Longhu Mountain

07/04/2026

What is Emptiness in Taoism?
Originally a Buddhist term,

it refers to the illusory and insubstantial nature of all things in the form realm. All phenomena are formed by the conjunction of causes and conditions, arising and perishing in an instant, without possessing their own essential attributes. Taoism adopted this concept to describe the existential form of The Dao.

What is Emptiness in Taoism?
The Classic of the Supreme Lord Laozi on the Origin of Emptiness and Spontaneous Nature states: "What is emptiness? Emptiness is the state before the coming into being of heaven, earth, mountains and rivers—when one looks left and right, all is vast and boundless, without hindrance or limit, a pure expanse where nothing can be seen or heard, from which the Dao arises of its own accord."

In Taoist philosophy, emptiness, non-being and vacuity are often used to interpret and explain one another.

Daoist “emptiness” isn’t borrowed emptiness. What is Emptiness in Taoism? Discover how Kong becomes the womb of cosmic spontaneity.

07/04/2026

What are the Inaudible and Invisible in Taoism?
Yi denotes the colorless, and Xi the soundless—this term describes the Dao as existing in an imperceptible, ethereal state of emptiness.

What are the Inaudible and Invisible in Taoism?
Chapter 14 of the Dao De Jing states: "That which cannot be seen is named Yi; that which cannot be heard is named Xi." Practitioners of Internal Alchemy regard this as the characteristic of primordial Qi. Volume 72 of The Compendium of Taoist Rituals and Methods notes: "Xiyi is the treasure of emptiness and spontaneity, the primordial Qi of one’s parents. Primordial Qi is the purest and most unadulterated thing in the world, beyond full description with words. Xi means the utmost subtlety; Yi means tranquility and nourishment."

Beyond senses lies truth. What are the Inaudible and Invisible in Taoism? Discover how sages access the formless qi that births heaven and earth.

07/04/2026

What is Subtlety in Taoism?
A state that cannot be grasped or touched.

The Dao De Jing states: “That which cannot be grasped is called Subtlety.”

① It refers to the Dao in its formless essence.

He Shang Gong’s commentary: “The formless is called Subtlety. It means the One has no form or body, so it cannot be seized or held.”

What is Subtlety in Taoism?
Emperor Xuanzong of Tang’s commentary: “Subtlety is the wondless form. The Dao is formless, so it cannot be grasped; because within the formless it can still give form to all things, it is called Subtlety.”

② It refers to the subtle mechanism of the Dao.

Li Rong’s commentary: “The great image has no form, hard to touch or grasp. The sage realizes it mysteriously, understanding emptiness completely. Thus Subtlety means the hidden mechanism. Moving to respond to all things is the mechanism, wondrously transcending both being and non-being.”

③ It refers to essence, spirit, and Qi.

Cheng Xuanying’s explanation of “Subtlety”: It refers to essence, spirit, and Qi, as understood in the “Three in One” teaching. Essence is the name for luminous wisdom; Spirit is its unfathomable function; Qi is that which gives form and appearance.

Too fine to grasp, yet moves all things. What is Subtlety in Taoism? Explore how sages perceive the invisible trigger of transformation.

15/03/2026

What is Emptiness in Taoism?
A fundamental concept in the philosophy of Daoism and Taoist religion, as well as in Internal Alchemy. It refers to the state of the boundless void—formless and featureless—that existed before the creation of the universe.
The Guanzi·Xin Shu states: "The way of heaven is empty and formless" and "Emptiness is the beginning of all things". Daoist thinkers used emptiness to describe the essence of the The Dao, defining it as an immaterial state of voidness.
What is Emptiness in Taoism?
The Zhong He Ji notes: "Thus we know that emptiness is the essence of the great Dao, the beginning of heaven and earth. Motion and stillness arise from it, yin and yang are established by it, and all things are born of it. Therefore, emptiness is the foundation of all under heaven." For this reason, Taoist philosophy and Internal Alchemy also regard emptiness as the primal state of the universe and the supreme realm of cultivation. The Chang Dao Zhen Yan states: "To refine emptiness is to unify the emptiness of the yang spirit with the emptiness of the boundless void, merging them into an inseparable whole—this is what is meant by 'the body and spirit both achieving subtle transcendence, and uniting with the The Dao to attain true reality'." The state of emptiness is a realm of void that is clear and luminous, unborn and imperishable, neither existing nor non-existing, eternal and abiding—a state of true void and wonderful existence.

