Tales from the Tao

Very late last night after posting here, I picked up a new book for a few minutes reading before lights out. I was quickly engrossed and read it start to finish.

About the Tao is an interesting  website which explains the background to the book better than I can:

In ancient China, there was a very wise man named Lao Tzu who was the keeper of the imperial library. Lao Tzu saw the growing corruption of the government and decided to leave the city for a simpler life in the country. On his way, the guard at the city gates asked Lao Tzu to write out the essence of his understanding to benefit future generations. Lao Tzu wrote the Tao Te Ching, then left the city and was never heard of again.

The Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, is one of the most influential books in history. It is the source of famous Chinese sayings such as;

“Those who know do not speak, those who speak, do not know”.

This book above is put together by Solala Towler and comprises about 30 of Lao Tzu’s tales. The stories introduce Taoist principles about many of the most basic human experiences – birth, death, loss, dignity.

The Tao was more a philosophy than a religion though when Buddhism came to China in the 5th century it became mixed up with the native Taoist traditions and became a unique form of Buddhism, called Chan, which later on travelled to Japan where it was taken up by the Samurai class, who laid it over their own bushido philosophy and named it Zen.

It’s a fascinating read and I highly recommend it.

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“Even a 1,000 mile journey starts with a single step” The Tao