[Introductory note:] This early text of Taoism had been alternately called "The Way of Lao Tzu," "The Book of the Way," and "The Book of the Way and How it Manifests Itself." Another early text, I Ching, "The Book of Changes," emphasizes the Taoist principles of change and yinyang, the principle of the balance and reconciliation of opposites. Yin is associated with the feminine, earth, darkness, negative, passive, and destructive. Yang is associated with the masculine, heaven light, positive, active, and constructive.

In Lao Tzu, there is another basic principle, that of wu-wei -- literally "non-action," but more accurately: apparently actionless activity. It does not propose inactivity, passivity, or escapism, but rather following the natural dynamics of nature. The favorite Taoist example is the flow of water in a stream. It follows the line of least resistance, pushing and changing course depending on what it encounters. It effortlessly penetrates every crack and crevice. When it meets resistance, it gives way but surrounds the obstacles. Eventually, it can move heavy obstacles and wear down the hardest rocks. In this way, wu-wei is ultimately powerful and superior.

So with the Tao and man's rational faculties: the knowledge of sense perceptions, rationality, and logic appear firm and indisputable. However, eventually through Taoist enlightenment, these illusions of material reality are worn away and a direct perception achieved of what is real and permanent. Taoist enlightenment is the product of much experience, understanding, and discipline, but not the Confucian kind (of academic study, formal rites, and social action). Taoists seek to identify with the dynamic processes of nature, flowing with these natural processes not resisting them, using their strength to aid in achieving personal goals. In psychological terms, this implies the negation of ego, arrogance, and desire, and the personal strivings for dominance and using other people and things for selfish gratification. [adapted from Raymond Van Over, Taoist Tales (1973)]

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1

The Tao that can be spoken about [lit. "Tao-ed"--as a verb] is not the eternal Tao;
The name that can be named is not the eternal name.
The Nameless is the origin of Heaven and Earth;
The Named is the mother of all things.

Therefore, let there always be non-being, so we may see its subtlety [mystery],
And let there always be being, so we may see its outcome.
The two are the same,
But after they are produced, they have different names.
They both may be called profound.
Deeper and more profound,
The gateway to the foundation of the world.

4

The Tao is empty [a void, like the inside of a bowl].
It may be used but its capacity is never filled up.
It is bottomless, like the ancestor of all things.
It blunts its sharpness.
It unties its tangles.
It softens its light.

It becomes one with the dusty world.
Deep and still like a pool, it appears to exist forever.
I do not know whose son it is.
It seems to have existed before the Lord of Heaven.

11

Thirty spokes unite around the hub to make a wheel,
But the utility of the cart depends on its non-being [the void part of the hub].
Clay is molded to form a bowl,
But the utility of the vessel depends on its non-being [the interior void].
Doors and windows are cut out in building a house,
But the utility of the room depends on its non-being.
Therefore, take advantage from being, and apply the utility of non-being.

14

We look at it and do not see it;
Its name is The Invisible.
We listen to it and do not hear it;
Its name is The inaudible.
We touch it and do not find it,
Its name is The Subtle (formlessness).
These three are beyond further inquiry....
Infinite and boundless, it cannot be given any name.
Call it shape without shape, form without objects.
It is the vague and elusive....
Hold fast to the ancient Way [Tao]
in order to master the things [?govern] in the present.
From this, one may know the primal beginnings [of the universe].
This is called the thread [principle] of Tao.

19

Abandon sageliness and discard wisdom,
Then the people will benefit a hundredfold.
Abandon benevolence and discard righteousness,
Then the people will return to filial piety and deep love.
Abandon cleverness and discard profit,
And there will be no thieves or robbers.
However, these three externals [superficial adornments of culture] are not enough.
Therefore, let the people hold on to these:
Manifest plainness,
Embrace simplicity,
Reduce selfishness,
Entertain few desires.

25

There was something undifferentiated and yet complete,
Which existed before heaven and earth.
Soundless and formless, it depends on nothing and does not change.
It operates everywhere and is free from danger.
It may be considered the mother of the universe.
I do not know its name -- I call it Tao.
If forced to give it a name, I call it Great.
Being great means functioning everywhere.
Functioning everywhere means far-reaching.
Far-reaching means returning to the original point.
Therefore, Tao is great.
Heaven is great. Earth is great.
The king is also great.
There are four great things in the universe, and the king is one of them [as representative of man].
Man must conform to the Earth.
Earth must conform to Heaven. Heaven must conform to Tao.
Tao conforms to its own nature ["what is so of itself"].

33

He who knows others is wise.
He who knows himself is enlightened.
He who conquers others is physically strong.
He who is master of himself is truly strong.
He is rich who is contented.
He is energetic who is willful.
He who does not lose his place [with the Tao] will endure.
He who dies but does not really perish enjoys true longevity.

41

When the highest type [superior] men hear about the Way [Tao],
They diligently practice it.
When the average type of men hear Tao,
They half believe, half reject it.
When the lowest type [inferior, vulgar] men hear Tao,
They laugh heartily at it. If they did not laugh, it would not be the Way…

42

Tao produced the One [the original material force].
The One produced the Two [yin and yang, the two opposing and reconciling forces].
The Two produced the three.
And the three produced the ten thousand things [everything else].
The ten thousand things carry the yin and embrace the yang, and through the blending of the
material force they achieve harmony. . .

47

The world may be known without going out of the house.
The Way of Heaven may be seen without looking out of the window.
The further one goes, the less one knows.
Therefore, the sage knows without going,
Understands without seeing,
Accomplishes without doing.

56

He who knows, does not speak.
He who speaks, does not know. . .

71

To know that you do not know is the best.
To pretend [think] you know when you do not, is a disease.
Only when you recognize this disease can you be free from it.
The sage is free from the disease
Because he recognizes it for what it is, and is healthy.

81

Honest words do not sound fancy,
Fancy words are not honest.
A good man does not argue,
He who argues is not a good man.
A wise man does not have extensive knowledge,
He who has extensive knowledge is not a wise man.

The sage does not accumulate things for himself.
The more he uses for others, the more he has himself.
The more he gives to others, the more he possesses of his own. . .

[compiled from various sources, including: The Way of Life, Lao Tzu , tr.. Blakney (1955) and Wing-Tsit Chan, The Way of Lao Tzu (1963).]