Q&A for How to Become a Taoist

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Do Taoists believe in an afterlife?

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From a certain point of view, yes. Taoists believe life goes on even after death. They believe after death they keep living in a new world.

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Can I be a Taoist and follow another religion at the same time?

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Yes, Taoism can be followed in a philosophical way. There is religion path in Taoism as well, but you are free to choose whatever religion you want to follow.

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Do Taoists believe in a God in some way or another?

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Not in the standard sense. It is based on the power and energy of nature, so it really depends on how you look at it.

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Is a shrine essential to be a Taoist?

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No. You can merely adopt it as a lifestyle and retain whatever religion you are currently in, but you can if you want.

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Is there such a thing as a Taoist philosopher?

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Yes. There are many Taoist philosophers all over the world.

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Where do I get Taoist books in English?

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You can find them at most bookstores, and even your local library. I purchased mine online.

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Do I have to be Chinese to become a Taoist?

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No, you do not need to be Chinese in order to become a Taoist.

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Last part about diet. Why? If all is energy, then consuming meat, grains and beans gives more energy, right?

Community Answer

Taoism says that there are good parts of your soul and bad parts, which are sometimes personified as being spirits and demons, and that the consumption of those specific food types (as well as over-indulging in food, overeating in general, over-indulging in general) fuels the bad parts of your soul (referred to as "demons") which as a result causes feelings of anxiety and restlessness to breed within you. Also, food energy isn't the same kind of spiritual esoteric energy that Taoism talks about.

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Can a Taoist also practice Confucianism?

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Yes. Taoism is humans' correct relationship to the earth, Confucianism is humans' correct relationship to one another.

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Can I still follow Taoist as a Christian?

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Yes, you can still follow the philosophical lifestyle as long as you still believe in God.

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In which countries are most people still doing Taoism?

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China, Taiwan, Vietnam and other places within China's sphere of influence.

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Can a child be a Taoist?

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Anyone can be a Taoist at any age.

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Are there Taoist monasteries for women? Can I join one in Europe?

Trần Thị Hà An

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Yes, there are Taoist monasteries for women. There are some in Europe.

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Is the Taoist diet required?

Trần Thị Hà An

Community Answer

No, it's not required. A lot of Taoists in the modern day eats rice, grains and meat!

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Why can't Taoists eat beans and grains? They're good for you!

Community Answer

They can eat them. As the above article mentions, you don't have to avoid beans and grains to be a Taoist, although some Taoists do avoid them.

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In my perspective can I assume that tao and dao is the same or it already is?

Mary Sue13

Community Answer

Yes. They are written with D respective T because China has different dialects.

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Are there any free books on Taoism that I can use to learn the Tao?

Community Answer

Yes, you can find most or all of the Taoist texts online for free on Wikisource, Sacred Texts, and other websites.

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Why should I become a Taoist?

Community Answer

Taoism helps people get past their sense of self-centeredness and recognize the interconnectivity among themselves, those around them, nature and the universe, leading to a more fulfilling existence.

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Why aren't Taoists allowed to eat grain?

Community Answer

Taoists are allowed to eat grain, it is just a preference for some Taoists not to.

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Taoism says that you have to accept your life the way it is, but what if your life is really bad because of illness or poverty?

Community Answer

Your answer to that question lies in the gratitude you carry. Of course it's hard to be grateful for unfortunate events or predicaments you find yourself in but other people will still have it worse somewhere, people who wish they had the chance to experience what you may not even realize you have. When Taoism says to accept your life the way it is. it's another way of saying to be grateful for the little things you experience today. Whether good or bad, mundane or exciting, you don't have the best life, neither do you have the worst life, once you understand that, it'll be a lot easier to accept your life the way it is.

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Taoism says that I have to accept my life the way it is, but what if my life is really bad because of things like illness or poverty? Do I need to accept this?

Community Answer

No, this doesn't mean you just need to accept it; you have to look for opportunities to improve yourself and your situation.

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What foods do taoists eat?

Community Answer

There's no particular diet that you need to conform to in order to feel like you're practicing taoism correctly; although some taoists choose to go vegetarian/vegan, following in the taoist theme of not harming or bringing harm onto other living things, respecting them etc. Also this is somewhat unrelated but you might want to abstain from alcohol; because that is another lesson in taoism, about not valuing worldly indulgences because they aren't spiritually fulfilling.

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