivation theory of Tao?

Taoism advocated the cultivation of both form and spirit, and later it was promoted to the cultivation of both life and soul through the development of Taoist Neidan School. This kind of cultivation includes two aspects.

First, to cultivate spirit or nature means to overcome hypocrisy, restore natural simplicity, transcend emotional desires and improve spiritual realm. The concrete methods put forward by Laozi are "less selfish desires", "keeping quiet in vain", "sharing weal and woe" and "being kind and frugal".

the second is to repair shape or life, that is, to simplify health care. Taoism attaches great importance to the way of keeping in good health and regards maintaining the healthy development of life as the top priority of self-cultivation.

Extended information:

Historical evaluation:

Confucius commented on Laozi: "Birds, I know they can fly; Fish, I know it can swim; Beast, I know it can walk. Walkers can be useless, swimmers can be nylon, and fliers can be awkward. As for the dragon, I don't know, it took the wind and cloud to heaven. I saw Lao Tzu today, and he is still evil! "

Kant commented on Laozi: "The goodness praised by Laozi lies in nothingness, and this kind of preaching takes nothingness as goodness, that is, a kind of consciousness that melts into the abyss of godliness by merging with godhead and thus obtaining self-feeling by eliminating personality." "Spinoza's pantheism and approachability are related to China's Laozi thought."

Hu Shi commented on Laozi: "The greatest contribution of Laozi lies in transcending heaven and earth, so don't assume a' Tao'."

Introduction of Lao Zi:

Lao Zi's surname is Li Minger, whose initials are Bo Yang or Bo Yang. At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, people were born in Ku County (the name of ancient county) in Chen (later in Chu) during the Spring and Autumn Period of Zhou Dynasty. China was an ancient thinker, philosopher, writer and historian, the founder and main representative of Taoist school.

Laozi is a world cultural celebrity, one of the world's top 1 historical celebrities, and is also called Laozi and Zhuangzi with Zhuangzi. In Taoism, Laozi is revered as the ancestor of Taoism, and is called "the old gentleman on the throne". In the Tang Dynasty, Laozi was regarded as the ancestor of Li.

Laozi's surviving works include Tao Te Ching (also known as Laozi), which is one of the most widely published works in the world. In the 198s, according to the statistics of UNESCO, among the world cultural masterpieces, the Bible was translated into foreign languages and published with the largest circulation, followed by the Tao Te Ching.

Laozi's thought has a profound influence on the development of China's philosophy, and its ideological core is simple dialectics. Politically, Laozi advocates the rule of inaction and the teaching of words. In politics, Lao Tzu pays attention to the principle that extremes meet. In terms of self-cultivation, Laozi is the ancestor of Taoist double cultivation, paying attention to the practice of being humble and honest, and not arguing with others.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Laozi (founder of Taoist School)