Historical Dictionary of Daoism

Daoism is the oldest indigenous philosophic-spiritual tradition of China and one of the most ancient of the world’s spiritual structures. The name Daoism comes from the term *dao,* which means a “way” or a “road” through the field or woods to one’s village. It is also means the “way” to do something, such as how a master craftsman carves wood, makes a bell, or even butchers an ox. But *dao* is also a nominative in the history of Daoism, referring to the energizing process that permeates and animates all of reality and moves it along. However, both text and practice in this tradition insist that *dao* itself cannot be described in words; it is not God in the sense of Western philosophy or religion. Daoism has no supreme being, even if there is an extensive grammar about nominally self-conscious entities and powers for which the Chinese use the word “spirit” *(shen).* For example, the highest powers of Daoism are variously called *Taishang Laojun* (the deified Laozi), the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning *(Yuanshi tianzun),* the Jade Emperor *(Yuhuang Shangdi),* or the Perfected Warrior *(Zhenwu)*. But these are expressions of *dao* in specific *shen;* they are not identical