1. Philosophy & Religion in China
Taoism
Winnie the Pooh video is about 10 minutes long.

2. Taoism The Way of Harmony with Nature

3. Taoism Origins and Texts
Legendary founder: Lao Tzu (6th century BCE)
Primary text: Tao Te Ching (the “Book of the Way and the Power”)
81 short “chapters” containing the basic philosophy of living in harmony and balance with nature

4. Belief & Practices The Tao (“path” or “way”) Te (“power” or “virtue”)
One’s natural ability brought to peak potential through following the way
Let nature guide the way through life
Flowing water
Wind

5. Belief & Practices Three Jewels of the Tao Compassion – (Pity)
Moderation – (Frugality)
Humility
“For only he that pities is truly able to be brave; Only he that is frugal is able to be profuse. Only he that refuses to be foremost of all things Is truly able to become chief of all Ministers.” Tao Te Ching Chapter 67

6. Belief & Practices Wei-wu-wei (“active non-action”)
Passive non-resistance to the natural forces of life
Natural way to get things done with least effort and greatest success
“Go with the flow”
The Taoist sage is non-judgmental

7. Belief & Practices
Seeking Health and Longevity: through diet, meditation, exercise, and a stress-free life
Natural/holistic healing: herbal medicine, acupressure, acupuncture, exercise…
T’ai-Chi-Ch’uan (“grand ultimate boxing”)
A slow, graceful martial art stressing movement in balance

