Laozi is traditionally regarded as the author of the Daodejing
(Tao Te Ching), though the identity of its author(s) and/or compiler(s) has
been debated throughout history. It is
one of the most significant treatises in Chinese cosmogony.
As with most other ancient Chinese philosophers, Laozi often explains his ideas
by way of paradox, analogy, appropriation of ancient sayings, repetition,
symmetry, rhyme, and rhythm. In fact, the whole book can be read as an analogy
– the ruler is the awareness, or self, in meditation and the myriad creatures
or empire is the experience of the body, senses and desires.
The Tao Te Ching, often called simply Laozi after its reputed
author, describes the Dao (or Tao) as the source and ideal of all existence: it
is unseen, but not transcendent, immensely powerful yet supremely humble, being
the root of all things. People have desires and free will (and thus are able to
alter their own nature). Many act "unnaturally", upsetting the
natural balance of the Dao. The Daodejing intends to lead students to a
"return" to their natural state, in harmony with Dao. Language and conventional wisdom are critically assessed.
Taoism views them as inherently biased and artificial, widely using paradoxes
to sharpen the point.
Livia Kohn provides an example of how Laozi encouraged a change in
approach, or return to "nature", rather than action. Technology may
bring about a false sense of progress. The answer provided by Laozi is not the
rejection of technology, but instead seeking the calm state of wu wei, free
from desires. This relates to many statements by Laozi encouraging rulers to
keep their people in "ignorance", or "simple-minded". Some scholars
insist this explanation ignores the religious context, and others question it
as an apologetic
of the philosophical coherence of the text. It would not be unusual political
advice if Laozi literally intended to tell rulers to keep their people
ignorant. However, some terms in the text, such as "valley spirit" (gushen)
and "soul" (po), bear a metaphysical context and cannot be
easily reconciled with a purely ethical reading of the work.
Wu wei (無爲), literally "non-action" or
"not acting", is a central concept of the Daodejing. The concept
of wu wei is multifaceted, and reflected in the words' multiple
meanings, even in English translation; it can mean "not doing
anything", "not forcing", "not acting" in the
theatrical sense, "creating nothingness", "acting
spontaneously", and "flowing with the moment."
It is a concept used to explain ziran (自然), or harmony with
the Dao. It includes the concepts that value distinctions are ideological and
seeing ambition of all sorts as originating from the same source. Laozi used
the term broadly with simplicity and humility as key virtues, often in contrast to selfish action.
On a political level, it means avoiding such circumstances as war, harsh laws
and heavy taxes. Some Taoists see a connection between wu wei and esoteric
practices, such as zuowang "sitting in oblivion" (emptying the mind
of bodily awareness and thought) found in the Zhuangzi.
Some of Laozi's famous sayings include:
"When goodness is lost, it is replaced by morality."
故 失 道 而後 德 ， 失 德 而 後 仁 ， 失 仁 而 後 義 ， 失 義 而 後 禮 (38)
"The usefulness of a pot comes from its emptiness."
埏埴以為器，當其無，有器之用 (11)
"The best people are like water, which benefits all things and does
not compete with them. It stays in lowly places that others reject. This is why
it is so similar to the Way."
上善若水，水善利万物而不争，处众人之所恶，故几于道 (8)
"When people see some things as beautiful, other things become ugly.
When people see some things as good, other things become bad."
天 下 皆 知 美 之 為 美 ， 斯 惡 已 ； 皆 知 善 之 為 善 ， 斯 不 善已 (2)
“Try to change it and you will ruin it. Try to hold it and you will lose
it.”
將欲取天下而為之，吾見其不得已。
天下神器，不可為也，不可執也。為者敗之，執者失之 (29)
"The more that laws and
regulations are given prominence, the more thieves and robbers there will
be."
法令溢彰，盜賊多有 (57)
—Laozi, Tao Te Ching
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