Introduction to Terms and Concepts of Taoism: The origins of Taoism are explained in the book, The Taoist Vision (William McNaughton, 1-5): of the main Chinese religions, Buddhism originated in India but Confucianism and Taoism were both from China originally. Taoism, McNaughton explains, is the philosophy "of the Tao," or "Lao-Chuang philosophy." It's called Lao-Chuang because the two most important philosophers in the Tao faith were Chuang Tzu (from the fourth century B.C.) and Lao Tzu (from the sixth century B.C.). Hence, Lao-Chuang.

             A few of the basic concepts of Taoism (also known as Daoism), which are not always easy to understand, and need careful, thoughtful examination, are found in McNaughton's book, and presented as follows: a) "Tao" means that knowing you don't know is a superior realization (10) (the sage "takes his flaws to be flaws, and that's how he lacks flaws"); b) "darkness of the Tao" ["Hsuan"] is that something was produced before heaven and earth called "Tao"; man's rule "is earth," earth's rule "is heaven," and heaven's rule "is Tao"); c) water is "the highest good" and "approaches the Tao"); d) nothing under heaven can govern "the uncarved block"; e) the "emptiness of the Tao" (Hsu) means the space between Heaven and Earth is like "a bellows: it's empty and inexhaustible, it moves and continues to emerge."; "Heaven extends. Earth endures." .

             Continuing McNaughton's descriptions of Taoism: f) "darker energy" means to not posses what you produce, and "don't covet what you create"; g) "anti-action" means "what there is comes from what there isn't" and "what you want to shrink, you first must stretch" and "what you want to grab, you first must give"; h) "higher energy never seeks, and never lacks, effect" and ".lower energy seeks it and always lacks it"; i) "manners" are defined: the use of "manners and mode of conduct.[is the] attenuation of loyalty and of credibility"; j) "self-like-ness" means that "The Tao does not begin, the Tao does not end" and things have no permanence.