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The Tao Te Ching is fundamental to the Philosophical Taoism (D?oji? A) and strongly influenced other schools, such as Legalism and Neo-Confucianism. This ancient book is also central in Chinese religion, not only for Religious Taoism (D?oji?o A) but Chinese Buddhism, which when first introduced into China was largely interpreted through the use of Taoist words and concepts. Many Chinese artists, including poets, painters, calligraphers, and even gardeners have used the Tao Te Ching as a source of inspiration. Its influence has also spread widely outside East Asia, aided by hundreds of translations into Western languages.
The author of Daode Jing or Tao was attributed to Laozi and he was supposedly a book-keeper of 6Th century BC. The oldest known version of Daode Jing (Tao), written on bamboo tablets, was found in a tomb near the town of Guodian (??) in Jingmen, Hubei, and dated prior to 300 BC. The Guodian Chu Slips comprise about 800 slips of bamboo with a total of over 13,000 characters, about 2,000 of which correspond with the Tao Te Ching, including 14 previously unknown verses.
The Tao that can be described
is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be spoken
is not the eternal Name.
"The nameless is the boundary of Heaven and Earth.
The named is the mother of creation.
Freed from desire, you can see the hidden mystery.
By having desire, you can only see what is visibly real.
Yet mystery and reality
emerge from the same source.
This source is called darkness.
Darkness born from darkness.
The beginning of all understanding." - First chapter of Tao
This is the Chinese creation myth from the primordial Tao. In the first twenty-four words in Chapter One, the author articulated an abstract cosmogony.
"In Tao the only motion is returning;
The only useful quality, weakness.
For though all creatures under heaven are the products of Being,
Being itself is the product of Not-being." - Chapter 40 the philosophy of "the continual return of the myriad creatures to the cosmic principle from which they arose."
"Knowing others is wisdom;
Knowing the self is enlightenment.
Mastering others requires force;
Mastering the self requires strength;
He who knows he has enough is rich.
Perseverance is a sign of will power.
He who stays where he is endures.
To die but not to perish is to be eternally present."
Confucius was supposedly a contemporary of Laozi, and it was recorded that Confucius sought the advice of Laozi. Confucius' teaching was more on ethics and moral covering on topics of benevolence, filial piety, loyalty, righteousness, proper conduct in daily affairs, responsibilities towards others, etc. and he stressed the importance of study - emphasising to his pupils to think for themselves and to study the outside world.
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What is the difference between Confucianism and Taoism?
