Dao and the Valley Spirit, Dao gives birth to and nourishes

Tao means a.o. “the Way.” Simply put, the way is understood to mean the way of nature. Sages see the cycles of nature and the constant change in the natural world as earthly signs of a great and universal force. They call this unseen force Dao or Tao. For some it is the Ultimate Reality, a presence that existed before the universe was formed and that continues to guide the world and everything in it. Like water feeding the earth, it gives birth to and nourishes everything but makes no claim to importance. Like water the wise person will work without calling attention to himself or herself, will do what is right and fair, and will become attuned to the nature of things. That person will understand. In Tao simply being, or getting along as nature does, comes ahead of achievement. Too much pride causes people to be brought low. Like water, Tao Sages and Masters take the low ground. Water in itself is soft and yielding but it melts the hardest things. It lies in the low places of the earth but it nourishes all life. This is the “valley spirit,” which never dies.

The legend of Lao Tzu

Little is known about the author of the book. Supposedly he was born in 604 BCE in Ku County, which today is known as Luyi County in Henan province. The legend goes that Lao Tzu wrote the 81 verses after he decided to leave his house in Henan, where he worked as a keeper of the imperial archives. Already being old and wanting to retire to the mountains, he packed up his things and set off on his donkey. When he reached the border gate between China and the wild, he was stopped by a border guard, who asked him about life’s truth. In exchange for passage, Lao Tzu would have to share his wisdom with the guard. According to the story, Lao Tzu dismounted from his donkey and wrote the entire Tao Te Ching in one sitting. After that, he was allowed passage through the gate, never to be seen or heard from again. Naturally, the truth of this legend has been questioned and contested. Some historians claim the book is a collection of centuries of wisdom, not written by Lao Tzu alone. Some even claim Lao Tzu is a fabricated character, made up from bits and pieces of several other existing people.