Tao simply means "The Way." Taoism is a name given to a sequence of thoughts and actions that get a person to a harmonious state of being. The Tao Te Ching is considered "The Bible" of Taoism. It was written by Lao-Tzu and is the world's second most translated book. The book is a series of eighty-one of Lao-Tzu's thoughts. Each thought has a message which helps lead the reader to discover Tao.

The first line of the Tao Ti Ching is, "A way can be a guide, but not a fixed path; names can be given, but not permanent labels." If one can fully understand this statement, that person can understand everything about Taoism. However, I doubt even Lao-Tzu knew all of what he talked about. The message of Taoism is simple, though it is said in many different ways.

The part of the Tao Ti Ching that is one of the best is segment nineteen. It is as follows:

Eliminate sagacity, abandon knowledge,

And the people benefit a hundredfold.

Eliminate humanitarianism, abandon duty,

Do the great while it is still small.

The concept of Yin and Yang has aggravated Western Civilization since the Europeans discovered it. Since science can not prove it, it is hard for them to accept. However, it is also not disprovable, but only because almost nothing is really disprovable. What is generally believed about claims (in the scientific world) is that the person who announces the claim is not responsible to prove that claim, rather, the person that disagrees must disprove the claim. Generally, if the claim is not disprovable, it is accepted as a theory. This is not the only concept that irks most scientists.

Taoism and T'ai Chi are two different things. Though they are separate religions, they compliment and cooperate with each other. The Yin and Yang concept comes into play here again, because the physical can not exist without the mental, Taoism and T'ai Chi are different things that go together as perfectly as Yin and Yang.

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1768
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)