Brief Historical Context for the Daodejing (3)
Overview
The Daodejing (Tao Te Ching) is one of the foundational texts of Daoism (Taoism) and remains a crucial window into ancient China's spiritual and philosophical thoughts. Understanding the historical context in which it emerged enables us to imagine the issues its profound statements and images address. Without this context, it is easy to read ideas and concerns in the text that are alien to its intent.
The historical setting of the Daodejing is rooted in the Warring States period (475-221 BCE). This era is characterized by constant warfare, political fragmentation, and socio-economic transformation. During this time, the Zhou Dynasty, which had previously provided a semblance of unity to the Chinese states, was in decline. The feudal states battled fiercely for dominance, resulting in societal chaos and widespread suffering. The constant upheaval of this period forced thinkers and scholars to contemplate the nature of political power, human behavior, and the ideal way of life.
The chaos of the Warring States period gave rise to the golden age of Chinese philosophy. It saw the emergence of myriad schools of thought, including Confucianism, Legalism, and Mohism, each proposing solutions to the prevailing disorders. Together, they were known as the hundred schools of thought. The Daodejing is a response, or an alternative, to the doctrines of these schools. Where Confucianism emphasized social rituals, hierarchies, and moral virtues and Legalism proposed strict laws and stringent punishments, the Daodejing presents a remembered indigenous or preserved Paleolithic perspective (more on the roots of this perspective in the following article).
Traditionally, the Daodejing is attributed to Laozi, a semi-mythical figure said to have been a contemporary of Confucius. While the historicity of Laozi remains a matter of debate, the ideas encapsulated within the Daodejing seem to originate from a collective oral wisdom tradition rather than a singular author.
The primary themes of the Daodejing, simplicity, spontaneity, and compassion, can be viewed as a direct reaction to the violent and competitive landscape of the Warring States period. In a world torn by power struggles, the Daodejing championed the virtues of humility, gentleness, and yielding. It proposed that rulers lead not by force or coercion but by setting a virtuous example. This idea of leadership stood in stark contrast to the aggressive tactics of the time, positioning the Daodejing as a revolutionary text.
Furthermore, the Daodejing's emphasis on living in accordance with nature, understanding the cyclical patterns of life, and embracing the interconnectedness of all things are the needed perspectives to achieve stability and harmony in a tumultuous world. The text's poetic descriptions of nature's rhythms and its metaphorical portrayals of the Dao were a not-so-subtle critique of the artificial constructs and ambitions that had led to societal disarray.
The Horrors of War
Thankfully, most of us reading this article have never had to experience living in a time of protracted war. But if we don't stop and try to imagine something of what that might be like, we will miss the urgency and drive that fueled movements like Daoism. Consider some of these effects of living in a time of war.
Whole communities can become displaced, leading to mass migrations. A sudden influx of people into adjoining areas can produce shortages in food and water, challenges in finding shelter, inadequate systems for handling human waste, and resentment from the population absorbing the migration. What would it be like if you and ten thousand neighbors suddenly had to run to the next city with only the clothes on your back? What if you had aging parents living with you or young children? What would it be like to find yourself at the mercy of strangers forced to deal with all these people for whom they had no plan?
Displacement can happen in a natural disaster, but when it is a result of war, it can also mean the loss of men caught up in the fighting, leaving a more significant proportion of women and children behind. While this sometimes empowers women to take on new roles, it can expose them to gender-based violence or increased responsibilities without corresponding rights.
Then, there is the need to care for the injured and maimed. Diseases from poor sanitation and malnutrition spread. The destruction of roads makes travel more difficult, if not impossible. Often, the land is devastated, preventing the growing of food or raising livestock.
Prolonged warfare erodes the fundamental sense of security that individuals need for well-being, making it hard for people to trust again, even in peacetime. The psychological scars of war don't heal quickly. They can be passed down, with the next generation inheriting their predecessors' fears, anxieties, and traumas.
The impacts of protracted warfare are multifaceted and interwoven, often leading to a vicious cycle that can take decades, if not longer, to break. The repercussions of prolonged conflict extend far beyond the battlefield, affecting every aspect of society and continuing long after the fighting has stopped.
Several passages in the Daodejing refer explicitly to war and its effects; however, civil and political unrest runs through the background of the entire book. On every page is the unspoken question: how did we get into this extreme social chaos? The Daodejing's answers to these pressing concerns did not come from the ivory towers of academia; they were forged in the crucible of human suffering and grounded in a mostly forgotten past. A past preserved in the oral folk tradition that thankfully was not wholly lost.
In my next article, I will explore elements that may have been a part of the remembered Paleolithic wisdom expressed in the Daodejing.