The Tao Te-Ching

The term Tao is not a name like other names; Because it does not indicate a specific entity, but rather a state of existence. The word in the Chinese language means the road, but Lao Tzu does not see the road as the path that connects two places, but rather the way in which the universal principle is activated as the constant from which all movement arises. The road does not move from one place to another, but rather it leads things in their movement. Despite the emergence of religion since the dawn of history as an influential force in many ancient civilizations such as Babylonian and ancient Egypt, it did not exist in Chinese civilization. In it, philosophy replaced religion and became the primary cultural and moral source from which the Chinese people derived their values ​​and teachings. "Taoism" and "Confucianism" were the two most important philosophies among Chinese philosophies, as together they represented the two branches of Chinese wisdom. "Taoism" is considered the oldest Chinese philosophies. It was developed by the Chinese philosopher "Lao Tzu," and it means the path in the comprehensive sense. One of its most important ideas is that it does not see the universe as subject in its movement to a heavenly king, but rather its functions depend on each other according to a natural spontaneity implanted in its core. "Yang" and "Yin" are among the most famous symbols of Taoism. They symbolize good and evil, and the relationship of one to the other is a relationship of complementarity, not a relationship of conflict. There is no meaning to the existence of one without the other.

لاو تسي هو حكيم صيني يُعتبر مؤسس الفلسفة الطاوية، وقد عاش في الفترة ما بين القرن السادس والخامس قبل الميلاد. وُلِد في الصين القديمة وكان مسؤولًا عن إدارة الكتب والمحفوظات خلال فترة حكم أسرة "تشو". يُعتقد أنه عاش حوالي ستين عامًا، رغم أن هناك بعض الآراء التي تشير إلى أنه عاش مئتي عام. بعد تدهور الأوضاع في البلاط الملكي، قرر لاو تسي مغادرة العاصمة لويانغ دون أن يعرف أحد وجهته. ترك وراءه مجموعة من المؤلفات التي تُعدّ مرجعًا فلسفيًا ودينيًا للشعب الصيني، ومن أبرز أعماله "تاو تي كنج" و"الأخلاق"، والتي لا تزال تُدرس وتُتداول حتى اليوم. تتسم فلسفته بالعمق والروحانية، حيث تدعو إلى التوازن والانسجام بين الإنسان والطبيعة.