Chinese Incense Burners :: Yin Yang Character Burner

All things have a story...

Taoism poses a mysterious riddle to most Westerners, but it is actually very easy to understand when broken down into its simplest element. The “Tao” that Taoists refer to is the universe itself and everything in it. The Tao operates according to natural laws which if followed by man, results in happiness and good health. When the laws are broken, man then finds himself diseased and unhappy and early death is often the result. The most important book in Taoism is the Tao Teh Ching, written by Lao Tze around the third and fifth centuries BC. The Tao Teh Ching is the most widely translated book on earth. Only the Bible can compete with how many times the Tao Teh Ching has been translated into English.

Records show that Lao Tze lived in ancient China around the time the Tao Teh Ching was written and that he was placed in charge of the Imperial Archives during his time. Lao Tze must have been a man of firm moral principles, for he retired from his prestigious post, disgusted by the greed and decadence he saw, and retired into the mountains of Western China. It is said that he rode out of the city on a buffalo. Before leaving the city boundary, he was stopped by a border guard who pleaded with Lao Tze to leave one last legacy behind from which his teachings could be carried on. Lao Tze was reluctant to comply with the guard, but he suddenly felt it the right thing to do. He quickly composed a 5,000 word work that we already know is called the Tao Teh Ching. He left the following disclaimer for all people to see before reading his teachings:

The way that can be spoken is not the real Way
The name that can be named is not the real Name.

These mysterious words are a conundrum for most Westerners and people not familiar with the Tao. Lao Tze means that words alone are not accurate substitutes for expressing the true nature of reality. Without saying or writing another word, Lao Tze left the border guard with the precious words of his teaching and rode off into the mountains, never to be seen or heard from again.