Deck 8: Daoism

Question 1

What does the following Key Term mean:
-jiao

Answer 1

A communitywide liturgy conducted by Daoist priests to implore the gods to bless everyone with health and good fortune.

Question 2

What does the following Key Term mean:
-wu-wei

Answer 2

Inactive action, or effortless action.

Question 3

Which of these best describes the Dao?

A) the eternal source of all that is real and the invisible process and underpinning of the world
B) the doctrine of the supreme beings
C) the source of nature
D) an impersonal god

Answer 3

A

Question 4

In what text does this excerpt appear? "The way that cannot be spoken of / Is not the constant way; / The name that can be named / Is not the constant name."

A) the I Ching
B) the Book of Parables
C) the Daodejing
D) the Book of the Way

Question 5

Which of these describes one way Daoists interpret the term wu-wei?

A) mindful action
B) effortless inaction
C) action taken
D) effortless action

Question 6

In the Zhuangzi there is strong emphasis on _________ the Dao.

A) understanding
B) mystically uniting with
C) overcoming
D) regaining power over

Question 7

How can the Dao be known?

A) through rational thought
B) through experimentation
C) through mystical experience
D) through prayer

Question 8

The main interest of religious Daoism has been to align the practitioner ever closer to the Dao and to achieve ________.

A) immortality
B) perfection
C) moksha
D) samsara

Question 9

Which of these is not one of the many practices mentioned in the textbook that have been taken up by religious Daoists?

A) diet and exercises
B) drinking chemical elixirs for restoration of energy
C) exorcism rituals
D) asceticism

Question 10

Which of these is not one of the three kinds of meditation practiced by Daoists?

A) concentrative meditation
B) insight meditation
C) karmic meditation
D) ecstatic excursions

Question 11

The Daoist concept of insight is borrowed from Buddhism and coupled closely with the notion of ________.

A) mindfulness
B) ahimsa
C) dharma
D) yoga

Question 12

For religious Daoists the body's "inner alchemy" is also called ________.

A) atman
B) yin and yang
C) yoga
D) anatman

Question 13

The _________ is a communitywide, multiday liturgy conducted by Daoist priests to implore the gods to bless everyone with health and good fortune.

A) Yen
B) Xing
C) Jaio
D) Wei

Question 14

Daoism evolved a pantheon of innumerable spiritual beings, gods, or celestials and immortals, as well as deified ________ and forces of nature.

A) mountains
B) bodies of water
C) kings
D) heroes

Question 15

Which of these is not a form of Daoist meditation?

A) insight meditation
B) concentrative meditation
C) yogic meditation
D) ecstatic excursions

Question 16

The Daoist body of scriptures is immense, consisting of ________ volumes added over fifteen hundred years and revered by multiple Daoist traditions.

A) 1,120
B) 150
C) 420
D) 3,000

Question 17

Unlike the Daodejing, the Zhuangzi eschews ________, focusing instead on inactive action and meditation.

A) the pantheon
B) secular life
C) wu-wei
D) politics

Question 18

For Taoism the danger is ________, reading wu-wei as admonishing us to do as little as possible or in any case nothing contrary to natural impulse.

A) ego
B) quietism
C) selfishness
D) selfism

Question 19

The slow, fluid movements of ________ are meant to increase and balance the flow of ch'i energy throughout the body.

A) mindfulness meditation
B) tai chi
C) ecstatic meditation
D) yoga

Question 20

According to Quiet Sitting with Master Yinshi there are two types of ________.

A) meditation
B) wu-wei
C) breathing
D) movement

Question 21

According to the official policy of the Communist government, Daoism is a(n) ________ rather than a religion and therefore does not have the same protections as Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam.

A) superstition
B) outdated tradition
C) cult
D) secular practice

Question 22

The Daozang's books have been sorted into three main divisions, known as the Three ________.

A) Texts of Yin
B) Caverns
C) Books of Meditations
D) Songs

Question 23

The Dao is beyond words; it is "nameless" and thus can only be hinted at.

Question 24

The Daoist is proactive and tries to take charge of problems and obstacles.

Question 25

Daoists differ on exactly what attitudes wu-wei implies.

Question 26

To besollow the Dao, Daoists follow a regimented structure of worship.

Question 27

Thus the Dao can be known through rational and unrational thought.

Question 28

In Daoist philosophy there is no special relationship between the human, or the human's mind, and the nature of the universe.

Question 29

Daoists reject public displays of religious practice such as festivals.

Question 30

The Daoist pantheon makes up a divine hierarchy, resembling a state bureaucracy.

Question 31

Daoists reject all but one form of meditation, which was developed by Laozi.

Question 32

Ecstatic excursions in Daoism are travels to the realms of the otherworld, which go back originally to the journeys of shamans.

Question 33

Second only to the Daodejing is the Zhuangzi, which comprises thirty-three chapters, the first seven of which are alleged to be the work of Zhuangzi himself.

Question 34

According to Zhuangzi, grasping the Dao helps a person to correctly apply wu-wei.

Question 35

Tai chi is a discipline developed in the eighteenth century that reflects Daoist beliefs in cosmic order and energy.

Question 36

Stepping exercises have been used in China for hundreds of years, and they are still common practice in contemporary Daoism.

Question 37

The Lady of Great Mystery was reputedly an immortal who could perform miracles.

Question 38

According to the official policy of the Communist government, Daoism has the same protections as Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam.

Question 39

Feng shui is the art of reading the yin and yang forces present in particular settings, in order to ensure the harmony of buildings and activities.

Question 40

Laozi and Confucius wrote the Daodejing together.

Question 41

In the Zhuangzi there is a strong emphasis on mystically uniting with the gods.

Question 42

Laozi says that even in matters of governance, struggle and strain are useless, but wu-wei accomplishes much.

Question 43

Discuss the main interest of religious Daoism and how it differs from philosophical Daoism. Use examples from the text to support your comparison.

Question 44

What is the importance of wu-wei? Why and how should a Daoist practice wu-wei?

Question 45

How do Daoists and Confucianists differ in their conceptions of the ultimate force in the universe? Why are these differences important?

Question 46

Discuss Laozi and Zhuangzi and the contributions made by each to the development of both philosophical and religious Daoism.

Question 47

In the Daodejing, what kind of government does wu-wei seem to imply?