True emptiness holds everything. What is Emptiness in Taoism? Discover how Daoist alchemists dissolve ego to merge with the eternal void.

15/03/2026

What is Non-action in Taoism?
A fundamental category of Taoism, and also the basic principle for Taoism to address various issues of social politics and human life.

Laozi first advocated the thought of "Non-Action". Proceeding from the premise that the way of heaven is naturally non-action, he proposed that humans should follow the way of heaven, advocating to "act with non-action, handle affairs with non-engagement, and taste the tasteless", and stating that "to strive for action is to fail, to cling to control is to lose". He warned that willful "action" leads to failure, while "Non-Action" enables one to "achieve all things through inaction". Zhuangzi developed Laozi’s thought, urging people to "not be a vessel for fame, not a repository for scheming, not a bearer of worldly affairs, not a master of contrived wisdom", to let the mind roam beyond the four seas and commune with the spirit of heaven and earth.

Not laziness—but wisdom in motion. What is Non-action in Taoism? Explore how Daoists avoid harm, ego, and chaos by flowing with the Dao.

15/03/2026

What is Nature in Taoism?
Nature is both Taoism’s expression of the Dao and a foundation of its cultivation theories.
The Taoist concept of Nature derives from the philosophical ideas of Laozi and Zhuangzi.
Laozi used "Nature" to expound the essence of the Dao and De, and established it as the guiding principle for human conduct.

True nature isn’t wild—it’s self-so. What is Nature in Taoism? Explore how Daoists cultivate alignment with the unforced rhythm of existence.

14/03/2026

What is the Expressible Way in Taoism?
The term originates from the opening of the Dao De Jing: "The Dao that can be spoken of is not the eternal Dao". Based on this statement, Wang Xuanlan of the Tang Dynasty divided the The Dao into two major categories—the Expressible Dao and the Eternal Dao—to illustrate the relationship between the Dao and all things (including all living beings).

What is the Expressible Way in Taoism?
The Eternal Dao and the Expressible Dao differ in their creative functions: the Eternal Dao gives birth to heaven and earth, while the Expressible Dao gives birth to all things, as the adage goes: "The Eternal Dao is inherently ineffable, yet the Expressible Dao is impermanent. The ineffable begets heaven and earth, and the Expressible Dao begets all things."

All words point beyond themselves. What is the Expressible Way in Taoism? Explore how Tang master Wang Xuanlan framed the Dao of impermanence.

14/03/2026

What is the Eternal Way in Taoism?
The Dao De Jing contains the line: "The Dao that can be spoken of is not the eternal Dao". From this, Wang Xuanlan of the Tang Dynasty divided the The Dao into two types: the "expressible Dao" and the "Eternal Dao", holding that the Eternal Dao gives birth to heaven and earth, while the expressible Dao gives birth to all things.

What is the Eternal Way in Taoism?
All things come into being and pass away, thus the expressible Dao is fickle and unsteady; heaven and earth endure forever, thus the Eternal Dao is unchanging. The expressible Dao is merely the form and appearance of things, while the Eternal Dao is their true essence. "The expressible Dao is the false Dao, and the Eternal Dao is the true Dao." As the "true and eternal Dao", the Eternal Dao also represents the supreme realm of Taoist cultivation. Therefore, Wang Xuanlan advocated that people should pursue the Eternal Dao to attain eternal life.

Form changes; the source endures. What is the Eternal Way in Taoism? Discover how Tang dynasty master Wang Xuanlan distinguished true from transient Dao.

