Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

1. In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple. 2. If you want to become full, let yourself be empty. 3. If you want to be given everything, give everything up. 4. If you realize that you have enough, you are truly rich. 5. When there is no desire, all things are at peace. 6. Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you. 7. In the pursuit of knowledge, every day something is added. In the practice of the Tao, every day something is dropped. 8. The Masters power is like this. He lets all things come and go effortlessly, without desire. He never expects results; thus he is never disappointed. He is never disappointed; thus his spirit never grows old. 9. I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures. 10. The Master has no possessions. The more he does for others, the happier he is. The more he gives to others, the wealthier he is.

What is Tao?
The word "tao" is usually translated as "way", "road", "method", "technique" or "principle". As a concept, Tao is the most important topic in the philosophical Taoism (tao-chia).

The Chinese character for tao is made of 2 signs: head and foot or walking. That is the conscious walking or the ancient (way of) walking

In Tao-te ching, Tao is the name given by Lao-tzu to the Great Pervader or theMother of all Things. Tao is the creator and sustainer of everything in the Universe. It is described as follows: There was something undefined and complete, coming into existence before Heaven and Earth... (Tao-te ching, chap. 25, Legge) Tao is the model of conduct to be followed by the Taoist disciples and it is linked with wu-wei and wu in this respect. The word "tao" points further to the skills of some people such as: a good archer, musician, painter or writer it was supposed to have his/her own tao. Chinese sovereigns showed very much interest in the gifted people - they were invited at the court, put to the test, and rewarded properly when they proved their skill. Finally, the Tao concept may be found at Confucianists as well. In this case it points to the art of ruling of the ancient Chinese sovereign taken as models of virtue by Confucius himself.
The Historical Origins Of Taoism: Taoism/Daoism is an organized religious tradition which has been unfolding its various forms in China, and elsewhere, for upwards of 2,000 years. Its roots in China are believed to lie in Shamanic traditions which predate even the Hsia Dynasty (2205-1765 BCE). Today Taoism can rightly be called a world religion, with followers from a whole range of cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Forms Of Taoist Practice: Some Taoist practitioners choose to affiliate with Taoist temples or monasteries, i.e. the formal, organized, institutional aspects of the tradition. Others walk a hermits path of solitary cultivation; and still others adopt aspects of a Taoist world-view, lifestyle and/or practices while maintaining a more formal connection to another religion. The four main lineages of Taoist practice today are: Quanzhen (Complete Reality), Lingbao (Numinous Treasure), Shangqing (Highest Clarity), and Tianshi Dao (Way of the Celestial Masters). Taoist World-View: Natural Rhythms & Qi: The Taoist world-view is rooted in a close observation of the patterns of change that exist within the natural world. The Taoist practitioner notices how these patterns manifest as both our internal and external terrains: as our human body, as well as mountains and rivers and forests. Taoist practice is based on coming into harmonious alignment with these elemental patterns of change. Central to this alignment with the patterns of the natural world is cultivating a sensitivity to qi (chi). What is qi? It is life-force energy - what animates all living things. In other traditions it is called prana, ki or shakti. The Tao & Immortality: As you accomplish such an alignment with the patterns of the natural world - their wisdom and power you gain experiential access, also, to the source of these patterns: the primordial unity out of which they arose, named as the Tao. At this point, your thoughts, words and actions will tend, quite spontaneously, to produce health and happiness, for yourself as well as your family, society, world and beyond. You will have attained the highest virtue ("De") and be on the path leading to the realm of Immortality - the summit of Taoist practice.

Laozi and the "Daode Jing": The most famous figure of Taoism is the historical and/or legendary Laozi (Lao Tzu), whoseDaode Jing (Tao Te Ching) is its most famous scripture. Legend has it that Laozi, whose name means ancient child, dictated the verses of the Daode Jing to a gatekeeper on Chinas western frontier, before disappearing forever into the land of the Immortals. TheDaode Jing (translated here by Stephen Mitchell) opens with the following lines: The tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal Name. The unnamable is the eternally real. Naming is the origin of all particular things. Cultivating Intuition Through Metaphor, Paradox & Poetry: True to this beginning, the Daode Jing, like many Taoist scriptures, is rendered in a language rich with metaphor, paradox and poetry: literary devices which allow the text to be something like the proverbial finger pointing to the moon. In other words, it is a vehicle for transmitting to us - its readers - something which ultimately cannot be spoken, cannot be known by the conceptual mind, but can only be experienced intuitively. Qigong & Inner Alchemy: This emphasis within Taoism of cultivating intuitive, non-conceptual forms of knowing is seen also in its abundance of meditation, Inner Alchemy and qigong forms practices which focus our awareness on our breath and the flow of qi (life-force) through our bodies. It's also exemplified in the Taoist practice of aimless wandering through the natural world a practice that reconnects us with a child-like curiosity and playfulness, at the same time teaching us how to communicate with the spirits of trees, rocks, mountains and flowers; as well as through intuitive healing forms such as the Yuen Method. Taoist Ritual, Divination, Art & Medicine: Along with its institutional practices -- the rituals and ceremonies eneacted within temples and monasteries; and the more secularized holidays; and the internal alchemy practices of its yogis and yoginis; the Taoist traditions have also produced a number of divination systems, including Yijing (Iching), feng-shui, and astrology; a rich artistic heritage, e.g.poetry, painting, calligraphy and music; as well as an entire medical system. Not surprising, then, that there are at least 10,000 ways of being a Taoist! Yet within them all one can find aspects of the Taoist world-view a deep respect for the natural world, a sensitivity to and celebration of its patterns of change, and an intuitive opening to the unspeakable Tao.