You-Sheng Li (rewritten, April 30, 2010) (from A New Interpretation of Chinese Taoist Philosophy Chapter 15 by You-Sheng Li) Apart from political tricksters and manipulators, or elixir-seekers who said they were Taoist followers but they were not, there were occasionally emperors in Chinese history who sincerely believed in Taoism and used Taoist principles to guide this huge empire. Although Lao Tzu listed some principles running a country, he, from a Taoist view, only asked the government not to interfere with life at the primary society level. Neither Lao Tzu nor Chuang Tzu was a politician or a political philosopher. They …

Written by You-Sheng Li (Rewritten June 2007, edited 28 March 2009) I think the best words to describe Mao Zedong (1893-1976), the founder of Communist China, are those he said when he was young: Battling with heaven, the joy is limitless; battling with Earth, the joy is limitless; battling with people, the joy is limitless. As far as his life and his impact on the country he controlled from 1949 to 1976, Mao was as good as those words. The West and the former Soviet Union used to complain about the bellicose cock like China under the Communist rule. It …

( From A New Interpretation of Chinese Taoist Philosophy, Chapter 15 by You-Sheng Li) Humans have long realized the tragic nature of civilized life on earth. Hindu-Buddhist traditions teach that life itself is suffering, and the only way to stop suffering is to give up all desires and extricate oneself from the secular world. According to the Judaic-Christian Bible, Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and God drove them out of the Garden of Eden. There is no death but only happiness inside the Garden while death and suffering are …

During the Warring States Period (475-222 BC), the vast area along the Yangtze river valley was the territory of State Chu, which was lagging behind other states in social reform. It was the ideal environment to cultivate Taoist ideology, since the favourable climate allowed an easy life there. Once a man lost his bow, but was reluctant to find it back, saying, “A man of state Chu lost his bow but another man of State Chu got it. Why do I have to bother myself looking for it?” Confucius heard this and said, “It is okay if the words ‘State Chu’ are omitted.” Confucianism embraces the whole humanity. Lao Tzu …