great root of the world , and harmony is the pervasive Way of the world . Once centrality and harmony are realized , Heaven and Earth take their proper places and all living things are nourished .” Yizhuan ( Commentary of the Book of Changes 易传 ) talked about “ taking centrality as an aspiration ...( and ) as a guide for one ’ s right conduct .” Mencius advocated “ taking the middle way to establish oneself .” In the Confucian “ Actions of the Great Yü ” in the Book of Documents ( DaYümo in Shangshu 尚书 • 大禹谟 ), considered to be an authentic transmission of “ sixteen characters ” from the tradition tracing back to Yao and Shun , we have this : “ The heart of man is indeed in danger . The heart of the Way is indeed subtle . One must be sincere . One must be persistent . Hold to that centrality without bias .” Confucianism , Taoism and Buddhism thus all gave prominence to the philosophy of “ centrality and harmony ” 24 .
It encompassed Heaven and Earth . Dr . Stephen T . Chang of the American Tao University said in The Integral Management of Tao : Complete Achievement : The Yellow Emperor used the principle of Dao as a guideline for administering and developing the state . From the Eastern Zhou onward , independent regimes emerged which provided opportunities for Confucianism , Legalism and the other six schools to contend against one another . From Taoism came Confucianism , Legalism , Mohism , Agriculturalism , the School of Names , Militarism , the Yin-Yang School , and the School of Diplomacy 25 .
Daoxue undoubtedly possesses many meanings and values relevant to the modern , global world . Taoism is reasonable , legitimate and fair , and has a fivethousand-year lineage dating back to the Yellow Emperor . It opens up new ideas for our world of the 21st century . The conflicts between East and West will surely be reconciled and unified by the Great Dao ; and the relevance of Daoxue has generally been recognized by the modern international academic community . International research generally recognizes that “ Dao ” will be the “ guiding principle of the world ” in the 21st century 26 .
Chinese youth now shoulder the responsibility to establish the heart-mind for secure life for the people , continue the learning of past sages , and bring about peace in the world 27 . The Chinese philosophy is to study human beings , society ,
24
Hu Fuchen and Zhonghu Yan , The General Theory of Taoism , ( Paths International Ltd , 2013 ), 79-82 .
25
Ibid , 58 .
26
Ibid
27
Stephen Chang , Management Gist of Daoism -- Wisdom of Life and the Road to Success , trans . Wang Hu and Wang Jinshun . ( Sichuan University Press , 1992 ), 19 .
30