Dogma

Originally, Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian ideas were simply referred to as teachings. The notion of a dogmatic religion was entirely foreign to the Chinese until the intervention of Western beliefs. So when the Taoist speaks of a Supreme God, the language is not the same as when a Western Christian speaks of God. Whereas the Christian speaks of something external and distinct from himself, the Taoist is speaking of something external but simultaneously connected to his own inner being. Heaven and the Jade Emperor are seen not only as truly existing, but also as symbols. Externally, they reflect what is going on here, but aren't involved or necessarily concerned with our affairs.

—Stuart Alve Olson, The Jade Emperor's Mind Seal Classic

I don't know much about the Taoist pantheon of gods. It's not that I'm not interested; it's more that I see them as external and I focus more on the internal. Olson argues that they are both, and as this is very Taoist, I will need some time to consider it. Another interesting line from a page or so back: "Taoists view gods and spiritual beings as still engaging in the process of cultivating their spiritual growth...whereas Western religious Christains tend to perceive God as a manifestation of fixed perfection." To me, anything that can be labelled and pointed to is necessarily less than The-All. So the Christian notion of a supreme God separate from His creation is very, very foreign to me, because how can He be supreme if He is separate? He is less than the Whole in that case. So somewhere beyond that conception of God there must be something more, and less. Something with no label or name, something that cannot be named or described. Lao Tzu said "I call it Tao." Smullyan has a discussion of the named Tao versus the nameless Tao that is quite entertaining. By naming it, we set it apart, so that it is no longer Tao. :-)