8. Vinegar Tasters
The Vinegar Tasters (嘗醋翁, vinegar tasting old-men; 嘗醋圖, 尝醋图), vinegar tasting picture is an allegory image representing Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism (Daoism), and generally favourable to Taoism and critical of the other two. It depicts three men dipping their fingers in a vat of vinegar and tasting it; one man reacts with a sour expression, one reacts with a bitter expression, and one reacts with a sweet expression. The three men are depictions of Confucius, Buddha, and Laozi, and represent the three major philosophical traditions of China — Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. Each man's expression represents the predominant attitude of the religion: Confucianism saw life as sour, in need of rules to correct the degeneration of people; Buddhism saw life as bitter, dominated by pain and suffering; and Taoism saw life as fundamentally good in its natural state. Another interpretation of the painting is that, since the three men are gathered around one vat of vinegar, "the three teachings are one".
This painting was made even more popular when it was cited in Benjamin Hoff's book, The Tao of Pooh. As mentioned in the book, the scroll painting was a popular piece of art in ancient times. However nowadays it is rarely painted in China.
Contents
[hide]
1 Interpretations
1.1 Confucianism
1.2 Buddhism
1.3 Daoism (Taoism)
2 References
3 External links
[edit] Interpretations
[edit] Confucianism
Confucianism saw life as sour, in need of rules to correct the degeneration of people, and the present was out of step of the past and that the government had no understanding of the way of the universe---the right response was to live in the past, and worship the ancestors (Smith 1996, p. 8).
Confucianism, being concerned with the outside world, viewed the vinegar as "polluted wine."
[edit] Buddhism
Buddhism was founded by a man named Siddhartha Guatama, who became enlightened when he was thirty-five years old. Siddhartha lived a very sheltered and extravagant life growing up. As he neared his thirties it is said that he became aware of all the ugliness in the world, this prompted him to leave his home in search of enlightenment. During the start of his travels Siddhartha became a beggar and studied philosophy, his studies did not lead him to the answers that he sought. He then tried asceticism alongside five monks for six years, this practice also failed to bring him enlightenment. After giving up asceticism Siddhartha decided to meditate until he found the enlightenment that he was searching for. After some meditation he became enlightened, he then became known as Buddha which means enlightened one. During his meditation he had a vision of humankind and the cycle that we are bound too. He concluded that we are bound to the cycle's of life and death because of tanha (desire, thirst, craving). During Buddha's first sermon he preached, "neither the extreme of indulgence nor the extremes of asceticism was acceptable as a way of life and that one should avoid extremes and seek to live in the middle way". "Thus the goal of basic Buddhist practice is not the achievement of a state of bliss in some heaven but the extinguishing of tanha. When tanha is extinguished, one is released from the cycle of life (birth, suffering, death, and rebirth)"(Hopfe/Woodward 2007, p 176), only then will they achieve Nirvana. Therefore Buddhism being concerned with the self viewed the vinegar as a polluter of the body and soul of the taster.
[edit] Daoism (Taoism)
Daoism saw life as fundamentally good in its natural state. Some Daoists have described it as the expression of the "comedy of life" (Kakuzo 2006, p. 23).
From the Daoist point of view, sourness and bitterness come from the interfering and unappreciative mind. Life itself, when understood and utilized for what it is, is sweet. That is the message of "The Vinegar Tasters". From The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff.
In the vinegar tasters picture Laozi's (Lao Tzu) expression is sweet because of how the religious teachings of Daoism view the world.
At the core of Daoist doctrine is the concept of the Dao or "the way." According to Daoist philosophy, the universe originates from Dao, and Dao dominates the universe. "Dao is all embracing, existing anywhere and everywhere though it is invisible. It gives birth to the universe, which then gives birth to everything in it" (Sang, 87). The Dao in this sense is the way of the universe, the driving power behind all in nature (Smith, 198)
While many religions emphasize the fact that life is full of pain and suffering, Daosim places its emphasis in how life can be enjoyable and sweet. Life becomes a pleasant experience to those who follow Daoist teachings. Within Daoism there is no standard way of living that allows one to have a rewarding life. There are in fact three differing schools within Daoism as to how it is believed one can be satisfied and find happiness in life. The first of these is referred to as philosophical Daoism. The core concept of philosophical Daoism revolves around not expending one's energy in useless and draining ways, but conserving it. The recommendations for accomplishing this are rooted in the concept of wu wei, which translates literally as inaction, however, in Daoism it means pure effectiveness. This teaching is characterized by there being minimal conflict and friction in all aspects of life (Smith, 200).
In contrast with philosophical Daoism, the second kind of Daoism is focused not on conserving one's energy but striving to increase it. This second school is focused around the concept of ch'i which to those within this school means vital energy. The term ch'i is used by Daoists in referring to the power of the Dao which they felt coursing through them. The main objective to those within this school is to further the flow of ch'i by working with matter, movement, and the mind. In terms of matter; nutritional, sexual, and breathing practices were observed. These practices were supplemented by programs of bodily movement. Some examples of such were dance, meditation, and martial arts. It was hoped that through these practices ch'i would be drawn from the cosmos and remove any blocks to its internal flow. The final of these practices focuses on the mind. Through meditation, or the shutting out of distractions, and emptying the mind, it was believed that the Dao would be able to enter directly into one's body. All of these practices were performed to increase the flow of ch'i, with the hope that it would result in physical immortality (Smith, ).
The third school is that of religious Daoism. Within Chinese society many individuals had concerns about epidemics, ghosts, and either a lack of, or an excess of rain. In order to deal with such problems, Daoism (in the religious school), took on a more institutionalized form. Individuals who it was believed held natural powers were made available to the common people to heal the sick, and perform other such miracles. Within this school rituals that were performed with exactness, had magical (or miraculous) effects (Smith, ).
Regardless of what school a Daoist found themselves in, it was still believed that through following the teachings within one's school it would be possible to have an enjoyable and rich life. For this reason, Laozi has a look of satisfaction and sweetness on his face. To this end, some Taoists have described it as the expression of the "comedy of life" (Kakuzo, 23). 8

9. Winnie The Pooh Winnie The Pooh Rabbit Owl Tigger Piglet Eeyore
Christopher Robin
Taoist
Legalist
Confucianism
Buddhist
Jainism
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