According to Tao Te Ching, Tao is self-existent, formless, eternal, omnipresent, and is the source of all existence. While all phenomena in the universe change continuously, Tao, as the source of all, remains motionless and changeless intrinsically: There is something undifferentiated and yet complete. Which existed before heaven and earth.
Taoism is both a religion and philosophy with roots extending to ancient shamanism. It is codified in the Tao Te Ching, history’s second most translated book after Christianity’s Holy Bible. Its eighty-one poems were written in 500 BC by the Sage, Lao Tzu.
The Tao that a Confucian teaches is a rigid logical complex system of behavior. The Tao of Taoism is freedom to embrace all the whimsy of life. The same Tao both times: in the using the Tao to refer to a way of life, but the actual results, the teachings practiced are quite a bit different.
The Tao Te Ching, or “The Way and Its Power,” is a collection of poetry and sayings from around the third and fourth centuries B.C.E. that guides Taoist thought and actions.
Taoism, indigenous religio-philosophical tradition that has shaped Chinese life for more than 2,000 years.
Tao (pronounced “dao”) means literally “the path” or “the way.” It is a universal principle that underlies everything from the creation of galaxies to the interaction of human beings.
Taoism is an ancient Chinese Philosophy that provides a pleasant breath of fresh air in a fast-paced world focused on meritocracy and achievement. Alongside Confucianism, Taoism is one of the two main tenets of Chinese thought. It has evolved over millennia and is still practiced today.