An Introduction to the Tao Te Ching

The Tao Te Ching, a book of both mystical ruminations and practical guidance, is one of Eastern philosophy’s central texts. It was authored in the sixth century BCE by the archivist and philosopher Lao Tzu, whose name is an honorific meaning “Old Master.”

Legend has it that as the Zhou dynasty began to decline, Lao Tzu chose to migrate from China to live in peace and solitude away from the discord of…