What is called Taoism: One being Tao, the way of self cultivation, the pursuit of the utmost Tao; Two being to teach, enlightening all disciples and the people of the world, the pursuit of the utmost good. The core of Taoist thought is self deliverance and delivering others, self deliverance is the precondition for delivering others, only those who have delivered themselves can deliver other sentient beings. First of all one must cultivate Tao, the pursuit of reverting back to innocence and returning to perfection, going back to one’s most pure and true nature. Cultivating Tao requires putting in effort, it is not something that ordinary people can achieve, one must discard entirely fame, honour and wealth of the secular world. By means of cultivating the self attain the state of utmost perfection.
Only after oneself has attained the state of goodness, can one enlighten the world. And the pursuit of enlightening the world is the utmost good. What is called utmost good not only is it beneficial to oneself, it is also beneficial to Heaven and Earth, it is also beneficial to the myriad things, no strings attached, and without any other impure ideas, that is utmost good.
Truly great virtue, utmost perfection and utmost good, with the self heading towards the direction of good, others will also head towards this direction. This is Taoism’s most foremost spirit. This spirit is circulated from mouth to mouth amongst the common folk, describing the state of utmost perfection such as “removing the false retaining the true”; the concept of good is expanded into “curbing evil and propagating good”, “abandoning evil and comply with good” etc, Taoist enlightenment is mainly to direct the world in the field of morality towards good.
Taoism itself stresses the cultivation of the self and enlightenment, the core of Taoism can be epitomized with four words, that is self deliverance delivering others, first deliver one’s self only then will one be qualified to deliver others.
孟至岭道长
Taoist Reverend Meng Zhiling
Translated by Wang Chongwei 王崇伟
道教的精神内核是什么？
所谓道教：一是道，自身修身之道，追求至真；二是教，教化众徒与世间人，追求至善。道家思想核心为自度度人，自度乃是度人的前提，只有自度的人才能去度众生。首先自身要修道，追求返璞归真，回到人最纯真的本性。修道是要下功夫的，不是一般人所能达到的，要将俗世的名利、荣辱富贵全部舍弃的。通过修身达到至真的境界。
在自身达到善的境界之后，才是教化世人。而教化世人追求的乃是至善。所谓至善不仅仅有利于自身，还要是有利于天地，有利于万物，没有任何附加条件，也没有任何其他杂念的善，才是至善。
真正的大德，至真至善，自己朝着善的方向，他人也朝着这个方向。这是道教最根本的精神。这种精神在普通老百姓口中流传着，形容至真境界的如“去伪存真”；善的概念演变为“抑恶扬善”、“弃恶从善”等，道教教化主要是要世人在道德方面向善。
道教本身讲求修身和教化，道教最核心的东西用四个字来概括，就是自度度人，先度自己才有资格去度别人。
孟至岭道长