What is Dao?

THE WAY OF PIANO • MIND • BODY • SOUL
Written by ANDREW EALES

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DAO (Tao ): ‘The Natural Way’.

Of course, things aren’t always simple. Attempting to answer the question “What is Dao” on a single webpage, we should remember that it is one that has for many centuries preoccupied thinkers from all the major philosophical schools and traditions of ancient China, not only within ‘Daoism’ itself.

An ancient Chinese pictograph for the word Dao shows a person running along a path. It is an image that reveals motion, change, a journey. Commenting on this, the contemporary author Deng Ming-Dao writes:

“Those who want to study Dao can gain much from that simple image. It represents the path each of us follows through life. Sometimes intellectual definitions of Dao can be challenging. Returning to the image of Dao centres our contemplations.”

Because Dao is the Natural Way, it can be observed, approached and experienced from many angles: religious, philosophical, scientific, creative, and simply as a lifestyle.

With its core idea of movement, Dao can mean the ‘universal energy’ that is the source of all that is. Moving inward (yin) and outward (yang), it sustains and is within all things. This understanding strikingly aligns with the findings and theories that underpin modern physics.

Whichever of these shades of meaning we adopt, it makes sense for us all to live our lives according to the Natural Way, rather than turning away to ‘swim against the current’. And yet the individuated ego colludes with society’s artificial constructs, militating against this simple, intuitive approach to wholeness and fulfilment. Dao so often eludes us.

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DAOISM (Taoism) : a collective term for the many traditions that emphasise returning to the natural state and living in harmony with Dao.

Daoism has come to be used as an umbrella for a wide variety of different beliefs and practices. However, the common thread in all these many forms and traditions is that Dao denotes something that is both the source of, and the force behind, everything that exists.

Beyond the philosophical teachings of the great sages, the traditions associated with Daoism inevitably thus have far deeper roots in the culture, ethics, values, spirituality, wellbeing, and physical practices of ancient China.

For many centuries, Daoism propelled Chinese society, and lay at the heart of everything from music to politics, from art to cuisine, from sexuality to town planning. In recent decades, Daoist culture and practices have steadily gained popularity in the West, and we have come to know and respect the many benefits they can bring.

Daoism underpins many of China’s healing and martial arts, including T’ai Chi, qigong practice, Chinese astrology, Feng Shui, the I Ching, acupuncture, and herbalism. In all cases, following the Natural Way, and the free flow of universal energy, are at the core of these practices and ideas.

Beyond the ancient Chinese ways, Daoism has informed practices such as shiatsu, acupressure, massage, the Feldenkrais Method, and given the world concepts such as Yin/Yang theory and food therapy.

From its beginnings in China, Daoism has grown, spread and diversified to make an important contribution to the beliefs, attitudes, lifestyles and choices of people worldwide. Widely embraced, often supported by progressive scientific enquiry, many of these ideas and approaches have become mainstream, but few who adopt them would describe ourselves as ‘Daoists’.

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A DAOIST (Taoist) : somebody who seeks and studies Dao.

However, for the Chinese, a Daoist is traditionally one who leaves behind their former life to follow the vocation of Daoism full time, living as a hermit or within a religious order. One should therefore not adopt the label lightly!

While Daoism as an ordered tradition draws from the wellspring of many ancient secular and spiritual practices, it only emerged as an organised religion several centuries after the classic philosophers, developing in response to the introduction of Buddhism to China.

The theology, rituals, and celebrations of religious Daoism are rooted in Daoist philosophy and practice, while incorporating folk religion, reverence of ancestors and significant figures from history, but is not dependent on the existence of an anthropomorphic godlike figurehead.

Seeking Dao, the Natural Way and Universal Energy, remains the highest ideal. In addition, Daoists believe that ‘De’, or original virtue, should be equally prized.

Bringing this down to earth, Peter Deadman explains in his superb Qigong primer Qigong: Cultivating body, breath and mind, how those of us who don’t pursue religious Daoism can yet be Daoists in our practical daily lives:

“Daoists would say that the greatest wisdom is to align oneself with the Dao, with nature and the natural way, rather than fighting against it. Whether deep in meditation, cultivating health, or practising qigong and martial arts, we observe and attune ourselves to the natural flow of things.”

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Pianodao: the Way of piano

The core mission of the Pianodao website is to promote qigong practice for piano players, supporting physical mobility, healthy breathing, mental wellbeing, and efficient piano technique. Find out more:

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Many other articles and blog posts on Pianodao explorer the philosophical and practical intersections between Daoist thinking, wellbeing practices, and piano playing. These have progressively become the cornerstone of Andrew’s teaching, playing, values, and lifestyle.

The following posts especially bring attention to some of these connections:

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