The Digital World Meets Daoism
The Way…
Dao in Mandarin Chinese means “the way,” including all the English variants such as “the path,” “the road,” or “the method.” It is often used especially in the sense of “the path of life” or “the way of nature”. Its purpose is to emphasize doing what is natural and “going with the flow” through the Dao (or Tao), a cosmic force that flows through all things and binds and releases them.
This initial philosophy came from the ancestral observance of the natural world. The religion developed from an organic belief system in cosmic balance. It is maintained and regulated by the Dao. The principles of ancestor and spirit worship are tenets currently observed by many Daoists today and have been for centuries.
Daoism is sometimes understood as the way of the universe. Daoism teaches that all living creatures are to live in a state of harmony with the universe, and the energy found in it. Ch’i, or qi, is the energy present in and guiding everything in the universe.
The thoughts of the Daoist focus on genuineness, longevity, health, immortality, vitality, wu wei (non-action, a natural action, a perfect equilibrium with Dao), detachment, refinement (emptiness), spontaneity, transformation, and omni-potentiality.
