Its various translations-the way, supreme reality, primordial simplicity, transcendence and many others-emerge from glimpsing the tao from different angles. Tao, an expression of that which is ultimate, is many-faceted and elusive in its meaning. Tao and te are not easy to pin down, which is why the text exists in the first place. Although it is sometimes called The Book of the Way or The Way of Virtue, its title is simply meant to indicate that it is the classic text of tao and te. Eventually it acquired the status of a ching-a canonical text on a par with the great Confucian texts and The Book of Changes, the I Ching. The Tao Te Ching was originally known as the Lao Tzu, after the contemporary of Confucius who is supposed to have composed the text in the sixth century BCE, although it is probably several hundred years younger. The tao and the yin-yang symbol have long been cliches, but how broadly understood are the fundamental messages in the Tao Te Ching, and in what way are they valuable? Feng shui, acupuncture and Tai Chi, disciplines based on taoist principles, are popular and well known. In the intervening time, tao has entered the English lexicon, along with yin and yang. It has been decades since the Tao Te Ching swept college campuses and its mythic (and perhaps entirely mythical) author, Lao Tzu, became the poster boy for the mystical East. Perhaps the most valuable message the Tao Te Ching offers is that when something positive occurs, it contains within it the seeds of the negative and vice versa. Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window).Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window).Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window).Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window).

Tao te ching