Likely composed by more than one person over time, the Tao Tê Ching is a text that contains the beliefs and practices that followers of Taoism hold true. A fundamental belief presented in the Tao Tê Ching is the existence of the Tao, an intangible and ever-present force of nature whose perfect qualities form the core of a Taoist’s ideal way of life.
The Tao Tê Ching describes the Tao (often also referred to as “the Way”) as a force that transcends nature; the Tao is intangible and has existed forever in all things. Chapter twenty-five of the text describes the Tao using words such as “formless,” “unchanging,” and “infinite.” These words embody the underlying nature of the Tao.
The Intangibility of the Tao
The Tao Tê Ching says, “Look, and it can’t be seen. Listen, and it can’t be heard. Reach, and it can’t be grasped.” The Tao is not human nor is it human-like and cannot be handled in a tactile manner. Rather, it is a force of nature. An appropriate comparison is gravity. Gravity cannot be directly seen or touched, but its effects can be experienced. To see an object fall to the ground is not to see gravity but instead to see gravity’s influence on the object. Likewise, the Tao cannot be seen explicitly, but its influence on the material world can be observed.
The Omnipresence of the Tao
The Tao Tê Ching points out that the Tao existed before the universe and that it is “eternally present.” Like the Semitic God, the Tao is a being beyond nature and transcends the concept of time itself. It exists in a non-decaying form in the past, present, and future. It existed before matter was created and will survive after the physical world ends.
The Tao is also present at all places. “It flows through all things, inside and outside…” Everything in existence, material and conceptual, is imbued with the Tao’s presence. The text describes the Tao as a net that encapsulates the entire universe. Nothing can escape the Tao’s power or exist outside of it.
The Tao as a Life Path
The Tao Tê Ching commands that followers “[s]tay centered with the Tao.” According to the text, a person can stay centered with the Tao by following its non-confrontational qualities and by giving up control to its perfection.
Pacifism is the first quality of the Tao that can be manifested in man’s action. The Tao does not influence events by force. Instead, it is flexible and yielding, taking an approach that controls without conflict. The Tao Tê Ching likens it to water, as water is soft and patient but can also carve mountains and wear away stone and metal. In the gentle fluidity of the Tao, the greatest of accomplishments are possible.
Like the Tao, then, it's suggested that people should live humbly and flexibly, letting events unfold as they are meant to unfold and develop over time. The text explains that someone who accepts the Tao as a model for living should not use any kind of force to impose ideas on others or to conquer enemies. For the Taoist, coercion is the greatest wrong.
Submitting to the Tao’s power is the second way in which the Tao guides life decisions. In the Tao Tê Ching, the Tao is described as “perfect” and as being “the mother of the universe.” Because the Tao is the ultimate power, people must give up control to it and have faith that the world will carry on in the best way it can. “Open yourself to the Tao, then trust your natural responses; and everything will fall into place,” the Tao Tê Ching advises. “The master sees things as they are, without trying to control them.” To be a “master” of Taoist philosophy, one must acknowledge the power of the Tao and allow it to assume full control.
Sources:
- Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, translated by Stephen Mitchell. (Harper Perennial Modern Classics: New York: 2006).
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