Daoism

In the overview essay, James Miller gives us a broad sketch of the Daoist view of the Earth and cosmos and illustrates why Daoism is ecological at its essence. Daoist cosmological concepts of “the individual as a celestial being” in harmony with the universe and “the universe [as] a single, vital organism, not created according to some fixed principle but spontaneously regenerating itself” show why it is challenging for the Western-trained mind to fully grasp the Daoist perspective on the environmental issue, but can also provide great hope and a source of sublime interconnectedness and a vision for harmonious cosmic unity.

 

 

Overview Essay

“Daoism and Ecology” by James Miller of Duke Kunshan University gives a look at Daoist cosmology and its implications for the environmental crisis.

Advisory Group Members
Go here to see a list of all of the Forum advisors working on the intersection of Daoism and ecology, including brief biographies and contact information.  Go here to read more about the Forum Advisory Group.  
Bibliography

This listing by James Miller of Duke Kunshan University provides a wealth of resources on this topic from the 1970s to the present day.

Statements

This statement comes from The China Daoist Association, the leading body representing all Daoists in mainland China. This piece is an authoritative statement by the Association.

Engaged Projects

Though we are unaware of any engaged projects working specifically within the Daoist tradition, we provide links here to some international projects that encompass all traditions. If you have a project that you believe should belong in this section, please message our webmaster using the Contact Form.

Sacred Texts
Here you'll find pertinent excerpts from the Tao Te Ching, the Zhuangzi, and more.

 

Multimedia

Located here are multimedia offerings of interest, relating to the intersection of Daoism and ecology.

Ecojustice Resources

This page contains lists of resources related to Daoism and Ecojustice, organized by category (books, articles, etc). To see all of the Ecojustice resources on the Forum site, go to our new religiously-engaged Ecojustice hub.

Links

In addition to the links in the Engaged Projects section, we have provided a brief list of additional online resources here.


Header photo credit: ©John Grim, Golden-hat Daoist priest leading a healing ritual for a family in Taipei, Taiwan