Daoism has existed as a tradition in China for at least 2,500 years. It takes its name from the Dao or “The Way,” as described in the Dao De Jing, “The Classic of the Way and Its Power,” attributed to the legendary Laozi, which means simply “the Old Master.” This work of great depth and beauty is one of the most translated books in the world. Its influence in China and beyond is deeply embedded in spirituality, philosophy, and popular culture. Profound insights on the great Way of Nature are also ex - pressed in the second Daoist classic, by Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu), who is thought to have lived in the 4th century B.C.E, perhaps about two centuries after Laozi.

The Way is the origin of all things — the Mother of Heaven and Earth. It is also the right pattern and the spontaneous, effective functioning of everything in nature. The Dao nourishes life and the balance of Yin and Yang. A person with full knowledge of the Dao is a Sage or enlightened person. Daoism gives the highest importance to living in accord with the order of nature and the virtues of simplicity, restraint, and humility. Daoists today seek to apply their ancient value system to engage contemporary environmental problems

The Daoist Faith Statement

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There are four main principles that should guide the relationship between humanity and nature:

In the Dao De Jing (TaoTe Ching), the basic classic of Daoism, there is this verse: “Humanity follows the Earth, the Earth follows Heaven, Heaven follows the Dao, and the Dao follows what is natural.” This means that the whole of humanity should attach great importance to the Earth and should obey its rule of movement…
In Daoism, everything is composed of two opposite forces known as Yin and Yang. Yin represents the female, the cold, the soft and so forth; Yang represents the male, the hot, the hard and so on. The two forces are in constant struggle within everything. When they reach harmony, the energy of life is created. From this we can see how important harmony is to nature.
People should take into full consideration the limits of nature’s sustaining power, so that when they pursue their own development, they have a correct standard of success. If anything runs counter to the harmony and balance of nature, even if it is of great immediate interest and profit, people should restrain themselves from doing it.
Daoism has a unique sense of value in that it judges affluence by the number of different species. If all things in the universe grow well, then a society is a community of affluence. If not, this kingdom is on the decline.

~ The Daoist Faith Statement: The Chinese Daoist Association.

Meet the Reader: Joseph Pau has been teaching Taijiquan and Qigong for over two decades, and says about himself, "I was a follower of the Way even before I knew what that was."