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Taoism Legend has it that an old sage wrote the Tao Te Ching (which is the main text of Taoism). His name was Lao Tzu. But, no matter what information you think you know about Lao Tzu, it's always being debated between scholars. No one really knows if this man even existed. Some scholars think the Tao Te Ching was written by many different authors. To me however, it doesn't matter. I bet that anyone who reads the Tao Te Ching and probes deeply enough into their own heart, they will find truth. It's pretty amazing though. The text was written about 2,500 years ago. The wisdom contained in the text is just as aplicable in modern times as it was back in ancient China. To me, Taoism (pronounced DOW-ism) is simple but yet profoundly deep. There are religious sects of Taoism that have many deities and then there are the philisophical Taoists. I'm what you'd call a philisophical Taoist. I still don't know much about religious Taoism, but I plan on learning more about it so I can understand what they believe and learn about their deities. So for the time being, this section is just going to go over the basics of philisophical Taoist thought. This is just a very basic overview. The Tao is the source that everything in the universe springs from. Taoism is a way of life. Taoists live their life in harmony with nature and the universe. I suppose you would say that the main purpose of a Taoist is to be one with the Tao. Tao, by the way is usually translated as "The Way." Taoism is an awesome philosophy because you can intermingle it with many different religions. Christians include Taoist principles into their belief's. When Indian Buddhism reached Southern China, a monk by the name of Bodhidarma introduced a new version of Buddhism called Chan/Zen. It is basically the combination of both Buddhism and Taoism. They seem to go hand to hand. To me, Taoism is a universal philosophy that anyone can benifet from. The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name. The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth. The named is the mother of ten thousand things. Ever desireless, one can see the mystery. Ever desiring, one sees the manifestations. These two spring from the same source but differ in name; this appears as darkness. Darkness within darkness. The gate to all mystery. - Tao Te Ching ( Gia-Feng and Jane English Translation) Chapter 1 What this basically means is that if you try to conceptualize the Tao in your mind, it is automatically wrong. The Tao cannot be fully described in words. What you think is the Tao is also automatically wrong. The Tao Te Ching and the Hua Hu Ching are books that can only show you the way, but it is up to you to live the way. Now, the Hua Hu Ching (pronounced WHA-hu-ching) is basically the oral tradition of Taoism that has been passed down from master to student since the time of Lao Tzu. These two books are great sources of how to live your life in harmony. Once you live your life in harmony with the Tao, you experience the Tao. Now, the "ten thousand things" in the first chapter means all that is in existance. In ancient China, they used 10,000 to represent everything that is. I once read somewhere that a sage was asked what his greatest desire was. The sage responded saying "My only desire is to be desireless." I think that explains one of the main principles of Taoism. The same goes for Buddhism also. What I believe to be the purpose in life is to sever the bonds of attachment. You can do that by selfless action and living your life simply, and in harmony with the Tao. I believe that if you go searching for enlightenment, you will never find it. Enlightenment comes as a by-product by living a life of virtue and selfless action. Enlightenment comes by developing compassion for those who deserve it and for those who don't deserve it. You must practice undiscriminating virtue towards every person. I will add more to this section in time. Like I said, this is a very brief intro. Soon I'll have some articles of mine up here that address certain topics.