The Tao of the Universe

Tao or Dao DOW; from Chinese: 道; pinyin: Dào [tâu] (About this sound listen)) is a Chinese The Tao can be roughly thought of as the flow of the Universe, or as some essence or pattern behind the natural world that keeps the Universe.
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These concepts are the cornerstone of Taoist philosophy.

Introduction to Taoism: Yin-Yang Theory

Taoist philosophers also noticed that what happens in nature is effortless. This does not mean that there is no struggle, but that events occur without premeditation. Consider the life of a plant. The seed falls onto the ground. If the soil is fertile, and if it receives warmth, light, and water, it may emerge as a seedling.

[Taoist Mystic Teachings on the Principle of Universe & Existence] The Book of Lieh Tzu (Audiobook)

It does not require instruction to know how to take nourishment in through its roots or how to photosynthesize light and unfold into a mature plant. Given the knowledge it contains, the plant is complete within its own nature. Why not allow situations to unfold as they may rather than trying to manipulate others and orchestrate events?

The Taoist View of the Universe

This belief in Taoist philosophy is known as the doctrine of doing-by-not-doing, and it lies at the heart of Taoist practice. It is the message of the following portion of Verse 29 of the Tao Te Ching:. Nature is complete without us, this verse tells us. We must recognize this fact and begin to participate with nature as a partner in the universal scheme. Our mission, according to Taoist philosophy, is to return to a natural way of life, unencumbered by complicated social institutions and intellectual ideas.

Doing so, Taoism suggests, will return us to a state of natural grace -- Tao.

Taoist Philosophy

This contact with what is innately pure will, in turn, strengthen our spirit, the source of which is nature. Continue reading to discover more about Tao, the path, and finding the way -- all central components of Taoist philosophy. Thoughts That Can Come Alive. Tao expresses the path human beings must take to join with the unity of the universe.

This path is eternally existent and transcends all that is material. The next is the way of the universe.


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This interpretation suggests the omnipresent aspect of the Tao. It is in all places and exists in all things.


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The energy or life force that connects and flows through the Universe is called the Tao. This ever-flowing energy is the underlying law of nature and creates order in the universe.

This path encompasses and unites all that exists. We are all composed of yin and yang, the opposite energies that create and exist in all things.

Alan Watts describes the Taoist principles which keep Life in Balance

Body, mind and spirit all emerge from opposite positive and negative forces. If either yin or yang is more dominant than the other, we are living a life of imbalance. This path seamlessly bonds the flow of one life with the flow of the universe.