Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge & Truth — Page 167
TAOISM. A. LL CHINESE RELIGIONS are derived from the same ancient source of spiritual and religious experiences of the great Chinese sage prophet Fu. Hsi. In the subsequent ages, many a great sage and thinker pondered over the works of Fu Hsi and studied them in-depth. Based on their study they presented to the. Chinese people new philosophies, sciences, religions and moral teachings. Among them are King Wăn, his son Cheu. Kung and Lao-tzu, all held in great esteem by the Chinese people of all ages. The way of life presented by Lao-tzu (6th century BC), a contemporary of Confucius, is known as. Taoism. . In Taoism, eternal truth is embodied in a being known as Tao whose attributes are spiritual and holy rather than material. Tao can be aptly defined as a personification of eternal virtues. They are precisely the same attributes as ascribed to God in Islam and other Divinely revealed religions. Taoism teaches man to completely submit to. Truth (Tao), and to strive to modulate Tao. Tao is the model, and Taoism is the way to gain nearness to this model. . The same is the treatment in the Holy Quran regarding the relationship between God and man: صِبْغَةَ اللهِ وَمَنْ اَحْسَنُ مِنَ الله صِبْغَةً وَنَحْنُ لَهُ عَبدُونَ* 2:139. The hues of God! And who is more beautiful in hues than God? and Him alone do we worship. ' 165