14/03/2026

What is Permanence in Taoism?
It refers to the ultimate return to the origin and the fulfillment of one’s innate destiny amid the transformations of all things.

What is Permanence in Taoism?
The concept derives from Chapter 16 of the Dao De Jing: "Reach the utmost of emptiness, hold fast to the perfection of stillness. All things rise and flourish, and I watch their return. All things grow abundant, yet each returns to its root. Returning to the root is called stillness; stillness is called the fulfillment of destiny; fulfillment of destiny is called the Eternal Constant; knowing the Eternal Constant is called enlightenment. Not knowing the Eternal Constant leads to reckless actions and misfortune." All things are born of the The Dao and then undergo endless transformation. Though the myriad phenomena of the world are complex and diverse, all transformations move in an endless cycle and return to their primal origin. This universal phenomenon of all things cycling back to their root is what is meant by Chang.

12/03/2026

What is Principle in Taoism?
A philosophical concept in ancient Chinese thought and Taoist philosophy.

The character Li was extremely rare in texts predating the Warring States period.

Four pivotal works from before this era—the Book of Documents, I Ching, Analects of Confucius, and Dao De Jing—boasted a rich vocabulary that largely laid the foundation for classical Chinese. Yet not a single instance of Li appears in these four texts. The character is found four times in the Discourses of the States; in the Zuo Zhuan, it appears four times excluding a quotation from the Book of Songs that reads "I demarcate my borders and regulate my lands". In these contexts, it merely referred to a title for ancient officials (judges in antiquity). Before the Warring States period, Li was either absent from major classics or only used in extremely rare cases to denote the demarcation of territorial boundaries or as an official title. At that time, Li was not only unused as a philosophical category but also had not become a basic lexical item in everyday language. All philosophical categories are reflections of real-world relations in human thought. The emergence of new social relations during the Warring States period gave rise to a social intellectual trend of seeking and debating Li, in which people regarded Li as the ultimate criterion for distinguishing right from wrong: "Thus, argument that does not conform to Li is false; knowledge that does not conform to Li is deceptive. The ancient kings punished deceitful and false people. For Li is the source of right and wrong."

In Daoism, “Li” isn’t rigid law—it’s organic pattern. What is Principle in Taoism? Discover how it guides cultivation, ethics, and cosmic flow.

12/03/2026

What is Virtue in Taoism?
A fundamental concept in pre-Qin Daoist thought, synonymous with "attainment". To attain the Dao is to embody De, meaning the Dao is manifested in all concrete things, and De shapes the innate nature of all beings. All things follow the Dao and hold De in reverence, for all heaven and earth and all beings are born of the Dao. Chapter 51 of the Dao De Jing states: "The Dao gives them life, De nourishes them, matter forms them, and circumstance perfects them." That is, the Dao is the primal origin of the universe, bestowing life upon all beings; this life accumulates and manifests as De, which defines the innate nature of all things; matter takes shape for all beings, and circumstance fulfills their functions. The Dao is the essence, and De is its function. The Dao reveals itself as the material world through De, and De is the form in which the Dao exists. "The manifestation of the greatest De is to follow the Dao alone"—the supreme De is the embodiment and operation of the The Dao.

True virtue flows like water. What is Virtue in Taoism? Explore how “De” bridges cosmic order, inner alchemy, and compassionate living without ego.

12/03/2026

What is the Tao in Taoism?
The supreme category of Daoism and Taoist religion. In Daoist philosophy, the Dao has both essence and function. In terms of its essence, it is the origin of the universe. As the "beginning of heaven and earth", the Dao is Wu (non-being), embodying simplicity, absoluteness and emptiness; as the "mother of all things", it is You (being), possessing potentiality, infinity and vitality. In terms of its function, it is the universal law and order. Such law and order are the "Eternal Dao", embodying objective principles such as eternal operation, unity of opposites, harmony between heaven and humanity, nature as the foundation, and non-action that accomplishes all things.

In Daoist thought, the Tao is nameless yet real. What is the Tao in Taoism? A guide to its metaphysics, mysticism, and transformative practice.