Portal:Taoist Studies

Welcome to the Wikiversity Department of Taoist Studies.

Introduction

The Wikiversity Department of Taoist Studies is a content development project for learning resources related to the Way, for those who wish to follow as well as the curious.

Learning Projects and Learning Materials

Undergraduate

Introduction to Taoism

Daoism
Introduction to Taoism - An introduction to the major tenets, figures, writings, and schools of historical Taoism.
A Brief History of the Way - A more in-depth study of the history of the Taoist faith.

Text Studies

Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) - The 5,000 character classic considered by most academics to be the founding document of Taoism.
Chuang Tzu - A longer and more complex enumeration of Taoist philosophy and cosmology, just as essential to comprehending Taoism as the Tao Te Ching.
Lieh-tzu - The third Taoist classic, more down-to-earth and practical than either the Tao Te Ching or the Chuang Tzu.
I Ching oracle - A guide to use and interpret the Oracle.

Seminary School

Dao - "The Way that can be followed is not the true Way, the Name that can be named is not the true Name." Doing the impossible, and describing the Dao.
De - The virtue of the Way, and how to cultivate it.
Wu Wei - Actionless action, explored in detail, including an essay from William S. Burroughs.
Po - The "uncarved block" of Lao Tzu.
Qi - The breath of life.
Eight Trigrams - The binary basis of the universe.
Five Elements - The life-cycles in classical Taoist cosmology.
Taoist Ethics: Walking the Way - A short course on the ethics and morality of Taoism.

Electives

Applied Taoism

Taoist Sexual Practices - Immortality through sex.
Feng Shui - A layman's course to Taoist geomancy.
Tai Chi and Other Taoist Martial Arts - A brief introduction to Taoist philosophy in the martial arts, focusing especially but not exclusively on the "Taoist" arts of Tai Chi, Bagua Zheng, and Xing-yi (Hsing I).
Introduction to Traditional Chinese Medicine - What they're doing when they prick you with those needles.
- Qi - The breath of life.
- Shen - The holy spirit.
- Jing - The material essence.
The Flavor That Can Be Tasted... - Taoist dietary practices, focused on modern application.

Social Studies

The Peach Wine Cauldron - Where the complex interrelationships between Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism will be examined.
Modern Taoism: Asia - Exploring the role of Taoism and the Way in modern Chinese and other Asian societies.
Modern Taoism: The West - A discussion of Taoism's rise and future in Western countries.
Rough Notes on Classical Chinese - Classical Chinese, n., a verb with optional tense, mood, aspect, or nouns.
Taoism and Science: Towards a Rational Taoism - Reconciling traditional Chinese beliefs with an Enlightened scientific viewpoint.
Missing The Point: The Philosophical/Religious Schism - Discussing the perceived divide between "philosophical" Taoism and "religious" Taoism, and why it doesn't matter after a few cups of peach wine.