Lao Tze, founder of the religious Taoism, lived approximately six centuries before the Christian era. His writing Tao-te Ching is the first sacred book of Taoism and has been the second most published book in the world after the Bible.

The oldest text (300 BC) of the Tao-te Ching written in bamboo laminae was discovered in 1993.

CHAPTER 1

The Tao can be explained, but words cannot replace the eternal Tao.
The name can be said, but it does not correspond to the reality of the Tao.
Nothingness, is the beginning of Heaven and Earth,
Being, is the mother of the ten thousand beings of the Universe.
When the state of Nothingness is obtained, the Wonder of the Tao can be observed.
When the state of Being is obtained, the Dominion of the Tao can be observed.
Nothingness and Being, come from the same source, but they have had different names,
The origin of Nothingness and Being is called Depth.
Beyond Depth, one will be at the door of the Tao,
That is all the Wonder of the Universe.

CHAPTER 2

The life of each individual has Te; the capacity of Te originates in the Tao.
The Tao for the ten thousand beings, seem nothingness and being. It says being, but it is not possible to be seen or be touched; it says nothing, but its existence can be reflected by the indications of the world. Says nothing, means that he is invisible; it says being, because in the ten thousand beings everything took place by him. He is as the Imperial Palace and so deep the mount of long range; in addition he is like being covered by smoke and clouds. But between which we can know his espirit. His espirit is so true and existent of information.

From now until antiquity its existence is eternal. Is like a father, gives to all the ten thousand beings. How I know the state of the father? By crossing from antiquity and the present.

CHAPTER 22

Through the resistance well-being can be maintained; with the twist straight can be made; through the low one, plenty can be obtained in order to gain more; through the old one, the new one can be produced; through little everything can be obtained; through much the perplex one remains.
Reason why the ancient governors always insisted on integrity.

CHAPTER 34

The Tao has complete power, is like water that can develope from two opposite places at the same time. Reason why the ten thousand beings leaning on him can live freely according to its norm without denying to accept; although the Tao has the superior merit but never want to appropriate it (it seems that the ten thousand beings take place alone.)

It loves all the ten thousand beings but without dominating them and so one can say is insignificant; also beings always belong to him, but he has not been their owner himself; this way we can speak of it's greatness. Is not placed in the greatness of it all, but really it had been in the highest state of the universe.

CHAPTER 67

I have three treasures that I persist and I preserve.
First is Mercy,
Second, Sobriety,
Third, is by subjectivity, not dare to be before nature.