Tao Te Ching: On the Art of Harmony : the New Illustrated Edition of the Chinese Philosophical Masterpiece

Written in about the sixth century BC, The Tao Te Ching (or Daode Jing) is the masterpiece of the Chinese sage Laozi (or Lao Tzu), a record-keeper at the Zhou court, a contemporary of Confucius and the founder of Taoism. Although the book was written more than 2,500 years ago, and within a radically different culture, its concepts and teachings have never been more relevant to the Western world than they are today. Laozi offers profound wisdom, arguing that humankind is but a tiny part of an inexhaustible greatness, and that individuals can attain true fulfillment by striving to live in harmony not only with others but also with their natural environment. Organizing the work into 81 verses divided into two parts, Laozi sets out a path (tao) by which we can tune ourselves into the nature of the universe. His axioms are intended as a means to achieve transcendence and a life of integrity and balance. Among his insights are the ideas that flexibility and suppleness are superior to rigidity and strength; and that self-absorption and self-importance are vain and self-destructive.