What is the Tao?

Answer 1

The Truth

The Path

Answer 2

The tao that can be named is not the true tao

Answer 3

Is THE WAY. It is the nature 's way /natural behavior./ later branch out to philosiphy. Confusius in his teaching has a great part to compiled in his books and known to to-days TAO

Answer 4

Tao or Dao (道, Pinyin: Dào, pronounced "doe"(Cantonese) or "doew"(Mandarin)) is a Chinese character often translated as ‘Way’ or 'Path'. In ancient China Tao gained a special currency referring to the Way of Nature or Heaven. This Great Way was considered the source of the order that could be seen in Nature and the Cosmos. The concept of the Tao and its relationship to yin and yang heavily influenced Chinese philosophy and continues to this day. Sages such as Lao Tsu and Confucius advocated a deep understanding of Nature so that human life could be lived in accord with the natural order of things. In ancient Chinese civilisation Nature was not seen as a wilderness that was in need of subduing and controlling but was Herself the teacher from whom humanity could learn.

A common theme in Taoist literature is that fulfilment in life cannot be attained by forcing one's own destiny; instead, one must be receptive to the path laid for them by nature and circumstance, which will themselves provide what is necessary. Lao Tsu taught that the wisest approach was a way of ‘non-action’ ("Wu wei") – not inaction but rather a harmonisation of one’s personal will with the natural harmony and justice of Nature. ‘The World is ruled by letting things take their course. It cannot be ruled by interfering’ (Tao Te Ching; Verse 48). Nature is stabilized by order, and humans, everything, exists within nature. Attempting to force one's own path is futile and self-destructive. ‘Do you think you can take over the universe and improve it?...The universe is sacred. You cannot improve it. If you try to change it you will ruin it.’ (Tao Te Ching; Verse 29).

It should be noted that in Taoism the complemental part of "non-action" ("Wu wei") is "non-left-undone" ("Wu bu wei"). Taoism should be viewed as advocating the harmonization of "passivity" and "activity/creativity" instead of just being passive.


TaijituLao Tsu, the legendary author of the Tao Te Ching, was the first to provide a comprehensive treatment of the Tao. The religion based on the concept of Tao - Tao Jiao - is known in English as Taoism. Lao Tsu taught that, "He who follows the Tao is one with the Tao," and "Being at one with the Tao is eternal, though the body dies, the Tao will never pass away.’ (Verses 23 & 16)

Taoism is the English name for a cluster of Chinese religious and philosophical traditions. While there is a great deal of debate over how (and whether) Taoism should be subdivided, some scholars have divided it into the following three categories.[1]

a philosophical school based on the texts the Tao Te Ching (ascribed to Laozi and alternately spelled Dào Dé Jīng) and the Zhuangzi;
a family of organized Chinese religious movements such as the Zhengyi ("Orthodoxy") or Quanzhen ("complete reality") sects, which collectively trace back to Zhang Daoling in the late Han Dynasty;
the Chinese folk religion.[2]

The Chinese character 道 (pinyin Dào, Wade-Giles Tao4) "Way".The English word Taoism is used to translate the Chinese terms Daojiao (道教 "teachings/religion of the Dao") and Daojia (道家 "school of the Dao"). The character Tao 道 (or Dao, depending on the romanisation scheme) means "path" or "way", but in Chinese religion and philosophy it has taken on more abstract meanings. The compound Daojiao refers to Daoism as a religion; Daojia refers to the activity of scholars in their studies. It must be noted that this distinction is itself controversial and fraught with hermeneutic difficulty. Many scholars believe that there is no distinction between Daojia and Daojiao, and that the distinction is propagated by people who are not familiar with Taoism.[3]

Much uncertainty exists over the meaning of Taoism. In some countries and contexts (for example, the Taoism organizations of China and Taiwan), the label is applied to Chinese folk religion, which would otherwise not have a readily recognizable English name. However many, if not most, of its practitioners would not recognize Taoism (in any language) as the name of their religion. Moreover, the several forms of what we might call organized Taoism often distinguish their ritual activities from those of the folk religion, which some professional Taoists (Daoshi) tend to view as debased.

Chinese alchemy, astrology, cuisine, several Chinese martial arts, Chinese traditional medicine, fengshui, and many styles of qigong breath training disciplines have some relationship with Taoism.

Answer 5

The Way