Taoism is a Chinese religious philosophy that follows Tao (Dao), that do not believe in a single creator. They put faith in the natural order of the universe and emphasize harmony with nature.
Taoism Beliefs on Family and Parenting are based on the principle that one must live a peaceful life and spread the same with family. It is based on the 3 virtues of Taoism a.k.a. the 3 Jewels of Tao i.e.
- Empathy, Sympathy and Love
- Control, Simplicity and Prudence
- Modesty and Reserve
One must encourage their kids to visit Taoist religious places and let them choose if they wish to follow it with the same faith or not because the religion teaches us to go with the flow, to understand the true balance of nature.
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What are the Taoism Beliefs on Family?
Taoism beliefs on family can be broadly explained by the “Three Jewels of Tao” (Chinese: 三寶; pinyin: sānbǎo) that are explained below;
- Empathy, Sympathy and Love (Chinese: 慈; pinyin: cí; literally “compassion, tenderness, love, mercy, kindness, gentleness and implies the term ‘mother’, ‘mother’s/ parental love’)
- Control, Simplicity and Prudence (Chinese: 儉; pinyin: jiǎn; literally “frugality, moderation, economy, restraint, be sparing”)
- Modesty and Reserve (The 3rd treasure is a six-character phrase instead of a single word: Chinese 不敢為天下先, Bugan wei tianxia xian, “not dare to be first/ahead in the world”, referring to the Taoist way to avoid premature death.
Taoists believe that the correct way to raise their family is by teaching them these 3 virtues that will help them find the true balance in nature and eventually lead them to a happy and peaceful life.
Read: Taoism Beliefs on Nature
Read: Taoism Beliefs on Good and Evil
What are the Taoism Beliefs on Parenting?
Taoism beliefs on Family and Parenting is primarily based on 2 different schools of thoughts i.e. Quanzhen Dao and Zhengyi Dao.
The Quanzhen Dao school of thought on family and parenting has very strict restrictions i.e. it advocates people to live life with faith and discourages marriage and raising a family.
On contrary, the Zhengyi Dao school of thought preaches naturalism and it allows its followers to practice Taoism without having any prohibitions and allows its members to start their families.
Thus, a true Taoist always believes that the Tao teaches us to “Go with the Flow” and one must always follow their heart and there is nothing bad in marriage if you have full faith and trust in your partner.
Since China has a 1 child policy, therefore, many family lines could completely end if the disciples decide not to raise their families. Thus, it becomes extremely important to pass the virtues across generations.
Read: Taoism Beliefs in God and Spirits
Read: Taoism Beliefs on Abortion
Taoism Beliefs on Teaching Children
Taoism believes in teaching children a wide range of traditional knowledge so that they can broaden their perspective horizon and grow their thinking.
Taoist believe that to become a true believer one must have faith and clarity of mind. To develop the same in kids, we must provide them with all sorts of information about the culture so that they are well acquainted with what they want in life.
One must provide their children with both traditional and modern knowledge about the beliefs and traditions of the culture so that they could choose their religion with their consent.
These kids must be encouraged to visit Taoist temples, experience the Taoist lifestyle, and observe the Taoist rituals. This will give them a truly religious experience of their culture.
However, if the child is either reluctant or too young to logically decide what he or she wants, he/she should not force to join the faith — which requires them to follow a strict set of rules on how to live their lives.
Read: Taoism Beliefs on Marriage Rituals
Read: Taoism Beliefs on Education and Teaching
Read: Taoism Beliefs on Death and Afterlife
Conclusion
Taoism Beliefs on family are based on conformity with Tao, which teaches simplicity and selflessness. It is based on the 3 key ingredients i.e. Complete freedom, Complete respect and Social connection with the family members.
They believe that one must develop a peaceful relationship with himself and then just let that ripple spread across to your family members so that everyone can live a happy life in harmony with nature.
People Also Ask (FAQs)
What does Taoism teach about self-satisfaction?
Expecting more from oneself and less from others will make your life easy and simple to survive. People will start getting naturally drawn to you and your personality. Finally, this is the Tao that builds relations and attracts communion, goodness and joy into your life.
What are the beliefs of Taoism?
Taoist thought focuses on genuineness, longevity, health, immortality, vitality, wu wei (non-action, a natural action, a perfect equilibrium with Tao), detachment, refinement (emptiness), spontaneity, transformation and Omni-potentiality.