LECTURE I

Tue TAO OR ORDER OF THE UNIVERSE.

Unity of Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism; it does not mean religious tolerance. The three religions have one common basis, which is Universalism.

Foundation of the Chinese Empire by Shi Hwang. The creation of the state institutions and the state religion under the Han dynasty (two cent. B. C. and two cent. A. C.). Classicism, Confucianism.

The Tao (Way) or Order of the World. Man has to live in accordance with it; this discipline is the Tao of Man. The Confucian Classics are the holy books of that discipline.

Man's dual soul (shen and kwei) is a part of the dual soul of the Universe, Yang and Yin, resp. warmth and cold, light and darkness, heaven and earth. The Yang consists of an infinite number of shen or good spirits, gods, and the Yin consists of an infinite number of kwei or evil spirits, spectres.

Polytheism. Polydemonism. Spectres are the agents of Heaven for punishment. Morality on the demonistic base.

The Patriarchs of Universalism: Lao-tszé, author of the Tao teh king, Chwang-tszé, and Kwan-tszë.