Lao Tzu and Taoism

Today I was walking in the forest and I came across a man walking aimlessly looking at a large tree that looked foreign to me.  He was smiling unconsciously as he ran his palm over the leaves.  Why was he so giddy?  He seemed completely engrossed in the beauty of the tree when he abruptly sat down and closed his eyes.  He crossed his arms over his lower belly and fell into deep meditation.  He looked as though he was sleeping and he seemed completely content and tranquil leaning against the tree.  I was extremely curious as to what was so appealing to the tree, but I didn’t want to disturb him.  He then opened one eye and said, “May I help you?”  I was suddenly embarrassed at my spying and struggle to clear my voice. 

“Um…I was just curious as to what type of tree that was.”

“Ah…well that is a question I do not know the answer to.  Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”

“What?”

“The key concept of Taoism is to live in harmony with nature.”

“What is Taoism?”

“Tao is The Way.”

“The way to what?”

“Those who speak the Tao do not know it, those who know the Tao do not speak of it.”

“Oh,” I was very confused at this point.  What is Tao?  How does it coincide with nature?

He then went on to explain that Taoism teaches that you should reject conflict and have little or no government.  “A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.”

The key to Taoism is to coincide with nature.  He used a term I wasn’t familiar with; he told me to go with the flow.  I smiled crookedly and began to think he was a bit of a loon.  He laughed easily and explained that water doesn't resist but yields to outside pressure and is also unstoppable.  Another key concept of Taoism is ying and yang, or good and bad.  There must be a balance of ying and yang to have a good atmosphere according to Taoists.  He told me he was going to write a book and call it "Te Ching", meaning book of wisdom.  He said it would be about wisdom of the ancestors control of the past. 

Before I left, I asked for his name.  He told me that he was Lao Tzu meaning “Old Master”.  I told him I was planning to travel towards the Great Wall.  He told me that a good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.  I then felt a little lighter and walked north towards my destination, wondering whether I would even get there.