Taoist philosophy

thumb|200px|Symbol of Tao (the Way) thumb|200px|Uncreated Eight Trigrams, representing the uncreated state of a being before it incarnates into the material world. thumb|200px|Post-created Eight Trigrams, representing the state of a being after it is born into the material world.

Qigong () is a system of coordinated body-posture and movement, breathing, and meditation said to be useful for the purposes of health, spirituality, and martial arts training. With roots in Chinese medicine, philosophy, and martial arts, qigong is traditionally viewed by the Chinese and throughout Asia as a practice to cultivate and balance the mystical life-force qi.

thumb|Calligraphy of a segment of the "Yang Zhu" ("Yang-chu") chapter - Kojima Soshin The Liezi () is a Taoist text attributed to Lie Yukou, a c. 5th century BC Hundred Schools of Thought philosopher. Although there were references to Lie's Liezi from the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC, a number of Chinese and Western scholars believe that the content of the current text was compiled around the 4th century CE by Zhang Zhan.

concept in various Chinese philosophies, referring to an ideal form of government or a state of unconflicting personal harmony, free-flowing spontaneity and savoir-faire

concept in Chinese philosophy

Dantian (丹田; Pinyin: dāntián, Romaji: tanden) in traditional Chinese medicine is a center of qi, the vital life force.

thumb|right|Development of the immortal embryo in the lower dantian of the Daoist cultivator Neidan, or internal alchemy (), is an array of esoteric doctrines and physical, mental, and spiritual practices that Taoist initiates use in hopes to prolong life and create an immortal spiritual body that would survive after death. Also known as Jindan ( "golden elixir"), internal alchemy combines theories derived from external alchemy (waidan ), correlative cosmology (including the Five Phases), the emblems of the Yijing, and medical theory, with techniques of Taoist meditation, daoyin gymnastics, an

thumb|Laojun rushan fu "Lord Laozi|Lao's amulet for entering mountains" from Baopuzi Inner Chapter 17 Baopuzi () is a literary work written by Ge Hong (AD 283–343), (), a scholar during the turbulent Jin dynasty.

school of thought in China

Huang–Lao () was the most influential Chinese school of thought in the early Han dynasty, having its origins in a broader political-philosophical drive looking for solutions to strengthen the feudal order as depicted in Zhou politics. Not systematically explained by historiographer Sima Qian, it is generally interpreted as a school of Syncretism, developing into a major religion, the beginnings of religious Taoism.

thumb|Chinese calligraphy|Calligraphy of 無心

Chinese word for "essence", one of the Three Treasures

Neigong (internal strength or internal skill), also spelled nei kung, neigung, or nae gong, refers to a series of internal changes that a practitioner goes through when following the path to Dao, and these changes may be achieved through practices including qigong or tai chi. Neigong is also associated with xingyi quan.

thumb|The Daoyin Tu, a Mawangdui silk texts|painting on silk depicting the practice of daoyin; unearthed in 1973 in [[Hunan Province, China, from the 168 BC Western Han burial site of Mawangdui, Tomb Number 3.]]

8th century CE Daoist scripture associated with astrology and internal alchemy

Qingtan () was a Chinese philosophical movement and social practice among political and intellectual elites which developed during the Wei-Jin () period and continued on through the Southern and Northern dynasties. Originating among Daoist scholars, particularly those belonging to the syncretic Xuanxue school, qingtan involved "pure conversation" concerning metaphysics and philosophy in the form of informal gatherings for discourse and debate. These gatherings originated as politically impartial continuations of the more explicitly politically "pure criticism" () protests of the later Han dyna

anthology of the Taoist Canon compiled in 1029 by Zhang Junfang

associated with the Chinese philosophy and religion of Taoism

The Wenzi () is a Daoist classic allegedly written by a disciple of Laozi. The text was widely read and highly revered in the centuries following its creation, and even canonized as Tongxuan zhenjing () in the year 742 CE. However, soon afterwards scholars started questioning its authenticity and dismissing it as a forgery that was created between the Han dynasty and the Tang dynasty. The text's fate changed in 1973, when archeologists excavated a 55 BCE tomb and discovered remnants of a Wenzi copied on bamboo strips, which offer us a glimpse of what the text looked like prior to its drastic r

essay by Fritjof Capra

Taoist term; in the Daodejing, refers to compassion, frugality, and humility

thumb|Woodblock printing#China|Chinese woodblock illustration of a waidan alchemical refining furnace, 1856 (Illustrated Manual of External Medicine)

lesser god or deity in Chinese religions such as Taoism, figures in Chinese mythology

Chinese parable

Taoist book by Li Ying-Chang

Ziran, also rendered in the Wade-Giles romanization as tzu-jan, is a key concept in Taoism and East Asian Buddhism that literally means 'of its own' or 'by itself' and thus "naturally; natural; spontaneously; freely; in the course of events; of course; doubtlessly." == Etymology == This Chinese word is a two-character compound of and , which is used as a -ran suffix marking adjectives or adverbs (roughly corresponding to English -ly). According to the Shuo Wen lexicon, the character 自 zi means "nose." In Chinese culture, the nose (or zi) is a common metaphor for a person's point of view.

Chinese horse tamer

Zhenren ( or 'person of truth') is a Chinese term that first appeared in the Zhuangzi meaning "a Taoist spiritual master" in those writings, as in one who has mastered realization of the Tao. Religious Taoism mythologized zhenren, having them occupy various places in the celestial hierarchy sometimes synonymous with xian. Zhenren has been used in various ways depending on the sect and time period.

Chinese manuscripts

Chinese proverb

concept in Daoism

The (), or The Book of Transformations, is a 930 CE Daoist classic about "internal alchemy", psychological subjectivity, and spiritual transformation. In the description of Poul Andersen, The is a unique philosophical work of the period of the Five Dynasties, which syncretizes elements of Taoist, Buddhist, and Confucian thought, and which has been noted in recent times for its scientific observations (for instance regarding optics and acoustics) and for its unusual emphasis on epistemological considerations. Its influence during the Song and subsequent dynasties was substantial, both within Ta

4th-century BCE Syncretic philosophy text