Does Tao=God?

[Sunstone]

The gods come after the Tao.

 

[zenzero]

Friend xkatz,

Does Tao=God?

Personally would equate God to Tao, Brahman and all others that consider it to be a label for an understanding of that of which everything including us are parts off.

How it is taken by others; it is for them to share!

Love & rgds

 

[idav]

This wasn't posted to me but wanted to put my two cents as it pertains to the question of the OP.

Is there a reason you think that Tao is more like this than say, the Hindu concept of Brahman, or pantheism?

The person responded that the Tao is the "force of gods will" and this could be an accurate description in my view. Someone else earlier in the thread implied that this "force" wouldn't be personal which I agree with but then with a pantheist outlook God doesn't have to be more than the nature itself.

Or, repeating an earlier question somewhat, do you think it boils down to interpretation of what 'God', is, since the term can be very, very, vague, from "the universe itself", to "a man in the clouds wielding a thunderbolt playing chess with humans"? Do you think God-concepts such as pantheism, or panentheism, or even panendeism, are equally as incompatible, and if you think they are compatible, do you think that the aforementioned Taoist figures could have been these, or were still most likely atheists?


Just looking for your opinion.

The interpretation of, what God is, makes a big difference. Saying that the Eternal Tao is the Unnameable Tao would be the essence of the source of all things. This unnameable entity wouldn't be some God coming to us to tell us his name and demand we bow to him. To be deemed atheist then you don't put as much reverence in the nature of things and the various forms of pantheism along with the eastern philosophies do not really fall in the category of atheism IMO.

 

[Breathe]

The interpretation of, what God is, makes a big difference. Saying that the Eternal Tao is the Unnameable Tao would be the essence of the source of all things. This unnameable entity wouldn't be some God coming to us to tell us his name and demand we bow to him. To be deemed atheist then you don't put as much reverence in the nature of things and the various forms of pantheism along with the eastern philosophies do not really fall in the category of atheism IMO.

So is there a difference for one such as myself between "Tao" and "God", when God means "The Source of Everything", and is not a personal ruler, and does not create prophets, and so on? I'm not seeing anything that says so, but I'm just making sure, since I see pantheism mentioned, but I'm not entirely sure about whether panentheism or panendeism would still count?

 

[idav]

So is there a difference for one such as myself between "Tao" and "God", when God means "The Source of Everything", and is not a personal ruler, and does not create prophets, and so on? I'm not seeing anything that says so, but I'm just making sure, since I see pantheism mentioned, but I'm not entirely sure about whether panentheism or panendeism would still count?

They do count but Panentheism similar to deism go a step further in speculation putting an agent outside of the natural known universe. I'm not sure it is necessarily wrong just kinda beyond what I can say for sure, so is the nature of existence. There is some mystery left that may fall into the Panendeistic way of reality in which case the Tao would transcend all things. What isn't the Tao?

 

[ChrisP]

Does anyone believe that the conception of "God" may alter the answer?

Yes



No

It makes no difference either way to the concept of Tao IMO. The concept of God is irrelevant to the concept of Tao.

Think of a shapeless block of wood. If you carve it into a spoon it is a spoon. If you carve it into a bowl, it is a bowl.

The source of Taoist thinking is the shapeless thing that can be whatever it needs to be, once you give it form it is not the "source" of all things that the tao te ching alludes to. It is still tao if it takes shape, it is just not the source.

Suggest reading the first chapter in this translation because I'm terrible with words.

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu Translated by Stan Rosenthal, Terebess Asia Online (TAO)

 

[bodisat]

The Tao is a belief taking the shape of the watercourse way in the space of the divine mind. Its up to the individual using reason, imagination and intuition to create there own shapes of consciousness. Tao could easily be seen as God as they are First Causes. But then again Tao is believed to be non-living and unsubstantial so its unlike the concept of God. But religion and philosophy are ever changing, right in the hub of private speculation, the possibilities are endless.

 

[TurkeyOnRye]

The gods come after the Tao.

Yes. They reach for it like fire reaches the sky.

 

[bulmabriefs144]

Taoism is a Pantheism. Look up wiki to understand what this means.