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Taoist Philosophy on Environmental Protection

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Taoist Philosophy on Environmental Protection TAOIST PHILOSOPHY ON ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION Yin Zhihua Since the Industrial Revolution, the man’s conquest of nature has increasingly destroyed earth’s natural resources. From the second half of the twentieth century, severe ecological crises have threatened human life and development. Facing this degradation of the environ- ment on a global scale, more and more people realize the importance of the harmony between human development and environmental pro- tection. Scholars are studying the relationship between humans and nature in order to reinforce people’s awareness of ecology, environ- mental protection, and the need for sustainable development. Chi- nese culture, which upholds the all-important idea of the “Unity of Man and Heaven,” is attracting the attention of scholars from all over the world. As an important part of traditional Chinese culture, Taoism has been renowned for its ecological philosophy. This chapter provides a preliminary discussion of the concept of environmental protection in Taoism. Ecological Ethics in the Taoist Concepts “The Unity of Heaven and Man” and “The Communion of All Things” According to Taoism, humans share the same origin with all things. In chapter 42 of the Tao Te Ching it says: “the Tao gives birth to One. One gives birth to Two. Two gives birth to Three. Three gives birth to everything.” The Taoist master of inner alchemy Zhang Boduan interpreted this sentence as follows: “activated by the Tao, Non-exis- tence gives birth to the Unique Qi. The Unique Qi gives birth to Yin and Yang. The union of Yin and Yang, Yin, and Yang forms a trin- ity. This trinity gives birth to all things.”1 All things are the product 1 Daozang. Shanghai shudian, Tianjin Ancient Books Publishing House, Cultural Relics Press, 1988, vol. 2, p. 944. 280 yin zhihua of the evolution of the Tao. In Yuanqi lun 元气论 [Treatise on Original Qi ] we find: “the human being and all things are born from the same Original Qi.”2 So human beings share the same nature with all things, as the famous Taoist of the Southern Song Dynasty, Bo Yuchan, said: “Heaven, Earth, and I share the same root and all things in this world share the same body with me.”3 According to Taoism, the human being and the world share not only the same origin and the same nature, but also the same structure and law, as shown in the following quotation: “the human body is a tiny universe, while the universe is a big human body.” In the Taiping jing it says, “the human being takes Heaven as a model and Heaven takes the human being as a model.”4 The Taoist scholar Yu Yan said, in Zhouyi cantongqi fahui 周易参同契发挥 [Commentary on the Zhouyi Can- tongqi]: “the human body is created according to the model of Heaven and Earth. They share the same structure and evolve at the same rhythm.”5 So, Taoists advocated that man’s activities should follow the law of the universe and then “Heaven and man will act in harmony and transform themselves in the same way.”6 In this way, harmony between human beings and the environment will be attained. Since the human body is a tiny universe, human jing, qi, and shen (essence, energy and spirit) communicate with the universe. That is indeed the Taoist concept of the “Unity of Heaven and Man.” Accord- ing to this concept, human activities have an impact on the environ- ment and vice versa. If people do not take this into account, nature will punish them. From this concept, Taoism focused on man’s close dependence on the environment. To maintain harmony and peace in nature is the prerequisite for man’s life and evolution. In the Taiping jing it says: “human life depends on Heaven and Earth and living peace depends on the peace in Heaven and on Earth.”7 To reach peace in Heaven and on Earth, people should understand the laws of nature and con- sider them as the starting point of all actions, as is written at the begin- ning of the Yinfu jing: “Observe the Tao of Heaven and understand its 2 Idem, vol. 22, p. 383. 3 Idem, vol. 33, p. 129. 4 Wang Ming, Taiping jing hejiao. Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1960, p. 673. 5 Daozang, vol. 20, p. 223. 6 Idem, vol. 1, p. 821. 7 Wang Ming, Taiping jing hejiao p. 124..
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