Taoist Philosophy and Gambling

Taoism is a philosophy rather than a religion. It is a way of looking at things and going about one's life. "Tao" can be translated as "The Way," and it is believed to have come from an ancient Chinese philosopher named Lao Tzu. In Taoism, the universe is infinite and possesses a natural flow that is ultimately good and right, and that a person's life would also be good and right, if only they would go with the flow and let it be so.

The Tao Te Ching is a text that was supposedly written by Lao Tzu, and it states that nature has a rhythm that is all its own. No matter how hard humans may try, it will continue to flow as it would: seasons change and night leads into day. Regardless of what people might want, a seed can grow into a giant tree, provided that it is the kind of seed that would do so.

In Taoism, each person's enlightenment is their own; the way for a person to achieve it is to observe the world around them without imposing their wills on it; rather they must allow the wisdom of their spirits; the wisdom of the universe to come to them naturally. A person must allow the world to happen: things will change and events will occur, and this will always be so, and it is right that it is so.

In a way, Taoists and gamblers share may traits; even though it may seem like an unlikely sort of establishment for doing so, the casino can actually be a great place to contemplate the Tao. Even if a person plays a more strategy-based kind of gambling game, gambling activities are ultimately based on the unpredictable. Individuals wager what they value on predictions on whether or not something will happen.

A person cannot do anything but wait to see whether or not they will win the bet. The outcome of a gambling game is not something a player can completely control, unless they try to cheat. A gamer has to let a gambling activity play out as it will, in much the same way that Taoism suggests that a person has to let the world around them be. In gambling, a person can choose how much to bet and what to bet on, but they are still subject to the caprices of fate: as with the Tao, a person can make their own choices, but they must also allow the world to move and flow as it would.