Welcome to 
TAO NOW

    Lao Tzu was a Chinese sage who we think lived somewhere between 600 BC and 400 BC.  In his own lifetime he was widely known and regarded as being very wise and spiritually enlightened.

    A common story is that in his old age Lao Tzu desired to withdraw from the hubbub of the royal court, where he worked, and devote himself to seclusion and contemplation.  So, he left his home and traveled westward, perhaps towards the spiritual center of India, we don’t know.

    Eventually he reached the frontier of the small kingdom where he lived and worked.  The keeper of the pass-station (a kind of customs agent) recognized him and, on learning of Lao Tzu’s intention to become a recluse, asked him for a favor.  He asked Lao Tzu to put his wisdom into written word so that, in his absence, the people would have something to guide them.

    Lao Tzu seemed to think that was a reasonable request.  He retired to a room to write, came out three days later, handed a manuscript to the pass-keeper, and then went on his way (apparently never to be heard from again).

    The manuscript was short, but Lao Tzu clearly felt if was complete enough to be useful to anyone who would read it.  It later became known as the Tao Te Ching.

    So what had Lao Tzu written? 

    Well, he had a problem.  The world is huge. China is big. Time passes. Things change. There are many, many people. Every person’s experience is different. Every person needs individual guidance to attain contentment and inner peace. What knowledge could he give that would encompass all of that?  None.

    He knew the task would be impossible. But because the very nature of being, of the Tao, is unity, he knew that the Tao would inevitably pull everyone into its bliss. Individuals choose only how quickly or how slowly they are guided towards oneness with the Tao. Lao Tzu’s task, then, was not to guide per se, but to instill in his readers a desire to be guided. Nature, the Tao, would do the rest.

    The Tao Te Ching is really an introduction to eternal bliss.  He’s telling the people that it exists, what its benefits are, and that they can have it if they’re willing to make a small effort.

    Who wouldn’t be interested in that?!