Taoism suffered a significant setback in 1281 when many copies of the Daozang were ordered burned. Taoist architecture has affected how people live their lives all over the world. One spell of Taoistic influence is the “Come down, soldiers and fighters, and line up before me!” which is used to enter a holy mountain on certain days. The history of Taoism—like that of any spiritual tradition—is an interweaving of officially recorded historical events, and the transmission of the internal experience that its practices reveal. Important Branches of Taoism. It began in the 7th century and combined Buddhism, yin-yang divination, Shinto and Taoist elements. About the Book Author. Here’s a brief summary of the different historical and modern branches of Taoism. Taoist influence is found all over our media in ways we would have never guessed. Taoism also influenced Shugendo, Japan’s shamanistic and mountain worship. This destruction gave Taoism a chance to renew itself. A bit like modern day american christianity. Confucianism is not generally considered a religion or practiced like a religion, nor did it inspire great schools of art, as did Taoism and Buddhism. The Star wars movies had a ground base of Taoism, and so did the movie Kung Fu Panda. This video charts the creation and evolution of Taoism and its spread to Korea and Vietnam. It … Taoism did not exist as an organized religion until the Way of the Celestial Masters sect was founded in 142 C.E. Those are just two examples. Taoism as a religion began in the year 142 C.E. The 'spread' of Taoism is hard to define as there are also the poular variants which have little to do with enlightened being but are more concerned with propitiating the gods for good harvest, divination, success in the market place, a happy marriage etc. Did you know that Yin Yang was not a taoist idea, and Laozi did not even invent “Taoism”? Over the centuries, and especially recently, the philosophy of the Tao has spread to many corners of the world. Taoism also spread to Western countries. During the Koryo dynasty (918-1392), Taoism became a part of official religious practice. There have historically been many different types of Taoism, and it’s sometimes hard to keep them all straight or understand how they relate to one another. Daoism, or Taoism, is mainly located where it originated: China. Since Taoism is an coined, anglicized word, our choice is not to put it in the pinyin, in spite of the fact that we have changed "the Tao," the way, to "the Dao." Editor's Note: It is a matter of scholarly debate whether to change the term Taoism (or Taoist) into Daoism/Daoist to conform with pinyin's rules. 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