Taoism and Zennism Summary and Analysis

Taoism and tea are connected in legend. It is said that a man named Kwanyin presented to his master Lao Tzu (founder of Taoism) tea in the first known tea ceremony. It is unfortunate that Taoism and Zennism, which are so intimately linked to Teaism, have had no very good translations for Westerners to digest properly.

Tao, translated literally, means a Path. Lao Tzu was uncertain about its conception himself, and so the exact meaning of Tao has changed based upon context. It is mostly concerned with "cosmic change" and the infinite nature of the universe. Taoism and its successor, Zennism, represent an individualistic trend in Southern Chinese thought, as opposed to communistic thought that expressed itself as Confucianism in Northern China.

Taoism challenged authority and laws, saying right and wrong were relative and not absolute. The...